Muichiro learned three important things about Mondstadt within the first hour of actually walking through it.
First: the pigeons here had absolutely no fear of death.
Second: everyone smiled too much.
Third: Paimon could talk forever without breathing.
"And then," Paimon continued, floating backward in front of him as they crossed the bridge, "there was this time the Traveler accidentally exploded a cooking pot, and then the Knights yelled, and then— hey! Watch out!"
Muichiro stopped precisely one step before colliding with a pigeon that refused to move out of the way. The bird stared up at him, unimpressed.
"…Why is it challenging me?" he asked flatly.
"That's just Timmy's pigeons," Paimon said dismissively. "They're evil."
The pigeon flapped its wings aggressively, as if agreeing.
Muichiro nodded once. Understood. Hostile entities.
Behind them, the Traveler pinched the bridge of their nose. "Please don't fight the pigeons."
"I won't," Muichiro said immediately.
The pigeon pecked his shoe.
A thin curl of mist instinctively leaked out around his ankles.
The pigeon vanished in a panic of feathers.
"…I said I wouldn't fight it," Muichiro added, watching the empty space where it had been.
The Traveler sighed. "Let's… just keep moving."
Mondstadt was loud.
Not in the way of battle—no screams, no steel, no blood—but laughter, music, footsteps, conversations overlapping into one continuous hum. It made Muichiro's head feel strangely light, like he was underwater but forgot he needed air.
Someone waved at him.
He stared back.
They waved harder.
"…Do I know them?" Muichiro asked.
"Nope!" Paimon said cheerfully. "That's just Mondstadt. People wave."
"…Why."
"Freedom!"
Muichiro accepted this explanation immediately, even though it explained nothing.
They stopped near the Adventurers' Guild, where a green-clad girl behind the counter smiled with frightening enthusiasm.
"Welcome! Looking to register as adventurers?"
Paimon puffed up. "We're already very famous adventurers, thank you!"
Katheryne blinked. "Ah… welcome back, then. And this is…?"
Muichiro looked at her. She looked at him. He felt like he was supposed to say something.
"…Muichiro."
"Great! Any last name?"
He paused
"…No."
The Traveler coughed into their hand. "He's… new."
Katheryne smiled wider, somehow. "Of course! Mondstadt welcomes everyone. Even mysterious sword-wielding youths who appear out of nowhere."
Muichiro found this unsettling.... how did she know he used sword?
They took a commission.
Something about slimes.
Muichiro did not know what a slime was.
He found out quickly.
The slime bounced.
He stared at it.
It bounced again.
"…Is it thinking?" he asked.
"No," Paimon said. "Just hit it!"
Muichiro gently tapped it with the Traveler's sword.
The slime exploded into mist and elemental particles.
Muichiro stared at the spot where it had been. "…Oh."
The Traveler stared at the spot too. "You didn't even swing."
"I applied intent," Muichiro said.
Paimon gasped. "That's so cool! Paimon wants intent!"
Later—after several more slimes, one accidentally frozen pond, and exactly one shouting Knight of Favonius—they sat on a grassy hill outside the city.
Muichiro watched the wind roll through the grass. It reminded him of mist breathing—soft, flowing, endless.
"…This world is strange," he said.
The Traveler hummed. "You get used to it."
Paimon nodded. "Eventually! Probably! Maybe!"
Muichiro lay back, staring at the sky. One sun. Not two. He'd been wrong earlier.
"…I don't feel lost right now," he said quietly.
The Traveler froze, just for a second.
Then they smiled. "That's good."
A breeze passed over them, playful and light, tugging at Muichiro's hair like it was curious.
Somewhere far away, a bard sneezed for no reason at all.
Muichiro closed his eyes.
For now, this was fine.