“It’s a dragon…
he’s talking to a dragon?” Paimon answered Stelle’s question, though no one could answer her own.
At that moment, a glow of Anemo suddenly lit up in Lumine’s hand.
The distant dragon seemed to sense it instantly.
It suddenly became violent, letting out a furious roar as it raised a claw and slammed it down toward the boy.
“Watch out!” Stelle’s pupils shrank.
Almost instinctively, she summoned her baseball bat and rushed forward, placing herself in front of the green-clad boy to block the attack.
The boy looked at Stelle in surprise, clearly startled by her sudden appearance.
But the situation left him no time for greetings.
After glancing once more at the blonde girl in the distance, the boy seized the moment when no one was paying attention and transformed into a gust of wind, vanishing on the spot.
As for the dragon, after having its attack blocked by Stelle, it showed no intention of continuing the fight.
It beat its wings, kicking up a massive cloud of dust before soaring into the sky and disappearing.
“Cough…
cough…” Stelle covered her mouth and nose to avoid inhaling too much dust.
“Stelle!
Are you okay?!” The blonde girl hurried over, grabbing Stelle’s hand and anxiously checking her condition.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Stelle shook her head.
For some reason, she felt like Lumine had deliberately squeezed her hand just now.
And the way she was worrying about her felt…
a little strange.
They had only just met, after all…
“Are you really alright?” Lumine asked again, still concerned.
“I’m fine.
That attack didn’t hurt me at all.” Stelle smiled confidently.
In truth, the force of that blow had been quite strong.
Stelle could still feel her palm tingling from gripping the bat.
But how could she admit weakness in front of a beautiful girl?
“But what exactly happened?” Stelle couldn’t understand why the dragon, which had been calm with the green-clad boy, suddenly turned hostile.
Everything seemed to have changed the moment the Anemo light appeared on Lumine.
Could it be that the Anemo power on Lumine had provoked the dragon?
“Wow, that was close!
I almost got blown away.
Good thing I grabbed your hair,” Paimon said, still shaken.
“You almost tore my scalp off,” Lumine shot her an exasperated look.
“That strange guy talking to the dragon…
what was that about?” Ignoring Lumine’s complaint, Paimon rubbed her chin, thinking.
“Um, is talking to dragons normal in this world?” Stelle raised her hand curiously.
Lumine also looked toward Paimon.
Although she had been in this world longer than Stelle, she had mostly been wandering, so her knowledge wasn’t much greater.
“Of course not!
Dragons aren’t something you can just casually run into…
Huh?
What’s that?” Paimon’s eyes suddenly caught something.
At the spot where the dragon had been, there was a crimson crystal glowing faintly.
“Let’s go take a look,” Lumine suggested.
“Be careful.
It gives me a really bad feeling…” Paimon warned.
The group approached the crystal.
“Paimon, do you know what this is?” Stelle frowned slightly.
She had never seen anything like it before.
It looked like a teardrop, but it emitted a scent that made her uncomfortable.
Her instincts seemed to reject it.
“I’ve never seen it either.
I can’t tell what it is,” Paimon shook her head.
“No matter what, something this dangerous should be kept safely for now.” Paimon seemed to possess some mysterious ability.
Before Stelle could even react, the crimson crystal had already been collected.
“Alright, let’s leave this place quickly!” “Mm.” …
They continued on the road toward Mondstadt.
For a long stretch, nothing unusual happened.
Chatting idly with Lumine along the way, time passed quickly.
It wasn’t until they were close enough to see the city’s walls in the distance that a voice suddenly called out from behind them.
“Hey, you!
Stop right there!” The three of them turned around in confusion.
They saw a nimble red figure rapidly approaching, then leaping off a slope and landing right in front of them.
She even rolled smoothly to absorb the impact of the landing.
Seeing that, Stelle couldn’t help but applaud.
Perfect score!
“May the Anemo Archon protect you, strangers!” The girl had long black hair and wore a red outfit, with a headpiece shaped like rabbit ears.
Was that a red headscarf or a hairband…?
It looked soft.
I kind of want to touch it.
“I’m Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius.” The girl didn’t notice Stelle’s somewhat rude gaze and gave them a proper Mondstadt knight’s salute.
“You’re not citizens of Mondstadt, are you?
Then please state your identities and your…
purpose.” Amber’s voice faltered toward the end.
Her gaze had landed on Stelle, who was staring at her without blinking.
A blush instantly spread across Amber’s face, as if steam were rising from it.
“Calm down, we’re not suspicious people—” Paimon quickly said.
“Cough, cough…
suspicious people always say that.
But this young lady doesn’t seem suspicious, she might even be…” Amber coughed awkwardly and averted her gaze from Stelle.
The last part was muttered so softly that no one heard it.
“Hello, I’m Lumine.” “I’m Stelle.” “Those don’t sound like local names.
Are you from the same place?” Amber asked curiously, looking at Lumine.
She didn’t quite dare look at Stelle anymore.
She felt like she might lose composure if she did.
“No, we’re not.
Why do you ask?” Stelle replied.
“Your names have a similar feel to them.” “That’s just a coincidence,” Lumine explained.
“So you’re travelers, right?
Then what’s with this…
mascot beside you?” Amber’s gaze shifted to Paimon.
She had never seen a creature like this—able to speak, humanoid, and so small.
But Teyvat was full of strange things, so she didn’t dwell on it.
“Her?
Emergency food,” Stelle answered instinctively before Lumine could speak.
“That’s completely wrong!
How did you pick up Lumine’s bad habits so quickly?!” Paimon stomped angrily in midair.
From the very beginning, Lumine had joked about her being emergency food.
Now even Stelle, whom she had only just met, was saying the same thing.
…
Wait!
Don’t tell me they really see me as emergency food?!
“Ahem.
Anyway, a dragon has been sighted near Mondstadt recently.
If you plan to enter the city, it’s best to hurry,” Amber said, sneaking a glance at Stelle.
“I-it’s not far from here.
As a knight, I’ll escort you the rest of the way.” She patted her not-so-large chest.
For some reason, Stelle felt like Amber had been glancing at her repeatedly.
And the tone she used just now…
it sounded a little odd, almost like she was feeling guilty.
Could it be that although she said she was escorting them, she actually had some ulterior motive…
A trace of vigilance appeared in Stelle’s gaze as she looked at the girl.