[System Prompt]: New cultivation target added, Amber.
Target Name: Amber
Level: Lv5
Elemental Affinity: Pyro
Skills: Baron Bunny Lv1, Fiery Rain Lv1
Jensen skimmed over his system panel.
Amber had just helped Lumine deal with three wooden shield hilichurls on the outer platform, and now she had taken on another three all by herself. That had shot her up by two whole levels.
Lumine was the same, already at Level 4.
Thanks to having Fischl before them, he knew early levels were comparatively easy to raise. It was nothing worth being too surprised about.
"Here."
Lumine took out a white handkerchief embroidered with golden flowers from her pocket and handed it to Amber.
"Lumine is the one who needs it more, though."
Amber laughed.
She simply wiped the sweat from her face with the sleeve of her clothes.
Thanks to the earlier fight with the slime hilichurl and the later battle against the hilichurl archers, Lumine was just as battered as she was.
"I am fine."
Lumine shook her head.
She looked toward the other exit of the hall, her fine brows knitting slightly.
There was only a short little platform there, and beyond it lay a sheer drop into empty air, no path at all. But a Pyro monument stood quietly at the edge.
"So it really is like I thought. If this used to be a temple, then there has to be a way up."
Amber immediately caught the key point.
She raised her bow.
A charged Pyro arrow flew and struck the monument.
Flames flared over the elemental stone.
From the chasm below, a strong updraft suddenly roared to life.
The floor beneath their feet shuddered, nearly making all three of them lose their balance.
"A mechanism?" Lumine realized.
"Exactly. Come on, let us fly up."
Amber opened her Wind Glider and leapt into the airflow.
"We will go too."
Jensen followed right behind, letting the strong updraft carry him to the highest hall of the temple.
"That must be the focal point of the dragon's power."
"According to Lisa, Stormterror drew on the temple's residual energy through that thing."
Amber pointed toward the center of the hall, where a dark green stone coiled with wind energy floated.
She drew another charged arrow.
Using the reaction between Pyro and Anemo, she loosed. The stone cracked and shattered.
Only then did she let herself breathe.
"With this, the Temple of the West Wind Eagle is finally cleared. I am exhausted."
"At least now we can share some of Jean's burden."
Amber grinned happily.
It was obvious even to Lumine that, once the stone was destroyed, the dragon's power within the temple began to drain away at high speed.
The three of them headed back the way they had come.
"In the past, our defensive strength was enough to at least protect the city. To put it simply, that was because we had Jean."
"But now Stormterror has actually charged directly into the city... The direction of the wind has changed, so our strategy has to change with it."
Amber explained as they walked.
"That sounds very philosophical."
Lumine was not a local and only understood about half.
Amber's face reddened.
"That is something Lisa likes to say."
"If there is anything you do not understand, you can just ask Lisa."
She waved her hands quickly. "And it is not that I do not know anything, alright. It is just that as the librarian, Lisa's store of knowledge is always going to be more complete than a simple Outrider's."
"Is that so..."
Lumine murmured, but her eyes slid sideways to the boy walking beside her.
She had a feeling this one knew plenty already. She really did not need to go asking Lisa at all.
The three of them stepped out of the temple entrance. From here, they could see Mondstadt in the distance.
Dark clouds still coiled above the city, and the storm had not dispersed.
The problem was far from solved.
"Kaeya and Lisa are not done yet?"
From that alone, Jensen could more or less guess the situation.
"The Temples of the North Wind Wolf and the South Wind Lion are both much farther from Mondstadt than the West Wind Eagle's temple, and the danger level will be higher too."
Amber said it as if it were only natural. "Even if Kaeya and Lisa are really strong, there is no way they could finish clearing theirs this fast."
If not for Jensen and Lumine's help, she would not have finished this one so quickly either.
"Should we go help?" Lumine asked first.
In truth, she was very curious about the hilichurls and slimes in those other two temples.
They would probably make her stronger too.
Jensen glanced at her eager face and could not help feeling a little helpless.
This girl... was she a bit of a battle maniac?
He was just about to speak when a figure running out from the direction of Mondstadt caught his eye, appearing near the stone bridge at the gate.
At this time of day, the citizens were all hiding indoors. The only ones openly moving in the city should be Knights of Favonius.
So anyone coming out now was suspicious by default.
The man's expression was cold, his clothes a black and gold gentleman's coat over a white shirt, his long red hair tied back in a loose ponytail, slightly wavy at the ends. Sharp red eyes, black gloves and trousers, high boots.
Elegance and danger mixed together perfectly in his appearance.
"Oh?"
He seemed to notice the three of them at the temple entrance as well, and a faintly amused smile touched his lips.
"Jensen, since when do you like running around with little rookie Knights like this?"
Amber bristled the moment she heard that, clenching her fists.
Paimon instantly joined the same camp.
Never mind that she had just grown quite close to Amber.
Amber was the big spender who had promised her a feast.
That tiny hand of hers shot out, accusingly pointing at the man as she scolded in a mock grown up tone, "Hey, you with the red hair, yes, you! Little rookie? Amber is really strong, you know. Do not look down on her!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
The man's smile deepened.
"You..."
Paimon tried to fly forward and argue with him.
Jensen reached out and stopped her, then said to the newcomer, "Heading out at a time like this, where are you going, Diluc?"
"With a mind as sharp as Jensen's, you should already know, should you not? I will be going on ahead."
Diluc lifted a hand in a smooth, graceful wave and walked right past them toward the distance.
Jensen watched his back for a moment, then turned his head to look at the adorable Outrider beside him.
He fell into thought.
So...
Now that he had Amber, did he still need to train Diluc?