Kazuha led him to the extravagant district he saw from the ship, which was called the Feiyun Slope. The designs of the buildings were reminiscent of the ones in Inazuma. The key difference was that where Inazuma architecture had a more reserved aesthetic, Liyue architecture was more flashy and bold. It was like a painting made to draw the eye with its splendor. The buildings were tall and towered over Jaune as if they were daring him to insult their beauty. According to his companion, this district was home to some of the high-end citizens and organizations, so such a comparison made sense.
Anyway, such a place had nothing that important for someone like him. At least, according to Kazuha. However, he mentioned a jewelry store that sold oddities and certain establishments that were good to relax or eat at. Jaune didn't know what these 'oddities' were, so he just left it at that. The two crossed a large wooden bridge and went into another district of Liyue Harbor.
Chihu Rock, the district was called, and it was the lower-class residential area. Unlike the buildings from before, these were small and quaint. They gave off a more homely and welcoming feel. He noticed that like the port, there were stands here as well. These were more generalized and sold a wide range of products. He saw a toy stand, one that sold pottery, a stand filled with glittering gems, and much more. It'd be a good idea to look for someone who was selling traveling supplies.
Kazuha interrupted his gait before turning around and looking behind them with a scrutinizing gaze. Jaune tilted his head in confusion and swiveled his body around as well, only to see nothing but citizens going about their day. He looked back at the samurai with a questioning look.
"I felt someone's gaze upon us," Kazuha said. Jaune turned around once again, trying to search for this 'gaze.' Beyond people giving them glances for stopping suddenly, he saw nothing suspicious.
"Are you sure?" Jaune asked.
"Yes. I've felt it ever since we left the docks."
"Huh, well…I say we continue on our day. If they don't want to be seen, we probably won't catch them, so it's better to ignore them for now," Jaune reasoned, though he hoped this didn't come back to bite him in the ass. If it was those Fatui guys again, it probably was.
"Hm…fair enough. I don't feel any killing intent from our stalker so it could be a false alarm," Kazuha admitted as he seemed to weigh the options in his head. "Very well. Let us continue on this path. The blacksmith is just around the corner."
The Inazuman led him down the road of Chihu Rock, and soon enough he heard the rhythmic cleaning of metal against metal. Jaune looked up toward the source and saw a muscular man hammering away at some weapon. He was wearing a dark brown shirt with red accents and brown pants. His black hair was cut short, and he was as muscular as he expected a blacksmith to be. The two walked up the short flight of stairs leading to the smith's workplace. The man didn't notice their approach with how engrossed he was in his craft. Considering he was the one who needed his service, he cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Excuse me?" Jaune said with a heightened voice so the blacksmith could hear his voice over the mending of metal. With a last hit of his hammer, the man placed the tool on the wooden table where the small anvil also sat.
"Welcome to Hanfeng's Ironmongers. I'm Master Zhang," the man politely greeted, "How can I help you?"
"Well, you see…" Jaune placed the sack of his stuff on the ground and pulled out the broken pieces of his armor. He placed them on the table, and the smith grabbed a shoulder piece to inspect before unclipping Crocea Mors from his hip and placing it with the rest. "How much would it cost to get all this repaired?"
"Nothing. It's free."
"Wait, seriously?" Jaune let out in exasperation.
"Yep. Repairs have always been cheaper than making a whole new sword, and it also keeps the customers coming."
"Wow… thanks man. How long do you think it'll take to repair?"
Zhang was silent as he inspected the damage to his armor. He turned it over and slid his fingers over the dents and holes. Then he switched his attention to Crocea Mors and let out a small grunt of curiosity as he picked up. The smith seemed to test the weight of it before pulling out the sword properly. Jaune's eyes were glued on the tip of the broken blade. He had mustered up the effort to clean off…to clean it despite the discomfort it caused him. He didn't want people questioning why he had left it like that.
"The sheath is heavier than I expected," Zhang remarked, intriguingly.
"That's because it turns into a shield."
The smith gave him a black stare with only his raised eyebrows showing off his shock. Kazuha was less shocked and more interested in the revelation. Seeing their curiosity, Jaune told the smith how to unfurl it, and soon enough, the shield was out.
"Weighs the same, sure, but it's easier to carry. Don't ask me how it works 'cause I genuinely do not know."
