Chapter 187

"La~ La~ La~"

Swinging her short legs, Klee hummed a song Barbara had taught her while riding on Roly-Poly with Sucrose leading the way.

"Sucrose, are we almost there?" Klee asked eagerly.

"Yes," Sucrose nodded, glancing at the snowy mountains ahead. She pointed to a broken wooden bridge in the distance. "Once we cross that, we'll reach Master Albedo's temporary laboratory."

"Yay!" Klee exclaimed, swaying her little head. "I haven't seen Albedo for so long. I wonder if he misses Klee."

"And Eula too! It's always so much fun going on big adventures around Mondstadt with her," Klee added excitedly.

Patting Roly-Poly, she raised her hand and shouted, "Roly-Poly, faster!"

"Awoo~~" Roly-Poly gave a lazy howl, glanced at Beibei behind him, and began to glow with black and white light. With a powerful leap, Roly-Poly started running through the air.

"Whoa~" Klee gasped in amazement. She turned to Hiroshi and shouted, "Brother Hiroshi, Roly-Poly can fly!"

Standing beside Beibei, Hiroshi chuckled as he ruffled Qiqi's cheeks. "Klee, don't underestimate Roly-Poly and Beibei."

"In the legends of my homeland, their ancestors were mounts of a war god," Hiroshi explained. "They're divine beasts."

He rubbed Beibei's large, dazed head and added with amusement, "What? Don't tell me you still think you're just an ordinary animal."

"Even if you were, with Klee's energy nurturing you, my specially cultivated bamboo, and Kuroneko's delicacies made from rare materials, you'd have evolved into something extraordinary by now."

Tapping Beibei's head playfully, Hiroshi laughed, "If you two only recently started using your powers, it's purely because you're lazy. Look at that big belly of yours."

"Awoo! Awoo-woo!" Beibei protested, pressing its face against Hiroshi's. Laughing, Hiroshi pushed it back. "Alright, alright. Just watch where you're going, and don't use winter hibernation as an excuse here in the snow."

"Albedo!" Klee cried out, spotting the blond alchemist waiting for them at a turn ahead. She looked down at the massive gorge below.

Huge, winding stone pillars spanned the canyon, and in the swirling snow, Hiroshi spotted Fatui agents scouring the valley floor. He narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Bold of them to be so brazen. But with Mondstadt's forces occupied elsewhere, it makes sense."

Leaping off Roly-Poly, Klee spread her arms and laughed as she lunged toward Albedo.

Thump.

Carefully catching her mid-air, Albedo sighed at the grinning Klee clinging to his neck. Gently, he tapped her forehead. "Klee, that's dangerous."

"Hehehe," Klee giggled, rubbing her cheek against his. "I missed you so much, Albedo! Did you miss Klee too?"

Looking into Klee's bright red eyes, Albedo smiled faintly. Stroking her hair, the same color as his, he replied softly, "Of course, I missed you, Klee."

"Hehe," Klee giggled shyly before letting go of Albedo and running back to Hiroshi. Grabbing Hiroshi's hand and Kuroneko's with Qiqi in her arms, she dashed back to Albedo.

"Albedo, this is Brother Hiroshi, Sister Kuroneko, and Sister Qiqi," Klee introduced them enthusiastically. "They're Klee's family."

"I see," Albedo replied with a gentle laugh, kneeling to pat Klee's head. "Nice to meet you all."

Standing, he extended a hand to Hiroshi. "I've heard much about you, but this is our first meeting, isn't it? I'm Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, and Klee's brother."

Grasping Albedo's hand firmly, Hiroshi smiled brightly. "Pleasure to meet you. I've heard of your brilliance. I'm Hiroshi, honorary knight and Klee's brother."

Albedo nodded slightly, a hint of realization crossing his face. "It seems some rumors don't quite match reality. But let's head back to the camp; this isn't the best place for a conversation."

In the warmly lit camp, Timaeus was double-checking data at the workbench when the sound of footsteps drew his attention. Looking up, he beamed as the group entered.

"Master! Sucrose! You're back!" he exclaimed. "And the honorary knight and Klee too!"

Rushing over, Timaeus excitedly addressed Hiroshi. "With your help, Sir Honorary Knight, our research can continue. Knight Eula alone can't handle all the Fatui agents."

Meanwhile, Klee scanned the camp with wide eyes. Tugging at Albedo's coat, she asked curiously, "Where's Sister Eula?"

"She's out scouting," Albedo replied, bending to retrieve a set of cups from a cabinet. "Coffee, anyone?"

"Eek!" Klee shook her head vigorously, fearfully exclaiming, "Klee's not sick! No bitter medicine!"

Turning to Hiroshi, she tugged his coat and raised her hand. "Klee wants sweet coconut milk!"

"Alright," Hiroshi said, pulling out two bottles and handing them to Klee and Qiqi. Smiling at Sucrose, he offered her one as well. "Want to try? It's delicious."

"T-Thank you," Sucrose replied shyly, taking the bottle and retreating to sit beside Kuroneko. She smiled at her companion before taking a curious sip.

Nearby, Klee and Qiqi huddled together, sipping contentedly.

"Here," Albedo handed a cup of coffee to Hiroshi as he sat down. "Let's discuss the next steps, as well as matters concerning Klee and yourself."