Chapter 168. Leisure
On the way to Wangshu Inn, Futsu Mitama, Lumine, Paimon, and Mona chatted as they walked.
Their conversation topics were simple: what interesting things had happened to Lumine and Mona recently, and what their upcoming plans were.
The interesting stories about Futsu Mitama had already been discussed during dinner last night, so there was no need to repeat them now.
"Something like that happened? Hahahahaha."
At this moment, Futsu Mitama couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up, all thanks to Paimon's big mouth.
He already knew about Lumine's experiences over the past three months, such as her frantic search for treasure chests in The Chasm.
However, almost all the treasure chests she found were of inferior quality. Besides some weapons corroded by the black mud and not-so-shiny Mora, there was only rotten food.
The most valuable treasure chest Lumine found in The Chasm contained a set of Millelith relics from 500 years ago, including a Talisman Of Everlasting Morality and a very good spear.
But Lumine chose not to keep these items and handed them all over to Keqing for her to handle.
Other than that, there was nothing else, which also confirmed Aether's words.
Don't try to find treasure chests in The Chasm. Because he had already opened them all!!!
"Yes, yes, Lumine was in a bad mood after we left The Chasm."
Paimon also looked very helpless.
Lumine rolled her eyes, looking at Paimon speechlessly.
When was she in a bad mood?
At most, she just wanted to find her dear brother even more, and have a good chat with him face to face!
"Oh!" At this moment, Paimon suddenly remembered something and looked at Mona, saying. "Mona, can you use your Astrologist skills to see what would make Lumine happy?"
"Treasure chests."
Mona crossed her arms and looked at Paimon very seriously.
"Give Lumine a luxurious treasure chest, and she will definitely be happy."
Paimon's expression was a bit subtle, because she already knew this even if Mona didn't say it.
"Astrologist must not be abused, Paimon."
Mona didn't know how many times she had repeated this sentence. She sighed helplessly.
"There are no shortcuts in this world. What seems like a convenient Astrologist skill… if you abuse it casually, you will be abandoned by the starry sky."
Paimon laughed, not knowing what to say. Although she understood the reason. But having seen Mona use Astrologist, she couldn't help but want to seek convenience.
—
In such conversations, everyone soon arrived at Wangshu Inn. The owner and manager personally came to greet Lumine.
Because Lumine was now a well-known figure in Liyue; at least half of the officials knew what kind of existence Lumine was.
Moreover, the owner and manager of Wangshu Inn were also Ningguang's subordinates. This mission was most likely at Ningguang's behest.
"Futsu! Young Master Futsu Mitama?!" ×2
The owner and manager of Wangshu Inn looked at Futsu Mitama in front of them, their eyes wide, appearing somewhat at a loss.
Because very few people knew about Futsu Mitama's return to Liyue, and they hadn't expected Futsu Mitama, who should still be the Acting Dendro Archon in Sumeru, to appear before them.
And he appeared with Lumine! Didn't this mean that Young Master Futsu Mitama was going to personally lead the encirclement of monsters?
Wasn't this a bit inappropriate, asking an Archon to act?
Yes, in the minds of most people, Futsu Mitama was no longer a 'person,' but an Archon.
"Why are you here?!"
Verr Goldet, the owner of Wangshu Inn, seemed quite flustered.
Zhun An, the manager beside her, was also somewhat at a loss. Futsu Mitama's arrival was indeed not part of their plan.
"Hello, everyone."
This wasn't Futsu Mitama's first time at Wangshu Inn. He looked at the manager and owner and chuckled.
"Don't mind me, I just came with her."
Lumine and Paimon, standing beside him, put their hands on their hips, looking particularly proud.
Verr Goldet and Zhun An exchanged glances, momentarily unsure what to say.
"Alright~ We're all so familiar! Just give us the monster information!"
Paimon looked at Verr Goldet and Zhun An, quickly saying.
"Let's quickly deal with the surrounding monsters. Then we can eat here. Is Yan Xiao here? I haven't eaten his cooking in a long time."
Hearing Paimon's words, Verr Goldet finally reacted. She glanced at Futsu Mitama and quickly nodded.
