A few minutes before heading to Starfell Valley
To be ready for monsters on the road, Noelle first picked out a good weapon, a greatsword that looked razor sharp.
But the weight of that sword wasn't something an ordinary woman could easily lift. Most men would struggle too.
Looking at the greatsword, then at Noelle's slender frame, the length and weight of that blade just didn't match her build at all.
Strong girls are terrifying. Bonanus had a feeling Noelle could outperform most men. Sometimes she wondered: if Noelle entered a weightlifting competition, could she take first place?
While getting her weapon ready, the thoughtful trainee knight also packed some trail rations and various emergency supplies.
After that, Noelle hurried to the office of the Knights of Favonius' Acting Grand Master. Why? To see Jean, of course.
As a trainee knight, she had to report this to Master Jean and follow the Acting Grand Master's instructions.
After hearing the details of the escort mission, Jean thought for a moment before approving it.
It went more smoothly than Noelle had expected.
Jean approved because she wanted this mission to give Noelle a chance to gain experience. Handing it to a trainee knight might not have been ideal, but Noelle's strength was clear to everyone. A knight couldn't train on wooden dummies forever.
Real combat was precious. And with other knights patrolling the area, things should be fine.
---
Starfell Valley might have been Mondstadt territory, but for ordinary people, it was still a long way off. That was without even considering monster attacks.
With good luck, half a day would be enough. Maybe even less. A noon departure could work.
But with bad luck, getting stuck there for a day or two wasn't impossible. That was especially true for adventurers in ruins, who could be trapped by traps for a week or even a month.
Some adventurers never made it out. Their souls stayed there, waiting for someone to bring them home, back to a place where the wind blows.
There were many ruins in Mondstadt. In Starfell Valley, undiscovered ruins and domains still waited for adventurers to find them.
These secrets and dangers fascinated young adventurers. Young people were always full of curiosity and the spirit of adventure.
If you did get trapped, your only hope was to be noticed by patrolling knights in the area. But the chances were slim. Few knights went near those ruins.
Forget the monsters inside. Ruin Guards were hard to deal with. For ordinary people without Visions, it took time to gather enough people.
They weren't like Grand Master Jean. Jean could take down a Ruin Guard and rip out its core, walking away with only minor injuries.
Though ordinary knights struggled against Ruin Guards, they could still succeed with good tactics.
The Adventurers' Guild also kept an eye on things. They issued search missions when people went missing.
In the game, how did the Traveler reach Mondstadt with their emergency food in just one day?
Only the Traveler could pull that off. Not only were they strong in battle, they were also fast. They could probably run a marathon.
The Traveler wasn't an ordinary person. Even without their original power, their foundation was solid. They were the main character, after all.
---
Back to the present.
Outside Mondstadt's main gate
Bonanus leaned against the entrance, chatting casually with the guard on duty. She asked questions, and the guard answered.
They were the kind of questions an older person would ask. Things like "Are you married?" "How old are you?" "How long have you been a knight?" "Do you have kids?" "How old are they?" "What's your favorite food?"
Bonanus was bored. She didn't need to gather any information, so she just chatted to pass the time.
The guard was completely thrown off by this Liyue girl. She looked like she wasn't even an adult yet, but she was asking such awkward questions.
Every question hit a sore spot. As a single working person, he understood that pain all too well.
He didn't really want to answer, but he forced himself. He was a knight, a symbol of Mondstadt. He couldn't embarrass himself.
Soon enough...
"Sister Fashui! Everything's ready. We can go!"
Noelle ran up with an explorer's backpack. It looked huge, stuffed full of things. It seemed the knight had prepared a lot.
A greatsword was strapped to the side of the backpack. It looked heavy. Add everything inside, and... well, strong girl wasn't just a title.
"Noelle, why did you bring so much?" Bonanus looked at her, confused.
She tried lifting the backpack. It wasn't something an ordinary person could handle. Most people couldn't even get it off the ground.
"We're just going to take a look, not go on an expedition. What did you even pack?"
The massive backpack looked like a schoolbag on Noelle's back. Even lighter, actually.
"I brought a sturdy tent, sleeping bags, emergency supplies, books, trail rations, a wilderness survival guide, a Flint and Steel for lighting fires..."
Noelle kept going. With so many things, could that explorer's backpack even fit it all? It seemed like a bottomless hole.
"Stop, stop. I understand emergency supplies, but why a tent? We're not going camping."
Bonanus covered Noelle's mouth with her soft, illusion-crafted hand. Her brow furrowed. A hundred question marks floated through her mind.
"Hehe, I was thinking of you, Sister. This is your first time in Mondstadt, so you're probably curious about everything here."
"You've never seen Mondstadt's famous scenery. If you suddenly wanted to spend a night outdoors and didn't have these things, you'd be disappointed."
"The night sky in Mondstadt is beautiful." Noelle stood a little straighter, her hands folded at her waist, smiling as if to say, "I'm thinking of you."
This girl thinks of everything. She was so adorable and thoughtful. Bonanus wondered who would be lucky enough to marry her.
The thought of some clueless man taking Noelle away made Bonanus upset. It was a shame she wasn't a man. If she were, she would marry this girl without hesitation.
Too bad the sky over Teyvat was fake. Some powerful outlander would have to uncover the truth someday.
As that thought crossed her mind...
---
Meanwhile, in Liyue
Wangshu Inn
"Achoo!" A young adeptus with dark green hair sneezed lightly. He rubbed his irritated nose, feeling annoyed for some reason.
"It can't be a cold... What is this unpleasant feeling?" Xiao said flatly.
He shook his restless head and sat at the highest point in Dihua Marsh, staring toward Mondstadt. He was practically a lovesick wife waiting for her husband.
No, that wasn't right. He was a lovesick younger brother waiting for his sister.
A lot had happened during this time. Bosacius was furious about the whole incident. He demanded to know why they hadn't waited for him. If they had, his little sister wouldn't have been hurt.
As for Menogias, he had woken up. At first, he was completely confused about everything, but after his family explained things, he slowly came to understand.
Menogias was now resting and recovering, with Bosacius taking care of him. Every day, all three of them thought about one thing: when would their little sister come home?
They missed her terribly.
---
Back to Mondstadt
"Noelle, you're so thoughtful. I wonder which lucky guy will end up with you someday." Bonanus gently squeezed Noelle's soft cheek. The texture was wonderful.
"Please... don't say things like that!" Noelle's face turned bright red. She clearly understood what Bonanus meant.
"I'm just joking. Everything's ready. Let's go." Bonanus smiled.
The two left Mondstadt's gate, walked onto the great stone bridge, and scattered the pigeons along the way. Luckily, Timmie wasn't there, or the boy would have started crying.
Now the real journey began.