Chapter 25: The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact [25]
"Lumine, look! That's a Statue of The Seven!"
Paimon hovered beside Lumine, pointing toward the distant lake below them. From the small hill they stood on, they could see a tiny island in the middle of Starfell Lake, where a towering Statue of The Seven stood proudly.
"The statues of the gods are scattered across the continent, symbolizing the Seven Archons who protect this world. That one belongs to Mondstadt's Anemo Archon!"
Paimon explained, her voice tinged with excitement. "If it's the Anemo Archon, maybe they'll know something about your brother! Although... I can't promise you'll get a response..."
"Oh?"
Lumine's gaze lingered on the distant statue. Even from where she stood, she could make out the serene image of a girl, hands clasped in prayer.
"Lumine! Over here!"
Paimon's voice snapped her back to reality. They had reached the lakeshore, and Paimon gestured toward the water.
"You can swim across," Paimon suggested cheerily.
"Huh? It's in the middle of the lake, and Mondstadters couldn't be bothered to build a bridge?"
Lumine muttered as she grabbed Paimon by her tiny legs.
"You'll fly me there!"
"No way! I can't carry you across!"
Paimon squirmed in protest, flailing her arms.
"You carried me earlier just fine! Now, fly, Paimon!" Lumine held on tight, her grip unrelenting.
"I— I can't!"
Paimon tried to argue, but Lumine's predatory glare silenced her. Gulping, Paimon flapped her arms furiously, struggling to lift off with Lumine in tow.
---
Five grueling minutes later...
"Paimon is so useful!"
Lumine stood triumphantly on the island, giving a thumbs-up.
"Paimon is exhausted..."
The little companion slumped onto Lumine's shoulder, utterly drained.
Ignoring her, Lumine approached the Statue of The Seven. She reached out, placing her hand on its smooth surface. The towering figure glowed softly with a bright teal light as a crystal orb of wind emerged from the statue.
The orb floated toward Lumine, merging with her body.
"Lumine, you've resonated with the Anemo element!" Paimon gasped, panting as she watched.
"From here, if we head west, we'll reach the city of freedom—Mondstadt!" Paimon said, her energy slowly returning. "And since you can draw power from the statue, maybe you'll find clues about the gods there!"
"Alright." Lumine nodded, preparing to set out.
But first...
"Paimon, fly me back across the lake."
"Hey!!!"
After nearly overworking Paimon again, Lumine and her companion began their westward journey toward Mondstadt.
--
As they entered a dense forest, however, they sensed something amiss.
"Lumine! Look over there!"
Hiding behind a tree, they peered toward the source of the disturbance.
A green-clad figure stood before an enormous dragon, reaching out toward the beast with one hand.
It was none other than Venti, who had recently parted ways with Jia Changjiang.
"Don't be afraid..."
Venti's voice was gentle, almost a whisper, as though speaking to a frightened kitten rather than a massive dragon.
"I'm here now," he murmured, his hand emitting a soft breeze that seemed to soothe the creature's pain.
"Is that person... talking to the dragon?" Paimon whispered, her curiosity piqued.
"What a huge dragon... I bet it'd make a lot of meals," Lumine mused, her gaze thoughtful.
"Hey!"
Before Paimon could scold her further, the Anemo energy Lumine had absorbed earlier suddenly resonated, sending out a faint elemental ripple.
The unexpected disturbance startled the dragon, which let out a deafening roar in Venti's direction.
"Who's there?!"
The dragon's outburst forced Venti to turn his attention toward Lumine and Paimon. Spotted, Venti quickly transformed into wind and vanished from sight.
The dragon, now enraged, roared again, unleashing a powerful gust that sent leaves and branches flying. Though it glared at Lumine for a moment, it soon took to the skies, its immense wings stirring up a storm as it departed.
"Whoa! That was close!" Paimon exclaimed, clinging tightly to Lumine. "Good thing I held onto your hair!"
"Paimon!" Lumine growled, clutching her head in annoyance.
"Anyway, that dragon must've been connected to that strange guy talking to it!" Paimon said, eager to change the subject.
"Yeah, and it looked like those wings could be delicious," Lumine muttered.
"Stop thinking about food!" Paimon protested before pausing to ask herself, "Wait... do you think it would taste good?"
As they pondered the culinary potential of dragon wings, Paimon spotted something on the rock where the dragon had stood.
"Look! What's that?"
It was a crystal, glowing faintly with an ominous red light.
"That... doesn't look good..."
Before Paimon could finish her sentence, Lumine snatched the crystal and stuffed it into her backpack.
"What are you doing?!"
"Who knows what it is? It might be valuable," Lumine replied nonchalantly. She then reached out and caught a passing butterfly, carefully stowing its wings in her pack. "You never know when you'll need these."
"You have a point..." Paimon admitted, reluctantly conceding as they continued their trek toward Mondstadt.
---
Upon exiting the forest, a voice called out behind them.
"Hey! You there! Wait a second!"
Turning, Lumine saw a red-clad figure leap gracefully from a nearby cliff, rolling to a stop before standing confidently in their path.
It was Amber, Mondstadt's Outrider Knight.
"May the Anemo Archon bless you, traveler! I'm Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. You're not from around here, are you? Please state your identity."
Amber's gaze shifted between Lumine and Paimon.
"This traveler... and this... mascot?"
"I'm Lumine, and this is Paimon, my companion," Lumine explained.
Paimon puffed out her chest. "That's right! Paimon's a companion!"
Lumine added, "And a flying tool."
"Hey!!!"
"And emergency food."
"Hey!!! That's worse than being called a mascot!" Paimon fumed, stomping her tiny feet.
"So, a traveler?" Amber said thoughtfully. "There's been a lot of dragon activity in the area lately. As a knight, I'll escort you to Mondstadt safely."
---
This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!