Kefálaio III: Finding Diluc, seeing Amber.

***Chapter 3***

Tomiko's Perspective.

The lovely air brushes my face tenderly as I take my first step into the bridge of the land of freedom. My hair was fluttering wonderfully, and my dress swayed in the breeze.

"Is this really for real? I'm crossing the bridge of Mondstadt myself."

[FX: Pigeon's flops away.]

(A/N: FX means Effects)

This is really a miracle indeed. "Alright, Tomiko. Let's do our best from now on." I happily uttered to myself.

"H-hey!"

"Eh?" I heard one heavy footstep behind me. "What are you doing!!? You're scaring the pigeons away!" When I saw a little guy with pale skin, blue eyes, and short dirty blonde hair, my eyes widened. I recognize him; he's the NPC who gets enraged anytime his pigeons fly away.

"Timmie!"

Due to the excitement, it gave me from the moment I lay my eyes to the young kid, my arms moved on their own and embraced him tightly. "E-ekk?!"

Timmie remained motionless for a long, allowing me to embrace him until I was satisfied. Perhaps I couldn't help but think of my own brothers when I saw Timmie earlier. There's a part of me that still misses them, yet even thinking about them now won't change anything. I died, and this is where I now live.

"H—hey, are you okay?"

With a bewildered and disturbed expression on his face, the young kid shoved me away. I smiled at him, hoping to ease his concern about me.

"Yeah." As a response to his question, I nodded my head and continued, "I'm sorry if I scared your pigeons away. I promise I won't do it again."

"A-are you sure? T—then… there shouldn't be a problem. Timmie has forgiven you."

"Thank you!"

When our brief talk came to an end. My legs started to go ahead of the bridge. I had a quick flashback of the game while I was at it. I remember walking on the bridge and seeing the pigeons blissfully lying in the center of the bridge, I always use Diluc to fry them all.

Ehehe. It's a part of living. That's why Timmie is usually angry with me; I even used Venti to practice my aiming at his ducks. It was amusing to see Timmie's outburst, but I'm here now. That is not something I believe I am free to do. I don't want to make him upset, and the pigeons won't transform into fowl so easily...though I'm not sure about that.

There were two posted guards on each side of the gate before I could even enter the city. One greeted me, "Welcome to Mondstadt," and the other said, "Mondstadt welcomes you." They were dressed in Knights of Favonius uniforms. This pair could be Lawrence and Swan. I saw them a lot, but I couldn't determine who was who.

I merely smiled and bowed at them. That appears to be the only thing I can do right now.

Following that, I made my first step inside the City of Freedom. I felt so satisfied and free as if the mystical aura had passed through me. My smile isn't leaving my face, and my heart is pounding with happiness.

"What a beautiful city. To think I'd be able to see the city with my own eyes. This is simply amazing." My mouth doesn't say anything but compliments the city Venti is looking after. The city was equally as lively as it had been in the game.

Stalls were located on both sides of the street. Fruit carts were on my right, while Wagner, the blacksmith, was to my left. Wagner is still very busy, as far as I can tell. The sound of a sword in the make was audible to me.

[FX: Zonk Zonk]

My legs began taking my path, in the distance, I saw Flora. The Little girl who sells flowers. Up her was Donna who has a thing on Diluc. We all know that this girl only thinks about Diluc every time.

It was only a few walks when I reached the counter where Katheryne is. The Adventurers' Guild's receptionist. She's the one I need to speak with; the reason I'm here is to obtain some sort of permit to become an Adven—wait. "Didn't I promise myself that I'd live peacefully in Mondstadt? But I need a job so, I'm wondering if she will be going to offer me a commission if I'm not an Adventurer?"

I was just standing right there as people came and went to consult with Katheryne. "Perhaps it's best if I go to Diluc first. I'm sure I could ask him how I may settle in here." The decision was made as I began to walk away. I chose the route that would allow me to pass Flora and Donna.

The buildings are really tall. To be honest, this city looks completely foreign to me. My place wasn't like this, even though I could see large structures in the metropolis where I worked.

