The usually composed outrider knight quickly pulled her hand back, her face flushed red. Even the dark circles under her eyes seemed diminished, giving her an almost smoky makeup look that added a touch of elegance.
"It's nothing, really. As an outrider knight, running around all day is my job. Helping you put up some missing-person posters is just a small favor."
Paimon clapped her hands excitedly. "Uh-huh, Mondstadt's knightly big sister is the best!"
Then, she turned to Gu Sanqiu with a disdainful look.
"Hmph! Aren't you from Mondstadt too? Why can't you be more like Amber and learn from her example?"
Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow, glancing briefly at Barbatos.
"Are you talking about him? Just so you know, he's merely a bard and not an official employee of Mondstadt's government."
"I'm talking about you!"
Cue Iconic Scene: Paimon Stomps Feet in Frustration.
Gu Sanqiu nodded in understanding. "Ah, well, to be honest, I'm not from Mondstadt."
Even though he carried within him an elemental seed tied to Mondstadt's old ruler.
Paimon's eyes lit up like a detective finding decisive evidence at the scene.
"Amber! Arrest him! He's not from Mondstadt either—make him get his ID!"
"Sanqiu?" Amber laughed awkwardly. "Uh, Sanqiu isn't just some random, nameless drifter. Quite the opposite—he's actually quite well-known in both Liyue and Mondstadt."
"Oh, and Paimon," Amber added with a teasing smile, "if it really came down to a fight, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
Amber recalled their joint adventure in a domain, where Gu Sanqiu and his companions had recklessly charged through hordes of elemental constructs. If she couldn't maintain distance, she doubted she'd even have the opportunity to retreat.
"Wha—?!"
Paimon's head turned stiffly toward Gu Sanqiu, only to find him staring at her with a look brimming with curiosity, as if he were mentally dissecting her to decide where to make the first cut.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Paimon bowed her head in apology at lightning speed. Gu Sanqiu reached out and gave her a light pat on the side of her head—avoiding her headpiece to spare his hand from being poked.
"Good. As long as you know when you're wrong."
Not bad. Pretty soft.
Achievement Unlocked: Pat the Poster Girl's Head.
"Well then…" Gu Sanqiu paused, glancing at Aether, "...my young brother?"
Suppressing the urge to laugh, he continued, "Amber's agreed to help put up your posters. But let me ask you this: do you have money?"
"Money?"
Simultaneously, question marks seemed to pop up over both Aether and Paimon's heads.
Gu Sanqiu pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, printing those posters costs money. Amber's already offered to help with the posting; you can't expect her to pay for it too."
Realizing the truth of his words, Aether and Paimon nodded belatedly.
It made sense. Having Amber help post the flyers was already a big favor. Asking her to foot the bill as well would be crossing the line.
If only this were post-Stormterror crisis, Gu Sanqiu mused. The Knights of Favonius would have had more resources, and such a minor expense wouldn't have been an issue.
But with Stormterror's domain already cleared, the incident was moot. If Aether wanted to post the flyers, he'd have to find a way to cover the costs himself.
"We don't… have any money," Paimon admitted shyly, clasping her hands behind her back and swaying side to side. "If we had money, I wouldn't have fainted from hunger back then. Luckily, my partner saved me."
Aether radiated his signature warm aura as he patted Paimon's head affectionately.
"No money, no identity. You two are starting to look more and more like drifters," Amber sighed. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's discuss it back in Mondstadt."
With a bright smile, she gave them a thumbs-up. "After all, I did promise to treat you to a meal. Once my work's done, I'll introduce you to some of Mondstadt's special dishes!"
Her declaration was met with a jubilant shout from Paimon.
"Yay!"
"I'll take you there," Gu Sanqiu offered. He raised his hand, summoning a strong surge of Anemo energy that lifted the group into the air. Then, with a pointed glance at Barbatos, he silently conveyed: Do your part.
Barbatos sighed, responding with a knowing look. Got it.
Gentle winds gathered, guided by Gu Sanqiu's control of the elemental seed within him. The group began to drift toward Mondstadt.
"Wow! You can actually fly!" Paimon exclaimed, staring at Gu Sanqiu. "I thought none of you could do that!"
"Once your abilities reach a certain level, flight isn't much of a limitation," Gu Sanqiu replied calmly. He'd even begun forming ideas about alternative methods of flight using different elemental attributes.
The seven elements permeate all of Teyvat. If one could partially elementalize their body, flight would be possible, he theorized.
It was a preliminary idea: using elemental energy as a passkey to traverse the natural elemental currents of the world, mimicking teleportation techniques.
But full-body elementalization might come with risks he hadn't fully grasped yet. For now, it remained a concept.
Honestly, he thought, it'd be easier if my trashy cheat skill gave me a plane or warship to study and hand over to the Secret Vault.
With fully equipped Liyue air, sea, and land forces, no neighboring nation would dare have ill intentions.
Barbatos watched Gu Sanqiu effortlessly manipulate Anemo energy, sighing inwardly.
Every time he saw Gu Sanqiu use the power of the elemental seed, he was reminded of Decarabian, the tyrant of the tower.
He'd visited the old god once, and to his surprise, Decarabian had shown no hostility or anger toward him, instead engaging in a calm conversation.
As the current ruler of Mondstadt, Barbatos could sense Decarabian's state and power level.
The mental and spiritual collapse of a god should have been a death sentence, especially for one like Decarabian. Yet somehow, after thousands of years, he had reemerged, piecing together his identity as the God of the Tornado once more.
How could someone recover from such destruction? Barbatos thought, chills running down his spine.
Upon landing just outside Mondstadt, Amber took the drifter duo to the Knights of Favonius for identification. Meanwhile, Gu Sanqiu pulled Barbatos aside, leading him to a secluded spot along the city walls.
"Why does that guy have such a weird aura?" Gu Sanqiu asked, his expression serious. "If I didn't have certain… methods, I might've been one of the people blushing back there."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Barbatos played dumb, crossing his arms. "How would I know? Maybe you just like guys?"
Gu Sanqiu stared at him, then calmly rolled up his sleeves.
"Well, how about I start liking you right now?"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Barbatos held up his hands in a cross. "Okay, I'll tell you a little. But just a little! That's all I'm willing to share. Deal?"
Gu Sanqiu rolled his sleeves back down. "Talk."
"The foolish believe they've grasped the truth of the times and hold its throat, but in reality, they are bound by great beings who control all through words and illusions."
"Sound and form, electricity and light—what they think is truth is but a facade. They will never touch the gates of the real truth."
Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow. "You trying to hint at someone? A certain rainforest nation, maybe?"
"Not at all." Barbatos adjusted his hat with a smile. "All I can say is this: watch and wait."
---
T/N: my brain too puny to understand
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
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Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf