When Jiang Chen spotted Shenhe, he pointed in her direction and said to Chongyun:
"See that?"
"That's your aunt."
Hearing this, Chongyun froze.
His gaze followed Jiang Chen's finger and landed on a woman with an icy demeanor—someone who clearly wasn't the easiest to get along with.
This was his aunt?
Chongyun had never met her before.
Shenhe, on the other hand, quickly noticed that someone seemed to be staring at her.
Her senses were razor-sharp, and she immediately turned her head.
When she saw it was Jiang Chen, the slight frown on her face eased.
But then she noticed another person—a boy—staring at her intently.
How rude.
With that thought, Shenhe stood up and walked over.
Once she was in front of them, Jiang Chen spoke up:
"Shenhe, this is Chongyun."
"Your relative."
"Your sister's child."
Shenhe blinked in surprise.
Her gaze lingered on Chongyun, deep in thought.
Shenhe was originally from a branch family of an exorcist clan.
If they were talking about her sister… then it could only be that person.
Once she pieced it together, her expression softened slightly as she looked at Chongyun.
"A-Aunt…"
Chongyun was a little awkward.
When he saw Shenhe, he could faintly see traces of his mother in her.
After all, they were related—there had to be some resemblance.
Plus, he had heard the elders in his family mention Shenhe before.
Most of them had assumed she was dead.
But who would've thought she'd become a disciple of the adepti?
"Chongyun, right?"
"I'll remember that."
Shenhe reached out and patted Chongyun's head as a form of greeting.
Being treated like this, Chongyun felt even more awkward.
Was she treating him like a kid?
But since she was family, he didn't dwell on it.
Maybe this was just how adeptus disciples greeted people?
"Auntie, hello! I'm Xingqiu, Chongyun's best friend!"
Not wanting to be left out, Xingqiu quickly introduced himself.
Shenhe merely glanced at him.
She didn't say anything.
That single look was her version of a greeting.
Xingqiu, however, took it the wrong way.
Did she dislike him?
Some parents did tell their kids not to hang out with certain people…
Surely that wasn't the case here?
"Hi, I'm Hu Tao!"
Hu Tao also bounced forward to introduce herself.
"I know you."
But before Hu Tao could even finish, Shenhe spoke up.
She knew Hu Tao.
Hearing this, Hu Tao was stunned.
"Huh?"
She knew her?
But Hu Tao had never met her before!
"I often hear you singing in the mountains."
"Your songs are… strange, but not unpleasant."
Shenhe explained calmly.
The reason she recognized Hu Tao was because the girl frequently wandered into the mountains to sing.
Those bizarre little tunes of hers—Shenhe had heard them all.
The moment these words left her mouth, Hu Tao's eyes sparkled.
"Ohhh?"
"You've heard me sing?!"
Holy smokes, she had a fan?!
This was amazing!
Shenhe nodded.
She really had heard them all.
Once this fact was confirmed, Hu Tao's affection for Shenhe skyrocketed.
She had a fan!
Nice, very nice.
Hu Tao was thrilled.
She immediately started chattering away at Shenhe.
Shenhe, however, had no idea how to respond.
She could only stand there silently.
Hu Tao didn't mind.
She just kept talking happily on her own.
Watching this scene, Jiang Chen was thoroughly amused.
One was fiery and lively, the other cold as ice.
What would happen when these two collided?
Would Hu Tao's warmth melt Shenhe's frost?
Jiang Chen was very curious to find out.
Leaving them to their own devices, Jiang Chen took Klee and headed straight for the alchemy workshop.
"Klee, don't be too surprised when you see who's inside, okay?"
Hearing this, Klee blinked in confusion.
She didn't really understand what Jiang Chen meant.
But Jiang Chen didn't explain further.
He led Klee into the workshop.
Right now, the alchemy workshop wasn't just home to Albedo's doppelgänger—many of Liyue's skilled alchemists had been recruited here.
Even Ying'er, the infamous "Chariot Queen," had been pulled in.
This was something Jiang Chen hadn't expected.
But thinking about it, Ying'er did know some alchemy.
She just wasn't an expert.
Now was the perfect time for her to learn.
To be honest, Liyue didn't have many talented alchemists.
In this regard, they couldn't compare to Mondstadt.
Over there, Albedo—a true alchemy master—was leading the Knights of Favonius' research.
Under his guidance, their alchemical skills were top-notch.
Fortunately, Liyue was about to get its own alchemy master.
Inside the workshop, everyone was absorbed in their work.
No one paid much attention to Jiang Chen's arrival.
These people were the type who focused solely on research, completely disregarding social niceties.
If you put them in bureaucratic roles, they'd probably drive people up the wall.
But Jiang Chen liked people like this.
Specialized tasks should be handled by specialists.
All they needed to do was focus on their alchemy.
Klee looked around curiously at everyone inside.
She knew what they were doing.
But she hadn't expected so many people to be studying here.
She even spotted materials for making Jumpy Dumpty bombs!
This made Klee's fingers itch.
She really wanted to make a few bombs right now.
Just as Klee was lost in thought, Jiang Chen led her to the office where Albedo's doppelgänger was working.
Jiang Chen pushed the door open without hesitation.
The moment Klee saw the person inside, her eyes widened.
"Big Brother Albedo?"
Klee was baffled.
Why was Albedo here?
When did he arrive?
Wasn't he supposed to be in Dragonspine?
What was he doing in Liyue??
Her tiny brain was filled with giant question marks.
Hearing Klee's voice, the man inside turned around.
"I'm not Albedo, little one."
Seeing Klee, he was also surprised.
Of course, he had investigated Albedo before.
So he knew exactly who she was.
He just hadn't expected Klee to show up here.
Klee stared at him for a long moment before suddenly gasping in realization.
"Oh! You're really not Big Brother Albedo!"
"That's so weird… Why do you look just like him?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Klee blurted out the question.
"Because he's Albedo's brother."
"His name is Albedo Less."
"One is 'More,' the other is 'Less'!"
Jiang Chen grinned.
Klee's reaction was priceless.
He was also impressed that she had noticed the difference.
Just by observing carefully, she had instantly realized this wasn't Albedo.
What a sharp little kid.
"Albedo's… brother?"
"Then… is he also Klee's big brother?"
Klee's eyes sparkled with hope as she looked at him.
The question caught him off guard.
Was he?
"Of course!"
"You can call him Big Brother Albedo Less."
"As for how he's different from Albedo, you'll have to figure that out yourself."
Was there any problem with this? Absolutely not.
If Albedo's brother wasn't also Klee's brother, then what was he?
Klee's logic was flawless!