Amber stood with her hands on her hips, fuming. "Hey, Lumine! Why were you bothering Sister Grace?"
"I wasn't bothering her. I was just asking her a few questions."
"Oh? And what exactly did you ask?"
"Well, when we first arrived in Mondstadt, I thought I heard singing. It seemed to be coming from this direction, so I asked her about it. That's all."
"That's it? …Singing? Oh, you must mean Barbara, the deaconess."
At the mention of Barbara, Amber's attitude softened.
"That voice you heard belongs to Barbara. She's the deaconess of the Cathedral and also Mondstadt's idol.
People come from all over just to hear her sing and pray.
Honestly, her songs have done wonders for public safety—it's no exaggeration to say that her voice helps keep Mondstadt peaceful."
Paimon gasped. "Whoa! Is it really that amazing?"
Amber nodded. "One day, when you hear Barbara sing for yourself, you'll understand why."
"Alright, enough chatting! I have a gift for you, Lumine!"
Lumine's curiosity was piqued. "A gift? What is it?"
"Ta-da! The Wind Glider!"
"The Scouting Knights use them for aerial movement, and Mondstadt citizens love them too.
I brought you here so you could experience them firsthand!"
Lumine chuckled. "You're really hyping this up."
"Well, the wind is the soul of Mondstadt, after all!"
Amber handed over a brand-new Wind Glider, which had a blue-green hue.
Zephyr examined it closely and frowned. "Wait… why does this look different from what I remember? Shouldn't it be black?"
He distinctly recalled that the default glider was supposed to be black.
"Whoa, Traveler, look! People are flying!"
Paimon pointed excitedly at the sky. Several figures soared effortlessly through the air, wearing black Wind Glider.
Zephyr turned to Amber. "Amber, why is the glider you gave me different from theirs?"
Amber's face turned a little red. "Ahem… Because this is the only one I have left at home."
"…I see."
Zephyr took a closer look at the glider, and suddenly, a name appeared on it.
Wings of Azure Wind.
"Wait… this is…!"
Zephyr was stunned—wasn't this the special glider only awarded when reaching Reputation Level 8 in Mondstadt?!
"Amber, isn't this really valuable? Are you sure it's okay for me to have it?"
Amber hesitated for a moment before sighing. "You figured it out, huh?
But don't worry! This was actually a gift given to me.
You know how I'm always helping people? Well, over time, they started recognizing me, and the Knights of Favonius gave me this glider as a symbol of honor.
Though, if you ask me, the real symbol of honor should be the Favonius Warbow instead.
Besides, I never helped people expecting anything in return."
Paimon cheered, "Amber is awesome! Traveler… is kinda lame."
Lumine flicked Paimon's forehead and scolded her, "Even so, I really can't accept something this valuable."
"It's fine! I'm already used to my old glider and don't feel like changing it.
Alright, alright, no more arguing—just take it!"
Lumine hesitated, then finally accepted it. "Alright… Thank you, Amber."
"Hehe, no problem! Now, let's test it out!"
"Gliding is pretty simple, but you have to follow my instructions."
"First, let me show you how it's done."
Amber took a running leap off the platform.
With a whoosh, a pair of large wings unfolded from her back, catching the wind as she gracefully glided down onto a rooftop.
"Alright, Lumine, your turn!"
"Got it."
This time, Zephyr didn't mess around. He followed Amber's instructions properly and glided smoothly across.
Amber smiled. "Wow, you learned fast!"
"Now, stay close!"
With that, Amber soared through the air, slowly descending toward Mondstadt's central fountain.
Zephyr followed closely behind, gliding through the air.
"Tr-Traveler, wait for me…!" Paimon called out from behind.
Zephyr sighed. "Paimon, why are you flying so slowly?"
"It's not that Paimon is slow, it's that you're too fast!"
"Nope, you're just too slow."
"Hmph! That's not true! Traveler, you're acting like the little horse crossing the river!"
"???"
Both Lumine and Zephyr were utterly confused.
"The little horse crossing the river! You mean to tell me you've never heard that phrase before?"
Paimon looked absolutely shocked, as if they were committing some kind of cultural crime by not knowing the story. Her smug expression was downright punchable.
"???"
"Listen up! One day, a little horse was helping its mother with chores when it came across a river blocking its path.
The little horse didn't know how deep the water was, so it decided to ask a passing old ox.
'Uncle Ox, is the river deep?' the little horse asked.
The ox replied, 'Not at all! The water only reaches up to my knees. You can easily walk across.'
"The little horse was about to step in when a squirrel suddenly stopped it.
'Don't cross! The water is super deep! A friend of mine drowned in this river!' the squirrel warned.
"Now, the little horse was really confused. One said it was shallow, the other said it was deep—who should it believe?
So, it went back home and asked its mother.
'Mom, is the river deep or shallow?' the little horse asked.
'Tell me, child,' the mother replied, 'who is bigger—you or Uncle Ox?'
'Uncle Ox is bigger, of course.'
'And who is bigger—you or the squirrel?'
'I am!'
'See? That's why you shouldn't rely on other people's experiences.
Their answers might not apply to you. If you want to know how deep the river is… why not try it for yourself?'
"So the little horse went back to the river, stepped in… and found that the water only reached its knees."
Paimon crossed her arms proudly. "And that's the story! You've seriously never heard it before?"
Lumine sweatdropped. "I mean… I've heard it, but it's not exactly an 'idiom' or anything."
"Eh? It's not?!"
Zephyr deadpanned. "Also, can you please use an example from high school or college instead? Why are you quoting an elementary school textbook?
Or does this mean your intelligence is only at an elementary school level?"
"It is not! Paimon is very smart!"
"Okay, got it, 'Big Brain Paimon.'"
They landed smoothly beside the fountain.
Amber clapped in amazement. "Traveler, was that really your first time flying? Your technique is amazing—even better than some veterans!"
Lumine scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Zephyr was silent. She's literally complimenting me, but here you are blushing.
…Forget it. She's my wife too, so I'll let it slide.
As the day went on, the sun began to set.
"Hmm… it's getting late. How about we go to the Knights of Favonius HQ tomorrow instead?"
"Sounds good to me, but… where am I staying tonight?"
"Well…" Amber looked a little troubled.
"I was originally going to suggest Goth Grand Hotel, but… the Fatui moved in, and now it's completely full."
Paimon shrugged. "Any hotel is fine, Paimon is not picky."
"Other hotels… Hmm. Because of the extreme weather caused by Stormterror, most of them are undergoing repairs."
"Wait—so we're going to be homeless tonight?!"
"Not necessarily. Worst case, I can take you to the Knights of Favonius HQ—you can stay there for one night.
Though… Lisa will probably scold me for it."
Lumine immediately shook her head. "No way! We can't have you getting scolded because of us."
She put on a dramatic, teary-eyed expression.
"It seems… I have no choice but to sleep on the streets tonight…
Ahh, I hope there aren't any bad people lurking in Mondstadt.
After all, I'm just a weak and defenseless girl. If someone were to take advantage of me…
I guess… I'd have no choice but to die to protect my innocence…"
//END