AWVW : PTS : Another Visitor

"Hmm….let's see who the other competitors are! Beidou said that they had to be renowned fighters. We should get an overview of our competition!"

The two walked towards a gruff-looking man with a mustache.

"Hello! Are you here to compete in The Crux Clash?"

The man turned towards them, smirking.

"You bet I am, have you put your names down yet?"

"Not yet. We wanted to take a look around first."

"Well then, I'd have a look at the entrance criteria if I were you. The Clash is a comprehensive test of fighting ability. Anyone who turns up for show over skill is gonna get their butt handed to them."

"Yeah, we heard a rule about that. So Paimon's wondering... are you a renowned fighter?"

"Hahaha, me? Only a former runner-up in the Chihu Rock Freestyle Combat Summit! Oh yeah…"

"Runner up…", Lumine repeated quietly, trying hard to mask the disbelief in her voice.

Paimon, on the other hand, didn't care to mask her doubt.

"Uh-huh... Also, that doesn't sound like the most official tournament out there…"

"What!?" The man's eyes widened. "You... Nonsense! Have you been living under a rock? It's been going on for years! There were plenty of competitors when I took part! Not to mention, I've helped the Millelith catch Treasure Hoarders before! There were two of them trying to escape — I soon sorted them out. They tried to sneak past me under the cover of darkness... Ha! They didn't know what hit 'em. I planted a left hook on the skinnier one's face and sent him flying. Then, the big guy pulled out a knife! I stood my ground, of course. A roundhouse kick sent the blade hurtling into a beam above us."

"Sounds, uh... impressive", Lumine offered. She had tuned out around half of his speech after she heard "two".

"Hahaha, I told you! Unarmed, outnumbered two to one, but I still got the upper hand! I'm not saying I came out completely unscathed of course, but the fact remains that I did manage to subdue both of them... AND hand them over to the Millelith. I received quite the commendation! Oh yeah…"

"Uh-huh... But for us, even four-"

"Thanks for letting us know", Lumine cut in quickly before dragging Paimon away.

"I'll see you in the arena. Tsk, but I don't plan on losing to a pair of children any time soon!"

After the two made some distance between themselves and the man, Paimon turned towards Rebound.

"Hey, what was that for!?"

"Be a little bit more aware, Paimon. Are you trying to rile him up? We're not trying to cause a scene here."

"Alright, alright."

The two then walked over to a young male who was stretching out his calves.

"Oh, hello. Are you here for The Crux Clash too? If so... seems I've found myself another new adversary."

"So you're also here for the tournament?"

"You better believe it. I…."

After finishing up the conversation, Lumine sighed. Another questionable participant, she thought, Maybe the two over there were more promising?

"Hi there, are you here for The Crux Clash too?"

The girl smiled.

"That's right. Nothing beats real-life combat for honing your skills. That's what our master taught us….."

After finishing that conversation, the two made their way to just behind a nearby tree to recap their encounters.

"So basically", Paimon started, "We're up against an inflated ego, gullible guys paying way too much for their kung fu classes, and another who's just... really average….Uh…."

"My winning chances are pretty high huh…"

"Well, c'mon then! Let's go sign up!

Walking towards the small table, Lumine stood at the end of the line. One…two…three….it seems there were at least another handful of registrants, but the line moved quickly and Lumine found herself one person away from the table table where a woman sat with a couple sheets of paper and writing tools.

"Qingce Village Armwrestling Champion, huh... Alright, you're signed up…", murmured the lady as the person in front of Lumine left.

"Next please... what's your name?"

"I'm Lumine"

"Lumine.... Wait! A—Aren't you...!?" The lady looked up, her eyes wide in surprise. Lumine smiled sheepishly back.

"Did I hear that right? Lumine?" "Is it really them?" "Huh? Aren't they a Vision bearer…?"

From behind her, Lumine could feel the shock, suspicion, and awe radiating from the people in line. She thought about turning around when hearing the Vision question, but was stopped when the lady began to speak again.

"Uh... I—I have to ask... aren't you the traveler that helped Liyue fight off that ancient god...?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

That caused another round of loud whispers.

"It's really her!" "The one that spoke with Lady Keqing at the Rite of Parting!" "Oh! Oh! I wonder if I can get her autograph later?"

