Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"That's a really long title."

That was Gu Sanqiu's first reaction. His second reaction was to chuckle at Klee's fierce little expression.

It felt a bit like watching a tiny kitten attempt a dragon's roar.

"Alright, let's give it a try."

This time, Gu Sanqiu didn't bother encasing the bomb in a Geo orb. Instead, he tossed it into the air, letting it gain speed before flying randomly through the sky.

Unlike a standard shooting range target, his moving elemental spheres had the added complexity of area effects. Naturally, their speed was higher to compensate.

"Klee, watch carefully. See how those elemental spheres are moving?"

Gu Sanqiu moved behind Klee and placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

"If you can hit all of them, I'll double your snack rewards today."

(≧▽≦)/

"Klee will do her best!"

Motivated by the promise of snacks, Klee visibly calmed down. She carefully tracked the movement of the elemental spheres, her earlier excitement replaced with intense focus.

If she succeeded today, she could achieve total snack freedom!

"Bouncy Bomb!"

Klee dashed to an open space, grabbed a bomb in one hand, and, after carefully timing her throw, hurled it into the sky with all her strength.

Whoosh—

The bomb's sharp whistle cut through the air, leaving Gu Sanqiu feeling slightly conflicted.

This little girl's arm strength… am I mistaken, or is it stronger than most Millelith soldiers?

Boom—

A massive explosion erupted in the sky. Gu Sanqiu glanced at the location of his elemental spheres and was genuinely surprised.

According to his spiritual sense, the spheres had completely dispersed into trace elements.

Those spheres weren't just thrown out randomly. Their flight paths had been carefully calculated to form a pseudo-labyrinth. Unless someone had extraordinary spiritual perception or prior experience with similar formations, it was nearly impossible to locate the core and break it in such a short time.

Clearly, Klee's abilities fell into the latter category.

"Oops, I think I made it a bit too powerful."

"Don't worry."

Gu Sanqiu clenched his fist toward the explosion, compressing Geo energy into a small elemental prison that contained the blast's destructive force.

Around the Geo prison, Mondstadt's ambient, gentle Pyro energy seeped in, balancing the explosive, violent fire elements within.

This technique had been inspired by Lord Azhdaha's multi-element prisons. However, Gu Sanqiu could only manage something rudimentary for Pyro.

Wind and Geo—often jokingly referred to as "orphan elements" since the game's release—still required a great deal of effort and opportunity for mastery.

Though Gu Sanqiu had the advantage of a cheat-like ability, it rarely provided anything genuinely useful. Its lack of focus rivaled a certain lazy wind god.

Meanwhile, Azhdaha, as a powerhouse born of Teyvat's leylines, could easily have been an innate deity in another world. Compared to Azhdaha's ever-growing strength, Gu Sanqiu was lucky if he could make small progress daily.

"Wow! Brother Sanqiu, you're amazing!"

Seeing that the environment was entirely unharmed, Klee lit up with excitement. Temperature issues aside, her trust in Gu Sanqiu's earlier promises grew tenfold.

The little girl darted forward, headbutting Gu Sanqiu's chest before wrapping her arms around him. Then, looking up with big, expectant eyes, she grinned.

"Brother Sanqiu, heehee, heeheehee~"

(≧◡≦)

Klee wiggled her head against his chest, a playful smile on her face.

"Alright, alright, you'll get your snacks," Gu Sanqiu relented with a chuckle.

If it weren't for the fact that these snacks were made from spiritually rich ingredients from another world, there was no way he'd let a child eat so many. Otherwise, he'd end up clashing with Albedo at full power.

Buzz, buzz.

Gu Sanqiu froze, the faint sound triggering his memory.

Oh, right—an alarm?

Wait, what?!

Quickly setting Klee down, he used Geo energy to create a small table and placed her snacks on it before sitting to focus on the alarm's source.

"I think it's this."

Gu Sanqiu pulled out a small pouch. Even through the fabric, its contents shimmered with a comforting golden glow.

...

After a moment of silence, he poured the pouch's contents into his hand. Rather than scattering, the jewels began transmitting information to each other, forming a miniature array with a golden bell-like projection.

"One's missing."

Gu Sanqiu squinted at the projection, noticing a clear gap in the intricate design.

"When did I...?"

Wait a second...

Rubbing his temples, Gu Sanqiu tried to dismiss the absurd conclusion forming in his mind.

No way. That missing jewel couldn't have been... taken by Venti, right?

He and Albedo had checked into the hospital fully conscious, and the medical staff were ordinary people—not the sort to pull something like this. Klee, meanwhile, valued a plate of jam far more than any gemstone.

Which left one very specific suspect—the suspicious figure who'd appeared after their battle and vanished just as mysteriously.

Honestly... this guy went from being unproductive to downright unscrupulous.

The missing gem had been tucked away securely. Albedo, no matter how socially awkward, wouldn't have done anything underhanded.

That left only one possible culprit: Mondstadt's resident sketchy god.

In Liyue, corrupted gods exuded a detestable malice; in Mondstadt, the wind god elicited an uncontrollable urge to roast him.

"Did he seriously take my gem and mistake it for a wallet?"

As a bard by trade and a wind god by part-time obligation, Barbatos' unpredictability was as endless as his antics.

In summary: Gu Sanqiu's family had their quirks, but Barbatos' thought process was on a whole different plane of existence.

"Let me guess," Gu Sanqiu muttered, smirking. "He took it for elemental analysis... and now he's planning to sell it at an auction for a higher price."

These gems had been carefully chosen and imbued with minor security measures—something akin to elemental fingerprinting.

Even better, if anyone other than the gem's original owner got their hands on it, it would leave a detectable residue and emit a signal to the owner.

Gu Sanqiu grinned.

"Klee, want to play an even more fun game? Let's help the Knights catch a thief!"

Klee jumped up, fists raised. "Let's go! Klee wants to go!"

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T/N: KLEE IS SO CUTEEEEEEEE