"Honestly? I'm not even sure if he's playing dumb or just really curious. He asked me what we do for "oral and general hygiene," and when I replied with soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste, the next thing he asked was… what… uhh…"

Amber could only fumble at her words as she recalls, with Lisa listening with an amused and loosed face.

"Well?" Lisa mixed her tea as the aroma filled the library.

"He asked for it's… what's the word? Material composition and manufacturing process?" Said the Outrider, saying them with uncertainty, "… I'm not even sure if I got that right. How am I even supposed to know how a toothbrush is made?"

"Surely, you're not here to entertain his question by asking me. But of course, I do recall how-"

"No, please," Amber whimpered, "I don't need to learn how to make a toothbrush of all things."

She sighed, making her frustration known with a none-too-subtle frown.

Lisa thought John must have been a handful, but perhaps not a matter of any relative concern such as the recent events; Abyss raids, relentless monster attacks, and rampant banditry. The likes of which have grown to be concerning. With Varka taking the majority of the knights, this was a scenario that had already been foreseen during the planning stage months prior. To address these anticipated issues, the Knights of Favonius allocated a hefty sum to hire veteran adventurers and mercenaries in droves.

Enough for the long run.

This is nothing new. The Grand Master is known to throw an expedition from time to time. But this rate continues to grow where it might exceed what they originally prepared for. Then Jean constantly worried about what the Fatui had in store. Lisa could predict that they'll use this as a means to gain a political foothold in Mondstadt by proposing a protection racket in the form of security contracts. Contacts from Liyue have even reported the movements of many opportunists.

Additionally, a solitary vigilante had emerged, operating under the cover of night. Despite the close timing between John's arrival and the vigilante's debut, Lisa couldn't discern any connection between the two occurrences with how John is... miserably described.

"It's just that… whenever he's somewhere new he's… walking on eggshells. I wanted to show him the market. He said, sure! But then there he again looked around like something was wrong, like he was seeing ghosts."

Exasperated, Amber fell her head to the library's table with a light knock.

Lisa hummed in curiosity, "Wary of his surroundings like the world is out to get him. He reminds me of Collei, but his case seems... extreme."

"Ekshakly!" Amber's hair muffled her voice, "… I juno wan do jo wij 'im."

Her bright and bubbly attitude coupled with her burning determination made her a role model amongst citizens. Yet here she is; burnt out like a spent lamp. Lisa paused a moment to think to reconsider. Given how John acted back at the office yesterday, she simply dismissed it as anxiety towards figures of authority.

"Perhaps I could do something about it. It's his first day around here, and yet despite that, I heard Hertha's thousand praises for his courtesy and work ethic."

They all decided that it was fitting he worked with the 6th company which focuses on logistics. With the Grand Master having brought much of Ordo Favonius' manpower with him, they have since been in a constant state of short-handedness.

"Oh!" Amber straightened up, "Speaking of Hertha, he was very interested in the transport balloons when we showed him around the warehouses - then I heard him say the strangest things… not that he keeps asking and saying the strangest of things already."

The languid librarian hummed in anticipation.

"He said, "Wait. This shouldn't be physically possible," She recalled, mimicking as best as she could from memory.

Lisa's skepticism grew to borderline suspicion.

...

Timaeus popped a small valve open. The transport balloon made a little hiss as the platform touched the ground.

"Soooo... gotta ask. Are you one of the engineers for all of these?" John asked the guy, hauling the small wooden boxes and the wooden barrels off the platform.

"Engineer? Hmm… yeah more or less. I'm an alchemist, and we're the ones keeping these things afloat."

"Heh. Cool," He just looked at the balloons while still focused on his job, hauling each container carefully. Oddly enough, even after hours of labor, his body felt fine...

Perhaps it had something to do with this "System."

"Now I feel a little left out. Your job sounds like something more exciting."

"Oh! Thanks," Timaeus smiled awkwardly. It's not every day you meet someone who thinks alchemy is not some boring work. Well, for the most part, it was. But to be appreciated was another matter, "But really, they're just balloons. Nothing special."

Nothing special?

These transport balloons had propeller engines mounted on them. He theorized it may have been designed by someone on Earth with an engineering background, unless the designer behind these transport balloons was a product of local ingenuity.

Being made partly of wood, how those things don't blow up from whatever fuel source they use is a mystery.

"Nothing special?" He focused on what was important, "I think you're amazing that you know how these things work. I mean I can say it's an upgrade to your usual donkey and cart."

"Oh… uh," Timaeus rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. While he couldn't fully grasp John's enthusiasm, he felt flattered as alchemists like him rarely received recognition. Where the few commonly known alchemy techniques of today are but enough to put some broken odds and ends together, saving you the money you would have otherwise spent on glue, it was only recently that thanks to a certain somebody, the practice was seen in a new light.

"So, yeah, don't undercut yourself. I may be new around here, but I can confidently say that these balloons keep the city… afloat," John's expression was still as stone.

Timaeus deadpanned.

Hertha, the Logistics Captain, who was about to talk to John about something, groaned. She came at the wrong time it seems, only coming to check the last balloon to be stored after he's done.

"Sorry. Am I coming too strong?" John chuckled dismissively. He knew that people used to favor horse transport back in medieval Earth, so the fact that an entire organization uses self-propelled vehicles is but an anachronism, "But seriously, I can't imagine how hard it would have been if you guys used horse-drawn carts instead."

John, with his thumb, pointed back at the half-deflated balloon still afloat.

