"You… you…"
Katheryne finally recovered from her shock.
She brushed back the hair beside her ear, looked at the scene before her, and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Kairo… how did you do that?"
"How did I do it?"
Kairo chuckled. "Just a bit of luck."
Katheryne: "..."
The other adventurers: "..."
"Just luck?"
"You call that luck?"
"So we spend all day scouring the wilderness outside Mondstadt, and barely make one-fifth of what you just brought in—and you casually come back with two whole sacks of resources? How is that even fair?!"
As everyone stared at him as though they'd seen a ghost, Fischl, standing off to the side, raised her chin proudly, crossed her arms, and declared in her usual lofty tone, "We have been baptized by fate, blessed by the Abyss, and favored by the forest itself—thus, our triumph is preordained."
Oz, ever faithful, translated smoothly, "Milady means that our success in the Whispering Woods is only natural."
Everyone: "..."
"The point is—how on earth did you even find so many materials?!"
The gathered adventurers were on the verge of breaking down.
This kind of haul was enough to make any resource-gathering adventurer want to crawl into a hole from shame.
"Could it have been Oz?"
"No way. Even if it's Lady Fi— cough —Her Highness the Prinzessin, she's never brought back anything like this before."
"Yeah, even when Her Highness went on expeditions, the results were never this outrageous."
"And a Vision holder can sense elemental resonance and locate matching materials, sure—but four sacks' worth? That's insane."
"I'm going to try my luck in the Whispering Woods tomorrow too!"
"No you're not! With this kind of haul, the forest outskirts must be stripped bare already!"
"Then I'll have to go deeper in… but isn't the inner forest kind of dangerous?"
By now, Katheryne had finally regained her composure. She cleared her throat softly, still looking at Kairo with disbelief.
"Alright, please wait a moment. I'll calculate the total value of these materials for you."
She began carefully counting the mountain of goods stacked on the table.
Kairo, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by the curious stares around him.
He knew full well—this was only the beginning.
With the Bio-Wave Scanner, the specialty items he could locate were far more than this.
And he had no intention of hiding it. There was nothing worth hiding—just resources.
What mattered was turning them into Mora as quickly as possible, to exchange for what he really needed.
Besides, he'd be bringing in more goods for the Adventurers' Guild soon enough.
No one in the Mondstadt branch of the Guild would actually try to rob him.
That sort of thing was beneath Mondstadt adventurers.
Only the old aristocrats or the Fatui would stoop to that—and even for them, these resources weren't worth the trouble.
As Kairo thought this, elsewhere—
Knights of Favonius Headquarters.
The lighting was soft and calm, the small room tidy and spotless—nothing like a dungeon at all, more like a temporary isolation chamber.
Klee sat obediently on a little wooden bed, hugging a pillow embroidered with a Jumpy Dumpty, her short legs swinging as she hummed a tune to herself.
Her backpack had been confiscated for now, but she didn't seem the least bit worried. In fact, she looked positively energetic.
Click.
The door opened.
A tall, familiar figure appeared in the doorway—blond hair, deep teal eyes, white-and-gold alchemist's coat—
Brother Albedo!
"Wah! Brother Albedo!"
Klee's eyes sparkled. Her face lit up with pure joy as she jumped off the bed and ran toward the door on her tiny legs, as if afraid he'd disappear if she didn't hurry.
"Brother Albedo, are you here to let Klee out?" she chirped, her voice bright and hopeful.
"Klee really knows she did something wrong this time!"
"Klee won't blow up Cider Lake ever again!"
Her voice was crisp, sweet, and full of expectation. Her small hands balled into little fists against her chest.
But Albedo didn't answer right away.
He looked at her, rubbed his temples, and sighed softly.
She still didn't get it.
Before he could decide how to explain, Jean spoke from beside him.
"Klee, I have a few questions for you. If you cooperate honestly, we'll let you go immediately."
"Really?!"
Klee's eyes sparkled even brighter. She nodded eagerly, her golden hair swaying. "Klee will cooperate! Ask away, Acting Grand Master Jean!"
Jean's tense expression softened slightly.
Then her tone grew serious.
"Klee, these past few days… have you seen any members of the Abyss Order?"
Klee blinked, looking utterly puzzled.
"The Abyss Order?"
She tilted her head, tapped her chin, thought hard for a moment—then shook her head earnestly.
"Klee doesn't know~."
Jean's brows furrowed slightly. Before she could ask further, Albedo took out a sketchbook, opened it, and laid it before Klee.
On the page were several robed figures wreathed in elemental energy—Abyss Mages of various elements.
Albedo spoke gently. "Klee, have you seen any of these guys?"
Klee frowned, studying the drawings seriously for a few seconds—then shook her head again.
"Nope! Haven't seen them!"
Jean and Albedo exchanged glances.
She wasn't lying.
Klee's sincerity was written all over her face—she truly hadn't seen any Abyss Mages.
Then who… tampered with her bombs?
Albedo narrowed his eyes. His doubts deepened.
