BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
Explosions flashed in rapid succession, scattering thick smoke and dust.
The Hilichurls' wooden fences, crude watchtowers, and piles of crates were instantly blown to pieces. The entire gathering point was reduced to a mess.
However, Klee didn't look happy at all.
She stood there, arms crossed, cheeks puffed out, eyebrows knitted into a tight frown.
"Umm... No, no."
"This power... is so weak..."
The little demolition expert frowned.
Watching the bombs she threw explode with such mediocre results compared to yesterday's super explosion, her heart felt inexplicably empty.
Yesterday at Starfall Lake, when Big Brother Kael enhanced her bombs, that was a real explosion!
Fire soaring to the sky. A huge crater blasted into the lake bed. Even the surrounding ground was scorched.
The air had been filled with a special aura of destruction.
After the blast, even Klee herself had been knocked back a few steps, excited beyond belief.
But today?
Today's bombs...
They exploded so ordinarily!
No shocking blast radius.
No oppressive force destroying everything.
Even the craters were several sizes smaller than yesterday's!
What kind of bomb is this?!
"Klee is not happy!"
The little girl pouted, stomped her foot hard, and glared at the explosion residue on the ground with puffed cheeks.
She looked like she had found her favorite toy broken, full of dissatisfaction.
In the next second, Klee spun around, her red eyes sparkling as she stared at Kael, asking expectantly:
"Big Brother Kael! Quick, quick! Help Klee enhance the bombs!"
Kael: "..."
Beside them, Oz flapped his wings, looking thoughtful. "My Lady, I think I understand... If the power of bombs can be enhanced so casually, then someone might become more dangerous than the Abyss Order."
Yesterday, he and Fischl had witnessed the terrifying power Kael could attach to Electro arrows.
The resulting effect was a mess of horror.
If this power was applied to bombs, one could imagine how terrifying the power would be.
As an Electro creature, he knew it too well.
After all, compared to arrows, bombs were far more terrifying in both range and power.
Fischl: "Hmph. This is the opportunity woven by the gears of fate! If Klee possesses such might, can Mondstadt withstand it?"
Kael: "..."
I really don't understand that sentence.
"Fischl, clean up the scene."
"Klee, take out the bombs first. I'll enhance them for you."
"Our mission is still mainly to find resources."
Kael instructed Oz and Fischl.
While Fischl got to work, Kael helped Klee add Clara's Path Branch Skill to her bombs.
Soon.
After Fischl collected some loot from the scene, she took out a Kamera and took photos as evidence.
Kael had finished enhancing Klee's bombs.
Then he activated the Bio-wave Probe again.
Vmmm—
Accompanied by a familiar hum, the light screen of the probe instantly unfolded in Kael's hand.
Faintly flickering light points densely covered the screen, almost filling the entire field of view.
Kael glanced down, his pupils contracting slightly.
The resource density in this area was ridiculously high!
Even though this was just the edge of the Whispering Woods, the bright spots on the detector almost filled the screen.
It showed resources hidden in all directions, making Kael draw a sharp breath.
It was simply a natural treasure vault!
"Wah—! So many red dots!"
Klee leaned in next to Kael, looking at the dense light points on the detector, surprised. "Big Brother Kael, what is this?"
It was her first time seeing this thing.
"This is the gift of fate. In the unseen, we are meant to collect the bounty of this land."
At this time, Fischl walked over.
Thinking of what she witnessed and experienced yesterday, Fischl sighed with emotion.
Klee: "???"
Hearing Fischl's words, Klee looked confused.
Oz translated thoughtfully: "My Lady means: We hit the jackpot. These are all Mondstadt specialties."
"Oh, oh! Like that!"
Hearing this, Klee suddenly realized.
Immediately, Klee and Fischl followed Kael's lead.
Guided by the Bio-wave Probe, the three of them collected continuously along the forest edge. Stopping and going, they were like locusts scraping the land, collecting Mondstadt specialties until their hands were soft.
Later, Kael simply gave up on common resources like Windwheel Asters and Philanemo Mushrooms.
He directly selected the most precious and rare plants to pick.
Klee stuffed Valberries into her small backpack, planning to bring them back to share with Master Jean.
Fischl carefully stored Philanemo Mushrooms, planning to see if any adventurers needed to exchange supplies when they returned to the Guild.
As for Mist Flowers...
Kael collected them separately.
These were extremely precious alchemy materials. They could even be made into special Cryo potions, worth a fortune.
