Kapitel 22: Ch 22

The two of them walked towards the city, and many people greeted them warmly along the way. Paimon began to wonder if she had already been in Mondstadt for a while but had lost that memory. Why else would everyone be so familiar with them? Lumine and Paimon decided to investigate.

After using some persuasion, they finally got a rough idea of the situation. It turned out that in Mondstadt, there was a "gaming hall." In that "game," she and Paimon were the protagonists who had experienced a remarkable adventure. They even received the title of "Honorary Knight"!

This... seemed extremely bizarre. Lumine was certain that she had never been to Mondstadt before. How could she become the protagonist of someone else's story?

"Why do you think that person called Takumi, the owner, is so familiar with us?" Paimon couldn't help but ask. "Could it be that he observed us before we came to Mondstadt?"

"Oh no, that's scary..."

"Regardless, I need to see what this game is all about!"

"All right, I'll go with you. Maybe we can find clues about your brother in the game!"

"Yeah, you're right, Paimon."

They inquired along the way and finally found the gaming hall. However, they were deterred by the price sign at the entrance.

"Ten thousand Mora per hour, this owner must be crazy about money!" Paimon crossed her arms in protest.

"But look inside, there are really a lot of people," Lumine pointed to the crowded hall. "Surely all these people can't willingly fall for a scam? There must be something worthwhile about this game."

"I don't care, the owner of this gaming hall is just a money... maniac!" Paimon still wasn't convinced.

Suddenly, a deep voice behind them spoke up. "You're right, I am indeed a money maniac. But, Paimon, it's not good to speak ill of others behind their backs."

Paimon was startled and immediately dove into Lumine's arms. Lumine turned around and saw a man slightly older than her. He had a handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor. He was currently looking at her with a faint smile.

"Could it be that you are the famous owner, Takumi?"

"Yes, you can just call me Takumi." Takumi replied.

Upon their first meeting, Lumine found the owner's impression to be quite good. At the very least, he was refined and not the type who was difficult to communicate with. What's more, he was very handsome. Lumine admitted that she might have judged him based on his appearance, but it was understandable.

"Are you here to experience the game? Hurry and go in. Eula is on duty right now."

"We... um... don't have money..." Lumine said somewhat embarrassedly.

Takumi smiled and extended his hand, handing Lumine a small pouch. "There are twenty thousand Mora inside. Consider it my treat, you can go and experience it first."

"How can we not express our gratitude... Thank you," Lumine said.

Takumi nodded and didn't say much before leaving.

"This owner... is really nice," Lumine sighed as she watched Takumi's departing figure.

"Is that so?" Paimon flew out from Lumine's embrace. "I can't help but feel that the way he looked at us was like a wolf eyeing a lamb."

"Paimon..." Lumine pinched Paimon's smooth and tender cheek. "You shouldn't talk ill of people behind their backs."

"But I..."

"If you're so timid, how are you going to travel with me to the Seven Nations?"

"Hmph! It's just a mobile game. Who's afraid of who?"

...

Inside the gaming hall, Lumine saw that many seats were already occupied by players. Even at this early hour, there were already so many people. If they waited, there might not be any seats left. She quickly purchased a temporary card for two hours with the guidance of the front desk staff, Eula.

Then, with Eula's help, she opened the game and logged into the account. Since entering this gaming hall, she and Paimon had turned into children who couldn't take care of themselves. Without Eula's assistance, they wouldn't even know how to operate or proceed.

Seeing the skillful actions of the players around them, they felt a sense of alienation, as if barbarians had returned to modern society.

The arrival of the two attracted the attention of some players, but it didn't cause much of a sensation, as even the Windborne Bard had personally visited the gaming hall. Some curious players came over to say hello.

After entering the game, it took them five minutes to finally figure out how to control it. After reaching this point, Eula left. Mainly because the boss had instructed her in advance; otherwise, she would prefer to sit at the front desk and experience her own game storyline. Eula had also become a player who was hooked. Her work was now easy, and she would play mobile games at the front desk when she had free time. She had just drawn Klee yesterday. Eula imagined whether she and Takumi would have such a cute daughter in the future, and a blush appeared on her face. She felt that she was too wicked to even think of such a thing. She quickly shifted her attention back to the game.

On the other hand, Lumine, after learning the basic controls, began to wander around the beach in the game.

Paimon exclaimed, "Wow! The people in this game look exactly like you!"

"That's me. Can't you tell..." Lumine quipped.

