"..."
"..."
Standing before the enormous villa, both Paimon and Lumine stared in wide-eyed silence.
When they'd first heard that they'd be given a residence, they imagined it would be a modest little house, perhaps a small cottage at best. But what stood before them now was nothing short of a mansion—complete with a courtyard, fountain, and every possible amenity—right in the heart of Mondstadt, just a short distance from the Anemo Archon's Plaza.
Seeing their speechless reactions, Jean spoke a bit sheepishly. "This property belongs to the Gunnhildr family. Though it hasn't been lived in for many years, the maids have been maintaining it regularly. It may not be very large, but it's one of the best properties my family owns in terms of location. Of course, if you're not satisfied, we can arrange for another."
In such a prime location, even the Gunnhildr family couldn't afford to build something as massive as Dawn Winery. Still, this villa was by no means small, and the interior décor was even more elegant and refined than the winery itself.
Listening to Jean's words, Paimon was dumbfounded—her definition of "not very large" had just been completely redefined. The entire inn they had been staying at recently wasn't even half the size of this place. The mansion probably had dozens of rooms just on one floor.
Su Mo, however, remained calm. While this villa was indeed impressive, compared to the Serenitea Pot gifted by the Adepti in Liyue—which was practically the size of several mountains—it paled in comparison. Having seen far grander sights, he wasn't so easily impressed.
Instead, his attention was drawn to a neighbouring house, which shared the same architectural style and was identical in size. "Who lives there?" he asked curiously.
"That's where Barbara and I live," Jean explained.
"So... we're neighbours?" Su Mo was surprised. He hadn't expected the house Jean gifted them to be right next to her own.
It made sense though—if this was the best location, naturally, they'd live there themselves.
Lumine and Paimon, however, were more surprised by something else. "Captain Jean and Miss Barbara live together? What's going on?" Paimon asked in confusion.
"Ah, sorry! I forgot to mention this before," Jean said with a smile. "Barbara is my younger sister."
"Eh?!" Paimon was completely stunned. She floated closer to study both of them, looking from one to the other. "You really do look alike! But your personalities are so different, I never noticed!"
Looking closely, one could indeed see the resemblance—Barbara simply looked younger.
Lumine was also quite surprised by the revelation. After the brief introduction, Jean led them on a tour of the house. Both Su Mo and Lumine were thoroughly satisfied and moved in right away.
Jean and Barbara, having shown them around, then took their leave.
"It really feels... like a home," Lumine sighed contentedly as she sat in the living room, sipping her tea.
"So does that make Paimon the child?" Su Mo joked as he watched Paimon darting around the room, inspecting every corner with curiosity.
"..." Lumine suddenly panicked. If Paimon was the child… then what did that make them? Was Su Mo hinting at something? Or outright implying?
Flustered, she quickly stood up. "I-I-I'll go cook something!" she stammered, rushing off to the kitchen.
Hearing the word "food," Paimon immediately popped out. "Are we eating? Yay!" Her ears were sharp whenever meals were mentioned.
Not long after the food was ready, there was a knock at the door. Venti, Amber, Kaeya, Jean, Barbara, and the others arrived bearing gifts to congratulate the new Honorary Knights.
Su Mo suspected they had been lured in by the aroma of Lumine's cooking—but of course, there was no proof.
Still, none of them came empty-handed. In addition to the gifts, everyone brought along a few dishes of their own, including the Honey Roast which earlier was promised to Paimon.
The group meal was lively and festive.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Amber and Barbara excused themselves for work, leaving Venti, Jean, and Kaeya behind.
"Mr. Su Mo," Jean began, steering the conversation to more serious matters, "you intentionally left Stormterror at the Anemo Archon Plaza... were you waiting for the mastermind to appear?"
As the Acting Grand Master, she naturally wasn't here just for casual conversation. The matter of Stormterror weighed heavily on her mind.
According to what Stormterror had said earlier, Abyss Mages had been behind his corruption. In other words, the incident had been part of a larger plot orchestrated by an evil organization.
Jean had no intention of letting such a threat go unchecked and had quickly grasped the deeper intent behind Su Mo's earlier actions.
