The three of them returned to Mondstadt together. As they neared the Meat Stall, they spotted Mona Megistus standing there with her arms crossed, looking cold and impatient as she waited.
Oh, right.
He'd hired Mona to watch the stall for him.
Kael hurried forward. "Mona, time to work. I hunted a lot of Wild Boars today. I'll head to the back to butcher them—watch the front and handle the customers."
"Hmph."
Mona let out a sharp snort. But the moment her gaze fell on Xiangling and Eula standing there, her expression went from sour to downright stormy.
Her eyes locked on the two women.
"So deep in entanglement already…"
In truth, Mona had already seen this in her star chart: Kael would end up tangled with many women. She had braced herself for this long ago.
That was why she'd appeared before him in advance in the first place.
At the beginning, she hadn't felt anything special for Kael. But she knew—fate had it that she and this man would be deeply bound together.
If she'd waited until their paths naturally crossed, it would've been too late!
By then, he would've been surrounded by women already. If she only showed up then, she'd be at such a disadvantage!
Mona was decisive, a woman of action. The moment she understood this, she'd moved straight to Mondstadt.
And after spending some time with him, she finally realized why he attracted so many women.
Which only made her all the more annoyed!
"You really don't waste any time, do you? It's only been a short while, and you've already got two more girls around you!"
Kael instantly caught her meaning and hurried to explain. "Don't talk nonsense. Xiangling's my sister!"
Eula and Xiangling had both heard Mona's words loud and clear.
Xiangling glanced at Mona. Then Eula. Then Mona again. Then Eula again.
Her little head kept swiveling back and forth, eyes sparkling with gossip.
Wow, big brother really is popular. So many girls like him.
And each one of these sisters has her own charm, too.
Hehe, does that mean I'm gonna have a bunch of beautiful sisters-in-law?
Eula, meanwhile, caught on one particular detail. Kael had only explained Xiangling's identity.
He'd said Xiangling was his sister… but he hadn't denied Mona's implication about her.
Does that mean… he's tacitly admitting what she said about us…?
Mona, unimpressed, rolled her eyes skyward.
"Forget it. If I got mad about every single one, I'd be dead from anger already. Weren't you going to open shop? Quit dawdling and get moving."
Kael was long used to Mona's sharp tongue. He slipped into the back to start preparations.
Xiangling hurried after him.
"Big brother, I can butcher Wild Boars too. I'll help."
"Alright."
Kael focused his mind and opened the Serenitea Pot, planning to take out a few Wild Boars he'd stored inside for sale.
The Serenitea Pot the System had rewarded him with didn't have any buildings or furnishings inside, but the scenery was breathtaking.
Green mountains, drifting clouds, soft breezes.
There were waterfalls and rivers, carpets of bright green grass.
The environment was even more beautiful than the game's version. And the size—far larger, too.
He could enter it with his body, or simply manipulate its contents with his mind.
He swept through the Serenitea Pot mentally, circling again and again.
But the Wild Boars he'd just put inside were nowhere to be found.
Instead, he spotted the little golden dragon the System had awarded him, sprawled lazily by the riverside, basking in the sun.
Hm?
Kael narrowed his eyes. The dragon, barely the size of a snake and only as thick as two fingers, had a distinct bulge in its belly.
No way…
Had this Little Gold eaten all the Wild Boars he'd stored?!
Each one was dozens of times its size. How could it possibly swallow more than ten of them?!
He glanced at Xiangling beside him. "I need to check inside the pot. Wait for me a bit."
And in the next instant, his figure vanished.
He had to see for himself what had happened to his Wild Boars.
The moment he entered the Serenitea Pot, he found himself right beside the little golden dragon.
Sensing his sudden arrival, the dragon lifted its head lazily and let out a soft chirp, almost like a greeting.
Kael scooped the creature up in both hands, poked at its bulging belly, and asked, "The Wild Boars I just put in here—did you eat them all?"
The dragon, intelligent as ever, tilted its head and gave a light nod.
"What?!"
Even though he'd already suspected it, seeing the little dragon confirm it so easily still left Kael stunned.
He examined its tiny body closely.
"How does such a small thing like you eat that many Wild Boars?"
The dragon puffed up proudly, straightening its back, eyes bright and gleaming with arrogance.
"…"
You're actually proud of it? Really?!
An S-tier reward with an S-tier appetite, huh?
Still… even if Little Gold had a massive appetite, Kael could handle it. Hunting had become easy for him. Worst case, he'd just find more prey to feed it.
It was his pet. Of course he'd raise it properly.
But… his Meat Stall wouldn't be opening today after all.
Kael set the dragon back down and left the Serenitea Pot.
The moment he emerged, he was met with Eula's worried eyes fixed tightly on him.
Xiangling quickly spoke up to reassure her. "See? I told you, big brother just went into the artifact. He'd be back soon—I said don't get so nervous!"
Kael noticed Eula's reddened eyes. Clearly his sudden disappearance had scared her. He hurried to calm her.
"Yeah, I just went inside to look for something. Don't worry."
Eula pursed her lips, forcing stubbornness into her voice. "I knew you'd gone into the artifact. I wasn't crying."
…No one said you were crying.
Why'd you just sell yourself out like that?
Kael nearly laughed, but wisely kept it hidden.
If he teased her now, Eula—being Eula—would want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Turning to Mona, Kael said, "Good news: every single Wild Boar I hunted today vanished. Which means the stall won't be opening, and you get another day off."
Ever since hiring her, he hadn't opened the stall once—it was nothing but vacations for her.
Mona deadpanned. "At this rate, opening one day and closing two, won't your shop just go under?"
"Relax. Even if it does, I'll still afford your salary."