As the two of them walked into the city, they saw many people greeting them normally along their way. Paimon Even began to wonder if she had been in Mondstadt for while before, but I've lost her memory of it. Why else was everyone so familiar with them? Lumine and Paimon decided they needed to investigate.
After a bit of talking around, they finally got a rough idea of the situation. It turned out that in Mondstadt, there was a "mobile gaming café" and in the mobile game there, Paimon and her were the protagonists who had experienced a remarkable adventure. They even earns the title of "honorary knight" after that adventure!
This.. appeared extremely bizarre, Lumine was certain that she had never been to Mondstadt before, so how could she become the protagonist in someone's game story?
"Hey Lumine why do you think this person calld Taylor, is so familiar with us?" Paimon couldn't help but ask. "Could it be that he has observed us before we came to Mondstadt?"
"Oh no, that's really scary to think about…"
" well regardless, I need to see what this game is all about!"
"Oh, all right Lumine, Paimon will come with you. Maybe we can find clues about your brother in this game!"
Yeah, maybe you're right, Paimon."
The inquired along the way and finally found the gaming café. However, they were deterred when they saw the price sign at the entrance.
" 10,000 Mora Per hour, this owner must want to earn money like crazy!" Paimon crossed her arms in protest.
"But look inside Paimon, there are a lot of people in there," Lumine pointed into the crowded gaming area. " Surely all these people couldn't have willingly fallen for a scam? There must be something truly worth this price about that game."
"Paimon doesn't care, The owner of this gaming café is clearly just a money hungry… lunatic!" Paimon said unconvinced.
Suddenly, a deep masculine voice behind them spoke. " You're right Paimon, I am indeed and money hungry lunatic. But my dear Paimon, it's not good to speak ill of others behind their back."
Paimon was startled and immediately dove into Lumine's arms. Lumine turned around and saw a man who appeared slightly older than her in appearance. you are handsome and stoic appearance with a commanding atmosphere around him. He was currently looking at her with a subtle smile.
"Could it be that you're the owner of the gaming café, Mr. McCall?"
" yes, I am, but please just call me Taylor." Taylor replied.
Upon their first meeting, Lumine found that her first impression of Taylor is very good. At the very least, he was respectable and did not appear to be the type who would be difficult to communicate with. What's more he was very attractive definitely her type. Lumine would be the 1st to admit that she may have judged him based on his appearance, but this was understandable as everyone's first impression is based on the others appearance.
" are you here to experience my mobile game? You should hurry and go in then. Eula is on front desk duty right now."
"We… um… don't have enough money…" Lumine said somewhat embarrassed.
Taylor smile when extended his hand forward, handing Lumine A small money punch. " Third is 20,000 mora inside, consider it your one time payment for royalties, you can go and experience the game first."
"Thank you very kindly." Lumine replied in gratitude.
Taylor nodded and didn't say much else before going on his way.
" Taylor… is really goodhearted" Lumine sighed as she wants Taylor's departing figure.
"Is that so?" Paimon finally came out of Lumine's embrace. " Paimon can't help but still feel of the way he looked at us was like a wolf eyeing a sheep."
Paimon…" Lumine pinched Paimon's Little cheek. " he's right you know, you shouldn't talk about people behind their backs."
"But I…"
" if you're so timid just from that, how and all of Tayvat are you going to travel with Me around the seven nations?"
"Hmph! It's just a mobile Game. Why would I be afraid of that?"
…
Inside the gaming café, Lumine saw almost all the seats were already occupied by other players. Even at such an early hour, they were already so many people here. If they waited much longer, there probably wouldn't be any seats left. She quickly purchased a temporary player card for two hours with assistance from the front desk staff,Eula.
Then with Eula's Help, She opens the game and logged into her account. Since entering this gaming café, she and Paimon has turned into children who couldn't take care of themselves. Without Eula's Assistance, they wouldn't know how to go through the procedures.
Sing the skilful actors of the players around them, They felt a sense of alienation, as if they were hunters who lived in the wild but are just now coming into modern society.
The arrival of these two attractive attention of most players, but I think cause as much of a sensation as when Venti personally, come and visited the gaming café. Some curious players, however came over to say hello.
After entering the game, And them watching their special opening, it took them about five minutes to figure out how the controls worked after reaching this point, Eula Left. Mainly because Taylor had instructed her what she need to do in advance; give them a specific account he set up for them and Don't watch or listen to the opening for their game. otherwise she would prefer to sit at the front desk and play on her own account. Eula Become a player who had gotten hooked, Her work was much easier so she would play the game at the front desk when she had free time. Just pulled a Klee yesterday, Eula imagined whether she and Taylor would have such a cute daughter together in the future, and then a blush appeared on her face. She felt that she was too wicked thinking of such a thing. She quickly shift her attention back to her game.
