Chapter 9: A New Storm? Or a New Opportunity
"Do you think I'm old?" Ember looked at Amber. Although he was indeed very old, Ember still felt like a young lad at heart.
"Hehe, I just think only an old-fashioned uncle would wear such heavy armor." Amber scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, call me whatever you want. I'm not someone who cares about these things anyway." Ember shrugged, then shouted towards Galara and Collei inside the house:
"Hurry up and eat! Someone's looking for you to play!"
Amber didn't refute either. She had specially taken a day off today to help Collei adapt to life in Mondstadt.
"Oh, I don't know your name yet, do I?" Ember was about to greet Amber, but then he realized he didn't even know her name, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I'm Amber, a scout knight from the Knights of Favonius!" Amber said with a bright smile when she heard Ember's question.
Ember nodded. She was indeed a cheerful girl. He reached out and pulled Amber into the house, saying:
"Amber, right? I'm Ember, the one who eats like a beast is Galara, and the one next to her is Collei."
"Wha... What did you say?!" Galara, with her cheeks bulging full, wanted to refute Ember's words.
"Alright, alright, I know you're a lady. Finish your meal first, then talk!" Ember waved his hand, dismissing Galara.
"We're planning to go buy new clothes. Amber, will you join us?" Ember asked Amber, who was already sitting at the table.
"Oh? Then I can be your guide. I know Mondstadt very well!" Amber immediately volunteered when she heard Ember's invitation.
"Haha, shopping with friends! What a lively thing to do." Ember chuckled and sighed.
Hearing Ember's words, both Galara and Collei unconsciously hastened their eating speed.
They were getting impatient.
"Let's go!" Galara and Amber dashed out the door, heading towards the street.
"Wait, wait for me!" Collei also put aside her reserved nature and quickly followed the energetic pair.
"Close the door gently! You'll have to pay for it if it breaks!" Ember was the last one, acting like a nagging mother, muttering something.
...
It had been a day since the Blackfire Incident, but there were still no clues, putting pressure on Mondstadt from the Fatui. However, this hadn't affected the populace yet.
So Mondstadt Square was still bustling with activity.
People from nearby towns had brought various items into Mondstadt, adding a touch of color to this northern gem.
Ember sat on a chair outside the Hunter's Inn, watching the three girls picking clothes not far away.
"Does it take so long to buy clothes?" Ember was a bit puzzled. He had been sitting in the chair for a long time, but the three girls showed no signs of finishing.
This caused Miss Sara, the waitress at the inn, to look at Ember with some resentment—he hadn't ordered anything.
But Ember obviously didn't care about this. He automatically changed Sara's gaze into admiration for the king.
"Ember, Ember, look at this outfit, we picked it out for you." With the encouragement of Galara and Amber, Collei ran up to Ember with a gray-black coat in hand.
"Hiss..." Ember felt a bit of a headache. With his ghostly appearance, just taking off his helmet was enough to scare anyone, let alone wearing normal clothes.
But seeing Collei's expectant eyes, Ember's headache worsened.
Seeing Ember hesitating and rubbing his chin, Collei's little face couldn't help but droop.
"Uh, sorry to bother you, Ember." Saying that, Collei took the coat and looked dejected.
"Come here." Ember reached out and put his hand on Collei's shoulder, then pulled her into his arms.
"I'm the same as Collei , there's something inside me too. But I don't have Collei's natural beauty, I'm very ugly." Ember whispered to Klee's ear.
Collei felt a warm stream blowing on her earlobe, and her cheeks flushed.
Along with the warm stream was Ember's breath, a mixture of sunlight and the fierce burning ashes of firewood, very peculiar.
"And, this secret is only known to you, I haven't even told Galara." After thinking for a moment, Ember added another sentence.
"Okay! They're all waiting for you eagerly, let's go play!" After that, Ember pushed Collei away.
Clutching the coat tightly, Collei looked at Ember, who was waving at her, as if she had found a new purpose, and this time it wasn't revenge.
"It seems that Mister is very good at dealing with girls, huh, hehe, interesting." A somewhat frivolous voice came from across Ember.
Ember turned around and saw a man with a mask and wheat-colored skin standing opposite him.
"Captain of the Cavalry, Kaeya, may I sit here?" Although Kaeya asked this way, he had already pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Ember, feel free to sit." Ember nodded. He wasn't surprised by his arrival. After all, he wasn't a professional assassin, and last night's actions would surely leave many traces. It was only a matter of time before he was found.
"Sara, two glasses of dandelion wine, put it on my tab!" As soon as Kaeya sat down, he immediately ordered two glasses of wine, as if to moisten his throat before the conversation.
"Taste it? Mondstadt's wine is the best on the continent, and the dandelion wine produced in Mondstadt is unique." Kaeya pushed one of the glasses of wine to Ember when Sara brought them over.
Ember picked up the glass. To be honest, he had no sense of taste, and his impression of alcoholic beverages came from the wine the Onion Knight gave him.
That was a drink that even undead could taste.
Like Galara and the others, Kaeya only felt a flicker in his eyes, and then all the wine in Ember's glass disappeared.
Kaeya narrowed his eyes. He hadn't seen anything just now. Was Ember deliberately showing off his strength?
"Well, not bad wine." Ember said lightly, not having tasted anything, as expected.
Kaeya didn't mind. Drinking wine was secondary anyway. He smiled and said:
"Haha, glad you liked it. Mondstadt has many more delicious wines, and you'll get to taste them in the future."
"Oh? But Mr. Kaeya didn't come to me just to drink wine, did he?" Ember asked Kaeya across from him.
He could feel that Kaeya's purpose in finding him wasn't simple, but unfortunately, Ember wasn't good at guessing others' thoughts. He was better at directly taking things out and looking at them.
Kaeya's face twitched imperceptibly. He didn't expect Ember to be so straightforward. He had prepared a lot of rhetoric, but now it seemed unnecessary.
"Since that's the case, I'll just say it straight. The girl is the culprit of the Blackfire Incident." Kaeya said, looking at Collei playing with Amber in the distance.
"I've seen it. Those two diplomats, they deserve to die!" Ember said so.
"Killing someone, either atone or pay with your life, there's no other option." Ember tapped the table.
"They're diplomats, their status is different." Kaeya sighed, not refuting Ember's words, but just pointing out the identity of the deceased.
"What should we do? I don't think Mondstadt needs to sacrifice a girl to maintain stability." Ember looked at the Favonius Knights patrolling in the distance, then at the tall city walls, and slowly said.
Kaeya smiled faintly, "Of course, Mondstadt won't abandon anyone."
"The culprit of the Blackfire Incident has been found, this time the Fatui will transport her themselves. As heroes who punish evil and promote good, we can't give up on her, can we?" Kaeya finished the wine in his glass and said to Ember.
Ember nodded. He knew what to do.
"Tomorrow at noon, Eagle's Gate Beach." Kaeya stood up, turned his back to Ember, and disappeared into the crowd.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Far away, where Ember couldn't see, Kaeya leaned against the wall, his face flushed red.
"It seems that dandelion wine should be savored carefully. Drinking it like this, he can actually swallow it down." Kaeya shook his head, easing the effects of the alcohol.
"Phew, it looks like we've won this round. Haha, it's really interesting!" Seemingly thinking of the frustrated look of the Fatui, Kaeya couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He believed that this trip to Mondstadt would surely leave a deep impression on those arrogant fellows.
(End of this chapter)