"He is, he's upstairs. But regarding the monsters, Manager…"
Zhun An also explained the current commission. Centered around Wangshu Inn, there were three monster gathering points nearby.
Although it was unclear how they gathered, their continued presence greatly affected guests resting at Wangshu Inn.
Zhun An was strong, but as the manager, he had to protect Wangshu Inn. What if he left the inn and monsters attacked it?
This wasn't unprecedented. Some time ago, Zhun An went to deal with a monster gathering point. As soon as he left, a group of Hilichurl began to wander around Wangshu Inn.
This truly frightened Verr Goldet, because at that time, the Millelith patrol had just left, and Zhun An had also left. The entire inn, apart from other guests, only Yan Xiao had the strength to fight.
Yan Xiao even wanted to grab a cleaver and go fight the monsters.
But then an Adeptus staying at Wangshu Inn intervened. The Adeptus dealt with all the monsters in less than three seconds and then disappeared.
This made Zhun An deeply regretful after his return. He later decided to entrust the monster eradication to the Adventurers Guild, asking them to send people to help.
This time, they 'just happened' to hear that Lumine had come out of The Chasm. They knew the strength of this blonde traveler, so they immediately sent the commission through the Adventurers Guild without a second thought.
They never expected that this blonde Lumine would actually bring Futsu Mitama along. This was truly a shock.
However, shock aside, Zhun An still handed the information to Lumine and warned her that there was a powerful Mitachurl inside, asking Lumine to be careful.
Verr Goldet, beside him, looked at the manager with a subtle expression.
Was he telling Lumine to be careful, or the Mitachurl to be careful?
Putting everything else aside, with just Young Master Futsu Mitama present, all monsters would be no problem.
Paimon also noticed Verr Goldet's gaze. She patted her chest and said with a smile.
"Hmm! No need for Futsu Mitama to act! Lumine and Mona alone can handle these monsters!"
"Don't include me."
Mona waved her hand, quickly refusing.
"I'm just an Astrologist, I don't have power as strong as Lumine's. You can have me play support, but for actual combat, forget it. The Old Hag didn't teach me those things."
Hearing Mona's words, Lumine looked at her with a subtle gaze, as if to say, are you kidding me?
Although Mona's strength was relatively weak, it didn't mean she had none. Otherwise, she wouldn't have appeared alone around The Chasm.
In other words, if Mona were truly weak, she wouldn't have appeared in such a dangerous place. The area around The Chasm was very dangerous. Besides the ubiquitous Treasure Hoarders, there was also a series of monsters. Even with Millelith patrols, it wasn't necessarily safe.
This was also why, after The Chasm reopened, it involved so many Millelith soldiers; there was a reason for it.
But Lumine saw through it without revealing it. After all, this was her mission. Futsu Mitama and Mona were just accompanying her. They would enjoy the scenery, and she would handle the fighting.
—
After receiving intelligence from Zhun An, Lumine immediately took action, planning to clear three monster gathering points around Wangshu Inn within an hour.
As it was almost lunchtime, Lumine, also a gourmet food enthusiast, still found the gourmet food made by Yan Xiao during the last gourmet food event unforgettable.
Even without the legendary kitchenware's enhancement, the gourmet food made by Yan Xiao could conquer Lumine and Paimon.
Taking on the Wangshu Inn's quest, in a sense, Lumine also intended to come for a meal.
She knew that after the Rite of Descension was completed in a while, she planned to travel to Inazuma, and it would likely be a long time before she returned to Liyue.
Although there was still about a month until the Rite of Descension.
Time, however, passes in the blink of an eye, so Lumine cherished her time and hoped to complete her tasks in Liyue in the shortest possible time.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of Verr Goldet and Zhun An, Futsu Mitama, Lumine, Paimon, and Mona rushed towards the monster gathering points.
"Zhun." Verr Goldet looked at Zhun An, her tone somewhat complex. "Let's quickly have Yan Xiao start cooking. I don't think it will be long before they come back."
Zhun An nodded in agreement, then he took the elevator up to tell Yan Xiao what had just happened.
Upon hearing that Futsu Mitama and the Lumine were coming for a meal, Yan Xiao immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to go all out.
