Chapter 853
Taking Klee to Fry Fish! Recruiting Yura!
Wendy's eyes were fixed on him, her heart filled with anticipation.
Su Chen didn't answer directly. Instead, gazing at the shimmering waves of the Fruit Wine Lake, he slowly recited: "'The lone king's tower is shattered, a thousand winds gain freedom. Old tunes sink to the lake's bottom, new poems are brewed in the wine cup.' What do you think?"
Wendy's hand, which was plucking the strings, paused slightly, and her emerald eyes opened wide, sparkling with surprise and a deeper smile.
"Old tunes sink to the bottom of the lake, new poems are brewed in the wine cup... Haha, well said! The shackles of the past should sink into the deep lake, while new poems should be brewed with fine wine and freedom!"
He became excited, readjusted the strings, and his fingertips played a light and hopeful prelude. "For this poem, for this bottle of fine wine, it seems I have to play a proper piece!"
So, on that lazy, sunny afternoon, by the Cider Lake, a traveler from another time and a wind god who had forgotten his divine position, drank cider. One casually recited short verses that defied meter yet held unique meaning, while the other played an impromptu piece of music full of wind and freedom.
Poetry and music intertwined in the air, discussing distant legends, anecdotes from the streets, the mysteries of fine wine, and the weight and lightness behind "freedom."
Wendy didn't ask Su Chen about his background, and Su Chen didn't reveal Wendy's identity. It was as if they were just two travelers who met by chance and shared similar interests, enjoying a pleasant time in the wind.
As she parted, Wendy waved through her hazy, drunken eyes: "Oh, stranger, blessed by the wind, may your journey always be accompanied by poetry, wine, and the free wind! Next time you come to Mondstadt, remember to bring wine! I'll treat you to the best poems!"
Su Chen smiled and nodded, his figure slowly fading away in the rising evening breeze.
Wendy, clutching her violin, gazed in the direction he had disappeared, softly humming the cider-scented verses she had just improvised. Her emerald eyes reflected the last rays of sunset, clear and bright, as if they understood some kind of rhythm of time.
After Su Chen left.
sweating a lot.
I felt uneasy.
I can't stay with these gender-blind guys any longer.
It's absolutely terrifying, whether it's Xingqiu or Wendy.
To some people with unique sexual fetishes, the two of them are simply adorable little treats.
His understanding of Genshin Impact was limited to a few female characters; he never imagined that the male characters' genders would be inexplicably blurred.
When he first saw Xingqiu, he thought it was a girl from some family who had come to visit.
Later, when I encountered some other male characters, I suddenly realized that I was no longer surprised by them.
This time, I met Wendy.
It deepened my impression.
The next time jump was filled with scorching sunlight, soft sand, and... a deafening explosion.
Su Chen found himself standing on a secluded beach near Wangfeng Cape, the air filled with the smell of gunpowder and the aroma of grilled fish.
A small, fiery red figure, carrying a huge backpack, was clapping excitedly as it watched the sea surface erupt with splashes of water and fish floating belly-up.
"It's a success! Klee's new recipe 'Boom Boom Spark Modified' is a huge success!" The little girl cheered, her red beret almost flying off her head.
Klee.
The Knights of Favonius' "Spark Knight" is clearly in a state of "escaping from the confinement room" at this moment.
Su Chen didn't show up immediately, but watched her busily scoop the stunned fish ashore, her little face full of a sense of accomplishment. Then she started taking out her backpack, seemingly planning to fire another shot.
“It will take a long time for the fish here to recover,” Su Chen’s voice rang out calmly. “Moreover, the huge explosion might attract real monsters, or… Commander Qin.”
Keli was startled and turned around abruptly. When she saw Su Chen, she instinctively hid the bomb behind her back, her big eyes filled with vigilance.
But Su Chen showed no hostility, and his tone did not sound like reproach.
She relaxed slightly and pouted, "Klee just wanted to fry some delicious fish for everyone! And Klee calculated the power, so it won't cause too much damage!"
"You've calculated it?" Su Chen walked to her side, squatted down, and looked at the crooked "calculation formula" and the hastily drawn fish guide she had drawn with a twig on the beach.
"Have you calculated what kind of explosive yield would be enough to stun fish in shallow waters without damaging the coral and reef ecosystems on the seabed? Have you considered using gentler methods, such as improving fishing nets or utilizing tides?"
