When Takumi saw the Qianyan Army soldiers, he immediately asked, "Have the people over at Shimen been evacuated? Has everyone moved out?"
Hearing Takumi's question, one of the Qianyan Army soldiers quickly replied, "Lord Takumi, they have already moved out."
Takumi nodded. "Good. Then block off the opposite side and prohibit entry. You go make the arrangements. We start work tomorrow."
Now that the evacuation was complete, Takumi arranged for people to secure the area, blocking certain places. The next step was to use explosives to blast some mountains. If anyone wandered in, it could be dangerous—they might get buried alive.
The Qianyan Army soldiers quickly set off to call their comrades and ran toward Dawn Winery to fully block access to Shimen. No one was allowed entry at this moment. Fortunately, few people traveled here now.
When the inn started relocating, the Qianyan Army had already informed passing merchants that the area would be blocked temporarily. They were advised to take a detour. With the road to Mingyun Town now repaired, merchants could travel via the snowy mountain route. Although slightly longer, it was manageable. If one didn't get lost, the journey would take about ten days. Getting lost, however, meant being stuck for months. As long as there was no blizzard, there was little risk.
After setting up these arrangements, Takumi and Klee began surveying the area. Takumi, Klee, and Shenhe walked across the boulders in Shimen, examining the hand-carved stairs. Takumi was unimpressed. "I don't know how merchants manage this path. It's too troublesome. With so many stones, are they relying on manpower to haul materials up?"
It was inefficient. The path needed to be cleared. The real-life complexity of Shimen was far greater than in the game. There were strange rock formations everywhere, and the pavement was manually carved. Only the upper platform was relatively smooth, but descending was a hassle. Stones were scattered all over, and a misstep could send goods tumbling down the cliffs below.
"Klee, your next task is to blast this area," Takumi instructed. "Blow up the rocks little by little so workers can clear them away. We need a flat road leading straight to Mondstadt Winery. Once that's done, reaching Mondstadt will be much faster. If the road is completed, it will take just a day or two to drive there."
Takumi patted Klee's head seriously. "Klee, the happiness of the people of both places depends on you! You are carrying their hopes!"
Klee's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Okay, Brother Takumi! I'll do my best!"
She immediately scanned the surroundings, calculating where to place explosives. Takumi smiled and continued walking around Shimen with her.
"Brother Takumi!" Klee suddenly called out, pointing. "If I put an oversized bouncing bomb here, I can blow everything up at once. But the stones might fall and block the road."
Takumi thought about it and nodded. "You're right. But if we do it that way, it'll require more work to clear. Klee, I think it's better to go little by little. Blow up small sections at a time instead of everything at once."
After calculating, Takumi rejected the full-scale blast idea. Klee's approach was effective but risky. If they blasted everything at once, a massive crater would form, scattering rocks everywhere. That would be too dangerous.
Hearing this, Klee was momentarily stunned but then nodded. "Alright, then I'll think of another way."
She pondered the situation carefully, shaking her head from time to time—she looked adorable. Shenhe watched her with a rare soft expression. Even her usually cold demeanor almost cracked into a smile.
After a moment, Klee came up with another idea. "Brother Takumi, how about starting from the entrance? We can blast a little at a time and work our way inward."
If given enough time, Klee could easily bring down the whole mountain. But since Takumi had rejected that plan, she opted for a gradual approach.
Hearing Klee's suggestion, Takumi nodded. "That's the best way. I'll also use my strength to help. We'll get this done soon. This will definitely be an exciting project for you!"
Klee grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "No problem, Brother Takumi! Let's go check out the area ahead. Oh, and Brother Takumi, what about this river? Should we keep it, or can I blow it up?"
As she spoke, Klee pointed to the river below. Takumi couldn't help but laugh. "Of course, we're keeping it! Only the rocks will be cleared. If you blow up the river, there won't be any fish left for you to fry."
Hearing that, Klee immediately shook her head frantically. "No! Klee wants to fry fish!" She now understood—no matter what, the river had to stay. Otherwise, how could she enjoy fishing with explosives?
Seeing her reaction, Takumi chuckled. After finalizing the demolition plan with Klee, the group returned to a temporary inn to rest, staying in tents.
That night, after eating, Klee fell asleep beside Takumi, mumbling about bombs in her sleep. Takumi gently covered her with a blanket before resting himself. Shenhe, meanwhile, slept in another tent, while the Qianyan Army kept watch outside, ensuring security.
The next morning, at dawn, Klee was the first to wake. Seeing Takumi still asleep, she carefully got up, put on her shoes, grabbed her small backpack, and quietly ran outside.
Shortly after, Takumi also woke up. He noticed Klee was gone and wondered, "What is this little one up to so early?" Curious, he got up and followed her outside.