On the other hand, Lumine after learning the basic controls began wandering around the beach in the game.
" Wow! This female character looks exactly like you!" Paimon exclaimed.
" Can't you tell?… that is Me." Lumine quipped.
In truth, her heart was far from calm. Identity as a "Traveler from beyond the stars" have been revealed in this game is opening animation. She had become the protagonist of this story despite setting foot in this land properly for the first time. Lumine would see what kind of story her character would experience in this game.
Of course there was another crucial point of interest for her. She heard that this game had incorporated many important elements from the real world. So her brother also appear in the storyline.
===
Two hours past by very quickly, especially for novice players. Lumine and Paimon, after becoming familiar with the games controls started following the games story.
They arrived at a statue of the seven, Lumine Touch the statue and gained the power of Anemo. Isn't this exactly what they experienced a few hours ago? It felt like they were re-watching a memory from a third person perspective.
However, deviation occurs in the following events. As they made their way to Mondstadt they didn't encounter the flying dragon in the sky, The young man who could converse with his dragon, nor the enthusiastic outrider Amber. Instead they walked unhindered right into the city.
In the game plot however, Mondstadt was suffering from the "Stormterror crisis" but in reality it was peaceful and serene. After battling the dragon in the sky, then they received a audience with the acting grandmaster.
Lumine and Paimon we're completely engrossed in the story. " It's like witnessing the events of another timeline." Paimon said in awe.
Lumine nodded, The immersion was indeed strong and even more so for her, but at that moment I notification on the phone screen indicated her time was up.
"Oh, we've played for two hours already!"
"Indeed… two hours have already passed," Lumine said while glancing at the clock on the wall.
"But Paimon really wants to know what will happen next," Paimon looked at Lumine with hope her eyes.
Lumine shrugged her shoulders in resignation they couldn't just ask the good hearted Taylor for more Mora after he had already given them 20,000 Mora.
The two left the gaming café feeling very frustrated.
"Paimon there's never realised just how important money is!"
" How would we be able to make money quickly?"
Lumine's Curiosity was now piqued, but their pockets were empty.
"Oh right, in the game, there's an adventurers guild. According to the lady named Katheryne, we can become adventures since he got commissions to earn mora!"
" if there's a corresponding guild in reality, we should be able to join it."
"Paimon, sometimes you really are clever!"
The two immediately headed for the adventurers guild, and Lumine, Who had just obtained her elemental powers, was eager to pray herself the most challenging commissions and earn a hefty sum of mora.
However, when Lumine saw the contents of the commission, her enthusiasm was quickly extinguished.
" Isn't the difficulty of this commission too high?… we have to go deep into Dragonspine."
" Well, it is the highest difficulty commission," Katheryne in front of the guild explained with her standard smile. " if you want to earn Mora quickly, I would recommend starting with these daily commissions."
On the following day, A strange phenomenon occurred all around Mondstadt. A golden haired adventure With her little companion room all around the city, taking on various daily commissions from the residents.
…
After nightfall, Taylor and Eula return to the second floor. Most of the players by now I could manually activate their accounts and they were willing to respect the trust given to them. After all those who came to experience the game were genuinely not short on funds. The younger players Might appear Inexperienced, their families were well-off.
Moreover, there were often some prominent figures from the Knights of Favonius or the Favonius Church Who came to play, and the players were all very friendly and courteous to one another another. Taylor is at the 20th of each month as membership day, offering a double bonus for every recharge. As a result, everyone had Sufficient account currency, and there was no need for them to recharge for their accounts in the short term.
This means the front desk staff almost redundant, Super for them went to rest early.
Eula had purchased a sufficient to mind of ingredients and went to the kitchen on the second floor. She would prepare dinner and supper for Taylor in the evenings. This period of time was her "cherished moments of happiness" for Eula. Because Taylor would enjoy the food she cooked and she could enjoy chatting with him casually about whatever matter crossed her mind.
"The travel arrived today."
" yeah, I know I'm met them before they went in." Taylor said chucking. Hey, used 20,000 Mora as bait, and Lumine and Paimon Took that bait hook line and sinker. There is still bustling around the city trying to earn more mora.
" speaking of which, Many players initially thought that the "Traveler" what's the projection of yourself in the game, but it turns out she truly exists."
" well of course, my greatest pride in Genshin Impact is this correspondence to reality." this was also why Taylor's mobile game was so popular all throughout Mondstadt. There was even rumours that recently the news of the game had reached the neighbouring nation of Liyue, and many wealthy Mercantiles (merchants) in Liyue we're itching across the border so they could experience this legendary mobile game themselves.
" by the way, Taylor, have you considered adding yourself into the game?"
Taylor shook head with a light smile. " no, I believe you'd be more suitable as a character in Genshin Impact."
Eula started blushing. " Taylor, please don't me. I'm not nearly as popular as you are in Mondstadt."
