Chapter Text
-1st March-
Lumine poured a handful of Anemoculi into the small altar in front of the Statue of The Seven. She closed her eyes and prayed to Venti. Hi Venti, I have something for you to help me with. You see, Paimon’s birthday is coming up, and I’ve been really busy in Natlan and Nod-krai, so I don’t have any time to think about it. Can you tell Jean to have someone plan celebrations for it? Thank you!
She stood up, shouldering her pack and waved goodbye to the statue. Within seconds, she had teleported to the grassy lands of Natlan.
Whoever takes up this quest, I wish you good luck and safe journeys. May the stars of Teyvat be with you.
———
Jean sighed as she finished the last bit of paperwork. It had been an overwhelming day, with hilichurl invasions that the Knights of Favonius had to attend to and reported drinking issues (which was due to the hilichurl invasions).
Following her usual schedule, she went to the Favonius Cathedral to worship Barbatos.
As she knelt down at the front of the cathedral, she felt something unlike anything she had ever felt before, like the wind brushing against her face. Her vision glowed brightly in the dim lightning of the cathedral at night.
“Tell someone to help the honorary knight celebrate Paimon’s birthday.” A voice came from nowhere, but Jean could swear she had heard it, which meant it could have only come from…
“Barbatos.” Jean whispered. As the word came out of her mouth, she had no doubt it was him. She shakily stood up, knowing that she was to fulfill the errand the Anemo god himself had told her to do.
The Knights of Favonius would be too busy, and one Outrider wouldn’t be enough. Maybe Lisa could go, but then who would be in charge of the library? What about the nuns of the church? But crossing through other regions ruled by different gods goes against their job as Barbatos’ followers in church.
Adventurers. Jean thought as an idea struck her.
Jean raced down the steps, running to Katheryne’s post. It was, like all the other stalls, closing for the night.
“Katheryne, sorry to disturb you while you’re closing, I need you to compile a list of adventurers who are free at the moment.”
“Oh it’s alright. For the list, I’m afraid we only have one available member.” Katheryne looked at the roster posted on the inside of the post. “Would Bennett do?”
“He’s appropriate for the job but I assume that one person isn’t enough. Do you have any suggestions for who to recruit on this mission?”
“Perhaps Bennett can find more members to join his ‘Benny’s Adventure Team’, maybe even from different regions of Teyvat.” Katheryne collected her belongings and pushed open the door behind the Adventurer’s Guild post. “I can call him outside to talk to you now.”
“Yes, I would like to explain the quest to him. That idea could be possible, I’ll let Bennett decide if he agrees.” Jean waited in front of the Adventurer’s Guild post as Katheryne disappeared into the back of her post. She came out through the door next to it, with Bennett behind her.
Jean nodded her appreciation to Katheryne as she left her and Bennett alone in the night.
“Hello, Master Jean. What do you need my help with?” Bennett politely said as he came up to her.
Jean smiled seeing Bennett. He was an interesting kid, a person who didn’t give up easily, but who was still cheerful despite his bad luck.
“Hello Bennett, can I speak to you for a moment? It’s related to a quest that I need your help with.”
“A quest?” Bennett’s eyes sparkled. “What is it about? Where do I need to go? Who am I doing it for?”
“Calm down,” Jean chuckled at his enthusiasm. “It’s a quest ordered from Barbatos, for the Traveler.”
“The Traveler? THE TRAVELER? Like the Honorary Knight?” Bennett gasped. “You’re asking me to go on an errand for the legendary Traveler?”
“Yes, she needs someone to help her celebrate Paimon’s, her companion’s, birthday. The celebration, the place and time, the theme…will all be your choice.” Jean explained.
Bennett practically exploded in excitement. “I can do WHATEVER I want?” He faltered for a second, “Wait, am I doing all of this by myself?”
“You could recruit others from other places in Teyvat, they could help you.” Jean suggested. “You’re free to do what you want after you accept this quest. Do you accept it?”
