Leisurely sunlight fell gently; the breeze carried the scent of snapdragons.
Little Klee kept tossing small bombs into the lake, raising sheets of white spray and sending fish and crabs scurrying into the distant weeds.
"Sister Diona, your face is so red—like the apples on the tree."
Klee looked curiously at Diona coming her way, amber eyes wide.
Feeling the clinginess of her clothes and walking a bit unnaturally, Diona dodged the gaze and muttered, "Hmph! It was just too hot… Come on, Klee, let's go pick some apples and mushrooms. We're having a picnic here at noon."
"Yay, Klee loves picnics!" Simple-minded Klee didn't think much of it. Her little face glowed with expectation as she bounced after Diona into the nearby woods.
In the trees nearby, there were not only mushrooms and apples, but also many bird eggs.
The two little ones skipped about gathering, quite excited.
But Diona still felt sticky and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, she hadn't brought a change of clothes, so she had to grit her teeth and bear it.
Ken, meanwhile, pulled a grill and field pots and pans from his system space.
If you're going to cook outdoors, you need the tools.
After quickly setting up the camp, Ken went to the opposite side of Starfell Lake.
The fish Klee had scared off were now darting in the weeds over here.
He even saw a few river crabs crawling onto the bank.
"Not bad ingredients."
He tossed the crabs into a basket, then let threads of violet lightning dance at his fingertips. The sparks were faint, like static, wrapping his fingers.
Zzzzz…
Controlling the power of Electro, Ken dipped his fingers into the water.
Purple arcs spread across the surface; a few plump fish that had been lively moments before were stunned by the current and floated up.
"Electro-fishing really is fun."
No wonder so many people on Blue Star like electro-fishing—this really does feel great, even if his method is… unconventional.
He netted the stunned fish, deftly cleaned and gutted them, and set them aside in the basket.
…
Before long, Diona and Klee returned with full baskets—bright red apples, fresh, plump mushrooms, and a dozen-odd bird eggs.
"Wow… so many fish! It's Klee's favorite—Klee can feast at noon!"
Seeing the prepped ingredients, Klee's big eyes sparkled. "Klee will go gather some lotus heads—lotus soup is super yummy!"
Not a fan of crabs, Klee ignored them and ran off for lotuses.
In a blink, only Ken and Diona were left at the camp.
The embarrassing scene from before flashed through Diona's mind again. Hugging her knees, she sat down, jewel-like eyes fixed on her toes for a long time before blurting, "Don't you dare tell anyone what happened just now!"
Thinking back to that strange reaction, Diona felt mortified.
That did not fit her usual style at all.
"Mm? Did something happen?" Ken glanced at the rock she'd been sitting on and teased, "Didn't you kindly give it a rinse?"
"You…" Diona fumed, cheeks burning.
"All right, just teasing. It wasn't your fault." Ken eased off with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Besides, you were very cute just now—like a little kitty."
"I am not a kitty!" Looking at Ken's handsome face, Diona's teeth itched.
After grinding them for a while, she suddenly smiled. "Come by the Cat's Tail when we get back, okay? You haven't been to my workplace. I'll treat you to something tasty."
"Sure." Ken didn't refuse.
He saw the sly glint in her eyes, but no matter how much she schemed, she couldn't truly brew something undrinkable—so he wasn't worried about tricks.
Leisurely time flew by. When Klee finished gathering lotuses, it was already midday.
Under the expectant, curious gazes of the two little ones, Ken stuffed apples, onions, and ginger into the marinated black-back bass, wrapped it in foil, and set it to grill.
As for the plump crabs, he turned them into Golden Crab.
These weren't beach-harvested giant golden crabs, just ordinary river crabs, but the pristine water made them especially fat.
With the bird eggs Diona brought, they were perfect for Golden Crab.
"Wow… smells amazing."
As the sun tilted, fragrance wafted from the foil.
Klee, who loves fish most, swallowed unconsciously, itching to tear the foil open now.
"Just a bit longer."
Ken lifted an edge of the foil to check. The skin had charred; a little more would improve the texture.
The Golden Crab, battered in flour and egg, came out quickly.
"I'm digging in!"
Diona couldn't wait—she grabbed the hot crab, hissed at the heat, and little shards of ice formed over her fingertips.
Golden roe mingled with savory flavors in her mouth.
The catgirl squinted in bliss and let out a satisfied sound. "Mmm… so good. Eating something this delicious gives me more inspiration for mixing—seems I can already see the dawn of destroying Mondstadt's wine industry!"
Klee asked curiously, "Destroy Mondstadt's wine industry? Sister Diona, that's a fun idea. Need Klee's help? Klee has lots of Jumpy Dumpties."
"No need. As much as I want to destroy Mondstadt's wine trade, I'll do it fair and square." Diona puffed out her chest, chewing crab.
Though the catnip incident had sparked some mischievous ideas about Ken, she couldn't deny he was a responsible dad.
Not only patient with Klee, but a great cook.
Even if some of his behavior was a little weird, Diona—already grown—didn't dislike him.
Especially watching Ken unwrap the foil, then wrap a napkin around the skewer before carefully handing the grilled fish to Klee—that gentleness made her envious.
"Daddy's grilled fish is so good—it's the best Klee's ever had."
Klee bit into the fish at once; the tender meat mingled with marinade and a hint of apple—wonderful flavor.
Catching Diona's gaze, Klee belatedly asked, "Oh! Then why does Sister Diona want to destroy Mondstadt's wine industry? Lots of people like drinking!"
Even Barbatos, the god Mondstadt worships—that busker big brother—likes to drink.
