The party now set foot on the road going to Mondstadt. With the pace they were going at, they would arrive at Mondstadt by nightfall. Along the way, the trio chatted about the past adventures of Paimon and Aether. Keqing was so in awe of their stories that she wanted to be part of their adventures soon. Seeing as this is technically her first adventure together with Paimon and Aether, she was happy and excited and that she could act freely whenever she is with them.
By noon, they reached Wangshu Inn, where they had lunch. The trio settled at a nearby table where the inn waitress approached them and asked what food they would order. They decided to have three orders of Matsutake Meat Rolls and Almond Tofu, each one for themselves, assuming that Paimon does not steal their food first.
They finished after some time with their hunger satiated. When Aether tried to pay for the bill, Keqing insisted that she would pay for it to which she did. They departed Wangshu Inn, continuing their journey to Mondstadt. By the time they passed by the Stone Gate, they noticed that Hilichurl activity and Abyss Order activity had increased. There were more camps situated on the road going to Mondstadt. It must mean that they must be increasing their numbers so that their plan will continue without delay.
To get some intel, they took out a nearby hilichurl camp and searched for any notes or letters on why the Hilichurls and the Abyss Order increased their activities. The party discovers that they're making haste towards their "mechanized god" plan. With that in mind, they continue their journey to Mondstadt, planning to report this to the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
After quite some time, they finally made it near Mondstadt. They were now on the bridge going to the gates. The journey from Liyue to Mondstadt was fun and tiring, but the party enjoyed it nonetheless. Once they were nearing the gate, two knights were seen guarding the gate.
"Halt! Welcome back Honorary Knight!" Swan peeked over to Aether's left shoulder and saw an unfamiliar lady dressed in purple. "I hope you don't mind me asking but is she an accomplice of yours?" Swan asked.
"Yes. She's the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, Keqing. She's accompanying me as the Tianqian requested and that we're here to report on Mondstadt on official business." Aether said.
"Very well. Please proceed on then. Thank you for complying, Honorary Knight." Swan and Lawrence saluted the trio and went back to their respective positions.
As the sound of footsteps got quieter, Swan and Lawrence had a conversation.
"Hey Swan?"
"Yeah, Lawrence?"
"Do you think they're dating? The Honorary Knight and the Yuheng I mean."
"Wha- Where did that come from? Anyway I've got no time for this Lawrence. You know we got work to do."
"It's nice to take a break often, you know? Besides, they look like a couple."
"They're on official business remember? But I can agree with that."
"I knew you'd agree!"
"Shut up Lawrence. Let's just go back to work."
"Aw come on Swan. Alright then." Lawrence sighed.
As they entered Mondstadt, Keqing was astonished to see how beautiful and different the architecture of the buildings, roads, and the atmosphere compared to Liyue Harbor. Keqing looked so cute admiring Mondstadt. Aether stared at her for a long time until she looked at him causing him to look straight. He was seen blushing and Keqing teased him for it.
"Caught red-handed today huh, Aether?" Keqing giggled.
Aether got embarrassed and laughed heartily. She looked at Keqing for another time and spoke what his mind told him to.
"Thank you for accompanying me and being here with me." Aether smiled.
"I-I'm glad to hear that." Keqing blushed shyly.
Paimon cut in-between them and reminded them of their purpose on why they were here in Mondstadt in the first place. "Hey! We should go to the headquarters right now. Come on you two!" Paimon went first and floated to the headquarters. Keqing and Aether followed Paimon and went up the stairs.
The trio entered the headquarters and went straight to Jean's office. Aether knocked on the door to which a voice replied.
"Come in!"
As they confirmed that it was now okay to enter, the trio went inside the office. There they could find Jean buried in her work. "Oh, hello Aether and Paimon. Welcome back!" Jean spotted the purple haired girl beside Aether. "Good to see you too, Keqing. I hope that you'll enjoy your time here in Mondstadt. What brings you all here today?
"Thank you Master Jean. We're here on behalf of Ningguang to report about the Abyss Order. They have plans to build a mechanized god out of the limbs of Osial. We're hoping that between our two nations, we can work together to stop them." Keqing explained. "That's not all though. Aether… well… he'll fill you up on more details Master Jean." Keqing added.
"I see. Alright, Aether, please continue." Jean said.
Aether started to explain in detail what happened a few days ago. He also told Jean who was controlling the Abyss Order. She was shocked to learn that Aether's twin sister was the one orchestrating everything that involves the Abyss Order. With the information she gathered from the two and pieced together a plan.
"Alright. As the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, I hereby decree that Mondstadt and Liyue will form together an alliance to help each other in thwarting the plans of the Abyss Order." Jean announced in an authoritative voice. This was one of the reasons Aether admired her leadership skills.
"Aether, Keqing, thank you for informing me of this. For now, why don't you guys stay here at Mondstadt for a day or two? The three of you must've been tired from your journey."
"We appreciate the offer, Master Jean. We gladly accept." Keqing spoke for the three of them at Jean's request.
"That's glad to hear. You're all dismissed. Take care and have fun here in Mondstadt!"
The party stepped outside Jean's office and exited the headquarters. When they got out, the sun was already out and the moon started to rise. Paimon's stomach rumbled loudly that it could be heard by the guards stationed outside. Keqing giggled and Aether tried to contain his laughter upon hearing that and sure enough, Paimon got embarrassed. Aether caught himself staring at Keqing and felt butterflies form in his stomach. When Keqing turned around to face Aether, she winked at him, resulting in Aether blushing that his face seemed to turn into a tomato hypothetically.
Aether then snapped out and cleared his throat in an attempt to make himself relaxed.
"Why don't we eat dinner at Good Hunter? I'm craving some steak."