“Of course! If the Traveler needs help, why wouldn’t I contribute?” Bennett's look was determined. “I’ll start packing right now!”
“Mondstadt wishes you luck!” Jean patted Bennett on the shoulder before they parted ways, Jean going back to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters while Bennett packed everything he needed for the adventure ahead.
———
-2nd March-
100 pieces of Sunsettia, for emergency healing. Check! A bag of Mora, for buying general goods from travelling merchants. Check! A back-up sword, for when the first one breaks. Check!
Bennett looked through the contents of his bag, internally checking off the things he needed for a long adventure.
The road to Liyue Harbour was fairly straightforward. From Mondstadt city, Bennett had towards the west, passing through Springvale and Dawn Winery. Then, he would go south through Stone Gate, Dihua Marsh…and finally reach his destination, Liyue Harbour.
The problem was, the entire road was littered with slimes and hilichurls.
The first group of monsters were right across the bridge (Bennett’s luck)—three electro slimes.
Bennett ran forwards, channeling pyro from his vision. “Get outta here!” He swung his flaming sword forward, creating a small explosion where electro and pyro met. The electro slimes were thrown back. Bennett slashed at them again, and this time two of them burst into slime particles. The last one succumbed to another sword attack.
After collecting the Mora the slimes dropped, he continued following the dirt path tracing out the fastest route to Springvale without climbing.
Bennett trudged along the dirt path, wiping sweat from his brow. “If this is what it takes to help the Traveler, then I’ll take on whatever comes my way!” he said to himself, sounding stupid, but hey, it lifted his spirits.
The road through Dihua Marsh was dangerous to say the least. Cryo slimes lurked on the water’s surface, freezing the surrounding water (Bennett’s luck #2), hilichurl shooters were standing on hills, ready to shoot in any direction (Bennett’s luck #3). Bennett fought his way through, narrowly avoiding a fall when one of the bridges collapsed under his weight (Bennett’s luck #4)
Finally, after two more ruin guards (Bennett’s luck #5), the lights of Liyue Harbour flickered in the distance. The bustling port was alive at night, with merchants shouting discounts, ships docking, and lanterns glowing across the water. Bennett’s eyes widened, this was his chance. Benny's adventure team assembles once again!
Okay, think. What do you need for a party? A venue? That…can wait. What does Paimon like? Cake? Food!
After crossing yet another bridge, he asked the passer-bys for the location of the best restaurant in Liyue Harbour. They led him to a place called Wanmin Restaurant, run by a man named Chef Mao and his daughter Xiangling.
“Welcome to Wanmin Restaurant, what would you like to eat?” Xiangling cheerfully asked.
“Actually, I’m not here to eat. My name’s Bennett and I’m from Mondstadt. I-I’m here to ask you for a favour. Do you know who the Traveler is?” Bennett awkwardly said.
“Nice to meet you, Bennett! Of course! Everyone in Liyue knows of the Hero of Liyue! What do you want me to help you with?”
“So…I’ve been sent on a quest to help the Traveler celebrate Paimon’s birthday. I don’t know how to bake, so can you make a cake for her?” Bennett asked hopefully.
“I would love to, but sadly, Wanmin restaurant’s low on stock right now and shipping prices nowadays are too high. There’s also been an increasing number of customers, so I can’t forage for some ingredients in the wild as my father needs me to wait tables to keep the customers content with the waiting time.”
“That sounds like a big situation. Maybe I could help you collect all the ingredients you need!”
“But some of them can only be found in the southernmost coasts of Inazuma, you definitely can’t just swim there.”
“Don’t worry, I'll find a way! I’m planning to recruit someone from there to my adventure team anyways. Just give me a list and I’ll collect all of it!”
“If you’re sure…then okay! I’ll include the ingredients for the cake, and when you return, I’ll bake the biggest, grandest cake you’ve ever seen! Deal?” Xiangling extended a hand.
Bennett shook it, “Deal!”
