"Big Brother Albedo, where are you? Are you okay?"
Klee kept channeling her Pyro power, melting the snow all around her in hopes of finding Albedo's trace, but in the end, all her efforts were in vain…
She remembered it clearly: when the avalanche and landslide struck, her hand had been tightly holding onto Big Brother Albedo's.
But somehow, their grip slipped apart, and she ended up separated from him…
Klee also recalled what Albetwo had said just before self-destructing on the mountaintop—something about this Albedo not really being Albedo, but just one of his clones…
"Hmph! That big meanie Albetwo must've just wanted to drive a wedge between me and Big Brother Albedo!"
Pouting angrily, Klee declared:
"I won't fall for his trick! This Big Brother Albedo is the real Big Brother Albedo!"
"Since that's the case, and Big Brother Albedo is so strong, there's no way something bad could've happened to him. I'd better head down the mountain to someplace safe first!"
With that thought in mind, Klee hurried toward the base camp at the foot of the mountain, leaving the area behind…
After she left, Albedo—or rather, Albetwo's clone—appeared from behind a tree.
Watching Klee's figure grow distant, he muttered angrily:
"Damn that original body… even at the moment of death, he had to pull a stunt like this. Truly annoying…"
"And that Dottore fellow is completely untrustworthy. I should leave this place, leave Mondstadt, and plan things out anew…"
Muttering to himself, Albetwo's clone turned and headed in the opposite direction, soon disappearing into the snowy mountains…
As the saying goes: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Klee hadn't noticed the presence of Albetwo's clone, nor had the clone realized Dottore was there all along…
Watching the clone vanish, Dottore mused:
"Albetwo, if you can't fully control your clones—if you can't dictate their very life and death—betrayal will always be a possibility."
"Only through absolute control over everything can one eliminate risk. That's why your clone technique is nothing compared to my segment technique…"
"Albetwo, your methods may not hold much research value, but your clone—as a specimen for observation—does have some interesting qualities…"
"A homunculus creating another artificial clone… I wonder what sort of results that could yield."
"I'll be watching with interest."
With those words, Dottore too disappeared into the vast snowy mountains…
Klee had been smiling at first, but when she saw the many injured and fallen adventurers around her, that smile faded…
"Big Brother Albedo… I didn't know where he went, so I came back on my own…"
"Klee, the Albedo who was with us earlier… he wasn't the real Albedo."
Su Yuan let out a soft sigh, then explained everything he had learned to Klee.
Although she was reluctant to believe it after hearing Su Yuan's words, Klee had no choice but to accept the truth…
"If not for Albetwo's words before his self-destruction, and if not for Su Yuan's encounter with Dottore, we probably would've never found any evidence. We would've stayed in the dark forever…"
Aether also spoke up:
"But even now, we can't afford to let our guard down. The crisis is far from over…"
"Whether it's Albetwo's clone, Dottore lurking in the shadows, or Fischl corrupted by the eerie power, all of them are dangerous threats we must face cautiously…"
"Excuse me, have you seen our daughter, Fischl? Yes, she's an investigator from your Adventurers' Guild."
At that moment, a middle-aged couple arrived at the camp, asking the stationed adventurers about Fischl's whereabouts.
Watching this scene, Su Yuan thought to himself: So these must be Fischl's parents…
As much as he wanted to tell them the truth, the fact that Fischl had already been corrupted by eerie force and turned into a merciless killer was something ordinary people simply couldn't be allowed to know…
Just as Su Yuan was struggling over how to explain to Fischl's parents, he suddenly noticed a figure on the mountain path not far away.
At her side was a gray raven.
It was Fischl.
Not only Su Yuan, but everyone nearby also saw her approaching figure—and all of them immediately tensed with wariness…
"Oh no, why is Fischl showing up at a time like this!" Eula frowned deeply, her voice filled with concern.
"There are so many people here, and plenty of the wounded too. If a battle involving eerie breaks out, a lot of innocent people will definitely be hurt…"
"This is really bad…" Aether's face grew grim as well, unsure of what to do.
But before anyone could figure out a plan, something unexpected happened!
Fischl's parents, having also noticed her not far away, immediately rushed toward her without hesitation!
"Fischl, thank goodness you're safe!" her mother cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Amy, it's time to come home for dinner!" her father said, his voice choked with emotion.
Everyone who saw this thought the same thing—We're doomed!
Even if Fischl wasn't under the control of the eerie state, you absolutely couldn't address her in that tone!
But what happened next shocked everyone and defied all expectations…
Fischl's face turned slightly red, and she spoke in a shy voice:
"Father… there are so many people here… w-who are you calling 'Amy'! Didn't we agree long ago that this name should only be used at home, in private?"
Everyone was left dumbfounded as they watched the family tightly embrace each other.
Along with the warmth and relief of the reunion, their hearts were also filled with confusion…
"Why does Fischl not seem to show any signs of eerie state at all?" Eula asked in puzzlement.
"Her parents just addressed her in exactly that tone…"
Su Yuan thought for a moment, then added, "And earlier there was Oz, too… Could it be that people who are very close to Fischl can still speak to her in a normal way?"
"No matter what, the fact that Fischl isn't a threat or danger to us right now is good enough…" Aether said.
But in the very next moment, something even more unexpected happened!
Oz suddenly opened his beak and unleashed a beam of lightning straight at Fischl's parents, knocking them to the ground!
"Who gave you permission to address Her Highness, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, in such a tone?"
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