The Hilichurl camp marked on the map was just a little ahead of the Pigeon Bridge, conveniently close to a teleport waypoint. A round trip wouldn't take more than a few dozen minutes.
Fischl had initially wanted to accompany Su Mo and the others on this task, hoping to look after the newly-registered adventurer. Unfortunately, as an official investigator for the Adventurers' Guild, she had her own assignments to complete. Regretfully, she had to part ways.
"The dark tyrant of fate... this Prinzessin eagerly awaits our next encounter!" she declared, reluctantly taking her leave.
Using the teleport waypoint, Su Mo and the others quickly arrived at the designated area. In the distance, they spotted a few Hilichurls milling around, organizing their crude camp. Once upon a time, back when he had just begun traveling with Lumine, Su Mo would have instinctively fled from a group like this. But now? These were nothing but weaklings.
"Hear me, Hilichurls! Your emperor has returned!" Su Mo called out boldly.
Before Lumine could even assess the situation, Su Mo had already marched forward. Rich or poor, a man must always return in glory; thirty years the river flows east, thirty years west—today, he would show these monsters how far he had come.
"Yaya!" The Hilichurls looked up, shouting in their strange guttural tones.
Su Mo smiled warmly and responded in kind. "MosiMita!" — I'm happy to see you.
Then, without warning, he dove straight into the camp, unleashing a violent flurry of attacks. It was like a tornado had swept through—within seconds, the entire Hilichurl encampment was in ruins, its residents lying unconscious amid the debris.
Watching the carnage unfold, Lumine and Paimon exchanged helpless glances.
"Was Su Mo just... talking to them?" Paimon asked, scratching her head, still baffled by what she'd heard earlier.
"It did sound like the Hilichurlian language... but how does Su Mo even know it?" Lumine was surprised. Hilichurlian was distinct and filled with emotional inflection. Even though she didn't understand it herself, she could clearly recognize the patterns in Su Mo's speech.
"Wait, wait!" Paimon's eyes widened in realization. "You remember half a month ago, when we were starving because we couldn't find any food? And Su Mo went off alone, then came back with meat for all of us? He said his Hilichurl friends gave it to him. I thought he was joking, but maybe... he really meant it!"
Thinking back on it, Paimon realized that Su Mo might have learned their language long ago. It wasn't a joke—it had been the truth all along.
"But... didn't he say he got fished out of a lake by Lumine after crossing into this world?" Paimon frowned. "If that's true, when did he ever have time to learn Hilichurlian?"
That question stumped both of them. Lumine pondered for a moment, but with no clear answers, she simply shrugged.
"Maybe, like me, Su Mo had been in this world before... and just forgot. We both lost our memories, after all."
"Huh... yeah, that would make sense." Paimon nodded. If it was memory loss, there really wasn't much they could say.
Meanwhile, Su Mo had already finished his rampage. The Hilichurl camp was nothing more than a pile of wreckage, and all its residents were unconscious. Lumine snapped back to attention.
"Paimon, time to search for treasure!"
"On it!" Paimon shouted, immediately perking up.
Looting a defeated enemy camp was second nature to Lumine and Paimon by now. According to Su Mo, the two of them had a natural-born talent for locating treasure chests—neither would ever let one slip by unnoticed.
Before long, they had thoroughly cleaned out the place. From vegetables and meat stashed in barrels, to Mora and weapons hidden on the Hilichurls themselves—nothing was spared. Lumine even peeled the masks off the Hilichurls' faces. Everything of value was neatly stored away in Paimon's inventory space.
When they were finally done, not a single item remained. The camp was barren. As they packed up and prepared to leave, a sharp voice rang out from above.
"Adventurers up ahead, please wait a moment!"
The voice came from the sky. The group looked up and saw a figure gliding toward them.
"A glider?" Lumine recognized the tool immediately.
"No skirt? That's minus points," Su Mo muttered, though his expression lit up in recognition.
That red outfit... that unmistakable energy...
It was her. The Burning Torch, the Scorcher of Brambles—Amber herself!
The girl landed in a graceful arc, the wind cushioning her descent as she flipped and landed nimbly on her feet. She wore a red headband with ear-like accessories on her head and had a bright, youthful aura. Straightening up, she offered a knight's salute.
"May the Anemo Archon bless you, fellow adventurers!" she greeted them warmly, her posture upright and proud.
"I am Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius," she declared. "You two look unfamiliar. I take it you're new adventurers who've just arrived in Mondstadt?"
Her tone shifted slightly, more official, clearly trying to confirm the identities of these strangers.
"Knights of Favonius?" Lumine blinked. She remembered someone mentioning them yesterday—they were Mondstadt's official protectors and peacekeepers.
"W-Wait, calm down! We're not suspicious people!" Paimon flailed her arms, clearly flustered.
Amber raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Suspicious people always say that."
Her gaze then lingered on Paimon, visibly intrigued.
"Are you here on a commission from the Adventurers' Guild?" she asked pointedly.
Amber furrowed her brow as she looked at the wreckage around her. She had cleared Hilichurl camps before, but to do it with this level of thoroughness? That was something else entirely. The camp hadn't just been defeated—it was annihilated. Even the sturdier barricades had been reduced to splinters. There was no way this kind of destruction could be caused by someone without a Vision.
Immediately, her assessment of the group in front of her rose a notch.
"Hmm." Lumine nodded and handed over the commission form from the Adventurers' Guild.
"As I thought," Amber muttered to herself after reading it. "Lately, Hilichurl camps have been popping up more and more around Mondstadt. Without help from adventurers, things could really get out of hand."
After murmuring to herself, she shifted her gaze back to Su Mo and the others. Finally, her eyes landed on Paimon.
"Thank you for your contribution to Mondstadt," Amber said politely. "But… what's the deal with this floating mascot? Is she a companion of yours?"
Adventurers with great strength weren't uncommon. But a floating creature like Paimon? That was something Amber had never seen before.
Hearing her question, both Lumine and Su Mo paused for a moment, seemingly unsure how to respond. Then, simultaneously, they gave very different answers.
"Paimon's our emergency food!" said Lumine.
"She's a cup," Su Mo added calmly. (T/N: Something's wrong with him)
Paimon froze, then turned toward Lumine, arms akimbo and fuming. She stomped her feet in the air—if that were even possible.
"Emergency food?! That's even worse than being called a mascot!" she complained.
She then spun toward Su Mo. "And what do you mean, a cup?!"
Clearly baffled by Su Mo's bizarre terminology, she couldn't even muster a proper rebuttal.
"You'll understand when you're older," Su Mo replied vaguely, intentionally avoiding further explanation—lest Amber decide to arrest him on the spot for nonsense.
Amber chuckled lightly, watching their interaction. "Seems like you all get along well."
Then her expression turned serious. "By the way, there's been a dragon sighted near Mondstadt recently. Judging by your strength, it may not be a threat to you, but please still be cautious."
Because she now knew they were affiliated with the Adventurers' Guild, Amber didn't press them further. Nor did she insist on escorting them back to the city. She simply issued her warning and left it at that.
"A dragon?!" Paimon blinked in surprise.
She remembered the bard from yesterday—the one who was speaking with a dragon. Could it be that the creature really was a danger to humans?
"You saw signs of the dragon?" Amber's eyes narrowed as she noticed Paimon's reaction. As a scout knight, tracking the dragon was one of her key responsibilities.