Klee was stunned.
Her "calculations" have always been concerned only with the blast radius and power, never with "ecology" or "gentle methods".
She blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "Uncle, do you know about bombs too?"
“I know a little about… different ways of applying ‘power’.” Su Chen smiled, took the uniquely shaped bomb from her hand, and a faint time fluctuation appeared on his fingertips as he carefully “felt” its structure. “It’s a very ingenious energy guide, but here… the proportion of fire element compression can be adjusted to make the explosion more concentrated, the sound quieter, and the shock wave more controllable.”
Furthermore, adding some ice mist flower powder can create a low-temperature zone at the moment of explosion, causing the fish to become stunned more quickly and reducing their suffering.
As he spoke, he drew a simplified diagram on the beach with a twig.
Klee's eyes lit up as she listened, as if she had discovered a new continent: "Ice Mist Flower! Concentrated Burst! Controlled Shockwave! Uncle, you're amazing! Even more amazing than what Brother Abedo described... um, it's different!"
The subsequent "teaching" went on and on.
Su Chen did not forbid Ke Li from playing with bombs; instead, he guided her to think about the "art" and "responsibility" of explosions.
Together, they used smaller explosives and more precise blasting to "blast" fish in specific areas, achieving higher efficiency and less environmental impact.
Su Chen taught her how to use the terrain and elemental reactions to create spectacular "explosive displays" as dazzling as fireworks.
Klee called it a “booming fireworks show.”
They also collected conch shells and seashells from the beach together. Su Chen told her the name and story of each type of seashell, while Ke Li excitedly planned to decorate her new "politeness bomb" with seashells.
"Bombs are not only for destruction; they can also be used to create surprises or solve problems. It all depends on the user's mindset."
Su Chen placed a particularly beautiful starry-colored conch shell in Ke Li's palm. "Just like this conch shell, it grows silently on the seabed. It can be used to listen to the sound of the sea, or made into a beautiful decoration. Power itself is neither right nor wrong. What gives it meaning is the person who uses it."
Klee held the conch shell, seemingly understanding but not quite, but nodded emphatically: "Klee understands! Klee will use the bomb to bring everyone smiles and delicious fish, and also make the most beautiful 'Boom Fireworks'! Thank you, Uncle!"
She rushed over and gave Su Chen a big hug, still smelling of gunpowder and sunshine.
When the time fluctuations returned, Klee was carefully stuffing the star conch and several crumpled pieces of paper covered with diagrams of "improved bombs" and "ecological fishing methods" into her precious bag.
"Uncle, will you still come to see Klee's 'Boom Fireworks Show'?"
"Perhaps on a night when the stars shine particularly brightly." Su Chen ruffled her red hair, his figure gradually blurring.
"Okay! It's a promise! Pinky promise!" Klee stretched out her little finger and hooked it firmly into the air, her face beaming with a pure and radiant smile.
In the days that followed, with Keli as her anchor point, Su Chen traveled through time and space with ease.
Arriving at Klee's side in a different timeline, they join each other in frying fish.
Su Chen increasingly found himself getting to know many characters he didn't know, and also getting to know some characters he did know.
Characters like Klee are quite famous.
This time-space distortion occurred on the edge of a frozen lake.
The wind was biting cold, and your breath turned to frost.
A tall, blue-clad figure was practicing swordsmanship alone on the ice.
Her movements were precise, swift, and powerful, each sword strike accompanied by a sharp, whistling sound as it cut through the air. Her long, icy blue hair flew with her movements, like a dancing current of cold air.
But her eyes were colder and more desolate than the surrounding ice, and between her brows was a lingering heaviness and arrogance stemming from her bloodline.
Yura, the "Swimming Knight," is a descendant of the Lawrence family.
Su Chen stood under a withered tree not far away, watching quietly.
I don't recognize this one.
Judging from his physique and appearance, he was willing to get to know him and had met him many times in the timeline, so they were just casual acquaintances.
I also inquired about this person through other people around me and learned about him. I found that he was indeed a character with a lot of stories, and a character I quite liked.
He could sense the tension beneath that superb swordsmanship, the aloofness beneath that perfect demeanor, and deep within those deep blue eyes, a longing for recognition and warmth long frozen by the label of "descendant of a sinner."