"Fascinating…though I guess the sheath isn't what you want me to fix." Zhang brought the sword up before nodding to himself. "I'd say to give me…about a week. Five days at least. I have an order from the Millelith I have to complete first, and once I finish that, I'll get started on your stuff."
"Oh, cool! By the way, do you know of any tailors around?."
Zhang nodded. "Yep. Old Hun has a store by the bridge to Feiyun Slope. He'll fix your stuff right up."
"Thanks." With that, Jaune walked away and this time it was Kazuha following. Suddenly, a feminine voice that called out interrupted him.
"Excuse me, sir! Could I have a moment of your time!?" Jaune looked around for a moment, trying to find the source of the voice. "Up here!"
He turned around and saw a black-haired woman leaning over a counter and waving at him. Kazuha's eyes flashed in recognition.
"Ah. That's Katheryne from the Adventurer's Guild. It seems you've caught her attention," Kazuha helpfully supplied.
Seeing no reason to ignore her, the pair walked up the wooden stairs leading to the building and over to the counter where Katheryne stood. Jaune noticed a board nearby with a bunch of papers on it. When he squinted, he saw it was a board for requests. Collect these flowers, or escort these merchants. That sort of thing.
The huntsman turned back to the pretty woman and noted her apparel. She wore a white dress with green accents, along with a black corset. Atop her head was a maid's headband, and around her neck was a black and white collar. To be honest, she looked like some kinda maid.
"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild!"
Jaune and Kazuha returned the greetings before Jaune spoke up. "So, what do you need of us?"
"Oh, no! There's nothing I need of you. In fact, I believe I'd be able to help you out. Would I be wrong to assume that you two are capable of combat?"
"You wouldn't be wrong, no," Kazuha answered, though his eyes held a strange familiarity to them. Like he's already gone through this before and was just waiting to give his answer.
"Then would you be interested in joining the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not interested. But…" The samurai trailed off as he looked at Jaune meaningfully.
"What does joining the Adventurer's Guild entail?" Jaune asked, though he figured he already had the gist. This sort of organization always appears in fantasy games and comics, so it isn't hard to guess what it was all about.
"Well, you see, the Adventurer's Guild exists to support adventurers across Teyvat. Whether new or old, we seek to ensure everyone gets their fair share of adventure. We distribute commissions out to adventurers, and if they accomplish those commissions, they are given a certain amount of mora."
Jaune opened his mouth to ask a question, but Katheryne continued.
"We don't ask you to stay pinned down in one nation. We have guilds all across Teyvat, so you can do commissions wherever and wherever you need to."
He shut his mouth succinctly, seeing as the question had been answered. Instead, he weighed the pros and cons of this decision. To be honest, he saw nothing but pros. It was a good potential source of income in his area of expertise. He would not be forced to work with the guild all the time and could go at his own pace. Which meant it wouldn't become a big problem when he returned to Remnant. While he was waiting for his old gear to be fixed, he could complete commissions to earn extra mora.
"I'll join." Jaune decided. There were nothing but benefits to this decision.
"Wonderful! Then~" Katheryne pulled a small book from under the counter and placed it atop it. "Here's your adventurer's handbook. It contains all the information you'll need to become an expert. You are now officially an adventurer."
"Wait, it's this easy? I thought'd be more complicated than that." He said as he picked up the book and examined it.
"Why add more barriers between you and adventuring?"
"Fair enough, I guess…so what now?"
"Well, whenever you want to earn rewards, just look over onto the board and see what commissions are available. Then come to me with whichever one you choose, and I'll officially confirm it in my records."
"Sounds easy enough. I've got some other business to take care of, but I'll come back another time."
"Take your time. As I said, the Adventurer's Guild holds no obligations to you. Other than that," Katheryne slightly bowed, "Ad astra abyssosque."
"Yeah, see you around." Jaune pocketed the handbook before walking down the stairs back to the main road. Their next stop was the tailor's shop by the bridge. They walked through the district and quickly spotted the store, thanks to the sign above the door. When they got closer, Jaune noticed a piece of paper nailed to the door.
"'Closed until further notice.'" The huntsman sighed in disappointment after reading over the slip.
"Seems you'll have to wait. At the very least, you have lots of time since you have to wait for the blacksmith," Kazuha chimed in.
