Even sturdier than any weapon he had ever seen...
"Tsk."
What material is this exactly?
Kael sighed in a low voice.
Then he swung the baseball bat, feeling its unique weight and smooth handling, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"But this makes it easy to use."
Rotating the baseball bat gently, he felt himself liking this unique weapon more and more.
He couldn't wait to test this thing tomorrow.
Immediately, Kael tidied up simply and lay back on the bed.
The night was deep, stars still dotting the sky of Mondstadt.
Figures on the street were sparse. The night breeze brushed gently past the window, carrying the coolness before dawn.
Kael pulled up the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without words.
Morning. The sky was just getting light, and the room was still quiet.
However, a crisp click sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Immediately after, the door was pushed open quietly, and a small figure walked in silently.
"Hmph hmph... This Prinzessin's plan is indeed flawless."
Fischl stood triumphantly at the door, glanced at the sleeping Kael, and the corner of her mouth raised slightly.
She got up early today on purpose to meet up with Kael in advance before the operation started.
Checked the time.
"6:12 AM."
Fischl nodded with satisfaction.
This time was enough for her to execute a morning conquest plan on Kael.
Fischl walked quietly to the bed, carefully lifted a corner of the quilt, and then burrowed in without hesitation.
Kael vaguely felt a soft object suddenly appear in his quilt.
And it carried some warmth.
Frowning for a moment, he opened one eye in a haze of consciousness.
Just in time to see familiar golden long hair, and a small head eager to move hidden in the quilt.
"..."
Kael was instantly speechless.
"...Here so early?"
Kael's voice carried the laziness and helplessness of just waking up.
"Hmph hmph, naturally."
Fischl's voice came from under the quilt, carrying a trace of pride: "Of course this Prinzessin must occupy the advantage in advance and reserve sufficient preparation time."
"..." Kael looked down at the clock on the bedside table. The hand just pointed to 6:05.
"Are you sure coming at six-something is reserving sufficient preparation time?"
Kael rubbed his brow. "Didn't we agree to go to the Adventurers' Guild with Lumine and Barbara today? Isn't it too early now?"
"This Prinzessin has her own foresight..."
Fischl's voice gradually weakened, and her whole person shrank into the quilt again, as if hiding in a warm world.
"Hiss."
Kael felt Fischl's swaying waist and sucked in a breath secretly.
This little girl is really good at this.
Time passed bit by bit.
About an hour later.
"Haa..."
A lazy stretching sound rang out in the quilt.
Immediately after, a golden head poked out slowly from the quilt.
Fischl's purple pupil was half-open and half-closed, revealing a trace of satisfied fatigue.
She leaned lazily on the pillow, the corner of her mouth rising slightly, murmuring: "...How about we don't go today?"
Kael: "..."
Kael was speechless.
Good grief, this guy tossed around all morning just to stay in bed?
Raising his hand, he patted Fischl's forehead mercilessly. "Get up. Don't even think about flaking."
"Hmph..."
Fischl puffed out her cheeks, turned over slightly dissatisfied, not wanting to get up.
"We are acting with Lumine today, and Barbara will also follow."
Looking at Fischl who didn't look like getting up, Kael added slowly.
"..."
Fischl still lay there motionless, indicating she was unmoved.
The corner of Kael's mouth raised. "So... you want to stand up a Deaconess of the Favonius Cathedral?"
"!!!"
Fischl woke up instantly.
"Wait... You said Pastor Barbara will also come?"
"Of course."
Kael nodded as a matter of course. "The Deaconess of the Favonius Cathedral rarely follows us. And you say you're not going?"
"..."
Fischl's expression instantly became subtle.
As someone who always said "This Prinzessin bears a sacred duty," she was actually going to stand up a serious pastor?
If this kind of thing got out, wouldn't it be a devastating blow to the Prinzessin's dignity?
Fischl quickly weighed the pros and cons in her heart and finally climbed up reluctantly.
"Hmph, this Prinzessin is an existence who follows noble contracts. Since I agreed, I will not break my word easily."
Fischl used her chuunibyou tone to cover up her embarrassment, her expression still carrying a trace of dissatisfaction.
Kael couldn't help laughing. Looking at her small expression with puffed cheeks, he shook his head with a smile. "Alright, get ready quickly. We'll go to Good Hunter for breakfast later, then gather at the Adventurers' Guild."
