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Chapter 22: The Pirate Brothers Arrive in Mondstadt
"Hey! Little fairy! Can you fly a little higher!"
Luffy, his arms outstretched, jumped up and down, trying to catch the little white creature floating in mid-air.
"I told you, my name is Paimon! Not a fairy!"
Paimon stomped her feet in the air, annoyed, dodging Luffy's grasping hands.
"And my name's not 'Hey'! You rude rubber person!"
"But you're so tiny!" Luffy tilted his head, confused. "And you can fly."
"That doesn't mean you can eat me!" Paimon shrieked.
Ace walked behind them, veins throbbing on his forehead. He grabbed the back of Luffy's collar and dragged him away from Paimon.
"You, quiet down! Idiot!"
"Oww! Ace, what are you doing!"
"If you're noisy again, I'll tie you to a tree!"
Sabo walked beside Amber, unable to resist stroking the cyan Vision at his waist as he went. That light Anemo power was still flowing through his body, making him feel an unprecedented sense of peace and reassurance.
"Um... Miss Amber." He gathered his courage to speak.
"Hm? Just call me Amber!" The red-clothed girl turned back, giving him an energetic smile.
"Amber... this Vision. Are there a lot of people in Mondstadt who have one?"
"Of course not!" Amber puffed out her chest proudly. "A Vision is a sign of recognition from the gods. It's very rare! You can count the number of people in all of Mondstadt who have a Vision on one hand!"
She glanced at Sabo, then at Ace and Luffy, who were roughhousing over there, her green eyes filled with curiosity.
"Speaking of which, where are you three from? I've never seen anyone like you..."
She hadn't finished her sentence.
The group had just walked out of the dense forest.
The view opened up dramatically!
A massive and magnificent city-state, without any warning, crashed into the three brothers' vision!
Towering city walls were surrounded by a clear moat. Inside the city, German-style buildings were arranged in neat, picturesque rows.
But the most eye-catching features were the several giant, slowly turning windmills! They stood tall over the city, their huge blades cutting through the sky, casting slow-moving shadows.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Luffy's mouth opened to the widest arc it had ever reached in his life!
He broke free from Ace's grip, shot like a cannonball to the edge of the cliff, and spread his arms wide, letting out a world-shaking roar at the sun-drenched city!
"A city!! It's a huge city!!"
"And windmills! The windmills are turning! So cool!!"
Sabo was also completely stunned.
He stood rooted to the spot, his blue eyes reflecting the magnificent city-state in the distance.
Goa Kingdom. The place he was born, the place that suffocated him. The noble district there was separated from the commoner's area by high walls, like an exquisite but lifeless birdcage. It was filled with oppression and hypocrisy.
But here...
This city was open! It was free!
It stood magnanimously on the plains, welcoming every person who arrived!
A huge, indescribable impact slammed into his heart!
"This place..."
His lips trembled.
"This is... freedom..."
Even Ace, who had been trying hard to look calm and keep a sour face, couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
The biggest city he had ever seen was the royal capital of the Goa Kingdom.
But compared to the city before him, the royal capital looked like a gaudy, countryside bumpkin's mansion! This city was filled with a sense of history, yet it overflowed with an indescribable vitality. The slowly turning windmills gave the entire city life!
"Hmph." Ace forced a single sound from his nose, tore his gaze away from the windmills, and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"It's just... average, I guess."
"Hahaha! You're stunned, aren't you!"
Amber watched the three brothers' different reactions, her hands on her hips in pride.
"Welcome to the freest city-state in Teyvat: Mondstadt!"
"Let's go! I'll take you in! The bridge up ahead is the pride of Mondstadt!"
Led by Amber, they walked onto the massive stone bridge leading to the city gate.
Below the bridge was the clear Cider Lake, its surface sparkling in the sunlight.
On the bridge, white pigeons cooed, strolling leisurely, not at all afraid of people.
"Pigeons! There are pigeons! Can we roast them and eat them?"
Luffy was already drooling.
Bonk!
Ace's fist landed accurately on his head.
"Don't you dare touch those pigeons!"
They passed through the long stone bridge and the grand city gate.
A lively atmosphere, full of the hustle and bustle of life, washed over them!
The pedestrians coming and going all wore relaxed smiles. The shops lining the streets were filled with all sorts of new and curious goods.
The air was a mix of the aroma of bread, the fragrance of flowers, and the rich scent of ale.
"Whoa! It's the smell of meat!" Luffy's nose twitched frantically, his eyes instantly turning into the shape of roasted meat.
Sabo, meanwhile, curiously looked at the surrounding buildings and pedestrians, his blue eyes filled with an endless thirst for knowledge about this new world.
Luffy's nose twitched hard.
Then, his entire body froze.
His head turned at an angle that defied the laws of physics, snapping toward the other side of the street.
There, an open-air restaurant with a sign reading "Good Hunter" was wafting an aroma of grilled meat so enticing it could pull a person's soul from their body.
Luffy's eyes instantly lost their light.
A drop of crystal-clear liquid slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Meat..."
His feet were rooted to the spot. Using all his strength, he made a solemn declaration.
"I'm not moving!"
A vein popped on Ace's forehead!
He rushed over, grabbed Luffy's ear, and tried to drag him away.
"You hopeless idiot! We don't have this world's money!"
"Owowow! Ace, let go!" Luffy howled, while at the same time, his other hand desperately grabbed a nearby lamp post, his legs kicking wildly.
"I don't care! I'm eating that! It smells so good!"
Sabo covered his face in pain.
He should have known.
Bringing Luffy to a place filled with the smell of food was no different from throwing dynamite into a fire!
"Wow! It's Sticky Honey Roast!" Paimon, floating in the air, also sniffed, her eyes lighting up. "Paimon wants to eat too!"
Her stomach, in perfect cooperation, let out a loud rumble.
Rumble!
Amber's stomach also let out an ill-timed, loud protest.
She blushed, scratching her head in embarrassment.
"Hahaha... looks like everyone's hungry."
She looked at Luffy, who was clinging to the lamp post for dear life, and then at the black-haired boy next to him, who looked like he was about to explode. She couldn't help but giggle.
"Alright, alright! Stop pulling!"
Amber waved her hand grandly. Her red Vision sparkled, and she looked exceptionally reliable.
"Consider it a gift to welcome you to Mondstadt! This meal is on me!"