Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"Fire! Fire!"

Klee leapt out of Gu Sanqiu's arms and eagerly stationed herself on the wind-element platform he had specially constructed for her. With gleeful excitement, she pressed down on the trigger.

Whoosh—

Three missiles streaked through the air, trailing flames of Geo and Pyro elements as they shot straight toward Venti. He could even feel the wind-element acceleration and precision guidance Gu Sanqiu was adding to the projectiles!

This ammunition was far more advanced than what they'd used back in Liyue. Last time, Gu Sanqiu had understood the nature of the case and treated the attack as more of a playful prank.

But this was different. The target this time wasn't just any opponent—it was a god, one of the Seven Archons, a being with untold abilities despite not invoking divine authority at the moment. At the very least, Gu Sanqiu was dealing with a "weekly boss-level" entity.

Gu Sanqiu approached the confrontation with a serious mindset, determined to unleash his finest creativity and resources in this clash with Venti.

Of course, there was another reason: how often would he get such a golden opportunity to bully Venti to his heart's content? He had to make the most of it now, or he might never get another chance.

As the free-spirited and mischievous Anemo Archon, if Venti couldn't turn the tables or even outwit his opponent, Gu Sanqiu would start to suspect the bard had been replaced by an imposter.

"Hey, hey! Are you seriously launching bombs in the middle of nowhere?!"

Venti's gaze fixed on the three missiles homing in on him. He suddenly felt the urge to shout a few choice words.

Boom!

The first missile exploded, a creation fired by Gu Sanqiu himself.

Venti raised an arm to shield himself from the blast's impact. "Eh?"

To his surprise, it wasn't as powerful as he'd expected. What was going on?

He knew all too well the skill that little rascal had for crafting explosives. Could it be that this bomb was a dud?

Splat!

A chilling sensation poured over him from above, enveloping his entire body. The weight bore down on him, forcing the bard to lower his head and examine what was clinging to him.

Cold. Slimy. And faintly tinged with a raw elemental stench.

"...Frost slime condensate!"

It dawned on Venti. That wasn't a dud—the true payload of the bomb had been the concentrated slime condensate stored within!

"No... this effect, this isn't even condensate anymore. This is the kind of elemental energy slimes only release willingly—or in desperation. At the very least, this is purified slime essence, or even primal slime core!"

The freezing sensation chilled him to his core as Venti struggled to move. "How in Teyvat did he manage this?"

If Gu Sanqiu could hear Venti's thoughts, he'd likely invite the bard to visit the Verdurous Realm and witness the results of his slime cultivation efforts.

He knew all about this kind of stuff!

Boom!

The second missile launched. This time, the sound alone was enough to make Venti uneasy. What could it possibly contain?

Splat—

Venti found himself immobilized entirely. The biting cold seeped into his body, leaving him with nothing but the sluggish remnants of his thoughts.

"...Frozen."

Was this guy truly Morax's subordinate?

Where was the Geo element? Where was it?!

Morax's fighting style was grand and majestic, exuding an air of awe-inspiring might. How had that translated into such devious, unorthodox tactics?

Boom!

The rumbling sound reached Venti's ears. Though the force might shatter the freezing elements clinging to him, he couldn't muster the least bit of relief.

This was no different from playing a game of cards where your opponent confidently laid all their cards face-up. It meant they no longer viewed you as capable of mounting a meaningful resistance.

Fragments of the explosive clung tightly to Venti's clothes, forming intricate lines—a gravity array.

"Heh, nice to meet you, Lord Barbatos. Consider this my gift to you."

Gu Sanqiu extended a hand, nonchalantly summoning Geo energy.

"Gravity's weight, as a mountain's fall."

The array intensified—one hundred times gravity!

Crack—

The frost encasing Venti shattered, but the bard found himself in even greater discomfort. The crushing force of the gravity rendered him motionless; even raising his head to glare at Gu Sanqiu was an insurmountable effort.

"Not bad, kid, not bad at all!"

Gu Sanqiu, oblivious to Venti's internal monologue, turned to Klee, who was perched on her wind-element platform, swinging her short legs and holding her cheeks in her hands.

"So, Klee, did you learn something?"

"I did!"

Klee leapt up and raised her right hand excitedly. "Bombs don't have to just explode—they can be packed with other stuff too!"

For a moment, Venti relaxed internally. After all this trouble, it seemed Gu Sanqiu's intention was simply to teach the child something. Maybe this junior wasn't so bad after all.

"Exactly," Gu Sanqiu nodded. "A pure explosion only deals damage in one way. But if you adapt your bombs to the environment and circumstances, they'll be far more effective."

"Like this?"

Klee tilted her head thoughtfully, her finger resting on her chin. "But, Brother Sanqiu, how do you make those kinds of bombs?"

"Have you studied elemental reactions before?"

"I have!"

Klee began ticking them off on her fingers. "Swirl, Overload, Superconduct, Freeze..."

Gu Sanqiu nodded in approval. "Exactly. For instance, if you encounter a Hilichurl Berserker in the wild, you could throw a bomb infused with Hydro and Cryo elements at it. Then, when it's frozen, toss a bunch of ordinary bombs to send it flying."

"Or, say you're facing a group of monsters and don't think you can handle them alone. You could use bombs infused with Electro and Anemo as the main components. The spread of electricity would blind them all."

Listening from the sidelines, Venti couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Gu Sanqiu's ideas were getting more absurd by the second.

Was this really something you should be teaching a child?!

"Since your Vision's element is Pyro, Klee, you've got an advantage when it comes to igniting things," Gu Sanqiu continued, gently pinching Klee's cheek as she frowned in thought.

"Let me give you the simplest example. Your brother Kaeya's Vision is Cryo, right?"

"Yep!"

"So, you can counteract him with the opposite element. If you use bombs filled with Pyro against enemies affected by Cryo, the sudden temperature difference can become a deadly weapon. They're already acclimated to elemental cold."

"Oh, I get it!" Klee clapped her hands together. "It's like that time I secretly chewed on ice cubes while drinking fish soup!"

...

Gu Sanqiu and Barbatos both froze, staring blankly at the girl.

Chewing ice cubes while drinking hot soup?

The fact that all her teeth hadn't fallen out was a testament to her impressive constitution.

"Alright then. I've taught Klee the principles behind incendiary bombs, flash bombs, and freezing bombs. Now it's up to her to put the theories into practice."

Knowing Klee's talent and her innate affinity for explosives, Gu Sanqiu was confident her results would be remarkable—or, for the Knights of Favonius, a source of endless anxiety.

Gu Sanqiu couldn't help but pat Klee on the head.

From this day forward, she would be Klee, Teyvat's youngest demolitions expert and ammunition master.

Now that was what you called a promising future.

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T/N: no more updates wednesdays