Rewinding the timeline to the morning, Lumine and Paimon had a quick breakfast before heading to the Adventurers' Guild to pick up a few commissions.
By noon, they had already completed all their tasks. Just as they were about to return to Mondstadt, they suddenly sensed a strange surge of Pyro energy.
"Paimon, do you feel that?"
Lumine held her short sword at the ready.
"It's a very intense Pyro energy."
Paimon looked toward the north, in the direction of Starfell Lake.
The two exchanged a glance and quickly made their way toward the lake.
"That's... Famas and Klee!"
Paimon, perched on Lumine's head, spotted the three figures by the lakeside in the distance.
"Hey!"
Klee waved energetically at the approaching duo.
"Good afternoon, Lumine."
Without much preamble, Famas glanced at Lumine and simply greeted her.
Lumine nodded. The two shared a moment of silent understanding, as if they were old friends who didn't need words to communicate.
Their brief exchange left Paimon utterly confused, while Xiangling, standing nearby, couldn't contain her excitement.
"I'm Xiangling, from Liyue. Nice to meet you! You're Lumine, right?"
Xiangling walked up to Paimon and Lumine, enthusiastically grabbing Lumine's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"And me, and me! I'm Paimon!"
Seeing the two of them getting along like sisters, Paimon quickly flew between their faces. While Lumine was still looking at Xiangling, Paimon puffed out her chest and proudly waited for Xiangling to shake her hand.
"Hey! Is this Paimon creature edible? She looks delicious!"
Xiangling took a step back, eyeing the proud Paimon with interest.
Famas nodded at the perfect moment. "Of course she is!"
Xiangling's eyes sparkled. "Looks like a rare ingredient I've never seen before!"
At this point, Xiangling was staring at Paimon, drool uncontrollably dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her body seemed to twitch with excitement, as if she was ready to grab Paimon and turn her into a gourmet dish.
"No, no! Famas, stop talking nonsense! Paimon is not food!"
Paimon, horrified, hid behind Lumine, angrily refuting Famas's inflammatory remarks.
"Hehe, I guess you're like Guoba then."
Xiangling chuckled awkwardly.
"Guoba?"
Lumine asked curiously.
"Guoba and I are like you and Paimon—best friends!"
Xiangling laughed and pulled out a Guoba-shaped doll from her waist. She tossed it to the ground, and in an instant, it transformed into the same little bear that had bitten Famas earlier.
"Why is he called Guoba?"
Paimon blinked, curiously looking at the little bear holding a chili pepper.
"My favorite snack since I was a kid is guoba, so I named him that. Plus, he likes it too."
After a bit of small talk, Lumine finally remembered why they had come here in the first place. She looked at the now-ruined Starfell Lake.
"What happened here?"
As she spoke, Lumine instinctively glanced at Famas. Although she had been busy with commissions, as a temporary member of the Knights of Favonius, she had heard about Famas and Klee being confined to the detention room.
"I don't know."
Famas had already made up his mind: no matter who asked, he would deny everything.
The sky above them had turned red from the lingering Pyro energy. Even though it was noon, it looked more like dusk.
"Maybe we should leave here first?"
Seeing the Pyro energy filling the sky, Famas was genuinely worried about attracting the attention of the Knights of Favonius.
"Right."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Xiangling, unaware of Famas's identity and destructive capabilities, simply went along with it. Meanwhile, the trusting Lumine completely believed Famas's words, thinking that the state of Starfell Lake had nothing to do with him...
Yeah, right!
Lumine knew full well that Famas and Klee were responsible for the lake's current state, but she chose to tactfully ignore it.
"I didn't even catch any Golden Loach."
Xiangling sighed, looking at the murky waters of Starfell Lake.
"Hey, where's Klee?!"
As everyone was discussing their next move, Paimon, who had been floating in the air, noticed that someone was missing.
Famas looked up and spotted a small patch of grass on the southern side of Starfell Lake—one of the few areas untouched by his attack and the churning waters.
Klee was sitting by the lake, seemingly roasting something.
"Hehe, Brother Famas, Xiangling, and Sister Lumine, come try Klee's grilled fish!"
In front of everyone was a lit campfire, with several Black-Back Perch skewered on sticks and roasting over the flames. Klee flipped the fish in her hand, the skin already turning golden and emitting a tantalizing aroma.
"Wow, grilled fish!"
At the mention of grilled fish, Paimon immediately landed by the fire, drooling.
"It's ready!"
Hearing Klee's words, Paimon grabbed a skewer and took a big bite. Klee, on her tiptoes, handed skewers to Xiangling, Famas, and Lumine, her big red eyes filled with anticipation.
"Hmm..."
Xiangling frowned slightly but accepted the skewer nonetheless.
She took a small bite, and a crisp sound echoed, followed by the pure flavor of the fish.
"Oh?"
Xiangling's eyes widened as she looked at the grilled fish in her hand.
"Even a child from Mondstadt has such culinary skills? Every step is flawless, the flavor is perfectly balanced, and the aroma of the fire and sunsettia wood perfectly neutralizes the fishy smell. Delicious!"
While Xiangling was still praising Klee's cooking, Lumine and Famas were already on their second skewer.
"Wait for me!"
Paimon struggled to eat her grilled fish, but her tiny mouth was no match for Lumine and Famas, who were devouring theirs in big bites.
"Hehe, little Paimon, you better eat fast."
Xiangling grinned but suddenly seemed to have an idea.
"Oh, right, the key to grilling is adding some spice."
"If you sprinkle some salt from the earth and specially ground Jueyun Chili powder, it'll taste even better."
Xiangling pulled out a small bottle of chili powder from her waist pouch and sprinkled the red powder onto the grilled fish.
Instantly, a strong, pungent chili aroma filled the air.
"Here!"
Xiangling handed the chili-coated grilled fish to Paimon.
"Crispy and fragrant, with the Jueyun Chili adding a unique flavor."
"Mondstadt's fish isn't great, but with Liyue's seasoning, it's delicious!"
The gluttonous Paimon's eyes sparkled like stars.
As everyone sat around the campfire, enjoying their meal, Famas suddenly sensed an unusual shift in the wind.
"This is...!"
Famas, still chewing on his fish, abruptly stood up and grabbed Lumine's hand.
"Let's go!"
Lumine was momentarily stunned, her right hand still holding the grilled fish, her mouth smeared with bits of charred fish.
"To Springvale! We're going to catch wild boars."
Famas pulled Lumine along hurriedly. The others could only exchange confused glances before extinguishing the campfire and chasing after Famas.
Only Xiangling, upon hearing about wild boar meat, immediately ran after Famas without hesitation.
A/n - Read chapters ahead on my patreon.com/nneol