"However, this thing probably has limited uses."
In the next second, Kael realized that the power sealed within the Light Cone likely wasn't a renewable resource.
Use it once, lose a bit of power.
With a thought, Kael stored the Light Cone.
With a slight flick of his finger, the thin slice of light slipped into his pocket.
A faint smile played on his lips as he walked briskly toward his home.
The night breeze brushed gently over the streets, scattering the scent of malt from the taverns and bringing the unique warmth and tranquility of Mondstadt's night.
This harvest was richer than imagined.
The appearance of the Light Cone gave him more confidence.
At least in the face of unexpected danger, he had extra insurance.
As long as he used it properly, this power of the Path of Abundance would become a major aid.
Not just for healing injuries.
It might even turn the tide at a critical moment.
Thinking of this, Kael's mood improved.
As for Svarog's gaze... it didn't matter.
It did him no harm anyway.
While Kael was thinking this...
On the other side.
Inside the Adventurers' Guild.
In the appraisal room where Albedo was working.
Before the dissected Whopperflower corpse.
A crystal mirror formed of Geo elemental power hovered quietly in the center of the room.
The image reflected in the mirror was a certain street in Mondstadt.
And Kael's figure was clearly reflected in it.
Standing in front of the mirror, Albedo narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful look in his golden pupils.
The Geo mirror he condensed could briefly capture distant scenes.
When he dissected the Whopperflower and felt that incredibly rich aura of destruction...
He thought of observing Kael secretly.
But as soon as he found Kael, he inadvertently saw the Fatui approaching him.
"Strange."
Albedo murmured, his eyes flickering slightly.
Although the mirror formed by Alchemy and Geo power could see what he wanted, it couldn't hear the conversation.
Although he didn't hear the specific content of their discussion...
Just based on the Fatui's style, their appearance was enough to warrant vigilance.
Moreover, Kael was just an adventurer. Why would the Fatui target him?
Even approaching him personally?
This could not be ignored.
And the interaction between the two parties... didn't seem unfamiliar?
Albedo's fingertip slid gently, and the image in the mirror flickered.
Then it slowly dimmed and finally returned to silence.
Albedo withdrew his hand, frowning, pondering the possible situation.
The Fatui elites died in the streets of Mondstadt earlier, suspected to be the work of the Abyss Order.
But Kael and Klee were together, and they brought back a Whopperflower corpse that reeked of that same Destruction aura.
Everything seemed to prove that Kael had a relationship with the Abyss Order.
But according to the Abyss Order's style, they wouldn't look at ordinary people.
The Abyss Order wasn't the type to recruit geniuses upon seeing them.
Or does Kael hide some unknown secret?
Regardless, this was not something that could be easily ignored.
After pondering for a moment, Albedo finally made a decision.
Go to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.
He needed to find Klee.
If he wanted to know more about the destruction aura, he might find some clues from Klee.
Although Klee was innocent, she often inadvertently came into contact with things others couldn't detect.
Besides, she had been very close to Kael recently.
He could ask Klee.
Thinking of this, Albedo hesitated no longer. He turned, pushed open the door, and left.
In the corridor outside, members of the Adventurers' Guild were discussing today's amazing harvest in low voices.
When they saw Albedo walking out of the appraisal room, surprise appeared on their faces.
"Mr. Albedo is out already? Did he get the result?"
"I wonder how much that Whopperflower corpse is worth. For an alchemist, it must be priceless, right?"
"Definitely. The Mora won't be small, and Mr. Albedo won't be stingy. He might even give alchemy potions."
"So envious."
Thinking of the Whopperflower corpse Kael brought back, the adventurers present were full of envy.
They were already sour enough about Kael bringing out sacks of resources.
And now he brought back a rare Whopperflower corpse.
"The evaluation result is out. I'll handle it when I come back. I'm going to the Knights of Favonius first."
At this time, Albedo spoke to Katheryne while walking out.
Katheryne nodded.
Night enveloped Mondstadt, and lights flickered on the streets.
The Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius was still brightly lit in this quiet night.
Albedo walked steadily through the corridor.
The familiar stone floor echoed slightly under his footsteps.
Familiar with the way, he arrived at Klee's room. Outside the door, he could faintly hear "Bang Bang" sounds coming from inside, mixed with the girl's excited muttering.
Undoubtedly, Klee was fully focused on making her favorite "Klee-style Surprise"—Bombs.
Albedo frowned slightly and raised his hand to knock.
But before he could push the door open, a faint smell of gunpowder and a strong scent of sulfur wafted out from the crack.
