"Put it away."
Jiang Chen gestured for Lumine to store the purified Dragon Tear.
"Oh."
Lumine nodded obediently.
If Jiang Chen needed it, he would surely ask.
"Then I'll go back to my room."
She said that—but suddenly realized something.
Her face turned red.
She quickly covered her mouth and slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.
The way she said it… sounded almost like a hint.
As if she were waiting for him to stop her.
And if he did… she might end up going to his room instead.
Lumine realized there was even a trace of expectation in her heart.
That realization made her even more embarrassed.
She lay on the bed, hugged Paimon like a pillow, and closed her eyes.
"Not rinsing your mouth?"
Jiang Chen stood in the hallway, slightly puzzled.
But she had only drunk some wheat porridge, so it wasn't really a big issue.
Besides, travelers being casual about small things wasn't a bad habit.
After a night of rest, the next morning arrived following the dragon disaster.
Mondstadt City had already returned to its usual orderly rhythm.
Waitress Sara came early in the morning and moved the cooking equipment from inside the Good Hunter restaurant back to the outdoor stall.
She began dealing with the suppliers they had contracts with.
The market street, the stairway road, and Fountain Plaza were full of lively energy.
Knights of Favonius guards patrolled through the crowds.
A pair of guards also came to the Good Hunter.
"Sara, has Boss Jiang Chen—or the traveler who helped defend Mondstadt yesterday—woken up yet?"
one guard asked.
"Lumine?"
Sara had just gone upstairs to hang ingredients earlier and happened to see Lumine and Paimon coming down from the attic.
They had briefly introduced themselves.
"Miss Lumine wakes up pretty early…"
Sara said while preparing cured meat.
"As for the boss… you might as well give up."
He usually sleeps until noon if nothing urgent happens.
Upstairs, Lumine sat at the table with her cheek resting in her hand, feeling speechless.
Wasn't it him who said travelers shouldn't sleep late?
Just then—
"Sara! Sara! Is my Fisherman's Toast ready yet?"
Little Paimon flew out the second-floor window.
She stared at the food stall with drool nearly coming out.
"Just wait a moment,"
Sara replied.
She still had to serve customers first.
Then she added:
"These two Knights came looking for the boss and Lumine. Paimon, do you want to take them upstairs?"
"They're looking for Jiang Chen and Lumine?"
Paimon turned around and inspected them.
"What do you want?"
She asked with an authoritative tone.
Acting important by association was one of her specialties.
"Uh…"
The guards exchanged glances.
"That's the… uh…"
"The traveler's mascot!"
They remembered vaguely and didn't bother arguing about her attitude.
Who would bother arguing with such a tiny thing?
"We came to deliver a message."
"Acting Grand Master Jean hopes to meet you today."
"If possible, preferably right now."
If that happened, they could finish their task nicely and gain some goodwill.
Though it looked unlikely.
"Got it, got it."
Paimon said while crossing her arms.
She flew back up and relayed the message.
"Then we'll wait for Jiang Chen to wake up,"
Lumine said.
She had no intention of going alone.
Besides, Jean specifically said both of them.
"Paimon, come down and pick it up. This one's my special treat."
Sara called from downstairs.
"Thanks! Hehe!"
Paimon rushed down and carried up two plates of Fisherman's Toast.
That became their breakfast.
After finishing it and savoring the lingering flavor, they realized they had nothing to do.
So they decided to walk around Mondstadt.
Mostly to look at the missing person posters the Knights had helped them put up.
Not long after they left—
A commotion suddenly erupted in Fountain Plaza.
"Ah! It's Barbara!"
"Miss Barbara looked over here and waved at me! Oh my god!!"
"To see Barbara this early! May the Anemo Archon bless me—today must be lucky!"
A crowd surrounded a cute girl with twin tails, wearing a white priestess dress and hat.
It was Barbara.
She smiled warmly, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
Seeing everyone so energetic, she said sweetly:
"I'm glad to see everyone looking so lively."
"Please make some space. If you want to hear me sing, it's not performance time yet."
"And gathering like this might affect traffic in Mondstadt."
"Thank you everyone."
Barbara spoke gently.
In her heart, she felt genuine happiness.
Not because she was popular.
But because yesterday's dragon disaster hadn't seriously harmed Mondstadt's people—
Not physically, and not emotionally.
Everyone looked just like they normally did.
The few injured had already been taken to the Cathedral yesterday.
She had come out early today just to observe whether the citizens' mood had been affected.
Then she spotted the Good Hunter sign in the distance.
Her eyes lit up.
"Good morning, Sara!"
She jogged over to greet her.
Sara instantly understood.
Coming to Good Hunter to shake off her overly enthusiastic fans was Barbara's usual trick.
Jiang Chen's name alone was enough to deter most people in Mondstadt.
Who would dare disturb customers in his restaurant?
Anyone causing trouble would probably be thrown into Cider Lake to feed the fish.
There was even an underground saying in Mondstadt:
The two places you should never cause trouble were:
the tavern Angel's Share
the restaurant Good Hunter.