– Jean –

"They've caught him doing what?" She had to do a double-take after hearing that one, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. "A-are you sure?"

"That's what they told me, and I'm just as shocked as you are" Kaeya responded, rubbing his temples. "I'm surprised the guy went along with it considering how shameful that woman acted according to the report. If anything, he seemed into it even."

"...I-I see…" She muttered, taking a sip.

…Out of all the things she expected from this growing threat, fucking random women in dark alleys was not something she thought she'd hear, because as far as she knew, he knew that the knights were tailing him, even if he didn't act on it at all.

Well, he did somehow lose them and end up on the other side of the city yesterday, which was all the more worrying, but she couldn't guarantee that he was fully aware of what she was doing. It made him more unpredictable and mysterious.

Meaning more stress for poor Jean.

But why was he okay with being watched like that? Didn't he value his privacy or something? He could've taken the woman back to the tavern and done the deed there, but no, he had to make a show for her knights.

A part of her thought that this was all an elaborate plan to mess with her, to make her feel unsafe and worried for no real reason, but that couldn't be it. All of this just for his own entertainment? That would be utterly deranged. Did he expect her to believe that?

Regardless, she didn't know if having sex with women in the streets like that was a fluke or part of his character, but at least it wasn't that bad of an act. Much better than him just killing someone or something along those lines.

"At least we can arrest him for public indecency." Kaeya offered.

"The one who needs arresting is the woman for sexually assaulting him." Jean shakes her head. "If we're being technical. She started it, after all."

"True enough. The men did say she'd practically forced herself on him. I don't know what Crimson did to her to make her feel like this." Her subordinate shook his head with a sigh. "Though, they told me something strange that I thought you might be interested in."

"That is?" Jean frowned, leaning forward.

"I'm not sure what he meant by it–" He answered. "But for some reason, he called the woman 'Barbatos'."

Jean visibly froze, her blood running cold at the new information. No, that couldn't be true. There is no way that he of all people would let someone as dangerous as that man near him. For as foolish as liked to act, he wasn't stupid enough to let his guard down like that.

"Now I'm all for believing in freedom and whatever, but isn't that considered blasphemy? Barbatos isn't even a woman," Kaeya rubbed his chin in thought, "Can we arrest him for that?"

"What does the woman look like?" Jean ignored his question, keeping her cool.

"Hm? Braided dark hair fading to blue-green, green eyes…" He answered, recalling what he read in the report. "Looks oddly similar to Venti. Does the bard have relatives I didn't know about?"

Jean wanted to tear her hair out and scream as her subordinate basically confirmed her worst fears. Their most powerful trump card, the literal god of this region, was fucking possibly the biggest threat Mondstadt has had in centuries.

What was this? What kind of twisted joke was fate playing on them? How did it even come to that point? Great, what the hell was she supposed to be doing now that fucking Barbatos was consensually getting dicked down by a potential psycho dragon?

And it wasn't some normal swings with someone random from the tavern like she was used to hearing. Venti looked for him specifically like a twice-damned drug addict if what Kaeya said was true. This was not good. Not good at all.

And that wasn't all, but the fact that Crimson had called him, or her in this case, by her true name means he knew full well just who he was fucking, and was very confident in doing so like it was another boring Monday for him. Was this part of his plan? Flexing that he's gotten the god they worship worshipping his dick?

What was he trying to do?

Could this situation get any worse? Oh who was she kidding, of course it could. They'd lost their Archon to his cock. 'God of Freedom' she says. Jean knew that the little bastard was too lazy to govern over her people and lost a considerable amount of her powers because of it.

Maybe if she had taken it seriously, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Both she and Kaeya flinched as the cup in her hand cracked from how tight her grip on it was. Jean quickly took a breath before wiping the table with a handkerchief, trying to calm her nerves in the face of terrible news.

"My apologies, Kaeya." She said.

"No, it's fine." He frowned in suspicion. "Are you alright, Grandmaster? You've been in the office for two days in a row. It's not exactly healthy."

"I am alright." She responded robotically, trying to come up with a plan considering how dire the situation has gotten.

"Doesn't look like it." The Quartermaster deadpanned. "You should probably take some rest. You're the only one who can lead us, and we can't have you collapsing with him running around."

