…

---

…

[Fontaine – Café Letuce]

Arouet slowly opened the door to his Café with a grunt, his eyes lazily looking around the supposedly empty cafe. His slightly sleepy expression immediately evaporated as he spotted a figure sitting on one of the chairs inside, his eyes widening as he recognized the intruder.

Sitting amidst the empty seats of the Café Letuce was the famed Ace Attorney, Astel. His unique mismatched white and black hair was a dead giveaway of his identity, and that was without mentioning his eerily glowing purple eyes.

Arouet slowly calmed down once he recognized who and what he was dealing with, nodding gruffly to the man who somehow appeared in his Café while closing the door behind him as Astel smiled calmly and lifted an empty cup.

"Coffee?" He asked with a slightly mischievous smile as Arouet grunted and walked past him to the back of the café, taking the empty cup from Astel once he passed him.

"... How do you like it?" Arouet stopped and turned back to look at Astel, eyes slightly narrowing as he asked this question.

"Black! As bitter as my soul." Astel replied without missing a beat, his smile becoming a little brighter.

"Milk it is." Arouet suppressed a smirk at the sounds of protest he heard from the 'Legendary' Attorney, leaving him to sit alone while he prepared the ordered coffee.

He had good taste, at least.

"... So, what brings you back to our establishment?" Arouet questioned once he was finally finished with the drink, walking back into the front of the Café and handing it to Astel.

"Oh, I thought it'd be good to check up on you and Marie after the trial. I know it's a bit late, but better late than never…" Astel gratefully smiled while taking the Coffee from Arouet, his smile turning sheepish after he spoke.

It was true. The trial happened over a week ago, yet Arouet didn't feel any misgivings about the Attorney's tardiness in checking up on them.

Someone like him was surely busy with his investigations and whatever else he did. The only reason for him to come was…

"... I suppose you're here to collect the payment for your help in our trial?" Arouet asked with a slightly tense tone as Astel blinked and tilted his head at him.

"I already got it, though?" Astel exclaimed in confusion as Arouet's brows furrowed.

He did?

"... Marie spoke of something called 'Comfee'... Ah." Arouet sighed and smiled in amusement as Astel raised the cup of coffee in his hands. "Coffee. I see. Very well, feel free to drop by occasionally for a cup."

"Oh, thank you! You're too kind." Astel's smile brightened at Arouet's words, making the older man look away while rolling his eyes.

This kid…

"Actually, Marie spoke of you being a regular… Yet I've never seen you around before." Arouet noted with a slightly suspicious tone as Astel's eyes widened while a chuckle left his lips.

"Ah… I've been here before several times. You just can't recognize me." Astel informed with amusement, and Arouet wisely decided not to ask after feeling a slight chill in the room from Astel's exclamation.

"I see. I suppose you're just here for a cup of coffee, then?" Arouet changed the subject as Astel nodded before pausing and shaking his head.

"Well, yes. Though I was also hoping to ask a few questions… I've been away from Fontaine for some time and require some information to restart my investigations again." Astel sheepishly admitted while putting his hands together in apology, smiling apologetically at Arouet as he raised an eyebrow in response.

"Questions? Actually, how has no one heard of you before? Someone as… flamboyant as you should've risen in fame long ago." Arouet noted with the same suspicion from before, watching as Astel laughed awkwardly and rubbed his wrist.

"... I guess you can say I wasn't as open about my investigations back then." He admitted while scratching his cheek as Arouet's mind raced slightly, thoughts swirling at Astel's words.

Was it possible that… He previously worked in the shadows and fed the information he got from his investigations to the people who needed it, forgoing any public appearances and allowing himself to work covertly?

That would explain his complete lack of reputation… but why did he appear now of all times? Was it…

Arouet's eyes widened.

He spoke about only recently returning to Fontaine, and Marie said he seemed surprised that he was in Fontaine when he first appeared in the waiting room. Could this mean he didn't have time to give them any information he gathered from his investigations?

But he's admitted that he hasn't been in Fontaine in a while, so how could he have known of Phillippe's schemes and actions?

There was only one answer…

"You bluffed." Arouet accused with an indescribable expression, watching Astel's eyes widen slightly before he smiled brightly.

"Yep. I may not have had time to conduct any proper investigations, but my eyes could immediately discern who was innocent and who wasn't in that trial. I didn't need anything else except what Marie gathered to win that trial." Astel bashfully admitted under Arouet's disbelieving gaze, raising the cup of coffee to his lips to take a sip before quickly putting it back down and hissing at the heat.

… A monster.

Arouet stared with a complicated gaze at the monster sitting in his Café while blowing on the coffee in his hands with a scrunched nose, his mind racing as he processed the connotations of the boy's actions and what that meant.

Arouet understood. Astel was clearly a genius attorney and investigator and had been working alone from a young age to solve mysteries in the dark, only revealing himself now that he was old enough to be taken seriously after returning from a journey away from Fontaine.

He had to have worked hard as a child to investigate different cases and anonymously submit his findings, helping to keep Fontaine safe despite his young age without any support from the adults around him. That was why he was so special.

His title as the Ace Attorney wasn't undeserved. No, it was a crime to say it was anything but deserved.

Arouet steeled his resolve.

"I'm ready to answer any and all questions you have, Astel. You have my full support." Arouet calmly spoke while using a reassuring tone to comfort the reclusive boy.

"Huh?" Astel stopped blowing at his coffee and looked up at the strangely firm Arouet, tilting his head in confusion at why Arouet suddenly seemed so friendly while completely unaware of all of Arouet's assumptions and misconceptions.

…

[Astel POV]

"Thank you for the coffee. I'll make sure to drop by again soon, but say hi to Marie for me, just in case." Astel waved at Arouet with a bright smile while walking to the door.

"... Sure thing. You take care during your investigations, kid." Arouet replied gruffly without looking at Astel and while cleaning a glass in his hands.

The man acted quite suspicious of Astel initially but suddenly became kind of friendly after Astel admitted that he had bluffed his way through the trial.

Which is weird since you'd think he'd get angry at Astel for that. Bluffing your way through a trial isn't the best way to go at it, but maybe Astel had high expectations because of the developed court system back on Earth.

Astel wasn't complaining, though. Arouet apparently had many of those Blubber Profiteroles left over from yesterday and decided to give them to Astel free of charge.

Free desserts!

He was also quite receptive to all questions Astel asked him, barely even blinking at even the weirdest questions Astel asked. Astel now had a better understanding of what he was doing in Fontaine.

This city… it was full of crime! It needed someone to act as its protector during the eerie and cold nights.

It needed a knight to uphold the peace.

A Dark Knight!

… Just kidding. Diluc was already the Batman of this world-

Astel was going to be scouring the city, yes, but not to hospitalize any ruffians he came across. There were plenty of Gardes to do that, after all.

