Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

Ying walked along the coastline for a while, with Paimon flying beside her, sometimes landing on her shoulder to rest, and sometimes flying up to explore the way.

After passing through a sparse woodland, the trees ahead gradually grew denser, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, spreading out dappled patterns of light on the ground. Paimon flew ahead and landed on a low-hanging branch: "The Whispering Woods is just ahead. Beyond this woodland, we'll see the walls of Mondstadt."

Ying nodded and followed Paimon into the woods. The canopy of the Whispering Forest was denser than that of the coast, and light filtered through the leaves, forming long, slanted beams in the air.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, making almost no sound when stepped on. After walking for a while, Ying slowed her pace. Not far ahead, a figure stood beside a broken stone pillar.

His dark green hair stood out sharply against the shadows of the trees, and a swirling current of air surrounded him. He looked up, his hands slightly raised, as if guiding something.

About twenty meters above his head, Dvalin hovered in mid-air. His dragon wings were folded halfway and then unfolded again, and the aura of wind element formed several swirling air currents around him, swirling up the surrounding fallen leaves and turning them into tiny specks of light in the air. These specks of light formed brief streaks in the beams of light shining through the gaps in the leaves, before being rearranged by the new wind direction.

Paimon landed on Ying's shoulder: "What's that? That dragon... it looks just like the Stormterror in the book!"

Ying didn't answer, but simply stopped and stood still. The pile of fallen leaves at her feet made a soft rustling sound the moment she stopped, as if something was being moved away by the wind.

The moment the sound rang out, Dvarin abruptly folded its wings, turned its head quickly toward the direction from which the sound came, let out a low, short hiss, then spread its wings wide, flapped them twice, and soared higher, quickly disappearing above the clouds.

Wendy remained in that tilted-back position. He lowered his arms, turned around, and glanced through the falling leaves and dust towards Ying.

Wendy didn't stop or speak, only briefly making eye contact with Ying for a moment, before walking in the opposite direction along another path in the woods, his steps even and unhurried, as if he had just completed a routine that would not be interrupted.

Paimon flew up and landed on a higher branch: "He seemed to be... dispelling something? But why did that dragon suddenly fly away? Did we scare it?"

Ying remained standing in the same spot: "That dragon's condition is not right. There are purple patterns in its pupils, which doesn't look like a normal luster."

Paimon flew down from the branch: "So, are we still going to Mondstadt?"

Ying continued walking forward: "Let's go. We can go in and ask."

On the edge of Whispering Woods, near the outskirts of the city, Amber was crouching beside a patch of disturbed grass, examining a set of footprints.

Wearing the crimson uniform of the Knights of Favonius and a red headband, he stood out conspicuously in the afternoon light.

As I was looking down at the footprints on the ground, I was interrupted by a noise coming from the bushes. I looked up and saw a person walking out of the shadows of the trees, followed by a white creature flapping its wings.

Amber stood still, her gaze sweeping over each member of the group in turn: "Please stop. This is Mondstadt's perimeter. Please state your identity and purpose."

Ying stopped and said, "My name is Ying, and I come from a very far place. I happened to meet a guide on the way who called himself Paimon."

Ying turned to the side and pointed to her shoulder. "We're currently looking for information about Stormterror."

Paimon flew off her shoulder, circled halfway in the air, facing Amber, and said with an earnest tone as if to add some details: "That's right! She hasn't been in Mondstadt for long and isn't familiar with the area yet. We just saw that dragon in Whispering Woods, and it seemed a bit strange, so we wanted to go into town to find out what happened."

Amber stood still, her gaze shifting between Luminous and Paimon several times, before she lowered her bow: "My name is Amber, a scout knight of the Knights of Favonius."

Amber looked at Luminous. "You just said you saw Stormterror in Whispering Woods?"

Ying nodded: "It hovered in the air for a while, seemingly fighting against something. But as we approached, it suddenly flew away."

Amber's expression shifted slightly: "...Let's talk as we walk. I happen to have a quest to clear out a Hilichurl camp on the outskirts of the city. If you'd like to help, I'd like you to come along—of course, you can choose to go into the city first."

Ying thought for a moment, then asked, "Where is that camp?"

Amber glanced at the well-worn sword at her waist, then at her boots that showed she had already walked quite a distance: "Go about a mile east out of the city, on the back of the hillside. It's not a large group, about seven or eight."

Amber led them through some bushes to the edge of the camp and stopped at a spot overlooking it.

Several crooked tents were pitched in the camp. The campfire had gone out, and several Hilichurls were scattered around the camp. Some were sharpening weapons, while others were rummaging around the campfire for something.

Amber drew her bow from her back, pulled an arrow from her quiver, and nocked it: "I'll draw attention from the right first, then you flank from the left and take care of the lone ones. Is that alright?"

Ying drew her sword from its sheath: "Alright. Let's do it that way."

Amber drew her bow and fired a burning arrow, which landed precisely on the extinguished campfire in the center of the camp, sending sparks flying and reigniting the embers. The Hilichurls, drawn by the firelight, turned towards the direction where the arrow had landed.

As Ying shot her arrow, she moved down the slope and circled around to the back of the tents on the left side of the camp. She thrust the tip of her sword into a gap, making a cut along the crease on the side, without alerting the enemy in front. The commotion in the camp lasted for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Amber put away her bow and walked over to Luminous, glancing at the monsters lying on the ground: "You're quite skilled, your movements are clean and efficient, without any unnecessary charging. This style doesn't seem like something you learned in the Knights of Favonius."

Ying sheathed her sword: "I learned it on the road."

Amber crouched down to examine the pile of ashes in the center of the camp, and then looked at the extent of damage to the surrounding tents.

"This camp has probably been established for a while. If we have enough time, we can trace their origin. However, I have other tasks at hand and need to return to the city to report first. What are your plans next?"

Ying squatted down and kicked the broken tent rope aside. "Let's go into town and take a look. I need to find some supplies and also find out about that dragon."

Amber stood up: "That's perfect. I can take you into the city through the proper channels, bypassing the registration process."

Amber turned and walked a few steps back the way she came, then stopped and turned her head to add, "If you need any help in the city, you can come to the Knights and tell them my name. After completing a mission, there's usually time to receive visitors."

Sunlight streamed down from the edge of the clouds, casting a warm halo over the spire of the West Wind Church tower. It slowly slid along the edges of the tiles toward the base of the eaves, as if caught by the building's silhouette and gradually finding its footing along its surface.

-

Amber: Captain Kaeya, I've found a suspicious person here who's incredibly skilled! And she's also inquiring about Stormterror.

Kaiya: Okay, here we go!

Amber had asked the Traveler to accompany her to clear out the Hilichurl camp partly to test the Traveler's skills. Finding a nimble stranger near Mondstadt and inquiring about Stormterror—wasn't it normal to "report" to them?