Just like this, collecting and moving forward, time passed unknowingly.
When the three stopped, it was already afternoon.
Sunlight spilled through the forest, the air carrying the fresh scent of earth and plants.
Beneath their feet was a clear river.
"Phew—finally made it here."
Kael stood by the river, looking at the flowing water, and exhaled slightly.
Klee squatted excitedly by the bank, reaching into the water to feel the cool touch, her face full of excitement. "Hehe, so cool!"
"Once Klee cools down, I'll bomb fish!"
Fischl stood aside, narrowing her eyes slightly, looking at the distant valley, seeming to think about something.
"This area... Have we explored it?"
Oz replied, "My Lady, this belongs to the edge of Starfall Valley. According to previous intelligence, Hilichurls rarely appear here. Even wild monsters are rare. But similarly, resources are far fewer."
Hearing Oz's words, Kael's expression turned slightly strange.
Because on the screen of the Bio-wave Probe in his hand, a dazzlingly bright spot floated in the center.
This light even outshone the icon for Mist Flowers.
This is what Oz calls "resources are far fewer"?
In the next second, Kael fell into thought.
"What... is this resource?"
The brighter the Bio-wave Probe, the higher the rarity of the target.
Mist Flowers were already extremely precious elemental plants.
And the brightness of this light point was even superior to Mist Flowers...
Didn't this mean that a treasure more precious than Mist Flowers was nearby?!
Mondstadt specialties more precious than Mist Flowers...
Could it be a Magical Crystal Ore Vein?
Or something else.
Thinking this, Kael became interested and decisively walked toward the target area.
Seeing this, Fischl and Klee hurriedly followed.
Along the way, following Kael, they had already picked up two sacks of resources each.
They naturally knew how precious the thing in Kael's hand was.
Kael found resources again.
Following the probe's guidance, the three crossed the stream of Starfall Valley and came to a seemingly ordinary meadow.
Kael looked around. The grass was lush and full of vitality, but there was absolutely no sign of any precious resources.
He frowned immediately.
He looked down to confirm the probe's display again.
That's right. The target is right here!
"Could it be underground minerals?"
Kael was thoughtful.
Some extremely precious ores might indeed be buried deep underground, impossible to find easily on the surface.
Looks like I guessed right.
It's some kind of ore vein.
Only a large-scale ore vein would glow like this.
And not ordinary White Iron Chunks either.
Thinking of this, Kael narrowed his eyes.
Ore veins. That's a solid treasure.
At this time, Klee stood beside him, tilting her head, looking at Kael with a confused face. "Big Brother Kael, what are we doing here?"
"There's treasure underground."
Kael explained casually.
"Treasure?!"
Hearing this word, Klee's eyes lit up instantly, revealing an excited look.
"Klee will dig! Klee loves digging for treasure the most!"
Saying this, Klee skillfully dug out a small shovel from her backpack, squatted down enthusiastically, and buried her head in hard work in the target area.
Scrape—scrape—
Just after digging a few times, Kael suddenly felt the ground vibrate slightly.
"Something's wrong."
Kael frowned. "Klee, stop."
"Ah?"
However, Klee was completely immersed in the excitement of digging and didn't notice anything unusual.
The small shovel in her hand continued to turn the soil.
Vmmm—
The temperature in the air suddenly dropped sharply.
Cold Cryo elemental aura permeated from deep underground.
An extremely chilling cold instantly swept the surroundings. The green leaves on the grass were covered with a thin layer of frost in an instant.
Klee's movements stopped abruptly. She looked up in confusion.
CRACK—!!
In the next second, the entire ground shook violently!
Before Klee could react, the mud suddenly cracked open, and a terrifying Cryo elemental power erupted!
BOOM!!
Cryo power from all directions swept out like a blizzard.
Kael and Fischl instinctively retreated rapidly.
Klee was knocked back a few steps by the sudden impact, falling to the ground.
"Gu-ohhh—!!"
A low and eerie roar came from deep underground.
Immediately after, a behemoth suddenly sprang from the ground!
A huge and strange ice-blue creature broke through the earth, like a plant monster born of breaking ice!
Its body was like a twisted plant, roots coiled, covered with thick ice crystals. Every slight movement brought down fine snow.
Its head was shaped like a flower bud, with two huge blue leaves drooping on both sides like rabbit ears, but covered with ice patterns, looking both dreamy and strange.
And those round pale yellow eyes had no warmth, revealing an inorganic, cold stare.
