Be Careful When Agreeing to Terms and Conditions

3. Return to Mondstadt (7)

Mondstadt’s night was always bright yet dark. When the moonlight descended, the white buildings of Mondstadt reflected light, glowing like subtle lanterns. The ‘Cat’s Tail’ tavern and ‘Angel’s Share’ would regain their light and warmth only at this moment. As the two representative taverns of Mondstadt started welcoming guests, people living through the night would prepare for work as if it were a signal.

Night in Mondstadt was such a time. The point where day and night intersect, and their daily routines mesh like gears.

I was in the midst of a chilly silence. The source of that coldness was undoubtedly Lumine and Beidou. The two women sat across from each other at a table, staring at each other without saying a word.

It wasn’t bad at first. Lumine, returning with a somewhat proud face, seemed in a good mood. It seemed she had found a few treasure chests while visiting the ‘Statue of The Seven.’

However, it didn’t take much time for Lumine’s mood to reverse. She froze as soon as she saw Beidou sitting in the restaurant. Paimon’s interrogation, asking what I had done while pointing at me, was an extra difficulty.

And since then, it had been a long period of cold war, the current silence between Lumine and Beidou.

Normally, by now, it would have been a pleasant time to go to the ‘Angel’s Share,’ chat with Diluc, or take a nighttime stroll with Lumine and Paimon.

Feeling nostalgic for the past routines, I decided to explain the general situation to Lumine.

“Well, Beidou decided to stay in this inn from today onwards. It seems like she wants to take this opportunity to become independent since she’s already a veteran adventurer and is taking responsibility for her own livelihood. The innkeeper has already received the accommodation fee.”

Lumine gave me a cold expression in response to my words. Then she glared at something, and there was the landlord peeking at us from the kitchen.

The landlord quickly hid away with a “shh”. He was as nimble as a ghost.

Lumine sighed deeply as if there was nothing she could do. Then she smiled mischievously and said to me,

“Siwoo, let’s move to a different accommodation.”

At her words, Pisel’s eyebrows twitched and trembled. It seemed she didn’t expect Lumine to suggest moving from the cozy accommodation.

However, I had no intention of moving. Despite its flaws, it was a comfortable place, and I could already imagine how Pisel would react if we moved to a different place right after she had just arrived.

Setting aside our friendship, Pisel was a valuable asset who could assist me in future endeavors. Just considering the help I received from Pisel’s archery skills and Oz’s scouting abilities during the last Liwal expedition was enough.

And there was also the matter of common sense.

Instead of answering, I sighed and gestured towards the kitchen to Lumine.

There was the teary-eyed landlord. It was almost time for the inn to close since there were barely any customers, so there was no way there would be an innkeeper who would turn away a guest who said they were coming. Especially if it was a long-term guest.

Lumine seemed slightly annoyed as she frowned, but she was fundamentally a kind person. Eventually, she sighed deeply as if there was no other choice.

“…Fine, let’s forget about that. So?”

There was a chill in Lumine’s voice. She looked at Pisel with cold eyes and asked me,

“Why is that kid sitting at our dining table?”

“Kid? Kid?”

Pisel’s eyes widened as if offended. The hostility in her eyes grew stronger. Lumine glanced briefly at Pisel as if she was nothing more than a kid and a complete stranger, and snorted.

Well, you’re just a kid, and you’re nothing more than a stranger, so why are you sitting at our group’s dining table, her tone seemed to imply.

But Pisel wasn’t one to just take it. Pisel responded to Lumine’s words with a haughty voice. It was a condescending attitude.

“Hmph. I was invited to the princess’s dinner as her attendant, and now a latecomer like you complains. It’s truly pitiful.”

Pisel didn’t use her usual difficult vocabulary. It was rather an intuitive metaphor, so it was very easy to guess the meaning. It sounded like she was telling Lumine to listen on purpose.

And perhaps that was the intention. If Peysl’s words were to be interpreted, it meant, “I was the one sitting with Siu first, so why are you, who came late, acting like the owner?”

Lumine’s gaze became intense. She understood it and responded with a sense of understanding.

“Are you claiming ownership after robbing an empty house? Siu is my comrade.”

“Sometimes, fate chooses those who face ruthless trials at twilight, rather than the meaningless flow of time.”

Peysl met Lumine’s intense gaze without backing down. If interpreted, the content meant, “What matters is not the time spent together, but how deeply we have interacted.” In fact, it was a colder and more deterministic statement, but as mentioned before, it was important for Peysl to perceive that subtle feeling. Translating it into simpler language would make it too simplistic.

