"Cough, cough."
Guixu was caught off guard by Klee's sudden question. Looking at little Klee, he felt that something was amiss, even though her eyes were shining with nothing but innocence.
"Hmm... about that..."
Guixu didn't quite know how to explain it, stammering without really saying anything. It wasn't just because of Lisa; it was because, upon reflection, it seemed Xiao Ye would sooner or later become Klee’s stepmother anyway. He wondered if little Klee would be able to accept it when she eventually found out.
As Guixu pondered this, unaware that another daughter was waiting for him elsewhere, Jean looked at Klee and Guixu, suddenly feeling a sense of desolation—as if a child she had raised for a long time was suddenly leaving to find her biological parents.
As for Amber, she was clever enough to have hidden behind the desk from the very beginning, pretending to be invisible. As it turned out, she was right: if Lisa were to react later, Jean might be fine, but she herself, having witnessed such a side of Lisa, would likely spend every day worrying about being pranked by her.
The mere thought was terrifying! Better to slip away!
Amber hunched over, quietly crept to the window, and vanished in a flash, flying off with her Wind Glider. The City of Mondstadt’s gliding champion, indeed!
Back in the room, little Klee broke into a sweet smile, hands on her hips, and said generously, "Papa, Auntie Lisa can be a bit fierce sometimes, but she's a good person! If you want Auntie Lisa to be Klee's little mommy, Klee has no objections!"
Guixu froze, unable to process Klee’s words for a moment. Then, he smiled and pinched Klee’s soft cheek. "You little thing, you're quite generous. Who taught you all this?"
Guixu glanced at Jean, who shook her head hastily.
"Klee read it in a book! The book said that the more capable a man is, the easier it is for him to find a wife. Since Klee’s Papa is so amazing, Klee will definitely have other little mommies in the future!" Klee lifted her chin, as if to say, "See? Aren't I smart?"
Guixu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and Jean sighed, covering her face. "Klee, I told you not to read those messy books."
"Hehe..." Klee giggled and quickly hid behind Guixu. *I'm not listening, I'm not listening... This is a storybook Mommy gave me herself...*
"By the way, that disturbance earlier—was it caused by Your Excellency Guixu?" Jean suddenly remembered and asked, turning her head. Given the magnitude of the event, Jean had naturally seen it clearly from the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Furthermore, it had clearly occurred within Mondstadt's borders. If it were just Guixu waking up, that would be fine, but if it were something else, it would be a major issue.
Guixu naturally wouldn't joke about such things and confirmed it directly. "That’s correct. Grand Master Jean, you needn't worry; that was indeed the disturbance caused by my awakening. It just so happened that this little one, Klee, was nearby. I suppose it was fate."
"That's a relief!" Jean let out a breath of relief. "Does Your Excellency Guixu have any plans for the future? If you need a place to stay, Alice’s old house is still available. You can have Klee take you there. As for Mora, all your expenses can be charged to the Knights of Favonius' account."
In Jean's mind, Guixu, as a God who had just awakened after a millennium, surely had no place to live and no Mora. After all, the currency of Mora might not have even been invented during his time. To the Knights, a little Mora was nothing compared to Guixu's importance. Lord Barbatos hadn't appeared in Mondstadt for a long time, and the majority of the Knights’ main force was away on an expedition. Mondstadt was gradually declining in Teyvat; if Your Excellency Guixu could anchor himself in Mondstadt, the city’s status among the seven nations would be as solid as a mountain! Moreover, Jean was very fond of little Klee.
Guixu naturally understood Jean's intentions, but he didn't mind her little schemes. As a leader of a nation, if she didn't have at least that much foresight, she wouldn't be a qualified leader. Not to mention, he had a decent relationship with that blockhead Wind God. Besides, Mondstadt was little Klee’s home; even for his daughter's sake, he should have a place to stay here. In any case, with his strength, he could travel across all of Teyvat in less than a day; he could easily set up a home in all seven nations if he wanted. Since there was a house ready in Mondstadt, Guixu didn't decline. As for Mora, he wouldn't take it for free.
"That will be troublesome for you, Grand Master Jean. As for the Mora, I can offer something in exchange."
Guixu took out an exquisite card. Jean immediately waved her hands in refusal. "No, no! Your Excellency Guixu cured Lisa; we are already too grateful. How could we possibly ask you to trade things for it?"
"I said it before: just call me Guixu, Grand Master. Why don't you take a look at this first before you decide?"
Guixu forcefully pressed the card into Jean’s hand. Jean had no choice but to take the card and look at it.
"This! What is this!?"
The pale blue card was marked with a peculiar sigil, and Jean felt a sense of familiarity with the power it held.
"This is a Gift Card," Guixu replied with a smile.
