"Let me see!"
Stepping onto the stone streets of Mondstadt—both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time—
Bonanus was curious about everything here. Though she had visited countless times in the game during her previous life, seeing it in person was a completely different experience from seeing it virtually.
Beautiful jewelry and foreign clothes! They looked really nice—things she had never had the chance to see before. How intriguing!
No girl could resist these. And then there was the foreign cuisine. Though Mondstadt was famous for its wine, Bonanus didn't plan to indulge.
She was a lightweight—one cup and she'd be done. She wasn't fond of strong alcohol.
But perhaps she could try some fruit wine. The alcohol content was low. Come to think of it, she had never really tried fruit wine before.
She would definitely give it a go when she had time! Maybe she could ask Venti to take her. What would it taste like? Sweet, probably?
Bonanus wandered from shop to shop, her eyes sparkling as she daydreamed about sweet fruit wine. Whenever she saw something she liked, she would step up to the vendor and say with a smile,
"Boss, wrap this up for me!"
"Sure thing, foreign friend! You have excellent taste!" The Mondstadt merchant was thrilled to see that the foreign lady had no intention of haggling.
Such "philanthropists" were rare. These people were every merchant's favorite—golden prey in their eyes.
Looking back, most of his dealings were either prolonged fifteen-minute bargaining sessions or half-price cuts—heartbreaking for the merchants!
Not that they minded too much... after all, the usual trick was to mark up the price and let customers haggle it down.
Bonanus handed the Mora to the merchant, tucked the wrapped item into the Hydro Moon Ring's space, nodded, and hopped away.
The merchant stared blankly at the spot where the item had vanished. He rubbed his eyes and was about to ask, but Bonanus was already gone.
The wind in Mondstadt carried a hint of floral fragrance. Coincidentally, there was a flower vendor's stall nearby. The flowers she sold were mostly Mondstadt specialties—both cultivated and wild.
These were not common in Liyue.
Even so, Bonanus didn't plan to buy any. She didn't know how to care for flowers. Any flower in her hands would wither within days.
How frustrating...
Among the crowds, figures patrolling to maintain order could be seen from time to time. These were the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt.
Seeing the knights, Bonanus was reminded of two people: Grand Master Jean, and the trainee knight Noelle.
These two shared something in common—they both had too much to do. One was "exhausted," the other "overwhelmed."
As a trainee knight, Noelle dreamed of becoming a full-fledged Knight of Favonius.
Though she had yet to earn any knighthood qualifications, she still worked in the Knights as a maid, diligently learning the etiquette and conduct of a knight. In the eyes of Mondstadt's ordinary citizens, she was the "all-purpose maid."
Moving things, washing clothes, hanging laundry, looking after children, caring for animals, helping with heavy lifting—big or small, whenever someone needed help, Noelle would appear.
Wherever there was trouble, Noelle was there. She was a simple girl—so simple it was heartbreaking.
Because of this, Bonanus had little affection for certain Mondstadt residents. In the game from her previous life, these people always sought the Knights' help for the smallest things.
Few were major issues, but there was an endless stream of trivial matters—things they could easily handle themselves. Yet they insisted on asking the Knights. How lazy could they be?
The Knights were already overwhelmed with diplomatic pressures and, more recently, the dragon crisis.
With manpower shortages due to expeditions, the fact that they still found time to help these people was a testament to their dedication.
Helping with these small matters wasn't necessarily bad—the Knights were often happy to do it. It earned them goodwill and small rewards.
It was part of their duty.
But some people's attitudes after being helped were utterly repulsive. That condescending tone... those people believed help was their right.
In short: they treated the Knights as tools.
Such people existed in all nations across the continent. Similar incidents kept happening—just in different locations.
It was worth affirming that for every lazy, troublesome person, there were also law-abiding citizens who didn't cause trouble or burden the Knights.
They tried to share the Knights' burdens, though they were often politely refused.
Back to the present. Though Bonanus disliked those who caused trouble, it was their freedom. She had no right to criticize.
Rather than waste time arguing, she preferred to live her own life. Simplicity was best.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Bonanus put on an expectant expression again and continued walking, hoping to bring back more souvenirs to Liyue.
She could bring gifts for Xiao, Bosacius, and the newly returned Menogias. On second thought... she had never even seen Menogias conscious.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, someone blocked her path. It seemed that ever since she arrived in Mondstadt, people kept approaching her.
The person blocking her was a young girl. Her appearance was not unfamiliar to Bonanus.
Silver-white short hair, pale green eyes. Rose ornaments adorned both sides of her hair. And she wore a knight-styled maid uniform.
Armor that looked quite heavy seemed as light as paper on this girl. Her movements were not slowed by the weight at all.
This was Noelle! No way—she had just been thinking about this pure-hearted girl, and here she was.
"Hello! I'm Noelle, a trainee knight of the Knights of Favonius. Are you Miss Fashui?"
Noelle stood straight, introducing herself with a proper knightly salute. She looked petite, but within that petite frame lay immense strength.
She was a girl with superhuman strength.
"Ah? Yes, that's me. Is something the matter?" Bonanus pretended not to recognize Noelle, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"Ah, yes! I heard about what happened to you outside, so I wanted to ask if there's anything I can help you with, Miss Fashui?" Noelle said earnestly.
"You can leave anything to me! I can do anything!" Worried that Bonanus might refuse, Noelle pressed on.
"Ah, that? Don't worry about it. Aside from a minor injury, I didn't lose anything. Just pretend nothing happened."
Minor injury: a pierced chest.
Bonanus shook her head, declining. Noelle already had so much on her plate. She couldn't add to that burden.
"Please don't say that!" Noelle's tone shifted from nervous to urgent. But she quickly composed herself.
She had heard that Miss Fashui had been unconscious for days. That was definitely not a minor injury.
As a warm-hearted person who aspired to be a true knight, Noelle felt she had to do something.
"Please, let me do something for you!" Noelle bit her lip, her pleading gaze fixed on Bonanus, leaving her speechless.
This kind of selfless helpfulness made Bonanus uneasy. Besides, she didn't really need it right now.
On second thought, having a local accompany her in this unfamiliar land wouldn't be so bad.
With that in mind, Bonanus smiled at Noelle and said,
"If it's alright with you, you could accompany me on a walk around town."