RedX43
patreon
[Cheat] Chapter 89: A Blatant Slander
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 16:40:25 +0000 UTCIt had been a long time since the group had last seen each other, and now that they had reunited, it felt like there was no end to their conversation. Zephyr carefully explained everything that had happened.
Amber listened intently and nodded. “I think I get the general idea. So… will you have to leave again in the future?”
Zephyr hesitated for a moment before replying, “Probably, yes. Just fighting Hilichurls to level up is too slow. I promised Lumine I’d help rescue her sister, so we’ll likely need to travel to other worlds again.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry, Amber. If I leave again, I’ll tell you beforehand. I won’t disappear on you like this ever again. Though, really, it wasn’t my fault—it was all Paimon’s.”
Paimon: “……”
“Alright, I’ll trust you. But if you lie to me again, the consequences won’t be so simple, got it?” Amber puffed out her cheeks.
“Mhm, Amber is the best!” Zephyr happily leaned in to nuzzle her.
“H-Hey, what are you doing… That’s embarrassing…”
Paimon muttered, “Why do I feel like Paimon is just the third wheel here…”
“Oh right, Amber—before I left, I helped you level up to 20. Did you manage to break through?”
At the mention of this, Amber’s face lit up with a smile.
“Yeah! I submitted an application to the Knights, and I’ve successfully ascended!”
“Congrats, congrats!”
“Hehe, what about you?”
“Funny you ask—I broke through too!”
“Really? That’s awesome!”
But not long after, Amber pouted again, looking a bit downcast.
“Why do you level up so fast? When I first met you, you were only level 3. Now we’re at the same level already. You’ll probably surpass me soon… That’s kind of discouraging.”
Lumine said, “Ahem, actually… we’ve been through a lot of danger to grow stronger.”
“I didn’t mean it like that… I just don’t want to be a burden to you guys.”
Zephyr replied, “How could you be a burden? Amber, you’re amazing too. I’ve seen builds where Baron Bunny causes a nuclear explosion—super high damage! You’re just a little behind in level, but your skills are strong. I’ll even save up some EXP books for you so you can level up faster~”
“Nuclear Baron Bunny? That’s really possible?”
Amber’s cheeks turned a little pink, her breathing growing slightly rapid.
“Ahem… Since it’s been a while, let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Amber, the best Outrider in Mondstadt.”
Lumine smiled and said, “I’m Lumine, a Traveler. My goal is to find my sister.”
“I’m Paimon, the Traveler’s best companion—and also their guide!”
“And I’m Zephyr, a Player. Please take care of me from now on.”
“Yeah!”
…
Amber fidgeted a little. “Um… Zephyr, Lumine, do you guys have anything planned today?”
“Nope, why?”
“I have the day off today. So, um… want to hang out together?”
“Sure, sure!”
Before Zephyr could say anything, Paimon jumped in to answer.
“Really? That’s great! Just give me a moment—I’ll grab something.”
She went to the door and brought back a pile of letters.
“Amber, what’s all this?”
“These are complaints and suggestions from the citizens of Mondstadt to the Knights of Favonius. Normally I’m not responsible for them, but Acting Grand Master Jean has been working so hard lately, so I offered to take over this part of the work.”
Paimon said, “Amber, you’re so responsible—no wonder you’ve been so tired.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. If anyone’s overworked, it’s Acting Grand Master Jean. We still get some vacation time, but she works all 365 days a year without rest. She often works late into the night—past eleven or twelve—and gets up at five or six in the morning to start again. She’s the hardest-working person in all of Mondstadt.”
Paimon was stunned for a full year.
“What… Doesn’t she need to rest?”
“Of course she does. I often try to persuade her to take breaks. But… right now, even if she wants to rest, she simply can’t.”
Amber sighed. “Most of the main force of the Knights is out on missions, and Mondstadt is short-handed. On top of that, the recent Stormterror incident has put all the burden on her shoulders. That’s why she’s working so hard.”
“Oh, I see… Acting Grand Master Jean really is a responsible person.”
