Temporarily separated from the main group, a new problem has emerged: where is Goethe?
I vaguely remember Goethe being near the Adventurers' Guild building.
But looking around, Mondstadt now isn't the small, out-of-the-way place from the game. It's truly an endless expanse of interconnected houses.
Aside from a few landmark locations, all the other houses were unfamiliar.
Just as Shao Yun was troubled, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he had a sudden realization.
"Oh, how could I forget about this?" He suddenly slapped his thigh. "The Adventurers' Guild! From fighting the Heavenly Principles to finding lost cats and dogs, they take all sorts of commissions, and they're well-informed. Finding a place to stay should be a piece of cake."
He immediately turned and started walking towards Katheryne.
"To the stars and the abyss, welcome to the Adventurers' Guild." Katheryne greeted Shao Yun with a smile.
"Hello, I'd like to ask a few things."
He carefully observed Katheryne. Was she really a mechanical doll? The craftsmanship was so lifelike. Snezhnaya's technology was truly advanced.
"Is this your first time at the Adventurers' Guild?" Katheryne displayed a perfectly standard smile.
First time, yes and no. After all, he had to come here every time he collected his daily commission rewards.
"Emmm, an Adventurer? Not exactly, but I do get commissioned to do things for people, so in a way, it's my first time at the Adventurers' Guild." If he were to adopt his new identity, in the Red Dead Redemption world, he'd occasionally suck snake venom for passersby or escort someone home…
Upon hearing that Shao Yun was a first-timer and seemed capable, Katheryne immediately began to recommend becoming an Adventurer and joining the Adventurers' Guild.
"Our Adventurers' Guild is here to help new Adventurers better adapt to adventuring…"
This was getting off-topic. Why was Katheryne acting like a salesperson? His goal wasn't, or at least not yet, to become an Adventurer.
"Um, excuse me, may I interrupt? I don't have any intention of becoming an Adventurer at the moment."
"But, becoming an official Adventurer…" Katheryne was still a bit persistent, wanting to continue her introduction.
"I know, I'm here for something…" He unconsciously made a circle with his finger. "You know."
Katheryne immediately understood and lightly coughed.
"Oh, you're here to post a commission."
Finally, they were getting to the point. Was Katheryne's winding not tight enough, or was the Adventurers' Guild really short on Adventurers? Why was she always trying to sell people on becoming Adventurers?
He'd better finish the task given by the system quickly and unlock the changeable outfits soon.
"Sort of. My travel companion and I are here in Mondstadt for the first time, and we need to find a place to stay."
"I see. Are you looking to rent a house or stay in a hotel?"
"Could you recommend something?" In the world of Red Dead Redemption, he'd just pay a dollar for a room and twenty-five cents for a bath. He had never stayed in a hotel in Teyvat.
Katheryne explained Mondstadt's housing rental market.
"Recently, the Snezhnaya delegation rented out the Gothe Grand Hotel in Mondstadt. I recommend renting a house instead."
"Hmm, alright." It was similar to the story; the entire Gothe Grand Hotel was booked.
Katheryne took out a few commission forms from a drawer and handed them to Shao Yun.
"I have a few house rental commissions here. You can take a look."
"Thank you." He took the forms and examined them carefully.
"Actually, many other houses in Mondstadt are also for rent, but they aren't listed with the Guild. If you don't find anything suitable here, you can go look around."
"Could it be because of the Dragon Scourge, that some Mondstadters are scared?" Shao Yun's lips curved slightly upwards, a hint of slyness flashing in his eyes as he lightly teased.
"That might be one of the reasons." Katheryne responded.
As Shao Yun was looking through the information on each sheet, a sweet and vibrant young girl's voice came from behind him.
"Miss Katheryne, everything has been delivered."
Katheryne showed a look of relief, watching the girl run over.
"Thank you, Miss Noelle. You've truly helped our Adventurers' Guild a great deal."
Shao Yun turned around and saw a silver-haired girl wearing a maid's outfit with knight's armor over it and a rose hair ornament running towards them.
Is this Noelle? She felt so small. If he hadn't already gone through the story, how could he have imagined that this little girl was a character of immense strength?
Noelle saw Shao Yun and suddenly seemed to falter, her steps slowly stopping as she paused to observe this unfamiliar person.
"This is Miss Noelle of the Knights of Favonius, Mr. Shao Yun."
Katheryne was the first to break the awkward silence, beginning the introductions.
"Hello, my name is Shao Yun." He returned the commission forms to Katheryne and extended his hand.
Noelle tentatively extended her hand, as cautiously as a kitten touching water, but finally shook Shao Yun's hand and introduced herself.
