"Then I'll go check the Knights of Favonius first."
Victor Wang acted immediately. After stuffing the healing potions from the alchemy bench into the pouch at his left hip, he made his way toward the Knights' headquarters.
He didn't know exactly where Albedo's lab was, but Lisa would. Whether or not he had a reason, he could drop by to chat—it was good for maintaining relationships.
Pushing open the door to the library, he saw Lisa sitting at the front desk, flipping through a thick tome, with a cup of black tea beside her. Upon hearing the sound at the door, her emerald eyes lifted slightly, glancing over casually.
Lisa's pretty skilled in alchemy too. Maybe I could just ask her directly for help, Victor Wang thought, approaching her.
And without the slightest hint of reservation, he blurted out his request.
"That's not my area of expertise in alchemy. I suggest you go ask Albedo."
"Do you know where Albedo's lab is?"
Lisa clearly picked up on his complete shift in target. She sipped her tea with a soft sigh and said in a languid tone, "So you came to me just to ask for directions?"
"Of course not, Sister Lisa! If there's anything you'd like to do, just call on me—I'll be at your service."
"Oh? Then memorize this Introduction to Alchemy. It's only about 800 pages."
Victor Wang grinned. Talk about walking into a trap…
"Sure! Want me to recite it forward or backward?"
"Hehe~ I was just teasing. And you took it seriously. Albedo's lab is about a thousand meters southeast of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters. There's a Knights of Favonius' banner out front—you can't miss it."
"Then, Sister Lisa, I'll be off?"
"Take care. I won't see you out."
Following Lisa's directions, Victor Wang found a two-story house. It had Mondstadt's usual red-tiled roof and looked quite ordinary on the outside.
Normally, a place like this would have a sign that read "Restricted Area—Authorized Personnel Only," but there was none here.
"There's the Knights' flag out front… this should be it, right?"
Knock knock knock! Victor Wang gave a polite knock on the door.
Clack clack clack! came the sound of familiar soles hitting wooden flooring.
The door cracked open, and a small head peeked out.
"Hello there, little one." The moment Victor Wang met Klee's eyes, he awkwardly scratched his nose.
"Bad guy! Bad guy!" The door slammed shut, and he even heard the sound of it locking from the inside.
"What's wrong?" came a young girl's voice from within.
"There's a lying bad guy outside." Klee was probably making a face while describing Victor Wang.
"Hey, come on! I'm a good guy!"
"That's exactly what bad guys say!"
"But I really am a good guy. I'm the honorary knight of the Knights of Favonius!"
The room went quiet for a moment. Then a different set of footsteps approached.
"Klee, be good. Let me see who it is."
"Mm…"
The door opened again. A young girl who looked quite similar to an Electro Cicin Mage in build, height, and hair color appeared before Victor Wang.
She adjusted her round glasses to better inspect this suspicious man in a black cloak standing at the door.
Given Klee's impression of him and his attire, caution was warranted. But the Dodo-King emblem on his cloak—was he someone Klee knew?
Though a bit shy, Sucrose still asked, "C-could you state your identity first?"
"Ahem, I'm Victor Wang, newly appointed honorary knight of the Knights of Favonius. I haven't met Albedo yet, but Kaeya said he recommended me for the position."
Sucrose breathed a little easier. There was a memo about this recently… and he does seem connected to Klee and Albedo.
"Hello. May I ask what you need from Albedo?"
"I'd like to ask for his help with something. Is he in right now?"
"He's working on something upstairs, but he should be done soon. Please, come in and wait for a moment."
Sucrose stepped aside, letting Victor Wang enter the seemingly ordinary-looking lab. Behind her, Klee was pouting, and the room was filled with strange instruments—but there was no sign of Albedo.
Victor Wang glanced at the staircase to the second floor. He could hear faint explosion sounds.
If Albedo wasn't on the first floor, he was clearly conducting an experiment upstairs.
After Sucrose closed the door, she pulled out a chair for Victor Wang and brought him a cup of tea. Klee also dragged over a chair, sat across from him, and locked eyes with him, blinking curiously.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Klee asked, "Mr. Victor, do you and Klee have some kind of grudge?"