Hertha chimed in, switching glances back and forth between the wooden containers and back to her notepad, "…. John's right. These balloons made a lot of things easy for us. Beats having to shovel manure to someplace else."

These balloons provided more than convenience just as he presumed. With Grand Master Varka taking all of the capable horses, to the point of even stripping Captain Kaeya of his company, the present situation of their logistics would have been far from ideal if it weren't for them. A fact that Hertha, where her position is concerned, is fully aware of.

"See?" John added, standing beside Hertha to show his support, "Logistics is what keeps things running. Just imagine how tough life would be without people who know how to move things from place to place. These balloons are critical to society, and so are the people behind them."

Hertha and Timaeus took a moment of silence. The compliment felt a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one.

"Why thank you," Hertha's eyes shone, appreciating his understanding. She shot a smile with a soft giggle, "It's not every day you meet someone who gets it."

It was a breath of fresh air. John's praise means a lot to her.

People tend to idolize those who can swing a sword, but she would argue that they'd all be helpless without a supply line. Her position lacks the deserved praise despite what it brings to the table. Without people like her, resources cannot be where they're needed. While Varka is the titan of the Knights of Favonius, she is the heart that keeps everything pumping.

Yet this outlander, who had appeared out of nowhere, knew the importance of her profession and her dearest transport balloons at a glance.

"So, I have to ask," John continued as he faced Timaeus, his enthusiasm shining like the sun, "You folks must…. how do I say this? Can you manipulate the properties of gases or synthesize gases specifically for this purpose, right? Or is this thing just some hot air balloon?"

"Well, I can't say you're wrong… Oh, but it's not anything exciting," Timaeus adds quickly, half-surprised and half-amused. Seems he's met another one of his kind. John's line of questioning is not something that a commoner would ask, and certainly not so accurate, either, "At least, for me. T-That is... to an outlander like you, it might be. Heh..."

John had good reasons to be curious. He was certain their balloon didn't use hydrogen, the lightest element in the periodic table, but something else so exotic as to defy physics. From the looks of it, a transport balloon can haul half a ton on average. He's seen a hot-air balloon before, with people manning them, big enough to be as tall as buildings. And yet these transport balloons could fit through Mondstadt's gates.

Whatever magic they're doing, they can make gas several times lighter than hydrogen, one that can shrink the Hindenburg airship down to a fraction.

"Then… it is a bit of both?" John became silent, waiting for an answer.

"It's… it's as you say," Timaeus covered his mouth with a fist as he coughed twice, deciding to start the basics, "The ability to manipulate the buoyancy of air is what makes our transport balloons possible," Timaeus replied proudly, "Simply put, we spray an Anemo-Pyro-based potion that causes an elemental reaction with the air-"

"Yeah… Sorry. You lost me," John stared like a deer in front of a headlight. He interrupted solely to stop Timaeus waste his time and breath.

"Wait… which part? I thought you were an alchemist."

"Nope. Never even heard of this Anemo-Pyro before, so no," John would have lied that he knew what they were all to avoid attention, but it was already too late to hide his curiosity.

Besides, lying about everything he does not know what people here do, is an instant way to throw yourself into a slippery slope. At the same time, not knowing what's common knowledge puts him at a disadvantage.

That said, being honest about your ignorance sounded less troublesome.

He had every incentive to be inquisitive.

"What?" Timaeus looked at him weirdly, "You're not pulling my leg, are you? Pyro? Anemo? You've never heard of Elements before? Do you live under a rock?"

"Uhh," Hertha stepped in with a hazardous pace, pulling Timaeus by his shirt a few steps away from John as he yelped in surprise. They talked in whispers for a considerable moment.

When you're labeled as "that outlander who lost his memories" as all the top brass disseminated, he can use that card to ask the stupidest of questions to learn more about the world without being treated like a toddler. Other than that, "having" amnesia has quirks that make navigating the local culture a little less... troublesome, as it'd make it unlikely for people to ask his origins or his backstory when they would presume he had simply forgotten everything.

He didn't have an incentive to correct their error, and in the first place, it was them who created the notion he had amnesia.

"Oh! I see…" Timaeus turned to John with a subtle wince, embarrassed by what he said before.

"I didn't mean what I said earlier," Timaeus gave a slight bow, "And I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"Eh. No harm done," John shrugged, "I'm just glad I could even speak whatever language you're speaking... So… yeah. Maybe we should spare the alchemy talk someday until I learn the basic-"

An explosion broke out.

John's vision was suddenly filled with wooden debris, fire, and monsters - Hertha tackled the two to the ground as their back hit the cobblestone with a heavy thud. John's face felt the burning warmth of the fireball that just flew over. Had she been a second late, they would have been cooked alive.

The church's bell rang as chaos replaced peace.

John's ears were ringing. He couldn't hear the screams of the laborers and workers running amok as some fell victim to pyro. The laughter of Abyss Mages echoed, they summoned hilichurls that poured through the gates. They brought ruin, swinging their clubs and destroying the many crates and barrels, with some quickly looting what they could carry and retreating out of sight.

"Abys-" One of the knights was slammed to the wall. A black walking beast that donned a red-horned mask raged loudly.

End

Edit: oct 5, 2023 did some slight rewording.

Edit: nov 5, 2023 did some small rewrites.

Edit: Jan 25, 2024 did some small rewrites and editing... again.

Edit: March 21, 2024 - Small edits. I simplified the part explaining the transport balloon's carrying capacity.