With a cloak on to disguise myself, I walked side by side with Amber as she gave me a tour of Mondstadt. Compared to the game, the city was much bigger. It was honestly breathtaking to actually be inside of Mondstadt without a screen separating me. I could do things I never could in the game, like petting the cats and dogs now scattered throughout the city!

"Who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are!" My hands combed through the dog's soft fur. She barked happily back in response, her tail wagging merrily.

"You should avoid talking as much as possible," Amber advised. A reasonable demand. If anyone overheard me, well…

"Hellastic! Hellastic! Hellastic!"

I shivered at the thought.

"Looks like I'm going to have to cut my petting session short, Chloe," I said with great sadness in my voice. Amber gave me a questioning look. 'Chloe?' her eyes seemed to say. 'Don't question it,' I silently shot back.

Chloe licked my hand in response as if saying goodbye.

Features Hoyoverse should implement into the game aside, walking around the residential district in Mondstadt felt like I was playing Genshin Impact from the start all over again. Everything felt new and amazing to me. I eagerly took in the sights of my surroundings. Looking at Mondstadt's unique architecture in person felt different. The details in everything too, far exceeded what the in game graphics could display.

And this time, instead of having an annoying, high pitch fairy constantly following and ordering me around (Let's explore this area later!), I have Amber.

Okay, Paimon slander aside, the little glutton did eventually grow on me. I wonder, if I get a fishing rod and head to spawn, the beach north of just Starsnatch cliff, and fish there, would I find myself some emergency food?

"Where are you going?" Amber asked. Looking at where I was positioned, I realized that I was in fact not walking side by side with Amber anymore. Instead, it seemed I was moments away from climbing the walls of a house.

Why, you might ask?

Call it muscle memory. Call it instinct. But I spotted a shiny object on the roof and the collector in me couldn't not go collect it. That object being a philanemo mushroom, the annoying ascension material for many of Mondstadt's characters. Truth be told, the dating sim gamer in me reasoned that instead of using these region specialties to ascend characters, it would be used to gain affection points with them instead.

"Nowhere. I'm just observing this wall. It's very different compared to where I came from," I quickly bullshitted.

"Uh-huh…" She sounded not convinced in the slightest. Thankfully, she didn't press the matter. "Main street is just up ahead."

Turning the corner, we arrived at a familiar sight. To my far right, I spotted the alchemy stand. I always used Mondstadt's alchemy stand to craft my condensed resin, mostly out of habit more than anything. It felt wrong not seeing Timaeus behind it. Off to my far left was the Good Hunter. Sara was there, returned to her usual job of cooking after listening to my speech. Sat at the tables were a couple of depressed looking customers. Despite the heavenly smell being able to reach me here, they ate their food like a bunch of lifeless zombies - poking it with their fork and taking small, listless bites.

There was also the shop, Monstadt's General Goods I think the name was, run by Blanche. It was empty and abandoned. I suppose it's hard to trade and sell items when half the world's population is gone. The various other shops didn't fare much better. Marjorie's souvenir store among them, although she did seem to come out better than the rest.

Even the adventurer's guild looked worse for wear. It could just be me, but Katheryrne looked like she needed some maintenance done on her.

The only exception, from what my eyes can see, was Cat's Tail. The tavern had a steady flow of people entering and leaving, with many Mondstadters leaving heavily inebriated. It was a depressing sight, seeing the Land of Wind and Freedom like this.

"This used to be the busiest place in Mondstadt, filled with shops and bustling with people."

Now though, it was like a purple dude snapped away the existence of half the population.

"Come on," Amber said, leading me by the hand out of the city.

Handholding. How lewd.

"I thought I was getting a tour of Mondstadt." So far, I got none of that. Not that I'm complaining. Every minute spent with Amber was a minute washing away my past regrets.

"You'll get that later!" She turned back to me, with a grin on her face. My heart skipped a beat. She was so cute with that wide, contagious, cheerful smile of hers.

There isn't a single day in my life where I don't regret lvl 90, tripping crowing you.

"Right now, I want to take you somewhere important," she said, her voice shifting in tone. It was more solemn and sad.

"Alright," I replied, trying to think of a way to cheer her up. I didn't like when she wasn't her usual bubbly self. "Wanna race?"

"Race?" She seemed to ponder the idea for a brief moment, before her face lit up, her competitive nature showing. "Great idea!" Amber exclaimed, returning back to her cheerful self, before realizing her predicament. "But you don't even know where the place is."