"I'll put your words into consideration," Jean responded. "You're dismissed."

Kaeya gave her one last worried look before obeying her orders, closing the door of her office behind him. Jean leaned back on her chair with a groan, her pounding head making her wince every once in a while. Amazing, now she had a migraine she needed to deal with.

Jean glanced at the window, thinking silently to herself. Just a few more minutes before the sun sets…

"...Maybe an hour or two won't hurt…" She muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes.

Things got relatively quiet at this hour anyway.

Jean shook her head and got up from her chair, walking out of her office before heading upstairs to her room. The knights who were awake either saluted or bowed in her presence, but she was too tired to pay them any mind.

As she made her way to her room for a quick nap, Jean paused as she glanced at Klee's room. The poor girl was probably still heartbroken after what she told her. She seemed to have gotten very fond of Crimson. Unfortunately.

Telling her to stay away from him was hard, especially after she had cried and sobbed 'Why' over and over. She very clearly wasn't convinced by the 'he's a bad person' argument, especially when Jean couldn't answer the child's questions. How could she? Klee was too young to understand these types of things.

Jean sighed. She had to make it up to her.

Feeling guilt for what she had done, the Acting Grandmaster gently opened the door to Klee's room and froze in absolute terror when she saw the window open. She rushed in and looked out of it, her heart beginning to pound in fear for the child's safety.

How did she escape?! The window was locked with a special key she kept hidden in her office. She couldn't have gotten hold of it and ran away like that– Jean was in the office for most of the 48 hours she spent awake!

Jean, revitalized by dread and anxiety, left the room before calling out to the guards to spread the word about the child's disappearance. The knights obeyed and began doing so as the Acting Grandmaster went outside, telling her subordinates to spread out and look for her.

Couldn't take even take a break for a single minute before this fucking happens.

– Klee –

"And then, she said that Crim-Crim was a bad person!" Klee complained in frustration. "And that Klee shouldn't see him again!"

"How terrible," Crimson responded calmly, covering her with a big blanket as she sat on his lap, the two gazing at the setting sun atop a snowy peak in Dragonspine.

"Klee couldn't believe her ears!" She continued with a pout on her face. "Crim-Crim would never hurt Klee, right?!"

"Of course, I'd never hurt Klee." Her friend said with a chuckle, gently ruffling her hair. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah!" Klee confirmed, grinning widely at him. "We're the bestest of friends!"

Klee sunk into the cozy confines of the blanket as she stuffed her face with more caramel-flavored candy, being hugged by the best friend she ever had. She knew Jean had to be wrong– Bad people can't be so comfy like Crimson, after all. Also, he would take her wherever she wanted and he was so nice. He even protected Klee from that nasty Ruin Guard. There was no way he was a bad person.

He really surprised her when he knocked on the window of her room. Klee was still in solitary confinement and was so sad and mad at Jean for telling her that Crimson wasn't a good person. She cried even when they tried to give her candy to soothe her. Just when she finally found a friend who liked bombs like her…

Klee was very happy to see Crimson, though. He even brought her so much candy from the store, even more than what Lisa gave her. What surprised her the most was how he opened the window without a key.

She was so amazed when he told her about what he called 'Lockpicking'. Opening locks without a key? That was so cool! Did that mean she could open the cabinet where Jean kept her candy or the one that kept her Dodoko bombs without having to look for the keys?!

They spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence, with Klee munching on her candy as the sun slowly disappeared. Klee enjoyed this moment. She's never been this high before, above all of Mondstadt to witness the sunset like this. It was chilly up here, yes, but there was warmth.

…It reminded her of her mother.

"I wonder what she's doing right now…" Klee thought out loud.

"Who?"

"Klee's Mommy. Her name is Alice." She replied. "She said she was going to take Klee with her on an adventure when Klee grows up."

"And does Klee love her mommy?"

"Yeah! She's the best mom ever!" Klee answered enthusiastically. "She taught Klee how to make Dodoko bombs. She's so smart and cool and strong, too!"

"Is she now?" Crimson smiled at her.

"Yep yep! I'm sure you'll like her." She nodded. "And I'm sure she'll like Crim-Crim too!"

