"That's right. It's her."
Lin Mo nodded.
After receiving confirmation, Jean immediately stood up from her seat. "Time is of the essence. I'll arrange for the Knights to move at once and locate this Traveler as soon as possible."
"Captain Lin Mo, will you come with us?" Jean asked curiously.
"Hmm… better not," Lin Mo replied after a moment's thought.
"I was planning to check out the room the Knights arranged for me anyway. Just let me know once you find her."
With the dragon crisis still ongoing, Lin Mo had no intention of getting too deeply involved.
He was afraid that interfering too much might alter the course of events and change the final outcome of the story.
"That makes sense…"
Jean nodded. "You've just arrived and must be tired. You should rest for a while."
As she spoke, she handed Lin Mo a small pouch of Mora.
"Hm? Jean, what's this for?" Lin Mo asked, puzzled.
"The weather's getting colder," Jean said with a gentle smile.
"Go buy yourself some bedding, pillows, and daily necessities."
"Still as thoughtful as ever," Lin Mo chuckled, accepting the Mora without hesitation.
"Then I'll go arrange the work. I'll come by your room later this evening."
"Sure. Go take care of things first."
Jean quickened her pace, heading off to deploy manpower to search Mondstadt for Lumine and Paimon.
"Ganqing big brother~"
Jean had barely left when Klee's cheerful voice rang out.
The little girl with fiery-red hair burst recklessly into the office.
Upon entering, she saw that only Lin Mo remained inside.
"Huh? Daddy~ where did Acting Grand Master Jean go?" Klee blinked her big eyes curiously.
"She went to take care of some work," Lin Mo said with a smile.
"How did the room arrangements go?"
"Oh, right, right~ That's exactly why Klee came!"
Klee said excitedly. "Klee asked Sister Noelle to arrange Daddy's room right next to Klee's!"
"Oh? That sounds pretty good."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
Klee's room was on the top floor—
Wide views, plenty of sunlight, with a clear sight of both Mondstadt Plaza and Cider Lake.
"Then let's go to the shopping district together," Lin Mo said.
"I need to buy some daily necessities."
"Okay~!"
Klee happily responded and lifted both arms high toward Lin Mo.
One look was all it took—Lin Mo knew exactly what the little cutie wanted.
He bent down, picked Klee up, and let her sit on his arm.
"Hehe~ Let's go, let's go~"
…
Under the shadow of the dragon crisis, Mondstadt felt somewhat deserted.
Still, commerce within the city remained fairly prosperous, so finding daily necessities wasn't difficult.
With Klee accompanying him, after about half an hour of shopping, Lin Mo had bought bedding, pillows, and various household items.
"Can't you just sell it to me this once?"
"If it weren't for the dragon crisis making it inconvenient to leave the city, I wouldn't even buy from you!"
A commotion not far away caught Lin Mo's attention.
"Oh! It's Sister Eula~"
Klee blinked, immediately recognizing the captain of the Knights' Reconnaissance Company.
"Eula…"
Seeing Eula arguing with a merchant made Lin Mo feel a twinge of sympathy.
Eula Lawrence.
The surname "Lawrence" had long been branded as a mark of guilt among Mondstadt's people.
Clearly, the merchant still refused to sell his goods to a descendant of the Lawrence clan.
On ordinary days, it wouldn't have mattered much.
Eula had long grown accustomed to Mondstadters' prejudice.
Moreover, she didn't wish to return to the Lawrence estate to face her harsh and rigid uncle, Schubert.
Since mastering her swordsmanship, Eula had spent most of her time in the wilderness, rarely going home.
When hungry, she hunted wild boar.
When thirsty, she picked Sunsettias in the wild.
When tired, she soaked herself in the remote hot springs of Dragonspine.
When sleepy, she simply pitched a tent and rested beneath the open sky.
For years, Eula had lived a free and unrestrained life.
That lifestyle also gave her rich experience in combat outside the city.
Jean recognized her abilities and appointed her captain of the Reconnaissance Company of the Knights of Favonius.
Yet none of that could erase Mondstadt's prejudice against the Lawrence name.
Now, the dragon crisis had truly disrupted Eula's way of life.
Jean had specifically instructed her not to leave the city during this period for safety reasons.
That left Eula in a difficult position.
She was used to being self-sufficient.
Not being allowed to go out meant she had to buy food within Mondstadt using Mora.
Just like now.
Eula stood before a fruit stall, hoping to buy a bag of apples.
But the merchant turned his face away, completely ignoring her.
At that moment, a hand reached for the bag of apples on the stall.
"A bag of apples—one hundred Mora, right?"
"I'll take it."
Along with the gentle voice,
clink—
A hundred-Mora coin landed on the counter.
The merchant merely glanced at Lin Mo and said nothing.
Though unfamiliar and clearly a foreigner, selling to an outsider was still better than selling to a Lawrence.
"Hey! That was the last bag of apples—I saw it first!"
Eula protested indignantly.
"I know," Lin Mo replied calmly with a faint smile.
"I just couldn't stand seeing the merchant make things difficult for such a beautiful lady."
"So, may I resell this bag of apples to you, miss?"
As Lin Mo spoke with a smile, he picked up the bag and turned to hand it to Eula.
Eula's eyes had been filled with displeasure—
But the instant Lin Mo turned around, that displeasure vanished without a trace.
In that split second, countless emotions surged through her gaze:
Shock, joy, sweetness, nostalgia, resentment, hatred…
Scenes from long-forgotten dreams replayed rapidly in her mind.
Lin Mo, however, failed to decipher the complexity in her eyes.
He merely smiled and reminded her, "Miss, do you still want the apples?"
Unexpectedly—
A chill flashed through Eula's beautiful eyes.
At the same time, the massive greatsword Song of Broken Pines was suddenly in her hands.
"H-Hey, wait! You—what are you doing?!"
Lin Mo instantly sensed danger.
Sure enough—
Eula raised the azure greatsword high and swung it down without hesitation.
As her arm came crashing down—
"Scumbag!! Go die!!!"
Her furious cry echoed through the entire street.
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T/N:
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