"Because wine is not a good thing. It seduces the heart and makes people stupid!"
Diona's round face flushed with anger and resolve.
She would never forget her father when he was drunk.
Once a model for many, calm and wise, her father became like a boar wallowing in mud after gorging—when he drank too much.
"My father was ruined by alcohol. When he's sober, he's Springvale's best hunter, the unquestioned head of hunters, a role model."
As she spoke, light blazed again in Diona's eyes.
Destroying Mondstadt's wine trade was her life's wish.
"Oh…" Klee blinked, half-understanding. "I guess wine really isn't good, then. Next time I'll tell the busker big brother to drink less."
"That bard? Another boozehound. Good thing he doesn't like coming to the Cat's Tail—otherwise I'd make him quit on the spot." Diona declared, full of fighting spirit.
On that note, she turned to Ken. "Hehe… I'm starting on my new brew as soon as we get back. Since the idea came from you, you have to come witness it."
"Okay," Ken smiled. He actually hadn't been to the Cat's Tail yet.
As for Diona's grand ambition—she probably wouldn't achieve it in this lifetime.
The little catgirl had flipped the concepts of alcohol and drinkers.
No matter how exquisite the wine, if you don't choose to drink it, it won't crawl into your stomach.
The root of the issue still lay with her father, Draff.
Ken remembered that excellent hunter from doing quests. But drinking and alcoholism aren't the same—Draff merely liked to drink.
Still, Diona's views were already set. Ken said no more.
A headstrong catgirl is pretty cute too.
…
Goth Grand Hotel.
Compared to the cheerful lakeside, the atmosphere here was heavy.
Anastasia knelt on one knee, head bowed, reporting the intel she had gathered.
"You're saying Ken took the Knights' Spark Knight and the Cat's Tail's catgirl to picnic outside the city?"
A cold voice from above—Signora.
Since striking a deal with Ken, Signora had had him watched. She knew he wouldn't break the agreement, yet couldn't feel at ease.
She'd assumed he would practice diligently for the duel. Instead, he acted like nothing was happening, taking a catgirl and a brat to picnic.
A sense of being underestimated kindled in her chest.
Anastasia kept her head low. "Yes… We avoided tailing him directly, lest he discover us. We disguised ourselves as residents, asked around at the Cat's Tail, and confirmed with the Mondstadt Specialty Shop. The info is solid."
"Milady, you said at the Specialty Shop last time that he's not to be underestimated. Then for this duel…"
Anastasia couldn't sense any elemental aura from Ken; for that reason she didn't dare tail him.
She could only gather news from around him.
Fortunately, none of this was secret—it was easy to verify.
"Hmph." Signora snorted, undisguised contempt in her tone. "Last time I didn't use my full strength. He's unfathomable, yes, but I'm not weak either. If he wins this duel, he'll truly qualify to be a Fatui Harbinger. So the duel must proceed."
"And I also want to see whether this man with Great Prophecy, even able to traverse worlds freely, is actually a fraud manufactured by Mondstadt. Great Prophecy… heh, let's hope it's real."
Her initial fear of Ken's Great Prophecy had gradually turned to doubt.
Because Ken wasn't what she had imagined.
Most of the time he wasn't even in Mondstadt. He hadn't shown off in public; the Knights didn't rely on him. He seemed dispensable.
Even the specialty shop's unusual wares didn't prove anything.
That raised many suspicions in Signora's mind.
But Her Majesty's will had been given, so she had to verify Ken's true strength—see whether he was truly formidable or just a smokescreen charlatan conjured by the Knights.
"But…" Anastasia hesitated, far less optimistic than Signora.
On this mission to Mondstadt, she was the one in contact with the Knights. From her analysis, the Knights wouldn't deliberately create a god to achieve their ends. Signora was being both suspicious and overconfident regarding Ken.
"What? Anastasia, do you look down on my strength—or the divine boon Her Majesty has granted me? Hm?!"
The cold voice flared with anger; ice and snow swept out again.
The hotel manager felt the chill; his face went ugly.
These uncouth Fatui were abusing elemental power again. If they weren't an envoy—and if he could beat them—he'd have thrown them out.
"Come on, Goth Grand Hotel!"
Taunting voices came from the entrance, making the manager's face even darker.
Luckily, the frost didn't last long this time; the damage was limited.
When Anastasia came out, the manager immediately handed her a ledger. "Here is the list of damages this time."
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Anastasia's face showed anger.
"The Knights have paid for your rooms, but the damages are your personal actions, unrelated to state affairs—so you'll cover them personally."
The manager had long been simmering.
These Fatui did nothing but strut around all day, even bringing a walking ice block who froze people at the slightest disagreement.
He sounded bold, but this was Mondstadt's turf; he didn't intend to keep swallowing it.
Do what you want—this is our Mondstadt.
Want to throw your weight around? Go back to Snezhnaya!
"In future, don't bother me with such trifles. Talk to my subordinates; they'll settle it."
Anastasia swallowed her anger.
Signora's temper was truly awful.
If only she could go to Liyue with the Young Lord; maybe she wouldn't suffer like this.
And that mysterious Ken…
Whether you're strong or not, the duel is at hand. Can't you at least respect your opponent a little?
Going on a picnic… and getting me blamed by Signora.
Anastasia wished she could stab Ken twice.
Are you really that lecherous? You won't even spare a catgirl!
Where's your masterly dignity?!
…
<><><>>><><><><><><><>
Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
<><><><><>><>>><><><><>
Keep the Chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
Every 200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!