"If you say it, then it must be true," Crimson said, believing her.

"Klee misses her, though." She deflated and sighed. "I wonder when she's coming back."

Crimson tightened his hold over Klee a little to comfort her, and she enjoyed the warm presence. She felt safe around him as he protected her from the cold wind. She could see her own breath from how cold it really was, but he made sure she wouldn't be uncomfortable.

Another silent moment passed between them, with Klee getting curious. She didn't know much about Crimson now that she thought about it. Sure, she liked him as her bestest friend ever. He was so nice to her and would take her anywhere she wanted, even to Dragonspine, but that was it.

And so, with the innocence of a prepubescent child, Klee spoke up.

"Does Crim-Crim have a mommy too?" She suddenly asked.

"I do." He nodded.

"What's she like?"

"Hmm… she's scary." He said. "Very scary. And very, very strong."

"Is she…" Klee hesitated, somewhat surprised at the fond look on Crimson's face. "...A bad mommy?"

Crimson chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, she's not. She's a very good mother." He patted her head. "She's scary, yes, but she loves me very much. Just like how Alice loves you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"But why is she scary, then?"

"Because she has to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll understand when you grow up."

The vague answer made Klee pout. Grown-ups. They always say that whenever they didn't want to explain things. It annoyed her, but she was smart enough to know that pressing them wouldn't get her an answer.

So she puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Crim-Crim is being annoying now." She said.

"Haha! Am I?" He laughed, making her growl adorably. "Then how about I make it up for you?"

"Huh?" Klee blinked, her pout disappearing. "What do you mean?"

Crimson looked at her and grinned.

"How about we visit Liyue for a little while?" He offered.

Klee's eyes sparkled in excitement, a shocked gasp escaping her as she mirrored his grin. Liyue?! They were going to Liyue?! But Klee'd never been there before– she'd spent her whole life in Mondstadt, and no matter how much she begged, Jean wouldn't let her go on expeditions to other regions with some of the knights.

C-could they really go there? Crimson was very fast, but Liyue was very very far. Klee overheard Jean and Lisa say that it could take them a week to get there with the usual forces they send. Could he take her there?

"R-really?!"

Crimson responded with actions; first holding her and stepping down the peak of the mountain they were on until they were next to one of the Statues of the Seven. Klee was still wrapped in her blanket, but she managed to see what was in front of her.

"Where's Liyue located?" Crimson asked.

Klee blinked a few times, using all of her brain power to remember some of her geography lessons, and pointed west of the statue and at the other side of the mountain.

"That way!" She said, eighty percent sure. "...I think…"

"Hold on tight, then."

Klee was given a moment to do so, feeling the cold wind hit her face as Crimson leaped from one side of Dragonspine to the other, going over the tallest peak with absolute ease. Klee was in complete awe when she opened her eyes, seeing the very clouds beneath her. That was so much higher than the time he took her to the Dragon's Lair!

She giggled in childish delight and excitement as the bestestest and awesomest friend ever sped off to Liyue with her in tow. Klee felt butterflies in her tummy as she spotted the high mountains of the region,

She even saw the main city from this distance– and a distance they were shortening rapidly. And before she knew it, they were in the city, landing in a dark alley as Crimson took her by her tiny hand, leaving the blanket behind and leading her to the marketplace.

Klee couldn't believe her eyes. They really were in Liyue! Everything was so different– the people wore different clothes– the guards had different armor– and the city was so much bigger than Mondstadt!

"Come on now," Crimson said. "The city won't explore itself."

Klee had the biggest and brightest grin on her face since her mother's last visit as she hugged his leg.

"Klee loves Crim-Crim!" She affirmed, making him smile softly at her.

This was the best day ever.

– Lumine –

"You sold it?" Paimon asked the old man. "Since when?"

"Not long. Less than a week ago." The former owner shook his head. "Seeing I couldn't do much with it sealed, I decided to get rid of it. Fewer things to worry about that way."

Lumine and Paimon looked at each other and then at the Astrologist, who was studying the seal up close. Well, that was unlucky. They'd known about the sealed house for a while, and once they met Mona on a commission close to the border between Liyue and Mondstadt, they decided to take her back to the city.

