𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 • 𝔸𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕠

Mondstadt

After embarrassingly heading into the wrong direction, I came to the realization that I was lost and quickly sprinted towards the city. I didn't want to keep Amber waiting for too long.

Once I entered the city, I looked around, marveling at the view. It had a friendly aura, like a safe haven where you could just be yourself.

Put simply, it felt just like home, even though my real home was probably a couple hundred light years away from this world or destroyed. Sighing at the thought, I almost didn't see Amber standing near me, one hand on her chest and the other on her hip, smiling.

"Let me officially introduce you to the city of wind, dandelions, and freedom. Travelers under the protection of the Knights of Favonius, welcome to Mondstadt!" She said dramatically, gesturing to the buildings behind her. 

'Even the name feels comforting...' I thought, smiling softly.

"Finally, no more having to camp outdoors!" Paimon exclaimed, relieved that we didn't have to go through the process of making a tent outside in the rain.  

"But... the city folk don't look too cheery." Now that she mentioned it, they don't look as cheery as Paimon was seconds ago...

"Everyone's been put out of place because of Stormterror recently." Amber explained. There's that name again. 'Does it have any connection to that dragon we saw in the forest? And there's still the mystery of that green-clad person...' 

I shook my head. Now's not the time to be distracted with other things, Lumine.

"But everything will turn out fine as long as Jean's with us!" Amber smiled at the thought of this 'Jean' person.

"Jean?" Paimon questioned, just as confused as I was.

"Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius; Jean, Defender of Mondstadt." She explained excitedly. "With Jean on our side, surely  even the vicious Stormterror will be no match for us." She added pridefully.

'They sound pretty impressive, but I wonder if people put too much onto them...' I wondered. 

"Before I take you guys to the Knights of Favonius, I have a present for you, Hikari. It's a reward for helping me clear out that hilichurl camp." She held out her hand, although it had nothing in it.

"He-Hey! Why doesn't Paimon get a reward?" Paimon yelled.

"Ahh... Because this reward is useless to you, Paimon." If it's useless to Paimon, then what could it be? Definitely not food, that's for sure...

"But, I'll treat you to a traditional Mondstadt delicacy — Sticky Honey Roast!" Now that's gonna be useful for Paimon.

"Sticky Honey Roast!" Paimon repeated excitedly, flailing her stubby arms around.

"Come with me, we'll head to the city's...ahh, high ground.

And then, she ran off to what I presume to be the 'high ground' she talked about, which was not that long of a walk. Unless you count the stairs. Yeah, it took a little more time to get up via stairs. Whenever I think about this moment, I sorta facepalm because I could have climbed up that wall next to me. Moving on, the place she talked about had a statue similar to the statue honoring the Anemo God I encountered earlier on in the day.

"So, the present I want to give you is... A Wind Glider! Outriders use them to ride the wind, and the people of Mondstadt love using them too." Amber explained. She held out her hand again, but this time, it had a neatly wrapped package in it.

"I brought you here so you could experience it right away!" She added. "Oh, you're really dedicated to these wind gliders, huh!" Paimon noted. 

"Well, that's because the wind is the heart and soul of Mondstadt!" She said pridefully. "Alrighty then, enough talk! Let's give it a whirl!" She turned to me, grinning. "It's easy to use, but you still need to listen to my instructions." She explained.