"Dadaupa Gorge?"
Kaeya looked surprised.
Dadaupa Gorge lay beneath Cape Oath, deep in the valley. According to earlier intelligence, that place was practically the territory of Hilichurls. If the Knights of Favonius wanted to clear it out, they would need to mobilize a considerable number of troops.
But since Dadaupa Gorge was far from Mondstadt and considered a remote corner of the region, no one bothered with it. Couples in Mondstadt now preferred visiting Starsnatch Cliff—Cape Oath had long gone out of fashion.
So the place had been left alone.
"There…"
Kaeya frowned.
Jiang Chen didn't hide the contents of the letter from him.
"A hunter from Springvale heard a dragon's roar while hunting near the area. After that the Hilichurls panicked and scattered. The hunter secretly went to investigate and saw a crimson crystal."
Then Jiang Chen asked:
"You looked like you were about to say something earlier."
Kaeya replied:
"I received intelligence that the Fatui headed there early this morning. I was wondering if our operation might have been discovered."
"Fatui?"
Jiang Chen was briefly surprised but soon shook his head.
"Probably unrelated."
At most, the Fatui might know about the Dragon Tear crystals, but they would never guess someone could purify them.
"If you're going there, take me along," Kaeya said.
He planned to investigate the Fatui's purpose and ensure they weren't plotting anything dangerous for Mondstadt.
"If they are, I'll sabotage it."
"Sure," Jiang Chen agreed.
Planning the Next Crystal
Previously, Venti had said they needed three purified Dragon Tears.
They had already obtained one from Thousand Winds Temple.
Another had been sighted in Dadaupa Gorge.
Meanwhile Diluc and the others were searching Windwail Highland, but their clues were vague—only reports of a dragon landing there.
That's why Diluc couldn't spare time to visit Dadaupa Gorge himself.
Jiang Chen decided to go there.
Of course, going alone would be meaningless.
According to the system's "training target" rules, new companions were added only when he actively adventured together with them.
So far he had seven targets:
Fischl
Lumine
Amber
Diluc
Barbara
Noelle
Jean
Except for Lumine, they were all Vision holders.
But there were still many Vision users in Mondstadt he hadn't added yet.
Noelle's Persistence
"Good work, Noelle," Kaeya said before leaving.
Noelle nodded happily and returned to cleaning.
She glanced at Jiang Chen and buried herself in work again.
"As long as I don't make mistakes, Boss Jiang Chen can't chase me away… and once he sees my results…"
Jiang Chen sighed.
"Kaeya really made things worse."
But he wasn't someone who liked to overthink things.
If the Knights didn't mind, why should he?
Besides…
Who doesn't like a cute and hardworking maid?
Klee Arrives
Suddenly—
"Da-da-da! Jiang Chen哥哥! Klee heard you're back!"
A small red figure rushed into the restaurant.
It was Klee.
White hair tied into short braids.
Pointed ears.
A bright red hat with a four-leaf clover emblem.
And a huge backpack bouncing behind her.
She ran up and down the wooden stairs noisily.
"Da-da-da!"
"La-la-la!"
Customers downstairs stared at her.
"Noelle!" Klee exclaimed when she noticed her.
"Noelle, are you here to play with Jiang Chen哥哥 too?"
"I'm helping with work," Noelle said shyly.
Klee tilted her head.
"Is that some kind of knight training?"
Noelle quickly shook her head.
"Last time I tried that I ended up locked in confinement with Jean!"
Klee's Request
"Klee!"
Jiang Chen called from upstairs.
Klee immediately ran over and jumped onto his lap, rubbing against him happily.
"Jiang Chen哥哥, Klee has been very well-behaved recently!"
"Oh? And then?"
Jiang Chen ruffled her hair.
"Klee hasn't bombed fish or caught lizards in a long time… and Klee hasn't eaten delicious perch for soooo long."
Her bright red eyes sparkled.
When Jiang Chen didn't respond, she grabbed his arm and shook it.
"Please treat Klee to perch!"
Jiang Chen suddenly had an idea.
No one would be more suitable for the Hilichurl-filled Dadaupa Gorge than Klee.
So many enemies…
Perfect targets for bombs.
He smiled.
"No problem. How about we go out tomorrow?"
"Really?!"
Klee jumped up happily.
"Jiang Chen哥哥 is a good person!"
She ran in circles around the table.
Cooking Fish
"I haven't eaten grilled fish in a while either," Jiang Chen muttered.
He went downstairs and selected a black-back perch.
He cleaned it, removed the organs, stuffed it with seasoning, and began marinating it.
Klee stared.
"Why did Jiang Chen哥哥 stop?"
"Waiting for it to absorb the flavor."
Klee nodded, not really understanding.
Eventually she ran downstairs to play.
Barbara Arrives
She immediately crashed into someone.
"Ah!"
It was Barbara.
"Klee! Are you hurt?"
Klee panicked.
"Oh no! Even though it wasn't a bomb accident, I should still go apologize to Jean!"
"Jean?!"
Barbara instantly jumped up.
When she realized Jean wasn't around, she sighed with relief.
"I'm fine."
Klee ran off again.
Barbara smiled and went upstairs.
"Jiang Chen哥哥."
"Hm?"
"You went on an adventure during the storm… did you get hurt?"
"No."
Then Barbara asked shyly:
"What about Jean?"
"She was injured."
"Ah!"
Barbara panicked.
"Why didn't she come to the church?"
Jiang Chen chuckled.
"Couldn't wait at the church, so you came here to ask?"
Barbara blushed bright red.
"Not like that!"
"The bleeding stopped quickly," Jiang Chen added.
Barbara realized he was teasing her.
She sat down angrily.
"Hmph."
The Spicy Trap
Jiang Chen began preparing more ingredients:
onions
mushrooms
vegetables
chili peppers
Barbara immediately smelled the chili.
She knew he was tempting her with spicy food.
Still…
Her feet slowly slid closer.
"Jiang Chen哥哥, what are you cooking?"
"Grilled fish."
"Not spicy boiled perch?"
"Trying something different today. Klee prefers grilled."
Barbara asked quietly:
"…Is it enough for three people?"
"Me, Klee, and Noelle."
Jiang Chen smiled.
Barbara's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Jiang Chen…"
"I'm angry now."
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