At the dining table, Amber asked Lumine:
"Since the dragon crisis has been resolved, what are your plans next?"
"We'll probably leave Mondstadt and continue traveling through all seven nations, searching for clues about my sibling," Lumine replied.
Amber seemed a little down.
Mu Yang, who appeared cold and aloof on the outside, had barely warmed up to them before leaving.
Now, her newly made friends, Lumine and Paimon, were also preparing to depart.
She couldn't help but feel a bit sad.
"I see... So we'll have to part ways for now..."
Lumine comforted her.
"I'll miss everyone in the Knights of Favonius too."
Amber patted her cheeks to cheer herself up.
"It's okay! No matter where you go, as long as the wind can reach you, you'll always be a comrade of the Knights of Favonius—our Honorary Knight."
[Sniffles… Amber is such an angel.]
[Can I just take Amber home with me?]
[I'll take Acting Grand Master Jean.]
[I know exactly where your hands are planning to go, you little—]
Lumine smiled. "I'll come back to visit often."
"And also..."
Amber blinked. "And also?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances.
Awkward.
Paimon spoke up weakly.
"Umm… We kinda spent all our travel funds on food… So we'll probably have to stay in Mondstadt a while longer to take on commissions..."
Amber couldn't hold back her laughter. "Pfft— Hahaha!"
"Well, eat as much as you want this time! There's still a victory banquet later, haha!"
After a relaxing meal...
Before the victory banquet, there was one more important matter.
Returning the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
The two bid farewell to Amber and headed for the Favonius Cathedral.
———
Meanwhile, on Mu Yang's side.
After leaving Mondstadt, he didn't return directly to Yilong Wharf.
Instead, he went to Wangshu Inn.
Even though it would still be many days before Lumine slowly made her way to Liyue,
Liyue was, after all, the main stage.
He needed to establish relationships and connections first.
He had to figure out how to maximize his popularity points
without overshadowing Lumine's role too much.
Being a babysitter would be easy,
but then her journey would lose its meaning.
Mu Yang walked up to the second floor of Wangshu Inn.
He needed a quiet place to sort out his thoughts.
Right now, his identity was still unclear.
Mu Yang could fabricate his own background and experiences,
but the world of Teyvat would fill in the details and corresponding relationships based on his settings.
For example:
According to the most basic setting,
Mu Yang should have spent most of his time guarding the Sword Pool.
But after adding the "wealthy dude" setting,
the world adjusted it to:
Occasionally descending the mountain to uphold justice,
taking on mercenary-like jobs to earn money.
Only after years of saving up did he become a wealthy man.
Right now, the only confirmed settings Mu Yang had were:
Wealthy dude
Animal affinity
Friend of Fujin, Lingyuan, and Yaoguang
Suppressor of a God
And his fate in the Legend Quest.
Thus, Mu Yang was severely lacking in popularity points.
He needed to provide more detailed descriptions
and then run simulations.
Through simulations, he could observe how the world of Teyvat adjusted the details.
As he climbed the stairs,
Mu Yang didn't feel any familiarity with Wangshu Inn.
Unlike the mountain path to Yilong Wharf,
which he could walk blindfolded.
Perhaps, in his settings, he didn't come here often.
He also didn't know if Xiao recognized him.
Mu Yang approached Verr Goldet.
"Boss, I'd like a quiet guest room."
Verr Goldet paused for a moment upon hearing this.
"What's wrong?" Mu Yang asked.
Verr Goldet smiled and waved her hand.
"Nothing, nothing. It's just that most people call me 'landlady.'"
"You, sir, have a sharp eye."
"How long will you be staying?"
Mu Yang thought for a moment.
"One month for now."
After paying the Mora,
Mu Yang added,
"Have the chef prepare two signature dishes and bring them to the rooftop."
When Verr Goldet heard him mention the rooftop,
she scrutinized him again.
"The rooftop? Of course."
Mu Yang walked up to the rooftop balcony.
It was much larger than in the game,
though it could still only fit two tables.
Most people probably didn't come up here to eat.
Before long, Yanxiao brought up the prepared dishes—
Golden Shrimp Balls, Adeptus' Temptation,
and Almond Tofu.
"Enjoy your meal, you two."
Mu Yang was puzzled. "Two?"
Wasn't he the only one here?
Yanxiao also froze, then awkwardly said,
"Did I misunderstand?"
"Your aura is quite similar to that short, handsome young man."
"And the boss allowed you up to the rooftop, so I thought..."
Only then did Mu Yang understand why Verr Goldet had scrutinized him earlier.
So this rooftop wasn't just accessible to anyone.
Of course—she knew Xiao's identity.
Naturally, she also knew ordinary people shouldn't get too close to Xiao.
So Yanxiao had thought the same.
No wonder the portions were so generous
and he had specifically made Almond Tofu.
Mu Yang assured Yanxiao it was fine,
and only then did the chef leave in relief.
The moment Yanxiao left,
Xiao materialized directly,
sitting beside Mu Yang, right in front of the Almond Tofu.
"You rarely come this far. Is there something important?"
Mu Yang's mind flooded with question marks.
Meow meow meow?
What are you talking about?
So, after the adjustments, Xiao did know him.
But no matter how hard Mu Yang tried to recall,
his only impressions of Xiao were from the game Genshin Impact—
his original knowledge, unrelated to his settings.
Had he really never interacted with them?
Liyue Harbor might be too far.
Ga Ming was from Chenyu Vale—much closer.
But it seemed Mu Yang hadn't met him either.
The person he remembered most was the blacksmith at Yilong Wharf.
Every time Mu Yang went out to earn money,
he would buy a sword from him.
The system suddenly chimed in.
"I told you, you're just hurting yourself. Did you think I was joking?"
Mu Yang: "I refuse to believe it. How much more popularity do I need for the first simulation?"
System: "About five days' worth."
Mu Yang pondered.
Since he had nothing to do these next few days,
while waiting for his popularity to rise,
he might as well browse forums on Earth
and see if players were memeing him yet.