With the formal trade agreement successfully outlined, a sense of accomplishment settled over the Liyue delegation. Jean, looking relieved to have concluded the diplomatic necessities, turned to them with a weary but sincere smile. "While the final documents are being prepared, please, feel free to experience our city. It is the least we can offer for your troubles."
Keqing, ever the pragmatist, was ready to return to the inn and review the mission's progress. But Ren, his eyes sparkling with an irrepressible curiosity, had other plans.
"Can we, please?" he asked, looking up at Ganyu and Keqing, his expression a potent mixture of hope and adorable pleading. "I've heard so much about Mondstadt. I'd love to see it before we go."
Ganyu, as always, melted instantly. Keqing, seeing the genuine, childish excitement in his eyes, found her usual all-business resolve softening. A short tour would be an acceptable use of their time.
And so, the trio of Liyue's powerful women and their precious charge began a leisurely stroll through the city of freedom. For Ren, it was like walking through a half-forgotten dream. Every corner, every landmark was a jolt of fond recognition.
He saw the towering statue of the Anemo Archon in the main plaza, its arms outstretched in a gesture of gentle, welcoming freedom. He pointed out the Good Hunter food stall, the rich, savory aroma of sticky honey roast hanging in the air.
As they passed the crafting station, he saw a shy, green-haired girl with thick spectacles, her ears twitching with concentration as she carefully adjusted a piece of alchemical equipment. "That's Sucrose," he whispered to Ganyu, who simply nodded, amazed at his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of a city he'd never visited.
Near the main gates, a cheerful, energetic girl with a big red bow in her hair was giving a worried citizen directions, her movements full of a boundless, puppy-like enthusiasm. "That's Amber, the Outrider," he murmured, a fond smile on his face. He saw them all, these characters he had known and fought alongside for countless hours, now living, breathing people, busy with the small, important tasks of their daily lives.
Keqing and Ganyu followed his lead, letting him guide their tour. They were a strange, eye-catching sight: two of Liyue's most powerful figures, one stern and elegant, the other gentle and divine, being led through a foreign city by a small, impossibly cute child who seemed to know it like the back of his hand.
They were just about to turn back towards their inn, the sun beginning to dip towards the horizon, when their peaceful tour was abruptly, and loudly, interrupted.
KA-BOOM!
A small but surprisingly forceful explosion erupted from a thicket of bushes near the city walls, accompanied by a shower of dirt, leaves, and a puff of black, acrid smoke.
Ganyu and Keqing reacted instantly. Ganyu pulled Ren behind her, a shield of shimmering Cryo energy already forming at her fingertips. Keqing's hand flew to her sword, her body tensing, her eyes scanning for a threat.
A moment later, a small figure tumbled out of the smoking bushes, rolling head over heels before landing in a heap on the grass. The figure was a tiny girl, no older than Ren, dressed in a bright red coat and a large, floppy hat with a clover pinned to it. A heavy, leather-bound backpack was strapped to her small frame.
She sat up, shaking her head as if to clear it, a smudge of soot on her cheek. She looked at the small, smoking crater she had just created, then at the three startled visitors from Liyue, and her large, innocent, crimson-red eyes went wide with panic.
"Oh no!" she cried, her voice a high-pitched squeak of pure, unadulterated distress. She scrambled to her feet and began bowing repeatedly, a frantic, apologetic blur of red.
"I'm so, so, so sorry!" she stammered, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean to! Dodoco just wanted to see the bouncy mushrooms, but I think I put too much boom-boom powder in this one! I'm sorry! Please don't tell Master Jean! I'll be in solitary confinement for a whole week!"
Ren stared, his protective guardians forgotten. He knew exactly who this was. The red coat, the bombs, the boundless, chaotic energy, and the sheer, overwhelming, accidental adorableness. This was Klee, the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius.
Before the stern Keqing or the worried Ganyu could react, Ren stepped out from behind his sister's protective shield. He wasn't scared; he was utterly charmed.
He walked over to the frantic, apologizing girl and gave her a gentle, reassuring smile. "It's okay," he said, his voice soft and calm. "No one got hurt. That's the most important thing, right?"
Klee stopped her frantic bowing, her big, red eyes, still shimmering with unshed tears, looking up at him in surprise. She had expected shouting, anger, a swift march to the Acting Grand Master's office. She had not expected… kindness.
"R-really?" she sniffled.
"Really," Ren confirmed. He looked at the smoking hole in the ground, then back at her, a mischievous, understanding twinkle in his own glowing azure eyes. "But maybe," he suggested in a conspiratorial whisper, "we should try to find a place for the bouncy mushrooms that's a little further away from the main road next time."
Klee's worried expression slowly melted away, replaced by a watery, grateful smile. This boy… this strange, pretty boy from Liyue… he wasn't mad at her. He understood.
In that moment, an unlikely, and potentially explosive, friendship was born between Liyue's quiet little genius and Mondstadt's most beloved, and most feared, little demolition expert.