Book I: Anemo

Chapter 8: Explanations and Conversations

The Mondstadt Cathedral. It was large, beautiful, and easy to see from almost any point in the city. Of course, when you're carrying an injured woman and trying to run as fast as you can, its high positioning seems almost sadistic. Seriously, all those stairs were just ridiculous.

I finally reached the top, and my legs were burning. Some of it was from the exertion of running up steps while carrying someone. But most of it was the side effect of my plan to restart my passenger's heart. I'd avoided the worst—my heart pretty much exploding inside my chest—but it had been impossible to completely avoid all of the side effects.

Pushing the discomfort down, I rushed towards the cathedral's doors. Thankfully, the nearby guard quickly understood the situation and opened them for me. The inside of the church was mostly empty. A few nuns were spread throughout the building, some in prayer while others were just milling about. I knew what I was about to do was probably rude in a church, but I'd ask for forgiveness later.

"Excuse me!" I shouted as loud as I could. "I'm looking for Barbara!"

My voice startled several nuns, and the one nearest to me turned around with an annoyed expression. The look changed to understanding when her eyes landed on the woman on my back. She stood up and rushed over.

"Come with me."

As I followed the nun deeper into the church, I asked, "Are you Barbara?"

She shook her head and introduced herself as Victoria. She brought me to a higher floor in the church, and I was escorted to a room with several beds laid out. This must have been some sort of medical ward.

"Place the woman on one of the beds and wait here," Victoria said. "I'll go inform the Deaconess of the situation."

Watching Victoria leave, I laid Miss Red-Hair out on the nearest bed. I briefly noted that some color had returned to her face, though it was still of a sickly pallor. I looked around the room, which reminded me of photos I'd seen of tuberculosis wards from back in the day. A large window at one end of the room let in plenty of light and could be opened to let in the fresh air.

Not long after Victoria left, a different young woman rushed through the door. She wore a white frock over a pair of white tights and had a white cap. The book at her waist had a blue Vision attached to it. Her light blonde hair was tied into a pair of pigtails, and her pale blue eyes were fixed into a serious gaze. Oddly enough, her face seemed familiar.

The girl was by the bedside in an instant. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Ah, then this must be Barbara. A bit younger than I was expected for a deaconess, but that must mean she was all the more skilled at her job.

I explained everything I knew to Barbara as she checked her pulse and temperature. She then began trying to get the armor off of the woman. Being a gentleman, I turned around so as not to see anything. Continuing my explanation, I made sure to tell Barbara about how the woman's heart had been stopped and how I'd restarted it by giving her a booster shot of adrenaline—neglecting to mention how exactly I did that. Barbara probably gave me a weird look if the sound that left her throat was any indication.

"Hey, quick question," I said after finishing. "You need this other bed for anything?"

"No. Why?"

To answer her question, I collapsed onto the bed, my legs screaming out in joy. I rolled over onto my back and sank into the moderately comfortable mattress. Relief at last.

"Are you injured as well?" Barbara's tone became a bit more worried.

"Don't worry about me. My legs just feel like jelly right now."

I had no clue how long it would last, but I could only hope that it wouldn't be too long.

Barbara murmured something under her breath but didn't say anything else to me. Then, moments later, I heard what sounded like flowing water, which I assumed had to do with her Vision. With my role now complete, I turned my thoughts inward.

All right, Mystery Voice. It's time for you to explain yourself.

*And I will, as promised. But let's have this conversation somewhere more suitable.*

And where would that be?

*Inside of yourself, of course.*

Cue confused blinking. Is that not what we're doing right now?

*Not quite. Close your eyes and focus inwardly, like you're meditating.*

Sounds weird, but okay. I did as the strange voice said. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant by meditating, so I just tried to emulate what I would do in the martial arts classes I took several years ago.

As I did this, I felt something strange. It was like there was something inside of me, almost like a thread. I focused on that. Doing this, it felt like my consciousness faded away, though not in the same way as when I was trying to fall asleep. Instead of losing my awareness completely, it was just my perception of the world that disappeared.

At the end of the string, I found myself in a strange landscape. An open circle spread around me, surrounded by towering bookshelves filled with countless tomes and scrolls. Several pathways led to ornate doors, and a starry sky expanded above me instead of a ceiling. In the center of the room was a small mound of grass, out of which was growing a small magnolia tree. Ten tiny buds were growing among the branches, though four looked like they had already partially opened. A ball of light floated underneath the tree.

"Congratulations!" The mysterious voice came from somewhere behind me. "Welcome to your soul."

I turned around to come face-to-face with a beautiful woman coming out from behind one of the massive bookshelves. She had long white hair that faded into a pale grin at the tips. Her ornate white dress was trimmed with gold and hung down to just above her ankles and bare feet. Vibrant green eyes shone with an inquisitive air.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, so to speak."

"Who are you?"

"Hmm… I have quite a few names." The woman placed a finger to her chin before smiling and nodding to herself. "You can call me Aranyani."

I glanced warily at Aranyani, still unsure of how I felt about her. After all, people who could intrude on other people's souls were rarely the friendly sort. I'd continue with caution.

"So what do you want?"

Aranyani blinked, walking over to another bookshelf and running her hand along the book spines. "I've never gotten the chance to meet with someone from another world before. Isn't it only natural to be curious about such a person?"

Can't fault her logic there—I was much the same. "Okay, but how did you know I wasn't from Teyvat? And if you're interested in people from other worlds, why choose me over Lumine?"

"The answer to both your questions is Irminsul."

"Wait, hold on," I cut in. "What does a mythical tree from my world have to do with this?"

