"In Mondstadt City, aside from Miss Barbara, almost no other Vision holders use Philanemo Mushrooms as ascension materials.
So these mushrooms are basically useless—people just stir-fry them and eat them."
"Huh? If you want mushrooms that badly, don't tell me… you have a Vision too?"
"I… probably do."
He couldn't exactly tell her he was from another world.
The girl was surprised. "Really? This is the first time I've met someone like you! Can I see your Vision?"
Zephyr said, "Uh… no. Barbatos specifically told me not to show it to outsiders."
"Oh! If Lord Barbatos said so, then I guess there's no helping it."
Paimon muttered, "She actually believed that… Barbatos really is the perfect excuse."
The girl blinked, her voice full of envy. "You've actually talked with Lord Barbatos? I'm so jealous."
Then she said, "Oh, right! My name is Xiaoling. I go out every day to collect wild mushrooms and sell them. If you have time, would you come with me? We'll split the Mora we earn fifty-fifty."
Zephyr hesitated. "I guess I could, but… why ask me to come along? Wouldn't you make more going solo?"
"Because you're a Vision holder, your strength must be really high.
Normally, I only pick mushrooms near the city, but lately there are fewer and fewer out there.
At this rate, I won't even be able to afford food.
So I have to go farther out to gather mushrooms to survive.
But it's dangerous to go alone, and I can't afford to hire an adventurer… So when I saw you, I thought—maybe you'd help?"
> Quest triggered: Fulfill Xiaoling's request — collect no less than _100 catties_ of mushrooms. <
"What the—this quest is cursed!"
The quest itself wasn't anything special, just a typical event trigger, but the problem was the sheer quantity. _100 catties of mushrooms_?! That's enough to kill someone from overeating!
Still, it was a quest, and Zephyr hadn't had many player-initiated quests so far—of course he was going to take it.
Zephyr said, "Sure. Let's go mushroom picking tomorrow morning."
"Really?! I'm so happy—thank you! Oh, by the way, I never asked your name."
Zephyr replied, "My name's Lumine."
Lumine immediately snapped, "Why didn't you just give your own name?!"
Xiaoling blinked but didn't press the issue. "What about that… mutant Hilichurl next to you?"
"You're the mutant Hilichurl! Paimon's name's Paimon!"
"Paimon? What a mysterious species."
"Paimon _said_—my name is just Paimon!"
"Ohhh, I see. Nice to meet you, Paimon."
"Hmph!"
"Alright, we're all set then."
Xiaoling added, "If you're still planning to pick Philanemo Mushrooms, go that way—past Grandpa Wang's building and under Auntie Li's eaves. Lots of mushrooms there.
Oh! And remember to pick them when no one's around—otherwise people will think you're a thief!"
"Got it, thanks."
"No problem! Oh, and it's totally fine to take more from Grandpa Wang's place. He always short-changes people when selling meat anyway."
"Uh… noted."
Waving goodbye, they parted ways with Xiaoling.
Paimon muttered, "This girl… Paimon thought she was a good person at first…"
"She _is_ a good person!"
Following Xiaoling's directions, Zephyr "kindly and thoughtfully" helped many Mondstadt residents by removing the unsightly mushrooms growing all over their homes—mushrooms that could have compromised the structural safety of the buildings.
He especially "helped" at Grandpa Wang's house—harvesting every single mushroom in sight.
And just like that, mushroom picking led them to the second teleport waypoint—located at Mondstadt's clock tower.
Zephyr looked up and said, "I don't think I can climb that high."
Lumine agreed. "Yeah, I think you're right."
"So… Paimon, I need your help."
"Paimon can't carry you!"
"Just give it a try! You never know unless you try!"
"You can say all the nice words you want, but impossible things are still impossible."
Lumine offered a suggestion. "I have an idea. The teleport point is right next to the Knights of Favonius building. Maybe we can go inside and just take the stairs?"
"Nice idea, but… do you really think they'll let us? What if we run into Jean inside?"
"Good point."
