A young man was steadily marching along the path, he travelled lightly, wearing only a padded gambeson which he had bought from a Mondstat merchant. The light armour was a stark contrast to the traditional bow he hand slung over his shoulder.
On his belt he had a heavy coin pouch, next to it was a large dagger. On the back of the belt, a quiver of arrows was fixed in place.
Next to the young man, a beautiful woman moved with a liquid grace, each step a silent, flowing motion. Her demeanor and wear were a polar opposite to her companion's.
"How does it feel?"
"How does 'what' feel?"
"Leaving, when your friends and acquaintances plead for you to stay."
"You're exaggerating."
"You didn't answer the question."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Simple interest."
"Well, I'm not going to tell you to keep to yourself, but if I have to explain myself to you throughout the whole journey, it'll put a strain on our relationship."
"True, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Whatever, it didn't feel great, made me feel guilty even, for some reason."
"You'll have to get used to that feeling."
"You are teaching me life lessons now?"
"Just spreading my life experiences."
"Sure… anyway, I had to leave."
"Even if a couple of girls had a crush on you?"
"I don't plan to waste my life away at the Shrine."
"Is that what you think of living there?"
"Tsk, no. There are simply goals and dreams I wish to achieve and they have nothing to do with being a chef in a Shrine."
"That's fair. A mortal human's life is rather short; you should make the best of it before growing old and feeble."
"Exactly, that's what I think too."
"After we finish our travels and you leave Inazuma, do you plan to ever return?"
"I plan to visit whenever I will be able to, there's no need to grow so cold and distant, I owe a lot to Saiguu after all."
"So, owing her is the only reason you'll ever return?"
"Of course no, I like the Shrine, I can truly call it home."
"You haven't even been here for a year; what's there to get attached to?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Why not?"
"Just… something personal, can't explain."
"Whatever then, don't force yourself."
The duo conversed calmly as they walked. Towering trees, fresh air and green grass surrounded the path.
The scenery greatly boosted Alexander's mood.
It did feel abrupt and awkward to leave his work and acquaintances to chase his dreams, but it had to be done.
"What about those two girls who confessed to you?"
"How do you even know about that?"
"Gossip."
"Well I rejected them."
"How cold."
"Would you have preferred I left them hanging, figuratively and literally?"
"Good point."
"Why so interested? You never took the time to talk personal."
"Well, we are going to travel together, even if it's for a little while."
"Two years is quite long, actually."
"Is that what you think?"
"How old are you to dismiss the number?"
"How rude, did Saiguu not teach you that talking about a woman's age is a crime?"
"Your master liked to play truant."
"And she gave me trouble for loafing around…"
"Don't act coy, she is the reason you are the way you are."
"You picked up all her bad habits as well."
"What can I say? She proved a great influence on the little me."
"Aren't you a grown man by human standards?"
"Don't change the subject, just answer me, or say no if you don't want to, why do you always lead around the finger?"
"It's a habit, honestly."
"..."
"If we were to compare my age to human standards, I would be an adult."
"You don't say…"
"Fine, fine, I am fifty-two years young."
"Damn."
Smack
"Yep, deserved that."
They both chuckled.
"What's your plan exactly?"
"Well since I have to stay here for two years, might as well visit each island and city, see how people live and whatnot."
"Sounds boring."
"Do you have suggestions?"
"Where should we visit first, or what can we do instead of going to each island one by one?"
"Both."
"We can travel to Watatsumi Island first, there are some things we can do there that I don't find too boring."
"What's the other idea?"
"Let's bolt to Liyue; I want to see it."
…
…
"Are you serious?"
Alexander really wasn't expecting her to suggest such a thing; he even stopped walking, falling into a stupor.
"Yes, I have seen everything there is in Inazuma, if Saiguu wants me to accompany you on your travels why should I let you have all the fun? I want to see interesting things too!"
"That's true… but it feels wrong, it's like betraying her trust."
