Speaking of this, Fischl glanced at Kael, coughed lightly, and looked away slightly. "However, as the fated kin of this Prinzessin, since Kael has been summoned, I naturally must accompany him!"
Kael: "..."
Kaeya: "..."
Kaeya stared at Fischl for a while.
Then he chuckled, his eyes teasing. "Of course, no problem, Miss Fischl—let's go together."
Just like that, Kael and Fischl, who originally planned to spend a leisurely afternoon, were both led by Kaeya toward the Mondstadt Cathedral.
The afternoon sun gradually softened, reflecting on the red brick roofs of Mondstadt City.
The breeze blew gently through the streets, rolling up a few fallen golden maple leaves behind the three.
Soon.
Led by Kaeya, Kael and Fischl stepped into the cathedral.
As soon as they entered the hall, they saw two figures standing not far away.
It was Jean and Barbara.
Acting Grand Master Jean stood straight as always.
Her posture was tall and straight, her golden long hair glowing softly in the afternoon sun.
Her expression was calm, but her azure eyes revealed a trace of worry, seemingly anxious about the Traveler's condition.
And the girl standing beside her was a soft radiance.
Kael recognized her at a glance—Barbara.
The Deaconess of the Knights of Favonius Church.
Also the most popular idol in Mondstadt.
A pure white church outfit inlaid with gorgeous golden patterns, revealing slender white legs under the skirt, wearing elegant high heels.
Her hair color was like the morning sun, pale golden curly hair tied neatly into twin tails. Paired with the nun hat on her head, she looked even more cute and holy.
Her skin was crystal clear like snowflakes. Her azure pupils seemed to reflect the clear sky, clear and pure, with a trace of innocent agility.
When Barbara saw Kael and Fischl enter the cathedral, the girl's eyes widened slightly.
Then she walked toward them with a smile.
"Mr. Kael, Miss Fischl, welcome."
Barbara lifted her skirt gently, bowed slightly, and performed an elegant curtsy, her voice soft and warm. "Nice to meet you."
"Mr. Kael."
Seeing the two arrive, Jean breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she looked at Kael, her face still serious. "Sorry to trouble you to come."
She paused, the fatigue on her face undisguised, and continued, "Something went wrong with the Traveler. She hasn't woken up yet... And the situation is a bit special."
"Special?"
Kael raised an eyebrow.
It shouldn't be.
According to what I know, Lumine was just knocked out.
This should be easy to treat.
Jean nodded and gestured sideways to Barbara beside her. "Let me introduce you first. This is the specialist responsible for recovering the Holy Lyre for the Church, and also the Deaconess of the Mondstadt Cathedral, Barbara."
"Ah..."
Barbara nodded gently, a warm and quiet smile on her face.
Her clear blue eyes carried a trace of gratitude. "Mr. Kael, I have learned from Grand Master Jean that the disaster of Stormterror has subsided, and you have contributed to this."
The girl slowly stretched out her hands, overlapping them on her chest.
Lowering her head slightly, her voice was sincere and gentle: "Here, on behalf of the Church of Favonius, I thank you for your contribution to Mondstadt."
"If not for your help, it's hard for us to imagine that the Stormterror crisis could be solved so peacefully."
Barbara looked up, her tone carrying a bit of lingering fear. "If military force was really mobilized to fight Stormterror at that time... the consequences would be unimaginable."
Her blue eyes trembled slightly, obviously thinking of the worst possibility.
If war broke out, not only would Stormterror be severely injured, but the people of Mondstadt, and even the entire city, would be involved.
As Barbara said this and bowed to thank Kael...
In front of Kael, lines of panel text suddenly appeared.
[With the farce settled, although you did not witness Bronya succeed as the new Supreme Guardian, you also learned that to maintain people's confidence in the title of "Supreme Guardian," Bronya decided to hide the truth of Cocolia's death, lying to the public that "Cocolia sacrificed herself to seal the Stellaron."]
[Bronya will lead the entire Belobog forward and toward rejuvenation. Seele is also willing to assist her as her sharp blade. Pela will also stay in Qlipoth Fort to assist...]
[Pela has learned from Bronya about your contribution in this matter, successfully assisting the Trailblazer to seal the Stellaron, and is very grateful to you.]
[Facing Pela's gratitude, you choose to reach a... with Pela...]
[ OPTION 1: LOVER RELATIONSHIP ]
Since Pela is grateful to you, why not go with the flow and establish a secret "Lover Relationship"? On the surface, you are just ordinary partners, but in private... maybe deeper bonds can develop?
