"Clorinde just mentioned Charlotte. Do you know why Charlotte wants my story?"
This question left everyone puzzled. What else could Charlotte, a journalist, be good at besides interviews and photography?
But Hu Tao knew that Lucian was just as bad as Cyno—he probably wasn't up to any good.
Sure enough, when no one answered, Lucian revealed the answer.
"You want my story? Better focus—this tale's got a lot of shutter-ing twists!"
"Bravo!" Albedo clapped.
"Brilliant!" Cyno clapped.
"Charlotte would be mad if she heard this, wouldn't she?" Furina sighed.
"I heard that!" Charlotte, who had been standing nearby unnoticed, chimed in. "If Shikikan agrees to an interview with me, I won't be angry."
Of course, she'd come to gather material for such a grand event—she'd just been busy taking photos and hadn't chatted with her acquaintances yet.
Before Lucian could think of an excuse, Beidou announced the start of the competition.
This martial arts tournament was far more grandiose than the one in the story. Fortunately, Beidou and the others had prepared in advance—the venue was large, with multiple arenas allowing simultaneous matches.
Lucian was among the first round of participants, giving him a perfect excuse to flee.
However, as a mage who couldn't use elemental energy, he never expected to win. He simply thought it'd be a shame not to participate in such an event.
Cyno was also in the arena, facing off against a Liyue swordsman.
On another stage, the competitor was Rocky Avildsen—a name that might not ring a bell, but he was Fontaine's Local Legend, the "Fist King"!
He shouldn't be called Avildsen—he should be called Escanor! He was the sun!
(This old bastard was the first Local Legend I encountered. He shattered my Zhongli's shield in two or three punches! He even has Flying Thunder God!)
His opponent was a Fatui member who had come with Childe.
The Fatui member was quite pleased—his opponent looked like a gentleman, not someone skilled in combat.
"You should surrender now. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back," the Fatui advised.
Avildsen said nothing. He had devoted everything to the duelist's arena, only to be swindled out of it all by his butler. Now, he spent his life helping others.
Joining this martial arts tournament was just a way to prove his worth and reclaim some of his former passion.
"Not surrendering? Don't expect mercy." The Fatui tightened his grip on his great hammer.
"This strike will send you flying!"
The other arenas were intense, with both sides fully focused—except for Lucian's match, which stood out.
"Big brother, are you going to keep playing with Klee~?" Klee cheered.
"...Referee!!!!" Lucian shouted.
"She's clearly underage! How is she allowed to compete!?" He pointed accusingly.
The referee answered solemnly, "This young contestant is an official knight of the Knights of Favonius and meets the registration requirements."
Lucian was speechless. Knowing Mondstadt, they'd probably hand out titles for the most trivial reasons.
Jean likely never expected Kaeya would actually let Klee sign up.
In truth, Kaeya had told Klee to forfeit immediately—no injuries, no hurting others.
He'd never let Klee actually fight. What if she got hurt? Or worse, what if someone else got hurt?
Though elemental energy was banned, Klee's "toys" counted as inventions… a loophole, really.
Lucian glanced at the neighboring matches—those were real battles.
The Liyue swordsman facing Cyno was no pushover, holding his own against the General Mahamatra without elemental energy.
Clorinde was matched against Xingqiu—both were swift swordsmen, putting on an impressive show, though Clorinde still had the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Lucian's match only had a few familiar faces watching.
"Go~, big brother who predicts the future! Don't lose to a kid!" Lumine teased, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
She hadn't been drawn for the first round, so she was free to spectate.
"Go on, win and I'll treat you to drinks," Venti added, his ears adorned with an Akasha Terminal—little Nahida was inside.
"Hm? 'Big brother who predicts the future'?" Eula caught the key phrase. So this was the prophet who told awful jokes?
She'd imagined someone with a long beard, someone who looked wise.
Lucian sighed. Why did these two assume he'd lose?
Well, guess what? They were right! He was absolutely doomed!
"Ahem, little Klee, how about we compare… explosions instead?" Lucian suggested.
"Yay! Klee likes that!" Klee agreed.
Lucian pulled out a big treasure and set it on the ground. With a whoosh, countless fireworks burst into the sky.
Klee, not to be outdone, tossed a Jumpy Dumpty into the air, setting off her own explosions.
The rules banned elemental energy, but their "toys" didn't count—no violations here.
While other arenas were locked in fierce combat, these two turned the sky into a fireworks display.
If you looked closely, you'd spot a Fatui member soaring through the air—no one knew why.
Cloud Retainer nodded in approval. Truly, her Automatic Fireworks Dispenser was a masterpiece.
"This mechanism… is quite intriguing," Faruzan mused.
"Oh? You're interested in my… ahem, my invention? Are you well-versed in machinery?" Cloud Retainer asked.
"I know a thing or two," Faruzan replied.
Soon, Guizhong joined their conversation, and the three began discussing mechanics.
As for the match's outcome—no surprise—Lucian forfeited, making Klee the second contestant to advance.
Cloud Retainer was not pleased. Hugging her Automatic Fireworks Dispenser, she huddled with Faruzan and Guizhong to tweak the settings.
The tournament proceeded smoothly—Cyno, Clorinde, Tartaglia, and the Traveler all advanced.
But one by one, they fell on the road to the championship. The final match? Klee vs. Jiangxue.
"Fighting a little girl? Seriously?" Jiangxue was dumbfounded.
He'd had thrilling matches all the way, especially against Avildsen—a rare, satisfying duel.
But now he had to face a child? How was he supposed to fight her?
Klee, true to her four-leaf clover constellation, was ridiculously lucky. After facing Lucian, her next opponent was Eula—no contest, Klee advanced.
Then she faced Tartaglia. Even Childe refused to fight a little girl and surrendered—he'd already had his fill of battles against Fontaine's Local Legend and a Liyue swordsman.
Next, Klee was matched against the Traveler. Lumine had no choice but to forfeit.
Honestly, Lumine was lucky too—her opponents hadn't been strong. But no luck could surpass a four-leaf clover's.
Klee made it to the finals without throwing a single punch.
And of course, Jiangxue couldn't bring himself to fight a child either—he surrendered.
The ultimate victor of this martial arts tournament was a little girl, leaving all the seasoned warriors both amused and exasperated.
But no one complained—this wasn't a battle for the title of "strongest under the heavens."
Due to the event's scale, the prize had changed too—it was no longer Kazuha's Vision.
This time, the sponsor was Ningguang. As she put it: We must not let Liyue's prestige falter.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Faruzan: About Cloud Retainer & Guizhong
"Those two are quite knowledgeable about machinery as well. I feel they might even surpass me in that field. To be outdone by one's juniors—truly, they are rare geniuses."