"Oh come on, seriously? You literally thwarted a rebellion the other day, when you were supposed to be safely locked in your room."
"Well… I mean… You aren't wrong… But here we will be leaving without even a warning."
"Pffft, she won't even notice, what's there to be scared of?"
"You sly youkai, are you trying to set me up for trouble?"
"You scared or what?"
"Yeah! Saiguu is terrifying when angry."
"Are we going or what? I have prepared and paid for the voyage already."
"Wow, what a shocker."
Alexander deadpanned, he felt a premonition that something was going to go wrong when she showed up smiling before setting off.
'Guess it came true.'
He thought, while taking a glance at the clear blue sky above, then heaving a heavy sigh, he finally nodded.
"I knew I could count on you!"
She patted his shoulder with a wide smile.
"So where is the boat?"
"Oh, it's going to be in the main port tomorrow."
"So what should we do while we wait?"
"How about a food tour?"
Alexander scratched his chin in thought, that sounded pretty good, as he hadn't been able to try local street food yet.
"Alright, lead on then."
"You'll pay, after all the boat's been booked by me."
"That's fair."
All the while, two different pairs of eyes were locked on the talking figures.
The owners of those eyes were quite far away, unnoticed even by the mysterious youth who you could expect anything from.
"It truly went as you said Saiguu."
Makoto, the Shogun and the Thunder Archon spoke with divine grace and authority.
"Hrmph, that idiot disciple is a thousand years too young to pull one over on me."
Answered the Guuji, her demeanor completely different from the usually laid back attitude.
"After watching him for these couple of months, I am inclined to agree that he is an otherworlder. Are we looking at a new Descender?"
"I doubt it, the boy has no interest in ruling or authority, he will likely remain a 'Traveler'."
"That would be for the best, but if Celestia gets wind of his existence… you'll have to forgive me dear friend…"
"I understand, don't worry, I masked his aura with strong wards, nobody is going to come looking for him."
"I sure hope so; it would be a pity to kill such a wonderful child."
Her eyes gleamed with the responsibilities of a divine monarch and Saiguu herself, as much as she loved her new child, nodded along, her shoulders heavy with responsibility and conviction.
.
.
.
A huge merchant ship was steadily sailing along the calm waters of the sea, its destination - the bustling Liyue Port.
Alexander stood on the starboard bow, but he wasn't looking at the vast sea; he was looking inboard, towards where a crowd of sailors—and even the ship's captain—had gathered. They were all fawning over Yae, doing their utmost to catch her eye and attention. She, in turn, was leading them all by the noses with a sly grin.
He himself had a wry smile, noting down how scary women who acknowledged their own beauty were.
Thankfully, he had a certain resistance—actually, no, scratch that. He would bet his system that if a beautiful woman started showing him attention, he would fold in record time. Fortunately he had put his mind towards self growth, with no time fawning over women like the men aboard were doing.
As he watched Yae enjoy special treatment at no cost but a few casual remarks or a smile directed toward a man, he felt he understood a certain worldly truth…
And just like that, their journey over the sea passed for over a week.
When arriving at Port Liyue, even before disembarking, Alexander could see the vivid colours of the bustling city.
In his life before the system, he had lived in a cold and grey city where life revolved entirely around the business of natural oil refinement.
Then, even upon arriving in Teyvat, he spent more than six months staying atop a mountain in a shrine where nothing much could be witnessed after a week or so.
And finally here he is, fully experiencing the fictional world made real.
The busy port, the huge market, the lighted districts, it was all intoxicating. The amount of people moving around was truly astonishing.
Millelith, travelers, merchants, citizens, government workers… he had no doubt mixed among them were the hidden adepti, the pompous young masters, and the arrogant clan heads he had read about in fiction.
Beside him, Yae Miko was also experiencing everything for the first time, although the scene didn't impact her as much as the teenager, she still looked at everything with interest.
"Oooh."
She walked towards a refurbished shop that had a book and a scroll sign.
