"Tch!"
Holding a bottle of wine in his hand, Hiroshi cast an unwilling glance back at Mondstadt before turning toward the peak of Dragonspine. The summit was enshrouded in a vortex of endless winds and snow, with thunder and lightning crackling amidst the gloomy clouds.
"Brother Hiroshi, where did you get that?"
Squatting at Hiroshi's feet, Klee reached out and poked the bottle curiously, resting her little head on her hands. "Why does Klee feel so much wind and Barbatos' aura from it?"
"This is a reward from a certain lazy bard," Hiroshi replied, his serious expression softening as he smiled and patted Klee's head.
"Oh~," Klee exclaimed, her face lighting up in realization. She touched the green feather on her hat, which glowed faintly.
"So it's from that singing big brother. It must be from Dragon Dragon that he gave to him!"
Hiroshi blinked, looking puzzled. "Klee, didn't you recognize Venti's true identity?"
"Hmm?"
Klee tilted her head, her eyes wide with confusion. "Venti big brother is just Venti big brother. Klee loves his stories!"
"But there was one time Klee wanted to use Jumpy Dumpty as fireworks for Venti big brother's performance, and Captain Jean stopped me. Such a shame."
"Then who is Barbatos?"
"Barbatos is Barbatos!"
Taking out the Vision on her backpack, which had long lost its power, Klee smiled affectionately. "This is Barbatos' recognition of Klee's free will, which is why Barbatos gave it to me."
"But when Klee wanted to respond to Barbatos' recognition with a free Jumpy Dumpty, everyone in the Knights stopped me. And Captain Jean even put Klee in confinement that time~."
Looking at Klee's downcast expression, Hiroshi reached out and pulled her into his arms. Lifting her onto his shoulders, he extended his hand to Qiqi, who was looking up at him.
With two small girls on his shoulders, Hiroshi stepped toward the massive lake deep in the valley.
"Klee, can you tell me how you planned to respond to Barbatos' gaze that time?"
"Sure!"
Holding onto Hiroshi's neck, Klee turned her head to look around. Hearing his question, she eagerly raised her hand. "Klee climbed up Mondstadt's statue of the Anemo Archon."
"Then I placed my carefully crafted Jumpy Dumpty on Barbatos' hand."
"It's such a pity—it was Klee's greatest masterpiece at the time, but Captain Jean confiscated it."
"I see," Hiroshi said, standing in the middle of the lake. Turning back to Albedo, who stood on solid ice clutching his forehead with a pained expression, Hiroshi laughed and said to Klee, "Then I think Klee deserves a little spanking."
"Hehe," Klee giggled shyly, hiding behind Hiroshi's head. "Klee already knows she was wrong. Captain Jean already spanked Klee back then."
Lightly tapping the water's surface with his foot, Hiroshi watched the layers of water and earth peel away beneath them. Smiling, he said, "As long as you know it was wrong. Next time, Brother Hiroshi will take you to meet the real Barbatos. When that happens, remember to craft your best Jumpy Dumpty for him."
Turning to the group standing on Eula's ice bridge, Hiroshi pointed at the massive black cavern below. "That's where Durin's core lies."
"Understood," Albedo replied, crouching on the ice. His gaze was fixed on the dark cavern below, faintly glowing with a blood-red light. Taking a vial from his pocket, Albedo tossed it downward.
A faint whooshing sound was followed by the shattering of glass. Moments later, the dark cavern brightened.
Looking up at Hiroshi, Albedo glanced at the massive hollow disappearing in the sky and the huge pit at the lake's center. "I suddenly find myself more intrigued by you, Hiroshi."
"Don't," Hiroshi said, raising a hand to stop him. With a grin, he added, "I'm a man you can't have. I'm engaged."
"You should focus on studying Durin's core instead."
Grabbing Kuroneko by the hand, Hiroshi leapt into the cavern, carrying the two girls on his shoulders.
Albedo smiled faintly as golden light illuminated the layers of stone. Stepping onto the golden platforms, he descended into the cavern. Behind him, Timaeus followed closely.
Twitching her ears, Beidou noticed Eula clinging to her back. With a small shrug, Beidou leapt down. Sucrose and Timmie quickly followed.
In no time, the icy lake surface was empty, leaving behind only the floating bodies of the Fatui.
Inside the brightly lit cavern, Klee held up a glowing orb, curiously peering ahead. Crimson light filled their view as blood-red crystals grew in every corner. Scarlet grasses bathed in red light lined the path.
"Oh~," Klee exclaimed, pulling out one of the red grasses. She ran to Hiroshi with sparkling eyes. "Brother Hiroshi, can I eat this? It looks delicious!"
"Yes, you can," Hiroshi replied with a smile, tightening his grip on the plant.
Eyes lighting up, Klee grabbed Qiqi and declared, "Then Klee will collect more! Qiqi, help me!"
"Understood," Qiqi replied earnestly. "Qiqi is… a medicine gatherer. Very good… at collecting herbs."
"Let's go!" Klee cheered, raising her hand. "For delicious food!"
"Klee, this is for research," Albedo interjected. Holding a red grass and a crystal in his hand, he added, "You can only pick a little, Klee! These are precious materials for research, not for cooking!"
"Hmm~," Klee sighed, reluctantly stopping. She looked up at Albedo's serious expression and sighed. "If it's Albedo's request, Klee will only take a little."
Holding a large bundle of red grass, Klee regretfully ran to Hiroshi. "Brother Hiroshi, here's all Albedo allowed us to gather."
"It's fine," Hiroshi said, patting Klee and Qiqi's heads.
The other three directions of the cavern slowly filled with dark soil, restoring the massive space to its original state. In the cavern's center, a purified dragon core floated within a newly formed chamber. Around it, dragonblood grass thrived, and crimson crystalline formations adorned every corner.
"These are precious research materials," Hiroshi said. "We'll only take a little and try to cultivate them ourselves."
"After all, the moment I saw them, I thought they looked delicious."