The honking of the vehicles, the contaminated air, and even the toxic people was all chaotic unlike here, it was quite serene and relaxing. Green plants and rainbow-coloured flowers were elegantly draped in each home. This is an old-fashioned motif, but I really enjoy it.

It wasn't that long when I reached Angel's share. It's the Wine bar where Diluc works. I saw a familiar person near the Tavern's door. I presume that he was Patton. The person who is working his tail off to pay off his debt.

"Come in…! Come in! We're having a discount here in Angel's share."

"Good day, can you tell me about this Tavern?"

"Oh, young Lady! Interested, eh? Ehem…" He cleared his throats, "It was way back when the Dawn Winery was just established when the owner of the dawn winery open this Tavern. The winery's owner, Master Diluc, still holds the deeds to Angel's share. He really has taken the business to the next level. 'The best in Mondstadt' is the truth. Master Diluc serves the customers here personally when he is in good mood, and let Charles off for a day or two. If you see him here, be respectful. He is Mondstadt's tycoon… you know…"

He just blew my mind right there, as if he were a storyteller. "Wasn't that his line in the game? I expected he'd say something else." After hearing that monologue, my head was wringing for some reason.

"Stanley! There you are, buddy."

"Oh, hey…"

Nothing will happen if I stay here and do nothing. I entered the Tavern; the sound of the bard singing was the first thing I heard. However, Diluc wasn't here, all I see here is Charles, a local bartender who works in this place.

"Hi…" It wasn't that awkward to me when I walked in through one of the seats and occupied that spot naturally. "Good day, young Lady. What would you like to have? " Although it's odd that he'd ask me that.

All I know about this place is they were serving wines and alcoholic beverages. Genshin never mentioned any food that can be ordered or some non-wine serving beverages before, am I right? Besides, I'm only here to see Diluc. I don't have money to buy anything at all.

I suppose I should just question him about Diluc.

"Uhm… H—have you seen Diluc?"

"D—Diluc?"

"Yes." I smiled at him.

But Charles gave me a wry stare. He even paused and didn't respond to me for a few minutes, which started to make me worry.

"Did I say something wrong, I wonder?"

I mumbled to myself worried about what he was thinking of me. "No way! Are you Master Diluc's girlfriend?! " He yelled.

[Fx: Snapped]

"What?!" Everyone at the bar harmonized their words as if they heard a shocking news. All of them were staring at me. Everyone was intrigued and fascinated.

"Eh—?!"

"Only a person who's close to him will call him 'Diluc' and you didn't use any suffix to address him!"

"Eeee—?!"

Oh crap, I forgot Patton's advice. Be respectful, should have called him… Master Diluc.

Eventually, everyone's gaze engulfed me. It made me uneasy that my heart was thumping even louder now. I hope no one hears it. This is uncomfortable, if Diluc is not here I should just…—

"Young Lady, speak the truth… Are you Master Diluc's—." I stood up with having this unresolved wry expression on my face. I slowly back up, but they're still surrounding me. "I—it's a misunderstanding! I would never have such a relationship with him! " But they were persistent, to the point that I had to rush out of the Tavern.

"Aaahh!"

I couldn't breathe a sigh of relief until I got away from Angel's share. It was exhausting, and my breathing was frantic.

"Who would think that people here are very careful with addresses?" I smack myself either way, "How could I have forgotten to put 'Master' in the first place."

I should be more careful with my words. If I say something shady, people here will undoubtedly think something far beyond my comprehension. Sigh. It will take some time for me to adjust, but I must do my best.

"I lost my chance to ask where is Dil—Master Diluc went." I roamed around my eyes, "Now then… where should I look for him?"

It just occurred to me that I ran so much that I had ended up near the fountain. I could see the huge windmill in the distance.

"I'd never seen a windmill before," I uttered, "and it was incredible."

"...—Hello, Sara. What's on the menu today? I'm hoping to spend my break time here while Kaeya is away."

"That is..." I blinked a few times as I recognized the red girl at the Good Hunter, "Amber!"