No, he was going to uncover the deepest, darkest secrets of the more hidden unscrupulous folks and take them to court to have them tried for what they've done.

That meant he would have to dedicate a lot of time to scouring the city in search of suspicious activity or leads, but he had good ears and plenty of time to do that.

How? Well, Astel has recently discovered that he didn't need much sleep…

The clarity of his mind has receded a lot since his arrival to this world. Despite how good it felt, it was like a constant buzzing in Astel's head while it was here. Now, all that was left was a pleasant ache where that buzz once was.

That pleasant ache seemed to still benefit him just as the buzz did, though. He didn't feel mental fatigue as long as he leaned into that feeling. His body was also strong enough to heal just fine from anything without the need for sleep, though he hadn't been injured too severely yet.

"Oh." Astel stopped at the door and looked outside to see a few people walking around in the early morning sun, moving to get to their jobs or do whatever they did at this time of day.

"... There's a backdoor if you don't want to be seen. You'll have to be sneaky after that, though." Arouet helpfully informed Astel after he saw Astel pause.

"Ah, thank you. I'll be fine, though. See you later, Mr. Arouet." Astel smiled gratefully while shaking his head, bringing his hands up to clap his hands.

*POP*

Without giving Arouet any chance to reply, Astel disappeared from the Café and reappeared in an unfamiliar meadow. Above him was a giant green tree much bigger than an average tree, with a Statue of the Seven directly in front of it. Astel noticed a cryo slime turn to look at him after hearing the pop but ignored it in favor of the big tree.

Back to Mondstadt, it was.

Astel closed his eyes briefly and ran his hand through his hair to move it to the side, reopening his eyes a moment later to reveal a dark pair of dull purple eyes while his previously mismatched hair turned white.

Blanc!

That was the disguise he used for his Adventurer's Guild nonsense and as Mona's official companion while in public. He obviously couldn't go around Mondstadt in his Primary appearance, which had his mismatched hair. Not after the stunt he pulled in front of Kaeya with that disguise.

This was his safe appearance. One that he used the most when he wasn't up to mischief.

Astel hummed and turned away from the giant tree he was staring at, turning in the direction of the City of Mondstadt as he thought about what he wanted to do now that he had checked in on the Café Letuce.

He still had daily commissions to finish. Maybe he could bother Mona to teach him more about Hydro after he's done with that?

She's been busy with the new books and equipment she bought, so they've barely made noteworthy progress.

Astel has been working on a few things in the background in the last few days, mainly to keep himself busy after his eventful first day in Teyvat. When he wasn't doing Adventurer's Guild commissions, he was gathering materials for whatever devious prank was on his mind or studying about the world… for the sake of something devious.

Astel summoned the fake Hydro Vision he had obtained after a bit of asking around and searching. He placed it at his waist after removing his fur coat and changing clothes, placing his hands on his hips afterward and inspecting himself.

With that, his disguise was complete!

Astel nodded contently to himself and clapped his hands, disappearing from the clearing he was standing in with a pop.

*POP*

The cryo slime that was staring at Astel this entire time while he had an internal monologue paused, unsure of what the hell it just saw after it tried to sneak up on the distracted Astel. It released a cold gust of air reminiscent of a sigh before turning around and bouncing away.

It wasn't easy being a Walmart Rimuru in this world.

…

---

…

"Ad Astra Abyssosque! Welcome back, Mr. Estel. I presume you're here for your daily commissions?" Katheryne greeted Astel once he approached the front desk, a broad smile on her face at the sight of Astel.

Astel's been absolutely demolishing all the monster-slaying commissions since he registered in the Guild. Katheryne was very hesitant about giving him any on his first day but eventually conceded and allowed him a simple commission to clear out a Hilichurl Camp.

He came back fifteen minutes later, asking for more.

Katheryne has been struggling to find commissions other than monster-hunting ones for Astel. On one hand, it was good that they were being completed quickly. On the other hand, there was barely any left for everybody else.

He usually refused commissions to gather certain ingredients and items, leaving her in quite a predicament on what to assign him.

She hasn't yet been convinced that Astel could take an Eye of the Storm or Ruin Guard, but Astel's been insisting on getting one of those commissions for a while now.

"... Yes. Do you have any monster-hunting ones?" Astel nodded and didn't waste any time asking for more commissions related to fighting, barely blinking at the slight grimace on Katheryne's face.

"Well… Unfortunately, there aren't any urgent monster-related commissions, but I've been reserving a special commission for you that came in a few hours ago." Katheryne revealed apologetically and handed Astel a paper with the commission's details written.

Astel glanced at the paper and prepared to decline the commission before something caught his eye and made him pause.

'Deliver several packages to… Chief Alchemist Albedo in Dragonspine.'

. . .

. . .

. . .

*Bzzz...ZzZzzZZZ…zzz*

Astel's head buzzed.

"... I'll take it."

"I suppose I should've expected that. Very well- Huh?" Katheryne sighed and tried to take the paper back from Astel's hands, pausing once she processed his words as she looked at him in surprise.

Astel almost raised an eyebrow at Katheryne's reaction, slightly impressed at how realistic the puppet was acting. Maybe she actually had a soul or something? Would make sense… probably.

It would be pretty obvious that she's a puppet if she didn't have at least this much emotion.

"Dragonspine," Astel explained curtly, not needing to elaborate anymore as Katheryne pursed her lips and nodded gravely.

"I urge you to be very careful. Dragonspine is a hazardous area to explore in Mondstadt, and that's without mentioning the powerful monsters it houses." Katheryne warned Astel once she saw that he was serious about taking the commission, making him nod to reassure her that he would be fine.

"... I'll be careful." Astel put the paper away and stared at Katheryne impatiently, waiting for her to hand him the packages he needed to deliver to Albedo.

"Very well." Katheryne didn't insist anymore and quickly brought out the packages Astel needed, not commenting even as the boxes disappeared in a Hydro Magic Circle.

It was a little thing Mona taught him. It doesn't actually do anything, but it disguises his abilities by making it look like he's using Hydro to do whatever bullshit he's doing.

In other words, it makes ordinary people dismiss his nonsense as 'Hydro Nonsense' rather than 'What the fuck did this dude just do' nonsense.

Anyone who actually knows half a thing about Hydromancy or Elemental Manipulation would immediately call him out on his bullshit, though.

Astel waved at Katheryne without looking back as he began walking to Dragonspine, disappearing from Katheryne's vision into a crowd soon after without leaving a trace.

*POP*

…

---

…

Amidst a dreary, snowy field in Dragonspine stood a unique young man with bright teal eyes and three dots in each iris. His pale blond hair fell just above his shoulders, not obstructing his vision whatsoever as he held a paintbrush. Adorning him were some very uncommon alchemist garbs suited for more cold environments, a coat resembling that of a researcher's fluttering behind him in the cold winds of Dragonspine.

