Shao Yun carried the letter of introduction written by Tighnari and made his way toward the road leading from Caravan Ribat to Sumeru City.
From afar, he spotted Lumine, Paimon, and Collei standing together, chatting together.
During this time, Collei had gotten along very well with Lumine and Paimon.
Collei had already become Lumine's very first friend upon entering Sumeru. The two of them could talk about anything and had grown remarkably close.
When Shao Yun approached, he saw Lumine and Collei so engrossed in their conversation that even Paimon hadn't noticed him standing there. The atmosphere was lively.
Shao Yun stood quietly to the side, watching them with interest.
After a moment, he cleared his throat lightly, drawing the trio's attention.
Then, handing Lumine the introduction letter from Tighnari, Shao Yun smiled curiously and asked, "Looks like you three are having a great time. Did I miss out on some very interesting topic?"
Lumine turned her head, the corners of her lips lifting into a bright smile.
"No, Shao Yun, you didn't miss anything important. But since you're here, let's get ready to head out!"
Collei, seeing that the three were about to leave for Sumeru City, felt reluctant but forced herself to smile warmly and sincerely send them off.
"Then lastly, as a trainee Forest Ranger, I sincerely wish you both a smooth journey! I hope there'll be another chance to meet again at Caravan Ribat. When that day comes, we Rangers will surely do our utmost to provide you with all the help you need."
Hearing Collei's words, Shao Yun looked at her kindly and reminded, "Collei, work is important, but you must also take good care of your health."
"When I came by earlier, I noticed that the Akademiya has already dispatched other Rangers here to assist. So don't overwork yourself, alright?"
Collei nodded firmly, replying softly, "Mm, thank you for your concern. I'll take care of myself, don't worry."
With everything settled, Paimon pointed at the road ahead and shouted, "Next stop, Sumeru City!"
…
When Collei returned to Caravan Ribat, Shao Yun whistled sharply, and within less than ten seconds, Carrot trotted up to his side.
Shao Yun patted Carrot's neck gently, then turned his gaze toward Lumine and asked a question.
"Lumine, do you plan on riding your Buell, or would you rather sit behind me with Paimon?"
Without much hesitation, Lumine chose to sit behind Shao Yun.
"I'd rather ride behind you. Walking with Paimon these past days has been exhausting."
Just as Shao Yun was about to help her mount, he noticed Lumine's white dress and made a suggestion.
"In that case, why not consider changing into the outfit I bought for you? I wouldn't want your dress to get stained by the mud splashing up from the horse's hooves."
Lumine looked down at her skirt, realizing that Shao Yun was once again suggesting a change of clothes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she countered, "And what if the clothes I change into get dirty instead?"
Shao Yun answered casually, "If they get dirty, we'll just find a place to have them cleaned. And if the clothes I gifted you get damaged, we'll simply take them to Fontaine's tailoring house, spend a bit on repairs, and they'll be good as new."
Glancing around at the surrounding rainforest, Lumine eventually nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Riding in a dress really isn't practical."
…
Lumine changed into the Cowgirl Outfit—Summer Sharpshooter Edition.
She lowered her gaze to carefully inspect herself, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
Even after all this time, the outfit still fit her perfectly, accentuating her figure and making her look even more valiant and striking.
The black long gloves she wore only added to her air of confidence and style.
"Mm… how should I put it? This outfit isn't just comfortable, it's snug, and it doesn't restrict my movements at all. And the texture of these gloves—it's really impressive."
As she spoke, Lumine ran her hand over the gloves, savoring their fine texture.
With a swift, practiced motion, Shao Yun mounted the horse and extended his hand to pull Lumine up behind him.
"That's for sure!" he said proudly. "Ningguang paid quite a hefty price to get this set. If it were all looks and no function, we wouldn't even need to complain—she herself would've written to the tailoring house demanding answers."
With that, Shao Yun flicked the reins, and the horse started forward.
Lumine wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her body swaying in rhythm with the sound of the horse's hooves.
…
Suddenly, Lumine seemed to recall something and asked Shao Yun, "By the way, how do you usually take care of horses?"
At that question, Shao Yun's heart skipped a beat.
Normally, these horses were kept in the system's stable. When he needed one, he just whistled and they obediently appeared; once done, a pat on the rump sent them off, disappearing from sight as they returned to storage.
But how could he possibly tell Lumine that?
So instead, Shao Yun explained the details of horse care to her.
"Caring for a horse isn't difficult. You need to provide them with fresh hay and clean water every day, groom their coat regularly, clean their hooves, and occasionally take them out for a walk to stretch their legs."
After finishing, he asked, "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
Lumine's gaze drifted toward the muddy roads of the rainforest, recalling her recent training with Tighnari in handling Withering Zones, where the terrain had been so rough and grueling.
She frowned slightly and said softly, "Shao Yun, you have no idea. Sumeru is just too big! And the roads here are so complicated it's exhausting."
"These past few days, Paimon and I have only wandered around Avidya Forest, and I already feel like my body's about to fall apart." She shook her head, her legs still sore just from remembering it.
Hearing her complaints, Shao Yun quickly understood her meaning.
The terrain in Sumeru was indeed far too complex. Walking on foot simply wasn't enough—horses were essential for travel.
(As for Teleport Waypoints, well, there were some places in Sumeru that even waypoints couldn't easily reach!)
Shao Yun nodded in understanding. "I see. Got it. I'll find a solution in the next few days."