It was unclear whether Lumine noticed that feeling, but her gaze and tone became even more aggressive after hearing those words. Her eyes twitched with anger.

“What do you know about me and Siu?”

“Hmph, that’s just a wild guess.”

“…Are you suggesting we settle this now?”

“It would be interesting. I was curious about the skills of the impudent person who dares to call herself the companion of my servant, the princess.”

The situation was escalating. On Earth, fights were generally referred to as “verbal fights.” It was considered uncivilized to resort to physical violence. However, the Tivat continent was different.

There were monsters, and miracles existed. There was less aversion to the act of combat in the first place. Of course, violence against the weak was condemned and subject to legal sanctions.

But what if both were powerful beings? And what if, no matter how much they argued, they were only running parallel to each other?

That was the result Lumine and Peysl were showing now. Lumine placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, and Peysl coolly scanned Lumine’s body with a cold gaze, as if choosing where to aim if a fight broke out.

By this point, the onlookers could not stand by without intervening. Before I could say anything, each of their partners stepped in.

Phaemon spoke to Lumine, and Oz spoke to Peysl.

“Traveler, calm down! This is a restaurant. Are you going to take responsibility if Siu can’t eat because of you?!”

“Miss, it would be better to stop. If you act so fiercely towards the neighbors on your first day here, the name of the condemned princess will be tarnished.”

Upon hearing these words, Lumine and Peysl simultaneously withdrew their hands that were about to reach for their weapons. They both turned their gazes away while snorting. Although the spark of the fight had ignited, it seemed that they had no intention of resorting to violence. One could call it a verbal battle.

In the end, I broke the silence and let out a deep sigh. Since it seemed that I was the cause of the fight, it would be better for me to sort things out.

“Let’s stop, regardless of whether we like it or not, we’ll keep running into each other in the future. And Lumine, I’m sorry for being indifferent. I apologize.”

Lumine shifted her gaze towards me at my words. It was a somewhat subdued gaze. It seemed more genuine than before, so I continued speaking with a sigh of relief.

“It was inconsiderate of me to casually reveal our accommodation. To me, Pisel is a close colleague, but not to you. I didn’t know you would dislike it so much. I’m sorry.”

Lumine let out a deep sigh as if she couldn’t help it when I spoke to this extent. Her body lost its strength. It meant she wouldn’t fight anymore.

Except for that stern expression, it didn’t disappear. But where exactly are we?

Next, I looked at Pisel and spoke.

“And Pisel, I’m sorry for not paying attention. After leaving like that last time, I should have contacted you later, but I couldn’t because I was dealing with various things. That’s why I moved to the accommodation, so please stop today, I’ll pay attention from now on.”

“Hmph, since my master said so, I’ll endure it.”

Pisel said as if she couldn’t help it, and relaxed her body. She still had a discontented face, but she didn’t verbalize it.

Finally, it became peaceful. That’s when I thought so.

Lumine, who was sitting next to me, hugged me tightly and leaned against me. She cried with a sobbing sound that was unexpected.

“Siwoo… I don’t like that woman.”

As she said that with a voice mixed with aegyo, I felt a slight tremor in my chest. Lumine’s scent tickled my nose, and I could feel the texture of her soft skin beyond the fabric of her clothes.

But Pisel seemed to have a different meaning for her trembling chest. She looked at me as if she saw something she couldn’t bear and furrowed her brows.

“My master, surely you won’t fall for such an obvious fox-like behavior, right?”

Now the word ‘Pisler’ had almost disappeared. It was a voice that expressed disbelief. But Lumine buried her face in my arm and just snorted with a huff.

“Fox-like behavior? Siwoo and I have always been like this. Why, are you jealous?”

As Lumine glared at Pisel, Pisel snapped and stood up from the table. The two fierce gazes clashed in the air once again.

Phaemon looked at me with resentful eyes. Phaemon conveyed her words to me through her mouth.

‘Fool.’

Yeah, I’m an idiot. Is it over now?

So, please help me, Paimon…!

It seemed like Lumine and Fischl’s clash would continue for a while.

***

Lumine and Fischl’s clash finally came to an end the next day.

To be precise, it was more like they both halfway gave up rather than it being resolved. The fact that Fischl moved out didn’t change. Lumine didn’t bother talking to Fischl, but she also didn’t start a fight.

It seemed like Fischl had already given up on building a positive relationship with Lumine. But it was also too tiresome to fight with Lumine every time. Lumine was not an easy opponent. So, instead of trying to defeat Lumine head-on, Fischl seemed to be trying to appeal to me by showing intimacy whenever Lumine was away.

