Chapter 6: Free Ticket to Mondstadt

Special thanks to LonelyParadox for wonderful editing!

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***

Dawn Winery was the chief winery in Mondstadt under the rule of the Ragvindr Family. The last member of the Ragvindr Family, Diluc had recently returned from his journey across the seven nations. The day he returned to Mondstadt was the day he assumed his duty as the new Master of Dawn Winery.

Tonight, Diluc had just come home after doing what he did best: vanquishing all who threatened the safety of Mondstadt under a disguise. He was the dark hero of Mondstadt. As he took off his eagle mask and gloves, a faint sound reached him. He looked outside the window to see a tree crashing just outside the field.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 'An intruder? Did the Fatui trail me to Mond?'

It was highly unlikely. Why would Fatui knock down a tree instead of knocking at his doorstep? Something didn't add up.

'A drunk woodcutter?'

The City of Freedom had its fair share of drunkards doing the weirdest things one could imagine.

Diluc put on his glove embedded with a Delusion and grabbed a torch. He set out on the path between the fields emanating the fresh scent of grapes, with a torch guiding him.

Soon, he found a figure standing under the cliff, basking in the glow of moonlight. A man whose emerald eyes gleamed in the darkness. Diluc hastened his steps and approached the man responsible for the chaos in his territory.

Diluc stopped a few meters before the stranger and scrutinized his appearance, a habit he picked up throughout his journey. The young man's clothes were in tatters. Yet, he wasn't like the homeless people outside Mondstadt whose gazes burned with hatred for the world. The man before Diluc carried a refined smile, one that couldn't match his ragged shirt.

'His clothing and features resemble Mondstadters or Snezhnayans. A spy or an assassin perhaps?'

Rather than a Fatui mark, the man had violet tattoos on his arms reminiscent of Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon, making Diluc all the more curious about his origin.

The cat by the man's side suddenly snarled, its golden eyes warning Diluc to stay away. In the deep darkness of night, its golden eyes shone like gemstones.

While Diluc admired Makoto, Orion took the time to evaluate Diluc, the man that drove him to quit the game. Diluc was a tall and slender man with pale skin, red eyes, and bright red hair worn in a low ponytail reaching to his mid-back. He wore a dark brown coat with golden trimmings and black pants. An outfit perfect for the tycoon of Mondstadt.

Once a captain of the Knights of Favonius—the order of knights that protected Mondstadt—now Diluc was an avid hater of nearly every knight in Mondstadt.

"Your cat isn't fond of strangers," Diluc remarked, his tone reserved. "Did you cut down that tree?"

Orion smiled. He could understand Teyvat's language just fine.

"A humongous boar struck the tree," Orion said in an exaggerated tone. "Then it ran into the forest. You can ask Makoto if you don't believe me."

Orion forced Makoto to nod alongside in testimony. "Even my cat agrees."

Orion wasn't going to pick a fight with Diluc, one of the most influential figures in Mondstadt. He could live without knights hunting him down twenty-four-seven. So he used his worst card: playing the fool.

Diluc narrowed his eyes. "Are you drunk?"

Orion's act could have fooled the knights since their heads were too deep in the wine jars. But Diluc didn't buy into Orion's lie, or rather, something else caught Diluc's attention. The jiggling slime secretions lying on the ground. The tiny frozen parts of the river suggested the species of slime Orion fought.

Diluc looked back at Orion with a frown. "Did you kill the Cryo slimes with your fists?"

"We fought for hours." Orion sighed before rubbing his cheeks against Makoto's face. "I would have died without Makoto's help. She is my angel."

Diluc naturally didn't believe half of what Orion said.

"You shouldn't be fighting elemental lifeforms without a weapon. Once they gang up on you, it's checkmate."

Diluc wasn't fond of chitchat but he still warned the man lest he ended up dying someday. At his core, he was still a man from Mondstadt, where people smiled when they were happy and cried when they were sad. People with honest hearts, at least most of them.

"Thanks for the suggestion. I'm Orion." Orion extended his hand as a gesture before quickly pulling back. The less Diluc took notice of the void marks, the better. "Can you tell me the directions to Mondstadt? I and Makoto heard so much praise about the City of Freedom… my father's last regret was not ever stepping in the land of Mondstadt and drinking its signature wine."

Diluc's face became serious at the mention of the word 'father.' A swirl of emotions flared in his red eyes before he inhaled a deep breath, regaining his calm expression.

Orion naturally noticed the emotions bubbling under Diluc's calm exterior.

'Childhood trauma?'

"You are going on foot?" Diluc lowered the torch, looking towards the moon. "Mondstadt is dozens of miles away."

"I don't have Mora to get a carriage… I was going to earn money in the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild."

Orion recalled the Adventurer's Guild in Mondstadt that provided money for doing various commissions like every adventurer guild in Isekai. He could live as an adventurer while learning to harness the powers of his talents. Mondstadt was the best base bar for the Stormterror incident, which happened the day Traveler entered the city.

'I don't know if I'm in the same timeline.'

Diluc nodded. For a man to defeat Cryo slimes with bare hands, Orion indeed possessed the qualifications to be an adventurer. However, the road to Mondstadt was filled with hilichurls and various dangerous monsters.

"I'll be going to Mondstadt tomorrow morning through a carriage. You can come with me."

Diluc pondered heavily before he decided to invite Orion. He suspected Orion of being a spy sent to infiltrate Mondstadt's walls.

'The cat is innocent…'

The black cat, Makoto, played a big role in his decision.

Orion flashed a grin. His travel time would be cut down tremendously with a carriage. "That's so generous of you."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Diluc asked as he turned around and gazed at the manor in the distance. "You can—"

"I can manage out here. Thanks for the offer though." Orion could see Diluc's wariness towards him, so he refused the offer with a polite smile. "Can you prepare a pair of clothes for me tomorrow? My shirt got ruined during the war of endurance. I'll pay back after earning some Mora."

Orion had no choice but to request a change of clothes, all because of the stupid, demonic-looking marks.

Diluc nodded, unsure if his clothes would fit Orion. "Diluc, of Mondstadt."

After all the interrogation, Diluc gave his name. After a few more words, Orion said his goodbyes and walked towards the forest.

Diluc watched the duo of man and car disappear in the shade of trees.

'He'll fit right in with the people of Mondstadt… only if he isn't a spy. If he is one.'

Murderous intent surged in Diluc's eyes.

'I'll deal with him.'

The betrayal from his close brother and his recent trip made Diluc wary of every person outside of his personal sphere.

***

Meanwhile, Mona Megistus was walking down a road that led her to the Stone Gate, the border between the nations of Mondstadt and Liyue. Since her knowledge of everything related to Liyue was limited, she had to ask one of Millelith some geography questions. For she came to realize the meaning of "A Rock and a Breeze."

Geo element and Anemo element, or simply the nations related to these elements: Liyue and Mondstadt. The Stone Gate was the place where these places met through the connection of two enormous cliffs.

'The stars are weaving my destiny. But why?'

She could read her constellation to find more about this destined encounter. However, an astrologist prying into their fate could twist the alignment of the stars. Her master warned her not to scry her fate unless she was left with no choice.

'In Mondstadt, I can complete the task that hag gave me.'

Even if she was late, going to Mondstadt wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

Her stomach suddenly groaned, desiring what she couldn't afford in her current financial situation. Gazing at the stars, a sigh slipped past her lips.

'Payday is still a week away… I'll have to survive until then... somehow.'