Yura quickly noticed the unfamiliar gaze.
She sheathed her sword, turned around, and stared at Su Chen with eyes like ice spikes, her usual wariness and indifference: "Who goes there? This is the patrol area of the Knights of Favonius. All irrelevant persons shall leave immediately."
His tone was businesslike, yet a subtle hint of weariness lingered beneath.
It was that same gaze again—curious, inquisitive, or overtly or covertly judgmental.
Su Chen didn't leave; instead, he took a few steps forward and stopped at a safe distance.
"it's me."
His gaze calmly fell on Yura's face, sweeping over her tightly pursed lips, her straight nose, and her deep blue eyes that were still stunningly beautiful even when she was cold and wary.
"who are you?"
Yura seems to have some face blindness.
But as she said those words, she paused for a moment, as if she remembered herself and had said similar things many times.
It's like Yuan Yuan, who's been heavily in debt, has run into that streamer again.
"It's you."
That person who comes back every now and then and then magically disappears again.
For some reason, Yura felt a little happy when she saw the other person.
“A beautiful sword dance.” Su Chen said, his voice not loud, but clear enough to pierce the cold wind, “like a blizzard sweeping across a frozen lake, sharp, pure, and uncompromising.”
Yura was slightly taken aback.
Many people praise her swordsmanship, but few describe it as "beautiful," and so directly and calmly.
Moreover, there was no annoying pity, curiosity, or contempt in the other person's eyes, only pure appreciation, as if they were appreciating a painting, a sculpture, or... a naturally formed landscape.
Besides, she gradually got used to having him around.
“A sword is a weapon, not a dance,” she replied curtly, looking away and instinctively tightening her grip on the hilt.
"Weapons can be tools for killing, oaths of protection, or art of self-expression."
Su Chen spoke slowly, his gaze still fixed on her, "The key lies in the person wielding the sword, and what meaning they give it. Just like your bloodline..."
Upon hearing the word "bloodline," Yura's body visibly stiffened, and her eyes instantly sharpened like knives, the warning unmistakable.
Su Chen seemed not to notice, and continued in that calm, factual tone: "...The surname Lawrence carries the dust and weight of history."
But history is the past, and surnames are symbols. Standing before me is a knight, Yura, whose swordsmanship has been honed to its highest level, who stands alone at her post in the cold wind, whose eyes hold more pride than anyone else's, and who yearns more than anyone else to lay down her burdens.
He paused, looking at Yura's eyes, which widened slightly at his words, and a crack seemed to appear in the cold exterior of them.
"Sins may be passed down, but the true nature of one's soul can only be painted by oneself. The prejudices of others are like the cold wind on this lake; they may be biting, but they cannot freeze the bottom of your heart."
What you should care about is not how 'the bloodline of sinners' should be, but what kind of person 'Yura' wants to become and what path she believes in.
His voice was not impassioned, but it carried a strange, penetrating power, as if it were not persuasion, but a statement of a long-standing fact.
“I believe,” Su Chen said finally, his gaze meeting Yura’s complex and unspoken eyes. “A person who can wield a sword with such purity and power in a frozen wasteland cannot have their heart truly tainted by so-called ‘original sin.’ What you believe is what you believe in. As for me…”
He nodded slightly. "I believe you."
"I believe you."
These four words, like a hot stone thrown into a frozen lake, instantly created a violent ripple in Yura's heart.
For centuries, the Lawrence family has endured suspicion, scorn, and wariness. Even their colleagues within the Knights of Faith mostly accepted them in a businesslike manner, and few expressed their "belief" so directly and without reservation.
It's not "I understand your situation," nor "You are not like your ancestors," but simply and directly—"I believe in you."
The belief is not in her surname, nor in her past, but in "her" self.
Yura's hand holding the sword trembled slightly. In her deep blue eyes, the layer of ice melted at a visible speed, revealing an unbelievable tremor beneath, and a trace of panic as she was overwhelmed by such blatant trust.
She opened her mouth, wanting to habitually use "I'll remember this grudge" to cover it up, but found her throat tightened, and she couldn't say anything harsh.
The cold wind still howled, and the frozen lake remained desolate.
But in the silence of their eye contact, something heavy was broken, and something light was released. (End of Chapter)