"Then, Brother Su Bai, which direction should we launch the firework?"
Klee and Su Bai had pushed the firework tube outside. Klee's little head was troubled again. Since she'd only made one firework sphere, she could only see the explosion from one direction. For a moment, Klee was stuck with indecision.
"Klee, think about it. Is there a place that's sparsely populated and has special meaning to you?"
"Sparsely populated? Special meaning?"
"Why does it need to be sparsely populated, Brother Su Bai? Klee wants lots and lots of people to see the firework Klee made. It's the best firework!"
Klee tilted her head. She didn't have an accurate grasp of just how powerful the sphere she'd made was. Su Bai was stumped by her question. He couldn't very well say he was worried she'd blow up Mondstadt city, could he? That would break her heart.
Just then, an injured person hobbled by on crutches. A flash of inspiration struck Su Bai. He knew how to... persuade Klee now.
"Didn't Klee say last time that she hurt Bennett while researching bombs for Stormterror? Finding a sparsely populated place to set off the firework this time is to avoid Bennett! Klee wouldn't want to see Bennett get hurt again, right?"
"Oh... okay. Bennett has gotten hurt by Klee's bombs lots of times... So, we'll launch it towards somewhere with few people this time."
Klee thought it over. Brother Bennett had indeed been injured by her explosions many times over the years. Worried about hurting him again, the kind-hearted child immediately agreed to launch towards a deserted area. Su Bai sighed in relief. Good, Klee was still relatively easy to... reason with.
"Then, Brother Su Bai, let's launch it towards Starsnatch Cliff! No one goes there during the day."
"And Mommy once said she wanted to blow up Starsnatch Cliff. Maybe this time Klee can help make Mommy's wish come true!"
(A/N: The Teyvat Travel Guide mentions that Alice wanted to blow up the cliff at Starsnatch because she thought the pointy part was too obtrusive. Thankfully, Kaeya discovered and stopped her. By the way, the Teyvat Travel Guide was written by Alice.)
"Fine. As long as it's somewhere with few people."
At this point, Su Bai had given up hoping this 'firework' wouldn't alter Mondstadt's topography. 'Rex Lapis, please protect us. Just don't let anyone get hurt.' Wait, he was in Mondstadt now. Should he be praying to Barbatos instead? Remembering Barbatos's... carefree nature, Su Bai sighed. Better to keep praying to Rex Lapis.
"Then let's get ready to set it off, Brother Su Bai! When Mommy comes back, Klee wants to set off a firework like this with her too!"
'It seems Klee truly inherited her mother's talent.' Su Bai wondered if, when Klee's mother returned, this pair might ensure there wasn't a single mountain left standing in Mondstadt. Would Mondstadt then become a plains nation?
Oh, wait. There was another possibility. Perhaps the mother-daughter duo would blast everything except Mondstadt city into a crater. Would that make Mondstadt a basin nation? A truly perplexing question.
While Su Bai's mind wandered, Klee had already jumped up and tossed the firework sphere into the massive tube. Perhaps out of habit formed from setting off fireworks at festivals in Inazuma with Ayaka, Su Bai instinctively pulled a matchstick from his Vision's subspace and handed it to Klee.
Klee took the match, confused. Her firework tube wasn't lit with a match. Why did Brother Su Bai give her one?
"Brother Su Bai, Brother Su Bai? After Klee channels Pyro into it, you need to zap the tube with Electro."
"Klee didn't make a fuse. Mommy said things with fuses aren't safe."
Su Bai snapped back to reality. He wasn't in Inazuma. A pang of loss hit him as he put the match away. It had been two years already. He wondered how all his friends in Inazuma were doing.
"Brother Su Bai, are you ready?"
"Ready. Go ahead, Klee."
Su Bai shook his head, clearing his thoughts. This was no time for distractions. If he messed up now and this thing blew up in front of them, it would be a disaster.
With Su Bai's confirmation, Klee pressed her small hand against the tube. Pyro energy streamed from her hand into the metal. The inside of the tube began to glow with a red light.
"Brother Su Bai, quick! Zap it now!"
Following Klee's command, Su Bai didn't hesitate. He gathered a thread of Electro energy and discharged it onto the tube. Instantly, a violent Overloaded reaction was triggered inside. Su Bai only saw a flash of red before the firework sphere shot out with a deafening WHOOSH.
"Brother Su Bai, let's go to the roof! We can see really far from up there!"
An excited Klee pulled Su Bai towards the roof. This was her masterpiece, created with so much effort. She absolutely had to see the explosion with her own eyes.
At Starsnatch Cliff, Venti played a beautiful melody on the Skyward Harp, which Lumine had run all over the place to repair. The soothing music nearly lulled the exhausted Jean, who had her eyes closed, to sleep.
A fierce gale! The sudden surge of Anemo energy snapped Jean awake instantly. When she opened her eyes again, Stormterror—no, Dvalin—was before them.
"I just hope nothing else goes wrong. The city of Mondstadt has borne far too much lately..."
With Mondstadt's internal troubles mostly resolved, dealing with Dvalin, the external threat, would usher in a period of unprecedented peace for the nation. This Acting Grand Master could then feel she had lived up to Master Varka's and the people's trust.
"There is nothing left to discuss between us, Barbatos."
"Is that so? Or could I be mistaken? Dvalin, your eyes... seem to be reminiscing about this song."
Venti and Dvalin shared a deep, meaningful gaze. Though Jean already knew Venti's identity, witnessing the exchange between him and Dvalin firsthand still filled her with unparalleled awe.
"Lumine, can we have Sweet Madame for lunch?"
In the midst of the serious atmosphere, Paimon swallowed her saliva and tugged at Lumine's sleeve. Lumine gave her an exasperated look.
"Now you're thinking about Sweet Madame? Where am I supposed to find Fowl?"
"There! Over there! Look, Lumine! There's a piece of flying Fowl coming right at us!"
Paimon pointed towards Mondstadt city. Lumine glanced sideways. There really did seem to be a 'bird' flying through the sky, heading straight for them.
Before Lumine could get a clearer look, a sharp crack sound drew her attention back to Venti. An icicle, seemingly from nowhere, had shattered the Skyward Harp in his hands.
Lumine's eyes instantly burned with fury. The Fillet Blade materialized in her grip with a flash. 'DAMMIT! Which son of a-- broke the Skyward Harp AGAIN?!'
To fix that stupid thing, she'd been chased by Hilichurls, by a bunch of Abyss Mages, by several Ruin Guards... She'd finally repaired it, and now someone had the gall to break it right in front of her?!
An Abyss Mage floated leisurely out from behind Dvalin. Jean and Diluc immediately stepped forward, shielding the 'powerless' Archon.
"Do not be deceived, pitiful dragon."
"He has long abandoned you. See, now he comes to deceive you once more."
"Hate. Rage. You are already an enemy of Mondstadt, past the point of return. Join us."
Lumine, who had been seething with anger moments before, looked up at Dvalin being manipulated by the Abyss Mage and instantly deflated. 'Oh, he's got Dvalin backing him up? Never mind, then.'