"Sigh."
Fischl sighed and raised her hand reluctantly to dress.
Soon, she tidied up simply and walked out of the room with Kael.
When they arrived near the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild, they saw Lumine, Barbara, and Klee waiting.
And Paimon and Oz.
"Ehe, Kael, you finally came."
Seeing Kael, Paimon rubbed her hands excitedly. "We listened to you and specially bought several sacks."
Saying this, Paimon hurriedly pointed to the folded sacks tied with ropes at Lumine's waist.
A rough look showed about five or six.
"Barbara brought two too."
Barbara also raised her hand, taking out two folded sacks, her eyes showing slight excitement.
"Klee brought lots of bombs today too."
Klee held her backpack excitedly. "Several sacks were stuffed into the bag by Klee. Klee wants to bomb fish today!"
"Good."
Kael nodded. "Today we'll accept tasks around Starfall Lake and Whispering Woods. See if there are easy ones. If not, it's fine. Our goal is Whispering Woods and Starfall Lake."
With a few people plus elemental creatures, Kael believed they could easily scrape resources.
Saying this, he walked toward the task board of the Adventurers' Guild.
At this moment.
In front of the Adventurers' Guild.
Adventurers in twos and threes were busy choosing tasks.
From time to time, people whispered, exchanging the latest intelligence.
Just then, Kael casually flipped through the task board, selected two material collection tasks about Whispering Woods, and stamped them at the reception.
Preparing to take Lumine, Fischl, and Barbara to the destination.
"..."
However, the surrounding adventurers froze instantly when they saw Barbara.
Their gazes fell in unison on Barbara standing beside Kael. Everyone's eyes widened, the surprise on their faces almost unconcealable.
"Wait a minute, am I seeing things?"
An adventurer rubbed his eyes, his tone full of disbelief. "Miss Barbara... is actually going to Whispering Woods with Kael to do missions?!"
"Real or fake..."
Another adventurer also stared at Kael's team in astonishment. "Doesn't Miss Barbara always stay inside the church? Even if she appears occasionally, it's at most singing or helping everyone with treatment. This kind of personally following a team out for missions... Has she ever done this before?!"
"Never!!"
This sentence was like a bomb dropped into the crowd.
Countless adventurers were shocked, mouths wide open one by one.
Barbara was the most popular idol in all of Mondstadt. How could she follow someone to do commissions?!
These ordinary adventurers... let alone doing missions with Barbara, being able to get close and say a few words, or hearing her sing a song was already great luck!
Now, Kael could actually make Barbara follow him on a mission?!
"What kind of treatment is this...!"
Many adventurers were itching with jealousy, their eyes full of thick envy.
"If Miss Barbara went on an adventure with me, I would be willing to actively go to dangerous areas and die!"
"And, there's another key point..."
An adventurer swallowed and whispered, "Did you notice? Miss Barbara and Kael seem very familiar with each other?!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone became even more shocked.
Barbara was Mondstadt's Idol.
Although she was kind usually, she definitely didn't have time to have much private friendship with ordinary adventurers.
Many people saw Barbara and communicated with her only because when they were injured, they had a chance to see Barbara and be treated by her at the Favonius Cathedral.
—However, now, she stood beside Kael without shy away, forming a team with Fischl and Lumine.
It didn't look like a "temporary joining" at all, but more like "familiar friends"!
This wasn't an ordinary relationship!
They...
How on earth do they know each other?!
"Could it be... they have always been very close?"
An adventurer guessed in a low voice.
"Real or fake..."
The person next to him was incredulous. "Miss Barbara has never actively partnered with anyone, right?"
"Now, she actually follows Kael's action?!"
"And going to Whispering Woods?!"
"...This is too ridiculous!!"
"This isn't even the most ridiculous part."
An experienced adventurer whispered, "Have you thought about it? They accepted two tasks... What does it mean their action goal is today?"
Everyone was stunned, then reacted abruptly.
Whispering Woods.
Although Whispering Woods wasn't a particularly dangerous area, resources were abundant inside, and there were many monsters.
If they were going there, it meant...
"...This guy Kael is going to frantically scrape resources again today?!" an adventurer said through gritted teeth.