They remembered that she was in desperate need of a residence and money, and told her about the sealed house. She seemed interested in their story and agreed to go along with them. Perhaps she'd be able to get it for herself if she broke the seal? Or something like that.

They promised her far too much, but now, they'd not be able to fulfill any of them. Maybe. It was bought recently, so she didn't know how the new owner would react to finding someone who could break the seal, but she doubted he'd be as generous as the old man.

With a somewhat guilty frown on her face, Lumine approached the Astrologist. Mona seemed too focused on the seal, humming thoughtfully as the Traveler addressed her.

"Hey, so, uh…" Lumine shuffled awkwardly. "About the owner–"

"He already sold it?" Mona guessed correctly.

"Yeah…"

"I thought as much." She sighed. "I foresaw this outcome, you know? It was a bit blurry considering you were involved, but the stars showed a cynical result."

"Astrology sure is useful," Paimon noted, mostly talking to herself.

"Sorry." Lumine apologized, looking down.

"Don't. It's not your fault." Mona shook her head, turning to her with a small smile. "We can still negotiate with the current owner, after all."

"Does that mean–"

"That I can break it?" The Astrologist's smile turned proud. "Of course. The seal is well made, but destroying it is a trivial matter for the likes of me."

"You can?" The old man's eyebrows shot up. "Ah, how unlucky. If I waited for just a little while longer…"

"You lose some you win some, Mister." Paimon grinned cheekily. "So! Do you know where the new owner is?"

"Well, I don't know where he is at the moment." He rubbed his beard. "But he looked quite young, in his early twenties perhaps. I'm not sure where he got half a million Mora from."

Lumine paused.

"What did he look like?"

"Hmm, he was tall." He recalled. "Black hair, red eyes, well-dressed. He introduced himself as Crimson when he bought the house from me."

Both the Traveler and Paimon were shocked to hear that, glancing at one another in stunned silence. Paimon was the first to regain her composure, a wide smile taking over her face as she pumped her tiny fist in excitement.

"Alright!" She celebrated as Lumine sighed in relief. "Maybe we weren't as unlucky as we thought!"

"You know him?" Mona raised a brow.

"Yeah, he's a friend. I don't think he'd mind you living there with him." Lumine nodded. "It's a weird coincidence that he'd buy this house specifically, though."

"I think the young man wanted the cheapest on the market." The old man supplied helpfully. "He didn't seem bothered by the seal very much. Perhaps he had a plan to get rid of it in the future?"

Considering what he was, probably.

"I see." Mona hummed. "Maybe the stars weren't as dismissive as I expected. Let's find this friend of yours."

"Sure. Let's go check up with Katheryne." Lumine agreed. "She'd know if he took a commission outside the city."

The three waved their goodbyes to the old man and walked away, with the blond Traveler leading her two friends to the Adventurer's Desk. Once she took a sharp left, Lumine almost bumped into none other than Jean and a few of her subordinates.

Lumine was about to greet her but stopped in place as she saw the panicking look on the Acting Grandmaster's face. Jean quickly calmed herself and addressed the group first, asking with a shaky tone.

She'd never seen her so scared before.

"What's going on?" Lumine asked seriously.

Jean visibly hesitated for a moment but answered in the next instant.

"Klee's gone missing." She said, making the three freeze. "I found the window to her room opened. Either she opened it herself and ran off somehow or someone kidnapped her."

"What?!"

"How?!"

Lumine and Paimon said respectively, both shocked.

"We don't know. Either way, we've been looking around the city for hours, but no luck." She responded. "She couldn't have run off too far, but we have no clue where she went."

"Allow me." Mona quipped with a serious tone.

Waving her hand, Mona used her ability of clairvoyance via her very powerful mix of Astrology and Hydromancy. Her Vision shone in power as it assisted in the process, making her eyes glow blue.

Everyone witnessing this was amazed at the display of skill in front of them. Lumine wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but she knew the Astrologist well enough to realize that this took years of practice. Showing mastery at such a young age was very impressive.

"How long was she missing for exactly?" Mona asked, showing a great deal of concentration on her craft.

"Four hours," Jean answered.