Victor Wang laughed. "It's all a big misunderstanding. I was just helping someone out—putting on a little show."
Klee: "Hmph!"
"How about this, Klee—I'll take you to make bombs, have a full fish feast, and watch the circus. Then we'll call it even, alright?"
"Hmph! I've already had enough fish. I've made my new bomb. And I'm tired of the circus. I just want to go drawing with Big Brother Albedo now."
That won't do. I need your Big Brother Albedotoo.
"By the way, are you asking Albedo for something alchemy-related? I'm Sucrose, his assistant. If it's about alchemy, I might be able to help." Sucrose tried to ease the tense atmosphere between the two.
Victor Wang described his request in detail, and after listening, Sucrose touched her ear a bit bashfully.
"If anyone in Mondstadt could make something like that, it'd be Albedo."
At that, Klee grinned. She didn't understand what the bad guy wanted, but it had to involve her Big Brother Albedo.
"I already made a promise with Big Brother Albedo—to go drawing this afternoon! And tomorrow! And the day after! And forever and ever!"
"Wait—wasn't it just for this afternoon?" Sucrose exclaimed. She still had alchemy lessons with Albedo!
Klee hopped off the stool, ran over, and whispered into Sucrose's ear, "Sister Sucrose, I'm tricking the bad guy."
Unfortunately, Victor Wang heard it clearly.
Her fluffy, unidentifiable ears quivered from Klee's breath. The other ear twitched involuntarily, and Sucrose's cheeks visibly flushed red.
She exchanged an embarrassed glance with Victor Wang. "Klee, that's not a nice thing to do…"
"It's alright. That incident really was my fault."
Victor Wang turned serious and said to Klee, "Klee, aside from drawing with Albedo, is there anything else you want or would like to do? I'll help you make it happen—then we can put everything behind us. How's that sound?"
"Hmph. Can you bring my mommy back?"
Victor Wang's mind flashed. "How about I tell you a fairy tale? The main character's name is also Alice."
"You think your fairy tale can be better than 'Tales from the Box'?" Klee crossed her arms, one eye open, the other squinting skeptically.
"Maybe. If you don't like it, you don't have to forgive me. How about that?"
Klee tilted her head, considered, then said, "Fine. I guess I'll reluctantly listen."
Victor Wang silently paid his respects to Hans Christian Andersen, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and Lewis Carroll. Though their works were long past copyright expiration, and though he was now in another world, it still felt right to honor them before "borrowing" their ideas.
He began narrating Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from memory:
"The story's main character is a little girl—only seven years old. Her name is also Alice. She has adorable elf-like ears and long, golden hair. Wearing a red-and-white dress, she chases after a talking white rabbit with a pocket watch… and so begins her tale."
"A talking rabbit?"
"Yes, a rabbit that can talk."
...
As Victor Wang spoke, Klee gradually became captivated by the fairy tale—even Sucrose listened intently.
At some point, Albedo had appeared, standing silently at the top of the stairs. When Victor Wang paused briefly, both Klee and Sucrose noticed him.
"A very interesting Mad Tea Party. Please, go on." Albedo descended the stairs with one hand on the railing, poured himself a cup of tea, and joined the audience.
By the time the story was over, nearly an hour had passed since Victor Wang's arrival.
Klee finally began firing off her questions. "What's a dodo?"
"It's a bird shaped like a duck, but much larger. Its beak is curved like a hook."
"What about the Queen of Hearts?"
"She's a playing card with eyes, a nose, and a mouth. You can imagine her however you like."
"Are there really talking animals and food that makes you grow or shrink?" As Klee asked, Sucrose's eyes sparkled with curiosity as well.
Victor Wang had no choice but to answer truthfully. "I don't think so."
"Why haven't I ever heard such a magical story before?" Klee tilted her head, confused.
"Because I haven't published this book yet."
"?" Klee and Sucrose were both stunned.
Only Albedo seemed unsurprised. Resting his chin on one hand, he asked, "And what's the title?"
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
"Wonderland…" Sucrose whispered.
So, this is someone else's wonderland… It's different from mine, but still… a valuable reference.
Albedo asked again, "You're not… Dust, are you?"
"Mm-hmm."