Albedo fell silent.
She shouldn't be tinkering with gunpowder in her room, right?
"Klee."
Albedo spoke, pushing open the half-closed door.
The scene before him made him pause.
Klee's room was in chaos.
The floor was covered with gunpowder materials.
Metal casings of various sizes, explosive powder, fuses, small jars of various colors...
These items occupied almost the entire table and floor.
Klee was sitting at the small table in the center of the room, holding a delicate small bomb, excitedly installing a fuse.
Her face, arms, and even her red cloak were stained with gunpowder residue.
She looked like she had just crawled out of an explosion site, pitch black.
But this bit of dirt didn't seem to affect her interest at all; instead, it made her smile even brighter.
"Mm-hmm~!"
"Another super bomb for Klee is almost done!"
Klee squeezed the bomb in her hand excitedly, her face full of pride.
However, in the next second.
She noticed Albedo standing at the door. The bomb in her hand almost fell to the ground.
"Big Brother Albedo?!"
Klee widened her eyes, stunned for a moment.
Then she immediately smiled, jumped excitedly twice, and trotted up to Albedo.
She pulled Albedo's sleeve, blinking those expectant red eyes.
"Big Brother Albedo, why are you here? Aren't you busy?"
Klee tilted her head and asked.
Albedo looked down at the little guy with a black face in front of him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
His gaze swept over the chaotic scene in the room, and the thought "If I ignore her, the entire Knights of Favonius Headquarters will be blown up tomorrow" instantly floated in his mind.
After pondering for a moment, just as he was about to speak, Klee started chattering on her own:
"Oh, Big Brother Albedo, you came just in time!"
"Klee has too few bombs today!"
"I wanted to make more, but the gunpowder ratio feels a bit off... Klee wants to bring lots of bombs tomorrow."
Klee said while shaking Albedo's arm, her voice milky and full of expectation: "Big Brother Albedo, if you're not busy, can you help Klee make more bombs?"
Albedo: "..."
"Let me see your bomb."
As Albedo spoke, he picked up Klee's bomb and felt it.
In an instant, Albedo discovered that this was just an ordinary bomb.
It didn't have that aura of destruction from before at all.
For a time, Albedo fell into deep thought.
Klee and Kael were close.
And Klee's bombs were linked to that strange aura of destruction.
He needed to figure out if it was a coincidence or if there was something else going on.
Thinking of this, Albedo sighed softly.
Looking at Klee, who was looking at him expectantly, Albedo raised his hand and rubbed Klee's soft golden hair, smiling faintly. "We'll talk about the bombs later. Let me ask you a few questions first."
Hearing that the bombs could be "discussed later," Klee instantly became happy. Her small face was full of expectation, and she nodded obediently. "Okay!"
"Today, the Adventurers' Guild sent me a Whopperflower corpse. Ms. Katheryne told me you brought it back. Did you guys take care of this Whopperflower?"
Albedo asked directly.
"Yeah."
Hearing Albedo's words, Klee nodded without thinking. "Klee bombed it! Klee threw several bombs and blew that bad monster down!"
Albedo watched Klee quietly, his golden eyes flickering slightly.
His gaze fell on this excited Klee.
Seeing her proudly admit "Klee bombed it" without any defense, Albedo didn't show any surprise.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke thoughtfully.
"Klee."
Albedo's tone was gentle, but his gaze was a bit more serious. "Are you sure... it was just ordinary bombs?"
Klee froze, blinking, her small head tilting slightly. "Eh? Yeah, just the bombs Klee always uses."
Albedo sighed lightly, gestured in the air with his finger, quickly simulating a scene in his mind.
"Ordinary bombs, even Pyro bombs, can indeed cause great damage to a Whopperflower."
Albedo said slowly, "But the problem is, a Whopperflower is a mimicry monster, especially a Cryo Whopperflower. Its elemental resistance is extremely high."
"Pure Pyro attacks are not enough to blast it into that state in a short time."
"The outer layer of a special Whopperflower's petals has a strong resistance, capable of withstanding explosion impacts for a short time. With your control of the Pyro Vision, you couldn't have made the Whopperflower look that miserable."
Speaking of this, his gaze lowered slightly, staring into Klee's eyes, and said slowly, "So, your bombs... are unusual."
Hearing Albedo's words, Klee's heart skipped a beat.
She clenched her small hands, trying to look nonchalant, but her expression stiffened for a second.