The Astrologist frowned deeply at this, almost looking confused.

"What is this…" She muttered. "How is this possible?"

"What?" Jean stepped forward, looking oddly erratic. "What did you find out?"

"The child you're looking for is in…" Mona squinted as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Liyue?"

All of them looked at the Astrologist with varying degrees of incredulousness, Lumine having to do a double take at what she heard. What? Liyue? What the hell was Klee doing in Liyue of all places? How did she even get there?

"Do you expect me to believe that?!" Jean scowled uncharacteristically at Mona. "Stop messing around!"

"I would not joke about such a thing." Mona fearlessly glared back, dispelling her magic. "Do not patronize me, Knight."

Jean flinched and her eyes widened, realizing what she had just said.

"I-I apologize." She calmed herself. "I don't know what's gotten into me–"

"Explain yourself later." Mona sighed. "I do not know how that child managed to cross that long of a distance so quickly, but you better organize a search group for her immediately."

"I– yes, yes you're right." Jean nodded, turning and leading her knights to the gates. "Men! Get me a few horses from the stable! Quickly now!"

As the knights made their move, Jean was stopped by Lisa, who had approached her from behind.

"That will not be necessary," Lisa said, surprising all of them.

"What? What do you–"

"She's in her room." Lisa silenced the Acting Grandmaster. "...Sleeping."

Out of all of them, Mona seemed the most shocked at this news. Quickly resummoning her skills to check if what the Librarian was saying was true or not. She visibly paled, astounded at what she saw.

"S-she's back in Mondstadt…" Mona said quietly, but loud enough for all of them to hear. "...How?"

Lumine and Paimon were silent throughout the whole thing, going through a rollercoaster of emotions. Neither of them knew how to exactly react to this. Klee had been missing, in Liyue, but now she was back?

What was going on in here?

"What is the meaning of this?" Jean questioned.

"I don't know how and why, but I can assure you that she's back in her room," Lisa said slowly. "The window was closed, and not a speck of dust was on her. As if she never disappeared, to begin with."

Jean's labored breathing relaxed a little at this. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing to the ground if the tremble in her knees was anything to go by, which worried Lumine, but she managed to be strong as she put a mask of composure back on.

"Tell everyone to stop their search." She told one of the guards next to her, who saluted. "I… I need some rest."

"Yes, yes you do." Lisa agreed with a sigh. "Let's get you to bed."

The Knights of Favonius left, leaving the three extremely bewildered and confused at the bizarre situation they had just gone through. Well, Paimon and Lumine felt that way. As for Mona, she was utterly baffled at her own inability to accurately tell where Klee was for a moment.

"Wow, that was uh…" Paimon started. "I've never felt so many different emotions so quickly before."

"You and me both," Lumine muttered. "Let's just…. find Crimson."

"What for?"

The sudden inclusion of a fourth voice spooked all of them, making Paimon scream in terror as Lumine and Mona flinched. All three turned to Crimson, whose usual casual smile was plastered on his handsome face.

"You jerk!" Paimon attacked him. Well, attacked. She was just flailing her arms and legs at him, doing no damage. "Why'd you have to sneak up on us like this?!"

"Sorry, I could not help it." He chuckled. "Mind explaining what's going on? I saw the knights leave this area moments ago. Did something happen around here?"

…Well at least he was here and they didn't have to look for him. The faster they forgot about this the better.

– Crimson –

I wanted to laugh so hard when I saw the knights running around the city like headless chickens, but I didn't want them to get too suspicious of me. This is a game where you must be slow and subtle, after all.

So I simply took Klee on another picnic without any of them knowing. I searched for the child's presence, located her room, and snuck around the building before breaking her out of her 'solitary confinement'. She didn't seem as afraid and apprehensive of me as I expected considering everything Jean had told her, which worked in my favor.

Now there was a chance of them never realizing that Klee wasn't in her room, which wasn't an ideal outcome, but getting close to the Spark Knight was still useful in the grand scheme of things because this is all just my plan of 'stealing' Klee from Jean so to speak.

It would drive the Acting Grandmaster mad if the child was attached to me, and she would not be able to do anything about it. This, alongside seducing Barbara, will mean Jean's hands will be tied, becoming completely incapable. A flawless checkmate as Carmine would put it.

