Chapter 82: Lumine Comes Looking for Him? Maybe He Should Charge Some Interest…
Although Lumine complained inwardly, she still felt it was time to go out and take a look around. Not only had Paimon nearly eaten all the fish nearby, but sleeping outdoors every day also put a lot of pressure on her.
And most importantly, Lumine had to look for her brother. Staying in the same place wasn't an option.
"Once you're full, let's head to Mondstadt."
"Really? Yay! I'll be the best guide ever!"
Paimon, who was gnawing on a fish, immediately flailed her arms happily upon hearing that they wouldn't be sleeping outside tonight.
Seeing her excitement, Lumine quickly warned her, "Paimon, let me say this first, I don't have any money. If you want to eat good food, we'll need to work first." She really didn't want to enter the city on the first day and fall into debt.
Paimon akimbo-ed her hands angrily. "In your eyes, do I only know how to eat?" (TL/N: akimbo means hands on the hips with elbows bent and sticking out)
Lumine: "?"
"Well… okay, maybe I have been eating every day lately. But that doesn't mean eating is all I know! If you're going to look for your brother, I'll definitely be the best guide!"
Under Lumine's stare, Paimon slowly grew guilty, her tone weakening. But she felt that she simply hadn't had a chance to show her strengths!
Half an hour later, the "Traveler Duo" set off.
They departed from Starfell Valley, passed through Starfell Lake and Whispering Woods. Since they didn't encounter Dvalin, Venti, or Amber, the journey went extremely smoothly.
Around sunset, Lumine and Paimon finally reached the free city of legend. But once inside, they noticed that almost everyone was holding something and reading, even in front of the blacksmith's shop.
"What are they reading? It looks interesting. I'm going to ask!"
Paimon, a natural social butterfly, had zero issues with talking to strangers and couldn't resist investigating anything curious.
"Hello! What's that in your hand? I see everyone reading it."
"This?" The passerby lifted the book and smiled. "This is a manga. It's like a picture-story. Really entertaining."
"Really? Lemme see!"
Hearing it was entertaining, Paimon leaned in immediately, and was completely enchanted. She didn't even notice Lumine approaching until Lumine tugged her back.
"Eh? When did you get here?"
Looking speechless, Lumine pointed at the sky. "If I let you keep reading, we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
"Huh?? It's already dark? How did time pass so fast?"
The passerby laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Don't be surprised, that's the charm of manga. The first time I read one, I stayed up all night! If you read Fox Spirit Matchmaker, you might even cry, rumor says even one of Anemo God's attendants cried at it."
"Fox Spirit Matchmaker? That's also a manga?"
"Yes, a romance manga. Very few people finish it without crying."
Lumine had originally planned to drag Paimon away, but she didn't expect to hear about an Anemo God's attendant here. Her eyes lit up, and she asked:
"Where can we buy this manga?"
"Just follow this road to the plaza. You'll see the line. But honestly, better come tomorrow, today the crowd is insane."
"Thank you."
After saying goodbye, Lumine led Paimon toward the bookstore.
Paimon whispered, "Are you going there for information?"
"Yes. Since I'm looking for my brother, no one would be more informed than someone connected to the Anemo God. And there are manga ads everywhere. If everyone buys them, maybe my brother might've bought some too."
It made sense, going to a popular shop for information was way better than wandering aimlessly.
Ten minutes later, they reached the plaza… and were stunned at the endless line.
Paimon collapsed. "Lumine… can we even get in? We'll starve to death waiting!"
"Maybe we should find a job first and come back tomorrow. If we fail to get information and also go hungry and sleep outside, that would be miserable…"
As they hesitated, a lively girl approached them.
"You two looking for work? I happen to have a job. And I can introduce you to the manga shop owner."
"Really? Lumine! She says we can get a job AND meet the owner!"
"You know the owner?"
Hu Tao, full of smiles, said, "Of course. He used to work for my family's business. If you want to meet Su Han, even waiting all day might not be enough."
"Why? Is this Su Han very aloof?"
"No." Hu Tao shook her head. "Mondstadt just hasn't been peaceful. Su Han recently became the Honorary Knight, so everyone wants his help. Even if you line up, you might not see him."
"I see… then what kind of job do you mean?"
Something felt off to Lumine. How could an amazing boss be so easy to meet?
Hu Tao's lips curled slyly, she didn't expect to find tea testers this easily.
"I'm developing a special tea. If you two become the first tasters and give me feedback, I'll pay you 10,000 Mora and introduce you to Su Han."
"10,000 Mora?! Lumine, let's do it!"
Paimon cried out. The offer was too good. Just tasting tea? Basically free money.
Lumine didn't expect it to be so simple, so she agreed.
"Great! Let's go meet Su Han first. Then we'll do the tea testing. Don't say the Hall Master tricked you! Oh, I'm Hu Tao, 77th generation master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. And you two are?"
"I'm Paimon. She's Lumine. A traveler."
"Ohh~ then when you visit Liyue someday, I'll treat you to a big meal!"
"Really?? Lumine! See? There are good people in the world!"
Paimon was ecstatic, earlier she thought they'd sleep outdoors again, but now they could earn money and even get a free meal. How could she not be thrilled?
Lumine also smiled, not because of the meal, but because she might finally get clues about her brother.
They pushed through the crowd and entered the manga shop. When Paimon saw the giant manga mural on the wall, she gasped.
"Wow! Such a beautiful tree! How did they do that?"
"Just enlarged the manga pages and pasted them on the wall. Nothing special."
"So simple? I thought someone painted it!"
Simple or not, it looked spectacular.
They walked up to the third floor.
Hu Tao called out, "Hey, Su Han! Come meet some friends!"
"Hm? Hall Master, you're back. These two…"
Su Han froze when he saw Lumine and Paimon.
The Hall Master really had skills, she went out once and returned with the main characters.
Paimon, seeing him stunned, quickly introduced them:
"I'm Paimon, she's Lumine. We're Hu Tao's friends. We came to ask you something, if that's okay."
"Questions? About what?"
"It's about my brother. He has golden hair, and—"
Su Han immediately understood.
Lumine was here to look for Aether.
But Su Han and Aether… were mortal enemies. There was no mending that relationship.
Still, since Lumine had delivered herself right to his doorstep…
Su Han might as well teach that Abyss Prince a lesson.
For example... letting the Abyss Prince become Su Han's future brother-in-law.
Now that would hurt more than ruining his plans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapters every 200 Power Stone!
10, 20, 30 Advanced chapters in my Patreon!
patreon.com/hollyrisk