The Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine

"You guys!"

As the Traveler comforted Astrea…

"As long as you work hard and don't give up, you'll definitely grow stronger over time." —With these words of encouragement, the dialogue finally came to an end.

And as the dialogue ended, a short animated cutscene began.

At the same time, a familiar voice rang out.

"Ah! It's Amber!"

Axue clapped her hands in excitement.

For players, Amber was also a familiar character.

After all, Amber was one of the first characters to appear in the game's promotional videos.

"May the Anemo Archon protect you. Hello, I'm Amber, the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. I think I just heard someone calling for help."

As she spoke, Amber turned her gaze toward Astrea.

"Were you the one calling for help just now?"

"Y-yes, I was attacked by some Slimes," Astrea said nervously. "Thanks to this big sister, I was saved. My name is Astrea, and I'm from Fontaine."

"A traveler from Fontaine, huh? Welcome to Mondstadt."

Hearing Astrea's words, Amber nodded without doubting the words of this adorable little girl who looked so pitiful.

So, she turned her attention to Lumine.

"You're not a citizen of Mondstadt, are you? Please state your identity."

Paimon immediately waved her hands in panic. "Calm down, we're not suspicious people!"

"That's exactly what suspicious people would say."

Lumine, however, remained calm. "Hello, I'm Lumine."

"…That doesn't sound like a local name. Are you also from abroad? And this… mascot, what's the deal with her?"

Amber looked at Paimon with a suspicious expression.

At this moment, a dialogue option appeared on Axue's screen.

『She's a friend』

『She's emergency food』

Axue didn't hesitate for even a second.

The Lumine in Teyvat also didn't hesitate in the slightest, calmly saying, "She's emergency food."

"That's completely wrong! How is that even worse than being a mascot?!"

Paimon stomped her feet in mid-air, furious.

"Anyway, you're travelers, right?" Amber brushed past the minor issue. "Recently, there's been a dragon spotted around Mondstadt, so it's best if you head into the city as soon as possible. It's not far from here, so as a knight, I'll escort you there."

"Huh? Don't you have other tasks to do outside the city?"

"Of course, but don't worry. I'll make sure you're safe on the way."

"So… so cool."

Astrea looked at Amber with admiration.

"Is this what a real knight is like? I guess I'm really no match for a proper knight, being just a candidate."

"Astrea, you're a knight candidate in Fontaine? Does Fontaine have knights too?"

Amber looked at Astrea in surprise.

Astrea immediately lowered her head, dejected, and whispered, "I guess I really don't look like a knight."

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean it that way."

Amber apologized, but she didn't know how to comfort the girl further. After all… she really didn't look like a knight.

Well, she was kind of like Klee.

But compared to Klee, this girl who cried for help after being attacked by Slimes…

The more Amber thought about it, the more awkward she felt, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, let's get going."

With those words, the dialogue finally ended, and then…

"Huh? I got Amber?"

Axue was both surprised and confused.

"Wait… aren't characters supposed to be bought? Is she free? But that doesn't make sense. Why didn't I get Astrea?"

Unable to figure it out, Axue didn't dwell on it and immediately switched to Amber, using her to travel.

During the journey, Paimon and Astrea weren't following alongside, but the group's conversation continued uninterrupted as they traveled.

Amber learned that Lumine had been separated from her brother and promised to help post missing person notices in Mondstadt. She also learned that Astrea was the Hydro Archon's candidate guardian knight. Although she was a bit surprised, she accepted Astrea's explanation without suspicion, as Astrea didn't seem like the type to lie—people often judge by appearances, after all.

Though it was still a bit puzzling why the Hydro Archon's candidate guardian knight would be like this.

But there was no point in overthinking foreign matters, so Amber quickly let it go.

Not only that, but Amber, who had initially been a bit wary of Lumine, completely opened up after just one conversation.

Well, she was always a cheerful and open-minded girl.

After clearing out a Hilichurl camp and completing Amber's task, the group of four crossed the bridge, passed by some pigeons, and Lumine casually swung her sword a few times to collect some meat before finally entering Mondstadt.

Then, Amber said she wanted to give Lumine a gift as thanks for helping her take out the Hilichurls, and she asked Lumine to join her on a high place.

Astrea didn't go and instead waited where she was.

Not long after, Amber and Lumine returned, gliding down with wind gliders.

Clearly, the gift Amber mentioned was the wind glider.

Astrea—or rather, Ye—wasn't particularly interested in this and instead quietly waited for what was about to happen next.

At this moment, Ye was controlling Astrea's character.

Because the upcoming attack on Mondstadt by Stormterror was the first highlight moment Ye had prepared for Astrea.

A character who was always weak and timid wouldn't do. To attract more popularity in the game, there needed to be moments of brilliance, moments of strength.

Both in terms of gameplay mechanics and in the story, strength was necessary.

Without hesitation, Ye used most of the popularity Astrea had gained to enhance her power and also exchanged some of it for a secret technique. The remaining elemental energy was saved to temporarily strengthen Stormterror—wait, why strengthen Stormterror?

Ye had his reasons, which would become clear once Stormterror arrived.

In any case, all of this was for Astrea's popularity.

First, it was important to establish that Astrea couldn't completely steal the spotlight from the Traveler in the story, nor could she give players the feeling that the game was forcefully pushing her.

After all, this was the Traveler's moment to shine. The upcoming story was closely tied to the Traveler's performance in this battle, so the title of Honorary Knight couldn't feel undeserved.

Mondstadt's theme was about a hero fighting a dragon, unlike the later nations. This was the opening chapter of the game, the part meant to draw players in. The protagonist had to be the Traveler, and no other character could overshadow the Traveler (the player) in this chapter. Otherwise, the entire game's impression on players would be ruined.

Therefore, what Astrea needed to do was to assist the Traveler in battle, much like Venti.

She needed to make players aware of her presence, but she absolutely couldn't steal the show.

At the same time, there needed to be a moment of brilliance for Astrea, the timid character.

Usually, she was very timid and afraid of battle, but only in certain moments would she muster the courage to fight.—This setting was precisely for moments like this, to showcase Astrea's brilliance and create a strong contrast in her character, increasing players' affection for her.

And now, everything was ready. All that was left was for the wind to blow.