The young man was silently sketching a pair of Cryo Shooter Hilichurls sitting around a fire a fair distance below where he was standing, seemingly conversing in their primitive language. At the same time, he slowly moved his brush across his canvas to their image.

The young man paused his drawing as he sensed the approach of an unfamiliar person, momentarily contemplating whether or not he should hide in case it was someone trying to take some of his time before dismissing the idea and turning to greet the person.

"Hello! Is Chief Alchemist Albedo here? I've got a few packages for you." The black-haired man walking out from between a few frozen shrubberies called out with a small smile as Albedo froze at the sight of him.

… This person… they held the aura of the stars.

Like him. They were not of Teyvat, just like him.

"Ah! You're the Chief Alchemist, right? Nice to meet you." The man easily spotted Albedo, as he had chosen not to hide earlier. He quickly approached with the same polite and friendly smile, unaware of the racing thoughts inside Albedo's mind.

"... Yes, it's a pleasure meeting you as well." Albedo slowly nodded while inspecting the Outlander's empty hands with a slightly puzzled expression, his eyes searching for any vision the man could be using to store the packages. "May I ask to see the packages?"

"Ah, sure. Here." The man hummed and summoned several packages on the ground near Albedo's Campsite without so much as a twitch from his fingers.

Albedo's eyes widened slightly.

He didn't use any elemental energy.

Albedo can't claim mastery over all the elements of Teyvat, but he could at least sense when they were being used. Whatever this Outlander did, it was something else entirely.

Not completely unexpected… Yet still very intriguing.

Albedo felt his curiosity pique as he saw how many packages the man summoned from… wherever he was storing them, as he didn't appear to have a vision.

Why was an Outlander delivering packages? Albedo noted that he didn't appear to be a fighter, as his posture was much too relaxed and inexperienced for a fighter.

Though it could be that he's so overwhelmingly powerful that he can afford to walk around with such a casual gait.

But that loops back to the original question. Why was he delivering packages if he was that powerful? It didn't make sense.

A typical vision user's pocket space is relatively small, often only having enough room for a weapon and another item or two. Only with developed elemental mastery can they utilize more space within their visions, but not many develop that far due to the difficulty of harnessing elemental energy.

Albedo hummed thoughtfully for a second while staring at the packages before finally concluding.

"You work in a Delivery Agency, do you not?" Albedo stated his conclusion while turning to look at the man, watching as his eyes widened slightly and he tilted his head in confusion.

"Ah, yes." The man nodded after a few seconds as Albedo nodded back, understanding that he was probably confused about how Albedo knew.

Just as Albedo came into Mondstadt with advanced knowledge of Alchemy beyond that of even the Sages of Sumeru, this man must've come to Teyvat with Package Delivering abilities beyond that of anywhere else in the world.

Albedo narrowed his eyes as he inspected the man, noticing how little he was wearing despite the extreme weather of Dragonspine. He appeared utterly unphased, reaffirming Albedo's belief.

He also somehow made it to Dragonspine unscathed despite the monsters all around, yet his clothes were wholly unwrinkled and unharmed. Professional, punctual, and unphased by the world around him…

Just as Albedo came into this world with Khemia, making him the ultimate Alchemist with only his master surpassing him, this man came into this world as the ultimate Delivery Man!

"May I have your name, Outlander?" Albedo asked curiously as the man froze up at his status being revealed so nonchalantly. "Ah, I apologize for being blunt. I did not mean to startle you."

"Oh, it's alright… I expected you to possibly find out because of the reputation you held around Mondstadt, but I didn't anticipate you to do so this quickly." The man sighed and smiled awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head, surprising Albedo.

"You knew that I'd learn your secret, yet still decided to deliver these packages to me?" Albedo questioned curiously.

"I have a duty to deliver these packages, so I had to, no matter what." The man smiled proudly before shaking his head amusedly.

Albedo nodded confidently. Only the world's best Delivery Man would be so dedicated that they'd risk their secrets for the sake of their duty.

"I knew it'd be fine if you knew, though. I'm Aster, by the way." 'Aster' smiled brightly at Albedo, appearing quite calm about Albedo's knowledge of his Outlander status.

Albedo's eyes truly widened for the first time. He was okay with Albedo knowing? Was he aware of Albedo's circumstances as well?

This 'Aster' was intriguing… Albedo wouldn't mind spending some time with a fellow outsider like him. If only to satisfy his curiosity and learn more about him.

"I see… Do you mind delivering something for me, Aster?"

…

[POV Switch]

Did Astel look like an Amazon Delivery guy or something? Why did Albedo suddenly decide that Astel was a Delivery Man?

Adventurers deliver stuff, too!

He switched out of his Blanc disguise earlier into Noir, the black-haired one, as he wanted to speak naturally with Albedo. He truly did expect Albedo to notice that he wasn't from Teyvat, but not this fast.

Whatever. He was having a good time anyway.

"Sure! What would you like me to deliver? I should be able to deliver anything anywhere in Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru, and Fontaine." Astel declared proudly while crossing his arms as Albedo's eyes widened in slight fascination. "Inazuma is a bit complicated because of the country's lockdown, Natlan is too riddled with war, and I… don't go near Snezhnaya for reasons."

"That's understandable." Albedo nodded at Astel's explanation of why he couldn't deliver to those regions for now. "I only need you to deliver something to Favonius HQ in Mondstadt. How long would that take? A few hours, perhaps?"

"Oh. Maybe like a few minutes… It depends on how long it'll take them to authenticate the package you need me to deliver." Astel casually commented with a thoughtful expression as Albedo looked shocked.

Huh. Astel really would make a great Delivery Person. The distance between Dragonspine and Mondstadt was like a day's walk, but he got to Albedo's campsite in an hour because he got distracted by a big Cryo Lawachurl and played around with it.

He could quickly deliver stuff in minutes on journeys that would usually take weeks, if not days.

"A few minutes… You can use Teleport Waypoints to transport stuff?" Albedo eventually concluded with a fascinated expression, understanding how useful such an ability is.

"No. I can teleport to places I've been to or know of without the help of Waypoints." Astel casually revealed again as he didn't see any harm in telling Albedo, someone who already knew of his Outlander status.

He didn't think Albedo would snitch. The dude barely speaks to people, anyway. Maybe he'd tell Klee?

"... Incredible. You truly are the ultimate Package Deliverer." Albedo commented with a slightly fascinated expression as Astel blinked before laughing and nodding in agreement.

Even Albedo agrees! He'd make a good Delivery guy.

"Aww, thank you. So, what do you need me to deliver, Chief Alchemist Albedo?" Astel bashfully smiled before turning to Albedo's campsite in search of whatever it was he needed to deliver.

