With the Stormterror incident resolved by Lumine, her reputation in Mondstadt soared.
Cael benefitted by association, gaining a bit of fame himself.
He didn't care much for popularity—but what truly bothered him was how different this battle had been from the one he remembered.
Dvalin had been far stronger than in the game.
If he hadn't been there…
Lumine's story would have ended right there.
Was it the Abyss that strengthened Dvalin?
Or—
Was it Aether deliberately raising the difficulty?
Had the Abyss already noticed his existence?
Too many questions. No answers.
And for now, no leads.
He didn't even know where the Abyss truly was.
The only chance to meet Aether again would be through Dainsleif—during a future quest.
Lumine's next destination was Liyue, but before leaving, she wanted to explore Mondstadt more thoroughly.
Cael understood completely.
Side quests and story quests.
He wasn't particularly interested—though Xiangling's quest would be worth checking out.
Thus, Cael spent a few peaceful days in Mondstadt.
...
...
"Hey, do you know who Mondstadt's strongest fighter is?"
"Well, obviously Acting Grand Master Jean!"
"No way—it's the Darknight Hero! He saved me once. Way too cool!"
"I think it's that red-clothed little girl."
"…A kid?"
"Yeah! I saw it myself—she blew up an entire hillside with one bomb!"
"…What the hell?"
"That's nothing! Didn't you hear about the mysterious person who caused that explosion in the sky a few days ago?"
"They say someone threw it!"
...
...
Cat's Tail was closed today.
Discussions about Mondstadt's strongest combat power were everywhere.
That was when Cael realized—
Klee's story arc is coming.
What surprised him more was that he had somehow become part of the rumors.
Listening to people exaggerate him into something mythic made him feel… awkward.
He casually patted Diona's head and asked,
"So, Diona—who do you think Mondstadt's strongest fighter is?"
Diona sat in Cael's lap, puffed her cheeks, and replied irritably,
"Why are you interested in something so childish?"
"Heh, just curious," Cael laughed.
She thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I don't know. I don't care about that stuff. I'm too busy trying to destroy Mondstadt's alcohol industry."
Fair enough.
She'd been researching how to make the worst possible drinks for years.
"Oh—right," Cael suddenly remembered.
"How's our plan coming along?"
Diona instantly perked up.
"Oh? Now I'm wide awake!"
"Our milk tea has completely taken over Mondstadt! We're already competing with Angel's Share!"
Her tail swished happily behind her.
"Even my dad's drinking less. Ever since he got hooked on milk tea, he barely touches alcohol!"
Cael flicked her nose lightly.
"Congrats."
Unexpectedly, Diona grabbed his hand, her tone unusually gentle.
"…That's thanks to you too."
The sudden sincerity caught Cael off guard.
"Huh?"
"What—don't you like how I'm talking?" she huffed, turning away.
"How could I not?" Cael laughed warmly.
...
"YOU PERVERT!!"
Paimon's voice suddenly rang beside his ear—
followed by a tug on it.
Not very strong. But annoying.
"Paimon… what do you want now?" Cael sighed, removing her hand.
"You shameless lolicon! If we weren't so kind, the Knights would've arrested you already!"
She glared at Diona's former spot with pure indignation.
Diona snorted, jumped off Cael's lap, and said coolly,
"If you're done, I'm leaving. I'd rather not lose brain cells because of someone."
She walked off.
Paimon blinked.
"…Why do I feel like that 'someone' was me?"
Cael wisely chose not to answer.
Instead, he turned to Lumine.
"So? What does Mondstadt's famous Honorary Knight need me for?"
Lumine puffed her cheeks.
"That sounds distant, Sponsor."
She stepped aside—
revealing a small girl in red.
Cael froze.
"Hello, big brother from Liyue! My name's Klee!"
So this was her.
One of Mondstadt's so-called strongest combatants.
"Hello. I'm Cael," he said with a smile, then looked at Lumine.
"So… what's going on?"
Paimon flew up eagerly.
"It's treasure! Klee's treasure went missing!"
Klee nodded seriously.
"So the big sister said we should find a helper—
and that helper is you!"
Lumine leaned in and whispered,
"This feels suspicious. You're smart—you know everything. I want you with us."
Cael laughed.
"Sure. I'm curious what kind of treasure it is too."
(Even though I already know it's bombs.)
Paimon snorted.
"Hmph! Just don't slow us down!"
"Oh? Little Paimon's grown wings, huh?"
Cael rolled up his sleeves and yanked her down.
"HEY! Let go! You wanna fight?! Fair and square—
W-Wait! Don't tickle my sides!! HAHAHA—STOP!!"
"Yield! You can't beat me!"
"HAHA—N-No way—HAHA!!"
...
Klee clapped excitedly.
"Yay! A game! Klee wants to play too!"
Lumine wiped sweat from her forehead.
"…Am I the only normal one here?"
"Alright, alright," Cael said, tossing Paimon a bag of sunflower seeds.
"Let's go find the treasure."
Paimon immediately shut up and followed cheerfully.
Klee trailed after them, a little disappointed.
"Already done playing? Okay… treasure first!"
...
...
On the road, Klee asked curiously,
"Big brother, what's your job?"
Cael thought for a moment.
"I don't have a fixed profession," he said.
"I just know a little bit of everything."
Lumine narrowed her eyes slightly.
She was very curious—
In his definition, how much was a little bit?
...
...
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