One of the Knights of Favonius asked, his tone carrying both curiosity and unease.
"Looks like… the investigation's been called off?"
Another knight lowered his voice and said, "Acting Grand Master Jean has already ordered a halt to the investigation. It's been confirmed not to be a monster attack."
"For real?"
The first knight blinked in disbelief. "An explosion that huge, and they're not following up? Acting Grand Master Jean said that herself?"
"Mm. Acting Grand Master Jean personally ordered us to stand down, saying there's no need to worry anymore. That means it poses no threat to Mondstadt."
"Phew… that's a relief. So it wasn't monsters after all."
Several Knights of Favonius exhaled at once, visibly relieved.
To them, if the explosion by Cider Lake had been caused by monsters, that would mean Mondstadt's safety was in jeopardy.
But if even Acting Grand Master Jean wasn't pursuing it, then the matter clearly wasn't anything serious.
One knight chuckled and joked, "Maybe some adventurer was testing explosives? Or some alchemist's experiment blew up again? As long as it's not monsters, we're fine."
Hearing that, Kairo's mouth twitched slightly.
Indeed, it wasn't monsters at all—it was Klee's bomb.
He could already imagine Acting Grand Master Jean sighing with her head in her hands in her office…
And Klee's pleading, guilty little face.
Clearly, these knights had no idea what had actually happened.
Or rather—Jean had deliberately decided to cover it up.
"Investigation suspended" actually meant: We know who did it — but it's better to pretend nothing happened.
Fischl only raised a brow, seemingly uninterested in their chatter.
Instead, she continued speaking to herself, "Mortal eyes are forever deceived by surface illusions, blind to the abyssal truths that lie beneath… The embers of those fallen zealots yet whisper their judgment within the forest of murmurs…"
Oz, perched dutifully upon her shoulder, translated smoothly, "Her Highness means we should continue our journey."
Hearing that, Kairo sighed and gave up on thinking further about the Cider Lake incident.
He quickened his pace, heading toward the Whispering Woods.
The midday breeze drifted through the forest, carrying the moist fragrance of earth and greenery.
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting speckled shadows across the mossy ground.
Kairo and Fischl walked side by side through the tranquil woodland.
Leaves rustled softly above, and from time to time, the calls of unseen birds echoed in the distance.
Within this silence, it felt as if countless hidden secrets lay dormant, waiting to be uncovered.
"Bzzt—"
With a gentle tap, Kairo activated the Bio-Scanner.
In an instant, the display's readings began spiking wildly.
A string of bright light points flashed into existence—
Densely packed — the entire interface flooded with light until the screen itself seemed to glow!
"…Hiss."
Kairo sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening in shock.
This…
This was way too much!
He'd thought the Whispering Woods were just an ordinary natural area—rich perhaps, but not that rich.
Yet judging from this, the resource density here was absurdly high!
Practically every few steps revealed another resource point!
Without hesitation, Kairo followed the nearest glowing marker.
Moments later, he came upon a bush of vividly colored Valberries.
Valberries — native to Mondstadt, infused with traces of gentle Anemo energy.
Their plump, translucent fruit released a delicate sweetness reminiscent of flowers.
In ages past, they were a small comfort to those who stood vigil against the raging storms — a taste of hope amid Mondstadt's tempests.
Kairo plucked one gently; the cool, smooth berry rolled into his palm.
He then continued following the scanner's signals forward.
After just a few more steps, he spotted several blooming Windwheel Asters.
Another Mondstadt specialty — flowers that thrive wherever the wind flows.
For the free-spirited people of Mondstadt, the Windwheel Aster was said to be the 'wind made visible.'
Kairo touched a petal lightly, sensing faint traces of Anemo energy still lingering.
He knew well that this flower held great value in certain alchemical formulas.
A little further ahead, a faint blue glow shimmered beneath the shade—clusters of Small Lamp Grass, quietly swaying.
"…So this whole forest is basically a natural Anemo resource vault?" Kairo muttered, gathering as he went.
Before long, his pack was half-full—he'd become a one-man harvesting machine.
Meanwhile, Fischl was growing increasingly dumbfounded.
At first, she hadn't paid much attention—thinking Kairo was just lucky to find a few resources.
But as time went on, she realized his gathering speed was downright inhuman.
It wasn't intuition guiding him—
It was as if he knew exactly where everything was!
Hidden Valberries beneath bushes.
Windwheel Asters sprouting between rocks.
Even Small Lamp Grass that only glowed faintly at night—
Kairo located each one with pinpoint accuracy, as though he'd mapped the entire forest beforehand.
Fischl finally couldn't hold back. "My loyal subject… thy conduct defies mortal comprehension!"
Oz translated calmly, "Her Highness means—how are you finding these resources so easily?"
Kairo calmly pocketed the last Windwheel Aster and gave Fischl a glance.
"Secret weapon."
Fischl: "…"
Oz: "…"
He wasn't going to explain? Seriously?
Fischl frowned slightly, suspicion flickering in her amethyst eyes.
But when she saw Kairo's calm, unbothered expression,
She only crossed her arms and huffed.
"Hmph. Thy powers truly defy mortal ken… Perhaps destiny itself hath bound our paths together."
Oz translated under his breath, "She means, 'Fine, you're impressive.'"
Both Oz and Fischl turned their gazes to the device in Kairo's hand.
They had both noticed it, of course—and guessed that it must be the reason behind his uncanny efficiency.
They had wanted to ask about it,
but since Kairo offered no explanation, neither pressed further.
Kairo simply chuckled softly and continued toward the next signal point.
As time passed, his exploration of the Whispering Woods grew more thorough.
Not only did he gather a wide array of resources,
He also gradually learned how to fine-tune the Bio-Scanner's detection modes.
The device didn't just detect static flora—it could also pick up living bio-signatures.
And as his survey deepened,
he began to notice several readings that stood out—
signals brighter than normal, pulsing with strange, rhythmic energy.
Could these be… elemental mineral veins?
"Wait a second…"
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