Mona watched as several unconscious Millelith soldiers were carried away. Driven by curiosity, she extended her hand, palm facing upward, as Hydro elemental energy slowly gathered in her hand, forming a delicate scrying disc.
Shao Yun sat nearby, holding a steaming hot bun in his hand. His gaze shifted back and forth between Mona and the water scrying disc.
"What are you trying to divine?" Shao Yun asked curiously after swallowing the last bite of his bun.
Mona looked away from the scrying disc and turned to Shao Yun.
"I just want to see what exactly made the Millelith faint like that."
If you'd seen those four "Xingtians," I guarantee you would've passed out too.
"I'd advise against it," Shao Yun said kindly as he swallowed the last crumb. "Seeing that stuff'll only give you nightmares."
At that, Mona promptly ceased her divination and put the scrying disc away.
"Then I'd better not look."
A while later, Paimon returned, bringing even more food.
After eating at the tea stall, Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and Mona resumed their journey northward toward Mondstadt.
By the time they arrived in Mondstadt City, it was already evening. With the help of two horses, it had taken them just a single day to travel from Liyue Harbor.
Looking at the familiar scenery before her, Mona couldn't help but sigh nostalgically.
"Hard to believe we made it back in just one day. I was fully prepared to camp outdoors tonight."
Paimon asked curiously, "Mona, do you know where your successor is right now? Mondstadt's huge—it's not gonna be easy to find her."
Mona gave a confident smile and summoned her water scrying disc. She closed her eyes, focusing entirely on the subtle vibrations coming from it.
"Let me divine..." Mona said with full concentration. "I'll have the result soon."
Shao Yun couldn't resist teasing her. "Mona, be careful not to lead us straight into a Hilichurl camp this time."
Remembering the chaos from her earlier failed divination, Mona's face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly waved her hands.
"Don't worry, don't worry—this time I won't make any mistakes."
Mona focused on the signals from the scrying disc. Then the disc gave its response.
She muttered to herself, "The successor is a Knights of Favonius, young and accomplished... a woman." Her voice was low, but in the quiet of the evening, it was remarkably clear.
Paimon's eyes widened. She whispered to Lumine and Shao Yun, "Could she mean Lisa?" Though spoken softly, her words still caught Mona's attention.
Shao Yun shook his head. Even if he already knew it was Klee, just going by titles alone—Lisa's official role was Librarian, not Knights of Favonius.
"Lisa works at the headquarters, but she's the librarian, not an actual Knight. And as for the whole 'young and accomplished' part..."
He paused, realizing it might be impolite to directly mention Lisa's age. He waved it off.
"Never mind. Let's not discuss Miss Lisa's age—it's rude. Definitely not her."
Just then, Mona finished her divination and turned to explain the result to Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun.
"The stars indicate that the successor is a young and accomplished female Knights of Favonius. And... she'll be here very soon."
In a way, Klee was certainly "young and accomplished." After all, no other child in the world went around blowing things up daily with Jumpy Dumpties. Though an elf, she looked just like a child...
Mona moved on to prepare the group for the encounter.
"To make you three look like my disciples, I need to teach you some basic astrology. If you're clueless when facing the successor and slip up, it'll ruin everything."
She began explaining the foundations of astrology with clear, logical steps.
But Shao Yun sat there utterly confused. He recognized each word Mona said, but together they made no sense to him...
Mona noticed the intellectual pummeling Shao Yun was enduring. Her eyes showed a trace of helplessness.
She recalled how Lumine had once described Shao Yun's "goofy" side back at the Stone Gate.
And now, it seemed very accurate. If she hadn't witnessed his cold-blooded nature firsthand, she'd have thought he was just a big dumb teddy bear.
Mona sighed and decided to give up teaching him for now.
She turned to Lumine and Paimon to make sure they understood.
Both nodded. They didn't grasp everything, but at least picked up some basics.
Just then, a bright voice broke the silence.
Klee came bouncing over, eyes lighting up when she spotted Lumine and Paimon. She waved excitedly, then turned her curious gaze to Shao Yun and Mona—clearly unfamiliar with them.
After all, this was her first time seeing both of them.
