"Eula's right. I do have the potential to lose control. That's why I don't stay in Mondstadt for too long, which also means I can't spend as much time with Klee. I'm grateful to all of you for taking care of her during her time in Liyue."
Hearing Albedo confirm it, Eula finally understood why Rosaria kept coming to Dragonspine to keep an eye on him. The man was basically a ticking time bomb.
Though Eula had misunderstood Rosaria's reasons this time. Rosaria didn't actually know about this—she just didn't trust Albedo. If she had known the truth, she wouldn't have just been watching him. She might have knocked him out and locked him up.
"Wow, Albedo, you're not even human? That's so cool!"
After a moment of silence, Hu Tao suddenly shouted, her voice filled with excitement. The sheer enthusiasm made Albedo's hands twitch as he assembled the device.
Hu Tao bounced over to Albedo and poked his arm. The texture felt completely human, which amazed her.
Meanwhile, Albedo's forehead sprouted more and more dark lines.
Su Bai had reacted the same way when he learned Albedo was artificial—poking him relentlessly. Now Su Bai's friends were doing the same. He could only think, "Birds of a feather flock together." The mannerisms were identical.
"Aren't you afraid I might suddenly lose control? If that happened, even I don't know what I might do."
Albedo glanced at the excited Hu Tao. He saw a bit of Klee in her—she'd probably be just as lively when she grew up. Though being poked was a bit much, he didn't dislike the feeling.
"What's there to be afraid of? If I were scared of that, would I still be hanging out with you as a friend?"
Su Bai had never been guarded around Albedo after getting to know him. In his view, as long as Albedo stayed emotionally stable, the chance of him losing control was extremely low.
"I suppose you're right. But Su Bai, weren't you worried about the tea being poisonous before? You wouldn't drink Sucrose's tea."
"Ehe~"
Su Bai poured tea for himself and Shenhe. The tea brewed up looking black, but the taste was actually good. After hearing Albedo talk about Sucrose these past few days, all Su Bai could say was that her strange ideas were impressive.
Shenhe's first instinct upon seeing the black tea was that it was poisoned. But seeing Su Bai drink it, she put her worries aside and took a sip.
How to describe it? The tea tasted almost stingy—barely any tea flavor at all—but the texture was sweet. Children might love it, but for a cultivator like her, it wasn't really her thing.
"Let me try."
Paimon wobbled over, poured herself a cup, and took a big gulp, expecting it to taste as good as Su Bai's expression suggested. The sweetness hit her mouth instantly. Her little face scrunched up—she had finally learned what "so sweet it's bitter" meant.
"This tea should be paired with something not too sweet. Drinking it alone does get cloying."
Eula, having grown up learning noble etiquette, took a sip and gave an accurate assessment. Albedo paused his work. He had always neutralized the tea with alchemical reagents before drinking it. Now that Eula mentioned it, pairing it with less sweet pastries seemed like a good idea.
"The only not-too-sweet snacks I have are these. You can try them. Sucrose gave them to me. She said they taste great, though they're a bit tricky to eat."
Albedo carried a box over with a smile. The mention of food immediately perked Paimon up.
"Tricky to eat? No problem. Paimon can eat anything."
"Snacks? Your director has never really had Mondstadt snacks before. Time to give them a try."
"Hey! Paimon was here first!"
Paimon zipped over, snatched the box from Albedo, and flew to the table. Hu Tao followed close behind. Liyue snacks were known for their rich, heavy flavors—not really Hu Tao's taste. Zhongli, on the other hand, loved those dry, crumbly ones. Maybe she'd bring a box back for him. He'd probably never had Mondstadt snacks before.
As Hu Tao was thinking about which snacks to bring Zhongli, Paimon was pulling at the seal on the box, imagining what delicious treats awaited. Maybe regular pastries? Maybe some Mondstadt specialty? Whatever it was, as long as it tasted good, she'd be happy. With excitement, she opened the box. Suddenly, something dark flew at her face and wrapped around her head.
"AAAAH! What is this thing?! Why can't I see?!"
Staring at the thing on Paimon's face, Su Bai wasn't entirely surprised. After seeing the running apple, he had learned to stay alert around Sucrose's creations. Maybe alchemists just liked weird food.
"Huh? How do snacks have legs and arms? Is this the Snack Overlord? Oh no, little Paimon, you're about to be eaten by the Snack Overlord! Quick, buy a Wangsheng package before it's too late!"
"Nooo! I haven't tried all the food in the world yet! I don't want to die here! Waaaah!"
"Alright, alright, Hu Tao. Stop scaring Paimon."
Su Bai pulled the snack off Paimon's face. The moment she could see again, Paimon darted behind him. Looking at the wriggling snack in his hand, Su Bai turned to Albedo for answers.
Albedo looked embarrassed. He hadn't known Sucrose's "snacks" were experimental creations. When she said they tasted good, he assumed they were just regular food.
"Well... my student Sucrose specializes in bio-alchemy, so it's perfectly normal for her food to grow arms and legs."
"Give it here. I'll restore it to its original state."
Sensing the awkwardness, Albedo took the snack to his alchemy bench and started working on it. Hu Tao, curious, followed to watch how he'd fix it.
But after watching him slather various materials and mysterious reagents onto the snack, Hu Tao backed away. As someone who didn't enjoy reading, watching Albedo mix all those potions gave her the same feeling as being forced to study—and it was even more sleep-inducing than one of Zhongli's lectures.
Speaking of Zhongli, he had lectured her plenty when she was young. No way she was bringing him any good snacks now. But these leg-growing snacks? Those she could bring him a few, as a little "surprise."
Having made up her mind, Hu Tao decided to ask Albedo for some of Sucrose's experiments before leaving the mountain. She couldn't wait to see the look on Zhongli's face.