Over the next two days, Ken spent quiet days with Klee on the floating island.
He originally planned to stay just one day, but seeing his daughter so reluctant to part, he simply stayed two more.
Away from the clamor of the mortal world: blue sky in the distance, lakes among the clouds up close, and the house was full of traces Alice had left behind—warm and romantic. Klee loved it here.
During this time, Ken used the Dodocommunication Device to speak with Alice twice more. Since he was staying rare extra days on the floating island, he seized the chance to let little Klee talk to Alice and pour out her longing, making up for Klee's regrets.
Compared to their awkward first call, Alice was much calmer later on, though still somewhat constrained. After all, her relationship with Ken was truly awkward, and it easily reminded her of that night she came out supporting the wall.
The witch had no experience handling this sort of thing.
She had urgently contacted her witch friends, but they were scattered all over the continent, and replies didn't come as fast as she hoped.
Without getting any love advice, she was in a bind.
The always bright, lively witch with a penchant for mischief found herself being led by the nose for the first time.
Klee, on the other hand, was delighted.
Hearing her parents chat, listening to her mom sounding a touch gentle with her dad, made Klee feel very happy.
Ken also thought it was nice—only Alice's world was getting hurt, mission accomplished.
She couldn't help holding her slender waist, a bit afraid of Klee's hoped-for "make me a little sister" plan, but beneath the fear was a stronger urge to win back a round.
A great adventurer who had conquered countless dangerous places—how could she submit in this kind of matter?
Once she got love advice from the other witches, the next time she saw Ken, she would definitely win it back.
Ken could sense the provocation in her tone and only smiled faintly. A man never fears this kind of challenge. Precisely for that reason, after some back-and-forth, the atmosphere grew quite harmonious.
In a flash, two days passed.
Because she was part of the Knights of Favonius, little Klee bore a knight's duty on her small shoulders. Although Jean and the others never assigned responsibilities to her and only wanted her to be happy and not cause trouble, Klee herself was very responsible—and loved bombing monster camps.
Two or three days on the floating island was plenty for Klee.
Ken's stay was about over as well.
Because at 8 p.m. tonight, Genshin's first-ever version preview livestream would begin. He had to return to Liyue, bring Venti along to Blue Star, and witness the broadcast.
"If you miss Dad, just come to Blue Star directly. Eula's been over there lately too."
"Got it, Daddy!"
After dropping Klee back at the Knights of Favonius, Ken summoned a Vortex Gate to Liyue.
Evening was approaching, and he still had to run Venti through the preview flow. Time was tight.
"Has Ken left?"
Just as Ken departed, the elegant, composed Acting Grand Master Jean opened her office door. Seeing the empty hall, her soft features carried a trace of disappointment.
She'd just heard Klee's voice and knew Ken had been here.
She thought he'd at least say hello... but he left just like that.
Jean felt a little lost.
"Daddy left, but Daddy told Klee to give this gift to Acting Grand Master Jean!"
Klee pulled off her little backpack and dug out a delicate box.
Inside was a brooch made from a Cecilia flower.
A silver brooch whose end held a pure white Cecilia flower. In the center of the blossom was a yellow gemstone, from which energy constantly flowed, keeping the flower in perpetual bloom.
"So pretty..."
Jean's lake-clear eyes brightened. The loss in her heart instantly vanished.
So she had misunderstood her lover.
Ken was simply too busy, not throwing her aside after getting her.
Turning a Cecilia into a brooch and using a gemstone to preserve it in full bloom—this took real thought.
"Daddy made it himself. Do you like it, Master Jean?"
Klee beamed proudly.
The method to keep the flower forever in bloom was found in her mom's room.
It seemed to come from a book left by the witch Rhinedottir.
Then Daddy personally made the gift and said to give it to Acting Grand Master Jean. Although Klee felt Jean could be strict, she liked her deep down and was happy to deliver it.
"I like it... very much."
Jean truly couldn't put it down—not because the brooch was special per se.
But because the sentiment was so precious.
That a lofty, otherworldly figure like Ken would personally make her a gift—such intention was rare and valuable.
"As long as you like it, Master Jean. Then Klee's going to rest!" Klee slung on her backpack again, smiling with squinted eyes.
Jean blurted out, "Eh... Klee."
"What is it?" Klee turned around. Suddenly her big eyes looked a little guilty, because she remembered the day she almost failed to bomb open the door... Was Jean going to settle scores after the fact?
Jean pressed her lips together. "Mm... In private, you don't have to call me 'Master Jean.'"
"Then 'Sister Jean'?" Realizing it wasn't about punishment, Klee sighed in relief.
As for forms of address... Klee understood.
With Sister Lisa as the precedent, she knew to say "sister."
"No, no... 'Aunt Jean' is fine."
Jean said with some anticipation. That way the seniority wouldn't get messed up, right? By status she should be Klee's stepmom... but for now, "Aunt" was more appropriate.
"A-Aunt Jean?" Klee scratched her head. "Master Jean, you're so weird. Aunt Lisa hates being called aunt!"
Jean smiled. "Mm... I like it. Go rest, Klee."
"Okay, Aunt Jean." Klee called obediently and hopped off to her room, though she couldn't help muttering inside... Adults are so weird. Can't figure out how they think.
…
Liyue Harbor.
An office in Yuehai Pavilion.
Venti, who'd been confined for several days, sat on the floor grumbling at the delivered food.
"Morax... you're really a troll. It's one thing to lock me up, but couldn't you at least send something tasty..."
Staring at the Jueyun chilis in the dishes, Venti looked dead inside.
Liyue cuisine was entirely different from Mondstadt's.