Albedo observed her reaction calmly and continued, "And, not just this Whopperflower. The bomb explosion at Cider Lake before... the power was far beyond ordinary."
"I made that bomb myself."
Albedo whispered, a trace of certainty in his tone. "I can be very sure that its original power was far from reaching that level."
Klee's small face instantly crumpled. Her mouth opened slightly, but she didn't know what to say.
She admitted to the Cider Lake bomb.
She was even locked up in solitary confinement for a day.
Big Brother Albedo discovered this too.
"Was your bomb... modified by someone?"
Albedo continued to ask, his voice still calm and very gentle.
Klee immediately wrinkled her small face.
Big Brother Albedo is so smart. He analyzed the reason just like that.
Seeing Klee's face, Albedo nodded gently, having a guess in his heart.
Klee's bombs were related to Kael.
Thinking of this, Albedo asked softly, "Is it related to Kael?"
As soon as this sentence came out, Klee's heart jumped violently, and her pupils contracted slightly.
Klee's face instantly became more panicked.
Her small hands subconsciously went behind her back, her toes drawing circles on the ground uneasily.
Like a child who did something wrong, she didn't dare to look at Albedo's eyes at all.
Her silence confirmed the answer for Albedo.
"It really is him."
Albedo sighed lightly, seemingly having expected it, but the contemplation between his brows deepened.
He straightened up, the smile on his face fading a bit, and his tone became more serious. "Klee, Mondstadt City is very dangerous recently, do you know?"
"Eh?"
Klee looked up abruptly, full of confusion. "Dangerous?"
"Because the successive explosion auras have already attracted Grand Master Jean's attention."
"And the bomb traces at Starfall Lake made Kaeya go there directly to investigate."
Albedo said slowly, scrutinizing the changes in Klee's expression. "Eula also sent a message."
"Bi-Big Brother Kaeya?!"
Klee was stunned.
"En." Albedo nodded, his expression grave. "The impact of this matter is more serious than you think."
"If the power of the bomb goes out of control, it might hurt a lot of people."
"And Mondstadt... too many people have noticed this."
"Ah?"
Hearing this, Klee scratched her head, confused. "Bombs... is it really that serious?"
Isn't it just a bomb?
How could it attract people's attention?
I just wanted the bomb to be more powerful to bomb fish. I never thought it would affect so many people.
"I don't mean to blame you."
"And these are very obvious signs."
"You don't need to feel like hiding information, because hiding it is meaningless."
"Because Kael doesn't care. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left the residual aura after the explosion untreated."
"I just want to understand the situation... and how to invite him to join the Knights of Favonius."
"Can you tell me how you met Kael?"
Seeing the confused Klee, Albedo rubbed his brow. "As far as I know, he is a genius swordsman of Mondstadt, from the Adventurers' Guild. How did you interact with him?"
"It was outside Mondstadt City. Klee was surrounded by Hilichurls and wolves."
Hearing Albedo's words, Klee scratched her head. "Then I met Big Brother Kael. Big Brother Kael's swordsmanship is very powerful. He solved the wolf pack in a few moves. Klee thinks... his swordsmanship is even more powerful than Master Jean's."
"Swordsmanship more powerful than Master Jean?"
Hearing Klee's words, surprise flashed in Albedo's eyes.
He looked at Klee suspiciously.
Real or fake?
But thinking that Klee wouldn't lie to him, and Kael's reputation, this explanation made sense.
He didn't expect Kael to have saved Klee once.
"Then Big Brother Kael helped Klee, and Klee took Big Brother Kael to Starfall Lake to bomb fish."
"After Klee's bombs passed through Big Brother Kael's hands, they became very, very powerful."
Speaking of this, Klee hesitated. Thinking that Kael didn't ask her to hide it, and Big Brother Albedo had already investigated this far...
It seems... taking the initiative to say it isn't impossible.
Immediately, she whispered, "Then Klee pestered Big Brother Kael to help make Klee's bombs more powerful."
"Just as I speculated."
Hearing Klee's words, Albedo nodded gently, not surprised.
He had already deduced this.
He just wanted to verify it with Klee.
Thinking of the power of that bomb, Albedo continued to ask, "Then how did he do it? Is it convenient to say? It doesn't matter if it's inconvenient."
"I got the Whopperflower corpse and I need to buy it from him."
"The Whopperflower corpse is of great value. I definitely want to meet him and chat. I can ask him then."
"Umm... Big Brother Kael just touched it."
Hearing Albedo's words, Klee scratched her head. "He didn't really do anything."
Albedo: "????"