"Huh? Honorary Knight Sis, Little Paimon, and... a big brother and big sister I don't know?" Klee tapped her chubby chin with her finger, puzzled.
Shao Yun felt oddly awkward at that.
Why does it sound like Mona and I are a duo now? How'd this "3 with 1" turn into two pairs?
Mona looked at Klee, surprise flickering in her eyes. She straightened up like facing a formidable opponent and said in shock, "It's you—the inheritor of great knowledge!"
That sudden declaration seemed to freeze the air around them.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged incredulous glances. Klee and "great knowledge"? Those words couldn't be further apart!
Shao Yun covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, his gaze darting between Mona and Klee like he was waiting for the show to begin.
Klee clearly didn't understand what Mona meant. Her little face was full of confusion.
"Successor…?" she murmured blankly.
Her little head had no concept of that word—nor could she understand why Mona was calling her that.
But Mona didn't notice Klee's confusion and kept going.
"You must have known I was coming. I'm the astrologer who has seen the secrets of the starry sea!"
Her voice brimmed with pride and confidence, as though she were an all-knowing sage.
Win by aura alone!
Klee only grew more puzzled. She scratched her head and asked, "Starry sea? What's that? Are there fish in the starry sea?"
To Klee, "sea" meant water, and water meant fish!
Mona blinked. She clearly hadn't expected that response.
"Fish? What are you talking about? Are you afraid of my challenge?"
Klee's little brain began spinning. After thinking it over, she replied, "Big Sis wants to challenge me to blow up fish? But Acting Grand Master Jean would be mad..."
Her innocent words only left Mona more bewildered.
"Blow up fish? Aren't you the inheritor of great knowledge?"
At this point, Shao Yun couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha! Mona, you're talking about star charts and philosophy, and Klee's over here talking about fish and bombs! You two are hilarious!"
As Shao Yun laughed, Mona once again used her scrying disc. The second result matched the first: it was still Klee.
"That's impossible... Even if my readings are off, I've never gotten the same wrong result twice..." she muttered, full of doubt.
She looked down at the little girl before her—those clear eyes brimming with innocence and curiosity. She really didn't seem like someone brimming with wisdom...
Mona knelt down and gently asked, "Little sister, is your mother's name Alice, by any chance?"
Klee blinked and her face lit up with realization.
"Yup! Oh! Sis, are you one of Mommy's friends?"
As the two continued chatting, Shao Yun lightly tapped Lumine on the shoulder. His voice was low and magnetic.
"I'm going to the Adventurers' Guild to pick up the outfit I bought for you. I'll wait for you at the front desk."
"Okay, we'll come find you in a bit." Lumine nodded.
...
Familiar old Mondstadt. The last time he'd been here was... well, last time.
Behind the desk at the Adventurers' Guild, Katheryne was organizing the day's commission slips.
As Shao Yun approached, she immediately set her work aside and greeted him in her signature gentle tone.
"Ad astra abyssosque. Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. How may I help you?"
Shao Yun took a deep breath to steady himself, then pulled out his Adventurer's Certificate and handed it to her.
"Package for Tacitus Kilgore, please."
Katheryne glanced at the certificate, nodded lightly, and turned to search the shelf behind her for the specific parcel.
Shao Yun watched her busy figure, and a pang of guilt rose in his chest.
He recalled threatening her last time and still felt bad about it.
He cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"Apologies for threatening you last time. I want to sincerely say I'm sorry again."
Katheryne paused, turned, and looked at him. Her smile remained gentle, as if none of it had ever happened.
"It's alright. Think nothing of it."
A few seconds later, Katheryne pulled out a rectangular package.
"Here's your parcel. According to the invoice, it came from Chioriya Boutique in Fontaine." She handed the package to Shao Yun.
He took it and glanced at the shipping label—Chioriya Boutique.
A renowned tailor shop in Fontaine, their clothes were all top-tier quality. No wonder the famed Mingxing Zhai in Liyue chose them! And thanks to Lady Ningguang for footing the bill.
"Chioriya-made clothes? I really can't wait to see how Lumine looks in them."
Chioriya's craftsmanship was unparalleled.
Shao Yun signed the receipt, hugged the parcel tightly to his chest, and thanked Katheryne.
"Much appreciated!"