Aranyani's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"In my world, 'Irminsul' is the name given to a sacred tree of a people known as the Saxons, who believed it connected heaven and earth."

As I explained this, I grew all the more curious. First Favonius, now Irminsul. One shared term was perhaps a coincidence, but two… And this wasn't the kind of thing that could be explained away by the automatic translation.

"Well, here in Teyvat, Irminsul is a tree that exists deep underground and is also known as the World Tree." Aranyani looked just as confused as me. "It's a repository for all the information in Teyvat, and there are no records of you, Lumine, or the red-haired woman in it. That is how I knew you three are from outside this world."

I almost missed the second part of Aranyani's explanation after she mentioned the "world tree" thing. That proved the connection was much more than a coincidence. On Earth, since the "Irmin" part of Irminsul was another name for Odin, Irminsul was pretty much the Saxon version of Yggdrasil—the World Tree of Nordic myths. However, there weren't really any stories that I can remember of Yggdrasil storing knowledge. Though I think Odin had drank from a spring or something at the top of the tree in order to gain his wisdom.

"As for your second question," Aranyani continued, "that is also related to Irminsul. The reason I chose you over Lumine was that you were the only possible choice."

I was brought out of my contemplation by those words. "I was?"

"Yes. Your soul has a connection to Irminsul via the skill you call [Noesis]—I believe this is because it draws the information you ask for from it."

"I see. Hence why you couldn't go to Lumine." Though this still left one question. "You still must have something you want. Otherwise, you wouldn't have shown yourself to me."

Aranyani nodded as she stepped toward me. "Indeed. I've been unable to leave Irminsul for the longest time. Your connection to it offers me the opportunity to see the world again. If you would allow it, I wish to join you here."

I closed my eyes in thought. I still wasn't entirely sure whether I could trust Aranyani yet. My gut told me that she wasn't malicious, but I also got the feeling that she was hiding something from me.

To help me make my decision, I asked her how long she had been riding shotgun in my mind—not in those exact words, mind you. When she said she'd been with me since almost the beginning, my choice was set. There were still some things I was curious about, and she may be hiding stuff, but she hadn't caused any harm to me thus far.

"I guess it should be fine," I told her. "Though if you get up to anything strange, I won't hesitate to kick you out."

A bright smile lit up Aranyani's face. Then, with a quick thanks and a request to wait a moment, she disappeared into the vast library around us. I could only wonder what she was doing.

"Hey, Sophia, can you still hear me in here?"

#Affirmative.#

Sophia's voice was a bit different than I was used to. It was like the difference between hearing someone over the phone and listening to them speak in person. Looking around, I realized her voice was coming from the sphere of light in the shade of the tree.

"Keep an eye on Aranyani. If she starts acting suspiciously, try to discretely let me know."

#Acknowledged.#

Aranyani came back around, carrying an armful of scrolls in her grasp. There was a curious and expectant gleam in her eyes, like that of a child preparing to ask their parent for something.

"Now, I just have one other request." Was she breathing heavier now? "Please let me look through your memories!"

I blinked perplexedly. "I mean, I'm okay with it, but why?"

"Isn't it obvious? You come from an entirely different world. Your memories are full of things that I've never seen." Yep, definitely breathing heavier now. Aranyani brought a hand up in a futile attempt to hide the fact that she was drooling. "Ah, hold it together, me."

I pursed my lips. Had I perhaps just agreed to share my mind with a pervert? Not that I had much room to talk.

"Moving on," I said, and Aranyani was quick to recompose herself, "what did you mean earlier when you mentioned a 'ripple effect?'"

Aranyani's expression became serious, contrasting my previous perception of her. "I still can't be entirely certain without more data to work with, but I believe that that woman's appearance was caused by your entry into this world."

I cocked my head to the side. "But I arrived days ago. Why did it take this long for her to appear?"

"Remember how I said it was a ripple effect?" I nodded, and Aranyani created a projection of green light above her hand, which she used to illustrate her point. "Imagine that this is a pond representing Teyvat. Your entrance into the world was like a large stone being thrown in, creating countless ripples that radiated outward. When these ripples hit certain things within the pond, the waves will bounce off and travel in a new direction. Most of these will dissipate without issue. The problem is the remaining small percentage of ripples.

"When a wave bounces and hits another one of these cosmic ripples, it can cause strange effects on the fabric of the world. For instance, briefly opening a tear into another universe. I believe that when the elemental energy that had been amassed within the three temples was all released, it caused one of these convergent ripples."

"Fascinating," I muttered, more to myself than to Aranyani. "Is there anything that I need to worry about with this? Could any of these ripples cause changes to Teyvat's past and erase people from existence?"

"You don't need to worry about that. There's only one way to erase someone's existence from this world like that," Aranyani looked down, a strangely sorrowful look on her face, "and these ripples are not it. They can only travel omnidirectionally through space; within the fabric of time, they are only capable of traveling forward."

I raised a hand to my chin. "So that means there's a chance more of these effects could randomly pop up in the future?"

"Possibly," Aranyani replied with an unsure gaze. "Though most of that would be you coming across the result of the ripple effect rather than seeing them actualize like with the woman. In addition, like all ripples, they will eventually fade completely. It's simply more notable now since it's been such a short period since they started.

I nodded in understanding. "So, is it always going to be random people dropping from the sky?"

She looked thoughtful for a few moments before hesitantly saying, "I don't think so. It takes a lot of energy to rip holes between worlds like that. It's possible now because there's still a lot of energy stored within the waves, but that will dissipate as they weaken. And even presently, it probably won't be the most common effect. If my theory is correct, it will usually be things like localized tremors, issues with Leylines, and the occasional freak weather."