"I guess so," Jaune responded. Now that most of the things on his agenda were completed, he wondered what to do now. His body had the answer as his stomach loudly rumbled. Now that he thought about it, he hasn't eaten since yesterday.
Kazuha chuckled at the noise. "How about we go grab something to eat? I know the perfect restaurant, and it's not far from here."
Jaune sighed in relief. "I thought you'd never ask."
The pair walked down the stone pathway with food on their minds. Yet peeking out from behind a building was a pair of dark amber eyes. The two didn't even notice as they watched them walk away.
Who were these two people who got off the Crux? How did Beidou know them? With childlike curiosity, the girl decided that the best way to get these answers was to talk to them upfront. She hoped that, at the very least, they had cool stories of their adventures, like Beidou always did!
[-]
The first thing he noticed was the aroma that permeated the streets. It was extremely enticing and easily made his mouth water. Jaune followed Kazuha until he led him to a small restaurant. There was an open doorway that the two passed through, and he noticed a handful of stools standing in front of a table extending outwards from the wall on his right. The left was where the kitchen was, and where who he assumed was the chef stood. The huntsman gave a brief glance to the sole customer, a woman with sky-blue hair and black-red horns.
"This is the Wanmin Restaurant. The food is just as appetizing as the aroma implies," Kazuha told him.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jaune said as he approached the building and quickly sat on a chair. Kazuha shortly joined him, sitting on the stool next to him. The older gentleman flashed the two a welcoming smile.
"Welcome to Wanmin Restaurant! I'm Chef Mao. What can I get you two this morning?"
"Um…" It was only then Jaune realized he did not know what this place sold. Thankfully, Kazuha came to the rescue as he spoke up.
"Steamed buns for me and my friend here, please."
"Comin' right up." Chef Mao immediately went to work, and Jaune flashed the samurai a thankful look.
"Thanks for the save. I probably looked stupid with how clueless I was, huh?"
Kazuha shook his head. "Nothing of the sort. There is no shame in being unknowledgeable about a place you've never been to."
"I suppose so."
The two remained in companionable silence as they patiently waited for their food. The other customer in the restaurant let out a quiet thanks to the chef, before leaving to who knows where. Without even breaking his flow, Mao snatched the empty plate up and quickly cleaned it before returning to his previous task. Half an hour later, the chef walked over with two plates of steaming hot food.
"Here you go! Enjoy!"
He pleased the food on the table before walking away, and Jaune wasted no time snatching a bun up before taking a bite. The huntsman was a bit too hasty as the food seared his tongue, but beyond the pain, he felt an overwhelming sense of euphoria. Jaune blowed on his food this time, before taking another bite. He couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction.
"This stuff is amazing," Jaune admitted out loud as he tore out another chunk. The bun was perfectly soft, and the meat contained inside was delectable. "I can definitely see myself coming here again."
Chef Mao chuckled with a pleased look. "Always happy to see a happy customer. If you ever come around in the future, hopefully, my daughter will cook you something up. I'd say she surpasses me completely in cooking. A fact I'm quite proud of."
"I plan on staying for the coming week, so who knows what might happen?" Jaune responded as he finished the bun in his hand and moved on to the next.
"Indeed. Anyway, I'll let you two enjoy your food." With that, Mao walked away from them. Jaune and Kazuha silently ate their food, though the current thought on his mind was finding a suitable tailor to fix his old clothes. Surely there had to be more than one person in this city who could tailor. Eventually, the two finished their meal, thanked the chef, and paid what was due before leaving.
They walked out onto the street, where Kazuha turned to Jaune. "This is where we'll part ways. For now."
"Hm? Where do you plan on heading?" Jaune asked, curiously.
"I don't know," the Inazuman admitted with a small smile. "My heart desires the open fields, so I will see where my feet will lead me."
"Then I'll ask around for anyone who knows how to fix clothes. There can't be only one, after all."
"Indeed. Farewell…actually there is one thing I want to check." Right before he was about to say farewell, Kazuha suddenly interrupted himself with a flash of remembrance. He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a small, black gem in an ornate golden frame. Jaune recognized it as a Vision, but he was confused because it wasn't glowing like they were supposed to. "Do you mind holding this for me? Just for a moment."