Oh don't you worry about that. "Just tell me what it's called and give me the general direction."

"It's just up ahead," Amber pointed as we stopped just outside the entrance of Mondstadt. "There's a big tree. You can't possibly miss it."

Big tree. Was she talking about Windrise? It had to be. If that's the case…

"Last one there has to treat the other for dinner!" I yelled as I immediately bolted across the bridge.

"Hey! No fair!" Amber shouted back before talking off into a sprint. In the brief second I looked back, I could see she was gaining on me. Fast.

You know what they say: All is fair in love and war.

Speaking of, Timmie's pigeons were gone. Running across the bridge felt almost empty and soulless when there weren't any birds to scare off or turn into dinner.

"You're… really… fast…" I panted as I collapsed at Amber's feet.

"I hope you're ready to buy me some Sweet Madames," Amber said. She had on her hips in a victorious pose, smirking cheekily at me.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, regretting my decision to make the bet. Should have just raced without any stakes. Then again, it was the stakes that made things fun. I wasn't even that unathletic. In fact, I played a decent bit of sports during High School. I expected things to be a bit closer. Instead, I got steamrolled. "I don't have any mor- money on me, though."

"Well, better find a way to get some funds. Oh! I know, how about selling your body?" Amber teased.

"Not a bad idea." In fact, I could probably become stinking rich if I charged people to have sex with me. Sure, I'd be a prostitute and I'd feel real scummy doing it, but money's money. "Say madam, what say you to spending a night with me?"

Amber put a hand to her chin in an exaggerated manner. "I don't know… Tell me, why should I?"

Playing along, I paraphrased a line from the one and Oni. "Oh, but Amber, if you join me in my bedroom tonight, I could show you what dreams are made of."

"Why, aren't you the charmer?" Amber giggled out. "How much mora are we talking?"

"Enough mora to cover the costs of a Sweet Madame for the two of us."

Amber grinned. "You have yourself a deal."

"So, why bring me here?" I asked, changing the subject, and dropping the roleplay.

Amber, too, switched herself to a more serious attitude. "Windrise is a special place for us Mondstadters. It's where Vanessa ascended to Celestia to become a God and watch over Mondstadt. It's rumored to be the Anemo Archon's favorite area of residence. And recently, it's become a place for everyone to gather, to pray, and to mourn. And maybe, just maybe, awaken the Anemo Archon from his slumber."

Looking around me, I did see a whole bunch of people kneeling. There were also plenty of other people meandering about. Chatting, talking, placing flowers down at the statue.

"This place represents Mondstadts hope for the future. I know lady Vannessa is watching over us right now, guiding us."

Amber bringing me here helped truly solidify the gravity of the situation in this post apocalyptic world. I shouldn't be treating this like a teenager's wet dream.

"So many flowers…" There was row after row of Windwheel Asters blowing in the wind. "So many people mourning. So many lives lost."

"The fact that you're here proves that," Amber continued. "You're our only hope, Hellastic. Only you can save Mondstadt. Save Teyvat."

"No pressure or anything," I muttered to myself. Taking a deep breath, I composed myself. "But I'll do my best."

Amber nodded before handing me a Cecilia. Instinctively from watching the others, I knew what to do with it. Walking up to the statue, I placed it down at the base. Bringing my hands together in front of me, I closed my eyes and prayed.

Hey Venti. Come home, would you? Your people need you.

When I stepped back, nothing happened. Amber seemed to expect this. "Thank you for doing that. Really. It means a lot to me and the people of Mondstadt."

Me on the other hand, I thought that maybe I'd get the powers of Anemo like when Aether first interacted with a Statue of the Seven. I even fit the requirement of having a dead friend if you spin the wordplay correctly. Many dead friends in fact, considering they're all not with me anymore.

"It's very peaceful here," I noted, once I stepped back.

"Before the pandemic happened, Windrise used to be a popular spot for couples," Amber explained. I could definitely see why. Something about the landscape seemed perfect for picnics.

We stood in silence for a bit. My eyes searched the statue, hoping for a sign of anything. It was pointless. What did I expect? I'm not some world traveler, celestial being like Aether. I'm just an ordinary guy.

Yet the voice from behind me would prove me completely wrong. "Ahh, that was a refreshing sleep."

AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. Long story short, I got really burnt out from Genshin. But I'm back!