Okay, so I hadn't accidentally created an isekai bonanza. Good to know. Though that Leyline part sounded like it could end up becoming problematic. I would have to find some discrete way to mention that an eye should be kept on those.

With my questions about Aranyani answered for now—I'd try to ask about the rest at another time—it was probably time for me to return to reality. I could come back and get a better look at my soul later. My body had probably recovered by now, so I shouldn't take up the church's bed anymore.

I didn't bother to say farewell to Aranyani, since she was staying in my mind and all. She opened up one of the scrolls she had grabbed and began staring at it intently. The scrolls must have contained my memories. A giddy smile spread across her face. I hope I don't end up regretting this.

And so, I focused on returning back to the waking world. As my perceptions began to change, I faintly noticed Aranyani glance over at Sophia with a gleam in her eye. It was the same look I usually got on my face whenever I saw a cat.

Hang in there, Sophia.

When my eyes opened, I found a golden gaze staring down at me. I nearly had a heart attack, though I quickly calmed once I realized it was just Lumine. She stood over my bed, staring at me like a creepy kid in a horror movie.

I'd always thought waking up to a girl at my bedside would be nice. Now I know better.

A thin blanket had been laid over my body. Barbara was nowhere to be seen, but the redhead was already looking a bit better. Her complexion was starting to return to a normal color, and she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Whatever Barbara had done, it had worked incredibly well.

I wondered how long I had been out as I began to sit up. Though when the sheet fell off, my upper body felt oddly breezy. I looked down to see my bare chest. Unless I had spontaneously developed a habit of unconscious stripping—which was unlikely, to say the least—someone had taken my shirt.

My head swiveled around to Lumine, but she must have anticipated this. She held up a neatly folded tunic. It wasn't what I had come in with, but it looked like it would fit me. I quietly thanked Lumine as I grabbed the garment and quickly pulled it on. I then ducked my head under the blanket and was relieved to see my pants still on.

"You, uh, been here long?"

Lumine shook her head, and I kicked my legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. Then I realized I couldn't see Paimon anywhere. It was strange since the fairy-like being never seemed to be far from Lumine before now.

"So I guess it's just the two of us?"

Before Lumine could answer, a series of small likes sparkled in front of her. A moment later, Paimon seemed to materialize from them out of thin air. Her face had an almost panicked expression, and she floated in front of Lumine protectively.

"Don't even think about it!" She exclaimed. "Paimon won't let you do anything to Lumine."

Said girl lightly bonked Paimon on the head, and she let out a rather adorable "Guh!" Paimon floated down into Lumine's lap, though she didn't let up in glaring at me.

"Sorry about that." Lumine wrapped her arms around Paimon. "This little rascal seems to have gotten some strange ideas about you in her head."

"It's not strange. He keeps looking at Lumine and Paimon with weird eyes!" Paimon pouted, crossing her tiny little arms. "Besides, you said you didn't trust him, so Paimon won't either."

Lumine sighed, and I gave her a curious look. She didn't trust me? I wasn't expecting instant friendship, but I had assumed I'd at least earned some points by helping her out with Dvalin.

"I never said I didn't trust him, "Lumine gave a terse look to Paimon, "I said I found him suspicious."

"There's a difference?" Paimon and I asked in sync, which only caused her to glare harder at me. I didn't mind. Her angry face was adorable too.

"That doesn't change the fact that he keeps leering at Paimon," she said with a huff.

I blinked. "Oh, that. Sorry. You're just so cute that I can't help but stare."

"Eh? You think Paimon's cute? Tehehe…" Paimon blushed and giggled with a happy look, but then her eyes shot open and she floated up. "No! Paimon won't be taken in by your sly words! Paimon has already seen through you, mister. You may be able to fool the others, but you can't fool Paimon. She's seen how you look at everyone and shamelessly flirt with Lisa. You're a beast who devours women, and now you've set your sights on Paimon and Lumine!"

Lumine sighed, looking much like an elder sister tired of her sibling's antics. She pulled Paimon back down into her lap.

"Again, I apologize about Paimon. She'll warm up to you eventually."

Paimon turned her head to the side. "Never! In fact, Paimon will give you an ugly nickname so she'll always remember."

I blinked, and Lumine placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. Maybe a mother would be a more apt comparison than a sister.

Paimon thought hard for several moments, and then she looked up at me with a smug grin. "Paimon's got it! From now, you'll be Pervy Tattoo."

I would have laughed at the nickname, but I was just confused instead. "Wait, 'tattoo?'"

"The one on your back," Paimon said in response.

My face paled. "I can't have a tattoo! That goes completely against my image. I'm supposed to be the responsible class rep type."

Lumine stared at me dryly. "But the 'pervy' part is fine?"

I buried my face into my palms. If my siblings could see me now, they'd be laughing their butts off. I'd always said there was no way I would ever get any tattoo that wasn't temporary. It wasn't that I hated tattoos, but I just didn't like the idea of the method used to apply them. Punching holes in my skin and filling it with ink over and over again? No, thank you!

…I hoped the tattoo was cool looking, at least.

"Oh, you're up."

I craned my head to see Barbara making her return. She carried a small container filled with several types of plants. She placed it on a table in the corner of the room and then walked over to Lumine and me.

"I know you said not to worry, but you collapsed so suddenly. I ran a quick check-up on you once I ensured the woman was in a stable condition."

That explained why I had been missing my shirt. But more importantly, Barbara confirmed that our efforts hadn't been in vain. I sighed in relief, temporarily forgetting the revelation of my new body art.

"So she's going to be okay?" Lumine asked, looking over at the still-unconscious patient.