"Ah, ahem", the lady coughed into her hand, quickly shushing the others. "I—I trust you are aware that... only those without Visions can enter the tournament?"

"I don't have a Vision."

"Really? B—But from what I've heard, the things you're capable of in combat are... nothing short of extraordinary... You walk into the most dangerous situations imaginable, face off against all sorts of monsters — even the Fatui — and always come out on top!"

Paimon, who until then had floated silently by, spoke up this time. "Yup! She doesn't have a Vision. See for yourself!"

Lumine did a slow turn to let the lady verify the claim.

"Ah, I see. My apologies, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sure a great hero like yourself would have no reason to lie. Now, could I ask you to provide a few claims to fame? It's just a formality for you, of course, but I have to make a record of competitors' achievements as part of the sign-up process…"

The lady quickly scribbled down some words before looking back up at Lumine.

"So far I've got "Defeated the ancient god, Osial," so that's one. Do you... have any others?"

Lumin thought for a moment before deciding to mention an honor she received previously. After all, Paimon would definitely mention whatever she didn't say.

"I'm the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius."

"Yeah! Also, don't forget to mention that previous battles include, but are not limited to "Stormterror" Dvalin and Fatui Harbinger, Childe", Paimon added cheerfully.

"Whoa…" "Might as well declare her the champion already."

Lumine blushed slightly, feeling slightly out of place with all the people staring at her.

"Okay, um... that's plenty... Actually, this is the most dazzling track record I've ever seen…Uh, anyway. Your registration is complete. Now, a brief word about the prize."

"Oh no need", Lumine interjected, "I've already talked with Captain Beidou about it. She promised to take us to Inazuma if we win the tournament."

"Oh. I see. Then I suppose you aren't interested in the vision. Anyway, the qualifying rounds are about to begin. I'll leave you to your preparation."

Lumine nodded a thank you before walking towards an edge of the island, far away from the other competitors and their gawking stares. As she stared out over the sea thinking about her brother, Paimon tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, so, Paimon's thinking about that whole "no Vision bearers" rule in this tournament. Even though you don't have a Vision, most people in Teyvat think that you can't manipulate the elements without one. So Paimon thinks you probably shouldn't use your elemental abilities during the tournament. Y'know, just to avoid any misunderstandings. It should be pretty easy for you anyway!"

"Makes sense."

Suddenly, a loud horn sounded from the arena, catching the two's attention.

"Paimon guesses that signals the start of the Crux Clash! Do you want to go watch some of the competitors? Although we met a bunch of…uh….subpar competitors, Paimon's sure that there's at least a handful of good ones there!"

"Sure."

The two sat down in the arena's stands next to a couple other people. The audience was buzzing with excitement and Lumine could hear cheers, discussions about competitors, and even bets being placed. Beidou, who was standing on an elevated floor, surveyed the crowd before suddenly pulling out her broadsword and slamming it down into the ground. In an instant, the crowd hushed itself and everyone turned towards the crimson captain.

"Welcome to the Crux Clash! I am Beidou, the tournament hoster! To my right is Miss Zhuhan, the lady who registered all of you and the representative of the Qixing. My friend here on the left is Kaedehara Kazuha. He is the supplier of this year's tournament prize! Juza, my chief mate, will be blowing the starting horn...."

After a brief description of the rules, processions, and the prize, Beidou smiled before gesturing to Zhuhan who gave her a slip of paper.

"Alright! Let's get this started. First up! The runner-up in the Chihu Rock Freestyle Combat Summit! And his opponent! A mysterious warrior known for defeating countless enemies on the battlefields! He is known as the…" Beidou paused for a moment, face scrunching in slight confusion as Zhuhan buried her head in embarrassment next to her.

"Anyway!" Beidou smiled as she tossed the slip of paper behind her before holding out her hands in front of her towards the arena.

"Please welcome Uncle Yun!"

The man waved to the crowd as he walked onto the Arena. The moment his foot hit the Arena, Lumine saw a couple people start cheering. Based on their dress and the smile that appeared on Uncle Yun's face after noticing them, they were probably from the same village.

Beidou waited until the cheers died down before announcing his opponent.

"Please welcome Lancer!"