"Hello, I'm Noelle… Um, you're not a Mondstadt citizen, are you? You seem like an outside traveler."
"That's right. My travel companion and I are looking for a place to stay, but…"
The moment he made contact with Noelle, the system prompted him that the quest had updated.
Quest Updated: Follow Noelle
Ah, wasn't he looking for a place to stay? How did this happen…
"You're looking for a place to stay, right? Do you need my help?" Noelle immediately offered to help Shao Yun enthusiastically.
This was very consistent with Noelle's character: enthusiastically helping others, even to the point of exhausting herself.
Since the system required him to follow Noelle, he would gratefully accept.
"I really do, as I'm unfamiliar with the place…" Shao Yun pretended to be a traveler very unfamiliar with Mondstadt, acting somewhat flustered and at a loss.
"I can help. A place to stay, right? I'll take you to find Goethe."
Goethe. Whenever it concerned housing, he would be mentioned. The biggest landlord in all of Mondstadt. Perhaps he even ran a company called "Goethe Real Estate."
Shao Yun pretended to think it over carefully, then thanked Noelle for her help. "Then I'll trouble you."
Following Noelle, the two walked side by side to find Goethe.
Not saying anything felt like something was missing. Shao Yun's eyes darted around, and he thought of a perfect topic.
"Thank you, Knight Noelle. Otherwise, I don't know how much time I would have spent in front of the Adventurers' Guild."
Upon hearing Shao Yun address her like that, her face instantly flushed, and she quickly explained.
"Ah, no, no, no, I'm not a Knight. I'm a maid of the Knights of Favonius."
Shao Yun feigned surprise, looking Noelle up and down.
"A maid? Although I noticed your maid outfit at first glance, I thought it was just your clothing preference."
"But, the first impression you gave me was that you were a Knight. You are enthusiastic, love helping others, and…" Shao Yun praised Noelle with all his might. After all, Noelle was truly such a person, so praising her like this was not an exaggeration.
"You flatter me. I am undergoing the Knights of Favonius's assessment," Noelle spoke about her ongoing assessment, but as soon as she mentioned it, a look of dejection appeared on her face. "It's just that I haven't passed yet."
"Haven't passed? My goodness, are the standards for joining the Knights of Favonius to tear apart dragons with your bare hands or single-handedly defeat the monster army attacking Mondstadt?"
Shao Yun's exaggerated tone made Noelle burst into laughter.
"Perhaps it's still because my strength is insufficient. After all, I don't have Acting Grand Master Jean's abilities, Captain Kaeya's wisdom, Lisa's talent for potions, or Amber's agility…"
Noelle listed the strengths of the Knights of Favonius members and compared them to herself, feeling more and more inadequate as she spoke, as if she needed to work even harder.
"If you truly possessed all the strengths of these individuals, let alone being selected for the Knights of Favonius, you'd be more than capable of being the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius." Shao Yun's lips curved upwards; he didn't know what to say.
"You need to find your own strengths; you have advantages that others don't."
If Noelle really gathered all the strengths of these people, she would be terrifyingly strong.
"I just want to become a true Knight. Becoming someone like Acting Grand Master Jean is something I can't even imagine right now."
"So I'm currently serving as a maid in the Knights of Favonius, learning Knightly etiquette, and intensifying my training. One day, I will definitely become an official Knight of the Knights of Favonius."
Seeing Noelle's confident demeanor, Shao Yun really didn't want to pour cold water on her. He couldn't just say it's because you're too kind and too trusting, so they'll let you join the Knights of Favonius once you mature a bit, right?
As soon as he thought of "mature," Shao Yun suddenly realized something, and a guess emerged in his mind.
"Um, this might be a bit rude, Noelle, how old are you?" Shao Yun stopped and asked.
Noelle was startled, her finger touching her chin as she pondered for a moment before giving an answer.
"Huh? I'm… 15 years old."
Fifteen years old. That explained it.
"Oh, 15 years old, I see…" Shao Yun suddenly understood, as if he had discovered a new continent.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Noelle was confused by Shao Yun's disjointed words, not knowing what he meant.
Having received the answer of 15 years old, Shao Yun suddenly thought of a possibility: could it be that Noelle couldn't join the Knights of Favonius not only because the Knights of Favonius members feared she was too kind and easily exploited by others, but also because she wasn't old enough?
Amber, 16 years old, is a Reconnaissance Knight. Noelle, 15 years old, is a maid of the Knights of Favonius. Everything made sense. It turned out Noelle hadn't reached 16 yet and couldn't legally find a job. If the Knights of Favonius made Noelle a Knight, it would be employing child labor.
As for Klee, an elf, she shouldn't be compared to humans.
"Hey, Miss Noelle, do you think there's a possibility that…"