The twilight over Mondstadt deepened, its sky a canvas of indigo streaked with fading gold, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets and bathing Good Hunter's open-air counter in the warm glow of flickering lanterns. The air thrummed with the sizzle of grilling meat, the sweet tang of honeyed carrots mingling with the earthy scent of cooling stone as the day's bustle dwindled to a quiet hum. Wooden tables dotted the space, their surfaces worn smooth by countless meals, while the clatter of plates and the soft murmur of late diners wove a cozy tapestry around the eatery. Sarah bustled behind the counter, her brown hair tied back in a flour-streaked apron, her hazel eyes bright with a chef's zeal as she juggled orders, her mind still spinning with visions of golden egg fried rice.
Lumine leaned against a table, her red roller skates glinting faintly as she adjusted their laces, her golden hair catching the lantern light as she chatted with Paimon, who hovered beside her, starry cape fluttering. Their voices—a mix of excitement and mock indignation—drifted over the counter, Sarah's tale of delayed ingredients sparking Paimon's pout and Lumine's laughter. "Evening? My stomach's rioting now!" Paimon whined, her tiny fists clenching as she pictured glowing rice slipping further away, her game console victory a fleeting balm to her hunger. Sarah chuckled, wiping her hands as she promised a night-time feast, her chef's pride stoked by the challenge ahead.
A new voice cut through their banter, tentative but curious, drawing their eyes to a nearby table. "Uh—golden egg fried rice? That a new Liyue dish?" it asked, and they turned to find a young man hunched over a plate of boar skewers, his blond hair tousled beneath green goggles perched atop his head. His adventurer's garb—leather vest, worn boots, a dagger sheathed at his hip—bore the dust of the wilds, his green eyes glinting with a spark of intrigue as he paused mid-bite, his fork hovering over a charred chunk of meat. Sarah's face lit up with recognition, her grin widening as she stepped forward. "Bennett! Didn't see you there—regular as ever," she said, her voice warm with familiarity, her hands resting on her hips.
Lumine and Paimon blinked, their heads tilting as they studied the newcomer, his presence a puzzle against their comic-fueled day. "Bennett's an adventurer—Adventurers' Guild, always out chasing something wild," Sarah explained, gesturing at him with a flour-dusted hand. "Eats here most nights—keeps me busy." Bennett flashed a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck as he set his fork down, his goggles slipping slightly. "Hey—can't resist the skewers. Best in Mondstadt," he said, his tone easy but tinged with a self-aware chuckle, his luck a shadow he wore lightly.
Paimon floated closer, her starry eyes narrowing as she sized him up, her game console tucked under her arm. "An adventurer, huh? Then listen—golden egg fried rice glows!" she declared, her voice a mysterious whisper that made Bennett's brows shoot up, his fork clattering to the plate. "Glowing?" he echoed, his green eyes widening as he leaned forward, disbelief threading through his awe. He'd roamed Teyvat's wilds—faced hilichurls, dodged storms, scavenged ruins—but glowing food? That was a tale beyond his campfire yarns, a spark that flickered against his seasoned skepticism.
Sarah nodded, her grin widening as she crossed her arms. "Got it from Harlan Flint's comic shop—Galehaven Comics. Read Little Master, and bam—recipe's mine," she said, her voice brimming with pride as she recalled the radiant beam, Liu Maoxing's culinary magic now hers to wield. Bennett's jaw slackened, his adventurer's mind stumbling over the leap—comics to cuisine? "A comic shop? That's where this glowing stuff comes from?" he asked, his tone a mix of doubt and fascination, his fork forgotten as he pictured a chef-turned-shopkeeper scribbling recipes between panels.
Paimon's starry eyes flashed, her tiny frame bristling as she caught the flicker of disbelief in his gaze. "What—you think it's fake? Harlan's place is real—best spot in Mondstadt!" she huffed, her voice rising as she darted forward, her cape a starry blur. "Look at this—game console! Plays stuff like Super Mario—jump, fight, win!" She thrust the device up, its screen glowing with Mario's pixelated grin, her thumbs twitching as she mimed a leap. "And this—camera! Shoots videos—got Ying's dragon fight right here!" She waved Tomoyo's camera, its sleek form a marvel that made Bennett blink, his adventurer's curiosity snagged.