"Please, just call me Albedo." Albedo insisted, and Astel nodded without any resistance, smiling as he followed behind Albedo into his little research area. "I am required to deliver a few Alchemical products and reagents to the Knights every few weeks, but I haven't found the time to go to Mondstadt directly yet."

"I understand. It must be tough finding time to do your hobbies and research while also fulfilling your duties and responsibilities as Chief Alchemist." Astel nodded his head with a small smile, missing the way Albedo's eyes widened slightly before he smiled as well.

"Indeed." Albedo agreed quietly and led Astel to an untidy corner that had several packages strewn around. "There's a lot of them, so you may need to take a few at a time-"

*POP*

Albedo's words trailed off as all the packages disappeared with a single pop, the previously untidy corner in the campsite now completely empty.

"Will that be all?" Astel asked curiously while glancing around the campsite, leaving Albedo with a slight smile of amusement.

"... As expected of the Ultimate Delivery Man." Albedo nodded to himself as Astel tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

When did that name catch on? He hasn't even begun his Delivery Man journey yet.

"... If it's fine, I'd also like you to deliver a letter to Acting Grand Master Jean while you're at the Headquarters." Albedo moved to a nearby table and picked up a pen and paper, quickly writing something into two different papers and signing them before closing them and giving them to Astel. "Hand this one to the guards in front of the HQ. The other you'll need to deliver to Jean herself directly, as it has to do with your payment."

Speaking of which, he'd have to report that he finished the objective later as Estel. It shouldn't be much of a problem since there's no one to report who finished the objective rather than if it was finished.

"Ah, perfect. I'll make sure to deliver these in no time." Astel nodded and took the letters into his pocket space. "By the way…"

Albedo blinked and tilted his head as Astel's smile suddenly turned sheepish.

"Would you mind not revealing my Outlander status? There are… bad people out there that would love to get their hands on me if they found out what I was…" Astel brought his hands together apologetically while making his request.

"... Danger?" Albedo muttered with surprise before nodding gravely, understanding the need for Astel to ask when his life was potentially in danger. "I won't reveal my knowledge to anyone. I promise you that."

"Thank you. I suppose I'll be heading out now, then?" Astel nodded with a grateful smile and prepared to leave, pausing as Albedo reached out to stop him.

"How can I contact you again in the future? I work with others outside of Mondstadt occasionally, and it'd be quite convenient hiring you to deliver any letters or packages instantly in that way." Albedo explained and stared at Astel expectantly for some reason, leaving Astel to panic about what he should do.

Wait. He has all the time in the world, literally.

"I'll come by later to install a post where you can leave a note detailing a time and place for me to pick up the package and deliver it." Astel devised his plan to receive the orders flawlessly, suppressing a smug smirk at his on-the-fly planning. "I'll come by to check it every day."

He had that level of free time, after all.

"I see." Albedo nodded with his eyes closed, seemingly thinking about something. "I'll be expecting you, then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Aster."

"You as well, Albedo. Here, have a Fonta!" Astel summoned a bottle of Fonta into his hands and handed it to the puzzled Albedo. "That's a regional specialty in Fontaine."

"... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised as you did say you delivered packages across four of the seven regions." Albedo quietly commented while inspecting the drink, probably already figuring out how it was mass-produced or whatever. "Are you sure you'd like to give this to me?"

"Ah, it's quite a common drink, so don't worry about it. Think of it as a gift from a new friend!" Astel waved off Albedo's concerns as the alchemist nodded with a small smile and sipped the drink.

"... Sweet. I like it." After tasting it, he muttered under his breath with slightly widened eyes, making Astel hum and summon a few bottles somewhere in the campsite away from Albedo's eyes.

"Anyways, I gotta go deliver these packages. I'll see you around, Albedo!" Astel waved goodbye to Albedo and the alchemist waved back before Astel was gone in a clap.

*POP*

"... I'll see you around as well, Aster."

…

---

…

Astel walked behind a Favonius Knight as he led him into the headquarters to where he needed to drop off the packages he was holding, humming and ignoring the weird looks the knight was giving him because of the lack of 'packages' in his hands.

They quickly let him in after they saw Albedo's signature on the first letter, not even questioning where the packages were despite the question being written all over their faces.

Astel didn't care to enlighten them, as there wasn't any funny in doing so. After all, he only acts for the funny.

A door opened to the side of where Astel and the knight were walking, and out came the mommy witch herself. With wavy, shoulder-length, light honey-brown hair, green eyes, and a figure capable of making the manliest of men bark, it was none other than Lisa Minci.

"Ah, and who's this cutie with you, Sir Wyratt?" The mature librarian asked with a friendly smile as the knight stopped and saluted her.

"Miss Lisa! This man was sent by Chief Alchemist Albedo to deliver the Alchemical Aid he sent this week." The now-named Wyratt quickly explained at the sight of Lisa while sending Astel a skeptical look in the corner of his eyes.

"Hello!" Astel greeted Lisa brightly with a wave as she giggled and waved back.

"Why, hello there.~ Leave this to me, Wyratt. I'll escort our friend here to the storage unit." Lisa smiled and dismissed the Knight, who immediately saluted again and marched away. "Please follow me.~"

"Oh, thank you." Astel nodded and followed Lisa as she led him to the storage unit where he'd drop the packages off.

"So, mind if I ask why Albedo chose to send you to deliver this package instead of doing it himself?~ It's the first time he's sent someone else to deliver something, after all." Lisa decided to make some small talk with Astel as they walked, her voice sounding a little curious.

"Ah, it was actually a spontaneous decision on his part a bit ago. I was delivering a package to him today sent by a few other Alchemists, and he decided to hire my services once he saw my efficiency and speed." Astel sheepishly explained before sounding a little smug by the end.

"... Today? So you delivered a package to Albedo today, yet were also able to return in time to deliver another package from him?" Lisa's eyes narrowed a little at Astel as he nodded his head with a smile.

"Well, it really only took an hour or so." Astel casually commented, and Lisa almost stumbled.

"... Only an hour to make it back from Dragonspine?" She asked with amusement and slight exasperation, her eyes widening as Astel shook his head.

"No, an hour to and from Dragonspine. It took an hour because I got lost while searching for Albedo's campsite in Dragonspine. It only took me a minute to get here from there." Astel smiled bashfully after admitting that he got lost on the job, but it didn't seem like that part was what Lisa was focusing on.

"... Oh?~ Did you perhaps use a Waypoint? I do not see any Vision on you, though…" She asked curiously while inspecting him for any Vision on his body, finding none.

…

Astel forgot to choose a vision for the Noir disguise.

Oopsies.

No Elemental Manipulation for the Noir disguise, he supposed.

Ehe.~

"Trade secret, Miss Lisa! I can't reveal my Delivery Techniques so easily, after all." Astel crossed his arms smugly as they finally entered the Storage Unit, glancing around for a few seconds before turning to Lisa. "Is here fine?"