It had no mouth, but it could make a low humming sound, like the echo of cracking ice.
"Cryo Whopperflower..."
Kael stared at this sudden monster, his eyelid twitching wildly.
Damn it. Why is it a Whopperflower?
What kind of resource is this?
He knew that Whopperflowers were mimicry plant monsters, skilled at lurking underground, using "resources" or "open environments" to attract prey, and ambushing targets when they were unprepared.
Its evolved version could even take root in a place and grow into a massive Cryo Regisvine!
It's not an ore vein.
Kael was speechless.
This Bio-wave Probe is getting a bit unreliable.
If an ordinary person followed this thing, they'd be in big trouble.
But Kael also realized.
It might be related to the Cryo elemental power surrounding the Whopperflower. It is a plant, technically.
Beside him, after seeing the Whopperflower, Fischl instantly gripped her longbow. Her golden pupil contracted, her tone solemn. "We have stepped into the hunting ground of Frost. It seems the fate of this land is destined to welcome a bloody battle..."
Oz: "My Lady means: Looks like we have to fight."
"Hehe—Klee likes big targets the best!"
At this time, Klee looked up.
Looking at the huge Cryo Whopperflower in front of her, which was several times bigger than her, she was stunned for a moment.
Then, a smile of excitement appeared on her face. "Watch Klee blow it all up!"
As she spoke, Klee couldn't wait to take out the bombs enhanced by Kael from her backpack.
At this time, the rich cold air on the Cryo Whopperflower churned instantly.
The originally green grass was covered with a thin layer of frost in an instant.
The temperature in the air also dropped sharply, as if entering the depths of winter.
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly. Sure enough, it's attacking!
"Klee, careful!"
Just as Kael spoke, the twisted petals of the Cryo Whopperflower suddenly closed. Its figure shrank, and its entire huge body instantly burrowed underground. The ground shook violently!
—Burrowing!
Fischl immediately drew her bow. The light of Electro flickered on the arrow. Her golden pupil tightened, her expression grave.
"This is a villain hiding under the shadow, attempting to evade our judgment with such methods—"
Oz translated: "My Lady means: It's running away."
"No."
Kael shook his head.
The Cryo Whopperflower would absolutely not disappear just like that.
As he spoke, Kael casually applied [Ripple] to Klee and Fischl, increasing their speed by 25%.
At the same time, he prepared to throw Sampo's Path Skill.
BOOM!
In the next second, the figure of the Cryo Whopperflower sprang up from the ground!
The position was right behind Klee!
Klee hadn't noticed yet. The Cryo Whopperflower's corolla tilted up slightly. A majestic Cryo elemental energy gathered crazily, instantly forming sharp ice thorns, rushing straight at Klee's back!
It was the Frost Spike attack!
Whoosh!
However, Klee's speed was also fast.
Facing the sudden attack, Klee didn't panic at all.
There was even excitement flashing in her eyes.
She leaned back slightly, raised her small hand, and the red Vision on her chest flickered.
In the next second, a blazing Pyro elemental power erupted from her palm!
BOOM!
Scalding flames soared into the sky, like a violent fire dragon, instantly swallowing the incoming ice thorns!
Two elemental powers collided violently. The frost evaporated instantly, turning into white mist filling the sky. The flames danced wildly, rushing toward the Cryo Whopperflower with undiminished momentum!
"Hmph! Klee isn't afraid of you!"
Klee patted her small hands, looking at the scene in front of her proudly.
Then, a cunning arc appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Klee is going to set off fireworks!"
—BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Several bombs enhanced by Kael tumbled in her hands. In the next second, they landed accurately at the feet of the Cryo Whopperflower!
The Pyro bombs exploded the moment they touched the ground. Flames burst, shaking the air!
Even if the Cryo Whopperflower tried to burrow again, it couldn't escape the blast range of the bombs. It was forcibly blasted out of a charred deep pit.
Its huge body trembled in the violent flames. Its petals were burned black and curled, and the original ice-blue luster became incredibly dim.
"Gu-oh-oh-oh—!!"
The Cryo Whopperflower let out a painful roar. Its huge body swayed a few times, then crashed to the ground.
Its entire body was swallowed by Klee's flames and bombs, completely turning into a pile of charred residue.
The battlefield fell into a brief silence.
Only the smoke remaining after the bomb explosion and the scorch marks left by the high temperature permeated the air.
Kael raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over the wreckage of the Cryo Whopperflower that was no longer recognizable.
"This explosion... was thoroughly done."