Chapter 8: The Scum Traveler

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Lumine arrived at the church entrance and noticed everyone holding their phones, immediately realizing what was happening. Damn Lin Feng, always stirring up trouble!

"Everyone, please be quiet! Miss Barbara is praying inside. Let's remain respectful and not disturb her peaceful life!" Lumine stood before the crowd, raising her voice.

"That's right! You know this is illegal, don't you? If you don't leave now, we'll call the Knights of Favonius!" Paimon chimed in, expressing clear disapproval on her face.

Albert stepped forward, scratching his head. "No need to involve the Knights, we were just here to sweep away the fallen leaves from the church entrance!"

"Hmm? Sweeping leaves? We already helped with that earlier today. Using the same excuse again?" Paimon glared angrily at Albert, implying dissatisfaction with their previous cleaning efforts.

"Oh, I forgot. I'll leave right away!" Embarrassed, Albert quickly departed.

Seeing their fervent fan leader depart, the rest of the crowd gradually dispersed as well.

"Traveler and Paimon, thank you so much!" Barbara expressed her gratitude, looking appreciatively at both of them.

"No need, it's alright!" Paimon hastily waved her hand and interrupted Lumine once again.

"Barbara, could you sing a song for us?" Lumine suddenly turned to Barbara and asked.

Paimon looked at Lumine with surprise, slightly annoyed, "Hey, Traveler, how could you? We just chased away those fans, and now you're asking this!"

"Paimon, didn't you want to hear her too? You even said you've never heard such beautiful singing before!" Lumine glanced at Paimon, sounding somewhat scornful.

Paimon scratched her head, giving an awkward smile, "Hehe, that was when Miss Barbara willingly sang for us on her own. But why bring it up now?"

Blushing, Barbara clutched the edge of her dress, "If the Traveler wishes to hear me sing, I'd be happy to perform!"

"Great! The Traveler really wants to listen!" Paimon quickly responded, causing Lumine's lips to twitch slightly - What kind of Emergency Food is she?!

The trio entered the church together. Barbara cleared her throat and began to sing:

"Dalara... Di-lara..."

Lumine's face lit up with enjoyment; no wonder she was Mondstadt's beloved idol—her voice truly sounded beautiful. Quickly, Lumine took out her phone and started recording audio. Seeing this, Paimon conjured her own phone from seemingly nowhere to film a video.

After what felt like ages, Barbara finally finished singing, looking bashfully at Lumine.

Paimon and Lumine promptly applauded, exclaiming simultaneously, "That was absolutely lovely!"

"Traveler, what is that device you're holding? I noticed many people outside had something similar." Barbara gazed curiously at Lumine's phone, seeking clarification.

"This, my dear, is a smartphone!" Paimon swiftly flew next to Barbara, captivated by the delightful scent emanating from her, which she found utterly enchanting.

"It has numerous uses, acting as both a Kamera for capturing moving images and a phonograph for recording sounds. Just now, the Traveler was preserving your voice using it," Paimon pointed at Lumine, betraying her without hesitation.

Blushing slightly, Barbara lowered her head and asked Lumine softly, "Traveler, could you please let me listen to the recording you just made?"

Lumine glanced at her phone, smiled, and nodded affirmatively, saying, "Here you go!"

Barbara took the phone and pressed play. Soon, her singing filled the air from the device.

After listening, Barbara sounded slightly anxious, asking, "Traveler, is my voice truly like that?"

She couldn't help but doubt it; the voice she heard daily didn't sound anything like this at all.

Paimon and Lumine both nodded affirmatively. Lumine, with a serious expression, reassured Barbara, "Yes, it's exactly like that!"

Barbara returned the phone to Lumine, her face full of surprise. It dawned on her that the voice she had always thought was hers was indeed different.

If someone else were present, they might have attempted to explain the theory behind sound propagation. Unfortunately, as Barbara, a devout follower of the Anemo Archon, such explanations would likely fall on deaf ears.

The Traveler and Paimon bid farewell to Barbara, who now showed keen interest in the smartphone. If placed within the church, it could allow prayers to the Anemo Archon even when she wasn't physically present.

As Victoria reached the bridge with Timmie leading the way, she noticed several individuals still purchasing phones from Lin Feng nearby.

"Aunt Victoria, he bullied me, sniffle..." Timmie pretended to wipe away tears, pointing dramatically at Lin Feng with apparent distress.

"Sir, why would you bully Timmie? He's just a child!" Victoria spoke calmly, but her words infuriated Lin Feng.

The "he's just a child" excuse immediately put Lin Feng on edge. With a mocking gaze, he retorted to Sister Victoria, "How have I bullied him? Does being a child give them the right to falsely accuse others? Did I hit or insult him?"

Victoria was left speechless. When she looked at Timmie, all he did was wipe his tears and continue crying. Seeing this, she realized that Timmie was likely lying.

"Timmie, tell Auntie, how did he bully you? Or could it be that you've mistaken someone else?" Victoria squatted down, her tone gentle and reassuring. If he weren't Sister Grace's son, she might not have been able to hold back her scolding!

Realizing he couldn't justify his claim, Timmie lowered his head and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, I...I mistook him for someone else!"

"Sir, my apologies. It seems children can sometimes have faulty memories!" Victoria gave an awkward smile as she apologized to Lin Feng, maintaining a friendly demeanor despite the situation.

"It's alright. In my opinion, children need more discipline; otherwise, they won't learn their lessons."

Lin Feng's anger subsided, primarily due to her comment resonating with him. With her now friendly demeanor, he couldn't hold onto his frustration any longer.

At that moment, Barbara approached, somewhat surprised, eyeing Lin Feng with curiosity at his peculiar hairstyle.

"Sister Victoria, what brings you here? Has someone been bullying Timmie again?" Naturally, Barbara recognized Timmie, as he often visited the church looking for his mother, frequently being bullied by others.

Victoria smiled awkwardly and said, "No, it was just a misunderstanding on Timmie's part!"

Remembering the purpose of her visit, Barbara nervously asked Lin Feng, "P-please... could you tell me if you're selling those cell phones?"

Barbara tended to feel anxious around strangers, except when dealing with her patients or close acquaintances.

"Yes, Miss Barbara, are you interested in buying one too?" Lin Feng smiled warmly and pulled out a pink cellphone, offering it to her.

"Th-thank you... How much is it in Mora?" Barbara took the phone, asking shyly.

"One thousand Mora!" Lin Feng smiled and held up one finger.

"Ah..." Feeling embarrassed, Barbara realized she hadn't brought that much Mora with her when she left home. Caught off guard by this predicament, she froze on the spot, her ears turning red.