And with how she views me as this lethal threat – which I can be, but don't care enough to do it – she'd get more and more paranoid. I've already made it clear that I've turned their beloved god into my bitch, and while I'm not sure if she knows of Venti's true identity, the fact there's a chance that she does is good enough for me.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough that one of the knights checked on the child, so that was even more stressful for their poor leader, and she gave me exactly the reaction I wanted and then some.

Just how long can she keep this up before falling under pressure, I wonder? She is only human, after all. A very young human with none of the experience needed to handle this type of situation. She would fall, eventually.

And when she does, that's when I can stop these schemes and enjoy a more relaxing life here as Jean finally submits to me. Well, that is until I get bored of Mondstadt. Liyue, from my short visit, seemed equally as interesting as this region.

Fantasy China, but without communism. Very interesting indeed.

I didn't want to explore too much, though. Not yet. I don't like leaving things unfinished once I start on them, surprisingly enough. I'll have to squeeze out every drop of entertainment and amusement out of Mondstadt before considering the next stop.

Klee did seem to enjoy it very much, though. Good for her. We returned to Mondstadt once she got tired and sleepy. She even slept in my arms as I carried her here, which took under ten minutes at my full speed. I don't need wings from a pragmatic standpoint, but I'd certainly love to have them back.

Jumping long distances and flying induce completely different emotions. I would know.

"You can break the seal?" I raise a brow, a hand on my chin as I study the self-proclaimed Astrologist closely.

"Of course." Mona nods, looking proud of herself. "It shouldn't be too hard for some as skilled as I am."

"Hmm." I look her up and down then give my answer. "Sure. Break it, and I'll let you live with me free of charge."

The Astrologist does a double-take at me, not expecting me to say what I just said. Even Lumine and her fat pet fairy were surprised at my supposed generosity, but I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Of course not.

Simply enough, this woman in front of me was quite beautiful, and I decided that I wanted her too. She might not be as busty as the blond next to her, but she's what anyone would think of when one says "bottom heavy". With a rear like that, I'd be a fool not to seduce her.

There's no shortage of incredibly attractive women in this world. Especially the Vision Wielders in particular for whatever reason. They're always the best-looking with the most… peculiar sense of fashion.

I understand the witch style she's going for with the big hat, but why the stockings? Why purple? What's funny is how it works somehow, and doesn't make her look like a complete disaster. Perhaps it's her very cute face that helps in this regard, but I digress.

Aside from her appearance, this Astrology skill of hers is quite interesting. On top of accurate predictions, she somehow was able to pinpoint where Klee was even if that child was in another region entirely. That is an impressive range for a mortal as young as her.

She can be a threat to my fun here, which is why I want to turn her to my side as quickly as I can assuming she can see my future. Letting her live with me should help me understand her personality a bit more since we'd be interacting quite often.

And who wouldn't want to live with someone as gorgeous as her?

"F-free?!" She parroted, looking at me in shock. "Y-you'd seriously do that?"

"Living alone is boring." I shrug. "I'd love to have a roommate."

Said no one ever.

"This… this isn't a trick, is it?" Mona narrows her eyes. "What are you planning?"

"Mona, relax," Lumine speaks on my behalf. "I'm sure he's telling the truth."

"Yup!" Paimon assists. "Crimson is nice like that."

"Stop it, you'll make me blush," I say jokingly.

Mona looks between me and Lumine before quickly relenting with a sigh.

"I… suppose that was rude of me." She says, indirectly apologizing. "You are gracious enough to help. I have no room to be demanding or suspicious of your kindness."

"Don't mention it." I wave it off, not bothered. "How about you break the seal so we can see what's inside?"

Mona nods and steps up to the door, releasing some of her magic. I watch the display of her skill in silence, witnessing a type of magic I've not seen before. It takes her a bit, a few minutes of concentration before the glowing emblem on the door vanishes.

And so does the magic around the house. She's done it. The seal is no more, and I didn't need Carmine's help for it. Though, she would be very interested in studying a technique like this. That was impressive.

Mona opens the door and looks at us with a smug smirk, very proud of herself for breaking the seal. All four of us enter the house, seeing everything spotless for whatever reason. I expected dust at least, but no, it was very clean.

