Lumine had originally wanted to go to the prison to see what Childe was up to.
But with Fontaine's whole "procedural justice" process dragging on until now, Childe still hadn't been settled in.
So for the moment, Mu Yang's matter was more interesting.
Thus, the three joined hands once again, this time preparing for a grand adventure of exploration and travel in Fontaine.
Target—the [Narzissenkreuz Ordo].
The group looked into it a bit, but there wasn't much information available.
Just as the three were sitting by the seaside grilling fish, at a loss for what to do next,
a cute Hydro elemental creature followed the firelight and approached them.
"Ah! You look like a very reliable knight! Please help us!"
Paimon loved hearing others flatter such empty titles the most.
Even if many of them were Lumine's titles,
she still happily took the credit.
"We're not just look reliable—we actually are very reliable!"
Hearing this, the Hydro elemental creature explained its trouble.
Its partner [Little Cabbage] was surrounded by the evil minions of [Dragon Narcissus].
It hoped Lumine could help rescue it.
Paimon spread her hands. "Little Cabbage?"
Lumine was more focused on the later part—the dragon [Narcissus].
She seemed to have only heard of a Hydro dragon in Fontaine—what was this about a demonic dragon?
Mu Yang glanced at the two beside him. "Let's put the names aside for now and hurry to lead the way…"
[Save the person first!]
[Little Cabbage—such a delicious-sounding name]
[Ah?]
[6, what a cannibal]
"Indeed, let's set aside these bizarre names for now—saving the person is more urgent…"
Seeing the three stand up to help, the little Hydro sprite was so moved that tears nearly came out.
Though she was entirely made of water…
"Thank you! My name is Ann, and I'm a member of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team. Please follow me."
"Narcissus… Cross?!"
The three looked at each other—this was truly "searching far and wide only to find it easily."
It seemed doing good deeds really did bring rewards.
On the way, Mu Yang didn't directly ask about the Ordo.
Instead, he inquired indirectly, first asking about the origins of their adventure team.
From Ann's mouth, they learned:
After the Narcissus Cross Kingdom was occupied by the demonic dragon Narcissus,
in order to save Princess Lyris and restore the kingdom,
a group of like-minded people banded together.
It was just that simple.
["A Simple Matter"]
[This is already the outline of a story]
Though Lumine also wanted to roast this "simple" matter,
from Ann's tone, the situation seemed urgent.
They could wait until after saving the person to talk.
The group dove underwater, following Ann's guidance, and found Little Cabbage, who was crying for help.
"Ah—don't come any closer!"
Hearing the shout, Ann immediately said, "That's Little Cabbage's voice."
Then, an evil voice rang out.
"Wa—ha—ha—ha—ha! Little Cabbage of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team, surrender obediently!"
This was probably one of the dragon's minions.
[Villains should laugh "jie jie jie," right?]
[What are you "wa-ha-ha"-ing for—this is Teyvat, not where your Soul Society should be]
When Lumine and the others arrived, they saw a large Hydro Finch bird fighting a small Hydro pearl.
As soon as Little Cabbage saw Ann, it immediately called for help.
"Ann—! Come help me quick!"
[Both are Hydro creations—these two could fight until Fontaine's doomsday prophecy…]
["Immunity"]
[Same master—can't break each other's moves]
Fortunately, Lumine wasn't limited to one element. With her sword technique enhanced, she took down the small Hydro pearl in one move—
No.
She took down the evil minion of [Dragon Narcissus] in one move!
"So, Little Cabbage is a Finch?"
Ann emphasized that Little Cabbage was just Little Cabbage.
Then, she solemnly thanked the three.
Only afterward did she remember that, in her rush to save someone,
she hadn't asked for Lumine and the others' names and identities.
Lumine noticed her embarrassment. "I'm Lumine—the knight who looks very reliable!"
Little Cabbage seemed to half-understand.
"I see. Then these two must be your attendants, right?"
Lumine shook her head. Paimon was just about to praise her.
Unexpectedly, the mischievous Lumine said Mu Yang was a partner,
while floaty Paimon was the attendant who gave shoulder massages.
"Paimon is not an attendant! Paimon is your partner too!"
Only then did Lumine smile and explain, "I was just joking earlier. This is my best partner—Paimon."
"Hmph, that's more like it." The little one was immediately placated.
"I understand now. Sorry, Paimon, and Mu Yang. I'm Little Cabbage, a member of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team. If not for your help, otherwise…"
[Otherwise, I might have had to fight this Hydro elemental for a lifetime]
[You two stop fighting—you can't deal damage like this]
[Raiden: It's still because the attack is too low—look, I'll just shoot the Thunderbird]
[Try shooting me, Ei?]
[Outrageous!]
She couldn't imagine what fate would have befallen her if no one had come to help.
The demonic dragon was too cunning.
It had bestowed the protection of the four quadrants upon its subordinates.
With the current strength of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team members, they simply couldn't defeat them.
So both Ann and Little Cabbage had the intention of recruiting Lumine and Mu Yang.
Mu Yang and Lumine exchanged a glance and understood each other's thoughts.
The only clue they had right now was this [Narcissus Cross] Adventure Team.
Whatever—just follow them and see.
Thus, the three agreed to help deal with the demonic dragon Narcissus.
"Great! The princess will definitely be happy." Ann danced happily in the air.
Mu Yang called out to her. "Now, it's time to explain everything from beginning to end, right?"
Paimon chimed in, "That's right—who is the princess? What happened to the Narcissus Cross Kingdom? And where did the demonic dragon Narcissus come from?"
Ann stopped dancing and returned to the group.
"Ah, sorry. The thing is…"
A long, long time ago, this place was once an incredibly happy kingdom.
Many children lived happily here together with Princess Lyris.
But later, the kingdom fell.
Because the demonic dragon Narcissus coveted Princess Lyris's beauty and her treasure.
Under the assault of the dragon and its minions, the kingdom could not resist.
Princess Lyris hid atop a high tower and fell into a deep sleep.
"So now we call the kingdom the [Place of Slumber]."
Narcissus filled the Place of Slumber with bitter water.
The minion they had just defeated was born from that bitter water.
[Is this a fairy tale?]
[I feel like it's a metaphor—after all, the quests are connected]
[Indeed, it should be related to Jakob]
[Don't tell me he's the demonic dragon]
Little Cabbage continued where Ann left off.
This time, they had taken advantage of the dragon's absence to sneak in and rescue the princess.
But because there were too many minions born from the lake water, the adventure team was no match for them.
In the end, they even got separated…