Reward: [Horn of the Deep Cold Prowler] (A trophy from a Silvermane Guard competition. Minister Pova, this is not a Snow Deer antler, and it doesn't fit above the Geomarrow fireplace.)
[ OPTION 2: SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIP ]
Using the truth about Cocolia as leverage, demand Pela become your intelligence agent, providing you with important intelligence support in Belobog, while maintaining Bronya's political stability.
Reward: [Tales of the Winterlands] (A set of fantasy novels highly popular among the people, seems to have been banned in Belobog.)
[ OPTION 3: NODDING ACQUAINTANCE ]
Calmly accept Pela's gratitude, ask for no return, maintain this connection purely as a friend and ally, respect each other, and protect Belobog's future together.
Reward: Pela's Path Branch Skill — [Frostshot].
Effect: Deals Ice DMG equal to 50% of ATK to a single enemy.
"F*ck."
Looking at the options that appeared, ten thousand horses galloped in Kael's heart.
What the hell is a Lover Relationship?
Looking at the Lover Relationship option, Kael looked at the grateful gaze of Barbara bowing.
Kael fell silent.
Although he was a little tempted, could this thing really be achieved?
And this really took time.
The second option could be skipped directly.
Because the reward for the second option wasn't generous. Fantasy novels were meaningless. What was the point of her becoming his intelligence agent?
He naturally knew Pela.
The meticulous Intelligence Officer of the Silvermane Guards. Young but brilliant.
Whether it was troop deployment, material distribution, or terrain conditions, Pela could answer calmly and immediately without error.
The so-called subordinate relationship was impossible.
As for the third option, Nodding Acquaintance, it was even better.
Agreeing directly would get a Path Skill.
He had experienced the power of Path Skills.
Not to mention, it was [Frostshot], an active attack method with an element.
And it could be obtained immediately by answering.
If he chose the third one, the reward for the first option couldn't be achieved.
Damn, what am I hesitating for? Of course, get stronger first.
The reward for the first option isn't great. Although it's material, it's far inferior to a Path Skill.
And even without the option reward, it seems not impossible to reach a lover relationship with Barbara.
Thinking of this, Kael didn't hesitate at all and decisively chose the third option.
Options were definitely beneficial to him.
And what reward was beneficial to him, did he even need to think about it?
Without hesitation, Kael looked at Barbara, smiled slightly, and waved his hand. "No need to be so formal. I just helped out casually."
"Oh my, you can't say that!"
Hearing Kael's words, Barbara shook her head quickly. Her golden twin tails swayed gently, and the smile on her face became cuter. "Your casual help saved the entire Mondstadt."
As Barbara spoke, the text on the panel appeared again.
[Facing Pela's gratitude, you chose to calmly accept Pela's gratitude, asking for no return, maintaining this connection purely as a friend and ally.]
[Congratulations on obtaining Option Three Reward: Pela's Path Branch Skill — [Frostshot]. Deals Ice DMG equal to 50% of ATK to a single enemy.]
As the option appeared, an invisible power appeared out of thin air, pouring into Kael's body.
This power was not violent, but calm and precise.
It silently penetrated into Kael's bones, blood, and even deep into his soul, like some ancient and mysterious endowment ceremony.
When the power fully descended, Kael could clearly perceive a brand new ability in his body.
A Cryo power he had never possessed before, cold and sharp, as if it could freeze everything in an instant.
Kael raised his right hand behind his back slightly, his fingertips trembling slightly.
He could feel the temperature in the air dropping sharply, coldness circulating around him.
With a thought, an ice-blue light gathered at his fingertips, condensing into a sharp and pure ice crystal bullet.
The bullet emitted a bone-chilling cold, as if even the space was frozen by this cold air.
[Frostshot] — Unlocked.
With the message emerging in his mind, Kael couldn't help but smile.
He clenched his palm gently. The ice crystal bullet shattered silently instantly, turning into countless crystal ice chips dissipating in the air.
Not exploding, nor melting, but disintegrating into pure frost energy in an extremely precise way, dissipating between heaven and earth.
This control was even more precise and destructive than the power he originally possessed.
"Interesting..."
Kael murmured in a low voice, feeling this newly acquired power.
He could feel that if he used this power to attack a single enemy, frost would spread along the trajectory of the hit.
Freezing the enemy for an instant, or even tearing the defense, making them bear extreme cold impact in an instant.