"Of course.~ It's a Storage Unit, after all." She giggled at his 'silly' question before freezing as a pop sounded out in front of her, and several dozen packages of all sizes appeared, strewn all across the ground just as they had been at Albedo's campsite.

"There we go! All done." Astel nodded and turned around to leave, blinking and stopping as he seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. I need to deliver this letter to Acting Grand Master Jean. Albedo asked me to give it to her personally. It also contains my payment, I think?"

"A-Ah, let me help you with that, then…" Lisa stuttered slightly while staring at the many packages now present in the storage unit, wondering about the necessary elemental mastery a person would need to store this many things without any strain.

"Ah, thank you. You're a lifesaver, Miss Lisa." Astel breathed out a sigh of relief since he didn't know how to get ahold of Jean on his own. Should he have just walked in? "Here, have a Fonta!"

Lisa's incredulous expression grew as Astel took out a bottle of Fonta and handed it to her as he did with Albedo earlier.

It was really cheap and found everywhere in Fontaine, so he had crates of the stuff on him at all times. They're also always cold since he keeps them near Cryo Slime remains.

"... Fonta… Is that not the signature Fontainian drink?" Lisa muttered thoughtfully while staring at the orange drink, raising an eyebrow at Astel. "Are you sure you should be giving away such a drink for free?~ I appreciate the gift, but it's quite hard to get here in Mondstadt."

"Oh, don't worry. I get more from Fontaine whenever I need it. I actually got some Blubber Profiteroles from my favorite cafe in Fontaine just this morning, want some?" Astel waved off her concerns and summoned the dessert that Arouet gave him this morning in his hands, offering one of them to Lisa.

"... You deliver things across the whole of Teyvat, don't you?" Lisa suddenly 'realized' with a slightly surprised expression, unaware of Astel's inner confusion at how she reached that conclusion, even if he nodded outwardly while dismissing the desserts back into his space.

Oh yeah, he did tell Albedo that he could deliver things to several regions earlier. Damn. He was like Amazon! Jeff Bezos!

C'mon, Jeffery, you can do it! Pave the way, put your back into it-

Astel's inner monologue/singing was interrupted as he and Lisa reached the door to the Acting Grand Master's office. Lisa knocked politely and waited for Jean to say 'come in' before entering, signaling for Astel to follow with a polite smile.

Astel got a good look at the Acting Grand Master, suppressing a nod as she appeared the same as in the game. With golden-blonde hair and fair skin, Astel noted that her beautiful gray-blue eyes had slightly dark circles below them, as one would expect from an Acting Grand Master.

"Good morning, Lisa. I see you've brought someone to see me?" Jean greeted Lisa as she entered and looked at Astel curiously, putting down the pen in her hands to give the two her full attention.

"Good afternoon, Jean.~ I've got a little friend here who helped Albedo deliver the Alchemical products to us this week." Lisa greeted the Acting Grand Master amiably while correcting her greeting before gesturing to Astel. "He also needs to personally hand you a letter from Albedo detailing his payment, though."

"Hello! Sorry to disturb you, Grand Master Jean." Astel greeted Jean after Lisa did, summoning the letter into his hand and looking to Lisa for approval before moving to Jean's desk and handing it to her after Lisa nodded. "Albedo instructed me to deliver this letter to you personally."

"Please don't concern yourself with that. The supplies you've delivered are more than worthy of my attention; it's only right that I personally see your payment through." Jean dismissed Astel's apology with a small smile and took the letter from his hands, unfolding it to begin reading what Albedo sent her.

Astel couldn't see what was in the letter, but he easily noticed the slight widening of Jean's eyes and the change in her demeanor to something more serious. She sat up a bit more while resting her chin on her hands, staring at Astel seriously after she put the letter away.

"... I noticed that the payment Albedo wrote down is quite high for a simple delivery job. Is there a reason for that, Mr. Aster?" Jean's gaze moved down to the letter again to stare at the price Albedo wrote down before turning to look at Lisa as the librarian cleared her throat.

"Did Albedo write down the date on that letter, by any chance, Jean?~" Lisa asked while directing Jean towards the date Albedo wrote, making Jean blink as she noticed it was written today.

Astel had no idea what he was doing.

"Ah, that's because of the speed and security of my delivery as well as the quantity of the items I delivered." He explained with a small smile while inwardly trying to guess how much Albedo paid him for Jean to be so skeptical of the price.

Maybe a hundred thousand Mora? Maybe two hundred thousand Mora?

"Quantity? How long did it take you to deliver the supplies Albedo bought? Surely it couldn't have been that much…" Jean raised an eyebrow at Astel's mention of quantity and turned to Lisa questioningly, blinking as Lisa giggled in amusement.

"Enough that you'll need to assign a few knights to the Storage Unit for the next few days to organize everything.~" Lisa helpfully elaborated while smirking at Jean's astonished expression. "It seems Albedo has been stockpiling for a while and decided to unload it all with Mr. Aster's help.~"

"... I see. That certainly explains the price, I suppose. It's impressive that you managed to move so many supplies from Dragonspine in only a few hours, Mr. Aster." Jean's skepticism receded after Lisa gave her endorsement, pausing as Lisa giggled again and shook her head.

"Oh, it only took a few minutes, actually." Astel casually noted while waving his hand to dismiss Jean's praise, missing Jean's flabbergasted expression. "There's a reason Albedo called me the Ultimate Delivery Man, after all."

Jean's eyebrows twitched slightly in both amusement and surprise as Astel puffed his chest out proudly, turning to look at Lisa, who shrugged before nodding thoughtfully after a moment of thinking.

"Speaking of which, you seem quite familiar with Albedo.~" Lisa noted after she heard Astel call Albedo's name casually for the tenth time or so, a silent question in her words.

"I wouldn't say that I'm very familiar… but we've got a few things in common that probably act as a connection between us." Astel tilted his head thoughtfully as he spoke and missed the odd look on Jean and Lisa's faces.

What 'things in common'? They couldn't imagine Albedo being as friendly as Astel or even smiling half the time that Astel had been smiling since he entered the office room.

"... I see." Jean eventually spoke while having a mental conversation with Lisa through eye contact, turning to look at Astel after she was done. "Do you mind if I ask if you're taking commissions at the moment, Mr. Aster?"

"Depends." Astel blinked and tilted his head in surprise, pausing momentarily to think about what he'd say. "I'd have to run it through with the boss, but I have enough authority to accept if it isn't anything too risky."

Who the big boss was? Why, Astel, of course! And he didn't mean Aster… He meant the secret mastermind 'Astel' who has been scheming in the background this entire time! The true big boss of the company, and the one who will take over… uh… the delivery industry of Teyvat!