"Uh…sure." Jaune accepted as Kazuha placed the strange Vision in his hand. They both looked down at the translucent object, and he wondered why his friend was doing this. A disappointed sigh came out of the samurai's mouth before he took the Vision once again.
"A shame." Kazuha silently shook his head and pocketed the Vision once again. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity. I'll see you later, Jaune."
"Uh…yeah. See ya." Jaune waved goodbye as Kazuha walked away from him with a confused look on his face. That was the first time the Inazuman even mentioned having such an object. Why did it look like that? Better yet, how did Visions ever work? What were Visions? Were they–
"Excuse me, sir."
A young, girlish voice interrupted his mental ramblings, and he turned around, then looked down to see that a small child was standing there. She was staring up at him with reddish-gold eyes, and the large jingle bells in her golden-brown hair rattled slightly as she tilted her head curiously. She was wearing a green and brown dress with puffy sleeves, and on her back was a basket with various objects within.
"Hello! I'm Yaoyao. It's a pleasure to meet you!" The kid introduced herself rather politely to someone her age.
"Hey there. I'm Jaune. Is something the matter?" He wondered what this kid needed from someone like him. He was sure he'd never met her before.
"If you don't mind me asking, are you a part of Beidou's crew?"
"Beidou's crew? No, they were just transporting me here. How do you know Beidou?"
The girl placed her hands behind her back and shifted slightly in place in what was a rather adorable gesture. "Beidou is my friend! Everyone on the Crux is my friend, but I've never seen you before, so I was confused when you stepped off."
Realization dawned on Jaune's face. This must be who Kazuha sensed following them. "So it was you who were following us."
An embarrassed blush appeared on her face as she looked away. "I'm sorry, but I was curious about who you and that other man were. However, I realized that what I did was very rude. Which is why I approached you now."
"Nothing bad came of it, so it's all good," Jaune reassured the little girl. "What did you want to know?"
"Well…I want to know if you have any cool stories!" The facade of politeness faded away. The childlike curiosity he expected of someone her age replaced it. "Everyone on the Crux used to tell me cool stories, but I'm not allowed on there anymore. So maybe you can tell me? Pleeeeeease?"
"Sure, I don't mind doing that. Though…maybe you can help me out as well?"
Yaoyao nodded her head. "I can help!"
"I'm looking for someone who knows how to tailor. Some of my old clothes are damaged and I'm looking to fix them. Unfortunately, the local tailor is unavailable, so maybe you know anyone else who can?" This was a shot in the dark, to be honest. Asking a kid about this likely wasn't the best option, but it certainly beat walking around and asking random people. Much to his relief, the girl nodded to this as well.
"My master knows how to tailor! She knows a lot of things."
"Your master?" Jaune asked. Master had a lot of negative connotations in his mind, and the first thing that came across his mind was some sort of slave-type relationship. Did this world have slavery? Maybe he was thinking too hard about this and it wasn't as bad as he was imagining."
"Mhm. I'm her disciple and she's taught me a lot, like how to use a spear and how much !"
He couldn't help the sigh of relief that came from his mouth. So it wasn't what he originally imagined, Jaune thought. He didn't know how he'd react if what he thought was the case was true. It definitely wouldn't be a joyful reaction, that was for sure.
"Then how about this? You take me to your master, and I'll tell some cool tales on the way?" Jaune reasoned.
"Sure! Let's go!" Yaoyao turned and walked towards Feiyun Slope. Jaune was right behind her, matching her slower pace. "So what's the first story you're gonna tell me?"
"Hm…" Jaune reached into the back of his mind for an appropriate story to tell the girl. Of course, he would not tell her any story of his own achievements. A lot of those were stained with memories he'd rather not think about. So instead, he chose a fairy tale. "Let me tell you about 'The Girl Who Fell Through The World.'"
A/N: Got a comment from Zenhope, and I want to explain why I don't write longer chapters. It's because I have a shitty attention span (I might have ADHD, but I haven't been diagnosed so don't quote me on that) and the longer it takes to write a chapter, the more likely I'm not going to finish it. With 2000-3000 word chapters, I'm able to hold my attention long enough that I can actually keep my motivation to finish it. I'd like to write longer chapters, but I'm just mentally not able to do that.
Other than that, I hope to see you in the next chapter.