The winding journey brought them to a familiar destination.
Paimon led Gongqu and Keqing to Mondstadt's most famous tavern.
The Angel's Share, under the name of the wealthy merchant Lord Ragnvindr.
[Missing Person Notice]
Looking for a young man with black hair and Liyue features.
He is skilled in cooking and in enhancing weapons and artifacts.
He has traveled across nations with the Honorary Knight Lumine.
If anyone has information about his whereabouts, please report to the Knights of Favonius for a generous reward.
At the entrance to the tavern, a conspicuous missing person notice was posted.
"Are they looking for me? But why does this sketch look like a shady man in black from Detective Conan?"
"Uh… well, it's strange. Everyone knows you exist, but no one can remember exactly what you look like. So, Albedo had to draw something as a placeholder," Paimon said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.
It seemed like a quirk of the observation dimension.
Gongqu fell silent, no longer dwelling on it, and pushed open the tavern door.
"Welcome. What can I get for you?"
"Boss, I'm actually here to ask about someone."
"Heh, usually you'd ask the Adventurers' Guild about that sort of thing. This is a tavern, where you're supposed to drink, not gossip," the barkeep replied.
"But don't taverns also offer… certain discreet information services?"
"Haha! You're still the same as ever. Long time no see, Traveler," Charles said with a hearty smile, handing Gongqu a freshly mixed drink.
"This one's on the house. You're asking about your companion Lumine, aren't you?"
"That's right. Paimon said she's been around the tavern lately."
Gongqu didn't take the drink for free. He placed a nugget of gold on the bar.
Although Mora was the standard currency across Teyvat, precious metals like gold and silver, which conduct elemental energy well, were also considered valuable.
Charles eyed the fist-sized nugget but didn't refuse it. He decided to consider it as covering Lumine's bar tab for the past month.
After all, the little pile of private Mora coins Paimon occasionally tossed his way didn't even come close to covering a full month's worth of drinks in Mondstadt's most famous tavern.
If it weren't for Diluc's quiet intervention, he'd have gone to the Knights for reimbursement long ago.
"The Honorary Knight sobered up last night and asked about Miss Paimon. One of the staff said he heard she'd gone out on a task. After hearing that, Lumine immediately left the tavern, presumably to the Adventurers' Guild."
Gongqu turned to look at Paimon.
"I—I took a detour to avoid the Hilichurl camp, so I didn't run into Lumine on the way," she stammered.
"I see. Thank you very much, Mr. Charles, for the information."
He came and went as quickly as a breeze.
Gongqu didn't even have time to enjoy the signature Mondstadt drinks before turning to head to the Adventurers' Guild in the southern part of the city.
They cut through nearly half the city, finally arriving at the Guild.
"Ad astra"
"Katheryne, did Lumine come by yesterday?"
That all-too-familiar feeling of being interrupted mid-greeting, ah, it was the Traveler.
"Oh! You're the Traveler's other companion? It's been a while since we've seen you. If you're asking about Lumine, she went to Starfell Lake, apparently to find Miss Paimon," Katheryne explained.
"So it's true," Gongqu murmured.
It seemed Lumine, though downcast, hadn't completely given up. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that Paimon was gutsy enough to wander off alone.
"How long ago did she leave?" he asked.
"Traveler left at around 10 PM last night. Given her pace, she'd have reached Starfell Lake's Statue of The Seven by about 6 AM this morning," Katheryne replied.
I ran into Paimon close to noon.
That meant Lumine had left long before us, and arrived at the statue hours earlier.
When she got there, the area would have still been a mess. So, there were only two possibilities:
First, she arrived before Paimon and decided to wait there.
Second, something happened to Paimon along the way.
Clearly, Lumine hadn't chosen to wait idly—she'd believed the second possibility.
"Lumine probably realized Paimon wasn't there and doubled back to look for her. Since we didn't take the main road through Whispering Woods, she's likely still searching there," Gongqu reasoned.
The other roads were clear and direct—only Whispering Woods, with its maze-like terrain, could have caused them to miss each other.
"Keqing, let's split up in Whispering Woods. That way, we're more likely to run into Lumine. No matter what, we'll regroup at Mondstadt City tonight."
"Gatekeeper, with your Minecraft physique and tireless stamina, go straight to the Statue of The Seven at Starfell Lake. If you see a certain blonde girl, fill her in on the situation."
"Paimon, stay here at the Guild and wait for us. If Lumine returns directly, you can brief her too. Let's move!"
Gongqu quickly laid out a plan for the group, assigning each role based on their strengths.
This calm, decisive command was a side of him Keqing hadn't seen before.
It made her like him even more.
"Alright, Gongqu. I'll handle the eastern forest, I'll find Lumine," Keqing said, determination in her eyes.
"Don't stress too much. If even the most delicate Paimon is standing here safe and sound, Lumine, with her strength, won't be in any real danger. We'll see her soon enough, as long as she doesn't do anything foolish."
"Hey! 'Delicate' isn't exactly flattering!" Paimon puffed up indignantly.
"Excuse me," Katheryne interjected gently, "if you're in a hurry, you could also post an emergency commission to mobilize more people."
"A commission? That could work. Let's do it," Gongqu decided.
"Please fill in the details, description, reward, and time limit, and we'll post it on the notice board right away," Katheryne explained.
Gongqu swiftly filled out the forms with Katheryne's help. In no time, three commission notices, enough for three adventuring parties, were ready.
As soon as they were posted on the board, a slender, graceful hand reached out to take one.
"Well, well. I didn't expect to see such an easy commission with such generous rewards. Heh. I'll remember this favor," a proud, teasing voice said.
That haughty tone, it could only be one person.
Gongqu turned to see a girl whose noble air and elegance were almost intimidating. Long blue hair framed her confident face.
"Eula!" Paimon exclaimed happily.
Eula gave Paimon a slight nod before turning to Gongqu. "So this is what you look like, Traveler Gongqu."
"It seems you're one of those people who 'knows' me but has never actually seen me," Gongqu said wryly, recalling her stats from before he'd stopped playing.
Her artifacts weren't quite as maxed as Keqing's, but she was still a reliable two-constellation character with her signature weapon.
In short, someone he'd bonded with enough to get her name card.
"Save the pleasantries. You're looking for Lumine? How amusing. Just half a year ago, she was searching for you. Now, here you are chasing after her. Are you two trying to put on one of Fontaine's tragic love dramas?"