"Damn it, going to scrape massively again! This guy is simply a walking monster disaster!"
They had all seen it with their own eyes. Kael's every action was basically a crazy "Resource Clearing" mode.
Ordinary people couldn't collect that many resources at all.
But Kael was different.
Returning with a full load several times in a row.
Mondstadt's rare specialties were packed sack by sack like weeds.
Not to mention, this time there was Miss Barbara!
"Waaah, I'm so envious!!!"
An adventurer held his head painfully. "With Miss Barbara here, they don't have to worry about getting hurt at all. They can simply do whatever they want!!"
"Thinking that Kael probably earns more today than before, I feel so painful."
"This is too much!!"
"I want to join too!!"
"Stop dreaming."
The adventurer beside him sighed, looking desperate. "Do you think their team would let other ordinary people join? You don't even have a Vision."
Everyone fell silent.
Yeah...
They knew Kael's team definitely wouldn't accept people casually!
Although Kael looked easygoing, his circle was actually very fixed.
Even people from the Knights of Favonius found it hard to get familiar with him. Ordinary adventurers like them didn't even have the qualification to join the team.
Thinking of this, they became even more desperate.
"Uuu... So jealous."
An adventurer looked enviously at the backs of Kael and the others leaving. "With Miss Barbara's treatment, just this treatment is enough to make people cry with envy!"
"Damn it, why can they take Miss Barbara on missions, while I can only take tattered commissions here?!" Someone said indignantly.
"If I could let Miss Barbara treat me once, I would be willing to lie dead for five days and five nights ahhh!!"
"...You're crazy. Calm down."
"I don't want to calm down!!!"
In the square of the Adventurers' Guild, everyone watched helplessly as the figures of Kael, Lumine, Fischl, and Barbara disappeared into the distance, hearts filled with envy, unwillingness, and jealousy.
But they also knew...
No matter how envious, they couldn't change the fact.
This time, Kael was probably going to set off a wave of resource harvesting around Whispering Woods again.
Thinking of this, they were very sour.
An adventurer at the door rolled his eyes, hesitation flashing away, and immediately left the Adventurers' Guild.
Kael and the others had already left Mondstadt City, crossing the stone bridge.
However, not long after walking out, they saw Amber walking from another road.
"Eh? Kael."
Seeing Kael and the others, Amber's eyes lit up, and she said quickly, "Where are you going? Need my help?"
Amber really didn't expect to meet Kael coming out today.
She had acted with Kael before and felt the mysterious power Kael blessed her with, making her like a tiger with wings. Just recalling it made her excited.
Especially now that she had to clear some monster strongholds.
With Kael's help, she could be more relaxed.
And Barbara was actually there too.
Amber looked at Barbara in surprise.
This one actually came out too.
Although she didn't understand why Barbara followed, it was a good thing.
This way, she didn't have to worry about getting hurt.
"It's Amber."
Seeing the appearing Amber, Paimon also looked surprised and said quickly, "Good morning, Amber. We are preparing to go to Whispering Woods and Starfall Lake. Now Lumine and I are Kael's assistants."
"Ah? Assistants?"
Hearing this, Amber sighed instantly. "Whispering Woods? Then our directions are different. I'm busy doing aftermath work."
"Aftermath work?"
Paimon looked confused. "What aftermath work? Did something happen in Mondstadt?"
The Stormterror crisis was clearly lifted.
"Last night, nearby monsters launched a general attack on Mondstadt City."
Amber explained, "Last night, Grand Master Jean also appeared. We solved many monsters, busy until this morning."
"I even came out to scout and found that Hilichurl settlements were migrating unnaturally toward Mondstadt City."
"Hilichurls shouldn't have the organizational ability to launch a general attack..."
"At that time, we guessed that the Abyss Order might be behind this."
"But not long ago, Grand Master Jean sent a message to me, saying it might be the Fatui playing tricks. I am responsible for clearing the Hilichurl settlement strongholds, and also investigating the situation."
"Oh, oh, I see."
Hearing Amber's words, Paimon suddenly realized.
Then she scratched her head. "Then we can't act together."
"It's okay. We can wait for next time."
Amber waved her hand indifferently. "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"By the way, Mr. Kael."
Saying this, Amber looked at Kael quickly and said hurriedly, "Can you help me increase my speed?"
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