Lumine: Do You Have Mora?
Paimon: I Stashed a Tiny Bit!**
Outside Liyue Harbor!
Looking at the bustling city beyond the bridge in the distance, the two figures—one big, one small—couldn't help but marvel, then finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lumine, we finally made it!"
What lay before them was the wooden bridge leading into Liyue Harbor. For Paimon, this journey had truly been a mix of blood, sweat, and tears.
Heaven knew what they had gone through on the way.
Traveling from Mondstadt to Liyue, the two of them first passed through Springvale, then took a detour through Dawn Winery before entering the Stone Gate along the merchant route.
But because they got lost, they inexplicably ran into an elemental being—a Hydro Eidolon. Mistaking them for assassins, it attacked, and only after a fight did both sides realize it was a misunderstanding.
Afterward, the spirit kindly told Lumine the correct direction to Liyue.
Next, they crossed the marshlands of Dihua Marsh and finally reached Wangshu Inn.
There, they at last encountered more merchants and travelers.
Unfamiliar with the road conditions, they simply followed along with others heading toward Liyue.
"If I'd known, I never would've accepted that commission. We should've come with Luo Li and the others instead," Paimon complained, floating with her hands on her hips.
During this time, the two of them had truly been living rough.
Trekking through desolate wilderness, when hungry they had to rob hilichurls of their food.
Occasionally they'd pick wild fruits or catch fish from lakes to roast.
If they didn't reach civilization soon, they'd practically turn into savages.
Lumine silently nodded. Unfortunately, whenever someone asked for help, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Oh right, Lumine—when we were eating at Wangshu Inn, did you notice someone standing on the roof the whole time?" Paimon suddenly asked.
"Someone on the roof?" Lumine thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Hmm, maybe I imagined it. Hehe. Anyway, that boss lady—oh wait, I guess it's the boss—was really nice."
"Yeah, she even gave us a free side dish."
"So… should we go eat slime ice cream later?"
"Do you have Mora?"
Paimon grinned and proudly patted her chest.
"Ehe~ I secretly stashed a little earlier."
"..."
"What's that look for? Don't even think about my Mora—it's mine! Mmm… okay, fine, I'll let you have one bite when we buy it."
Chatting as they walked, the two slowly approached Liyue Harbor.
Before long, they stepped onto the wooden bridge.
Unlike Mondstadt, the city built in the middle of a lake, Liyue Harbor was surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one.
Only a narrow passage led into the harbor—making it easy to defend and hard to attack.
Floating beside Lumine, Paimon stared at the streets ahead, lined with countless red lanterns, and couldn't help exclaiming,
"Wow! It's so lively! So grand!"
Looking out, towering and solemn ancient city walls stretched endlessly. Near the sea, ships came and went at the harbor, with workers constantly unloading cargo.
Watchtowers stood at key positions, and on the waters below were golden crane statues holding fluttering ribbons.
Soldiers patrolled the streets, their expressions stern.
Even at the city's outskirts, bustling markets lined both sides of the road.
Most were small stalls, and the goods weren't particularly expensive—but the variety was overwhelming.
Lumine and Paimon walked along, eyes darting everywhere.
From snacks and toys to antiques, calligraphy, daily necessities, ores, and seafood—everything imaginable was on display.
The cries of vendors and drifting aromas made Paimon chew on her finger, practically drooling.
"It smells so good… I'm starving!"
The little one looked pitiful, torn between using her hidden Mora to buy slime ice cream or indulging in street food.
Lumine touched her stomach and sighed—without Mora, one really couldn't go anywhere.
Fortunately, she had earned quite a bit from Adventurers' Guild commissions and wasn't as broke as when she first arrived in Mondstadt.
Just as she thought this, a female attendant from an inn called out to her.
"My name is Xiuhua, I'm a server at the Feiyun Inn. May I ask if you'd like a meal or lodging?"
Feiyun Inn?
Lumine thought for a moment, glanced at the rather well-appointed inn, and after some consideration, agreed.
In an unfamiliar place, finding a place to stay came first.
Besides, the girl looked quite gentle.
Seeing her agree, Xiuhua smiled happily—then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right. My twin sister will switch shifts with me tonight. Please don't be startled by her words or behavior."
Lumine: "..."
Is it too late to leave now?!
Why did she always seem to run into strange people?
With a sigh, Lumine followed her inside anyway.
As they walked, Paimon curiously asked,
"When we came in just now, we saw lots of foreign travelers and soldiers heading toward the upper terraces. Why is that?"
Xiuhua explained,
"That's because today is the annual Rite of Descension. The Millelith are maintaining order, and travelers all want to see what the Geo Archon really looks like. Who knows—they might even catch a bit of divine luck."
"Eh?! Today's the Rite of Descension?!"
Paimon gasped, then turned to Lumine, who had just realized it as well.
"Let's go check it out! Maybe we'll even run into Luo Li and the others!"
Lumine was also intrigued—not only because of Luo Li, but because she wanted to see the Geo Archon for herself, to confirm whether he was the one who separated her from her brother.
After paying the deposit, Lumine immediately grabbed Paimon and ran out, heading for Yujing Terrace.
As an act of kindness, Xiuhua even gave them a general map of Liyue before they left, so they wouldn't get lost again.
"That big sister is really nice," Paimon said sincerely.
Ignoring the calls of the rickshaw drivers by the roadside, the two followed the map—circling a market that stretched for several li, then climbing the ninety-nine-step double-layered stone staircase to truly enter Liyue Harbor's inner city.
Only then did they realize what they'd seen earlier was nothing compared to this.
Without stopping to admire the grandeur of the Ministry of Civil Affairs or the restrained elegance of the many shops, Lumine moved with a clear goal.
She ran along Feiyun Slope, passed the lotus-filled ponds, and finally arrived at Yujing Terrace.