Outside Mondstadt, pigeons swarmed on the great bridge.
"Ha!"
With a swirl of Anemo, the pigeons became neat piles of fowl meat, no blood left behind. Lumine happily picked them up.
So good!
For some reason, whenever she saw those plump pigeons, she couldn't resist striking.
Right now, no one was around. Perfect chance. Without hesitation, she acted.
Koji was puzzled. Was it because he was a transmigrator that he couldn't trigger this sort of direct material drop?
Poor Timmy. For every Traveler, Timmy's pigeons suffer.
"Come on, that brat might be back soon."
Lumine called and bolted into the city, Koji and Paimon following close.
"Ahhh! Who killed my pigeons!"
Moments later, Timmy returned with feed. Seeing them gone, he wailed.
That day, the world once again became one where only Timmy and his pigeons suffered.
"Koji, Lumine, you went after Timmy's pigeons again?"
Back at the rental, Noelle stared at the fowl meat they were preparing for dinner, speechless.
She had once seen Lumine use Anemo to sweep the entire flock.
Lumine: Hehe, Venti's tips on Anemo usage really helped. Especially for killing pigeons.
Venti: Hehe, when I had no Mora, I also targeted Timmy's pigeons.
"Don't worry. Pigeons are NPC mobs. They respawn fast."
Noelle: …Can't understand. Absolutely can't understand.
Shameless foreigners.
"Sweet Madame, right?"
"Yes, Noelle. I love you for this."
"Lumine, let me go. Don't cling so close."
"Don't move. Let me see."
"Lumine-oneechan, don't—"
Watching the suggestive scene, Koji twitched. No surprise—same voice actress as Elysia. Some of that personality came through.
Although Lumine and Noelle shared a VA too, Noelle wasn't nearly as shameless.
…
"Koji, do we have a new neighbor?"
"Not sure. Didn't notice."
Koji blinked. If he remembered right, the next-door tenant should be Mona.
"Let's check."
Knock knock knock—
"Coming, who is it?"
The door opened. A girl stepped out. Her pale green eyes looked at them curiously.
She wore sorcerer-style robes and a pointed witch's hat. Most striking was her one-piece black bodysuit and her twin tails that seemed to add speed.
It was her. Astrologist Mona Megistus. Simply Mona, the mysterious astrologer.
This version of Mona hit differently. Later depictions lacked the same flavor.
Koji couldn't help but wonder: in such a one-piece, how did she manage the bathroom?
She wasn't ordinary. She was a disciple of Barbatos's fellow witch—no, of Barbeloth, member of the Hexenzirkel.
"And you are?"
"Eh—"
Mona opened her water scrying disc to divine Koji's information. Pain stabbed her head like a hammer blow. Nothing.
She had never encountered this before.
"I'm Koji. This is Lumine and Paimon. We live next door. Heard there was a new neighbor, so we came."
"Oh, I've heard of you. The Honorary Knights." Mona nodded.
"But I can't see anything useful. You aren't of this world, are you?"
"Sharp," Koji admitted.
"Hehe, let me introduce myself properly. I am Astrologist Mona Megistus, which means the Great Astrologer Mona."
"If you seek my divination, remembering my full name is basic respect. But in daily life, just Mona is fine. Saying it wrong would be rude," she smiled.
"So long… I'll just call you Mona," Paimon scratched her head. Such a wordy name.
Grrruuumble—
A thunderous stomach growl. All eyes turned to Mona. Her cheeks flamed red.
So embarrassing. But she was starving.
"Want to eat at our place?" Koji suddenly recalled—Mona was a true moonchaser, always broke from spending on books and tools.
"…Then I won't refuse."
…
"Delicious. Too good. After so many days on wild fruit…" Mona ate Noelle's Sweet Madame almost with tears.
"Don't astrologers earn money?" Lumine asked.
"They can, but I didn't study astrology for Mora."
Mona said firmly. She studied it for passion. To use it for greed would betray her heart.
Her daily costs were usually covered by selling her writings.
But she rarely sold. Books cost her dearly, yet she couldn't bear to part with them. Thus she was "poor" to the point of skipping meals.
"Mona, why did you come to Mondstadt?" Paimon asked, impressed.
"I came to find the heir of my master's friend, Alice. She left a chest in their care. I want it back, and I also want to test that heir in mysticism."
"The heir of Alice… you mean Klee?" Paimon realized.
"I don't know her name. You know her? Please, take me."
Mona's eyes sparkled. Such luck.
"You sure you want to challenge Klee?" Lumine asked, her expression odd.
Mysticism? Klee didn't know that. She only knew bombs.
"What's wrong?" Mona asked, confused by Lumine's hesitation.
"We'll take you to Klee. Just… prepare yourself." Koji smirked.
Poor Mona. Curiosity kills the astrologer. Soon she'd meet her master's black history. She might not dare face her again.
Knights headquarters.
"Eh? Lady Alice had such stories?"
Jean, hearing Mona's intent, smiled wryly. Competing in mysticism with Klee—what a joke.
She'd supervised Klee long enough to know. Mysticism? No. But in bomb aesthetics, Klee was unrivaled.
"Wait a moment. I'll bring Klee."
Jean went to the confinement room. Whatever box Alice had left, they could return it. As for a contest… unlikely.
Soon after, Mona laid eyes on the supposed heir of Alice. She froze. This wasn't what she had imagined.
Was it?
(End of Chapter)
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