"Don't worry I'll let you experience your characters story before launching it."
Eula was quite surprised. She thought Taylor was just making a casual remark, But it seems like he was dead serious.
She instinctively wanted to refuse, But there was also a hint of anticipation and eagerness in her heart. If it was Taylor, what kind of character would he create her to be?
…
"Ah, Paimon's exhausted!"
Paimon sat on Lumine's shoulder appearing completely drained of energy.
Lumine gently remove pain from her shoulder and gave her a disapproving look. " Been the one doing commissions all day. You've just been floating around tagging along. What's there for you to be tired about?"
" my illusionary limbs for flying are sore." Paimon replied.
Lumine shook her head and raised her hand, shaking the bag of Mora she had earned. " finally earned 100,000 Mora…"
"They're saying the gaming café has a promotion on the 20th of each month, Were they will double your recharge amount."
"No, I can't bare to wait any longer. I want to play the game right now." Lumine search with absolute determination. More money can be earned later, but if she didn't play the game, she felt she would not be able to sleep in peace tonight.
Upon arriving at the Mobile game café…
"Hmmm, it seems like Taylor and Eula aren't here? But the players are still quite here playing the game."
" in that case, We can't recharge now. Looks like we have no choice but to wait until tomorrow."
At this point Paimon poked Lumine's arm and said, " actually we can just be spectators watching doesn't cost any money!"
" we definitely can't do that; would ruin our own immersion for the games story." Lumine stated firmly.
"We'll just have to wait one night. We must experience the entirety of the game story firsthand to understand Mondstadt and our own experiences from the story."
With a heart full of expectations, they waited throughout the night.
When Taylor came join from the second floor early in the morning, Lumine and Paimon rushed up to him.
" Taylor, we have set up an account and want to recharge 100,000 mora!"
"Oh? It's a pity that today is the 26th but… since you're newcomers to Mondstadt, I'll give you The bonus for the 20th today, recharge 100,000 mora you will get a bonus of 100,000 mora."
Upon hearing this Lumine's face was filled with surprise and joy, and Paimon Rubbed her hands in delight. "Taylor is a truly a generous businessman!"
…
In this pleasant mood, Lumine and Paimon Began their journey in the game. First, they cleared the four winds temples to familiarise themselves with a compact mechanics of the game. Paimon provided strategic advice, While Lumine Control control the characters. They both had a great time.
Next the encountered the bard Venti, Who plan to steal the "holy lyre der Himmel" to help Dvalin. After the Fatui stole it first The devolved into the Fatui base to reclaim the holy lyre. Within this domain Lumine daced her biggest challenge yet. She was defeated several times in the showdown against the Fatui agent on the cusp of just giving up. It was only after Paimon Talked with the nearby players, they obtained some strategies to Gain victory in the battle. Finally, they passed this stage.
"Yes!" Lumine had been playing all day without realising it, And even Paimon, food junkie, had forgotten to eat. It was evidence just how captivating the game was to them.
Through the series of quests and Story, Lumine became familiar with Mondstadt, And it's important characters, including the diligent and responsible Jean, The silence and trusting Diluc, The eloquent Kaeya and the knowledgeable librarian Lisa, And many others. It felt as if they were truly experiencing this adventure that was happening in the game.
"Now that we have the holy lyre, We should be able to save Dvalin and put an end to the Stormterror crisis!"
Paimon clapped her tiny hands. However, an unexpected turn occurred on Starsnatch Cliff! The abyss mage appeared and damaged the holy lyre in Venti hands. Accompanied by the abyss mage's mocking laughter the mission to save Dvalin was deemed a failure.
"How could this happen?" Paimon Clenched her little fist with force, Clearly letting her emotions take control. Lumine also sighed helplessly, it wasn't gonna be that easy after all.
However, at that moment the screen shifted, and the perspective shifted to another person.
" your highness… your humble servant returns" the Abess mage bowed respectfully to the figure before it.
The man in front slowly turned around eyes emotionlessly cold.
He was none other than the [Prince] who led the Abess Order. Lumine's Pupil suddenly dilated, And her hands tremble involuntarily. This person who was so familiar to her, yet currently unfamiliar. She whispered his identity in disbelief.
"Brother…!?"
===
The person before her was undoubtably her twin had been separated for hundreds of 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 haven't he come to see her and explain everything?
Countless questions started filling Lumine's mind, even drowning out Paimon's calls for her attention.
Suddenly, Lumine stop back to the character selection screen at the beginning after witnessing her and her brother fight against the unknown God, there was a male and female character silhouette. At the time for some reason neither she or Paimon had given it a single thought as they choose the female character.
No, that she was thinking about it, Wasn't the silhouette of the male character, her brother? Lumine realise she may have made a massive mistake.
It'll be that choosing Ather meant playing the game from Ather's perspective? This way, perhaps all her questions would be answered.