Fischl stood there in a daze, staring blankly at the scene before her, as if unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
She had already experienced the power of a bow enhanced by Kairo yesterday—
but today, she finally saw what true destruction meant.
She opened her mouth, then after a long pause, managed to squeeze out one line:
"Our foes… reduced to ashes in but an instant. Truly, this is—"
Oz sighed and translated helplessly, "Milady means, the firepower is terrifying."
Kairo was silent for a moment, watching as Klee excitedly pulled out more bombs, clearly intending to throw another round. He immediately reached out to press down on her little head.
"Alright, alright, Klee. No more explosions for now."
"Eh—?"
Klee puffed up her cheeks in disappointment, obviously still wanting to continue.
"But Klee hasn't blown up enough yet..."
Kairo sighed and rubbed her soft hair. "It's fine. You've already bombed the place to oblivion. Any more, and there wouldn't even be a valley left."
Klee pouted, but after a moment's hesitation, obediently put the bomb away and blinked up at him.
"Then, Brother Kairo, you'll bomb with Klee again next time?"
Kairo smiled and nodded. "Sure. Next time, we'll blow things up together again."
"Yay!"
Klee immediately cheered, hopping around excitedly—no trace left of the tension from battle.
Only then did Kairo turn toward the charred remains of the Cryo Whopperflower lying nearby, his eyes gleaming faintly.
A still-intact Cryo Whopperflower corpse—
that was a real treasure.
No one in Mondstadt had ever managed to bring back a complete Whopperflower specimen before!
The Whopperflower was an extremely cunning, mimetic plant-type monster. It usually hid itself perfectly within its surroundings—making it nearly impossible to hunt, let alone retrieve a whole body.
If he could bring this back, it would cause a sensation among the city's alchemists!
Every part of it—the petals, the roots, the core—contained an intense Cryo elemental energy.
The pale-blue luminescence still flickering across the flower crown marked it as a priceless alchemical material.
Even some of the top alchemists had likely never handled such a perfect Cryo Whopperflower corpse!
"This trip was absolutely worth it," Kairo murmured, a satisfied smile curling at his lips.
He took out a burlap sack and carefully packed the corpse away.
This thing was beyond rare—a treasure no amount of Mora could easily buy.
If he were to sell it, just the petals and roots alone could fetch at least two hundred thousand Mora.
But the entire specimen?
That could easily be worth several hundred thousand—perhaps even a million.
Its exact price couldn't be determined, since no precedent existed in Mondstadt.
And beyond its monetary value, the Cryo Element energy it contained could be used to craft specialized alchemical items—or even serve as the core of a powerful Cryo-based weapon.
It was far more valuable than those common Windwheel Asters or Philanemo Mushrooms!
Just then, Klee and Fischl came over, watching Kairo carefully put away the corpse. Both girls' eyes gleamed with surprise.
"Brother Kairo, can that thing sell for lots and lots of Mora?" Klee asked curiously.
Kairo chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Yes—lots and lots."
"Wow! Then Klee's gonna go blow up more Whopperflowers next time!" she said, raising her tiny fists excitedly.
Fischl gave a soft cough, her violet eyes shimmering with intrigue as she smirked faintly.
"With such a precious specimen, even the sages of alchemy would covet it. Verily, fate smiles upon our journey this day."
Oz translated calmly: "Milady means, Kairo—you just got rich."
Kairo: "…"
"Let's go blow up some fish."
With the Whopperflower safely stored away, Kairo didn't waste any more time. He led the two girls toward the nearby riverbank—beginning Operation: Fishing by Explosion.
When they arrived at the stream in Starfell Valley, Klee instantly pulled out her bombs, eyes sparkling as she looked up at Kairo.
"Brother Kairo, can I start now?"
He couldn't help but laugh at her eager expression. "Go ahead—bomb away."
"Hehe! Then Klee's gonna make fireworks!"
BOOM!
A burst of flame lit up the sky as the bomb landed squarely in the middle of the river.
Water splashed high, mist rose—and several plump fish floated belly-up to the surface.
Klee clapped her hands gleefully and dashed over to scoop them up.
Fischl stood nearby, watching the little girl play so happily that the corners of her lips twitched.
"...To hunt creatures of the river with such methods—truly a marvel of ruthless efficiency."
Oz sighed again. "Milady means, this is a bit too violent."
Kairo stood by the bank, wooden bucket in hand, calmly collecting the fish that floated up one by one.
Meanwhile, Klee kept tossing bomb after bomb, sending ripples through the entire river.
At first, Fischl had felt slightly disapproving—but after seeing just how many fish floated up, she coughed lightly and walked over to pick up a fat one herself.
"...Since it is a gift bestowed by destiny, it would be discourteous to refuse."
Oz: "Milady means, she wants fish too."
Kairo: "......"
The "fish-bombing banquet" lasted until the sun dipped low.
By the time Klee was finally satisfied, her tiny backpack was stuffed full—fresh fish and gathered materials spilling out.
Her bombs, however, were completely gone.
"Alright, time to head back," Kairo said after glancing at the sunset. Today's outing had gone smoother than he could have hoped.
As the sun sank behind the distant peaks, the three of them walked along the familiar road toward Mondstadt.
