Bishui Plain and Windwail Highland were separated by a lake fed by the waterways of Bishui Plain. Beyond the lake, to the east, lay Mondstadt—the territory of the Dawn Winery, home of Master Diluc's family.
To the west lay a desolate mountain ridge, far from any sign of human habitation.
Of course, though that ridge was deserted, there was no denying that its natural resources were extraordinarily abundant. The Liyue hunters around Stone Gate knew that a quick stroll there was often enough to bring back plenty of game, all kinds of herbs and ingredients, and valuable cash crops. It was, in every sense, a natural pantry bestowed by nature!
"..."
??(′?｀?)?
Today, though, a little girl in a red dress had appeared in this deserted place. Holding a bunch of Sweet Flowers and a pair of enormous, fiery-red antlers, she frolicked across the grass, pretending to be a little deer as she bounced around to her heart's content.
That's right!
The troublesome little girl bounding around this mountain meadow could only be Annie.
After all, ordinary little girls wouldn't dare frolic and fool around in such a dangerous place.
As for where the pair of fiery-red antlers in Annie's hands had come from, that was another sad story, and there was no need to go into it here.
"Hey!"
"Stop right there!"
Just as Annie was trying to decide whether to bother the wild boars nearby, those great white egrets, or perhaps take a look inside the Fatui camp hidden in these remote hills, a familiar figure suddenly sprang out of a patch of bushes nearby. She wore a short skirt suited for moving around, had healthy, wheat-colored skin, and sported short hair tied into a playful bow-shaped braid at the back.
"Huh?"
Σ(°△°|||)︴
"That's..."
=?(*)
Seeing the figure,