After some discussion, they decided to give it a try themselves first.
Jump!
Zephyr carefully picked the south side, where the Knights wouldn't see him.
Climb!
After several failed attempts, he finally figured out the trick and climbed up smoothly.
Paimon looked conflicted and said, "Traveler, there's something Paimon has been meaning to ask you."
"What is it?"
"How did you even _climb_ up here?"
Zephyr looked confused. "Just climbed, like normal."
"Huh? I mean, if it were a mountain with some jagged rocks or ledges, sure, Paimon could believe that. But this is a _flat_ wall—how did you manage it?"
Zephyr froze—he had _never_ thought about that before.
But he quickly came up with an answer.
"You don't know this? Just channel chakra into your hands and feet—how simple is that? No need to ask!"
Paimon was baffled. "What the heck is chakra?!"
After climbing to the top of the clock tower, they activated the teleport waypoint.
"Huh? Guys, look over there—what's that?"
Not far in front of the clock tower, on the rooftop of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, there was a dark shape. Zephyr walked over and saw that it was actually a treasure chest.
He smiled.
Paimon asked curiously, "That's weird—why is there a chest here?"
"Who cares."
Lumine was thrilled and opened the chest. Hundreds of gold coins and a 3-star item burst out.
"Not bad, pretty lucky."
Back in his original world, a few hundred Mora would've been nothing—but here, it was a pretty decent haul.
"Let me think… where else in Mondstadt might have treasure chests…"
Zephyr pondered aloud, "No good, I can't remember. I only recall some chests on top of the city walls—the rest I've totally forgotten."
It wasn't that he didn't know—it was just that he had opened _so_ many treasure chests in the past that he couldn't remember where they all were.
"Let's just go get those few I remember," Zephyr said, opening his Wind Glider and flying toward the city walls.
Paimon warned, "Um… Paimon think climbing the city walls in Mondstadt is prohibited."
"No worries. This is something only you, me, and probably Venti knows."
He landed neatly on the wall, where there was a designated walkway.
From the high vantage point, Mondstadt appeared vibrant and full of life.
Looking outward, he saw the wide Cider Lake, the endless green plains, and far off in the distance, sharp mountain peaks as if cut straight by a blade.
"So beautiful,"LumineYing couldn't help but sigh.
"Yeah…"
"I really wish my sister could see this too."
"She will—definitely."
As evening approached, they went looking for more treasure chests. Before long, they found another one.
"Knew it—there's one more here."
Suddenly, a voice called out!
"Hey you over there! What do you think you're doing?!"
A Mondstadt knight stood beneath the wall, shouting up.
"It's forbidden to climb the city walls! Didn't you know that? Get down here and come with me to the guard post!"
"Uh…"
Zephyr froze for a second, then crouched down.
"You think I can't see you just because you're squatting?! If you don't come down right now, I'm calling for backup!"
Paimon panicked. "What do we do? Should we go down?"
Zephyr declared, "What I, Zephyr, love most… is saying NO to people who think they're always right!"
He shouted, "Lose him!"
Then, crouched low, he slipped away—thus beginning a thrilling game of hide-and-seek with the knight.
…
Meanwhile, after parting ways with Zephyr, Klee originally intended to go home. But the grilled fish had been _so_ delicious that she decided to go blow up a few more outside the city. However, just as she was about to leave, she ran into a familiar face.
Klee beamed. "Amber! You're back!"
Amber looked exhausted. "Oh, Klee. You heading out to play?"
"Yup! Just now, Acting Grand Master Jean was chasing me, but I cleverly ran away. She'd never guess that the most dangerous place is also the safest place—so I went back to blow up more fish!"
That move? That was a textbook feint-and-return tactic.
Amber forced a tired smile. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Mhm… Amber, what's wrong? You look kinda sad."
"Me? You're overthinking it, Klee. I'm just really tired from work—that's all. I'm not sad."
//END
-------------
❇❇❇
Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 25+ Advanced Chapters There!
patreon.com/RedX43
❇❇❇