Using jealousy as a tool, both of them were childish.

But whether it was childish or not, Lumine was quite jealous. If I were to always be with Fischl whenever Lumine wasn’t around, it was obvious that Lumine wouldn’t be able to focus on resolving the Stormterror crisis. So, I continued to confirm the fact that I didn’t secretly hang out with Fischl behind Lumine’s back.

The method was to inform Lumine of the day’s schedule in advance every morning. Lumine seemed to have guessed my intentions and looked at Fischl with a puzzled expression. But Fischl just snorted and smirked. I said I didn’t secretly hang out with Fischl behind Lumine’s back, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t hang out with Fischl at all.

Anyway, Fischl’s help was needed for the upcoming trip to Liyue. Before that, we needed to coordinate in various ways and prepare for the trip together, so it was impossible to promise not to hang out with Fischl at all. Lumine would have to understand that much.

But at least for a while, there was no need to provoke Lumine, so I decided to act alone. That’s why I came here alone today.

“Samuel Village,” it was a place known for producing high-quality boar meat, which was recognized throughout the Teyvat continent.

The hunters of Samuel Village strictly controlled the boar hunting grounds. They meticulously calculated the food supply, the number of individuals, and even the number of boars hunted per day to produce the finest boar meat.

And there was one more peculiar thing about the hunters of Samuel Village, some of them had a specific lineage. Some of the hunters in Samuel Village had a rare lineage called the “Catzlein Family,” and they were said to have ears and tails like cats.

I’ve heard that the bartender at the “Cat’s Tail Tavern” is also from Samuel Village, and if you touch her tail thinking it’s just an accessory, you’ll be in big trouble.

Well, that was my first impression when I arrived in Samuel Village. “Mondstadt Castle” had a city-like feel as the center of Mondstadt, but Samuel Village felt more like a countryside.

Considering its small size, it was a village that produced the finest specialty products that were renowned throughout the Teyvat continent. It was a village that perfectly fit the saying, “small peppers are spicy.”

In front of me, a middle-aged man was having a conversation with someone. With gray hair that had a tinge of green and a beard, at first glance, he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.

However, this person was indeed the leader of the boar hunters in the Springwater Village, and a skilled artisan with the ability to consistently produce high-quality boar meat.

His name was Mr. Duraf, born into the lineage of the Catslein family mentioned earlier. He had ears and a tail that resembled those of a cat, making it intriguing to wonder what it would be like to touch them. I heard they were sensitive.

With such thoughts in mind, I approached him. As I did, Mr. Duraf seemed to sense my presence and turned to me with a questioning look.

After a moment of seemingly contemplating who I was, he soon realized and extended his palm.

“Oh, you’re ‘Xiu,’ right?”

Just so you know, my name had become quite well-known in Mondstadt by now. I wasn’t incredibly famous, but I was the person who unloaded three billion mora worth of essential goods. Naturally, those involved in commerce couldn’t help but be deeply impressed by me.

Having sold goods of that scale, even after deducting the selling price, I would have left at least one billion mora. At that level, it was sufficient to ascend to the top ranks of Mondstadt’s commerce.

Of course, since the goods were exclusively mine, there was no need to pay the selling price. If the amount of cash I could move reached three billion mora, my name would have spread throughout the common citizens of Mondstadt in no time.

But at the moment, there was no need for that. It was enough if someone like Mr. Duraf recognized me. I smiled lightly and nodded my head. It was a gesture of respect towards an elder.

“Hello, Mr. Duraf. Yes, my name is ‘Xiu.'”

“Yeah, I heard the kids talking. You’re interested in our Springwater Village’s boar meat, huh?”

Springwater Village was near the Mondstadt Castle, but due to the chaos caused by the Anemo Archon’s incident, it was impractical for me alone to travel through the disrupted routes. So, I came here following the group of hunters from Springwater Village who supplied boar meat to Mondstadt.

I was a merchant with a minimum of one billion mora in liquid assets. If someone like that showed interest in a product, providing protection was an easy task. Besides, it was on the way back.

Mr. Duraf seemed to have already received a recommendation from one of the hunters. If that was the case, the conversation could progress quickly from my side.

“Yes, boar meat from Springwater Village is a high-quality ingredient that is hard to find across the entire Teyvat continent. I personally have an interest in it.”

I straightforwardly admitted that I wanted boar meat from Springwater Village. After all, Mr. Duraf was not a merchant but an artisan. It would be unwise to try negotiating with someone who wasn’t even a merchant and risk earning their resentment.

