"I... I'd still miss you even if I knew you were home."
Jean unconsciously mumbled with a blush.
Realizing she was still in the tavern; she quickly turned her face away and coughed lightly twice.
Only then did the Acting Grand Master's demeanor barely recover.
"In any case, I'll rely on Diluc's intelligence for everything."
"On behalf of the Knights of Favonius, I sincerely thank everyone for their help."
"Thank you!"
"Hehe, you're welcome, Jean."
Paimon stood with her hands on her hips, looking very proud.
"After all, Lumine and I also want to see Anemo Archon Barbatos soon. Once the Stormterror incident is resolved..."
"With the identity of a Wind Archon's familiar... through him, we should also be able to find Anemo Archon Barbatos quite easily."
"Anemo Archon Barbatos?"
Jean murmured to herself, a hint of helplessness appearing on her delicate face.
"Perhaps, after all, since that battle, Lord Barbatos has not appeared in Mondstadt for many years. Perhaps he is now in some corner of the world..."
"Holding his lyre, playing the song of freedom in a world of wind, who knows?"
"He really is an unreliable god, isn't he?"
Kai added thoughtfully, "He doesn't even care about the nation he established. If that guy could just do something proper... perhaps Mondstadt wouldn't be in such a predicament right now."
"Cough cough, after all, Anemo Archon Barbatos, this old man's belief is freedom. He allows the people under his rule to build a nation of wind according to their own will."
"Given that, not interfering too much also seems to be the correct choice."
Venti couldn't help but interject.
"But shouldn't the premise of freedom be peace?"
Kai raised his face, "Are you saying that as a god... he even expects the people under his rule to resolve threats from other gods themselves? That's simply too lax!"
"That is also one of the aspects of freedom."
"If Mondstadt truly encounters an insurmountable disaster, I believe that Lord Barbatos would absolutely not stand idly by."
Are you saying that 'not standing idly by' means he can't even manage his own familiars?
Seeing that the debate between Kai and Venti was escalating, Jean couldn't help but tug on his sleeve, a clear look of helplessness on her face.
Seeing this, although he still had countless complaints, he wanted to voice...
But for his wife's sake...
Kai finally scratched his head, deciding to let it go for now.
"In any case, that guy Barbatos, he'd better pray he doesn't run into me alone. He's added so much burden to my wife's work."
"If I really run into him, I'm afraid he'll die a very ugly death."
Clenching his fists, Kai's face was filled with murderous intent.
Venti, beside him, looked a little pale.
Facing such a direct threat...
He could only laugh awkwardly and scratch his face, completely unable to respond.
Hmm... to be safe, it's better to leave this tavern quickly later.
No, it's better to leave Mondstadt quickly!
"Anyway, that's all for tonight. Jean and I will go back first."
"See you tomorrow at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters."
He waved his hand. Since the collection quest required intelligence to proceed, there was naturally no need to stay any longer.
"Mm."
Leaving the Angels Share tavern, it was already close to midnight.
Although Mondstadt City had held a grand celebration due to the temporary disappearance of the Stormterror disaster, it was clearly not as grand as the annual Windblume Festival.
Therefore, at this time, the vendors active on the streets had mostly departed, allowing Mondstadt to gradually return to its usual tranquility.
Feeling this quiet atmosphere, Kai narrowed his eyes contentedly.
Since he could remember, there hadn't been many times he could take Jean for such a leisurely stroll on the streets at night.
"It's really cold tonight," Kai suddenly said, naturally taking Jean's hand and putting it into his pocket.
After all, it was early spring. Mondstadt, being geographically close to the north, didn't warm up that easily. There was still the lingering chill of winter.
"But why do I feel like Kai seems very happy?"
Glancing at the smile on Kai's face, Jean slightly tightened her hand in his pocket.
"Perhaps it's because Jean fulfilled her promise and spent a wonderful day with me?" Kai replied after a moment of thought.
"After all, it's been a long time since I've been out like this."
"Anyway, as a thank you... I will also repay you today."
"How does Kai want to repay me?" Jean tilted her head, a little confused.
"Of course, by holding you when we sleep tonight." Kai looked utterly righteous.
"After all, without that, you'd definitely catch a cold, wouldn't you?"
"A cold would greatly affect work efficiency, but if you stick close to me, it won't."
"So, I'm doing this all for your own good."
"But we seem to have heating equipment at home..."
"Ah, that... the equipment isn't broken?" Kai coughed twice, deciding to play dumb.
"But the other day..."
"It will break." Kai put on a serious face, forcefully interrupting her.
"Just like an author in a certain world."
"They promised to update regularly, but then they just disappeared while writing."
"Even if it's not broken now, it will definitely break eventually."
"So, just don't count on the heating equipment."
Kai often said strange things, and Jean had pretty much gotten used to it.
So, she naturally ignored the strange adjective 'a certain world'.
"Then I can choose to wear more clothes to sleep."
"Hmph, then you're too naive."
Noticing his wife was still struggling with the topic, Kai, with a serious face, decided to share some little-known facts.
"Although sleeping in clothes is indeed warm, the next morning, under the strong temperature difference between inside and outside the covers, your body will immediately give out."
"If you really do that, you'll probably get sick before you even reach the Knights of Favonius Headquarters!"
"There's such a saying...?" Jean expressed her doubt seriously.
Kai had too much strange knowledge in his head. Sometimes, Jean couldn't even tell if that knowledge was true or false.
"Of course, there is. Anyway, someone with terrible self-care skills shouldn't argue with me about this topic. Listening to me is absolutely correct."
Kai waved his hand, issuing his final judgment.
"Just say you want me to sleep without clothes..."
However, just as Kai was racking his brain to explain, what she hadn't expected at all was that Jean, beside him, lowered her head, her face flushed, and suddenly blurted out this sentence.
She glanced at him, her eyes darting away, and whispered,
"Didn't I already promise at Starfell Lake to listen to you these past few days? Why are you still making so many excuses...?"
"Uh..."
Kai was stunned on the spot.
Then he slapped his head, suddenly remembering that there was indeed such a thing.
Damn it.
Why didn't she say so earlier!
"Then let's go home quickly."
Saying that, Kai suddenly turned around and picked Jean up directly.
"The weather is too cold. If we don't go home soon, you'll catch a cold."
Kai wore a righteous expression.
"That's what I think!"
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