Chapter 28: Husband? Oh, you mean Husband Yun!

"Your... your husband?" With a strange, inexplicable emotion stirring within her, Amber asked the team member this question. For some reason, her throat felt parched as she spoke.

"Hmph, hmph~, that’s right, he is..."

The team member was beaming with pride and was about to continue when another member from the side lunged at her, grabbed her face, and began pulling it in opposite directions, cutting her off mid-sentence.

The attacker shouted while tugging, "What 'your husband'? I discovered him first—he’s my husband!"

However, the one being pulled didn't back down. She grabbed the other girl's face in return and retorted, "Who says he's yours just because you found him? In the battlefield of love, there is no first-come, first-served—only those who have the last laugh!"

The two of them, refusing to yield, ended up tangled in a wrestling match.

At this, Amber finally understood, and the tightness in her chest vanished instantly. Oh, so he’s just a "fantasy husband"!

Just then, an older, more mature team member looked at the two scuffling girls and sighed helplessly. "Are you two really going to keep infighting? Shouldn't you be standing together against a common enemy? Have you forgotten? Amber is about to steal him away from you!"

The two girls froze mid-tussle, then simultaneously let go and turned to fix Amber with dark, piercing glares.

Amber was startled by their gazes and stepped back like a frightened rabbit. While bracing herself for a potential pounce, she looked with stunned bewilderment at the smiling older team member.

Huh?

Huh?!

What did she just say? Did I mishear? What does she mean by "I'm about to steal them away"?

Amber felt confused and wronged, but as the video played on, she quickly realized the reason behind the remark...

***

The Outrider was clearly still uneasy about the two sudden travelers, so she decided to escort them to Mondstadt herself.

Chen had no intention of refusing her "kindness." Being a newcomer, having a guide was always a good thing. Furthermore, this Outrider named Amber had a warm and lively personality, making it very easy to feel a natural affinity for her. Building a rapport with her would also provide a chance to learn more about what to watch out for once they entered the city.

Led by Amber, the trio made their way forward. Along the way, they encountered several groups of Hilichurls that had gathered near Mondstadt, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the dragon disaster. Chen helped Amber clear them out along the way.

During this process, Amber was utterly astonished by the combat prowess Chen displayed. Having not seen a Vision on him earlier, she had assumed Chen was merely an ordinary adventurer, perhaps someone surviving out in the wild through sheer courage and simple combat techniques.

It wasn't until Chen unleashed elemental power that she realized he was also a Vision holder; the fact that she hadn't seen it likely meant he had simply hidden it away.

What surprised Amber the most was that Chen’s mastery and application of elemental power were far beyond her own—a professional knight—and even superior to the vast majority of Vision holders she had ever met.

To the young girl’s exclamation, Chen merely smiled without offering much explanation. In truth, although he hadn't been in contact with elemental power for very long, he understood the properties of Anemo quite well. Having seen others wield the power of wind in other worlds, he understood that all paths lead to the same truth; once you grasp the core, you can master any application.

Wind, as an intangible force, is incredibly flexible in combat. In terms of support, it can be used to accelerate movement or increase agility; in terms of crowd control, it can disperse enemies with gusts or create wind fields to gather them; in terms of offense, one can highly compress Anemo to unleash explosive, intense damage, or accelerate airflow to the limit to deal slicing damage to groups of foes.

In short, there are countless ways to use Anemo; the key lies in whether the wielder can combine it with their own traits to unearth its full potential and possibilities.

As they overcame obstacles along the way, Chen took the opportunity to learn more about the dragon disaster from Amber. When she had mentioned the disaster earlier, he had been curious, as his mind immediately went to the giant dragon he had seen in the forest. That dragon was also suffused with powerful Anemo, fitting the description of the creature that could stir up gale-force winds.

***

Sure enough, after Amber vividly described the appearance of the Stormterror and the devastation it had caused, Chen basically confirmed that the dragon he had encountered was indeed the very same one she spoke of.

However, this made the person who could communicate with the dragon even more suspicious. Could he be the mastermind behind this dragon disaster?

Chatting as they walked, the trio finally reached the gates of Mondstadt after some twists and turns. With Amber leading the way, the guards at the gate didn't offer much resistance; they simply asked a few quick questions before letting them through.

Having spent over half a month sleeping under the stars, Chen and Paimon finally arrived at the renowned City of Wind and Odes...

Inside Mondstadt, the streets, usually bustling and prosperous, were now in utter chaos. Gale-force winds howled through, ripping down advertisements from storefronts, sending them swirling wildly through the air before slamming them into the ground with tremendous force.

Various flyers and scraps of paper danced and tumbled in the high winds.

Pedestrians fled in panic, their shouts and screams interweaving, only to be ruthlessly swallowed by the roaring wind.

"Don't panic! Those close to home, return immediately! Those further away, take cover in the nearest shops or buildings! Lock the doors and windows, and do not come out until you receive orders from the Knights of Favonius!"

On the street, a young knight supported an injured elderly man, shielding him from flying debris as they struggled toward a nearby shelter. Elsewhere, an experienced Knight Captain bellowed at the top of his lungs, calmly directing the residents to evacuate.

Yet, the Captain’s eyes, frequently darting toward the sky, were filled with deep concern.

None of them had expected that the Stormterror, which had been wreaking havoc outside the city, would suddenly begin attacking Mondstadt itself.

Despite the heightened alert status of the patrolling knights due to the ongoing disaster, this sudden turn of events had caught them off guard, leaving the Knights of Favonius in a passive and reactive position.