Kael shook his head and set the thought aside, focusing instead on the skewers in front of him. After he had eaten, he stepped out of the Good Hunter with the bio-wave prospector in hand, determined to keep exploring for nearby resources.
Night had already fallen. Mondstadt's streets glowed with warm lamp light. Stars and the crescent moon shone overhead. The air smelled of food from market stalls, and shop windows along the road had been lit, painting the lanes in soft orange. Market noise filled the air—vendors calling, customers bargaining, children laughing. The city felt lively again, especially after the recent dragon disaster.
Kael inhaled the night and then turned his attention to the prospector. Tonight he would not limit himself to the obvious. With this new toy, he would try to locate resources hidden inside Mondstadt itself.
He muttered to himself, "With the prospector, why not make use of it?"
The device was no longer just a scanner. It was a key to the land's hidden yields: not only ore and common plants, but the rarer, tucked-away resources as well. This was only Mondstadt. In Liyue the tool could be even more useful.
He set the prospector to an urban mode and watched the screen ripple. The device began scanning the surrounding blocks. Passing a fruit stall, the screen showed routine biological signals—nothing unexpected—but Kael kept moving, heading into a quieter alley lined with older buildings. Stone walls and weathered wooden shutters gave the lane an antique feel. Potted plants leaned out from under eaves, leaves whispering when the wind passed.
The prospector hummed and its screen pulsed. This time the signal pattern was different. The frequency and intensity stood out.
"Dandelions?"
Kael's eyes found a cluster of them, their seed heads bobbing in the streetlight. Most were ordinary. One, however, gave off a faint bluish glow that was easy to miss unless the device pointed it out. It hid among green blades and plain white puffs.
He crouched and touched the glowing seed head. A soft breath of Anemo brushed his fingertip, clean and cooling. The faint light and the gentle wind energy made him realize this was no ordinary dandelion. This specimen contained a trace of Anemo power. It was a local specialty of Mondstadt, and its value was notable.
But to harvest it properly required Anemo energy. Kael did not have an Anemo Vision. He did not carry a capture bottle or any alchemical trap for wind seeds. Without a capture tool, he could not collect the resource.
He rubbed his forehead in mild frustration. The plant would have fetched a decent price, so for now he left it.
Kael resumed his sweep of the streets. The prospector turned up more small signals: herbs, a few odd mineral flecks, some animal residue. Gradually he realized how many unnoticed resources hid in the city's nooks and even in residents' yards. Without the prospector, a less observant person would walk past them forever.
He imagined the device in the wrong hands. If the Fatui or some unscrupulous scavenger had it, they could strip the city clean by night. Kael smiled grimly and put the prospector away. He filled a small sack with what he had already gathered: Windblume mushrooms, a few element-tinged herbs, and tiny mineral fragments. It was not a fortune, but enough to sell at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow.
Time had slipped by. Night had deepened. He headed toward his rental when several figures blocked the street ahead. Kael slowed, instincts sharpening. Under the yellow lamp glow, their shapes advanced deliberately. Their attire made his eyes narrow.
They were Fatui operatives. Even with faces partly covered, the black and crimson uniforms, the crested collars, the ornate fastenings marked them unmistakably. Three men in dark plate trimmed with red stood with two women in sleeker black robes. The group moved to form a line and stopped Kael's path.
He frowned. So they had come tonight.
Kael lifted his chin fractionally and took a measured step forward, keeping his posture calm. The Fatui watched him with the cool composure of professionals who expected obedience.
The alley's quiet tightened into tension. Kael took another step. Whatever they intended, this would not be a casual meeting.