However, even with my frank admission, Mr. Duraf’s expression didn’t change. Mr. Duraf, after seeming to contemplate for a moment, sighed deeply.

“Whether I’m saying unnecessary things to an expert, I don’t know… But it seems difficult, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t bother responding to Mr. Duraf’s words. I just listened quietly. Mr. Duraf was the leader of Springwater Village, and if someone like him said something like that, there must be a reason.

Duraf continued speaking with a sigh.

“Our village’s wild boar meat is top-notch. It’s on par with anything you can find in the Tibat continent. I can guarantee that. But as you know, freshness is vital for ingredients…”

Ah, I immediately understood what Duraf was saying.

Freshness is important for ingredients. In other words, the time it takes for distribution is crucial. So far, the wild boar meat from Sammul Village has been distributed without much of a problem. With the power of the ice element, it could be refrigerated and transported for up to three weeks after slaughter.

But now, things were different. The transportation route destroyed by the wind dragon was beyond repair. It was difficult for Sammul Village to distribute a large amount of meat, considering the risks involved. Not only Sammul Village, but the merchants who intended to receive and sell the wild boar meat from Sammul Village must have made similar judgments.

They could have frozen the meat. However, even if they rapidly cooled it, the quality would inevitably decline. For Sammul Village, which prided itself on being a top-notch supplier, it was a disgrace. It was also a foolish act that significantly damaged the value of the product.

“So, does that mean Sammul Village is facing difficulties these days…?”

“Yes, honestly, we are in trouble. Now we can only deliver to Mond outside the castle, but even without that, the economy is a mess because of the wind dragon. We can’t control the population of wild boars in their habitat just with the demand. So now, the wild boars are overflowing in their habitat, and that’s our current concern. We’re even considering throwing the meat on the ground as a last resort to control the population…”

Having a large population was fatal. The wild boar meat of Sammul Village was a masterpiece created by calculating various conditions meticulously. But if the population increased rapidly, food competition became intense, and naturally, it greatly affected the quality of the meat.

Clearly, it was the worst situation for Sammul Village. The residents of Mond, suffering from the wind dragon, were everywhere.

However, on the contrary, it was the best situation for me. I smiled.

“In that case, if there are enough wild boars to hunt, it means we can receive a large amount of meat?”

“…Huh? Well, that’s true. But no matter what, the number of wild boars that can be caught and slaughtered in a day is limited. It requires manpower. Then freshness might…”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I guarantee it. Sammul Village just needs to fill the daily quota.”

Duraf looked perplexed. He was grateful that I was solving the problem that was bothering him, but it seemed that he couldn’t imagine the method I had in mind.

But I was confident. I was confident that I could resolve the issue in Sammul Village and even make a fortune with Sammul Village’s wild boar meat.

While thinking that, I was about to discuss the details with Duraf.

“Duraf!”

I heard someone calling Duraf from a distance. When I turned my head, I saw a sturdy man waving his hand as he approached. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a hunter from Sammul Village.

But for some reason, my attention was drawn more to the girl following him, carrying a dead deer by his side.

With black hair tinged with a blue hue and golden eyes, she had a cute and lovely appearance. Her clothes and hairstyle clearly showed that she was from Liyue.

“Allen, what’s going on?”

It seemed that the hunter waving his hand now was named Allen. In response to Duraf’s question, Allen awkwardly placed his hand on the back of his head.

“Well, this guy was hunting freely in the boar hunting ground we manage. Of course, it doesn’t seem intentional, but…”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Duraf. It’s my fault.”

The girl said that, bowing her head deeply to apologize. It seemed like she was reflecting on her actions. Even her voice was quite cute, and she might have been quite popular in her hometown.

Duraf let out a low “Hmm” and sighed. Craftsmen like Duraf were sensitive to the rules of the places they managed. It was only natural to get angry, but seeing that she seemed to be reflecting, it was a dilemma.

After a moment of hesitation, Duraf asked the girl.

“What’s your name?”

In response to his question, the girl still answered in a soft voice.

“My name is ‘Xiangling’.”

…Xiangling?

It was a name I had heard somewhere, and as I tilted my head in confusion…

Duraf reacted faster than me. He widened his eyes as if surprised, and asked with a trembling voice.

“If you’re ‘Xiangling’… Could you be from Liyue’s… ‘Wanmin Restaurant’?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m cooking at the Wanmin Restaurant. I was trying to develop a new recipe today, but…”

As she said that, she bowed her head again as if apologizing, and I felt a flash of memory pass through me.

The testimony of an unknown person in Liyue, asking me to wait just one more day.

That “unknown person,” I ultimately came across them in Mondstadt.