Barbara nodded. "I believe so. It'll be hard to tell whether there will be any lasting effects until she wakes up. But based on what Zachary told me and my own findings, she should be able to make a full recovery in time."

"I just wish we knew who she was," I said to no one in particular. Since Aranyani had said earlier that she was from another world, was she someone who could travel between worlds and had done so to escape whatever battle she had clearly been in? Or was she more like me?

"About that…" Barbara reached into a small pouch hanging from the carrier holding her book. "I found this in a compartment of her armor. I think it's some form of identification, but I can't understand what's written on it. But since you two are from outside Mondstadt, perhaps one of you will recognize it."

She held out a small card that was indeed the right size for an ID, and I could see a photo of the woman on it before Lumine took it in her hands. She stared at it for several moments, brows furrowing in thought. Then, she shook her head.

"Sorry. It's not something I'm familiar with."

She passed the card over to me. Not that it really mattered. I doubted I would be able to understa—

"I can read it." My surprised remark earned the interest of both parties. "According to this, her name's Himeko Murata."

The text on the card was written in English, plain as day. Wherever this Himeko had come from, it must have been some version of Earth. It didn't look like a standard ID, either. Instead, it seemed more like some sort of badge for an organization. The card was slightly burned, so it was hard to see some of the text. But I could make out a few things, including a rank. The exact level was illegible, but I could make out "-rank V-kyri-."

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't make out more of the text, but it was still nice to finally have a name. And if she was really from a version of Earth, I would have someone to talk with and reminisce about our home planet. It would definitely help alleviate any bouts of homesickness I may have.

Though I was curious about what had occurred for Himeko to get these kinds of injuries.

#Notice. It may have something to do with the microscopic organisms that were inadvertently transferred into the [Akasha Pool] during the adrenaline injection.#

Wait, what?

*Oh, yeah. Those things. They were practically half-dead when they got absorbed.*

Run an analysis on them.

#…Error! Analysis of Target with [Noesis] has failed. Would you like to try again?#

Hmm… That's disconcerting. So far, [Noesis] had worked on everything I'd tried it on.

*It shouldn't be that surprising.* Aranyani's matter-of-fact tone reminded me of a teacher I had in kindergarten. *They would have come from another world too. And since [Noesis] gets its data from Irminsul, which only contains information from Teyvat, it wouldn't be able to give you any information.*

Right. I guess this would be a bit of an impossible case for my usual method of analysis. Luckily, I was pretty sure there was another way.

Sophia, if I remember correctly, things inside the [Akasha Pool] can be broken down and analyzed. That's different than [Noesis], right?

#Affirmation. However, this takes longer, and the information that can be obtained is less exhaustive. Would you like to begin the analysis of the organisms through the use of [Akasha]?#

Just on some of them for now. I don't want to lose all of our samples in case something happens.

Refocusing myself, I handed the card back to Barbara. Of course, I made sure to memorize all the information I could make out on it first. She took it and carefully placed it on the bedside table next to Himeko, then looked back at me.

"As for you, I didn't find any problems other than muscle fatigue and stress," she explained with a kind smile. "You're free to leave. Just make sure to take it easy for the next couple of days."

I nodded. I would try to keep the advice in mind, but I wasn't going to make any promises. I was used to working my body past its limits. Plus ultra and all that. I'd once powered through a blistering fever without anyone even realizing I was sick. Some sore muscles were nothing compared to that.

*…You should really take better care of yourself.*

Ignoring that, I stood up and stretched. My legs were no longer as bad as they were earlier, but there was still some dull aching. Just in case I have to do an adrenaline transfusion again, I should probably figure out a better way to get it. A dark part of my mind said I could try harvesting it from fresh corpses. That idea was quickly shut down. Desecrating the dead was going nowhere near my to-do list.

Before leaving, I remembered that Bennett had been taken here after Dvalin's attack. I asked Barbara about that, but he had apparently been discharged this morning. According to her, he'd also already accepted a new commission that had taken him out of the city. With the attack, there was a slew of jobs that needed doing all over Mond.

With my plan of meeting with Bennett again shot, there was no reason for me to loiter here any longer. Himeko would be in good hands, and there was still something else I had to deal with.

I left the room with Lumine and Paimon and turned to the former. "So I suppose you want to have that conversation now."

"Jean wants to see you," she responded plainly. "We can talk after that."

I hummed in understanding. That worked out for me too. As horrible as it felt to even think of it, I was planning on asking for a small reward or loan to cover my expenses for the next few days. Namely, a room in an inn or something. I'd been camping out for so long that I wanted a real bed.

Outside the cathedral, Lumine said she would meet back up with me in a little bit. From what she said, she'd be heading to meet Yun Jin. She and the rest of the temple expedition team had returned about half an hour before I woke up; Yun Jin had even brought back the halberd I had dropped and accidentally left behind while trying to save Himeko. Then, the three had left for the public bathhouse, and Lumine had promised to let Yun Jin know whenever I woke up.

And thus, I parted from Lumine temporarily. Paimon looked at me with a smug grin as if saying, "You wanted to spend more time with her? Too bad!"

Just you wait, Paimon. I'll figure out how to make you like me, and then I'm gonna headpat you so much.

I made my way to the Knights Headquarters and entered the Acting Grand Master's office. Inside, Jean was busy dealing with quite a bit of paperwork. She looked up, looking almost relieved to have an excuse to take a break.

The meeting didn't too long. First, I was asked to give my own brief report of the mission to the Temple of the Wolf since Kaeya had yet to return from whatever he had set off to do. Then I informed her about Himeko and Barbara's prognosis for her. Naturally, I didn't mention her being from another world.

