In the Whispering Woods, closest to Starfell Lake.
Dense tree canopies blocked the sunlight, and dappled light and shadow danced in the wind through the trees.
Klee skipped ahead, her small figure darting between bushes and trees, appearing exceptionally excited.
Lin Mo, on the other hand, yawned, feeling a bit tired.
He needed a good sleep after returning to Mondstadt.
"Brother Lin Mo, a little faster! It's just up ahead!"
Klee turned around, smiling and waving at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo nodded and quickened his pace.
Soon, he passed a few clumps of bushes and finally saw Klee stop in an open space.
This clearing looked unremarkable, overgrown with weeds, even faintly exuding a desolate aura, but Klee enthusiastically pulled out the small shovel she carried with her.
"Klee, what are you doing?"
Lin Mo's expression was strange.
"Digging for treasure!"
Klee brandished her small shovel, skillfully digging into the ground, humming a cheerful tune.
Before long, the soft earth was dug open, revealing a small wooden box.
The surface of the wooden box was covered in dirt, appearing to have been buried there for some time.
Klee dropped her shovel, carefully lifted the wooden box out of the pit, a satisfied smile on her face, "Good, good! Klee's treasure bombs are still here!"
"Last time I came here, there were too many bombs to carry, so Klee hid them here!"
"Treasure bombs?"
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, and when the wooden box was opened, sure enough, several red bombs were neatly arranged inside.
The casing of each bomb was polished to a shine, and Klee had even specially drawn smiling faces on them, looking very "Klee-style."
Klee squinted, gently shook the box she was holding, and said contentedly, "Hehe, they're all still here!"
"Klee ran out of bombs at Starfell Lake, these bombs will replenish my supply!"
"Good thing Klee is smart and buried some in advance."
Lin Mo: "..."
Lin Mo watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Others bury treasure, this little one buries bombs?
And these really were her "treasures."
Seeing Klee's smug expression, as if she had found a vault of gold.
Lin Mo suddenly thought that when Klee was in the city, her bombs must have been regulated.
While Lin Mo was thinking this, Klee had already taken the bombs from the wooden box and casually tossed them into her backpack.
The already bulging backpack effortlessly accommodated all these bombs, not even filling up all the space.
"Hmm?"
Noticing this, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
Klee's backpack contained quite a lot of things.
She had carried a lot of fish when she was fishing with bombs at Starfell Lake, and now it could still hold so many bombs.
This backpack was a storage bag.
"Hehe."
Noticing Lin Mo's gaze, Klee chuckled and said, "Brother Lin Mo, Klee's backpack was specially customized by Brother Albedo; it can hold so, so many things!"
"Hmm."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow at Klee's words.
That's right.
How much Albedo doted on Klee.
For an Alchemist, creating a spatial backpack capable of storing items was not a difficult task.
However, seeing Klee's bulging backpack, Lin Mo fell into a brief silence.
A little girl carrying a full bag of bombs with her, was that really okay?
Especially since these bombs would soon have the Power of the Path added to them by him.
"Alright."
The next second, Klee clapped her hands and stood up, excitedly saying, "Things are packed! Brother Lin Mo, let's go back to fishing with bombs."
Lin Mo: "..."
"Are you still planning to return to Starfell Lake?"
Hearing Klee's words, Lin Mo looked at the sky; it was already afternoon.
If they returned to Starfell Lake again, by the time they got back to Mondstadt at night, it would probably be deep in the night, and they would have to sleep outdoors.
And the outdoors was undoubtedly dangerous.
He also needed to return to the Adventurers' Guild in Mondstadt to hand in his quest.
"Oh, right."
Hearing Lin Mo's words, Klee scratched her head: "Klee completely forgot about the time."
If they returned to Starfell Lake to fish with bombs now, there definitely wouldn't be enough time.
For a moment, Klee felt greatly regretful.
"Let's go, back to Mondstadt."
Lin Mo shook his head and said, "I still need to go back to the Adventurers' Guild to hand in a quest."
"Okay."
Hearing Lin Mo's words, Klee scratched her head: "Then let's play together again tomorrow!"
With that, the two left the Whispering Woods and set off towards Mondstadt.
The forest wind gently brushed past, carrying the scent of grass and trees, accompanied by Klee's clear laughter echoing through the woods.
Gradually, the shadows of the Whispering Woods were left behind.
The view ahead opened up, and the azure Cider Lake came into their sight.
The surface of Cider Lake sparkled, clear to the bottom.
Occasionally, a few water birds played by the lake, like a tranquil and peaceful painting.
"Cider Lake!"
As soon as Klee saw the lake water, she excitedly jumped up.
She then let go of Lin Mo's hand and skipped towards the lake shore.
Klee ran to the lake, excitedly reaching into her backpack to pull out a bomb.
It was a red, Klee-customized bomb, with a cute smiling face drawn on its casing, exactly like the bombs she dug up in the Whispering Woods.
"Big Brother Lin Mo!"
Klee turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "The lake here is so big! Shall we try fishing with bombs?"
With that, Klee impatiently tossed the bomb high towards the center of the lake.
"Let's try this bomb and see how many fish it can catch!"
"Boom—!!!!"
Before Klee could finish her sentence, the moment the bomb hit the lake, the entire Cider Lake seemed to be torn apart.
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted, the jarring shockwave making even the air tremble, and a massive column of water shot up from the lake, straight into the sky!
The lake water, violently impacted by the explosion, scattered everywhere, carrying countless fish and gravel, splashing onto the surrounding grass and into the woods.
Even the distant bridge faintly trembled.
Lin Mo: "..."
Looking at the Cider Lake, which had churned up astonishing waves, Lin Mo immediately fell into deep thought.
He knew that Cider Lake was a natural freshwater lake surrounding Mondstadt, an important symbol of Mondstadt.
Its vast surface and shimmering ripples had remained unchanged for thousands of years, with crystal-clear water and a crisp, sweet taste.
It was this water source that gave Mondstadt's fine wines their renown, and also made Cider Lake one of Mondstadt's important symbols.
Klee, even throws bombs in Cider Lake?
And Klee, looking at the scene before her, was beaming with joy.
Then, without another word, she threw another bomb.
Thinking that Big Brother Lin Mo had added special things to all her bombs, Klee was very energetic.
"Boom!"
Another earth-shattering roar sounded.
Klee was about to continue throwing, when she suddenly remembered something, her expression changed, and she slapped her head, her small face scrunching up: "Ah, bad..."
"This bomb is different from the old ones, Cider Lake is so close, Mondstadt will definitely hear the explosion!"
"Will the Knights of Favonius think there's a monster attack?"
Lin Mo: "..."
Just as Klee finished speaking, a series of urgent horn blasts came from the direction of Mondstadt in the distance.
Indeed, the explosion at Cider Lake had already attracted the attention of the Knights of Favonius.
From the city walls, Knights could be seen quickly gathering, nervously looking outwards.
And the citizens around Mondstadt were also panicked by the sudden commotion, discussing what had happened.
"Where did that explosion come from?"
"It seems to be from outside the city."
"Could it be another monster attacking the city?"
...One person after another exclaimed in surprise, and on the city walls of Mondstadt.
The Knights of Favonius stationed there changed their expressions dramatically in response to the sudden commotion.
How could such a powerful sound suddenly erupt outside Mondstadt?
"Go check it out quickly."
"I'll go report to Acting Grand Master Jean right now."
"There might be monsters attacking."
...The Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt quickly assembled and made arrangements.
At the same time, a patrol captain of the Knights of Favonius had already rushed towards the Knights of Favonius headquarters to find Acting Grand Master Jean.