As a Ruin Guard slowly emerged from the ruins, Bonanus's pale, soft hands gradually transformed into a pair of massive, razor-sharp claws.
"Venti, I don't think you should be telling me this. You should tell Rex Lapis. Good luck~" Bonanus stuck out her tongue playfully.
Venti didn't respond. He yawned lazily and silently thought to himself that he would have to be out of his mind to bring that up with the old man.
He shook his head helplessly, wearing a lazy, sleepy expression as he watched Bonanus prepare to act.
"Make it quick and clean. Thanks to you, most monsters have been too scared to show their faces lately." Venti smiled.
"And soon, you'll be able to go home. I'll actually miss you a little."
"Maybe if you bribed me with enough Mora, I might stay." Bonanus joked.
With that, she took a deep breath and charged at the Ruin Guard without hesitation, leaving a trail of afterimages behind her.
Swish!
The piercing sound of wind breaking echoed through the area. Her left hand drove deep into the Ruin Guard's eye—its core.
Crack!
The core was ripped out forcefully. The moment it was removed, the Ruin Guard's body convulsed, electricity crackling around it.
With a series of sparks, the Ruin Guard slowly collapsed and fell silent.
It all happened so fast that the Ruin Guard never even had a chance to fight back. If it had any intelligence, it would probably be very confused right now.
"Another big one bites the dust." Bonanus muttered. She looked at the core in her hand, expressionless, and stored it in her space.
She wasn't sure what use these materials would have, but she believed they would come in handy someday.
"Your speed is incredible. You've improved a lot. I'd say you're not far behind that Conqueror of Demons in Liyue Harbor." Venti floated over with an intrigued smile.
"You're overestimating me. Alatus is the fastest among the five Yakshas." Bonanus shook her head.
"Have a little confidence in yourself. Besides, sometimes being too fast isn't always a good thing." Venti said with a cryptic smile.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Bonanus's slow mind didn't quite catch the hidden meaning.
What was wrong with being fast? It meant you could finish enemies cleanly. How was that bad?
She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it. She put the lollipop back in her mouth and ran her tongue over it gently.
So sweet!
The sweet lollipop brought a smile to her face. Candy really was the best thing in the world.
She loved it so much.
...
While Bonanus was happily enjoying her lollipop, back in Liyue Harbor, Xiao, who had been drinking with his brothers, suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo!" Xiao rubbed his nose, looking confused. He couldn't possibly catch a cold.
Bosacius and Menogias, sitting across from him, looked over in confusion. Why the sneeze?
"Alatus, you're not sick, are you? That would be strange." Bosacius scratched the back of his head.
Menogias nodded as well. It was the first time they had seen Alatus sneeze.
"It's nothing. Sister Bonanus is probably thinking about me." Xiao said casually.
Bosacius and Menogias exchanged glances. They couldn't believe such a narcissistic comment had come out of Alatus's mouth.
Hey, Alatus, your cool image is crumbling!
But the topic didn't last long. Soon, they moved on to other things.
...
Back to Bonanus
"You really like sweets." Venti rested his chin on his hand, making small talk.
"Of course. Sweet things make me forget my worries. I think you should drink less and eat more sweets." Bonanus replied casually.
One thing to note, though. Sweet foods might bring joy, but diabetics were a different story.
"Come on, you're thousands of years old. How can you not appreciate the beauty of wine?" Venti sighed dramatically. Wine was wonderful.
"You mean the beauty of getting so drunk you throw up all over your bed?" Bonanus rolled her eyes. A drunkard is a drunkard. No excuses.
"Sigh... you'll understand someday." Venti shook his head. But then his expression turned serious.
"My old friend is coming. I have to go." His voice carried a hint of sadness.
"Is it Dvalin? Do you need help?" Bonanus looked at him seriously. It was the first time she had seen Venti like this.
He was usually so carefree. Dvalin's situation must have been weighing heavily on him.
"No. And whatever you do, don't follow me. He'll get upset." With that, Venti vanished.
Why would Dvalin get upset if Bonanus followed? Because Dvalin was on edge lately, and with the poisonous spike lodged in him, having an extra person with Venti would make him think they were there to hunt him.
He was a sensitive child.
Watching Venti leave, Bonanus sighed. It looked like the main story was about to begin.
If nothing went wrong, the cute little sister would arrive in Mondstadt today and, after a series of events, become an Honorary Knight.
Just thinking about it made her curious. Would the cute little sister actually speak?
"Looks like today's monster hunt is ending early." Bonanus's claws transformed back into delicate pale hands. She touched her own cheek.
"Time to head back." With that, she hurried toward Mondstadt.
As she ran, memories flooded her mind.
She knew that today, Stormterror would attack Mondstadt. During the chaos, restless monsters would also take the chance to strike again.
She could help the Knights repel another attack. It would boost her reputation and earn her some karmic debt at the same time.
But the Knights opposed her actions. After all, she was a foreigner in Mondstadt.
They appreciated her help, but they wanted to handle things themselves. They needed to establish a strong image in the people's eyes.
But Bonanus let their concerns go in one ear and out the other. She wasn't about to miss a chance to earn karmic debt.
Still, she would listen just a little, since she wasn't the type to make things difficult for others.
That put the Knights in a tough spot. If she were an ordinary person, they could give her an honorary title, which would mean she belonged to the Knights.
Unfortunately, they couldn't. It all depended on the Acting Grand Master.
As for how such a capable merchant could be knocked out by a group of Hilichurls? Bonanus had already thought of an excuse. No need to worry about that.
And the people of Mondstadt weren't the type to pry into others' affairs, so it wasn't a big issue.
...
Mondstadt City
Dark clouds loomed over the city. The wind howled, slamming against people as if trying to blow them away. Panic filled the air.
The Knights stood watch, alert and ready. They knew Stormterror was coming.