Kael blinked at the sudden block of text and the options. He scanned the clearing out of habit. Trees, grass, nothing else. No witnesses. No other monsters. Not even small animals. How could anyone have seen this?
Klee was at his side, but she was not counted among observers. He glanced at her and then back at the panel. Strange.
A weary half-smile crossed his face. Whatever. Handle what's in front of you first. He'd already absorbed a small portion of Path power; facing ordinary monsters was no longer cause for panic, at least not unless a Hilichurl brought an Elementalist into play.
"Ah—bomb." Klee suddenly remembered and shoved the saved explosive back into her pack, patting her chest. "Whew, saved another one. You were so cool, mister. That move was awesome."
She reached up and tugged on Kael's pant leg with the casual familiarity of a child. "Thanks for saving Klee."
A new block of text blinked across the blue panel, sucking his attention back.
[Because you eased Clara's danger and helped the scavengers, Clara is grateful and offers to thank you. Faced with Clara's pure gratitude, you decide to establish a relationship with Clara...]
[Option One: Stranger — Keep distance. Reward: Swaro's mechanical arm (a full mechanical limb that can be integrated into your shoulder, usable as a heavy tool or weapon).]
[Option Two: Debt — Claim her indebtedness and demand obedience. Reward: Clara's leg ring (a ring worn on Clara's leg, soaked with Path residue; wearing it may grant access to Destruction Path power and serve as a weapon).]
[Option Three: Father-Daughter — Become Clara's guardian; be called father. Reward: Clara-branch skill — Family. Effect: 35% chance to remove one negative status when attacked.]
Kael's eyelids twitched. Those choices were ridiculous. The rewards looked fine, but the social scripts were... absurd.
Option one was impossible without abandoning Klee mid-conversation; he couldn't just walk away indifferent. Option two required him to bully a child into accepting a manufactured debt—public optics disaster, especially around Mondstadt where guardians and Vision-bearers were quick to gossip. Even if he got the leg ring, the cost in reputation would be catastrophic. Option three was the most extreme: claiming to be a child's father. Klee's guardian network included the Knights and Vision-holders. If word spread that some young man had conned a child into calling him father, he'd be finished.
Kael weighed the calculus: option one would be clean but socially cold; option two was morally bankrupt; option three would buy long-term access and protection but required a public performance that could backfire spectacularly. He rubbed his temple and muttered to himself, not a single good choice, but some clearly better than others.
"Brother?" Klee's round eyes blinked up at him. She tightened her grip on his pant leg, worried. "Do you not like Klee?"
Kael pictured how Klee would rush home, chattering about this stranger who had helped her, and how the Knights would respond. He could already hear the whispers. Denying her now would be stupid. He also could not bring himself to manufacture cruelty.
"Don't be silly," he said, forcing a smile. "It was nothing."
He glanced toward the path home. "You should head back soon. This area isn't entirely safe."
Klee hopped at the idea of company. "We can go together! Then I'll buy you dinner because you helped me."
Kael paused. "I still have a commission to finish. Maybe another time."
"What mission?" she asked.
"Collect some Lampgrass," he said.
Klee's face brightened. "I have some!"
She rummaged in her pack and produced three lampgrass blossoms with a proud flourish. "Here. Klee found them earlier. I was going to give them to Sucrose, but you can have them."
Kael checked the three delicate lights and did a quick tally. "I need twelve."
She puffed up. "Then Klee will take you to where more grow. I even have a map."
She dug out a folded scrap of paper from her clothes and handed it over—sketchy lines marking paths and clumps, little crosses where lampgrass bloomed. That map was more useful than any trinket. It was local knowledge, and in this world, maps often beat steel in their value.
Kael felt the practical advantage settle in. A childish map meant routes, shortcuts, and fewer surprises. He folded it and slipped it into his pocket.
He glanced at Klee; she watched him with solemn trust, bells on her pack chiming faintly.
"You owe me twelve," he said, tapping two fingers together as a joke. "Three won't cover it."
Klee's grin was immediate. "Klee will get more!"
He rose and readied himself. The system panel remained quiet, the blue text fading into the background like an accounting ledger. For now, he had a map, three lampgrass, and a new, fragile social asset. That was enough.
They walked back toward the main road, Klee skipping beside him, chatter bubbling. Kael kept his steps steady and his thoughts in order. Relationships were investments, and he intended to treat this one like any other asset …cultivate it, protect it, and spend it when necessary.
Behind them, two small bells chimed in the dusk like punctuation. The woodland swallowed the sound, and Kael kept his mind on the ledger he was building: allies, leads, and the quiet, accruing power under his skin.