Chapter 1 Part 2: Mond (2)

A gasp of admiration came from an unknown person’s mouth. No, it might have been the admiration of all of us.

The crispy skin, the juicy and moist meat, and the stew’s flavor that adds umami without being too sweet.

The texture of the Sweet Sweet Flower added a unique touch, and the fragrant spices transformed the gamey taste of the meat into a delicious experience.

It was unbelievable that I made it. It was not just the skill of a seasoned home cook but could even be believed to be the work of a top-tier chef.

Was this the power of the system?

I felt frustrated that I hadn’t enjoyed this earlier. If I had this ability from the start, it would have been a huge help in adapting to this world.

But even such minor complaints faded quickly because this “Delicious Sweet Sweet Chicken Stew” was simply delicious.

Lumine and Paimon’s reactions to the food were no different. Especially after eating nothing but dry rations for a while, both seemed to be deeply moved by the taste of the food.

Lumine silently ate with a slight look of happiness on her face, and Paimon, the size of a child, was eagerly cutting up the meat with a knife.

The meal didn’t last long. The bones were soon left, and even though the portion wasn’t that small, Lumine and Paimon both had a deep look of regret.

Lumine was one thing, but how much could Paimon possibly eat with her tiny body?

It was an unknown issue, but since Paimon was a mystery herself, I decided not to question it.

“Ah, that was delicious. I didn’t know you were such an amazing cook, Shiu. Right, Traveler?”

“Yeah, honestly, I was surprised. It’s been a long time since I had such a satisfying meal.”

Full, the two of them chatted contentedly. Lumine stretched and added playfully, “Want to become a full-time housewife? If you’re as skilled as Shiu, I’d welcome you.”

“Don’t say things like that. And I’ve only shown you cooking so far.”

I couldn’t help but notice my eyes wandering toward her underarm, but I quickly cleared my throat and focused as I responded.

If I entertained all of Lumine’s playful remarks, my heart wouldn’t survive. It was already an honor just to hear such words from a beautiful woman like her.

One should always be aware of their place. I had already received more than enough grace from Lumine. She was my first friend in Teyvat, a world where I thought no one would help me, and she had protected me without expecting anything in return. That alone was enough of a debt to repay for a lifetime.

It would be crossing a line to try to pursue something more with Lumine. I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.

“Shall we start preparing for camping? By the way, didn’t we hear that we’ll be reaching some place called Mond?”

“Yeah, don’t underestimate my guiding skills. We should reach Mond City tomorrow.”

“I’ll finally get to sleep somewhere other than the ground.”

I finished my conversation with Paimon on that note. ‘Mond,’ huh? It would be my first time seeing a city in Teyvat.

What kind of place would it be? I hope it’s not some strange, communist or fascist ideology-laden place because it’s a Chinese game.

I pondered such thoughts as I began preparing the camp. Lumine and Paimon said they were going to wash up in a nearby river.

I couldn’t follow two women to their bathing spot, so I began setting up the tent instead. The tent was the biggest obstacle in my self-appointed role as the porter. Despite some magical enchantment, it was made from a surprisingly heavy material.

I wondered if I could find a lighter tent in Mond. Complaining as I set up the tent and organized our gear, I suddenly noticed my backpack.

Now that I think about it, there were those seasonings I hadn’t bought yet popping up from my backpack.

Since Lumine and Paimon weren’t around, I decided to solve this mystery and reached into my bag. And then, at that moment,

[Backpack] – Backpack Capacity 7/2,000

A translucent window appeared before my eyes along with those words. This time, there was even a scroll, making it look pretty serious.

‘Backpack’? Even though I hadn’t played this game before, I wasn’t so ignorant that I wouldn’t know what that word meant. After all, it’s a feature that exists in any game.

The ‘backpack’ I knew, meaning the storage function, seemed to be exactly what was reflected in the translucent window, where a few of my belongings were displayed in simplified icon form.

I, feeling curious, took some items in and out. Then I lifted the backpack.

The weight was the same. It was only slightly heavier than the backpack itself. Just to be sure, I even added a few more stones, but the only thing that changed was the number displayed under ‘carried items,’ and there was no change in weight. Or if there was a change, it was insignificant.

Now that I think about it, the backpack felt unusually light today. Could it be because of this? I stared at the number on the icon labeled ‘stone.’

Among the stones I had added to the backpack, there were some large ones and some small ones, but regardless of their size, it seemed like they all counted as one.

I recalled the largest stone. Then, something touched the backpack, and when I lifted it, the stone I had in mind fell with a thud.

Once something goes in, it loses its specific identification as a ‘stone,’ but when I take it out, it gets specified again. It was such a convenient ability.

If something was too large to hold in my hands, I could just shake the backpack, and it would pop out. How big could it really hold?

I glanced at the tent I had finished setting up. Obviously, it wasn’t small enough to fit into my backpack. Even though it wasn’t that small, the tent was big enough to fit two people and Paimon, with enough space for Lumine and me to maintain some distance.

In other words, it was quite large. It had been a tent that, even when disassembled, felt almost like a burden to carry. Could it fit in here too?

As soon as I thought about putting this tent in my inventory, the backpack opened, and the tent began to suck into it.

A new icon appeared in the inventory: ‘Tent.’

“Wow, this actually works.”

It was amazing. Maybe this was the most impressive ability among them all.

Curious, I began experimenting, putting things in and taking them out. Before I knew it, I felt a presence from a distance.

Lumine and Paimon had returned.

I stopped the experiment and turned around to greet them as they finished their bath.

And what I saw was Lumine, bathed in moonlight. Her face, her outfit, and her posture were all the same, but her light platinum hair, still wet, shimmered under the moonlight.

She looked beautiful. Her skin seemed even whiter and softer today. Whether she knew how I felt or not, Lumine had a faint smile on her lips.

“Did you wait long?”

“Not really, not that much…”

I felt a bit embarrassed and subtly avoided Lumine’s gaze.

Whether she knew how I felt or not, Lumine casually approached me without any awkwardness.

The fragrance was fresh and invigorating. Was there some special face wash?

“You’ve already set up the tent? We should’ve helped you a bit.”

“This much I can do by myself. I feel more at ease when I do some work too.”

“Today’s work is more than enough with the cooking you just did.”

As she said this, Lumine suddenly popped her head into my line of sight.

“From now on, Shiwu is in charge of cooking. You’ve been slacking on the cooking so far, so it’s your turn.”

Lumine gave me a wink. It was so beautiful it nearly took my breath away. Even if I hadn’t planned on doing it, I would have answered the same way.

What made my heart start beating again, after it had almost stopped, was the constant chattering sound that always came from Lumine’s side.

“Yeah, with those amazing skills, not cooking is just too much!”

Paimon’s grumbling made me chuckle. She truly was a guide who never left a dull moment. If there were stories, I bet she could talk all day without stopping.

“Alright, cooking, I can do that. No problem.”

And perhaps, I could even do more than just cooking. My gaze drifted toward the vaguely emerging “backpack.”

Maybe the time for me to become independent wasn’t too far off.

So, chatting with Lumine and Paimon, I entered the tent and, as usual, tried to avoid touching Lumine, then tried to sleep that night.

Paimon seemed to be annoyed, sandwiched between me and Lumine.

But what could I do? Paimon was the easiest target.

Thus, the final morning of our journey to Mondstadt arrived.

To be continued.