Just as Eve was quietly indulging in her forest essential oils, a rustle of footsteps caught her attention.
Looking up, she spotted a dark-skinned, blue-haired man approaching with three or four knights in tow.
It was none other than Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.
“Captain Kaeya, we’ll leave this area in your capable hands,” the two preceding knights said, addressing the single-sword-wielding officer.
“Rest easy.
A handful of meager slimes are hardly a threat,” Kaeya replied smoothly.
“In this fleeting moment, eternity gleams.”
In a flash, Cryo elemental energy surged, and three shimmering ice crystals materialized around him.
The crystalline shards spun in a deadly orbit as a biting chill swept the air.
“Hold still!”
With a wave of his hand, razor-sharp blades of frost lashed out at the slimes.
Moments later, a cascade of elemental reactions—Superconduct, Melt, and Swirl—ignited across the clearing.
Of the score of slimes that had occupied the spot moments ago, only the Cryo slimes remained standing.
“For the rest, steel shall speak!”
Wielding his Favonius Sword, Kaeya lunged forward, popping one Cryo slime after another.
Watching the creatures dissolve into gelatinous condensate left Eve entirely unbothered.
She simply rolled her round little body deeper into the crate, pulling the burlap sack back over herself to continue enjoying her essential oils in peace.
Her plan was simple: hide out until Kaeya and his men cleared out, then head straight for the tavern.
But fate had other plans.
Once every last slime was eradicated, Kaeya strode over to the cargo crates.
“Ah, thank goodness these slimes only went after the meat and didn’t touch this batch of essential oils.
Otherwise, that Snezhnayan merchant, Tsarevich, would throw a fit and hound the Knights endlessly,” Kaeya muttered, inspecting the inventory.
“Ain’t that the truth?
That merchant is a total headache,” chimed in a nearby knight.
“Well, let me check the oils to make sure nothing was damaged.”
With that, Kaeya reached out his hand, fingers brushing against the edge of the burlap sack, ready to pull it back.
Beneath the cloth, Eve’s heart practically leaped into her throat.
*Crap, crap, crap!
I’m about to get caught!*
Just then, a shout rang out from further down the path.
“Captain, over here!
One of the artifacts looks damaged!”
The knight’s voice froze Kaeya in his tracks—a lifesaver for Eve.
“I’ll take a look,” Kaeya said, pulling his hand back and hurrying over.
In this world, even a one-star artifact was immensely precious, the sort of item ordinary folks could never dream of acquiring.
Anxious because Tsarevich had reported those artifacts were all blue-tier treasures, Kaeya knew that if even one was ruined, the merchant would raise hell at headquarters for days.
Hearing Kaeya’s footsteps fade into the distance, Eve finally let out a long breath of relief.
By now, every last drop of the forest essential oils in the crate had been licked clean.
Wiggling her round little body, she prepared to slip away from the back of the crate.
But the moment she cleared the edge and lifted her head, she locked eyes with a pair of wide, glassy eyes.
Yep, verified—that particular brand of vacant stare belonged exclusively to brainless little kids.
And the only kid hanging around here happened to be meat-industry supplier extraordinaire, little Timmie.
Well, things were about to get interesting.
“Big Brother Kaeya, hurry over here!
There’s a slime!” Timmie shrieked at the top of his lungs.
Eve utterly gave up resisting.
She knew nothing good ever came her way.
Exposure, inevitable and absolute.
“Timmie, get back!
Leave this to me!” Kaeya shouted urgently from afar.
Charging forward with blistering speed, Kaeya materialized right in front of Timmie and unleashed a lightning-fast quintuple stab directly at Eve.
Eve didn’t even bother fighting back, letting Kaeya’s blows send her flying through the air straight into Cider Lake with a resounding splash.
Seeing the slime swatted away, Kaeya immediately turned and scooped Timmie into a protective embrace.
“Are you alright?
Tell Big Brother, did anything hurt you?” Kaeya asked softly, instantly transforming into the ultimate doting neighborhood big brother when dealing with children.
“I’m okay, Big Brother Kaeya,” Timmie replied.
“Good.” Still unconvinced, Kaeya thoroughly checked Timmie over from head to toe.
Only after confirming there wasn’t a scratch on the boy did he finally relax.
“Remember, if you ever run into something like this again, run far away, understand?” Kaeya instructed with gentle firmness.
“Mm, I got it, Big Brother Kaeya,” Timmie chirped.
The atmosphere outside the gates of Mondstadt was one of serene tranquility.
…
Across Cider Lake.
Eve dragged her waterlogged, dripping form ashore.
The white grass leaves on her head were completely soaked and drooping sadly.
Every inch she crawled left a vibrant, emerald-green Dendro core behind in the mud.
“Kaeya…
Timmie…
I am going to remember this grudge!”
Pure, unadulterated fury contorted Eve’s round face into an expression of comedic, yet strangely endearing, wrath.
…
Inside the city of Mondstadt.
Kaeya finished comforting the boy and instructed another knight to escort Timmie home before returning to inspect the cargo.
With the Fatui breathing down their necks diplomatically, the Knights had no choice but to swallow their utter contempt for the Snezhnayan merchant.
*Sigh, if only the Grand Master were back,* Kaeya thought gloomily.
Grand Master Varka of the Knights of Favonius had led the vast majority of the order’s elite on an expedition far beyond the borders, taking the bulk of the cavalry right along with him.
That was precisely why Mondstadt’s current military strength was stretched so thin, leaving them perpetually vulnerable to Fatui coercion.
A weak nation had no voice in diplomacy—an eternal truth.
Kaeya sighed heavily.
“Captain Kaeya, this is bad!
It looks like a huge chunk of the essential oils was eaten by that slime!” shouted a knight from the other side of the crates.
“What?” Kaeya gasped.
He sprinted over.
The knight was crouched beside the crate, holding back the burlap to reveal the contents inside.
One glance was all it took for Kaeya’s blood to run cold.
The forest essential oils—every single drop of it—was completely gone!
“Captain, all the other oils are fine, but the forest essential oils are completely cleaned out,” the knight reported.
Kaeya’s teeth practically ground to powder.
*That blasted slime actually has expensive tastes!
Of all things, it had to pick the priciest one!*
In Mondstadt, forest essential oils commanded the steepest price by far because their raw materials had to be imported all the way from distant Sumeru.
“Damned grass slime!” Kaeya gripped his Favonius Sword tightly, his face twisting in rage.
“Next time I see you, I’ll turn you straight into slime condensate!”
“Captain…
didn’t you just bat that grass slime into the lake?
It’s probably…” The knight tactfully trailed off.
Kaeya offered a very deliberate, tactical cough.
“Ahem…”
“Well, let’s head back and report in,” Kaeya sighed.
Returning now meant he was bound to get an earful from Acting Grand Master Jean.
After all, failing to secure the post was entirely on him.
“Yes, Captain!” the knight replied.
With the site cleared up, the patrol headed back toward the Knights of Favonius headquarters.