"Haa… I lost, Lady Alice."
After meeting Alice, Mona had immediately challenged her in a contest of mysticism.
Of course, it ended in total defeat—no surprise there. Even Mona's teacher could never beat Alice. Her knowledge of the occult was truly unmatched.
"Hehe, don't be discouraged, little Mona. You're still young."
Alice smiled, watching the girl she considered both a colleague and a junior. Her talent really was extraordinary. If only she weren't already committed to her teacher, Alice would have gladly taken her as a disciple.
"Lady Alice, since you're so amazing at mysticism, have you ever taught Klee any of it?"
"Klee's just a child. What would she do learning all that? Instead, I taught her how to make bombs." Alice said it as casually as if she were talking about baking cookies.
Klee had inherited her mother's talent, but Alice didn't want her to go through the same hardships.
She already felt guilty for being away from Klee so often because of her duties maintaining Teyvat's borders. She only wanted her daughter to have a happy childhood.
Klee liked blowing up fish, and Alice supported that.
As long as her little girl was happy, everything else was fine—and if something exploded, Alice would handle the consequences herself.
"Um… Lady Alice, about my teacher…" Mona asked cautiously. She'd seen some of her master's black history, and she knew the old lady definitely knew she'd seen it.
"Haha, you mean that diary, right? Don't worry—she won't kill you." Alice's lips curved upward in amusement. "You're too good a student for that."
Mona sighed. True, her teacher wouldn't kill her—but she was absolutely going to suffer.
"Fire everything!"
BOOM!
Klee threw another bomb into Cider Lake, the explosion sending up massive sprays of water along with a shower of stunned fish.
Nearby fishermen could only stare in defeat, packing up their rods.
With that kind of noise, the fish were gone for the day. Only one culprit in all of Mondstadt could cause that kind of chaos—Klee, the Knights of Favonius' beloved little terror.
"Delicious!"
Klee picked up a fish, roasted to perfection by the explosion's heat.
"Big Brother Koji! Sister Eula! You guys eat too!" she said proudly, offering it like treasure.
"It's actually pretty good," Eula admitted. "The lake water here is clean."
Koji nodded. "Her bombs don't use anything toxic, so it's fine."
As he watched Klee happily gnaw on her roasted fish, a stray thought crossed his mind.
If I taught her the principle of nuclear fission… could she handcraft a Little Boy bomb?
For now, as Klee's temporary guardian, he decided not to test that theory.
The three of them took Klee to the Stormterror's Lair—a place built from Alice's past mischief.
It was only right to let her daughter see her mother's "artwork."
"Koji?"
The voice came from above. Dvalin had landed nearby, his massive eyes locking on the small red figure.
"…Don't tell me this child is that woman's descendant?"
From Klee, he sensed a horribly familiar aura. His entire body tensed, old memories surging back like a nightmare.
"Yes. She's Alice's daughter, Klee. Cute, isn't she?" Koji said, lifting Klee up.
"No. Not cute at all," Dvalin said bluntly, backing up slightly.
Like mother, like daughter.
If this little one decided to turn the Stormterror's Lair into "Stormterror Basin," he was finished.
"Koji, do you know where that drunkard Barbatos went?" Dvalin asked cautiously.
Within Mondstadt's borders, he couldn't sense his god's presence. Had he run off again to another country?
"Oh, Venti? He's in Liyue. The Geo Archon just 'died,' so he went there to join the fun," Koji replied lightly.
"Impossible," Dvalin growled. "Absolutely impossible. Morax—someone of that level—doesn't just die."
If the Geo Archon of Liyue had truly perished, the shockwaves would've shaken all of Teyvat. Even Celestia couldn't kill him quietly.
"He's faking it," Koji said. "Probably just wants to retire."
"…Unbelievable." Dvalin sighed. "So the mighty Morax has ended up like that… must be Barbatos's influence."
Koji chuckled. "There's a saying in Liyue—'He who stays near vermilion is stained red; he who stays near ink turns black.'"
"Figures," Dvalin muttered. "At this rate, that drunk will probably attend his own funeral feast."
Koji laughed. "Wouldn't put it past him."
Dvalin: These gods are insane.
Still alive and throwing their own funerals? Unbelievable.
He decided not to worry about it. He was just a dragon—best not to think too hard about divine madness.
"Hi, Dvalin! Long time no see!"
A cheerful voice rang out. Alice appeared, waving energetically.
Dvalin let out a startled roar, scales bristling.
He hadn't felt true fear in centuries—but this woman was a walking disaster!
He still remembered the last time she'd "experimented" on him…
"W-why are you back?!"
Dvalin instinctively shifted into a more defensive posture, prepared for the worst.
"What? I'm not allowed to visit?" Alice asked with a sly smile. A Klee-style bomb appeared in her hand, but the aura it emitted was several times more dangerous.
"Cough—of course you are!"
Dvalin immediately backed down.
He might roar at Venti for slacking off, but before Alice, he was nothing but a frightened hatchling.
"Dvalin, I heard you were still suffering from the poison. Has Venti done anything about it?" Alice asked.
The toxin coursing through his blood contained traces of the Abyss. In his prime, he could resist it—but that ancient battle had cost him dearly.
"The Traveler here—her body can absorb Abyssal energy," Alice mused, glancing at Lumine. "Tsk, tsk…"
She'd heard Rhinedottir mention that certain beings' power in the Abyss originated from that body long ago.
"Absorb Abyssal power?" Alice frowned slightly.
So the girl's ability to resist corruption wasn't purification—it was assimilation.
"Don't worry about it. The amount is small, so you won't notice yet," Alice said, waving her hand dismissively. "But in time, you'll come to understand that strength."
Then she smiled. "Lumine, your true journey through Teyvat has only just begun."
"Lady Alice… have you met my brother?" Lumine asked quietly.
"I have," Alice replied. "He's fine. Before long, the two of you will meet again."
Her tone carried weight, like a prophecy.
Lumine clenched her fists. So soon… we'll finally meet again, my dear brother.
And when that happened… he'd better have an explanation ready.
If not, she'd have Koji break his legs so he couldn't run this time.
Elsewhere—
"Achoo!"
Aether sneezed suddenly, shivering. He felt a chill down his spine, though he didn't know why.
(End of Chapter)
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