"Oh?~ You do not work independently, Mr. Aster?" Lisa asked with surprise and slight curiosity as Jean narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Astel's nod. "You work for an organization, then?~"

"Yep! The name of my company is-" Astel blanked out for half a second before quickly making up a name on the spot. "Teyvat International Trading Syndicate!"

Jean and Lisa blinked at the name and Astel's theatrical introduction before shrugging it off. They looked at the name again in their heads, freezing as they both suddenly realized.

Teyvat International Trading Syndicate.

T.I.T.S.

"... A-Ah… that name…" Jean opened her mouth to comment before closing it immediately, turning to look at Lisa with a pleading look as the librarian looked like she was going to burst out laughing any second now.

"Oh? Have you heard of us? That's surprising… We're quite new." Astel tilted his head in surprise at Jean's 'recognition' (horror) and smiled proudly. "I see we're already becoming quite the big name, huh?"

Jean paled dangerously at Astel's accidental innuendo as Lisa collapsed into a nearby seat and barely held back her laughter, her chest heaving up and down in a desperate bid to stop herself from bursting out laughing in Jean's office.

Astel was still innocently standing there with a slightly tilted head, 'confused' about why Lisa was struggling to stand.

Maybe Astel shouldn't have gone with TITS as the name… Oh well.

"Ahem… Do you perhaps have a different name for your organization, Mr. Aster? It's quite a long name, after all…" Jean cleared her throat to try and regain her composure and anxiously looked at Astel, hoping to Barbatos that he didn't say 'TITS'.

Astel hummed…

Should he say TITS?

Nah, too vulgar.

Booba Express… No, he can't have it be related to tits… Wait… Express!

Astel… Express.

"Of course! Astral Express, the best delivery company worldwide!" Astel stated with pride at the name he thought of on the spot, stifling a chuckle at the sigh of relief from Jean and the slightly disappointed yet amused one from Lisa.

"The Astral Express…" Jean worded out while mentally checking for any innuendos before sighing in relief and nodding. "Perfect. Then would you mind listening to my request, Mr. Aster?"

"Of course! It would be quite the honor working with the Knights of Favonius, after all." Astel nodded with a bright smile and moved forward to sit on the chairs in front of Jean's desk, no longer standing as it was time for them to discuss business.

The atmosphere suddenly became much more serious now that they were talking about work, the slight smile on Jean's face disappearing as she took a deep breath.

"Hey, want a Blubber Profiterole? Miss Lisa declined earlier, so I still have a lot." Astel summoned the dessert he got from Arouet earlier today and pulled out in front of Lisa a bit ago, placing the plate on the desk while ignoring Jean's flabbergasted expression and coughing.

"I don't remember declining anything.~" Lisa spoke from behind Astel while reaching out to grab one of the Profiteroles, smiling apologetically at Jean as the Acting Grand Master sent her a look of betrayal and shock. "Oh!~ These are quite good... You should try one yourself, Jean.~ They're a Fontainian delicacy you won't see every day, after all."

Yeah! Bully the Acting Grand Master!

Astel inwardly praised Lisa for joining in on the trolling, promising to do something nice for her later.

"... Thank you." Jean sullenly took one of the sweet pastries and bit into it, sighing glumly as she immediately reached out for another one while glaring at Lisa because of the teasing look on her face.

"These would be quite good with some tea… It's a shame.~" Lisa sighed regretfully and took a seat in front of Astel while taking the last Profiterole, blinking as Astel immediately snapped his fingers and summoned another batch out of nowhere. "Oh?~"

"I usually don't do food deliveries without charging a lot, but I wouldn't mind occasionally dropping by with some desserts if you'll make the tea, Miss Lisa." Astel hummed and offered to drop by to deliver some desserts to Lisa, smiling as she giggled pleasantly and eagerly nodded her head.

"That sounds wonderful! And please do just call me 'Lisa', cutie.~ We're already quite good friends, after all…" Lisa agreed without hesitation and winked at Jean once she saw her gloomy expression, chuckling as Jean's eyebrows twitched and she released a slight huff.

Jean was conflicted between trying to bring the conversation back on track or allowing Lisa to befriend Aster at the expense of her own sanity. It didn't help that Aster appeared to be completely unprofessional and lax, albeit in a more endearing way.

"Just call me Aster, then!" Astel nodded to Lisa and then returned to Jean again with a smile, finally satisfied with how much he'd teased her with Lisa. "So, shouldn't we start discussing your request already, Grand Master Jean?"

Jean looked at Astel blankly as he suggested they 'finally' begin talking about her request, glaring at the giggling Lisa out of the corner of her eyes.

"... Yes, that would be best. Tell me, Mr. Aster, are you aware of the current crisis Monstadt is dealing with?" Jean didn't voice her protests and chose to move on to the important discussion, her eyebrows furrowing seriously as she questioned Astel.

"Obviously. The former Dragon of the East, now Stormterror, has returned to Monstadt and begun terrorizing the city for unknown reasons." Astel nodded and listed off the basic information he recalled, blinking at the shocked expression on Lisa and Jean's faces. "What?"

"... Stormterror's identity as the Dragon of the East isn't common knowledge to most people from Mondstadt, yet you somehow knew of it," Jean explained with a raised eyebrow as Astel blinked again.

Oopsies.

"Heh. Information is a valuable resource to trade, too, you know? This much is expected of me, else I'd be a failure at my job." Astel smugly nodded his head while crossing his arms as Lisa smiled wryly and shook her head at Jean, making the Grand Master sigh and dismiss the few suspicions she had.

Aster was very obviously harmless. She'd be surprised if he could harm a fly.

"I suppose that that's fair enough… Very well, I won't bore you with the basics as you seem to already know that much." Jean nodded her head thoughtfully and rested her chin on her fists again. "Due to the recent threat of Stormterror, the routes merchants have been using to come and leave from Mondstadt have been blocked. This has subsequently led to a few important deliveries that were being brought to Mondstadt to come to a halt until we found a way to resolve the issue of Stormterror…"

"Ah! You want me to deliver everything here without going through all of the trouble of bringing it here physically. Sure, it sounds simple enough." Astel nodded once he realized the ease of that task, puffing his chest out confidently as Lisa giggled and Jean nodded her head exasperatedly.

"Precisely. I'm not very certain of the details of your… 'Delivery Prowess', but I imagine you're the best pick for this type of request." Jean's exasperation faded back into seriousness as Astel nodded his head.

"You've got the right man for the job, trust me!" Astel remained confident despite the immense responsibility and risk accompanying this commission, already knowing that nothing would likely prove to be a threat to him if it came down to it. Just throw a bunch of shit into the pocket space and teleport back here, easy.

"... You say that you deliver worldwide, but are you sure you'll be able to retrieve everything? These supplies' locations vary from close locations like Liyue Harbor to as far as Port Ormos in Sumeru." Jean worriedly questioned as Astel blinked and hummed without looking worried whatsoever.

