(MORE POWER STONES RAGHH)
"Levitation is harder than I thought..." Lars grumbled, lying on the the grassy plains after a failed attempt at lifting himself up with his newly acquired Anemo element.
"Whatever, let's go around and unlock the statues first. Maybe then I'll have a higher chance of succeeding." Lars groaned as he got off, patting off the grass and dirt that were stuck on his clothes before continuing on his way to Mondstadt City.
His first impression of Mondstadt, was that it has a lot of Sunsettia trees. Not that he didn't mind, but it was completely different than what he had imagined, granted he used the game as his expectations, but reality surpassed his expectations by a thousand times this time.
Every part of it was so beautiful and calming. He felt like he could just stay walking forever, enjoying the absolutely amazing sights around him. But alas, he still had his mission to complete. And so with a reluctant heavy heart, he made his way to the city.
After a moment with the Anemo Archon's statue at Windrise, Lars made his way to the stone bridge, the only path to Mondstadt. He crossed it, causing a flock of pigeons at the center of the bridge fly away, making a certain little boy glare at him as he walked by.
"Halt. Welcome to Mondstadt, strange yet respectable traveler. Please state your identity and reason for entrance." One of the two knights stopped him politely. Lars took out his adventurer identity card and handed it to them.
"I'm here on Guild business." Lars explained simply. The knight nodded as he check the identity card. Everything looks good, but then his eyes laid on the suitcase Lars was carrying.
"May I check what's in that case?" He asked. Lars shrugged, opening it, showcasing them the artifact's inside. The two gatekeepers widened their eyes as the objects. Trinkets, gems, and the likes.
The leading gatekeeper cleared his throat, composing himself. "We-well. It seems that everything about you checks out. Welcome to Mondstadt, traveler. Please enjoy your stay and don't be ashamed of reaching out to the Knights of Favonius for any assistance." The two stepped aside, making way for the entrance to the city. Lars smiled at them before he walked in the large gate.
"Wow...." He whispered as the air around him seem to change again. It had a mix of the smell of bread, wine, cheese and dandelions.
Lars was captivated to say the least. The first city every player visits in the game was now right before his eyes. He was so entranced to the point he forgot where he was looking, accidentally bumping straight into someone.
"Oof!" He and the person both stumbled back for a moment.
"Oww.... It's like I bumped into a wall or something..." The person muttered before looking at Lars.
"Sorry, ma'am. Are you alright?" Lars asked after apologizing. The woman smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"I'm fine. But next time, if you want to admire Mondstadt, you should do it while you're not walking." The woman joked. Both of them shared a small laugh for a moment before the woman continued.
"I'm Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius."
"Lars. I'm just your average adventurer."
"Oooh really? It's just rare to see an adventurer not wearing the usual attire. And you're from Liyue, yes?"
"How'd you guess?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled.
"Well, it's just that your outfit kinda makes it obvious. Not to mention I've never seen you in Mondstadt before."
"So you remember everyone's faces or something? That's pretty cool." Amber shrugged.
"Well when you've lived here all your life, it kinda sticks with you. So where are you headed, judging from where we are right now, you just entered the city right?"
"Yup, could you tell me where the Guild Post is? I have to meet with Katheryne."
"I see, Guild Post's right over there. You're actually heading the right way already."
"Thanks, Amber. I should get going. You seem like you're busy yourself, so I shouldn't waste more of your time if you're going to be late for something." Amber quickly shook her head.
"Oh no it's fine, Lars. I was just about to head out for a mission. I'm not on a time limit but it's fine."
"Well unfortunately I too have some errands to run myself. You wanna talk more some time later, maybe over some tea?" Lars suggested as Amber entered a cute thinking pose.
"Sure, why not? I'm pretty much done with work during the evening. Let's meet at Good Hunter later, but do you even know where that is?"
"Don't worry. I'll find my way around here... Somehow... Mondstadt is bigger than I expected..." Lars scratched his head, looking at the bustling streets. The dark brown haired Outrider giggled.
"Don't get too lost now. See ya later, Lars."
" Yeah, byeee." They waved as Amber walked to the city gates while Lars headed towards the reception table at the Post.
"You have a new friend already I see?" Amber stopped before looking at a navy blue haired, eyepatch wearing man approaching her, a small smile on his face.
"Kaeya. It's only 10 in the morning and you decided to spy on me? How dare you." Amber crossed her arms at him, glaring at the Calvary Captain with suspicion in her eyes. Kaeya raised his arms in a mock surrender.
"Woah, chill out Amber. I just happened to walk by." Amber glared at him for a few more moments before sighing.
"That's just Lars. He just got here to Mondstadt on a mission. It's a B-rank mission I presume, since he came from Liyue."
"Ah, The Anomaly Of Liyue." Kaeya whistled as he looked at the Guild Post, where Lars was conversing with Katheryne with an opened briefcase between them. Amber blinked before taking a look at Lars again.
"Wait, that's him? He looks just like any other guy though. I don't see what's so anomalous about him." Just like Kaeya, the brown haired Outrider heard about the recent news concerning Liyue.
It all started from the two bars, Angel's Share and The Cat's Tail. Adventurers from Liyue spread the news like wildfire, that's how it reached the ears of Mondstadt's citizens and its Knights of Favonius.
"Well, for starters I heard he's the fastest adventurer to rise up to B-rank. He's on track to break the record of the fastest adventurer to reach S-rank. That should give you into a glimpse of his abilities, not to mention the rumors here and there." Kaeya said as he started walking away.
"Fatui's a real pain in Mondstadt's butt now with the sudden increase of agents here. Jean's working like crazy dealing with those bums. All I'm saying is we don't need another problem on our hands. Tschüss, Amber. See ya when you're back."
Amber was silent after being left alone, staring at the black haired man having a serious discussion with Katheryne, the robot receptionist then seemingly handing him a map.
"Are you going to be our ally, or a thorn in our side..."
To be continued....
(And the Mondstadt arc starts here, muehehehe.)