The next two days.
Jack witnessed the power of the Water Seer, who could be described with the adjective "great."
Along the way, whether it was Treasure Hoarders, Hilichurl camps, or the Fatui—
even without looking at a map, Mona always found the best route forward.
Even if an unexpected incident occurred, like being attacked by a Whopperflower, it was merely a flaw she deliberately sold to fate, so as not to win too much and be cleared by fate.
Of course, this explanation came from Miss Mona; whether fate truly exacts a reckoning, no one knows but her.
"Ahead is the supply town established by the Adventurers' Guild at the foot of Dragonspine Mountain."
Jack took out the Adventurers' Guild map, roughly compared it, and said.
Mona lay weakly on the large horn (Overworld young dragon) that Jack brought from the MC World:"You still haven't thrown away that map, didn't I tell you it's expired?"
"Oh, come on, although this map is a few years old, the landmarks shouldn't change.Besides, if I threw away the map, how would I go back to the Adventurers' Guild to argue with the person who sold it to me?"
Jack had already planned it.
He would go to Jean and whisper sweet nothings, then use the power of the Knights of Favonius to severely punish the guy who sold him the fake map.
"Hiss, Traveler, your expression is so dark."
"Ahaha, is it?"
Jack immediately put on the sunny, cheerful big boy smile.
"This… this young man looks familiar?"
A person also preparing to go to the Adventurers' Guild supply town walked up to Jack and greeted him.
"Oh? Uncle, do you know me? My name is Jack, and I am an Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius."
"H-He's actually an Honorary Knight!" The middle-aged bearded man shouted excitedly.
Immediately afterward, scattered people who had moved away due to the Overworld young dragon all gathered closer.
"Is that the Honorary Knight? Such a strong physique, and he even has a dragon beast as a mount! He truly is a role model for adventurers like us!"
"The one on the dragon's back seems to be Miss Mona, the Water Seer? Why are they together? Could it be that they are dating?"
"Nonsense! How could such a perfect person as the Honorary Knight be dating someone? It must be that woman named Mona who is pestering the Honorary Knight!"
The surroundings were chattering.
The adventurers, whose atmosphere had been somewhat solidified, immediately broke into a commotion because of a benchmark figure.
"You're really popular."
Mona looked at Jack with a hint of jealousy. As his only companion, she became the target of concentrated fire from the surrounding female adventurers.
"It's just some insignificant achievements, and I used to be just an office worker; all the adventures were completed by my partner, Lumine."
Jack shyly pulled down his sleeve to cover his well-defined muscles, then pulled the middle-aged uncle, who seemed to be a well-informed person.
"May I ask your name, Uncle?"
"Oh, oh! My name is Banner. I've been an adventurer for 20 years. They all call me Old Banner, the Undying!"
He proudly introduced his name, though, in reality, people more often called him Banner the Old Undying.
"Well then, nice to meet you, Old Banner. I'd like to ask, are there usually this many people going on adventures in Dragonspine Mountain?"
It's well known.
Being an adventurer is a profession where you put your life on the line.
Even if the basic population of Mondstadt was several magnitudes larger than in the game, it was impossible for too many people to go to a high-risk adventure area like Dragonspine Mountain.
Now, with a large number of adventurers, who looked like rookies and seemed immature, flocking to Dragonspine Mountain, Jack didn't see it as a good omen.
Old Banner habitually took out his pipe, but remembering that he was facing the famous Honorary Knight, he didn't light it and smiled reservedly:"Honorary Knight, don't you know? The Fatui have recently issued a large number of exploration quests in Dragonspine Mountain. They're all high-paying and easy, and many people want to come here to make a fortune."
"The Fatui?" Jack's heart tightened. It seemed that Venti wasn't the only one who keenly noticed the change.
"Tell me more about the Fatui."
Old Banner held up his pipe and winked at him.
He wants money?
Jack didn't expect this 20-year veteran adventurer to be so worldly, and could only reluctantly pull out five 1000-mora notes.
"Eh~ Honorary Knight, why are you giving me mora? Am I… am I that kind of person, Old Banner!"
The middle-aged bearded man suddenly became agitated and quickly took out a small wooden carved sword.
"Hehe, Honorary Knight, could you please sign this, or just scribble a few lines? My boy is your fan, and I haven't been home in almost a year. This time, it'll be a perfect birthday gift for him!"
Jack was stunned for a moment.
He immediately felt that this uncle had a broad path ahead of him.
He readily signed the two characters, Jack.
The bearded uncle carefully put away the small wooden sword, then recounted everything he knew about the Fatui's recent commissions.
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, others followed suit, coming to Jack to exchange information for his autograph.
Jack only picked a few people who seemed to be seasoned adventurers to inquire about things, then left a commemorative signature for everyone.
Soon, he returned to Mona's side.
"How was it? Did you get any useful information?"
Jack was deep in thought. Seeing Mona's question, he couldn't help but retort, "I thought Mona A-Dream would know all these simple things clearly through astrology or something."
"Huh?! Why do you also like giving people nicknames, and also, what do you take astrology for?!"
"What! Isn't astrology an omnipotent wish-granting machine?"
"If it were, I would have used it long ago. Why would I be troubled by the expenses for instruments and materials here!"
Mona sighed.
Talking to him felt no easier than talking to Fischl.
After teasing the tsundere girl, Jack explained, "I've combined information from several experienced adventurers and have roughly come to the following conclusions."
"First, the Fatui gathered here should be under the command of the Second of the Harbingers, Dottore. He seems to have also learned through some means that never-before-seen monsters have appeared in Mondstadt, likely mistaking them for the power of some unknown Archon, and dispatched the Fatui to investigate."
"Second, after the Black Fire incident and the Signora attack a few years ago, plus growing closer to Liyue's official channels, the Fatui have become much more restrained in Mondstadt. There are only a few advance teams here, and Dottore himself hasn't personally appeared. Otherwise, we should be seeing the Knights of Favonius or a certain Darknight Hero here."
"Third..."
Jack paused.
The impatient Mona quickly said.
"What about the third? Tell me!"
Jack looked at the adventurers coming one after another, feeling a bit emotional: "The Fatui are really f**king rich! Just providing a possible trace of a monster can net a reward of 30,000 to 50,000 mora. If confirmed, it can increase to 200,000 mora. Directly providing a monster corpse fetches 1,000,000 mora per body, and a live one is 5,000,000!"
"!!"
Mona's pupils dilated, her mouth agape in surprise.
After a long while.
"Let's do it, Traveler!!"
---------------------------
🔮 Curious about what happens next? Some secrets are only revealed on Patreon.
👉 [[email protected]/TripleCrown07]