Fischl swiped the card on the machine—her first time using a Northland Bank card. She found it novel.
Afterwards, she peeked at the balance.
Whoa. Mr. Xia was loaded.
She'd used her own Adventure License for the commission.
As an ordinary investigator, she hadn't taken many commissions. Her License was only level 7—just a one-star adventurer. She needed level 10 to become two-star.
The maximum was level 50. Those were five-star adventurers, with another title—Legendary Adventurer.
But on all of Teyvat, Legendary Adventurers were rare.
The most recent was that blond outlander, Lumine.
Her rank-up speed had been the fastest in history, taking any commission available.
Once Katheryne finished posting the Stray Cat Hunt, the commission instantly appeared in the Guild's hall for adventurers to view.
Most glanced and ignored it—who wanted to chase cats and dogs?
Katheryne then logged the bounty completion into Fischl's License.
Since she hadn't just completed but wildly exceeded it, the experience gained was massive—practically a flood.
Katheryne handed the card back with both hands. "Your Adventure License has been updated. Congratulations—you're now level 50. A Legendary Adventurer."
Fischl's expression barely changed, as if it were nothing worth noting. She only nodded. "Alright."
Katheryne added, "From now on, you can enjoy the privileges of a Legendary Adventurer—and accept legendary commissions."
"I know."
Fischl pocketed her License and walked off.
Legendary Adventurer? Whatever. Being a Magical Girl was way cooler.
In the hall, one adventurer casually opened the Stray Cat Hunt commission.
He skimmed it, ready to look away—then froze at the commissioner's name.
"Holy crap! What the hell!? A five-star adventurer? Who the hell's Fischl—never even heard of her! When did the Guild get another Legendary Adventurer!?"
The hall exploded into chatter.
---
Fischl didn't care about the uproar inside the Adventurers' Guild.
She wasn't the same girl who once spent all day lost in her chuuni fantasies.
The only reason she'd gone to take that bounty mission in the first place was to give her parents some peace of mind about her traveling alone.
But she never expected that finishing it would earn her so much experience—enough to catapult her straight from a one-star adventurer to a five-star adventurer.
As she walked home, her face carried a faint frown.
It was only last year that she'd received her Vision and met Oz.
Not long after, she'd joined the Adventurers' Guild as an investigator.
Her parents had arranged it.
Her father—whom she'd once admired most—was himself only a three-star adventurer.
Fischl pulled out her Adventure License, staring at it with furrowed brows.
Five glittering stars shone on the little card.
A symbol of honor. A symbol of privilege.
But there was no way she could show it to her parents.
A Legendary Adventurer at fifteen… that was far too young, far too unbelievable.
There was no explaining it.
Her identity as a Magical Girl had to stay secret.
Of course, odds were her parents would just assume she'd forged the License somewhere out of obsession with the idea of being a Legendary Adventurer—and laugh it off.
"Oz, what do we do now?"
"My lady…"
"I really want to go to Inazuma with everyone."
"Perhaps this, my lady: the Kaiser and Kaiserin of the Immernachtreich only worry that you're still too young to wander the world alone. But if they knew you'd be traveling with companions worthy of their trust, surely they would consent."
"So, Oz… you mean—?"
"My lady could invite them to your home. Let the Kaiser and Kaiserin meet Mr. Xia first. When the time is right, you can share your wish."
"I see…"
Fischl thought carefully. It actually sounded doable.
Then a sudden memory of a certain novel she'd read surfaced—and her face flushed crimson for no reason at all.
--
After Fischl left, no one else sat idle. They all went to the market to buy ingredients.
They dropped a message in the group chat too: tonight, dinner in the Serenitea Pot.
The convenience of phones these days—no more running door to door with invitations.
Amber, unfortunately, was out on a scouting mission. She couldn't come, so she spammed the group with "frustrated" and "crying" stickers.
At past gatherings, most of the cooking had fallen to Xia Zhi and Xiangling, while the others helped.