"That's right," Su Mo nodded.
"If the mastermind behind all this is truly unwilling to give up on Stormterror, they'll definitely make a move tonight," Su Mo said calmly.
"Looks like we're thinking the same thing," Kaeya smiled and nodded. Aside from the two innocent girls, Amber and Barbara, everyone else present hadn't treated this dinner as merely a celebration. Of course, silly Paimon was the exception.
It was only now that Paimon realized their true plan. "So… we're catching the criminals late at night? You guys didn't even talk about it beforehand, yet you all came up with the same plan?!" she exclaimed. "Is this what they call the tacit understanding between smart people?"
She felt like her brain was struggling to keep up. Seeing her confused reaction, Lumine chuckled indulgently and pinched Paimon's cheek. "Maybe it's because you're just a bit too dumb."
"Eh? Really?!" Paimon was shocked—she had always considered herself quite clever!
As they laughed and chatted, time slipped by quickly. Soon, the bright moon overhead was hidden behind dark clouds.
Su Mo and the others exchanged glances and nodded in silent agreement before heading out. Then, like geckos, they scaled the building in front of them, climbing up to the rooftop with ease. Now this, Su Mo thought, is how real adventurers operate!
Under the cover of darkness, they crouched on the rooftop and waited. It didn't take long—after only about ten minutes, several furry figures appeared, moving stealthily across the Anemo Archon Plaza.
"Those are... Abyss Mages!" Jean quickly identified the intruders. "And there's more than one," Kaeya added, slightly surprised.
"Everyone, it's time to act!" Venti reminded them. "Otherwise, the patrol knights might run into trouble."
"Understood!" they responded in unison. The group unfurled their Wind Gliders and leapt gracefully from the rooftop, gliding downward through the night air.
Watching Jean, Kaeya, and Venti float down effortlessly, Lumine froze in place, bewildered. She didn't have the same kind of Wind Glider they did, and Su Mo's previous protection spell was only temporary. Without his wind enchantment, she couldn't fly at all.
She had felt something was off back when they were climbing up the building, but now it was clear—Jean and the others didn't realize she couldn't fly.
"Su Mo..." Lumine turned her gaze toward him for help.
"Want me to cast the blessing again?" Su Mo asked with a teasing glint in his eye.
"N-No need!" Lumine shook her head quickly, though her tone and expression showed little true resistance. If Su Mo insisted, she probably wouldn't refuse.
However… with her brother possibly nearby, Su Mo figured it would be too dangerous to cast another blessing on Lumine. If her brother saw him doing that, he might just lead an army of Abyss monsters to flatten Mondstadt on the spot.
After weighing his options, Su Mo decided not to risk angering the future brother-in-law. Instead, he simply scooped Lumine up into his arms and carried her down directly. Feeling her slender waist in his embrace, Su Mo thought—this wasn't such a bad alternative either.
By the time they landed near Stormterror, Jean and Kaeya had already engaged the Abyss Mages in battle. Venti, as usual, was half-heartedly helping, occasionally throwing out a skill here and there.
As soon as Lumine touched down, she quickly joined the fight. Before long, all of the Abyss Mages had been captured.
Jean and Kaeya attempted to interrogate the captives, but to no avail. "They're really tight-lipped," Paimon commented in surprise. "And their language sounds different too."
"So these are Abyss Mages..." Lumine, seeing them for the first time, was filled with curiosity.
Just then, Su Mo suddenly sensed a brief, fleeting gaze locking onto him. Without saying a word to the others, his figure disappeared in a flash of wind.
In the next moment, he had arrived atop Mondstadt Cathedral—the highest point in the city. Scanning the surroundings briefly, he fixed his gaze on a certain direction and quickly made his way toward the high cliffs of Brightcrown Canyon.
There, on the cliff overlooking Mondstadt, several Abyss Mages were gathered, surrounding a young man with golden hair.
At a glance, the youth bore a striking resemblance to Lumine.
"You must be Lumine's brother," Su Mo said as he descended upon the cliff, his expression calm though his mind was racing.
How should I approach this first meeting with the future brother-in-law? How do I get him to trust me with his sister? Someone help—this is urgent!