"I could probably retrieve everything in Liyue in like twenty minutes if all the papers are in order and no one stops me, but Port Ormos might take me an hour or two…" Astel paused. "That's if you're getting Premium Delivery, of course. Same-day shipping is quite expensive."

"The Knights of Favonius will have no problem paying for any expenses as long as you achieve what you promise…" Jean slowly spoke while staring at Astel with twitching eyebrows, unsure of how to feel about a several-week journey to Port Ormos being only an hour for him.

Waypoints are ridiculous, but Astel is ridicule itself.

"Didn't Albedo hire you today, though?" Lisa curiously pointed out as Astel stiffened for a second.

Fuck. Wait, he's big brain!

"... Um. Remember when I said we had a few things in common that served as a connection between us?" Astel rubbed the back of his head bashfully as the two gained a look of realization. "Don't tell him about the Premium thing. It was just a… family and friends discount!"

Safe!

"Ho?~ When will I get one of those discounts, hmm?" Lisa raised an eyebrow and smirked teasingly at Astel as he tilted his head.

"I already promised to come by later with free sweets from outside Mondstadt, though?" Astel pointed out while crossing his arms as Lisa hummed and conceded to his point.

"Ahem… Back to our conversation-" Jean tried to steer the conversation back on track but was interrupted again by Astel raising his hand and pointing to the open window.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I could've sworn there wasn't a giant dragon there a minute ago."

…

Jean and Lisa stood up immediately and turned to where Astel was pointing, their eyes widening as they spotted Stormterror flying above Mondstadt with very likely unfriendly intentions.

No sooner did they stand up than several hurricanes suddenly assaulted the city, the work of Stormterror undoubtedly. Debris began flying all around, destroying infrastructure and buildings all around Mondstadt.

"Holy shit! That girl just got sent to Celestia by the wind!" Astel commented with slight fascination before narrowing his eyes and recognizing the blonde hair and white clothes of the girl mentioned above. "Oh, never mind. She'll be fine."

"What do you mean she'll be fine!?" Jean exclaimed in shock while staring at the blonde-haired girl who had been swept several hundred feet into the air by the wind glider on her back. Her hands gripped the window frame tightly before hastily opening the window.

She prepared to dash out the window to help fend off Stormterror again, only to pause as the hurricane attack suddenly stopped. The blonde girl that was swept up into the air began fending off Stormterror all by herself using Anemo energy, much to Jean's shock and surprise. Jean's eyes were completely wide as the blonde girl maneuvered through the air using Anemo and attacked Stormterror with Anemo pellets of some kind.

"Damn… That's really cool." Astel whistled as he stared at Lumine while she fought Stormterror, turning to look at Lisa, who also seemed quite fascinated and surprised at Lumine's feat. "Can you do that?"

"Me? Of course not.~ I'm just a humble librarian, after all…" Lisa blinked at Astel's question before shaking her head in amusement and smiling lazily with her eyes closed. "Her level of Elemental Mastery is far beyond mine.~"

Astel would've believed her if he hadn't known that she was apparently Sumeru Akedemiya's best student in the last few centuries. She just didn't give off that vibe.

"Jean! Did you see what's happened outside?" The sound of someone hastily opening the door to Jean's office and entering alerted Astel as he turned around to look at the familiar face of the Cavalry Knight Kaeya.

The two slowly locked eyes as a tense silence permeated for a second…

Before Kaeya sent Astel a friendly smile, not recognizing him at all as he turned back to look at Jean. Astel returned the smile and turned to look at Jean as well, not feeling any relief at Kaeya's lack of recognition.

He never had any doubts about his acting ability, after all. 'Aster' looked and acted too differently from the 'Fatui' Astel that Kaeya met. There was no chance that Kaeya would notice anything.

Gut feeling? Not a thing when faced with the world's best actor!

"Kaeya, please go retrieve the girl who fended off Stormterror." Jean politely ordered Kaeya with a tense tone that had the usually lax Cavalry Captain on alert.

"I understand." He nodded seriously and turned around without hesitation, quickly rushing to try and catch the blonde-haired girl before she disappeared.

"Please forgive me for stopping our business talks for now, Aster." Jean turned back to Astel and spoke apologetically while inclining her head a little as Astel shook his head rapidly.

"It's fine! I'm pretty sure that a giant dragon attacking your home is much more important than hiring some guy to deliver some sweets." Astel's words made Lisa giggle and even had Jean smiling a little as he summoned another one of the pastries into his hand and munched on it. "Feel free to use me to send any urgent letters or something. Free of charge!"

"That's quite generous of you, Aster.~ Thank you very much." Lisa smiled softly at Astel and patted him on the shoulder as Astel noticed Jean furrowing her brows in contemplation.

"Should we recall Eula…? No, she's on an important expedition, and the situation isn't urgent enough." She mumbled thoughtfully before shaking her head and smiling at Astel gratefully. "I appreciate the offer, but there's no need. The most I can ask from you is to hang around until we can resolve the immediate situation to hammer out the details of our agreement."

"Sure! Want me to leave your office?" Astel nodded without much resistance as he didn't really have much else to do today, and this hiring thing was probably gonna get him a ton of money for like an hour of work.

What was his motivation for doing all of this? Money!

"There's no need.~ You appear to be quite familiar with the issues in Mondstadt, so I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have you here." Lisa answered before Jean could as the Dandelion Knight blinked in surprise and sent a questioning look to her friend, receiving a wink in reply.

"I see no issue with having you around." Jean nodded to Lisa, thinking her friend probably knew what she was doing.

"Okay." Astel nodded and sat back down on the chair silently for a few seconds before quickly losing patience as his 'silence' meter ran out. "Hey, should I go and grab us some tea from Fontaine?"

Jean sighed. Lisa giggled.

It was going to be a long wait for Jean, it seemed.

…

---

…

Walking behind the Cavalry Captain 'Kaeya', Lumine inspected the office he led her into with minimal interest. She had a lot going through her mind as she walked alongside her new traveling companion, Paimon, and her brother was at the forefront of all the worries swirling in her head.

"Jean, I've brought them." The Cavalry Captain waved at the woman standing in the middle of the room as Lumine quickly inspected the woman he was waving at before turning to look at the two other residents of the room.

She didn't notice anything particularly interesting about the two women, but her body froze as she locked eyes with the third inhabitant of the room.

Lumine felt her Anemo powers whirling inside her as she locked eyes with the mysterious third figure sitting on the chair in front of the main desk, a confusing feeling of envy entering her chest as she noticed his eyes widening as well once they both locked eyes.

She didn't understand what was happening, but she felt an irregular connection with the person before her. Not a positive one, yet not negative either…

It was almost like a disaster was brewing just by the two of them meeting. The odd look Paimon was giving him only reinforced that belief inside of her.

