"Hurry, hurry! We must finish this before those four big shots go to Liyue!"
The Pyro Abyss Mage Leader's voice was tense and strained as it waved its staff, directing the last batch of Blazing Axe Mitachurls to charge forward.
This area had already been shielded by their magic, so no matter how much noise they made, Mondstadt City wouldn't notice.
Except for that witch, but it was her rest time now, and she would be unguarded, so there was no need to worry.
These Abyss Mages chose to ambush at Starsnatch Cliff Lake precisely because they heard those four scourges had gone to Liyue.
But they never dreamed that just dealing with this little one was already a struggle for their lives.
"Boom boom boom—!"
Klee's Jumpty Dumpties bloomed into brilliant fireworks among the monster horde.
In the sun-like explosions, the Hilichurls were sent flying in all directions like kicked pebbles.
Little Klee leaned against a big tree, her red backpack seemingly an endless source of bombs; each one she pulled out made the monsters collectively retreat three steps.
"No! How many bombs does she even have?!"
The Cryo Abyssal Mage's shield was shattered, and it watched in horror as its companions were blown into stars in the sky.
"Is this reasonable?!"
A ruthless glint flashed in the Pyro Abyss Mage Leader's eyes: "Damn it! In that case..."
It pulled out a Jumpy Dumpty Bomb glowing with a dangerous red light from its robe—this was a "trophy" its team had painstakingly dug up from Windrise at a heavy cost.
"Boss, think twice!"
The surviving Abyss Mages all recoiled simultaneously.
"The ashes of the last test-firing team haven't even cooled yet!"
This bomb was a "sample" they had barely stabilized by sacrificing six companions—
The first mage who tried to dismantle it instantly turned into fireworks;
The second who tried to probe it with elemental power was Vaporized, person and shield alike;
The worst was the third; he merely sneezed at the bomb and... "Die!"
The Pyro Abyss Mage desperately raised the bomb, adopting a throwing posture—
"Eh?"
It suddenly found its hands empty.
The bomb had vanished at some point, leaving only a few wisps of smoke lingering on its fingertips.
"Who are you trying to mess with...?"
A deep voice came from behind, and the entire battlefield instantly fell so silent that one could hear the trembling "gugugu" sounds of Slimes.
The Pyro Abyss Mage stiffly turned its head, and what met its eyes were four massive, masked figures—
Jesse's mask reflected a cold light, and he was juggling that Jumpy Dumpty Bomb in his hand;
Elliot's folding stool was already pressed against its occiput;
Zane silently pulled out an RPG, aiming at all escape routes;
Matt was cracking his knuckles with a displeased expression... "I surrender..."
The Pyro Abyss Mage tremblingly pulled out a white flag.
"Even if you surrender, we'll still beat you! Shine!!! x 4"
What followed was Teyvat's version of a "Monster Battle Royale":
Jesse used the bomb as a baseball, hitting the Cryo Abyssal Mage flying with one swing;
Elliot's folding stool danced with afterimages, smashing a Blazing Axe Mitachurl into the Ley Line;
Zane's single shot skewered three Pyro Mages;
Matt directly picked up a Ruin Guard and used it as a bowling ball, knocking away the remaining minions... "Aoh hou hou hou!"
This was the Pyro Mage blown into the sky;
"Aoh aoh aoh!"
This was the Hilichurl Chieftain flattened by a folding stool;
"Ya yi!"
This was the Electro Mage electrocuted into a neon sign by the thunder hammer... Klee sat on a tree branch, swinging her little legs, clapping happily: "Honorary Knight big brother is amazing!"
Five minutes later.
When Lumine and Paimon arrived at the scene panting, they only saw monsters with white flags stuck all over the ground—they had been arranged to spell out "I'm sorry."
Four Hilichurls were teaching Klee to play tic-tac-toe with bombs, the board assembled from Ruin Guard fragments.
"Are we late?"
Paimon poked the Pyro Mage, whose entire upper body was stuck in the ground.
Lumine looked at the battlefield, which had been transformed into a playground, and silently sheathed her sword: "Next time... maybe it's better to let them make the first move..."
"Wait for me..."
Mona clutched her waist, limping her way forward, the tree branch serving as her cane emitting a strained "crack."
Her Astrological Hat was askew, and her star-spangled stockings were covered in grass clippings, making her look like a wounded soldier just returned from battle.
"Ah! It's Honorary Knight big sister and Paimon!"
Klee's big eyes instantly lit up, she dropped the bomb checkers she was playing with, and her small red figure dashed towards Lumine like a gust of wind.
Lumine skillfully caught the little cannonball and ruffled her fluffy golden hair: "Good to see you again, Klee."
She glanced at the Hilichurls and Abyss Mages lying all over the ground, adding: "It seems you've been very 'diligent' today too."
Mona painstakingly walked up to Klee, examining the little one smelling of gunpowder: "So you're the heir..."
Her gaze swept over the still-smoking bomb craters around them.
"Her fighting style is nothing like a witch, but this destructive power... it's exactly like Alice."
"You know my mom?!"
Klee suddenly jumped up as if electrocuted, her small hands clutching Mona's clothes tightly, her eyes sparkling like stars.
Mona was startled by the sudden enthusiasm, almost spraining her waist again: "Um... I was entrusted by my master..."
She rubbed her faintly aching tailbone.
"To retrieve that... box from the fifty-year agreement?"
"Box?"
Klee tilted her head, thought for a few seconds, then suddenly started rummaging through her small backpack.
All sorts of strange things gushed out like a fountain: dancing Dodocos, automatic igniters, half-finished bombs, and even a sleepy Wagtail...
"Not this one..."
"Not this one either..."
"No, no, this isn't it either..."
As Klee rummaged, the items on the ground quickly piled up into a small mountain.
Paimon curiously poked a bubbling purple liquid, but Jesse immediately picked her up: "Don't touch it! That's concentrated elemental potion!"
"Ah! I remember now!"
Klee suddenly slapped her head.
"I hid it at Windrise!"
With that, she darted out like a small cannonball, leaving only a string of cheerful footsteps.
"I'll go check, you guys wait here."
Zane chased after her, carrying his thunder hammer, the weeds along the way automatically parting to make way.
The remaining people exchanged glances.
Mona looked at the scattered backpack, books, and Dodocos on the ground, sighing helplessly: "Seeing her so clumsy, I really worry what might happen to the box..."
"Relax~"
Elliot pulled out a vacuum cleaner from nowhere and began to clean up the mess.
"Klee is a master at hiding things! Last time she hid the Brig key in Jean's teapot, and no one found it for a whole week..."
A loud "boom" came from Windrise in the distance, followed by Zane's strained voice: "Klee! Those are Whopperflowers and Dendro Slimes! Not the box!"
Mona's Astrolabe suddenly spun wildly, displaying an omen of [Great Misfortune].
She tremblingly looked towards the direction of the explosion: "What exactly is in that box...?"