In truth, her heart was far from calm. Her identity as the "Traveler from Another World" had already been revealed in the game's prologue. She had become the protagonist of the story despite setting foot in this land for the first time. Lumine wanted to see what kind of story her character would experience in the game.

Of course, there was another crucial point of interest. She heard that this game had incorporated many important elements from the real world. So, would her brother also appear in the storyline?

Two hours passed quickly, especially for novice players. Lumine and Paimon, after becoming familiar with the controls, followed the storyline.

They arrived at the Seven Statue, activated the Anemo (Wind) elemental power. Isn't this exactly what they experienced this morning? It felt like they were rewatching this memory from a third-person perspective.

However, a deviation occurred in the following events. They made their way to Mondstadt but didn't encounter the flying dragon in the sky, the young man who could converse with the dragon, or the enthusiastic scout knight Amber. Instead, they smoothly entered the city.

In the game's plot, Mondstadt was in a state of "Dragon's Wrath," but in reality, it was peaceful and beautiful. After battling the dragon in the sky, they received the approval of the Knights of Favonius.

Lumine and Paimon were completely engrossed in this storyline. "It's like witnessing events from another dimension," Paimon sighed.

Lumine nodded. The immersion was indeed strong. But at that moment, a notification on the phone screen indicated insufficient funds.

"Oh, we're out of money already!"

"Indeed... two hours have passed," Lumine glanced at the clock on the wall.

"But I really want to know what happens next," Paimon looked at Lumine with hopeful eyes.

Lumine shrugged in resignation. They couldn't just ask the generous owner for more after he had already given them 20,000 Mora.

The two left the gaming hall with a sense of frustration.

"Paimon has never realized how important money is!"

"How can we make money quickly?"

Lumine's curiosity was piqued, but their pockets were empty.

"Right, in the game, there's an Adventurers' Guild. According to a lady named Katheryne, we can become adventurers and take on commissions to earn Mora!"

"If there's a corresponding guild in this Mondstadt, we should be able to join it."

"Paimon, you're clever!"

The two immediately headed for the Adventurers' Guild, and Lumine, who had just obtained elemental powers, was eager to prove herself by taking on the most challenging S-rank commissions and earning a hefty sum.

However, when Lumine saw the contents of the commission, her enthusiasm was instantly extinguished.

"Isn't the difficulty of this mission too high... and we have to go deep into the snow mountains?"

"Well, it's the highest difficulty commission," Katheryne in front of the guild explained with a standard smile. "If you want to earn Mora quickly, I recommend starting with these daily commissions."

On the following day, a strange phenomenon occurred in Mondstadt. A golden-haired girl with her little companion roamed through the city, taking on various daily commissions from the residents.

...

After nightfall, Takumi and Eula returned to the second floor. Most players by now could manually activate their accounts, and their skills were quite high. After all, those who came to experience the game were generally not short on funds. Younger players might appear inexperienced, but their families were well-off.

Moreover, there were often some prominent figures from the Knights of Favonius or the Church who came to play, and the players were very friendly and courteous to each other. Takumi set the 20th of each month as a member's day, offering bonuses for recharging. As a result, everyone had sufficient in-game currency, and there was no need to recharge in the short term.

This made the front desk staff almost redundant, so both of them went to rest early.

Eula had purchased a sufficient amount of ingredients and dedicated one of the rooms on the second floor as a kitchen. She would prepare dinner and supper for Takumi in the evening. This period was a cherished "moment of happiness" for Eula. Because the boss would enjoy the food she cooked, and she could chat with him casually about various matters.

"That traveler arrived today."

"Yeah, I've already met them," Takumi chuckled. He had used 20,000 Mora as bait, and Lumine and Paimon had taken the bait. They were still bustling around to earn Mora.

"Speaking of which, many players initially thought that the 'Traveler' was a projection of you in the game, but it turns out she actually exists."

"Of course, the greatest feature of Genshin Impact is its correspondence to reality." This was also why Takumi's mobile game was so popular throughout Mondstadt. It was even rumored recently that news of the game had reached the neighboring nation of Liyue, and many wealthy individuals in Liyue were itching to cross the borders and experience this legendary mobile game in Mondstadt.

"By the way, boss, have you considered adding yourself into the game?"

Takumi shook his head with a smile. "I actually think you're more suitable to be a character in the game."

Eula blushed slightly. "Boss, don't tease me. I'm not as popular in Mondstadt as you are."

"Don't worry, I'll let you experience it in the game before making it happen."

Eula was somewhat surprised. She thought Takumi was just making a casual remark, but it seemed like he was serious.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but there was also a hint of anticipation in her heart. If it were Takumi, what kind of character would he create for her?