I also learned from Jean that Amber had mentioned my [Akasha] ability when she and Lisa gave their report. Luckily, Jean was apparently of the same mind as Kaeya and was willing to stay silent on that issue. She had asked the other two to keep it under wraps as well, so my secret was still safe for a little longer. I would have to find a way to repay all of them.

"Before you leave, there is something else." The serious look Jean gave me as she said this all but compelled me to stand a bit straighter. "I have already talked to Lumine and Yun Jin about this, so you are the only one left. I wish to offer you not only my gratitude but also the title of Honorary Knight of Favonius."

I tried my best to keep at least a modicum of decorum, but I failed spectacularly. I could feel my cheeks stretching from the giddy grin that came upon me. I've done it, Nana! I've finally become a real knight.

*On a technicality.*

Quiet, you. Don't ruin this for me.

I tried to regain myself a little bit and bowed my head in respectful thanks. "I humbly accept the title and hope that I can live up to it. And I'll keep helping with whatever I can until this situation is settled."

"Thank you." Jean smiled and then looked down at the paper on her desk. "For now, we're still looking for more information on Stormterror's current whereabouts. Unfortunately, efforts are going slow since most of our knights have been mobilized to deal with the aftermath of the attack. If you happen to find out anything, be sure to let either me or Lisa know."

I nodded and then awkwardly shuffled a bit in place. Now there was just the issue of payment. Geez, I felt like such a scumbag for asking this now. Especially since I had just been named an honorary knight.

"Um, I actually had something I wanted to ask." I coughed awkwardly into my hand. "I was wondering if it was possible to get a reward for my help with the mission."

Jean blinked and then smiled. "Of course. You needn't have even asked."

She walked over to one of the selves, moving several books out of the way to reveal a hidden safe. As she bent over, I couldn't help but admire the view from my position. Whoever made those tights, you are my hero.

*Oh… Paimon was right. Someone is a little horndog.* The teasing smile on Aranyani's face was all but audible just from her tone.

My brow twitched. I'd almost forgotten that I was now sharing my sense with someone else. This was going to be extremely awkward.

*Don't worry. Unlike Paimon, I won't hold it against you. Sexual desire is a natural part of the human condition, after all.*

…That doesn't really reassure me at all.

A few moments later, Jean brought out a sizable bag filled with what looked like coins—probably the same type as the ones I had seen within the temple earlier. When she handed it over, I was surprised by how light it felt. Much too light for gold.

"Here. I wish I could give you more, but with the emergency, I have to be a little more stringent with our mora expenditures."

So the currency was called "mora." I tried to think of any link to Earth, like with Irminsul and Favonius, but was unable to come up with any. I was becoming paranoid thanks to the whole Irminsul thing.

Shifting the bag of mora in my hand, I thanked Jean. This was probably more than enough since I planned on joining the Adventurers' Guild anyway. I just needed enough money to hold me over until I could start earning more. I then said farewell to Jean and headed out of the room. Now I just had to deal with that conversation with Lumine.

Returning to the outside, I saw Lumine sitting on a nearby wall. Next to her was Yun Jin, fresh out of the bath and holding onto my halberd. The two stopped talking as they noticed me. I waved to Yun Jin, remembering my promise to speak with her about last night. I'd have to do that before going to bed, or I'd end up forgetting completely.

"Have a nice bath?" I asked, and she nodded in response as she returned my weapon. "So, what were you two talking about?"

"I was just telling Lumine that the three of us should probably try to find a place to stay for tonight." Yun Jin brushed a strand of damp hair behind her ear. "With the Goethe Grand Hotel completely rented out, it may be hard to find rooms anywhere else if we wait too long."

That would be a problem. I glanced over at Lumine, trying to silently ask if she'd be okay postponing our conversation for slightly longer. Seeming to understand my intentions, she nodded once. Even she must have wanted to ensure she had a nice place to sleep tonight.

"Don't suppose either of you happens to know where any inns are?" I asked.

Yun Jin smiled, holding a hand to her chest. "Leave that to me."

She must have asked Amber and Lisa about accommodations during their time in the bathhouse because she confidently led us toward the other side of the city. After a little bit of walking, we headed up a flight of stairs right next to where Mondstadt's ramparts ended. At the top was a sizable building. According to Yun Jin, it was called the Dawn Breeze Inn. On a nearby sign was a number that must have been a price. And thankfully, the numerals were recognizable even to me—bearing a resemblance to Arabic numerals with a few mutations.

About 7000 mora, which I assumed was per night since I couldn't read the rest of the text. Unfortunately, I had no clue whether that was a good deal or not. I would have to investigate how much mora was worth in relation to the US dollar. Perhaps Aranyani would be able to help once she had gone through some more of my memories.

I looked at the bag of mora in my hand. First, I needed to figure out how much I had. Luckily, this wasn't too hard. Having Sophia run some quick calculations with the bag's weight and a single coin, I found that I would have enough for about a little over a week. But that wasn't counting other expenses I would need, such as food and supplies. That would take a sizable chunk out of my finances until I could join the Guild. So, realistically, I probably only had enough for maybe three or four days.

Lumine's expression turned sour as if realizing the same thing I had. Guess she didn't have that much money either.

"Will you be okay, Yun Jin?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied hesitantly. "I brought enough mora to last me for about a week. But with this Stormterror business, I'll probably be here longer than expected."

All of us were silent for several moments.

"Why don't we share a room?"

Yun Jin, Paimon, and I whipped our heads to stare incredulously at Lumine. What the heck was she suggesting? Better yet, how could she do so with such a stone-faced expression?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Yun Jin's slightly stuttered question was accompanied by reddened cheeks.

Lumine tilted her head to the side, lips pursed. "Well, if we split the cost of the room between the three of us, our funds will last longer."

