"Alright, thanks. I'm going to finish all four of these commissions today."
Katheryne smiled and said, "You must be joking. Even high-ranking adventurers find it hard to complete four commissions in one day."
"And what if I _do_ finish them? Will you treat me to a meal?"
Paimon: "?"
Katheryne just smiled politely.
Paimon muttered, "That's what they call smiling to hide the awkwardness."
"If you actually complete all the commissions, I'll submit a request to my superiors to promote you to a high-ranking adventurer.
That means aside from regular commissions, we can offer you special high-level missions like BOSS hunts, with really generous rewards."
"Alright, just wait. I _will_ finish them all today."
Paimon asked, "So where are we going next? Are we doing commissions now?"
"We'll do them in a bit. I've never had the chance to explore Mondstadt in this world properly—I've got to take a good look around first."
"Ugh, are you _sure_ we'll still have time to finish all the commissions today?"
"Definitely. I checked the map earlier. Ley Line Blossoms are pretty far from Mondstadt, but these commissions are all located nearby.
It's totally doable within a day."
Zephyr sounded very confident. It definitely _wasn't_ his procrastination talking.
At that moment, a cute little cat walked over and meowed.
"So cute!" Paimon exclaimed.
"Here kitty, come here—Diona, come here~" Zephyr called sweetly, and the cat obediently came over.
Paimon sweatdropped. "Poor Diona… Hey, who's Diona anyway?"
"Your first kiss wasn't Jojo—it was me, Diona! Ahem… oops, wrong show."
Paimon narrowed her eyes. "Traveler, don't you think these players have something _seriously_ wrong in the head?"
The Traveler nodded solemnly.
Zephyr picked up the cat. In his original world, cats and dogs were never harmed in games.
"Hey, can I throw you into the water just to test it?"
"Meow!"
"She agreed! Yay!"
"Hey! Look at how she's struggling! That's _clearly_ not agreement!"
Lumine sighed, "You two should just form a comedy duo already."
She imagined the classic skit about raising elephants, but with these two instead, and couldn't stop laughing.
Zephyr and Paimon exchanged confused looks.
"Oh right, I've been meaning to ask—does Mondstadt sell any mounts?"
"Mounts?"
"Yeah, like buying a horse or something. Running everywhere on foot takes forever. A horse would be so much faster."
"You've got a point…"
They eventually found a shop and inquired, only to find out that _currently, there isn't a single horse in Mondstadt_.
Apparently, all of Mondstadt's horses had been taken by the Knights of Favonius main force as they marched to battle in the Sea of Ashes.
"Not even one horse left?"
"Far as I know, not even a single one. Well… maybe the Acting Grand Master still has hers."
"Jean, huh…" _Just one horse?_ Like Jean would give it to _me_.
Just then, a fiery red figure caught Zephyr's eye.
_Clop, clop, clop—_
That sound was so familiar. Zephyr widened his view—and saw a very familiar face.
"Klee!"
Klee tilted her head. "Huh? Big sister, were you calling me?"
"Yes, that's right~"
Paimon's eyes sparkled. "Wow! What an adorable little girl! And those ears—are you an elf?"
"Yup! Klee is an elf!"
Lumine muttered, "When a fake elf meets a real elf…"
"Ahem!"
Lumine added, "So this is the kid who sings in the opening theme?"
"Yeah, that's her."
Zephyr reached out and patted Klee on the head.
"Big sister, do you know Klee?"
Zephyr's eyes flicked around. "Of course I know you. I'm well acquainted with your mom."
"Huh? You know my mom?!" Klee was shocked.
Paimon muttered, "Why does that sound like something a villain would say...?"
Klee asked anxiously, "Is my mom doing okay? When is she coming back?"
"Hmm… she didn't tell me exactly, but it shouldn't be too long before she returns."
"Really? Hehe! Then I'm going to surprise her when she comes back!"
"Klee, Klee! Could you do that thing?"
"That thing?"
Klee looked confused.
"Yeah, your self-introduction."
"Ohhh, _that_! Sure! Spark Knight Klee of the Knights of Favonius, reporting for duty! Uh… what comes next again? Klee can't remember the rest…"
Paimon muttered, "Forced to perform… poor thing."
Suddenly, Klee seemed to remember something. "Oh right, big sister! I went out to play today, and I bravely caught a lizard with really weird patterns! I've never seen anything like it before. Do you wanna see?"
"Here it is!"
Zephyr was surprised. "Whoa, that's a really rare lizard! It's called a Thunderstripe Sumeru Lizard. Super rare species!"
Paimon: "Sumeru's reputation ruined again…"
"Wow! You're so knowledgeable, big sis! You even know the names of weird lizards!"
"Of course. Back in the day, people used to call me the Prince of Wisdom."
"You're amazing! But… why _prince_ and not _princess_?"
"Uh… well… Hey, Klee, do you know Amber?"
"Of course I know Amber! She's my good friend. Oh, right, right! Big sister, are you free today?"
"I am! Why?"
"Wanna go fish-blasting with Klee? Even though getting caught means a whole day of confinement, the fish tastes _so_ good—it's totally worth it!"
Zephyr used his "scary grown-up" tone: "But you know… Acting Grand Master Jean is super scary~"
Klee trembled. "Y-you're right… Firecrackers in the city, off to solitary… Bombs hit someone, Jean comes knocking… Set fire to the hills, Klee's in big trouble…
That's Klee's survival guide in the Knights of Favonius. Klee can't break any of the rules…
But… but I really wanna eat fish right now. What do I do?"
Zephyr said, "It's fine. I've got fish!"
With the kindest smile, Zephyr offered, "Klee~ If you shake hands with big sis, I'll give you a delicious grilled Mondstadt fish! How's that sound?"
"Okay, okay!"
As she spoke, Zephyr signed a contract with Klee at lightning speed.
"So weird! Big sis, a bunch of words popped up in my head—but Klee can't read! What should I do?"
"No worries, just press that button at the bottom."
"All done! Klee pressed it!"
The contract confirmation appeared on Zephyr's side too. She smiled wickedly.
"Bwahahahahaha…"
"Big sis, big sis—where's the grilled fish?"
"Here you go, little Klee~"
Klee happily munched on the grilled fish.
Paimon whispered, "Poor little Klee… Totally unaware she just got sold out by a bad guy… So pitiful… _slurp_…"
Klee noticed Paimon drooling. "Flying sister, do you want some too?"
"Uwaaah! Klee, you're the first person who's ever offered to share food with me! I'm so touched—thank you, Klee!"
Klee and Paimon happily shared the grilled fish. Suddenly, Klee jolted.
"Oh no—it's Acting Grand Master Jean!"
(End Of Chapter)
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