The living room, while clean, had nothing but a comfortable-looking blue couch and a fireplace. No tables or decorations of any kind.

"Wow…" Paimon was the first to react. "It looks as good as new."

"Whatever that seal was, it must've kept the house in pristine condition," Mona noted. "My compliments to the mage who cast it. This is by no means a small feat."

"Saves us from cleaning ourselves." I nod, opening a door and peeking inside, seeing a bed and a window. "I'll be taking this room."

Mona explores the other side of the house, blinking in surprise and confusion as she opens the door to a different room.

"A magical laboratory?" She mutters. "That's… very convenient. Most of the equipment is outdated but usable. You're not interested in it, are you?"

"I'm not. It's all yours." I shrug. "All I need are a bed and a bathroom."

"Being minimalistic can be a good trait," Mona says. "I approve."

"I guess we're gonna leave you to it." Lumine finally speaks up. "It's getting late and after what happened today, I just want to get to bed."

Heh, I almost feel bad for what I did. But I don't. How could I? It was too funny not to.

"Of course. Wouldn't want to keep you here for too long." I reply. "And remember that my doors are always open for you two."

Lumine blushes, but smiles in appreciation as she and Paimon wave goodbye, closing the door on their way out.

"So then, Crimson." Mona looks at me, a hand on her hip. "I'll cut straight to the point. You're not part of this world, are you?"

"Oh?" I raise a brow, somewhat surprised at her astute observation. "How could you tell?"

"You're like her." She points at the front door, referring to Lumine. "No matter how hard I try, I can't read you. Even lies are difficult for me to detect when it comes to you."

"I see." I smile. "You're quite the skilled Astrologist to be able to tell."

"I wouldn't have found out so easily had I never met Lumine." She shakes her head, deflecting my praise. "She was the first case of a celestial foreigner I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Considering how similar you felt, I simply put two and two together, and you confirmed it for me."

"Fair enough." I concede. She's smart. "But now that you've found out, what will you do?"

"Nothing?" She raises a brow. "Unless you'd give me permission to study you. Learning about such an interesting phenomenon will help with my research quite a lot."

"Hmm, well, let me think about it." I refrain from giving a full answer. "For now, let's just sleep. We can learn about each other tomorrow morning."

"Of course. I don't mean to rush you." She nods cordially. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight."

With that little pleasant interaction aside, I enter my room and fall on the bed, feeling strangely proud of myself. This is the first time I've ever bought a house, and it feels good. It's weird because this is nothing to what I've been given and built for me.

I close my eyes, wondering how I should mess with Jean tomorrow. I've had fun with Klee, so it's Barbara's turn. Or should I make some progress with Eula and her girlfriend and/or subordinate instead? I haven't seen them today while walking around the city.

Or perhaps I try to meet up with Sucrose? I gave her a scale and she never showed up again. I'm a bit interested to see what she discovered from a single scale. But considering the knights are that paranoid, perhaps they confiscated it? If so, I'll just give her two scales instead, out of a pure need to be a nuisance, because that's how I operate.

…This world is way too damn fun. I don't care how primitive it is anymore. There are too many things I want to do here now that I got a glimpse of Liyue. There are five other kingdoms or regions aside from the two I've visited. Five times the fun.

If I had this much enjoyment in such a short amount of time in Mondstadt, then the entertainment potential of Teyvat is endless. Thank you, Mother. Truly.

"I wonder what Carmine is doing right now," I mutter to myself.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking."

I pause as I hear her responding, slowly opening my eyes and noticing that I'm not in my home anymore, but in an endless expanse of green plains that extended as far as my eyes could see. I blink and turn to my right, seeing my twin sister hugging her knees, sitting next to me.

Carmine gives me a smile.

"Good morning."

I got this chapter done in like, two days. I love being motivated and having so much free time.

Also, after my hiatus, I completely forgot I had a pat re on lol. Consider it a tip jar seeing that there are no benefits to donating. Also the Discord server

Discord Server link: (Discord . gg / Rjjzt8erYK) no spaces.

Here's my pat re on link: (Pat reon dot com / Mirlnir)