For most novice adventurers, combat-related commissions are usually not the first choice.
After all, quite a number of people have little to no combat ability, or at best, only strength comparable to a wild boar.
Especially when they are unfamiliar with the mission process and environment, rashly taking on combat commissions is very dangerous.
If things go wrong, the Knights of Favonius might even have to be dispatched for rescue.
Therefore, after Stelle accepted that commission, Katheryne still kindly offered a reminder.
As the receptionist of the Adventurers’ Guild who had been stationed in Mondstadt for many years, she had seen far too many such cases.
Even in recent years, tragic incidents still occurred from time to time.
“Although the ‘Increasing Danger’ commission only requires you to destroy two Hilichurl watchtowers to be considered complete, there are many Hilichurls stationed around them.
There are also more dangerous Mitachurls and Samachurls.
Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” “It’s fine.
I’ll take this one.” Stelle nodded firmly.
She had not yet seen what Mitachurls or Samachurls looked like, but since they were all Hilichurls, they probably weren’t particularly powerful monsters.
According to her understanding, creatures like this were roughly equivalent to goblins in a fantasy world.
And no matter how strong a goblin was, how strong could it really be?
“Very well, I will process the commission for you,” Katheryne nodded as well.
Her friendly reminder ended there.
She would not emphasize it further.
If something happened afterward…
that would be a matter for the Knights of Favonius to handle.
The Adventurers’ Guild’s responsibility ended here.
As the saying went, good advice could not save someone determined to court disaster.
Soon, the formalities were completed.
Stelle made some simple preparations in the city, buying a bit of portable dry food before heading straight toward her destination.
However, what she didn’t notice was that shortly after she left, a figure quietly followed in her footsteps.
…
According to the map Katheryne had given her, the location of this commission was near Mondstadt.
Probably due to the recent dragon storm, monsters like Hilichurls had not been cleared out in time and often set up camps near the city.
With the Knights of Favonius currently short-handed, the task of driving away and eliminating these monsters was mostly left to adventurers.
The commission she had accepted was exactly like this.
The reward was roughly 10,000 Mora, which was quite decent—enough to cover her meals for several days.
Moreover, the location wasn’t far from Mondstadt.
She could probably return within an afternoon.
The task itself was also simple.
She only needed to smash two watchtowers.
There was no need to wipe out all the enemies, which made it even easier for her.
All things considered, the cost-performance ratio was quite good, which was why she had taken this commission.
However, there was one thing she had ultimately forgotten to consider.
“This should be the place…
so where are the watchtowers?” Stelle scratched her head and looked down at the simple map of Mondstadt’s surroundings in her hand.
According to the map, she should head southwest after leaving the city…
this was southwest, right?
Stelle raised her head suspiciously and glanced at the sun in the sky, but unfortunately, she had no skill in determining direction based on the sun.
The destination was supposed to be on open plains, but what she found instead was a forest.
“Hmm…” Stelle stood in place, hesitating.
When she first left the city, she had been quite confident in her sense of direction.
But as she walked farther and farther, it seemed she had gradually gotten lost.
Now she had two choices: either turn back from here or continue forward.
After all, it was possible that the map’s markings were off and the Hilichurl camp was actually farther away.
If she turned back now, she was confident she could follow her own tracks back to Mondstadt’s gates.
But that would undoubtedly waste a lot of time.
By the time she returned, the city gates might already be closed for the night, leaving her to camp outdoors.
“Forget it.
I’ll keep going.” After thinking it over, Stelle shook her head and made up her mind to move forward.
It had to be the map’s problem.
There was no way she could be directionally challenged.
How could she possibly get lost just by following a set direction?
…
“Hmph.” Not long after Stelle left, a soft snort came from the bushes behind her.
A woman with short purple hair stepped out slowly.
She wore a somewhat listless expression, dark circles under her eyes, yet her outfit was strikingly revealing for a nun.
She looked in the direction Stelle had gone and frowned slightly.
Rosaria, a nun of the Church of Favonius in Mondstadt.
However, she lacked the demeanor of a nun, nor did she show reverence or devotion to the gods.
Born among a band of thieves, she was better suited for handling Mondstadt’s darker affairs.
Suspicious merchants, questionable travelers—she investigated and tracked such people, and if necessary, even interrogated them.
Recently, due to the dragon storm in Mondstadt, there were fewer outsiders, but her workload had not become any lighter.
Because those who still chose to come to Mondstadt during this time were even more worthy of suspicion.
Especially those who possessed considerable strength.
The blonde girl named Lumine was one such individual, accompanied by a floating companion of unknown species.
However, she had driven away the dragon and accepted the Knights of Favonius’ invitation to assist with resolving the crisis.
For the time being, Rosaria could not conduct a deeper investigation into her.
Thus, she shifted her attention to the gray-haired girl who had arrived in Mondstadt together with Lumine.
This girl was very different from Lumine.
Whether in attire or appearance, she seemed as though she came from an entirely different world.
Everything about her screamed suspicious.
So when she saw the girl accept a commission and leave the city, she immediately chose to follow.
But during this pursuit, something completely unexpected had occurred.
“She got lost even while holding a map…” Rosaria crossed her arms and silently considered her next move.
Perhaps she should guide the girl a little, to prevent her from straying farther and farther away.
If she missed the timing, getting back into the city would become troublesome.
However, doing so without being noticed would not be easy.
“What a troublesome person.” Rosaria sighed and set off again in the direction Stelle had gone.
Even with a map, a clear direction, and such a close destination to Mondstadt, she still managed to get lost.
Rosaria estimated that this girl was unlikely to pose any real threat to Mondstadt.
Of course, she wouldn’t jump to conclusions so hastily.
Further investigation was still necessary.