"A little bit…?"
Klee tilted her head, biting her soft finger as she fell into deep thought.
"How many 'bits' is a little bit?"
She looked genuinely troubled.
Paimon, meanwhile, floated along while munching sunflower seeds, occasionally chatting with Cael.
Klee kept sneaking glances at him, her eyes full of curiosity.
She'd heard that this Liyue big brother—Cael—was very smart.
And if he was smart… then maybe he could help her assemble Jumpy Dumpty better?
...
...
They soon arrived at Whispering Woods.
At the center was a small dirt pit.
A very obvious sign was planted right beside it—
painted with the unmistakable symbol of Jumpy Dumpty.
Cael fell silent.
Honestly… if this didn't get stolen, that'd be the real miracle.
Klee sniffled and complained,
"This big~ hole wasn't here before! When Klee came back, my treasure was gone!"
Lumine narrowed her eyes and suddenly spotted movement in the bushes.
"That's—an Abyss Mage!**"
She stiffened.
Jean had just warned them to stay alert for Abyss activity, and they'd already run into one.
Klee followed Lumine's gaze—
and immediately spotted the Abyss Mage holding her Jumpy Dumpty.
"Ah! My treasure!!"
Paimon darted forward in panic.
"What are you waiting for?! Chase it!!"
The Pyro Abyss Mage hissed internally.
This kid has backup?! I need to run—NOW!
A flash of light—
It teleported away.
But Abyss teleportation had limited range—barely thirty meters.
With the skill on cooldown, the Mage bolted.
Lumine and the others gave chase.
Paimon yelled bravely,
"Stop right there!!"
Klee, however, was clearly on a completely different wavelength.
She stared at the Abyss Mage with sparkling eyes.
"Wow… it looks fluffy! It must feel really nice to touch!"
"…?!"
Lumine and Paimon were both stunned.
She wants to pet it?!
Well… she was a child.
Probably innocent curiosity.
Soon, they caught up.
Paimon puffed out her chest.
"Hand over the treasure! Or else you're in big trouble!"
The Abyss Mage snarled.
"No chance! I worked hard to steal this!"
With a wave of its staff, several Slimes appeared, blocking the path.
Klee watched the Abyss Mage escape farther away, her small face falling.
"My treasure… got taken by the fluffy thing…"
Cael's heart softened instantly.
He crouched beside her and gently said,
"It's okay, Klee. Our Honorary Knight sister will get it back soon."
Klee still looked worried and tugged on his sleeve.
"But… the fluffy thing might get hurt…"
Cael smiled faintly.
He understood what she meant.
But compared to the Abyss Mage's well-being—
What mattered more was that Klee had been wronged.
Someone bullied my kid.
Lumine might tolerate it—
but I won't.
He stood up slowly and looked toward Lumine, who was fighting the Slimes.
Taking out a pouch, he said calmly:
"Lumine. Bring Klee's treasure back."
"I'll pay you 160 Primogems."
The instant the words left his mouth—
BOOM.
The Slimes were obliterated in a flash of sword light.
It took less than a breath.
Cael's pupils shrank.
"…What the hell? Conqueror's Haki?!"
Lumine's strength had jumped to a level that should not exist at this stage.
She finished off the remaining Slimes effortlessly.
Then she activated Elemental Sight, scanning briefly—
and immediately locked onto the Abyss Mage's lair.
She turned back coldly.
"Follow me."
"I'll slaughter them."
Klee's eyes sparkled with worship.
"Yay!! Honorary Knight sister is amazing!!"
Paimon stared in disbelief, like she'd just watched her best friend suddenly awaken as a final boss.
"…She's this strong now? What kind of drug are Primogems?!"
She examined the pouch suspiciously.
Cael only smiled.
...
...
Inside the lair, Lumine was unstoppable.
Anyone who stood in her way failed to survive a single sword strike.
Even Cael had to admit—
Primogems are terrifying.
In the end, the Abyss Mage died the way it deserved to—
Blown up by its own stolen Jumpy Dumpty.
Klee's legs went weak.
Her survival instincts kicked in instantly.
Setting off bombs in the city—confinement.
Hurting others—Jean visits personally.
Burning forests—Klee is finished.
She was sure she'd violated Rule No. 2.
Without hesitation, she ran back to turn herself in.
Lumine and Paimon also headed back.
Cael stayed behind.
After all—
Someone in Stormterror's Lair had been calling him.
He didn't tell the others.
...
...
Stormterror's Lair
Dvalin slowly opened his eyes.
"You came."
Cael walked up naturally, arms crossed.
"I did. So—what did you want?"
Dvalin's gaze was complicated.
"…You really don't remember anything?"
Venti had told him already.
Cael had revived—but lost most of his divine power and all memories from five hundred years ago.
Whatever they'd shared—
Cael no longer remembered it.
Cael nodded calmly.
"Yeah. So what—were we enemies?"
Dvalin shook his head.
"No. We were close."
"You liked riding on my back, flying through the skies."
Cael smiled slightly.
"…Yeah. That does sound like me."
"So?" he asked.
"Why call me here today?"
Dvalin took a deep breath.
"I wanted to show you something."
The massive dragon suddenly dissolved into mist.
"…What the—?!" Cael recoiled in shock.
When the fog cleared—
He froze.
Standing there was a small girl, around sixteen in appearance.
Long light-blue hair fell to her waist.
She wore an elegant dress.
Her expression was blank.
A cold, beautiful loli.
Cael's mind went blank.
"…That looks like—"
Dvalin.
She spoke calmly.
"This is the form you created for me in the past."
"I remembered it recently."
"So I thought I'd show you."
Cael swallowed.
"…You're… female?"
"I am sexless," Dvalin replied flatly.
"But this body is female."
She smoothed her skirt, then stepped closer.
"And in this form…"
"I tend to cling to you."
...
...
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