Paimon almost seemed broken, eyes wide in shock and mouth hanging open. She looked between Lumine and me, stuttering unintelligibly.

"If both of you are okay with it," Yun Jin ducked her head, twiddling her hands together, "then I'd be fine with sharing a room."

"Not you too, Yun Jin!" Paimon exclaimed, finally finding her voice.

I rubbed the back of my head. Well, if both of them were agreeable to the idea, I would rather save some money. Plus, I can't lie and say I'm unhappy about this situation. This was the dream of virtually any guy with an interest in the opposite sex. And this would probably be great for building up my resistance to Lisa.

With our plan decided, we pooled together enough money for a week's stay and went inside. Lumine had Paimon disappear so we could sneak her in without paying for her. I usually would have objected to such an idea, but she was small anyway.

The lobby was rather small but had a quaint charm. A young woman stood behind the desk, putting a book down gently on the counter as she saw us enter. A set of stairs led up to a higher floor, and a doorway on the opposite side opened into a large dining room. As the one who lost the coin flip, I approached the desk.

"Welcome to the Dawn Breeze Inn," the woman greeted with a smile. "Will you be requiring two rooms or three?"

I tried my best to keep my face straight as I replied, "Just one, please."

A surprised sound left the woman's lips, and a blush spread across her face. I could practically imagine what she must be thinking. But, impressively, she managed to regain a semblance of composure rather quickly.

"A-Alright then. The pricing for a triple room is 7500 mora per night. This includes a complimentary breakfast and dinner."

Oh, nice. Free meals. That meant we wouldn't have to worry about that in our budget.

"Okay." I handed over the amount of mora we had agreed upon, plus some extra from my stash to cover the raised price of the triple room. "Here's enough for one week."

The woman quickly checked the amount and handed over a piece of paper. "Please sign here, and this will be your room key. You three will be in room 205, on the second floor."

I took the key and signed my name, hoping that it was acceptable to do it in a foreign script. The woman didn't say anything, so there must have been no problems. She then explained that we could get the complimentary meals from the dining room and that toilets and showers were also here on the first floor.

"And, um, please try to keep it down," the woman whispered, and I felt my face heat up. Yun Jin must have also heard it because she flushed as well. Lumine, on the other hand, was already walking up the stairs. Yun Jin and I followed close behind, and the three of us made our way to the room.

Stepping inside, I was surprised by how sizable it was. Two beds sat against one wall—one a queen and the other a twin. A small table rested between the beds, with what looked like some sort of artificial candle on top of it. A window let the late afternoon sunlight stream into the room.

Yun Jin walked inside and placed her travel bag on top of a table in the corner. Then, after looking around the room for a few more minutes, she headed back out again. Something about wanting to check out the library and get some books from Lisa before it got late.

And with that, Lumine and I were left alone in the room. Though Paimon was quick to make herself known again as if to reject that very thought. I'd be insulted, but her suspicion of me was clearly born out of a worry for Lumine. And as an older brother, I could respect that. I had acted in much the same way around virtually any guy Maisie hung out with. She was probably happy not having to deal with me acting as her third wheel all the time.

After setting my halberd against the wall, I plopped down onto the smaller bed and stretched my arms lazily. "So, now's as good a time as any. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Lumine took a seat on the other bed. She didn't say anything for a few moments, as if contemplating what to start with. Eventually, her eyes hardened with seriousness, and she looked at me as if she was trying to stare into my soul.

"Have you heard of a god known as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles?"

Ah, so that's what this was about. That must be the god that sealed away her powers. Unfortunately, I probably couldn't help her out. I doubted I knew any information that she didn't already have.

"Sorry. I'm afraid I don't really know anything other than that it was the god that took your powers and captured your brother." I realized my mistake almost as soon as I made it, and I could practically hear the facepalm from Aranyani inside my head.

"I haven't told anyone other than Paimon about that."

The look in Lumine's eyes became more severe, and she was definitely more suspicious of me now. Paimon's expression was that of a clear "I told you so."

I now had a choice to make. I could lie and try to play it off as something like a vision or dream I'd had. But I felt that Lumine would see through any lies I tried to make. And if she caught me lying, who knows how she'd react? At the very least, she'd probably never trust me again.

That left only one option. Tell her the truth.

"It's not what you think," I told her, waving my hands placatingly. "I was told that by a talking wheel."

And so, I gave her a basic gist of my reincarnation and what Hodegos had told me about her. Though I did neglect to mention the fact that she was supposed to have a significant part to play in this world's future. I wasn't even sure if that was still the case now that I was in Teyvat. As I talked, she listened intently. Even Paimon, though she tried to hide it, seemed interested by the story.

"And then I got to Mondstadt, and you know the rest."

Paimon crossed her arms and glared. "Like we're supposed to believe such a ridiculous story."

"He's not lying, Paimon," Lumine said quietly. She looked down, biting her lip and brows furrowing. "Back to square one again."

I placed my hands on the bed and leaned back. "So what made you ask if I knew that god?"

"That ability you used when we were dealing with Stormterror." She clenched her fist tightly and closed her eyes as if remembering something unpleasant. "It reminded me of the power of that strange god. With that cube appearance, I thought you may have gotten your powers from her."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

To be honest, the only reason Bullet looked like that was that the image I had in mind when first using it was that of Shooter Triggers from World Trigger. It could have taken on any appearance. But that was easy to imagine, so it just kind of stuck.

"No," Lumine shook her head, "I was already having doubts about any connection you may have had when I got a closer look at that ability inside the Temple. The similarity was only superficial."