She pointed at Lumine's skates, her voice a triumphant crescendo. "And those—roller skates! Fast as wind—seen 'em anywhere else? Nope!" Lumine grinned, tapping a skate against the cobblestones with a soft clack, her wind dragon poise lending the move a casual flair. Bennett froze, his green eyes darting between the gadgets—console, camera, skates—each a relic beyond his wilds, their gleam a challenge to his doubt. "Never heard of those—camera's kinda like a Kamera, but… better?" he murmured, his voice softening as he recalled Fontaine's clunky lenses, his skepticism cracking under Paimon's barrage.
"More than toys—you can get skills, like Sarah's rice! And power—big stuff!" Paimon pressed, her starry eyes glinting as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hiss. "Yesterday's fight—wind dragon versus cyan dragon? That was Ying—turned into it from a comic!" She yanked the camera forward, flicking its screen to life with a shaky video—Lumine's wind swirling, her form shifting, a cyan dragon roaring against Twalin's storm, claws clashing in a tempest of light. Bennett's breath hitched, his goggles slipping as he stared, the footage a thunderbolt to his adventurer's heart. "That's… real?" he rasped, his disbelief teetering as Mondstadt's skies replayed in miniature.
Paimon smirked, her tiny chest puffing out as she delivered her coup de grâce. "Jean and Diluc—they're at Galehaven right now, reading comics! You trust them, right?" She crossed her arms, her starry cape still as she let the names sink in—Jean, the Acting Grand Master, her sword a beacon of order; Diluc, the Darknight Hero, his wealth and flame a legend. Bennett jolted upright, his plate rattling as he gripped the table, his green eyes wide with shock. "Jean? Diluc? At a comic shop?" he stammered, his voice a mix of awe and urgency, his adventurer's instincts flaring.
He knew them—Jean's stern resolve at guild briefings, Diluc's rare nods at tavern counters—figures of steel and trust, not prone to whimsy. If they were there, poring over pages in a tucked-away alley, then Galehaven wasn't some bardic scam—it was a crucible of miracles, its rewards as real as the dust on his boots. "That's… wild. If they're in, it's gotta be true," he murmured, his skepticism crumbling as his heart raced, a spark of adventure igniting in his chest. "I've gotta see it—comics that give stuff? Count me in!"
Paimon cackled, floating higher as she clapped her hands, her starry eyes glinting with mischief. "Told ya—Harlan's the real deal! Go read—maybe you'll get lucky!" she crowed, her voice a triumphant peal as she savored her victory, her Amway a spark that lit Bennett's path. Lumine chuckled, her skates humming as she shifted, her golden eyes warm with amusement. "Careful, though—luck's not your forte," she teased, her wind dragon grin softening the jab as she recalled tales of Bennett's misadventures—treasures lost to storms, maps burned by stray sparks.
Bennett grinned, a lopsided twist that carried his trademark grit. "Luck's rotten, sure—but if comics can turn it, I'm game," he said, his voice firm as he pushed his plate aside, his green goggles glinting with resolve. Sarah nodded, her apron swaying as she leaned forward. "Come tonight—rice'll be ready. Maybe Harlan's there too—chef or not, he's magic," she said, her hazel eyes bright with a believer's zeal, her own reward a testament to Galehaven's pull. Paimon's grin widened, a sly whisper escaping as she nudged Lumine. "See? Another fan—Harlan's gold when I sell you!" Lumine's eyes narrowed, her skates clacking as she lunged—"Emergency food's back on!"—and Paimon squealed, darting off in a starry blur, their chase a ripple of laughter in the dusk.
Bennett watched them go, his heart pounding as he fished a few Mora from his threadbare pouch, the coins a meager clink against his dreams. "Comics, rewards—worth a shot," he thought, his adventurer's soul alight with a hunger that outshone his luck, Galehaven Comics a beacon in Mondstadt's quiet night.
***
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