Zephyr twitched slightly. Thinking about how he and Klee had caused Jean so much trouble yesterday… he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
“Huh? That’s odd… Why are there so many letters? There never used to be this many complaints. Don’t tell me the Knights have been slacking lately?”
Amber began reading through the letters. After a moment, she put them down.
The atmosphere turned a little tense.
Zephyr asked, “Amber, what’s wrong?”
Amber rubbed her forehead and said, “There are a total of ten complaints here—and all of them are about the same person.”
Paimon said, “Huh? Ten people complaining about one person? Who is it? That sounds completely insane!”
“These ten complaints all target a certain traveler. They say that ever since this traveler arrived in Mondstadt, they've done nothing but stir up trouble. For example—this one says the traveler deliberately bumped into someone while walking, causing injuries. Another says they bullied little Timmy, deliberately slaughtering all his pigeons right in front of him and turning them into poultry meat. They also harassed the flower shop owner, trying to force a trade for breakthrough materials. And the worst one—they stole all the Mushrooms from Old Wang’s garden!”
Amber's gaze turned sharp. “This person… they’re not talking about you, are they?”
Zephyr’s eyelid twitched furiously. “Of course not!”
Amber said, “But as far as I know, the only travelers in Mondstadt recently… are you guys.”
“Slander! This is outright slander! Amber, you know me—I might flirt with pretty girls, but I’d never do those kinds of things!”
Still, Amber continued to stare at him suspiciously.
Just then, Lumine spoke up. “Amber, you know me too. I’m kind-hearted. Aside from my habit of massacring Hilichurls and treasure hunting, I would never do anything like that.”
So Amber turned her attention to Paimon.
“P-Paimon mean, Amber, you know Paimon…”
Zephyr jumped in, “No need to say more. The culprit has been found—it’s you!”
Lumine added, “Paimon… I never thought you were that kind of person…”
Amber pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “Paimon… I can’t believe it. I’m sorry, but for the sake of Mondstadt and its citizens, I have to arrest you—just kidding! You really think that kind of excuse would work on me?!”
Zephyr said, “I’m telling the truth! This really is slander!”
Amber pressed, “Just answer me—did you do these things or not?”
“I did, but it’s not like that! I’m being framed!”
Amber crossed her arms. “Alright then, let’s hear your explanation.”
“First of all—someone said I deliberately bumped into them. Do you think that’s even possible? Look at my height and build—you think I could knock someone over? I’d probably fall over first!”
“Hm… fair point. But you have a Vision, so—”
“I don’t have a Vision.”
“Huh? Oh, right—I forgot. Okay, go on.”
“I just got to Mondstadt. How would I even know Old Wang? And why would I steal his mushrooms? Do I look that poor? Poor enough to steal mushrooms from someone’s yard? Besides, those mushrooms weren’t even in his yard—they were growing outside his house. That makes them unclaimed property! I just picked themahem, I mean, someone picked them to prevent structural damage to the building!”
“That kind of makes sense.”
“And as for killing pigeons in front of Timmy—okay, I did do that. But those pigeons weren’t even his! I was just making poultry from some regular pigeons. Is that a crime?”
Amber cut in, “No, you're wrong there. The pigeons may not be Timmy’s, but they’re part of Mondstadt’s scenic attraction and under city protection. Many tourists come here just to see that special breed of pigeon.”
“…That’s a thing?”
“Yup.”
“…Well, I honestly didn’t know that. And besides, it wasn’t even my idea! It was those two knights at the gate who told me to do it!”
“What?! There’s more to this?!”
“They said the pigeons outside were becoming a nuisance, constantly pooping on them. They were fed up but couldn’t act on it themselves, so they asked me to take care of the pigeons for them.”
“What?! That’s outrageous!”
Amber looked genuinely upset, but then took a deep breath and calmed herself.
“If what they said is true, then I suppose they can't be entirely blamed. I’ll report this to the Knights—this way, we won’t have to worry about the pigeon problem anymore.”
//END