She let out a sigh, flopping back in the bed. She raised an arm to cover her face, mouth spread in a frustrated grimace. Paimon sat down next to Lumine and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Lumine…"

Lumine let out a breath, sitting back up and patting Paimon's head. "I'm fine. Just disappointed that I didn't find out anything."

I stared at Lumine. Despite the smile on her face, her eyes were a bit sad. I stood up and approached her.

"I may not know where your brother is," I said, "but I'll help you find him."

"Huh?"

"I want to see more of this world too, and helping you look for your brother seems like a good way to do it." I looked down. "Besides… I understand the pain of being separated from family, so I want to make sure you two get reunited."

Well, I also had some more selfish reasons for offering my aid. The first had to do with Lumine's status as an essential part of this world. Even if that role had been lessened, I would still probably be able to get some sort of minor plot armor if I stuck around her. Plus, there were things about her that I was curious about. Namely, her ability to travel between worlds.

"Why are you so willing to help?" Lumine questioned with a tone and expression of disbelief. For some reason, I got the feeling she wasn't just talking about my offer right here.

"I want to be a hero." I stretched back and stared up at the ceiling, reaching my hand up. "A long time ago, I made a promise. I swore I would never turn away from anyone who needed help. The world's full of all kinds of pain and darkness, so I want to be someone who can bring a little bit of light back to it. A hero who can save even those abandoned by the world itself.

"Before, I was just an ordinary powerless human. But now, I actually have the power that can let me turn that idealistic lip-service into reality. So, as long as I have these abilities, I'm going to help as many people as I can and become the hero of justice I've always dreamed of being."

Lumine laughed, chuckling into her hand, and I gave her a bewildered stare. I knew it was kind of childish, but I never thought it was that funny.

"Sorry." While her laughter soon stopped, a smile still remained on her face. "You just reminded me of Aether, my brother, for a moment there."

Looks like she's cheered up a bit, but I was a bit distracted by a new piece of information and snickered. "Your brother's name is Aether?"

Lumine cocked her head to the side. "Yeah. What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." In spite of my words, I snickered some more.

Their parents really had a funny naming sense. Named after luminiferous aether. I could only wonder what some of the other possible choices were.

Getting my chuckling under control, I glanced out the window and noticed Yun Jin. She was rushing toward the inn with an armful of books.

"Well, looks like Yun Jin's back. I'm gonna go help her real quick and then take a shower. Do either of you need anything?"

Lumine shook her head.

"Paimon still doesn't trust you, but she won't object to any food you happen to bring back."

I laughed, promising to bring Paimon back a delicious treat. The usual look of wariness she typically gave me was replaced with one of joy and hunger. As Paimon began daydreaming and drooling, I left the room and headed downstairs.

Now the only conversation left was the one I needed to have with Yun Jin. I just needed to figure out how to broach that subject in a natural-sounding manner.

###

Aleksei was many things—a devout follower of the Tsaritsa, a loving son to an ailing mother, and a handsome specimen of a man if he did so himself. But even he had his limits.

"I'm really starting to hate this Archons-forsaken mountain."

His companion, Katya, rolled her eyes as the two of them walked deeper into a frozen valley in the midst of Dragonspine. "Quit your complaining. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to camp."

"I'm just saying," Aleksei pulled his coat on a little tighter, "what are we even still doing here? Dottore already has plenty of research samples, so why do we have to stay here? Leaving us on this mountain has to be some sort of weird experiment he's running on us."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe something like how long it takes us to start killing each other and turn to cannibalism."

Katya stopped walking, laughing and holding a hand over her stomach. "Oh, that's a good one. If he wanted that, why would he keep sending us supplies? If Dottore was actually running an experiment on us, it would probably be something like what the long-term effects of being on a mountain with the remains of a cursed dragon does to the human body."

Why would you say something like that?" Aleksei exclaimed, careful not to raise his voice too loud and cause an avalanche. "That sounds like something he'd actually try."

Katya jammed her elbow into his stomach. "Don't be such a wimp. We've been here for months and nothing's really happened. This mission is practically a vacation. Would you rather be under the Balladeer's command?"

"…"

"Seriously?"

"I'm thinking!"

The two of them soon reached their goal, a hollow cavern formed around the skeleton of the dragon once known as Durin. A strange scarlet core at the back of the cave gave off an ominous warmth. Durin's cursed blood slowly dripped from it, hitting the ground with a rhythmic plip-plip.

As the two reached the entrance, Katya held out a lantern-like object. A swarm of Cryo cicins flew out of it.

"Keep watch for any monsters," Katya told them, and the cicins flew off. And with that, the two began their assigned mission.

Aleksei approached the core, staring warily at the viscous burgundy liquid that oozed across the ground. Then, making sure his feet were nowhere around the pool of blood, he reached into his bag and brought out several vials.

"Be careful," Katya called out as she began collecting several broken fragments of bones. "Make sure that stuff doesn't touch your bare skin."

Aleksei had to resist the urge to retort as he tightened his gloves. But he had to concentrate. On the last trip, Ivanov had gotten only a tiny droplet on his wrist, and he was sick for days after. Aleksei could still remember how terrifying it had been, listening to the unearthly screams that came from the medical tent. Everyone had thought that Ivanov was going to die.

Holding each vial underneath the dripping blood, Aleksei ensured each was filled up. Once that was done, he gingerly placed them back into the bag. With a relieved sigh, he closed the flap and let himself relax. That was as nerve-wracking as always.

"You finished over there?" Katya asked, picking up her own bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Aleksei made to respond, but something caught his vision. It was like a dark mist crawling across the floor of the cavern and over the pool of cursed blood. But as soon as he blinked, it was gone.

"Did you see that?"

Katya placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"

"That weird shadow. You saw it too, right?"

