After the creation of the system, Lisa had been troubled these past few days. While the implementation of the library management system had indeed significantly reduced her workload, the number of visitors coming to see the terminals in the library had surged. The noise had become so disruptive that she couldn't even rest properly.
She almost couldn't resist using her Electro Vision to chase all those people out.
However, she understood that this kind of fervor wouldn't last long. In a few days, once people's curiosity wore off, the library would return to its usual level of visitors.
"Miss Lisa, may I ask you some questions about this device?" Sara, the waitress from the Good Hunter restaurant, timidly approached Lisa, who was elegantly sipping her tea.
"Oh? If it isn't Miss Sara. Go ahead and ask." Lisa was quite friendly toward people she was familiar with.
"Do you know the alchemist who made it? I'd like to ask him to create a similar device for the Good Hunter. It would make it much easier for customers to place orders, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting their orders wrong when I'm busy."
Sara had always been troubled by this issue. The Good Hunter was Mondstadt's busiest restaurant, but she was its only waitress. During peak dining hours, she was often overwhelmed.
"Well Miss Sara, I do know him, but he's probably quite busy at the moment. Even my library management system that I requested is still a work in progress," Lisa said with a hint of frustration when she mentioned Shen Qin.
Sensing Lisa's mood shift, Sara quickly explained, "Oh, oh, I'm not in a hurry! Just mention it to him when you get a chance."
"Alright, I'll help you with this." Lisa's expression returned to normal.
No sooner had Sara left that Kaeya arrived. Lisa set down her teacup and said irritably, "Spit it out if you have something to say."
Kaeya scratched his head, unsure what had offended her. But since he had urgent matters, he got straight to the point. "Lisa, do you know of any flying devices other than the wind gliders?"
Lisa's eyes sparkled with interest. "Why do you ask? Did something happen?"
"Recently, the Knights have received several reports from residents. They claim to have seen someone flying over Mondstadt at night without using a wind glider, instead standing on some kind of object. They suspect the city might be haunted."
"What do you think?" Lisa's eyes twinkled as an idea occurred to her.
Kaeya's expression grew serious. "If even, you don't know of any other flying devices, I have reason to suspect it might be an Abyss Mage infiltrating the city."
The Abyss Order was relentless. Spotting one Abyss Mage often meant more were hidden in the shadows.
And realistically, Abyss Mages could fly.
"Mondstadt is well-guarded. If it's the Abyss Order, the Knights would have noticed something," Lisa dismissed Kaeya's suspicion, a fleeting smirk on her lips. "Since the person only acts at night, it's clear they have a secret they're trying to keep. Until we can determine whether they're friend or foe, it's best to capture them without causing harm and uncover their true identity."
"Exactly. Acting Grand Master Jean thinks the same. Tonight, we plan to set an ambush in the areas where they've been seen most frequently."
"Here's a little suggestion: to avoid alerting them, it's best if you act alone tonight."
After speaking, Lisa could barely suppress her grin. She quickly picked up her teacup and pretended to drink.
Kaeya pondered for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I'll take note of that."
Waving goodbye to Lisa, he added, "I'll go make preparations now. Let's hope that tonight will bring results."
After Kaeya left, Lisa couldn't hold back her laughter anymore, doubling over in her chair.
"Oh, little sweetie, I can't wait to see your expression when Kaeya catches you. But who would've thought —you really managed to create such a device."
She had already guessed that the person flying around Mondstadt at night was Shen Qin.
Of course, if Kaeya came to question her later, she had a solid defense: she never explicitly said there weren't other flying devices besides wind gliders.
As night fell, Kaeya ensured the Knights made no unnecessary moves. Alone, he took up a high vantage point, watching over the area where the mysterious figure could appear.
By around 9 p.m., Kaeya had been waiting in place for over two hours, his focus never wavered.
This amount of time was nothing to him —he'd once gone a whole day without food or water, waiting in ambush to catch a merchant colluding with the Fatui.
Suddenly, he saw a figure "floating" toward him in the distance!
Floating was the only way to describe it. The person was flying about a story off the ground, their erratic trajectory was far beyond the capabilities of a wind glider.
"Gotcha!"
Kaeya moved like lightning, silently closing the distance before unleashing his cryo magic.
"Freeze!"
A blast of cold shot toward the figure, who seemed startled, letting out a yelp as their flight path veered wildly before crashing into a wall.
Kaeya approached and pointed his sword at the fallen figure. "Don't move!"
But two seconds later, their voices rang out in unison, cutting through the night:
"Shen Qin?!"
"Kaeya?!"
…
…
Inside the iconic Mondstadt Cathedral, Shen Qin couldn't help but feel a little disheartened—it was his first time here, and it wasn't exactly under ideal circumstances.
"It's just a minor injury. You'll be fine by tomorrow morning." Barbara, wearing her priestess robes, placed a cross-shaped bandage on Shen Qin's forehead.
"Barbara…" Shen Qin muttered, watching her leave with a dazed look.
"Hey now, don't even think about it. You don't stand a chance. Eight out of ten men in Mondstadt have a crush on her. As for the other two, one's a clueless kid, and the other prefers men," Kaeya said, patting Shen Qin on the shoulder. (T/N: ✕)
Shen Qin shrugged off Kaeya's hand and put some distance between them. "So, you're not interested in her?" (T/N : !!!)
Kaeya froze, taking a moment to understand the implication. If he wasn't interested in Barbara, he's also not a kid, then…
"Unbelievable," Kaeya sighed, exasperated. "Is this payback for me targeting you the other day?"
"You guess." Shen Qin was clearly delighted to see Kaeya flustered.
Kaeya shrugged and shifted his gaze to the peculiar flying device beside Shen Qin. "By the way, can you tell me more about this flying board? Seems like another impressive alchemical invention."
"Why not try it yourself in the plaza?" Shen Qin suggested with a grin.
Kaeya tilted his chin. "Well then, lead the way."
It was already 10 p.m, and the plaza was deserted. Fortunately, the moonlight was bright enough to provide decent visibility.
"The operation is actually quite simple," Shen Qin said as he switched on the hoverboard. It hovered automatically about 10 centimeters off the ground. He stepped onto it, one foot in front of the other, and the board only sank slightly under his weight.
"When you stand normally, it maintains this hovering height. To ascend, just shift your weight downward by bending your knees. The lower your center of gravity, the higher it will rise. The current version can go up to a maximum height of about 50 meters."
Shen Qin demonstrated, cautiously ascending to a height of three to four meters before slowly straightening up and letting the board descend.
"The board or what i would like to call it 'hoverboard', can move forward or backward by tilting it in the respective direction. The steeper the tilt, the faster the speed. While moving, you can lean left or right to turn. Same principle applies—the sharper the angle, the quicker the turn."
Shen Qin's flight was wobbly and erratic, a sight Kaeya found hard to watch. Shen Qin himself seemed a bit embarrassed.
After coming to a stop, Shen Qin quickly added, as if to save face, "I've been busy with adjustments these past few days and only started practicing today, so I'm not very proficient yet. Once you master it, the flying speed can reach up to 150 kilometers per hour!"
Kaeya didn't seem bothered by Shen Qin's clumsy demonstration. Instead, he looked at the flying board or hoverboard as if it were a treasure. If Shen Qin wasn't exaggerating, this could be an even better flying device than the wind glider!
"This project —The Dawn Winery is interested."
A voice rang out from behind them. (T/N: Batman?!?!)