The camp was filled with people gathered together to eat, which should have been a cheerful atmosphere. But after Shenhe and Eula met, the mood seemed to shift subtly. Even the usually oblivious Paimon could tell something was off. Mona was the exception—her attention was entirely on the sizzling grilled frozen meat.
"Lumine, the atmosphere here is so tense. Should we leave?"
"If we leave, Shenhe and Eula might actually come to blows."
Lumine and Paimon whispered to each other. Having traveled through so many worlds, Lumine could easily see the hostility Shenhe held toward Eula. It was as if Eula had taken something Shenhe cherished. The only person who could provoke such a reaction from Shenhe was probably Su Bai.
"Sister Shenhe, have some fish."
Klee placed a grilled fish in Shenhe's bowl. Over the past few days, she had grown quite fond of this white-haired big sister. Whenever she was bored and went to find Shenhe, Shenhe would tell her funny stories about Su Bai's childhood. And when she wanted to test out new Jumpy Dumpties, Shenhe would take her out to catch Treasure Hoarders.
What Klee enjoyed most was when Shenhe took her to visit a talking crane. The crane told her all sorts of fascinating stories—like tumbling down hills and plunging headfirst into snowdrifts. They were eye-opening for Klee.
Seeing Klee give her favorite grilled fish to Shenhe, Eula felt a pang of jealousy. She had never even tasted a fish Klee had grilled herself.
"Little Klee, your big sister Eula doesn't have any fish either. Why won't you grill one for her? I'll remember this grudge."
"Huh? Then Klee will grill another fish for Sister Eula!"
"Alright, alright, Eula. Stop holding grudges. Here, take my grilled fish."
Amber shoved her own grilled fish into Eula's hands. She wasn't particularly fond of fish anyway; the one she was holding had been grilled for Eula in the first place.
Hu Tao looked between Eula and Shenhe. She felt it was her duty to help her employee out of this mess. Part of the reason Shenhe had become like this was her fault—if she hadn't brought Shenhe around Liyue Harbor and lost track of her, Shenhe wouldn't have run into Ying'er and bought those light novels with strange titles.
If it were just the titles, that would be one thing. The content inside had been an eye-opener for Hu Tao, and it was one of the reasons Shenhe was so hostile toward Eula.
Just you wait, Yae Publishing House. If I ever find out where you are, I'll be there every day peddling packages. What kind of stories are you putting out, with the male lead getting stolen away by a side character? Unbelievable.
Hu Tao silently added Yae Publishing House to her mental grudge list. She would settle that score eventually. But for now, her priority was saving her employee.
"Well, it looks like everyone's had their fill. Let's split up."
"Su Bai, I remember you said you were looking for some alchemist. Take Shenhe and Klee and go."
"As for the rest of us, let's go join the Adventurers' Guild event. Your director can't wait to start selling packages to adventurers. Our packages are great value and come with excellent service."
Grateful for Hu Tao's cover, Su Bai grabbed Shenhe's hand and scooped up Klee, ready to flee this powder keg. But Shenhe, breaking from her usual aloofness, gently pulled her hand free. She stared at Eula and said coldly:
"No, I won't go with Su Bai to find the alchemist. I've suddenly become very interested in the Adventurers' Guild event."
"Master told me to interact with others more. I'll stay with Hu Tao."
Shenhe's words startled Hu Tao. What was going on? Just days after coming down the mountain, Shenhe was already learning to compete with her rival? Those Yae Publishing House light novels were a menace! Where was the cold, indifferent, non-confrontational Shenhe she once knew?
Hu Tao screamed internally. If she remembered correctly, this event was about guiding new adventurers through the snowy mountain. If Shenhe took the lead, she'd probably end up fighting Eula.
Su Bai noticed Shenhe's clenched fists and felt a knot in his stomach. Eula was just an ordinary person. If she took a punch from Shenhe, she'd be bedridden for days. That "if you can't solve the problem, solve the person who raised it" Shenhe hadn't changed one bit.
"Um, Sister Shenhe, you're not thinking anything strange, are you? Eula is my friend and just an ordinary person. Please stay calm. She's not like me—I can take a beating from you and still walk away."
"Your friend? Fine. I'll let it slide for your sake."
So you really did want to go to the event just to teach Eula a lesson. Su Bai's head was spinning. Sister Shenhe was great in every way, except for this temperament. He'd have to take things slow. Worst case, he'd just have to bring her everywhere.
"Hmph, you want to fight me? I'll remember this grudge!"
Eula still didn't understand why Shenhe was so hostile toward her. She didn't recall ever crossing paths with this white-haired woman. It was baffling.
Amber was equally confused. In all her time knowing Eula, she'd never mentioned knowing someone like this. Could it be that Eula had forgotten her, and that was why this girl was so angry?
Seeing things were about to escalate between Shenhe and Eula, Lumine remembered that the Adventurers' Guild had once asked her to investigate the snowstorm on the mountain. Her eyes lit up. This was perfect. She could use it as an excuse to separate Shenhe and Eula, and get Shenhe to help her investigate the cause of the storm.
"Alright, since we're all here for commissions, let me assign some tasks."
"Amber, Eula, Hu Tao, and Qiqi—the four of you go with Amber to the Adventurers' Guild camp. There will definitely be injured people there. It's crowded, which is perfect for Hu Tao and Qiqi."
"Klee, Shenhe, and Mona—the three of you come with Su Bai and me. Su Bai needs to find Albedo, so we'll need Klee to guide us. Shenhe, you're skilled in adeptal arts, so we might need your help dealing with the snowstorm."
Everyone agreed with Lumine's plan. It not only separated Shenhe and Eula but also took everyone's preferences into account.
"Then let's get moving! Your director can't wait to pitch Wangsheng's services to Mondstadt's adventurers."
"This time, I'll prove to Liyue's Adventurers' Guild that it's their loss for not partnering with us."
"Go, Hu Tao! I don't know what Wangsheng sells, but I, Outrider Amber, will help you spread the word!"
Perhaps because they were both Pyro Vision holders, Hu Tao and Amber hit it off unexpectedly well. As for Qiqi and Eula, Eula's smile never faded after Qiqi called her "big sister." It seemed those two would get along fine.
Seeing no objections, Su Bai had no issue with Lumine's plan either. He didn't want Shenhe and Eula to fight anyway. After agreeing to meet back at the camp at the foot of the mountain once Lumine had dealt with the snowstorm, the group split into two teams and headed off in opposite directions.