Near Cider Lake
They had been stopping and starting the whole way.
Between monster attacks and stopping to admire Mondstadt's unique scenery, they wasted a lot of time.
Sometimes they stopped to pick flowers. Sometimes they chased after chirping bugs or squirrels. Of course, they always let them go afterward.
Whenever Bonanus spotted something interesting, she just had to take a closer look. Noelle always followed patiently with a smile, never complaining.
Because of all these detours, the sky had already darkened before they reached their destination. They only made it as far as Cider Lake.
Honestly, given their pace, getting to Cider Lake at all was already pretty good.
A statue stood at the center of Cider Lake. It was tall and magnificent, with a gentle, kind expression.
The statue gave off an air of authority. It represented Mondstadt's Anemo Archon, the great Lord Barbatos.
But whether that authority was real... well, the drinking and puddle-jumping Venti told you everything. The people of Mondstadt didn't know Venti was their god, but Bonanus knew.
"It's already this dark. What a hassle..." Bonanus put her hands on her hips and muttered to herself.
She looked at the darkness around her and frowned.
Apart from the stars in the sky, she couldn't see anything else. Liyue was different. Liyue's wilderness had street lamps that lit up the dark roads.
Mondstadt didn't have that. The dark sky limited how far Bonanus could see. It wasn't pitch black, but it was still annoying.
"Sister Fashui, maybe we should set up camp here. You might catch a cold at night."
Noelle lit an oil lamp, her face full of worry. Her sister's body was so fragile. If she got sick...
Bonanus smiled at her concern.
"Don't worry. I'm not that weak."
The oil lamp gave off a small amount of light. Not much, but enough to comfort anyone afraid of the dark. Enough for them to see each other's faces.
"That may be true..." Noelle rubbed her arm and continued.
"I know you really want to get there, but it's already dark. I think you need to rest."
Noelle had a pleading look on her face. Begging someone to rest... what a simple, kind girl.
Seeing Noelle like that, Bonanus didn't know what to say. She felt like saying no would be letting Noelle down.
What a difficult spot.
But after thinking it over, if they rested here, Noelle would have to set up the tent, start a fire, and do all that complicated work.
She could just use her adepti power to fly over and come back. Her injuries weren't fully healed, but it was still possible.
Honestly, if Bonanus went alone, she wouldn't waste nearly this much time. But she wasn't just here to check on the Traveler. She also wanted to help Noelle relax.
"Fine. It is late. We'll rest here tonight." Bonanus smiled.
"Great! Leave everything to me!" Noelle nodded happily.
She put her explorer's pack on the ground and pulled out a bunch of strange things. The light was too dim for Bonanus to see clearly.
Bonanus wanted to help, but she knew she would only make things worse. She would cause unnecessary trouble for Noelle.
She should leave these things to the professional. A clumsy woman like her should stay far away.
"Sister Fashui, find a comfortable spot to sit and rest. Just don't go too far." Noelle said as she fiddled with her things.
These skills, known only to wilderness survival experts and professional adventurers, didn't faze Noelle. She was smart. This was child's play to her.
She was very good at setting up tents, like she had been professionally trained. What a reliable partner.
"Noelle, I'm going to catch a couple of fish at Cider Lake. I'll be back soon." Bonanus wore an expression that said, "I can't just sit around doing nothing."
Noelle looked troubled. Cider Lake was close. Just a few more steps and they would be there.
But it was night. People slept at night. Criminals were active. What if her sister ran into danger?
"Sister, I brought trail rations. We don't need to go through the trouble." Noelle stopped what she was doing and stood in front of Bonanus, blocking her way.
Then she thought again. A merchant like Sister Fashui probably couldn't stomach rough trail rations. Wanting fresh fish was normal.
With that thought, she changed her tune.
"If you really want to go, can you wait until I finish setting up here? I want to go with you."
Bonanus: ...
Noelle's protective instincts were strong. She was a responsible trainee knight. But sorry, she couldn't take her this time.
"Noelle, I really appreciate you staying with me, but there are some things I want to experience on my own."
Bonanus put her hands on her hips and pretended to be annoyed. She even lowered her voice, making it seem like she was genuinely upset.
"Besides, there's a statue of the Anemo Archon in the middle of Cider Lake. No monster would be foolish enough to offend the lord of this land."
"But..." Noelle tried to protest, but Bonanus cut her off.
"No buts. If you follow me, I'll get mad. And I have a Vision too. I'm not that helpless."
Bonanus patted the Vision on her waist confidently. It was just a fancy decoration, but it could fool people.
Noelle looked skeptical. Her sister had been knocked out by a small monster attack before. That was hard to forget.
But if she kept this up, her sister would get really angry. And if her sister got angry, Noelle would blame herself for a long time.
Her clever mind raced for a solution. Soon, her eyes lit up. She knew what to do.
She nodded, walked over to her explorer's pack, and rummaged through it. She pulled out a fishing rod, a box of bait, and a bird-shaped whistle.
She brought them to Bonanus and handed them over with a smile.
"Sister, here are some fishing tools. If you run into danger, blow this whistle. I'll come as fast as I can."
Bonanus nodded and took them. But now that she thought about it, weren't the fish sleeping this late? Could she actually catch anything?
Still, she had everything she needed to pretend. She gave Noelle a "see you later" gesture and walked off.
Noelle watched her go, worry still written all over her face. She just hoped nothing would happen to her sister.