"Lumine? Are you okay?" Amber called out as she snapped out of her daze and turned to see everyone looking at her in concern, the purple witch and the Cavalry Captain catching where her gaze was directed and turning to look at the man before furrowing their brows.

"Yes. Sorry…" Lumine nodded and apologized for getting distracted while anxiously looking at the people around her.

"Don't worry about it." The blonde swordswoman shook her head and smiled at Lumine. "Mondstadt welcomes you, windborne travelers. I am Jean, Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. This is Lisa, our resident librarian."

Jean formally introduced herself and the woman standing on the platform as the purple witch, now Lisa, smiled brightly at Paimon and Lumine.

"Oh? Well, aren't you two sweeties adorable.~ It's quite regrettable that you appeared at such a time…" Lisa giggled and placed a hand on her cheek as Lumine almost shivered at the mature woman's voice. She was almost glad Aether wasn't here right now.

"And who's he?" Lumine couldn't stop herself from asking while pointing to the black-haired man sitting behind Jean, her words making Jean blink as she turned to look at him before clearing her throat.

"Ah, this is a… business associate and friend. Care to introduce yourself, Aster?" Jean hesitated momentarily as she stated who the man was to them before asking him to introduce himself.

Lumine only noticed now that his cheeks were stuffed with something. The appetizing pastries next to him that she didn't recognize, most likely.

Lumine's eyes widened as the man summoned a water bottle into his hands out of nowhere, her senses not catching any elemental manipulation from the man. He downed a few gulps of water before standing up with a bright smile and dismissing the bottle.

"Hello, friends! I'm Aster, #1 Delivery Man of the Astral Express delivery service!" He proudly declared while puffing his chest out and giving them a mischievous smirk. "If you ever want something delivered cross-country in minutes, you know who to call."

Lumine noticed that Kaeya and Amber didn't seem to recognize him despite how familiar he seemed with Lisa and Jean. She was slightly disappointed as he introduced himself as a simple delivery man, though.

Maybe her senses were fooling her? It could've been because of the odd purple glow his eyes had-

Lumine blinked as she looked at him again, finding that his eyes were completely normal without a glow whatsoever. They were even a darker shade than the purple she saw when she locked eyes with him.

… Odd.

"Woah, woah… You mean to say that you can deliver food from anywhere in the world right here to us in minutes?" Paimon exclaimed in shock and awe as 'Aster' laughed proudly and summoned into his hands several unique dishes that were each different in their own way, dismissing them after showing them off as he nodded proudly.

"It'd probably not be worth the price unless you're buying in bulk, as the delivery cost would be ten times the price of the food, but yes!" He sheepishly pointed out before nodding again as Paimon gasped in awe and floated over to his side to try and snatch one of the pastries on the desk, blinking as they disappeared right before she could grab them.

"You…" She prepared to throw one of her tantrums again like she usually did when her food disappeared, but the sound of the Grand Master Jean clearing her throat interrupted her.

"I'm happy to see you all getting along… but I believe there are urgent matters for us to discuss." She spoke seriously as Paimon flushed at being scolded like that, nodding her head in apology and wilting slightly.

Lumine watched in amusement as the little fairy immediately perked up as 'Aster' handed her one of the pastries and a strange orange drink, the mascot gasping quietly after tasting both and hovering around the man happily while asking for more of the pastries as he chuckled and gave her more.

Lumine turned her head away and focused on the important discussion, listening as Kaeya reported what he did before bringing her to Jean. When Jean inquired about why she was in Mondstadt, she quickly explained her circumstances and asked for help searching for her brother.

"... for this interference, the Knights of Favonius would have better ways to help you than just putting up missing posters." Jean regretfully shook her head after Lisa explained the leyline situation, making Lumine sigh and nod her head.

"The situation in Mondstadt has become particularly dangerous, especially with the appearance of a Fatui Harbinger-" Kaeya began explaining how bad the situation was, only to be interrupted as 'Aster' loudly spat out his drink from where he was sitting with Paimon next to him.

"Fatui Harbinger!?" He exclaimed in alarm as everyone in the room blinked at his apprehension.

Lumine only had one question. What the fuck was a Fatui Harbinger?

"You have no reason to worry, Aster. We're not quite sure if it really was a Harbinger or not, and they didn't seem to be very hostile when we made contact with them." Jean quickly tried to assuage his worries for some reason, leaving Lumine confused about why she was worried about Aster being worried.

"Oh, please excuse me. I'm not afraid, I'm just surprised. Could I ask which Harbinger you think it was?" Astel shook his head and smiled sheepishly after his outburst, and Lumine noticed that the others in the room seemed surprised that he admitted he wasn't 'afraid'.

"... We're not sure. He didn't fit any of the descriptions of the ones we know, but we aren't exactly very familiar with most Harbingers anyway." Kaeya was the one to answer Astel, appearing quite amused at Astel's words. "All we have is that the suspected Harbinger has mismatched black and white hair, is roughly a few inches taller than I am…" Lumine nodded uncaringly as she immediately knew she wouldn't help identify the 'Harbinger'. "... and eerily glowing purple eyes."

Lumine froze.

"You have an information network, don't you, Aster?" Jean asked curiously while turning to look at him as Kaeya tensed and looked at Aster. "Are you aware of any Harbinger with matching features? Ah, they were also able to use the Cryo Element."

Lumine stared intently at Aster, his eyes staring blankly at the ground as if having a dreadful realization. Lumine could share the sentiment, as she believed she may have also come to a dreadful realization.

"... I can't say I'm very familiar with many of the characteristics of the Fatui Harbingers…" Astel began with a solemn tone as everyone listened intently. "But I call Fontaine my main base of operations, and the Fatui Harbinger there supposedly has mismatched black and white hair…"

Lumine stayed quiet. She didn't know enough to comment and wasn't about to start throwing accusations without understanding everything first.

"... I see. I'll have to ask you about that later, but we have more important things to do now." Jean nodded gratefully to Astel before turning back to the group, talking about Stormterror's power and how they needed to clear three of the four temples or something.

Lumine was too busy trying to make sense of several things at once. She didn't know when it was that Paimon rejoined her side as the two of them headed to the first temple, but 'Aster' was already gone from her sight by the time she regained her clarity.

She didn't know what to think about all of today's events, but one thing she was sure of was that…

That was no ordinary Delivery Man.

…

---

…

EEEEE Its been a minute, huh? I have returned... And with me, I bring a new chapter of my newest story! 

Two more chapters on Patreon now, by the way. I made sure to stock up a little since last chapter.~

Ahem... Anyways. Hope you enjoyed.

…

I have a Patreon now, by the way! If you want to see the next chapter early or want to support me, check it out! 

Be sure to check my discord out while you’re at it. We fuck around sometimes in there.

See you all later!

…

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