“Jiang Chen, um…
I…”
Lumine twisted her fingers together.
Her delicate face burned bright red.
Her mind felt a little dizzy.
She was deeply embarrassed at being caught in such an awkward lie, unable to organize her words properly.
Even though the cool night breeze blew through Mondstadt, Lumine’s body radiated heat.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen didn’t press her about why she’d just lied about booking a hotel outside.
He reached out and gave her a gentle pat on the head.
But Paimon wasn’t the kind of mascot to feel such shame.
Or rather, this was entirely Lumine’s own idea, with nothing to do with Paimon.
She planted her hands on her hips.
“Hmph!
Paimon is not some kind of cat or pet, you know!”
“Then what are you?”
Jiang Chen asked curiously.
Paimon’s true identity had always been a mystery.
“Me?”
Paimon was stumped by the question and fell into deep thought.
Her small brain capacity wasn’t enough to come up with an answer.
“Forget it, forget it!
I’m definitely not a puppy or a kitten or anything like that!”
She huffed angrily.
Jiang Chen led them back to the front of Good Hunter.
He suddenly stopped, and Lumine, not paying attention, bumped into his back.
Jiang Chen didn’t mind.
Instead, he tossed a few dozen Mora into the fountain not far away.
“Whoa!”
Paimon tried to fly after them to catch them, but she couldn’t keep up and failed to grab a single one.
She was furious.
“Jiang Chen!
Even if you’re rich, that’s no way to waste money!”
“I heard that people who waste money end up with terrible luck!”
Paimon stomped her feet in the air in anger.
Dozens of Mora!
If she could save them up, she could buy snacks again soon!
“I’m not wasting them.”
Jiang Chen shook his head and explained, “That fountain is Mondstadt’s wishing fountain. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
If you make a sincere wish, it might just come true.”
“So a ‘sincere wish’ means throwing in Mora?”
Paimon didn’t understand.
What did wishing have to do with tossing coins?
“Of course, a wish needs a ritual.
Throwing Mora is just one kind of ritual.”
Jiang Chen made it up as he went along.
Paimon flew a lap around the fountain and came back, puzzled.
“Then won’t this wishing fountain get filled up?”
“Legend has it that the Mora carrying wishes is carried away by the wind, sent to the Anemo Archon, and heard by him.
Whether he grants your wish or not depends on his mood.”
Jiang Chen kept spinning the tale.
In reality, the sisters from the church would come to clean it out, to keep the fountain’s spout or drain from getting clogged with Mora.
Lately, a man named Anthony had been sneaking over every night to collect the coins.
The church was happy to let it happen—after all, it was only a few dozen Mora a day, nothing they cared about.
“What wish did Jiang Chen just make?”
Paimon asked.
“I wished for little Paimon to get a little smarter,” he said.
“Hmph!
That’s more like it!”
Paimon didn’t realize he was insulting her, implying she was dumb right now.
She grabbed Lumine’s short sleeve and tugged her toward the fountain.
“Lumine, let’s make a wish too!”
“Wish for Lumine to find her brother soon.”
Paimon was very enthusiastic.
“Yeah.”
Lumine counted out ten Mora and tossed them in.
She clasped her hands together and made her wish earnestly.
After that, her mood seemed to calm down.
Only a faint blush still lingered on her lovely cheeks.
Jiang Chen’s goal of distracting her had been achieved.
When Mona saw them, she was very surprised.
Weren’t these two travelers supposed to be staying at an inn?
“Something came up.”
Jiang Chen returned to the stove, took a small spoonful to taste, and figured it would take about half an hour more.
So he first led Lumine and Paimon up to the attic.
He opened the door to the only empty room.
Inside, the space was only about ten square meters.
Aside from a tidy bed, an old-fashioned desk, and a wardrobe, there was no other furniture.
A cool breeze blew in through the open window, stirring the dark curtains into wavelike ripples.
Jiang Chen said.
“Wow!”
Paimon pounced onto the soft bed, looking blissful.
“Master Jiang Chen is so generous!”
Paimon had even changed how she addressed him.
“The bathroom is at the very end of the hall.
You can use it.”
Jiang Chen added.
“I’m going to sleep.”
Paimon didn’t care about anything else.
She yawned.
If the inns in Mondstadt had been open, she would have been fast asleep by now.
Lumine closed the window and pulled the blanket over her.
Her gaze unconsciously softened.
“Jiang Chen, thank you.”
She turned and said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Um, I’d like to use the bathroom…”
“I’ll be downstairs.”
Jiang Chen assured her.
He waved and left.
Back on the second floor.
Mona had already used her free time to pick up her quill and start drafting.
She was always this busy.
In her words, this was what she called being fulfilled.
“Mona, can you use hydromancy for me?”
Jiang Chen returned to the stove and suddenly turned to speak to her.
“Astrology doesn’t work on the gods, and it’s not very effective on their servants—those with Visions.
It’s even worse on travelers from another world.”
Mona explained before asking, “Who do you want me to divine?”
“Fischl.
I don’t need detailed information.
Just a location should be fine, right?”
“That princess?”
Mona nodded.
She knew her.
She skillfully climbed onto the roof through the dry chimney, spread out a mirror of Hydro, and began her divination under the starry sky.
Happy reading!