The city's silhouette shimmered in the golden-red afterglow, peaceful and serene.
Klee skipped ahead, her small figure bouncing happily, two bulging sacks in hand and her face beaming.
"Brother Kairo, Klee's so happy today! We blew up so many fish!"
Kairo chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Yeah. Once we're back, I'll ask Sara at the Good Hunter to grill them for you."
"Yay~!"
Fischl walked beside them, arms folded and lips curled into a faint smile.
"...This journey, I must admit, was not without its charms."
Oz: "Milady means, she had fun too."
Kairo: "....."
Why didn't the system trigger a "happiness" reward this time?
Thinking of Seele's event rewards that still hadn't been triggered, Kairo frowned slightly.
Looks like the conditions weren't met yet...
As the three of them approached Mondstadt's glowing gates at dusk, the patrolling Knights of Favonius stood alert on duty.
And when the trio came into view—Kairo, Fischl, and Klee—
each carrying two bulging sacks...
Six sacks in total?!
The knights froze.
They had heard the rumors—
yesterday, Kairo had brought back four sacks of materials and sold them for over 600,000 Mora!
But today... there were six!
And they weren't even using a cart.
That meant every sack was full of high-value resources.
"T-This can't be real..." one knight muttered, eyes wide.
Kairo only smiled faintly and waved casually, leading the girls past them toward the Adventurers' Guild.
The knights exchanged stunned looks.
"...Their haul today is even crazier than yesterday's."
"Did they find some treasure vault or something?!"
"No clue—but I bet the Guild's gonna explode again tonight."
And explode it did.
When Kairo, Klee, and Fischl stepped into the Adventurers' Guild, the entire hall froze.
Dozens of adventurers turned to stare.
Then came the collective hiss of everyone sucking in a deep breath.
"Six sacks?!"
"Didn't he make over six hundred thousand Mora yesterday with just four?!"
"What the hell—is he farming treasure chests out there?!"
"I'm telling you, Kairo must've found a regenerating resource domain!"
The murmurs filled the hall.
One adventurer who'd made a bet earlier that day burst out laughing.
"Ha! Told you—his haul today would top yesterday's! Pay up, boys!"
His companions grimaced, clearly unwilling—but unable to argue as Klee happily began unloading the sacks.
Boom!
Windwheel Asters, Philanemo Mushrooms, Calla Lilies, Mist Flowers, Rare ores—
the counter was instantly buried under glittering materials.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Someone finally muttered weakly, "…I take back what I said."
Another adventurer groaned, rubbing his temples. "How does he do this?!"
Even Katheryne blinked in surprise before quickly regaining her composure.
"...Please wait a moment while I calculate your payment."
The guild was soon buzzing again—but before anyone could calm down, Kairo opened his own bag and dropped something heavy on the counter.
A faint chill filled the air.
It was the intact corpse of the Cryo Whopperflower.
"What the—!"
The entire guild went silent again.
Katheryne's eyes widened. "This is…?"
"Cryo Whopperflower," Kairo replied evenly.
That calm tone only made the surrounding adventurers more shocked.
"Are you kidding me? That's a living elemental monster!"
"Nobody in Mondstadt has ever killed a Whopperflower and brought back the whole body!"
"Even Mr. Albedo probably doesn't have a sample like that!"
Someone gasped. "And look—the scorch marks! Don't tell me Klee did that?!"
"It's impossible! Those things decay almost instantly after death—how's it still intact?!"
Another adventurer swallowed hard. "That thing's… priceless."
Katheryne took a deep breath to steady herself.
Six sacks of resources were already astonishing—
but this? This was the true bombshell.
She spoke solemnly, "This Cryo Whopperflower specimen is beyond the Guild's appraisal ability. I will immediately contact Mr. Albedo to see if he can provide a proper valuation."
Kairo nodded. "Alright."
Keeping it served him no purpose, and the Guild was the safest intermediary.
After all, most Mondstadt merchants were nobles or their lackeys—selling through them was unwise.
If anyone would want this specimen, it was an alchemist.
And in Mondstadt, none were more skilled than Albedo.
Soon, Katheryne completed the rest of the calculations—
the six sacks of resources totaled 920,000 Mora!
Even more than yesterday's 600,000.
The adventurers watching nearly wept from jealousy.
As for the Whopperflower corpse, its price would have to wait for Albedo's inspection.
Kairo didn't seem to care, taking the Mora calmly and saying, "Also, please check on my custom sword order. I'm willing to pay extra for a rush job."
Katheryne nodded seriously. "Understood."
And with that, under countless stunned gazes, Kairo, Fischl, and Klee left the Guild.
"Kairo must've found a hidden resource domain."
"Yeah—there's no way he's just collecting stuff like this every day."
"Maybe it's a secret realm with renewable materials!"
"Or maybe… he found a Seelie that led him there."
The last comment made several adventurers freeze.
That explanation... actually made sense.
While the hall buzzed with speculation, Katheryne's assistant was already hurrying to contact Albedo.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Mondstadt—
on the second floor of a certain building—
three elite Fatui agents stood by a window, gazing toward the Adventurers' Guild.
"Kurter and his team went missing," one of them said coldly.
"They mentioned seeking out a certain genius swordsman before they vanished.
Do you think their disappearance might be related to him?"
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