Though he was a god and didn't need to eat, that didn't mean he didn't like tasting food.
Yet the Millelith brought him these dishes every day, claiming they were only mildly spicy... You Liyue people call this mild?
There wasn't even any good brew.
He wanted to leave, but Morax had set a ward outside. He wasn't at his peak strength now, so getting out would be tough.
Still, though he grumbled, it was banter between friends. Venti knew well the old man Rex Lapis was getting back at him—after all, centuries ago Venti had forged letters in Rex Lapis's name.
"Barbatos..."
As Venti lay on the bed tossing and cursing, a familiar voice came riding on the wind.
He sat up almost instantly.
He saw the barrier only gods could perceive—like a shield—receding imperceptibly.
Ken's figure appeared in the room.
"How've you been lately?"
Seeing Venti's complex yet excited expression, Ken asked lazily.
It seemed the ever-free Anemo Archon had wilted a bit after a short loss of freedom.
"The old man Morax sure holds a grudge..."
After holding it in, Venti finally squeezed out this line. His verdigris-colored eyes lit up. "You're here to get me out?"
"Mm. The Genshin version preview is about to start. This banner is yours, so I'm taking you to Blue Star to participate. You didn't forget, did you?" Ken narrowed his eyes. He'd told Venti long ago.
Venti waved frantically. "No, no... absolutely not."
Even if he had forgotten, Venti wouldn't go back on his word.
Even the God of Freedom keeps his word.
All the more since he really wanted out of this place... He didn't want to come back to Liyue for a while!
"Then let's go." Ken couldn't help but laugh. Watching two gods love-bicker was entertaining.
The key was that sometimes Venti's brain just didn't turn the corner.
Even if he was confined here, if he wanted to leave he could have summoned a Vortex Gate.
A Vortex Gate could ignore world barriers; even Celestia would have to accept the invitation. Naturally it could break restraints Zhongli had laid specifically on Venti.
But Venti hadn't thought of that.
In his subconscious, this place had been sealed off, cutting contact with the outside.
As the Vortex Gate unfolded, Venti asked curiously, "How's Morax's business going?"
"Almost done," Ken estimated. "He's arranging his own funeral rites right now."
Venti: "..."
…
Back on Blue Star, Ken's villa was quiet, only a few lingering traces of elemental energy.
He figured the girls had gone shopping and didn't mind. He took Venti to the company to run through the event flow.
Though he'd only be on camera briefly, they had to make sure nothing went wrong.
"Boss... Where'd you find this cosplayer?"
Seeing Venti follow Ken in, the employees nearly lost it.
In Genshin, Venti's popularity was no less than that of the pretty female characters.
That boyish air plus the backstory had captivated countless players.
"Hi everyone, I'm Venti."
Venti waved at them.
With the gentle boyish voice landing, a cheer rose.
Ken said, exasperated, "Back to work. Hana, come brief Venti on the livestream process."
"On it!" Hana's eyes were shining.
The in-game Barbatos recreated this perfectly—being a Venti fan, he was dying with excitement.
Ken went to the streaming room and checked the setup.
"Boss, tonight it's all on you," Kuro said expectantly.
Normally, the boss wouldn't need to host a stream.
But the issue now was...
Their boss's online popularity was off the charts.
Even top celebrities didn't compare.
Plus he knew these cosplayers well, so only the boss could handle this preview.
"No problem."
Ken didn't put on airs. Besides, Genshin meant a lot to him.
An occasional stream to talk with players was a good thing.
He just wasn't sure how it would go.
Little did he know—
Even before they went live, most players already knew about tonight's event. Many were camped in the Youtube channel, spamming for the stream to start.
Just the number spamming "start" had already exceeded 300,000.
That kind of heat matched the top streamers.
Youtube staff couldn't stop grinning.
No one expected that after signing so many streamers, none could match Star Dome's Genshin preview. The traffic was pouring in and surging nonstop.
["Heard the host tonight is Mr. Ken himself. Brothers, what do we say?"]
["What do we say? Kill Mr. Ken and steal his wives, of course!"]
["Show your UIDs and let him know pain!"]
["I've got a whole list of insults copied and ready—just waiting for him to go live!"]
["Jealousy drives me mad!"]
"..."
The start-spam barrage flew by in a torrent.
Although most players were cursing Ken,
that was mainly because they envied his life—envy to the point of jealousy.
And the "insults" were mostly in a teasing tone, so it still looked "harmonious" at first glance.
As 8 p.m. arrived, all the gaming staff looked expectantly at Star Dome's channel.
They were Genshin fans too.
The screen finally lit up.
That face—handsome enough to evoke jealousy—slowly appeared. Before Ken could greet them, the chat exploded.
["Holy—Mr. Ken! Greetings, father-in-law! How are my wives doing?"]
["Esteemed father-in-law, your son-in-law salutes you. Where's my wife, Acting Grand Master Jean? I've prepared the bride price and am ready to propose."]
["Do you drink wine, father-in-law? I'll bring two bottles when I call on you!"]
["Father-in-law, look at your son-in-law?!"]
["Huh?? Weren't we supposed to flame Mr. Ken together? What's with calling him father-in-law?!"]
"..."
They'd agreed to flame Ken, but the moment he appeared, the mood flipped to "father-in-law."
Some honest folks were baffled.
They were still earnestly cursing, and the others switched to "father-in-law"?!
But Ken was the "Father of Genshin," so calling him father-in-law kinda made sense. The honest ones followed the crowd and started spamming "father-in-law."
Seeing this, Ken's expression almost broke.
My Genshin preview... and you're calling me father-in-law?