[Public Library]
'A public library? That's pretty advanced.'
Alex scratched his head, as he followed his companion.
Jingle
The door made a sound upon opening, bringing the librarian attention towards them.
"Good evening travellers, are you interested in reading?"
"Yes, what kind of books do you have?"
"Theatre plays, knowledge scrolls, autobiographies of the Adepti and the Qixing, both old and current."
"Is that all?"
"We have children's books and some imported works from places like Mondstat and Fontaine."
"I'll take a look at those, I heard they write more about fun."
"Oh, Madam Traveler, we have fun books as well, like how to conduct tea ceremonies and find yourself a young man."
"I'll take the instructions on romance as well then."
Yae smiled playfully, her tails swaying with anticipation.
"You like to read?"
Alexander decided to ask, he was aware the fox would make a publishing house centuries later, but he was surprised the first thing she did was get pulled towards a library upon arriving in Liyue.
"Life on the mountain was boring, I liked to read stories that would allow me to fantasise of the outside world."
"Ah, I get the feeling, that's good for you."
Unexpectedly, the comment made Yae pause slightly, although it went unnoticed by the young man, who was also looking through the shelves with interest.
"...You like reading such stories too?"
She finally said, unsure about why she sounded so hesitant.
"Yeah, reading is a good way to put it, I guess."
He thought about playing games and watching anime then nodded, as he took and carefully opened a book that piqued his interest.
"Mhm…"
The fox took a few glances at him, seeing that he was neither judging or joking, she let out a small smile, but quickly composed herself and got back to talking with the receptionist.
…
After some time, they decided not to remain reading inside, but purchased the books both of them found fun to read.
As they left the shop, the sun had already set, and the previously bustling streets were much more empty now, but the atmosphere took on a whole new meaning of wonderful.
Everywhere he looked, lanterns lit the streets, painting a beautiful contrast between the golden and the white lights of the stars and the streets.
Couples and families gathered and chatted happily, spending time together.
"Is Liyue that much better than Inazuma..?"
He finally asked Yae, she made a thinking face.
"Well… you didn't get to travel through Inazuma, though? The cities you visited were always in the daytime; you were home at night, weren't you?"
She reminded him.
"Oh… that's true…"
He felt like it was a missed opportunity now to be honest, why was he so fixated on the outside, when his home went unexplored?
He took a second to really think about that.
Yae watched him stand, silently contemplating her words and couldn't help but show a smile again.
'Is this how Saiguu felt when I was growing up?'
She thought, some interesting ideas sparking in her mind regarding the youth beside her.
"What should we eat tonight? Also, we completely forgot we need to find a place to stay."
Alexander finally returned from his thoughts, scratching the back of his head with embarrassment.
…
Now they both stood, looking at each other with wry smiles.
.
.
.
After they finished settling into their separate rooms, they once again met up and decided to eat out. Then, they asked around about some good places to eat and decided to follow each recommendation on a food tour.
Unfortunately, the tour ended with their tongues burning and eyes watery, too spicy.
"Why is everything so spicy? Even the 'mild' is spicy! I can't taste anything besides the chef's burning passion!"
Alexander was blowing wind into his open mouth as he complained. His female companion was no better.
"Alex, just cook for us next time."
"Sure, but we could give some other places another chance later, we just need to specify how much spice they should add…"
"I don't want to…"
She pouted and grasped his sleeve, giving him a shake with a pitiful expression.
Alexander wasted no time turning away with burning ears and a shaken heart.
'How dangerous.'
He thought and then glanced at her teasing face.
His own instantly darkened, as she shook his hand away from her grasp.
"Tsk, well, get used to it."
Waving her away, he moved towards their temporary home. Yae chuckled and followed after, noting down how it truly was quite interesting seeing his different expressions.
And so for the first time they spent a whole day together, talking, eating, reading.
'It was nice.'
They each thought back on how the day went, but said nothing aloud.