—
Meanwhile, Lumine was slaughtering monsters. Although her current strength was not at the Demon God Realm's peak like Aether's.
But dealing with these monsters now was more than enough. The strongest monster among them was the Geo Mitachurl that Zhun An mentioned.
Even the Geo Mitachurl struggled for a moment before being swiftly slain by Lumine.
After the battle ended, Futsu Mitama clapped his hands and said with some emotion.
"Your strength has improved a lot, and your control over the Geo element is stronger."
Yes, Lumine's current strength was greater than before, and Futsu Mitama also noticed that her control over the Geo element had improved significantly.
During their time in The Chasm, Lumine had fought before, but at that time, her use of the Geo element was quite crude, while her application of the Anemo element was very proficient.
Now, three months later, not only has her overall strength improved, but her control over the Geo element has also increased by a notch.
Currently, Lumine already had the qualifications to fight Tartaglia.
Yes, the qualifications to fight. Futsu Mitama could see that Lumine's current strength had not yet recovered to the point where she could defeat Tartaglia.
However, if they fought intensely and Tartaglia used his Foul Legacy Transformation, Lumine, who proficiently used two elements, would not fall into a disadvantage in a short time.
But if Tartaglia were to use the Tsaritsa's authority, then Lumine would likely be defeated.
"Hmph! Of course!"
Paimon also puffed out her chest again, proudly saying.
"Lumine has been continuously honing her strength in The Chasm. However, recently, the Lumine's progress in strength has been slowing down."
Lumine nodded slightly, looking at Futsu Mitama and replying.
"So we plan to go to Inazuma next to see if we can obtain the Electro elemental power. If we possess the Electro elemental power, then we will have an advantage in terms of attack."
Although the seven elements on Teyvat are equally matched, everyone knows that in terms of attack, the Pyro and Electro elemental powers are very powerful.
Lumine temporarily didn't want to go to Natlan. There were friends in Inazuma, so going there would be an excellent choice for both travel and training.
"Mhm." Futsu Mitama nodded slightly, agreeing with Lumine's idea.
He said. "Don't forget the meaning of your journey. While improving your strength is important, what's most important is what you experience and witness on this continent of Teyvat."
As the Traveler he once controlled, Futsu Mitama still had strong feelings for Lumine. This was also his heartfelt sentiment.
Lumine's brother's image flashed through her mind, along with scenes from Mondstadt to Liyue, and the Chat Group.
These things made Lumine's expression turn serious, and she nodded very earnestly, indicating that she would never forget.
"Alright, alright, it's time for us to eat."
Mona rubbed her stomach, indicating that she was starving.
Paimon, beside her, hesitated to speak, because this was usually her line! How could Mona have stolen it?
"Indeed, the quest is complete, it's time to eat."
Futsu Mitama also nodded, feeling it was time for a meal.
Lumine also put her sword back into her personal space, stretched, and said.
"Let's head back to Wangshu Inn."
—
The group hurried towards Wangshu Inn, where Verr Goldet and Zhun An had been waiting for a long time, stating that Yan Xiao had already started cooking and everyone just needed to wait patiently.
This surprised Paimon, who exclaimed that they hadn't even ordered yet! How could they have started cooking?!
Verr Goldet smiled and explained that it was by the order of a certain esteemed person. Since Young Master Futsu Mitama had arrived at Wangshu Inn, they naturally had to serve good wine and dishes.
If they wanted any other dishes, they would purchase the ingredients and have Yan Xiao prepare them later.
Futsu Mitama just waved his hand, indicating it wasn't necessary.
Lumine also shook her head, saying that this was sufficient.
Paimon verbally expressed how awkward it was, but her face was full of smiles.
Mona, however, felt a bit uneasy. She quietly opened her wallet and found there wasn't much Mora inside, which made her sigh.
Thus, Futsu Mitama and his group sat down, waiting for Wangshu Inn to serve their food.
During this wait… an uninvited guest arrived.
The Knave Arlecchino appeared with her subordinates. She feigned surprise, looking at Futsu Mitama and his group, saying.
"What a coincidence, I didn't expect us to meet here."