“Great! Then I’ll start on the list now. Be back in a few minutes!” Xiangling disappeared into the kitchen.
After a short while, Xiangling reemerged from the kitchen, holding a long scroll. She handed it to Bennett.
He quickly scanned the paper. Xiangling had written down the region it was from next to the ingredient, there were: 25 Dandelion Seeds, 30 Glaze Lilies (Liyue), 20 Qingxin (Liyue), 45 Rukkhashava Mushrooms (Sumeru), 15 Grainfruit (Natlan)…the list went on and on.
“When do I have to return with all this?” Bennet asked tentatively.
“In about three months, that’s the time of Paimon’s birthday, right?”
“Okay, then I’ll be on my way now! Bye Xiangling!” Bennett stood up from the chair, waving goodbye to her.
“Bye Bennett! I hope you return safe and unharmed!” Xiangling waved as he left the restaurant.
———
Bennett walked around aimlessly in Liyue Harbour, contemplating his next move.
I should recruit someone for my mission! Maybe someone with a boat, as I need to go to Inazuma.
He asked around the docks, and eventually, one fisherman pointed him toward a large ship anchored nearby. “That’s Captain Beidou’s vessel, the Alcor. If you’re looking for strong companions, you won’t find better than her crew.”
Bennett’s heart raced. He had heard tales of Beidou’s strength and bravery, and of the wandering swordsman who often traveled with her, Kaedehara Kazuha. He hurried up the gangplank, nearly tripping over a coil of rope (Bennett’s luck #6), and was stopped by a sailor (Bennett’s luck #7).
“Hold it there, kid. What’s your business with the Captain?”
“I-I’m Bennett, from Mondstadt’s Adventurer’s Guild!” he stammered. “I’ve been sent on a quest by Master Jean—well, actually by Barbatos—through Master Jean—to help the Traveler celebrate Paimon’s birthday. Do I sound nervous, I don’t, right? And I-I’m collecting ingredients for Xiangling to bake a cake. But to find most of these, I need a ship…and allies—but mainly the allies. I need strong ones. Brave ones. People like…Captain Beidou.”
The sailor raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. He considered his request, before finally saying, “Wait here.” Then he disappeared into the ship.
Well, that was easy! I can meet the Captain of the Crux Fleet! This is so cool! Bennett was crying with excitement inside, he had never seen such famous people before.
Moments later, Beidou herself emerged, her long coat swaying in the breeze. “So you’re the kid making all the noise about a godly errand?” she said, her voice amused.
Bennett nodded furiously. “Yes, ma’am! I’ll do whatever it takes. I just…I can't do it alone. C-can you help me, then?” Bennett asked.
Beidou stopped Bennett with a gesture. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, one step at a time. What godly errand have you been talking about anyways?”
“The Traveler—or the Hero of Liyue as you know them—has told Barbatos to tell the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Jean, to help her plan a birthday surprise party for Paimon in June. Jean chose to let me help. I’ve already told Xiangling to help with the cake, but she says she needs ingredients for it, so here I'm now.” Bennett evaluated his journey so far.
“So, let me get this straight…you need to plan a party, and you need ingredients for a cake, and other components of a party, which is where you need my help.”
“Yes, exactly! Do you agree to help?” Bennett eagerly awaited her response, crossing his fingers and hoping she would agree.
Beidou studied him for a moment, then laughed. “You’ve got spirit. I like that. And lucky for you, we’ve got someone aboard who might agree to helping you too.” She turned, and a figure stepped out from the shadows: Kazuha, the wandering samurai (also wanted criminal) from Inazuma.
“If this quest is for the Traveler, then I shall join you. After all, the bonds we share are not so easily forgotten.” Kazuha spoke softly.
Bennett’s jaw dropped. “You mean… you’ll both help me?”
Beidou smirked. “Oh yeah! The Crux Fleet doesn’t turn down a challenge, especially one commanded by the Anemo Archon himself. We’ll help you plan the best celebration Paimon’s ever seen.”