Chapter 11: Aloof and Cold

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"What have you done?!" Amber exclaimed abruptly, placing her hands on her hips while scowling at me. "You've killed all the pigeons! Timmie will be upset, you know."

"Well, an Anemo-powered spear doesn't differentiate between quantities," I replied calmly. "And I need the money."

"But the mission only required five!"

"The remaining ones can also be sold. Who knows, maybe someone else will desire poultry meat."

In response to her reproachful expression, I mustered a faint smile. As an individual accustomed to diligently fulfilling her duties and adhering to rules, it was clearly displeasing for me to witness that. She had conducted my little demonstration under the assumption that I would limit myself to the required amount, but she hadn't anticipated my spear obliterating nearly fifteen birds in a single thrust.

"Come on, don't be angry," I gently placed a hand on her head. "Come here."

"Fueh."

Amber's rabbit ears twitched under my caress, and she emitted a peculiar sound.

Without casting another glance at her, I collected the loot scattered on the bridge – twenty-three birds. Poor Timmie, I'm certain he would be shocked to witness this.

As I approached the entrance to the city, the two guards stationed on either side of the gate expressed their approval with a thumbs-up, directing broad smiles at me.

"That was an impressive display, young man!"

"Your control over Anemo shows promise. If you aspire to join our group, the Knights of Favonius always welcome courageous individuals. Especially now that Grand Master Varka has recruited the most talented ones, wouldn't you be interested in joining?"

I attentively listened to the two Knights addressing me, but I had to decline their offer. Joining them would entail a permanent stay in Mondstadt, whereas what I yearned for the most was to explore the world with freedom.

With Amber returning to her usual cheerful demeanor, we strolled through the streets as she pointed out various points of interest to me. Finally, we halted in front of the Good Hunter.

It was a bustling eatery situated on the left side of the main street. Sara, the waitress, attended to customers behind her counter. It was quite popular, even having chairs and small round tables placed outside where a few people engaged in conversation.

After delivering the five pigeons that were ordered, the hazel-haired, red-eyed woman instructed me to drop off the bounty at the Adventurers Guild. That was the procedure: the client pays the Guild to post the mission with its reward, and once completed, the Guild delivers it to the adventurer.

Checking my Card, I saw that the assignment had already been crossed out in green, a sign of successful completion.

"I see you have quite a lot of pigeons here. By any chance, would you be interested in selling them? Of course, I'll pay you for them at the original price of 350 Mora each," Sara smiled brightly at me.

I readily agreed. After handing her the remaining 18 birds, I received the promised 6,300 Mora.

Back at the Guild, Katheryne stamped my card after completing the previous mission. In addition to the 1,750 Mora, she gave me four Chicken-Mushroom Skewers as a reward. Although it was somewhat unusual to receive food as payment, I couldn't help but salivate at the delicious temptation on my empty stomach.

"Take these two; I don't think I can eat them alone." I offered Amber. She had faithfully accompanied me. I would have liked to offer her a feast for her company so far, but for the moment, I could only hold out the skewers.

She took them with a bright smile. "Thank you! Although it wasn't necessary, I'm always happy to try meals."

I had to admit that the skewers really were delicious. The tender poultry meat was perfectly complemented by the juicy aromatic mushrooms. I could tell by Amber's expression that she was enjoying it too.

After finishing my meal, I cleaned my fingers. I couldn't help but notice the smear of sauce Amber had inadvertently left on her lips. Without thinking, I reached out to gently wipe it off.

Her cheeks immediately reddened at my gesture, shyly averting her gaze.

"Hey, don't do that! I-I'm not a little girl!"

"Sorry, sorry."

She puffed out her cheeks in a gesture of mock indignation, though her flaming ears betrayed her embarrassment. After a few seconds of avoiding looking me directly in the eye, she sighed and turned to me with a shy smile.

"Okay, I forgive you... for this one time. But in return, when we go out another day, you'll have to buy me lunch!"

"Oh, is that a subtle date invitation, Amber?"

"I-It's not a date, silly!" She squirmed in place. "I'm just saying you owe me a meal for your audacity, n-nothing more."

"Whatever you say." Not wanting her to explode from embarrassment, I accepted it with a laugh. "Consider that you have a feast pending. I'll pick the best place to properly compensate you."

"Um."

She seemed pleased with my response.

As the sun sank below the horizon, Amber suggested leaving my visit to the Headquarters for the next day. She politely said goodbye but asked me not to cause trouble.

She then pointed out the Goth Grand Hotel, known as the most luxurious inn in the area. It appeared that several important people were currently occupying its rooms. However, she directed me to another, more modest lodging on the other side of the grand hotel.

After walking for several minutes and ascending a broad concrete staircase, I reached a spacious front courtyard. At its center, a pond mirrored the final rays of sunlight. This location belonged to the Goth Grand Hotel, and its Victorian architecture stood out in somber hues of gray and dark green, creating an elegant contrast with the warm tones of the surrounding roofs. From there, I could also catch a glimpse of one of the massive windmills scattered throughout the city.

Facing the towering double doors of the Goth Grand Hotel stood a silent guard.

As I glanced away, something peculiar caught my attention through one of the windows. There was someone observing me from inside!

Due to the tinted glass, I couldn't discern her features clearly, but her gaze emanated intensity, as if she could set me ablaze with her eyes alone.

Without hesitation, I infused a touch of Anemo into my eyes, instantly sharpening and intensifying the colors around me. This enabled me to get a better look at the graceful woman within.

She was tall and pale, framing her golden hair with silver highlights and light gray eyes. Part of her long hair curled at the nape of her neck and fell over her right shoulder. A black earring decorated her left ear, contrasting with the mask of the same color that partially covered her right face, framing only one of her piercing eyes.

Ah, yes, great... if I recall correctly, this did not bode well. I mentally recollected the information about her that I had perused on the wiki...

She was a villainous character.

Aware of my increasing misfortune, I extended my hand in a greeting towards the woman, accompanied by a faint smile. Nevertheless, all I managed to elicit from her was a derisive snort before she averted her gaze and disappeared from the window.

You are quite aloof and cold, my dear.

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