There was no point in asking if Klee knew who modified them—if she did, she wouldn't have gone and blown up Cider Lake.
"Klee, did you meet anyone strange recently?" Jean asked after a pause. "Before you used your bombs—did anyone approach you? You didn't have any with you when you left the city yesterday. I checked your backpack—it was empty."
"Hmm… nope!"
Klee shook her head. "Klee only had a few bombs before she went out. The ones she used later were from the Whispering Woods—Klee buried them there a long time ago and just dug them up!"
As she spoke, she thought of Kairo.
But Kairo wasn't a "strange person." She was the one who insisted on tagging along with him!
Jean frowned slightly. They hadn't gotten any useful information.
Thinking of the Abyss Order's schemes lurking in the shadows, her expression grew heavier.
"What's wrong, Acting Grand Master?" Klee asked, scratching her head, puzzled by their silence.
Jean looked at the little girl—innocent, confused, pure—and her stern eyes softened.
Klee really didn't know.
There was no need to drag her into all this.
Jean smiled gently. "It's nothing."
Then she added, "Congratulations, Klee. You can leave now—you're free."
"...!!"
Klee's eyes went wide.
"Really?!"
Her voice trembled with delight as she leapt into the air, golden hair trailing behind her like sunlight.
"Yay! Klee's free!"
She spun joyfully around the little room, laughter echoing off the walls.
"Klee doesn't have to stay locked up for seven days anymore!"
"Klee will be good! Promise!"
"Klee won't blow up Cider Lake again!"
She bounced like an excited bunny, grinning from ear to ear, eyes shining with childish glee.
Jean and Albedo exchanged a helpless smile.
—Such an innocent child.
Seeing Klee's unguarded happiness, even Jean's heart felt lighter.
Albedo sighed softly. "You're free this time—but please, be careful."
"Mhm!"
Klee nodded earnestly, still beaming.
"Then I'm off!"
And before they could say another word, she dashed out of the room like a gust of wind, straight into the sunlight.
Jean watched her go, eyes softening.
"…What a handful," she murmured with a faint smile. "But still—such a pure heart."
Albedo's gaze followed the direction she'd run, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
For a moment, peace lingered between them.
But it didn't last long.
Jean sighed again, rubbing her temples. "The trail's gone cold."
Albedo nodded slowly. "We couldn't expect much from Klee. She's innocent—she knows nothing of the Abyss Order."
Jean's brow tightened once more. "Then what's their goal? First the Fatui agents who died mysteriously in Mondstadt, then the explosions at Cider Lake and Starfell Lake…"
Her voice dropped, weary. "Things are getting more complicated by the day."
Albedo's eyes gleamed faintly. "The Abyss doesn't move without purpose. They're plotting something—and we still can't see the full picture."
Just then—
A sharp cry split the air.
"Caw!"
Jean and Albedo looked up.
West Wind Falcon swooped down from the sky, circling twice before landing neatly on Jean's arm.
Her expression hardened when she saw the sealed message tied to its leg.
The Wind Eagle—used by the Knights of Favonius for high-priority dispatches.
Jean quickly unsealed it and scanned the parchment.
Her brows furrowed deeper with every line.
"From Kaeya?" Albedo asked, noticing her expression change.
He knew Kaeya had left the city this morning to meet Eula near Starfell Lake.
Jean silently handed him the letter.
Albedo's eyes flicked across the lines—his face darkened.
The report was brief—but shocking.
Incident Report – Northern Whispering Woods
A Hilichurl camp was completely annihilated.
The battle lasted mere moments; the enemy had no chance to resist.
Traces of intense Cryo elemental energy remain—not natural elemental residue, but something resembling Abyssal Cryo corruption, an unnatural frost force.
The air carries a Destructive Aura identical to that found at the Cider Lake and Starfell Lake explosion sites.
Likely connected to the Abyss Order.
Evidence suggests ongoing experiments involving Cryo, Pyro, and an unknown destructive power.
Recommend heightened alert, expanded patrols, and immediate investigation.
—Kaeya & Eula
Albedo lowered the parchment slowly, brows knitted in thought.
Jean drew a deep breath, her expression grave.
"According to their survey… another anomaly—this time, an even more extreme frost energy."
She looked at Albedo, her voice low. "Have your alchemical studies ever encountered a destructive energy like this?"
Albedo shook his head. "No… This power far exceeds the boundaries of normal elemental energy."
"Its very existence," he said quietly, "is… unnatural."
He hesitated, then added, "The Abyss may be experimenting with something extremely dangerous."
Jean's eyes darkened.
The Abyss Order, Delusions, the aura of destruction, and now this unnatural cold—
All the threads were beginning to weave together into a single, vast web.
And they were still blind to its center.
Jean clenched the parchment tightly. "We need to uncover the truth—whatever lies behind this."
"For now," Albedo murmured, "we'll have to rely on Kaeya and Eula."
He rubbed his brow tiredly. "At least Mondstadt itself is still calm. I'll focus on rebuilding the alchemy workshop these next few days. You should stay alert too."
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