...

"Ah, I'm so exhausted!"

Paimon sat on Lumine's shoulder, looking completely drained of energy.

Lumine gently removed Paimon from her shoulder and gave her a disapproving look. "I've been doing commissions all along, and you've just been tagging along. What's there for you to be tired about?"

"My illusory limbs for flying are sore," Paimon replied.

Lumine shook her head and raised her hand, shaking the bag of Mora she held. "Finally earned a hundred thousand Mora..."

"They say the game center has a promotion on the 20th of each month, where they match your recharge amount."

"No, I can't wait. I want to play the game right now," Lumine said determinedly. Money could be earned later, but if she didn't play the game, she felt she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

Upon arriving at the game center...

"Hmm, it seems like Takumi and Eula aren't here? But the players are still quite enthusiastic."

"In that case, we can't recharge now. Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

At this point, Paimon poked Lumine's arm and said, "Actually, we can just be spectators. Watching won't cost any money!"

"We can't do that; it would ruin the immersion of the storyline," Lumine stated firmly.

"Let's wait just one night. We must experience the entire game plot firsthand to understand Mondstadt, our experiences in the storyline, and even Takumi!"

With an urgent and expectant heart, they waited through the night.

When Takumi came down from the second floor early in the morning, Lumine and Paimon rushed up to him.

"Takumi, we've recharged a hundred thousand Mora!"

"Oh? It's a pity that today is the 26th, but... since you're newcomers to Mondstadt, even if it's the bonus for the 20th, recharging a hundred thousand gives you an extra hundred thousand."

Upon hearing this, Lumine's face lit up with surprise, and Paimon rubbed her hands in delight. "Takumi is such a generous person!"

...

In this pleasant mood, Lumine and Paimon began their journey in the game. First, they participated in the battle at the Four Winds' Temples to familiarize themselves with the combat mechanics. Paimon provided strategic advice, while Lumine controlled the characters. They both had a great time.

Next, they encountered the green-clad bard, Venti, who planned to use Jean's skyward sonnet to purify Dvalin. They delved into the Fool's camp to obtain the skyward sonnet. Within this secret realm, Lumine faced her biggest challenge yet. She was defeated several times in the final showdown against the Debt Collector and was on the brink of giving up. It was only after Paimon communicated with nearby players that they obtained strategies to overcome the battle. Finally, they passed this stage.

"Yay!" Lumine had been playing all day without realizing it, and even Paimon, a food lover, had forgotten to eat. It was evident how captivating the game was to them.

Through this series of quests and storylines, Lumine became familiar with Mondstadt, its important characters, including the diligent and responsible Jean, the silent and wise Diluc, the eloquent Kaeya, and the knowledgeable librarian Lisa, and many others. It felt as if they were truly experiencing an adventure just like in the game.

"Now that we have the skyward sonnet, we should be able to save Dvalin and eliminate Mondstadt's dragon calamity!"

Paimon clapped her tiny hands. However, an unexpected event occurred on Starsnatch Cliff! The Abyss Mage appeared and destroyed the Skyward Sonnet in Venti's hands. Accompanied by the Abyss Mage's mocking laughter, the mission to save Dvalin was declared a failure.

"How could this happen?" Paimon clenched her fist with force, clearly letting her emotions take over. Lumine also sighed helplessly. It wasn't going to be that easy after all.

However, at that moment, the screen suddenly shifted, and the perspective shifted to another person.

"Your Highness, your servant has brought another victory for you," the Abyss Mage bowed respectfully to the figure in front of him.

The man in front slowly turned around, his deep eyes and cold expression.

He was none other than the [Prince] served by the Abyss Order. Lumine's pupils suddenly contracted, and her hands trembled involuntarily. This person was so familiar yet unfamiliar. She whispered his identity in disbelief.

"Brother...!?"

The person before her was undoubtedly Lumine's blood relative who had been separated for a hundred years—her own brother!

But... how could he become the prince of the Abyss Order? And since he had awakened and come to Mondstadt, why hadn't he come out to see her and explain everything?

Countless questions filled Lumine's mind, even drowning out Paimon's calls for her attention.

Suddenly, Lumine thought back to the character selection screen at the beginning, where there were silhouettes of a male and a female character. At that time, neither she nor Paimon had given it much thought, and they had chosen the character with female features.

Now, thinking about it, wasn't the silhouette of the male character her brother's image? Lumine realized she had made a massive mistake.

Could it be that choosing "empty" meant playing the game from an empty perspective? This way, perhaps all her questions could be resolved.