SFS Chapter 142 If I were a Mondstadt person
Chapter 142 If I were a Mondstadt person
"Don't put the slippery grilled fish at the bottom!"
"Don't take the whole block of cheese, take the thin slices!"
"Don't put the potatoes and greens on top! Ah, I'm so tired, let's finish this quickly!"
Amidst Kry's increasingly irritable shouts and the vendor's increasingly barely concealed smile, Amber's attempt to stack things high unsurprisingly failed.
"Next, next!"
Amber was already excitedly heading towards her next destination.
Just as Cole was about to leave, the vendor handed her a box of Mondstadt grilled fish.
"Here's your participation prize, kid. Haha, I bet if you played, you could break the record."
Xu Ning noticed that Ke Lai hesitated before taking the box, and could tell that she was still somewhat resistant to the kindness shown by others.
While Amber was playing the ring toss game, Xu Ning walked up to Ke Lai.
"Aren't you going to play with Amber? I have plenty of Mora here if you don't have any!"
Cole shook his head and silently ate his grilled fish. "I'm not good at these games and I don't like them."
Xu Ning smiled. Your eyes clearly reveal that you want to give it a try!
Why do I always seem to resist the kindness of those around me?
When Ke Lai heard Xu Ning's question, he paused for a moment and said, "When I was a child, I contracted an illness and could never find a cure. At that time, a missionary said he could cure my illness and took me and many other children away from their parents."
"But they only used us for experiments, and after they were done, they abandoned us in the wilderness to fend for ourselves."
"I can't tell where this so-called kindness comes from, nor do I know what they want in return for it. Even you, I still don't know why you helped me..."
Seeing that Ke Lai's drink glass was empty, Xu Ning casually poured her half a glass using his gourd.
"I see. I'm so glad you chose Mondstadt as your first stop. Take your time to adapt to the ordinary and happy life in this free country. Of course, if you ask me, it might be even better if you went to Liyue."
"But as for why I helped you..."
Xu Ning paused here but then stopped talking.
Looking at the bewildered Ke Lai, he brought the drink cup to his lips and took a big gulp, then spat it out with a "pfft".
"Maybe it was just to see your expression right now, hahaha..."
Xu Ning laughed loudly and happily.
Kelai: (??へ??╬)
After finally managing to pull Ke Lai, who was jumping on him and scratching him, Xu Ning poured out the strong liquor from the drink Ke Lai had thrown down and replaced it with sweet liquor, handing it to the fuming Ke Lai as an apology.
"Look, I got several first place awards. Hey, Xu Ning, what happened to your face?"
Xu Ning rubbed the red mark on his face and laughed, "It's nothing, I just got scratched by a kitten."
"But to win first place is really amazing. It seems you're really good at sports."
Amber, hands on her hips, laughed and said, "This is nothing. You'll see my true strength in a couple of days when the flying competition starts! Oh, there's a circus performance over there, let's go see it, you can't see anything like this unless it's a festival."
Xu Ning watched as Amber pulled Cole into the crowd and ran towards the front, but he didn't follow her.
Because he saw Kaiya, who was also standing outside the crowd.
Xu Ning walked over and leaned against the big tree like him. "Captain Kaiya's mission ended so early? You seem to be having a lot of free time."
Kaiya, staring at the performance on the circus stage, replied without turning her head, "Ah, everything's taken care of. But Director Jean asked me to pass on a message to Amber, so I'll wait for her here."
"Oh?" Xu Ning took a sip of wine and said leisurely, "Do you need me to pass on the message? After all, I think they're going to play for quite a while."
"This is confidential, I'll do it myself!"
Kaiya glanced at the gourd of wine in Xu Ning's hand, or rather, at the strange eye of the gods that he had never seen before.
"I was quite shocked when I learned who you were."
Kaeya asked Xu Ning, "Although I don't see any specific titles of yours in Liyue, it seems that many of the high-ranking people in Liyue have deep ties with you. What is the purpose of someone as important as you coming to Mondstadt?"
"I just wanted to come over for a drink and relax. Ah, the magic show is about to begin, Captain Kaia, what kind of amazing things do you think will happen during this magic show?"
Kaiya smiled faintly, "Isn't magic itself a wonderful thing?"
The magic trick begins: a person disappears into thin air.
The magician selected Cole, who was in the front row, as a guest to participate in the activity. He had her enter the cabinet and then used prop swords to insert them one by one into the cabinet.
Anyone familiar with magic knows that the person inside had already left the cabinet through the back or bottom passage.
Then the magician opened the cabinet door, and sure enough, the person was gone.
Choose Amber again to find her friend in one of the boxes on the other side of the stage.
As Xu Ning was drinking, he caught a glimpse of Kaiya leaning forward slightly, seemingly eagerly anticipating the final moment when the mystery would be revealed. Xu Ning couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
The moment Amber opened the magic box, Cory suddenly thrust a short sword into Amber's chest.
The short sword did not damage Amber.
The blade retracted almost instantly upon reaching him; it was nothing short of a toy sword.
Amber nonchalantly pulled Cole out of the box, laughed heartily as she accepted the cheers of the audience, and went offstage with Cole to find Xu Ning.
Using official business as an excuse, Kaeya pulled Amber aside and went to convey Jean's message.
Looking at Ke Lai, who seemed distressed as if she had done something wrong, Xu Ning comforted her, "You must have been terrified in the box just now, right?"
"In such a closed environment, anyone would feel panicked, and it would be normal to do whatever they want."
Cole shook her head vigorously. "No, I...I..."
Cole repeated "I" several times without finishing his sentence, and finally said in a low voice, "If only I could grow up as a child of Mondstadt, normally."
Xu Ning sighed deeply in his heart and reached out to ruffle Ke Lai's soft green hair.
When Kaeya walked over casually, Amber was nowhere to be seen.
"Where...where is Amber...?"
Although Cole was somewhat afraid of Kaeya, she still mustered up the courage to ask Amber a question.
This enthusiastic little girl had already won over Colley as a friend in just two days.
Cole didn't want her to have any resentment because of her behavior just now.
"Oh, the troupe leader needs to see her for a bit. She said you should meet her at the Rabbit Tail Tavern later."
"Rabbit Tail...tavern?" Cole asked doubtfully.
Xu Ning chimed in with a laugh, "I've heard of the Cat Tail Tavern, but I really don't know where this Rabbit Tail Tavern is. Captain Kaiya, could you tell me?"
Kaeya smiled and said, "It's a bit hard to explain, since many roads in Mondstadt are so winding. I'll just take you there myself."