Above the bird-singing, flower-fragrant sky island.
Klee's mother, Alice, and Klee's 'father,' Jack, sat together, and the scene appeared unusually harmonious.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Alice. If I'm not mistaken, this place should be where your Witch's Assembly members gather. Is it appropriate for a man like me to be here?"
"Of course it's appropriate. After all, you're Mr. 'Daddy' of Klee, so you're considered a witch's family member."
Alice-nushi answered him with a radiant smile.
Jack frowned slightly at the sight.
Was this woman acting, or did she truly consider herself Klee's father?
Jack had already verified whether Klee was his daughter.
According to Liu Yun Borrowing Wind True Monarch, Klee and he had no biological blood relation.
Therefore, Alice-nushi's ambiguous attitude made it difficult for him to grasp her true intentions.
But no matter what, he would deal with problems as they arose.
With power in hand, Jack didn't need to worry too much; he could simply act on his instincts.
So, he calmly took a sip of black tea and spoke directly.
"Alice-nushi, is there something you wish to discuss by suddenly inviting me here?"
Alice-nushi rested her chin on her hands, smiling at him, not at all like the rumored 'headache' she was, but rather like an enthusiastic young girl in love.
"Can't I look for you without a reason? Klee calls you Papa, so by that logic, shouldn't we be husband and wife?"
"That's just a child's jest, Alice-nushi. Please don't joke, or your real husband will be weeping."
"That kind of thing... doesn't exist~"
"..."
What did she mean by 'that kind of thing doesn't exist' as in a husband? How did Klee come to be, through asexual reproduction?
A question mark slowly formed above Jack's head.
"But as far as I know, both Jean's memories and the Adventurers' Guild records state that Klee's parents were a renowned adventurer duo. Could it be that you can deceive the entire Teyvat..."
Mid-sentence, Jack stopped himself.
He then looked directly at the blonde elven woman before him.
"You, or rather, your Hexenzirkel, altered the Irminsul?"
"Who knows?"
Alice-nushi did not answer directly, only giving Jack a meaningful smile.
This was almost an explicit confirmation that she had indeed done such a thing.
This meant that Alice-nushi's husband was very likely a non-existent person fabricated by the Hexenzirkel through the Irminsul to provide Klee with a suitable identity.
Considering Klee's unusual luck, her true identity likely involved a deep secret tied to the profound layers of Teyvat.
"Never mind, I don't wish to delve into your secrets. I just want to confirm one thing."
"Mm-hmm, my dear, speak."
"Does what you've done affect Klee?"
"Yes!"
Alice-nushi answered unequivocally.
Jack's heart tightened.
His paternal sense of responsibility was screaming, and a pressure from a Creator God directly cleared the clouds within thousands of kilometers in the sky.
But Alice-nushi seemed not to notice, continuing.
"The impact is that Klee has never had a Papa's love since she was little! Although I always lied to her, saying Papa was far away and would come back someday, as my little darling grew, she believed Mama less and less!"
"..."
That's it?
Jack felt like he had punched cotton, and his chest tightened uncomfortably.
Then, catching Alice-nushi's sly gaze, he immediately understood.
He had been tricked by this woman!
This woman had used his concern for Klee to mislead him into believing Klee had a tragic background, when in reality, the Hexenzirkel had already completed all those "formalities."
Boom!
The Netherite Greatsword, glowing with purple enchantment, was unsheathed, and Jack's sharp gaze fixed on Alice-nushi.
"You dared to joke about my daughter Klee! Hmph, Hexenzirkel's Ms. A, it seems you're ready to face my greatsword!"
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Alice-nushi was startled by Jack and took a few steps back.
What did he mean, Hexenzirkel's Ms. A? Was her identity as Klee's Mama being stripped away by this latecomer Papa?
However, the five-colored glow gathering in Jack's hand proved that his challenge was no idle threat.
If Alice-nushi agreed to fight, then a peak battle in Teyvat would commence.
"Gulp~"
Alice-nushi swallowed.
Her considerable bosom rose and fell, and she forced a strained smile.
"Do, do we have to fight?"
"Apologize to Klee, and tell her the truth about her parents, and I will sheath my greatsword."
"Ah? No, no, no, I can't! Klee-baby will hate Mama if I do that!"
"Then there's nothing more to say! Let's settle this with our hands!"
"Wait just a moment—"
Alice-nushi interrupted Jack, who had raised his greatsword, and shouted, "I... I accept your Maid Charm! Surely you can trust me now!"
"Good."
Jack's face changed in an instant, revealing a smile.
The formidable elemental power that had just been present immediately subsided, as if nothing had happened.
Clearly, he was just playing along, just as Alice-nushi herself had said; he didn't trust a woman who had inexplicably transported him to an unfamiliar place.
Alice-nushi, however, pouted and muttered softly, "Bad guy, liar, scumbag who bullies girls!"
Jack pretended not to hear, took out the Maid Charm, and directly extended an invitation to her.
"Yes."
Alice-nushi seemed to have used all her strength to utter that word.
Then, a white light enveloped her.
Soon after, she was incorporated into the Minecraft World character roster.
[Achievement Unlocked: Transmigrator, I've Captured You]
[Reward: Unknown World Coordinates x1 (Requires Creative Mode use)]
[Condition: Capture a character capable of traversing different worlds and make them a dependent]
Alice-nushi even dropped gold coins?
Jack hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise, and his mood brightened by another three points.
"Then... that, now that I'm entirely yours, you won't tell Klee about me tricking her, will you?"
"I will."
Alice-nushi's eyes widened, looking at this shameless person. She swore she wanted to tear off her obedient mask and directly hit this person with a magic missile.
But then she remembered that she had already accepted his invitation to become a dependent, and her temper immediately vanished.
Jack quickly replied.
"But not now. Let's wait until she's a bit older."
Alice-nushi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at him with a resentful gaze.
"My dear is truly petty, being teased once but retaliating twice, hmph! Miss Alice-nushi is unhappy! It seems she'll only feel better if she's personally fed cake!"
Alice-nushi pouted, crossed her arms, and sat down on the chair.
Her adorable, childish expression was exactly like Klee's when she was unhappy.
Jack wasn't blind.
He could tell that Alice-nushi was preparing to turn the pretense into reality, solidifying the so-called parental relationship with Klee.
So, he walked directly over, picked Alice-nushi up in a princess carry, sat on the stool himself, and used the Mage Hand skill from his Magnetic Ring to pick up the cake.
"Come, open wide, ah~"
"Ah~~ Mmm! Hehe, it's delicious!"
"Don't talk while eating. Come on, continue, ah~"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.