Indeed, what Guixu had produced was a Gift Card unique to the Little Garden. It was a negligible fraction of his inventory. Ever since the establishment of the Little Garden, he had participated in countless Gift Games, and with his Organizer authority, he had often joined Shiro in various antics. As a result, he had more Gift Cards than he could count. His most prized collection included the renowned "Simulated Star Chart: Fake Star Tai Sui" from the Little Garden. Although he had never needed to use it, that didn't stop him from keeping it in storage.
Even after leaving the Little Garden and losing the rules of its central hub, Gift Cards could still be used, though they couldn't form new "Gifts." Still, his stock would last until the end of time. He was a loner who had never joined any Community; all his winnings from the Gift Games were his own private collection. With only incoming gains and no outflows, even he didn't know exactly how many Gift Cards he possessed.
The one he handed over was merely a high-quality, intermediate Wind-element Gift Card. However, if developed to its limit, it could reach the level of a top-tier divine attendant—quite a useful thing for Jean.
"This... it can rival a top-tier divine attendant?!" Jean looked at the small, unassuming card in her hand in disbelief. It was hard to believe that this little thing could grant her the power to rival, or even surpass, the Four Winds of old.
"Of course, it doesn't just grant you that power directly; you still have to work hard yourself. But it does provide you with a path."
In Teyvat, even with a Vision, there was a visible limit to human strength under normal circumstances. Take the Millelith under Morax’s command, for example; they had almost reached the limit of ordinary human strength. Even as young as she was, Jean was considered among the top tier of Vision holders, yet she was still far behind Dvalin.
Jean swallowed hard, forced herself to look away from the card despite her longing, and gave a bitter smile. "Guixu... we probably can't afford this."
A piece of combat power at the level of a top-tier divine attendant—how much Mora would that cost? Even if they could afford it, it would likely drain the Knights of Favonius dry, making it impossible for Mondstadt to function properly. Even though Mondstadt was in desperate need of military strength, Jean felt powerless and could only refuse with tears in her eyes.
Guixu paused, then laughed. "It's just an intermediate Gift Card. Just give me a few hundred million Mora; that'll be plenty."
"Ah? Only a few hundred million?" Jean’s mouth fell open in shock. It was actually so cheap?! An item like this would have the seven nations fighting over it even for ten billion Mora. If Ningguang, the Tianquan of Liyue, or the Fatui Harbinger 'The Pantalone' of Snezhnaya found out, they would be willing to bid hundreds of billions! Nobody would ever complain about having too many top-tier fighters. Even Snezhnaya!
*Your Excellency Guixu is truly kind! To be so considerate of Mondstadt!* Jean was deeply moved. After confirming with Guixu once more, she hurriedly sent people to deliver the Mora. Dozens of bags of Mora soon filled the entire office.
"Wow! So much Mora!" Little Klee clung to one of the bags, looking from one to the other and cheering in surprise.
Jean looked at the piles of Mora covering the floor, feeling shaken. She had never felt much when seeing numbers on a document, but seeing such a massive amount of physical cash was truly shocking!
"This is one billion Mora, handed over to you, Your Excellency Guixu."
"Very well." Guixu’s forehead twitched as he looked at the bags covering the floor. Without standing on ceremony, he waved his hand and tucked all the bags away, silently moving the plan to craft spatial storage equipment higher up on his priority list. He hadn't expected Teyvat’s technological development to still be so backward after all these years. *What is that guy Morax doing? Didn't he say development would be the main focus later on? I don't get it.*
He shook his head silently to himself. "By the way, this Gift Card is a Wind-element Gift; it is the most suitable one for you to use. I suggest you use it yourself." Guixu pointed to the card in Jean’s hand and briefed her on the nature of this Wind-element Gift.
"Very well, I will use it myself." Hearing Guixu’s suggestion, Jean didn't hesitate. She certainly didn't know as much about these things as Guixu, and following his advice was definitely better than asking someone else. After all, as Guixu said, the degree of a Gift Card's development was closely related to its compatibility with the user. Currently, she and Sucrose were the only ones in the Knights with Anemo Visions, and Sucrose was too obsessed with alchemy to be a fighter. This thing could only be developed to its maximum potential if she used it herself.
Jean put the Gift Card away, planning to use it after she finished the meeting with the senior Knights. Guixu then took Klee by the hand and bid farewell to the headquarters.
Guixu carried Klee through the streets of Mondstadt, where the residents greeted Klee with warmth. Guixu and Klee responded to them one by one. They walked all the way to the house Alice had left behind. Guixu stood stunned for half a second, looking at the luxurious four-story building.
*Such a large house for just the two of us? Isn't it a bit too big?*
Klee agreed, nodding her little head solemnly. "Klee also thinks it’s scary to live in such a big house all by myself, so Klee always stayed in the confinement room."
Once she finished, Guixu pinched Klee's soft, tender cheeks with an amused expression. "You, you're quite proud of being locked in the confinement room by Jean all the time, aren't you?"
"Hehe..." Little Klee giggled shyly, burying her face in Guixu’s chest.
Guixu shook his head, laughing as he carried little Klee into their new home.