Lumine's Dutch Warmblood—Buell—still technically belonged to Shao Yun in the system. Which meant she could only ride it if Shao Yun summoned it with a whistle. That was certainly inconvenient.
But since Lumine had clearly voiced her concern, Shao Yun now had the obligation to resolve it for her.
'I'll have to find time to negotiate with that useless system… see if there's a way.'
…
Unknowingly, Shao Yun's horse carried him, Lumine, and Paimon to a fork in the road.
Looking north, the road stretched straight ahead, and in the distance, the colossal tree of Sumeru City could be faintly seen.
To the south lay the path to the tranquil Vimara Village; from there, a western route would lead to Gandharva Ville.
Just as Shao Yun was preparing to head north, Lumine and Paimon triggered the "Aranyaka" questline.
In the middle of the crossroads stood a brave-looking woman in green uniform, facing off against three Geo Fungi blocking the road.
This Forest Ranger named Rana gripped a sharp battle axe in her right hand, swinging it with force from time to time to scare off the creatures.
At the same time, she shouted loudly, "Hey! You wretched mushrooms, back off! Go on, back where you came from!"
Paimon immediately noticed Rana's predicament.
Seeing a stranger in distress, Paimon panicked and quickly said to Shao Yun and Lumine, "Look, look! Someone needs help over there! Shouldn't we go lend a hand?"
Following Paimon's finger, Shao Yun saw the three sentient mushrooms.
He thought for a moment, then looked back at Lumine. She hadn't fired her gun in quite a while… wasn't this a perfect training opportunity?
Smiling, he suggested, "Why not? Lumine, take this chance to refresh your shooting skills I taught you."
Lumine glanced at the revolver at her hip, then at Rana struggling against the mushrooms, and agreed.
In one swift motion, she dismounted, drew her Colt revolver, and like a seasoned sharpshooter, aimed steadily at the three animated mushrooms.
With two crisp gunshots—bang, bang—she cleanly took down two of them.
The reason she didn't fire a third time was because Rana had already swung her axe, splitting one fungi neatly in half.
Shao Yun couldn't help but note, 'These Sumeru folk are tough. Not like the ones in Mondstadt… though to be fair, the Hilichurls back there aren't elemental creatures like these mushrooms…'
…
After Lumine stepped in to help, Rana sheathed her axe at her waist.
She clasped her hands together and said gratefully to Lumine, "Ah, you really saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you so much for helping!"
Shao Yun looked at the mushroom split in two and teased, "You're too modest. That chop of yours cut it clean down the middle. I'd say even if we hadn't shown up, you could've diced these mushrooms into thin slices all by yourself."
Hearing that, Rana quickly responded humbly, "Oh, you flatter me! These mushrooms are cunning—you let your guard down for a moment, and they'll sneak attack you. If one of them knocks into you, the pain will keep you bedridden for three days."
Paimon shivered at the thought, nodding rapidly.
"Mm-hmm, I can feel that pain just from imagining it."
Rana cleared her throat softly, then properly introduced herself.
"I'm Rana, the Ranger responsible for patrolling this area. Normally, I'd have a few colleagues working with me…"
But here her expression dimmed. With a helpless sigh, she continued, "Because of the severe Withering problem in Avidya Forest, my colleagues were all reassigned, leaving only me to handle Vimara Village."
Once Rana finished, Paimon eagerly introduced their own side.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Rana! We're travelers from afar. My name's Paimon, this is Shao Yun, and this is Lumine."
Rana's eyes swept over the trio's attire and murmured to herself, "Judging from your outfits and bearing, you don't really look like children of the forest… or the desert, for that matter."
Then she quickly caught herself, smiling apologetically. "Ah, forgive me for rambling. As a Ranger, it's my duty to protect the forest and aid travelers."
She looked up toward the sky, where the golden sun was already slanting westward.
After a brief pause, Rana turned back to them and suggested warmly, "It's getting late. How about this: once I finish up my patrol here, I'll take you to Vimara Village to rest? The environment there is wonderful, and it's a convenient spot whether you're heading to Sumeru City or Port Ormos."
Hearing her sincere invitation, Paimon floated beside Lumine, rubbing her chin while muttering.
"Hmm… so, should we go with Rana to Vimara Village? Or stick with the original plan and head to Sumeru City?"
Lumine first looked thoughtfully at the northern road to Sumeru City, then shifted her gaze to the southern path leading to Vimara Village.
After weighing both options back and forth, a spark of inspiration lit up in her mind—she had an idea.
Smiling, she turned to Shao Yun, still seated on horseback, and said brightly, "Shao Yun. How about this: the two of us split up. We'll stay here to help Rana finish her patrol and escort her back to Vimara Village. You can go ahead to Sumeru City to handle our lodging arrangements. We'll meet later at the Adventurers' Guild with Miss Katheryne. How does that sound?"
The moment she mentioned lodging, Rana immediately chimed in enthusiastically, "Ah? You don't have a place to stay? Then I highly recommend Vimara Village! Most of the young folks there have already moved to Sumeru City or Port Ormos, so plenty of houses are left empty. We can easily find one for you to rest in!"
Seeing Rana's genuine kindness, Paimon quickly replied politely, "Thank you for your generosity, Rana. We'll think about it."
Waving her hand dismissively, Rana smiled. "It's no trouble at all. It's my duty, after all."