"This grilled meat is so good, Traveler! It has a really unique flavor!"
On a small hill not far from Qingxi Village, Paimon munched on a rabbit leg, savoring every bite as she spoke with delight.
"Mhm. Hurry up and eat. We'll head out once you're done."
Aether gazed down at Qingxi Village below. The sun had just risen, and at the village entrance, several strong young men seemed to be carrying something. Villagers gathered around, making the scene look unusually lively.
"I'm finally full. Burp~"
Paimon tossed away the bone and rubbed her little belly with a satisfied sigh.
"Traveler, which way is Heaven Dou City?"
She knew their destination this time was a city called Heaven Dou.
It was the only lead they had managed to get about Yu Keke's whereabouts—pried from the mouth of that wretched old hag.
"I know which direction they went. Let's go."
Aether turned away from the scene below, no longer interested.
Earlier, he had brought Paimon to the abandoned shack in hopes of finding traces left behind by those people—such as footprints.
Through Elemental Sight, he spotted footprints going into the village, but also some disorganized ones leading out. Following those external prints helped him determine the group's escape route.
This hill was one of their resting points.
"Okay! Let's hurry and rescue Keke!"
Paimon clenched her tiny fists. Once they saved Keke, she would make sure those villains got a taste of punishment from Teyvat's Cutest!
Following the trail indicated by Elemental Sight, Aether led Paimon to the main road at the foot of the hill.
However, the road was cluttered with footprints and wagon tracks. They could only roughly infer the direction the group had headed in.
…
"Whoaaa! This city gate is huge! It's even bigger than Mondstadt's!"
Over ten days later, Aether and Paimon arrived in front of a massive city. Seeing the towering gates, Paimon couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
The gates were majestic and imposing, easily ten meters high. There were three passageways: two narrower side gates and a wide central one—large enough to allow six riders abreast.
Currently, the central gate was shut. People and carts were passing through the side gates, but the flow remained orderly.
"This is Heaven Dou City."
Their clues about the caravan had become too muddled to follow clearly after so long. For the past ten days, the two of them had been asking around as they traveled.
Now, upon seeing the characters engraved above the gate, Aether confirmed they had finally arrived at Heaven Dou.
"Whoa! This place looks really big, Traveler! Where do we start looking for Keke?"
Even though they hadn't caught up to the caravan, Paimon had never stopped worrying about Yu Keke. Her smaller appetite alone was enough to show how much she cared about their first friend in this world.
"Don't worry. I already know where she is."
Aether's expression grew complicated.
"Huh? How do you know?"
"A working man's intuition…"
Earlier, he had tried releasing his sensing ability—and sure enough, a small blue marker had appeared in the city. Blue markers meant quest objectives.
As Teyvat's former top laborer, he knew exactly what that dot represented.
It was curious that the marker had only now appeared. Aether figured it might have something to do with the distance or his current level of strength.
Still, now that the objective was pinpointed, this commission would soon be complete. All that chasing hadn't been for nothing.
"Hey! You there! If you're coming in, then move. Don't just block the path!"
A shout rang out from the city gate. Snapping out of his thoughts, Aether realized he'd unknowingly wandered into the middle of the entry line. Several carts were stuck behind him. The voice came from a guard nearby.
"Let's go."
He called to Paimon and made his way to the inspection checkpoint.
"How many in your group?" a guard asked gruffly, frowning.
"Two!" Paimon popped out from the side and answered cheerfully.
"Whoa! What the hell is that?!"
The guard recoiled in shock at the sight of her, immediately raising his spear to strike.
But Aether reacted instantly, grabbing the spear mid-thrust as Paimon shrieked and darted behind him.
"Kid, you looking to die?!"
The guard shouted, and the others rushed over, seeing weapons drawn.
The crowd scattered, not wanting to get caught up in trouble—except for a single carriage that remained behind Aether.
"You attacked first, and now you're asking what I'm doing?"
Aether's voice turned cold.
"Impudent whelp! Some backwoods nobody dares to strike a city guard? Seize him!"
The guard tried to yank his spear back but couldn't budge it an inch, no matter how hard he pulled. Enraged, he shouted for the others to help subdue Aether.
…
As spears thrust toward him, Aether didn't flinch. He summoned Dull Blade with a flick of his other hand and swung lazily.
Clang—snap!
The incoming spears were sliced clean through like tofu. Broken shafts clattered to the ground.
Then with a burst of aura, he sent the guards flying in all directions, groaning on the ground.
"Intruder at the gate!" a panicked guard on the wall shouted.
"What's with the commotion?"
A squad of guards emerged from inside the city, led by their captain, who frowned and strode over.
When he saw his men lying all over the ground, he rushed forward and examined Aether closely.
"And what reason do you have for harming my soldiers?"
The captain didn't attack right away. A seasoned veteran, he placed a hand on his sword hilt and asked in a low voice.
He had already released his spirit power to probe Aether—and found nothing. That meant only two things.
Either this boy was an ordinary civilian… or his spirit rank was so high that it completely suppressed the reading.
In either case, caution was wise.
"They struck first. I was only defending myself."
Aether frowned. He hadn't expected this kind of trouble before even entering the city.
But the man in front of him didn't seem unreasonable, so Aether explained himself.
All lives deserved respect—as long as they didn't provoke him.
"They attacked first?" the captain turned to the guards being helped up.
"…"
None of them dared speak, likely feeling guilty after experiencing Aether's strength firsthand.
"In that case, I apologize on their behalf." The captain gave a respectful bow.
"Whatever. Can I enter the city now?"
Aether waved dismissively. He'd already taught them a lesson—no need to dwell on it.
"Of course. Please, go ahead." The captain smiled and gestured forward.
"But… he hasn't paid the entrance fee!"
Just as Aether was about to go, one bruised guard spoke up stubbornly.
…
"There's a fee to enter?"
Aether was confused but turned back and asked, "How do I pay the entrance fee?"
"Ah… well, it's… one gold soul coin," the captain said awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.
"Gold soul coin? What's that? Traveler, I don't think we have any!" Paimon poked her head out again, confused.
"Uhh…"
The captain now found himself in a bind.
If Aether just walked through, he could've pretended not to notice. But now, with so many people watching, letting him in for free would look like favoritism.
"I'll pay for them. Consider it making a new friend."
Just then, a young voice came from the carriage behind them. A nobleman lifted the curtain and stepped out.
_
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