But now Shenhe and Ganyu had unlocked [Culinary Grandmaster] through the [Book of Erudition]. They'd be helping tonight too, taking a load off Xia Zhi's shoulders.
It was Rosaria's first time inside the Serenitea Pot.
The otherworldly Adeptus construct fascinated her.
She sat quietly, listening to the chatter, until Jean and Lisa arrived.
Jean greeted Rosaria with a smile.
Rosaria only gave a faint nod in return.
Their relationship resembled Ningguang's with Yelan—close, but always sitting opposite sides at dinner.
"Another shop, huh, Mr. Xia?" someone teased.
Xia Zhi nodded with a grin. "I'll count on you to keep an eye on it, Venti. Drinks are free for you."
Venti sighed. "But if it's full of cats, I can't even step inside."
Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, but there are plenty of stray dogs in Mondstadt! How about a Dog Tavern too? I'll run it for you! Swear I won't sneak a single drink—"
Everyone burst out laughing, the table filling with warmth.
After the meal, Eula was just about to take her leave when Noelle tugged her back.
"Lady Eula, why don't we take a bath first? The bathhouse here is huge and really comfortable."
Eula blinked. "How do you know that?"
"I go every morning after sparring with Yaoyao," Noelle explained.
Eula thought for a moment, then looked at Jean. Seeing her agree, she nodded as well.
Zhu Zi led the guests over. The bath was indeed enormous. The hot water carried some sort of additive, filling the air with a pleasant fragrance.
"Miss Zhu Zi, you're from Inazuma, right?"
"Yes."
"I hear the hot springs there are amazing."
"Inazuma inns do offer them, yes. But honestly, none feel as comfortable as this bath."
"Oh?"
"Real hot springs smell of sulfur. Not the nicest scent."
"Ah, I see. I haven't tried one yet."
"Well, we'll be heading to Inazuma soon. I'll take pictures for the group when we visit the hot springs."
"Mhm!"
Soaking, chatting idly—it was blissfully lazy.
Eula closed her eyes, leaning back against the stone wall. This, she thought, was what noble life ought to be.
Not all her endless part-time jobs. That was just labor.
After a while, Zhu Zi rose from the water, wrapped a towel around herself, and headed out.
"Excuse me, everyone."
"Where are you going?"
"To see the boss. For a massage."
"Huh?"
"You should try it too."
Jean and Lisa exchanged knowing smiles and nodded.
Eula, clueless, looked utterly baffled.
"Jean, you're going for a massage?"
Jean nodded. "Mhm. I'm exhausted—want to relax."
Truthfully, Xia Zhi had already massaged her once that morning when he stopped by her office for shop paperwork. But who ever complained about too much happiness?
Especially since Mr. Xia would soon leave for Inazuma. She had to seize the chance to Enjoy herself while he was still in Mondstadt.
Eula eyed Jean's towel-wrapped figure, curves faintly outlined. "You're going like that?"
"Of course."
"You're not putting clothes on?"
"I'm trying the essential oil massage this time. You take clothes off anyway."
"But Mr. Xia's a man. Isn't that… inappropriate?"
"I trust his character. Besides, he can't see."
"…."
Eula fell silent.
Maybe she was overthinking. Noble ladies had done far more scandalous things.
Then she noticed Noelle getting up too.
"You're going as well?"
"Yes. Will you join us, Lady Eula?"
"No. I'll pass."
"Alright then. See you later."
Barbara hesitated. But when her sister left, she hurried after her.
In a blink, only Eula, Rosaria, and Sucrose remained.
Sucrose was bent over the water, trying to analyze what had been added to make it smell so nice.
Rosaria tilted her head back, staring blankly into the steam.
Eula's gaze lingered on the scars marring Rosaria's body. Her eyes narrowed, then slid away. She didn't pry.
Instead, a single thought nagged her:
Was a massage really that good? Enough to enthrall even the proud Dandelion Knight…?