Upon seeing the name Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Orion's gradually smoothing brain started to ponder many things.
Firstly, if Greater Lord Rukkhadevata appeared here, would it spread Eleazar? But it should be fine, as long as she stayed by his side, there wouldn't be any problems.
So, for a long time, he had been swinging Greater Lord Rukkhadevata around, knocking things about outside? And almost gave it to Lisa to carve into a Catalyst?
"She shouldn't have consciousness, right?"
[Status: Ashamed, Curious, Confused]
It's over.
But it seemed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself didn't know why she appeared here, and in the form of a large tree branch.
Should I just pretend not to know?
Albedo saw Orion standing still for a long time and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did you find something amiss?"
"No, no! It's perfectly fine!" Orion quickly put away Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Sorry, Sister Lisa, your Catalyst is gone.
Xiangling had already obtained the ingredients, so there was no need for the three of them to stay in such a desolate place like the snowy mountains. After bidding farewell to Albedo, the three left.
Albedo did not try to make them stay. As long as the people around him were not in danger, whether or not someone accompanied him was irrelevant.
"Orion."
From afar, Albedo called out Orion's name.
Seeing Orion turn his head, Albedo continued, "If you have time, you can go see Sucrose. She's very interested in your alchemy."
Orion gave Albedo an OK gesture, then turned and walked down the mountain... After descending the snowy mountain, Xiangling and Mona visibly relaxed a lot.
Next was returning to Springvale for the competition. Orion simply picked up the two girls and ran towards Springvale. Not having to worry about being frozen to death by the cold wind made things much easier.
There was nothing much to say about the subsequent competition; Xiangling won.
As for how she won, originally there were only four judges, but someone recognized Orion as an Honorary Priest and insisted that Orion also serve as a judge. Orion initially wanted to avoid suspicion, but after tasting the dishes of the two contestants, he decisively voted for Xiangling.
"Do you know why you lost?" Orion leaned his hands on the table, covering his mouth as he asked Brock.
Brock bowed respectfully, "Please enlighten me."
Orion speared a piece of meat with a wooden fork: "You added sugar, didn't you?"
"Your Excellency is perceptive."
"How many spoonfuls did you add?"
"Exactly three spoonfuls."
The answer was self-evident.
Orion earnestly told him, "Remember, for sugar, either add two spoonfuls or four spoonfuls, but never, ever add just three spoonfuls!"
Mona shook her head beside him, listening, "Are you crazy? Who teaches people to cook like that? If anyone believes that, I'll eat all the remaining meat!"
No sooner had she spoken than she saw all the Springvale villagers looking at Orion with admiration.
"So that's how it is! I'll definitely change it next time I cook!"
"Although this is the first time I've heard of such a rule, since Honorary Priest says so, there must be a reason."
"What he said is right!"
Mona:...Beside them, Xiangling's voice also came over: "I see, is there such a rule? I'll make a note of it, no three spoonfuls of sugar."
Mona:...A bunch of divinely mad people... The cooking time ended, and the sun was about to set. Orion led Xiangling and Mona towards Mondstadt City.
According to the original story, Mona should have met little Klee just as she was about to enter the city. Then, Mona, recognizing Klee's identity, would be greatly disappointed, thinking how could such a small child have learned such profound magic? She would then learn from Klee that Klee had taken the box containing Mona's master's important items to store jumpy dumpty bombs, and had even buried it.
Traveler would accompany Klee to retrieve the box, while Mona stayed at the entrance, reading a book from Klee's backpack. However, when Klee returned, she would say that the book Mona was reading was the original item in the box, which Klee had taken out.
And that book was filled with Mona's master's dark history. Mona, knowing too much, dared not return to her master and could only rent a house in Mondstadt by herself.
So, the problem arose.
Mona had arrived early, gone to the snowy mountains with him and Xiangling, and participated in the competition. Could she really still catch up with Klee?
Orion was already thinking about how to get Mona to stay to complete the task when a small, fiery red figure suddenly ran out of Mondstadt City.
Orion was startled. Isn't that little Klee? Why is she running so anxiously?
"Klee!" Orion called out to Klee. Klee heard the familiar voice and looked around, indeed seeing Orion and the other two in the distance.
Klee quickly ran over, grabbed Orion without a word, and ran into the forest. Mona and Xiangling exchanged glances and followed.
Then, the three saw the Acting Grand Master Jean, covered in dark aura and with red eyes, running past.
Orion covered his face: "Klee, did you escape?"
Klee made a shushing gesture and whispered, "Acting Grand Master Jean reviewed our battle to stop the big bad dragon and found that my jumpy dumpty bombs had been improved. She wants to confiscate them all! I don't want to give them to Acting Grand Master Jean, so I ran out with them!"
Xiangling seemed to be charmed by Klee, squatting down to hug Klee and rub against her, even pinching Klee's little cheek. Klee was used to being treated this way, and moreover, Xiangling gave her a handful of candy, which she happily accepted.
Orion said to Mona, "This is the person you're looking for, the daughter of the witch Alice."
"Ah? So small?" Mona was first shocked, then her mood quickly dropped: "Then I can't even compete, can I?"
However, she quickly cheered up, squatted down, her figure gracefully curved.
Mona also reached out and pinched Klee's little cheek, saying softly, "Little Klee, did your mother give you a delicate box, saying someone would come to retrieve it later?"
Klee happily raised the box in her hand: "It's this one! This box is so pretty!"
Mona also happily took the box. Upon opening it, she found several small, round dolls inside.
Mona wondered, "What are these?"
"These are my enhanced jumpy dumpty bombs. I want to bury them in the forest so Acting Grand Master Jean won't find them."
Mona clicked the box shut again, still a bit shaken: "These bombs won't suddenly explode, will they?"
Klee waved her small hand: "No, no!"
Orion also explained that they would only explode when Klee's Elemental Skill detonated them. Only then did Mona relax and ask Klee, "Little Klee, this isn't what was originally in the box, is it? Where's the original item?"
Klee took off her huge backpack, rummaged through it, and finally pulled out a book: "It's this!"
Mona took the book, and the mission was successfully completed.
However, Orion's mission was not completed.
But at this point, Mona probably wouldn't have the chance to read the contents. It seemed he would have to find another way.
Just then, Xiangling, who was beside them, suddenly spoke, "Wow! Mona's master, wouldn't that make her an even more amazing astrologist? Those things inside wouldn't be like magical techniques in a family cookbook, would they?"
Mona suddenly froze, then her face lit up with ecstasy!
It's very possible!
Under Orion's shocked gaze, she immediately opened the book to check! One page, two pages, three pages... fifteen pages. Mona slammed the book shut with a bang, her expression calm.
"Isn't this just the old hag's dark history?"
With a "ding," Orion's mission was 90% complete, only needing to help Mona find a rental house to avoid Barbeloth's scrutiny.
It really is you, Mona, always getting yourself into desperate situations!
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