She sighed. "Are you sure it wasn't your own? Maybe all this cold is finally starting to freeze your brain."

Aleksei shook his head. "No, I swear I saw something. You have to believe me."

Katya walked over, looking at his face with a stern expression that reminded Aleksei of his mother. Her mouth was set into a frown, and he could all but see her narrowed eyes underneath her mask.

"Have you been overusing your Delusion?" Aleksei looked away, though that was all the confirmation she needed. "You idiot! What were you thinking?"

Aleksei shifted awkwardly. "Well, with Ivanov still recovering, someone had to take up his responsibilities…"

Katya's glare intensified. "Then you should have asked all of us to split duties."

"I can't!" Aleksei clenched his fist. "It's my fault he lost focus in the first place. I have to—"

He was interrupted by a slap to his cheek. It didn't really hurt, but he did feel a light stinging. If anything, it seemed like Katya had been injured more by the slap than himself.

"Don't be stupid!" She grabbed his face with both hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. "No one blames you for what happened to Ivanov. It was an accident, plain and simple."

"But—"

"No buts! Out here, the only ones we can rely on are each other. So stop trying to shoulder everything by yourself. Ivanov wouldn't want you to run yourself into an early grave either."

She let go of him, and Aleksei looked down at his Delusion and his reflection within it. "…You're right. I'm sorry."

Katya huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms under her chest. "You better be. Now come on, let's get you back to camp so Nikolay can give you a once over."

Aleksei smiled slightly as he picked up his pack. He glanced back into the cavern one final time, seeing nothing strange within the empty cavern. Katya was probably right. He most likely had just been hallucinating. Turning back to Katya, he followed her out of the cave.

However, a tiny voice at the back of his mind couldn't help but wonder if Durin's blood had always been as dark as it appeared now.

…Sorry for the delay. This chapter took several rewrites before I was finally happy with it. Incidentally, the section with the Fatui at the end is a heavily shortened version of the original. It was initially going to have a lot more banter between Katya and Aleksei, but I ended up cutting most of it because it did nothing for the scene. Also, Himeko's here! I couldn't really explain this in the story because Rukkha had no way of knowing, but Himeko's transportation was also helped by the fact that her battle with HoV took place within that Void Space dimension (its name is slipping my mind right now).

And just in case it wasn't clear, Aranyani is Rukkhadevata-it's the name that she's called by the Aranara. I also wanted to differentiate her from Kusanali/Nahida a little bit, so I decided to take some inspiration for her personality as a slightly toned down Jibril from No Game No Life with her desire for knowledge.

I'm starting back up on school as well, so that's going to eat into my time a little bit. Because of that, I may temporarily aim for an every-other-week upload instead of the weekly upload I was trying for and failed to meet with this chapter.

In other news, I lost my 50/50 for Shenhe (darn you, Diluc). I hope everyone else wishing on these banners is having better luck than mine. Luckily, there's still over two weeks left, and I have plenty of exploration left in Liyue and Sumeru, plus my Welkin. Though if I don't get Shenhe by the last day, I may break open the wallet.

Speaking of money, I wasted like an entire day trying to figure out how much mora was worth in regards to a US dollar, just so I would have a reference for prices not in the game. This involved figuring out the prices of goods in the early 1800s (the period I feel Genshin Impact is most similar to, considering it seems like a world just starting the Industrial Revolution), figuring out that price in inflation, and then doing a bunch of math to figure out the average exchange rate. Ultimately, I came up with approximately 205 mora equals 1 USD. I swear, the things I do for worldbuilding.

As for the poll, we currently have 3 votes for Venti, 1 for Xiao, and 1 against both. The poll will remain open probably until near the end of Act II, so there's still plenty of time. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and have a wonderful day.

===Behind the Scenes===

Today, we'll be talking about the skill [Akasha]. I meant to do this last chapter, since there was a bit more showcase of it, but I was just too exhausted.

As stated in the first chapter's AN, I originally came up with the name for [Akasha] before the reveal of the Akasha Terminals of Sumeru. So unfortunately, there's a bit of name overlap, but I decided not to change the name since the concepts they refer to are technically different. The term "Akasha" itself is derived from a concept in Indian cosmology that is often equated with space or the void—otherwise known as the fifth element: quintessence or aether. It is also said to be the base element from which everything in the universe is made out of, and is often said to have the property of sound.

[Akasha]'s abilities can be divided into four separate parts.

Embodiment: The most basic form of the skill, which basically bestows a connection to the void on Zachary by allowing him to access his own internal pool of Void energy.

Containment: The bag-of-holding ability, to say simply. It allows anything in physical contact with the user to be stored within the Akasha Pool, where they are kept in perfect stasis. This can have an adverse effect on the mental state of most mortal beings, so it is not ideal for transporting animals or people.

Breakdown: As shown in this chapter, objects in the Akasha Pool can be broken down into their component parts and analyzed over time. The effectiveness depends on a variety of factors such as the quality and size of the sample. However, as a general rule, the information gained will never match that of [Noesis]. Furthermore, the object being analyzed is, naturally, broken down and is thus lost.

Projection: The ability is two-fold. The first part allows items inside the Akashic Pool to be brought back out. The second part allows the Akasha itself to manifest outside the body, where it can be manipulated into any shape. Furthermore, the constructs created with Projection can be used as an extension to Containment—allowing anything in contact with a Projection to be stored in the Akashic Pool. Currently, the max range of the constructs is about 30 meters. In addition, at least one free hand is required in order to utilize Projection, and it will be shattered if concentration is lost.

And that's all for this Behind the Scenes. Next chapter, I'll be talking about the Teyvat's calendar.