"This move... is very useful."
The corner of Kael's mouth raised slightly, his eyes flashing with excitement.
The flow of power finally calmed down slowly.
At this moment, his body seemed to retain traces of ice passing through, but it wouldn't cause any impact on him...
As if this power naturally merged into his instinct like innate ability.
Pela's Path Power — [Frostshot].
This time, his combat methods added a brand new possibility.
"Hmm?"
Just as Kael tried this with his hand behind his back, Jean suddenly frowned.
Why did the air suddenly become cold?
"So cold."
Barbara, who was bowing, shivered instantly, immediately pulling her clothes, scratching her head. "It's clearly sunny outside."
And Fischl standing beside Kael looked at Kael suspiciously.
Was the strange coldness just now related to Kael?
Kaeya was also a bit confused.
The surrounding elemental power wasn't chaotic at all, but why did the air suddenly cool down?
Related to Kael?
Kaeya glanced at Kael without leaving a trace, then withdrew his gaze.
"Ahem."
At this time, Jean coughed lightly, reattracting everyone's attention.
"Alright, let's go check on the Traveler's condition first."
Jean's voice was steady, with a hint of worry in her eyes. "This situation is indeed a bit tricky."
Hearing this sentence, Kael raised an eyebrow slightly.
Indeed, he hadn't seen Lumine until now.
Immediately, the group followed Jean and Barbara inside.
Fischl walked while raising her chin slightly, her purple pupils flashing with sharp light. "Even that Outlander guest fell... It seems things are more complicated than we imagined."
Soon, everyone arrived at a lounge.
In the lounge.
Lumine was rubbing her head.
Beside her, Paimon looked concerned.
Seeing Kael and the others, she said quickly, "Kael, Grand Master Jean, you're here."
"Awake?"
Seeing the awakened Lumine, Barbara looked happy.
She walked in quickly and held Lumine's hand, asking with concern, "How is it? Does your body feel wrong anywhere? When I treated you before, I felt a very special energy in your body, which was the main reason for your fainting."
"I... I'm fine."
Lumine scratched her head. "Just a bit dizzy."
"En, this requires rest."
Barbara nodded gently. "Rest well first."
"By the way, where is Venti?"
Lumine suddenly thought of something and spoke quickly.
"You mean that bard?"
Hearing Lumine's words, Barbara said immediately, "Umm... his condition can't be said to be fine."
"That bard woke up first, but strangely, my treatment had almost no effect on his injuries..."
"This is the first time I've encountered such a patient. But he said it was normal and wanted to leave the church..."
"I felt his body was healthy, but there seemed to be some problem I didn't discover. It felt very strange."
Barbara frowned distressfully as she spoke. "It's the first time I've encountered this situation. Don't know if it's my illusion, or..."
"Left? Where did he go?"
Paimon asked curiously.
"The Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero... that's what he said."
Barbara said without thinking, "I wanted to stop him, but Jean... Grand Master Jean said let him go. So strange."
"En."
Hearing Barbara's words, Jean nodded gently. "I said it. Actually, we don't need to disturb him, after all..."
Now only their group knew Venti was the Anemo Archon.
Barbara didn't know.
She didn't plan to expose Venti's identity.
"That's true."
Hearing Jean's words, Lumine and Paimon froze, then nodded deeply.
Venti was the Anemo Archon.
"But you said it was the Fatui who attacked you, and it was a woman. Unexpectedly, that would be one of the Fatui Harbingers, Signora."
Jean looked at Lumine and said, "But this scene left no traces, and the Knights might find it difficult to file charges against them."
"It's okay."
Hearing Jean's words, Lumine shook her head.
"Then rest well. I should go back too, handle some things."
Jean bid farewell to Lumine, instructed Barbara to take good care of her, apologized to Kael, and left with Kaeya.
"Phew, Kael, I still need your help."
Seeing Jean leave, Lumine scratched her head and looked at Kael. "I want to go to Windrise right now."
"Sure."
Hearing Lumine's words, Kael nodded.
He casually applied a Path Skill [Ripple] to Lumine.
Feeling the familiar speed increase, Lumine got up quickly.
"Eh? Don't get up."
Seeing this scene, Barbara said quickly, "Honorary Knight, what you need now is rest."
"Don't worry, Miss Barbara."
Hearing Barbara's words, Lumine shook her head. "I know my body. I still have some questions I want to find answers to."
Saying this, Lumine got up quickly, bid farewell to Kael and Fischl, and left rapidly.