The next day, after reporting in at the alchemy workshop, Klee quickly ran off to the library. She had arranged to meet with Fischl to continue reading their favorite fantasy novels.
Meanwhile, Sucrose volunteered to help Shen Qin with his design work.
Plasma weapons came in various sizes, so Shen Qin decided to start with a small one as practice.
The weapon was composed of several key structures: Its Energy system that supplies all the energy needed for operation. Next, the Dynamic system so that it will convert energy into a plasma state. Thirdly, the Emission system which should create a stable plasma channel, confining the plasma and launching it rapidly in a set direction. And lastly, its Intelligent control system so that it can coordinate the normal operation of all other systems.
Designing the power and firing systems took Shen Qin the entire day. Luckily, he could make use of the new synthetic magic crystal material he had developed while working on the defensive bracelet.
The only issue left was the energy system. Shen Qin was debating whether or not to use a Chaos Core. While stacking several Electro Crystals would suffice, a Chaos Core offered much higher potential—several times more power and charging speed.
The only problem was that no one had time to help him gather the materials. The Knights of Favonius' investigation team had just returned briefly before heading back out. They'd confirmed that the energy shield's interference with Anemo barriers was negligible. Now they needed to find a new breakthrough method.
"Should we ask Katheryne at the Adventurers' Guild?" Sucrose suggested. "Materials like Chaos Cores are pretty specialized—most people wouldn't use them, so there might be some left in the guild's inventory."
Taking her advice, Shen Qin went to the Adventurers' Guild, but Katheryne told them that two days ago, the last three Chaos Cores in stock had already been purchased by another adventurer.
"Could you tell us who bought them?" Shen Qin asked cautiously.
As expected, Katheryne shook her head. But before Shen Qin left, disappointed, she did offer a vague clue: "That adventurer wasn't from Mondstadt… and had a slight trill in their speech."
Shen Qin understood immediately—it must've been someone from Snezhnaya.
Sucrose looked worried. "So… the Fatui might already know about the smart bracelet?"
"They were bound to find out eventually," Shen Qin said, shaking his head. "Even though none of us publicly advertised it, a lot of knights and scholars saw its effects during the battle in Windrise. Plus, the Knights are all wearing them now—there's no way the Fatui wouldn't catch on."
Then he smiled lightly. "Luckily, everyone who has one is trustworthy, and the core technology is only known to me, Sucrose, and Albedo. As for the documentation in the workshop, I scanned and stored it in the bracelet, then destroyed the originals."
Sucrose let out a breath of relief, a bit in awe. "You'd already anticipated all this, huh?"
"I never let my guard down against the Abyss Order or the Fatui," Shen Qin said as he started walking toward Angel's Share. "Come on, let's ask Master Diluc. If my guess is right, he'll have Chaos Cores."
And he was right.
"When I noticed someone aggressively buying up Chaos Cores on the market, I guessed their goal was the smart bracelet," Diluc said calmly. "So I bought out the remaining stock at five times the usual price—seven or eight in total. If you need one, I'll have someone deliver them to your workshop."
Shen Qin and Sucrose exchanged a look—Diluc really was loaded.
Still, Shen Qin only took one. All things considered, the rest would be safer in Diluc's hands.
Time flew by. Once the blacksmith Wagner had finished forging all the parts, Shen Qin and Sucrose began assembling the mechanical pet. Thankfully, Klee was still buried in books with Fischl, so they had free reign to work in the alchemy workshop undisturbed.
That evening, after picking Klee up from the library and having dinner together at Good Hunter, Sucrose called out just as Klee was about to head back to the Knights' headquarters.
"Klee, come with us to the workshop for a bit. We have a gift for you," Sucrose said with a smile.
"A gift?!" Klee's eyes sparkled. "Did Sister Sucrose make me a new toy again?"
"It is a new toy," Sucrose said, grinning. "But this time, Shen and I made it together—it's even cooler than any of the ones I've given you before!"
"Yay! A new toy!" Klee bounced happily and grabbed onto Sucrose's arm. "I love all the toys you've given me before!"
Back at the workshop, when Shen Qin brought out the mechanical pet made just for her, Klee ran up, eyes wide with excitement. "It is Dodoco!"
That's right. Shen Qin and Sucrose had modeled the mechanical pet after Klee's beloved Dodoco. It stood over half a meter tall, complete with upright ears and a big fluffy tail. The surface was covered in soft, plush fur.
"Klee, wait a sec!" Shen Qin stopped her just before she lunged to hug it. He flipped a switch on the mechanical pet.
Beep—
A crisp tone sounded, and the pet began to hover in mid-air. Its faceplate, the only un-furred part, lit up with pixel-style eyes and a mouth. It blinked at Klee and spoke in a clear, bright, synthetic child's voice—tuned to match Klee's own vocal tone.
"Hello, Klee! Would you like to bond with me and make me your exclusive pet?"
"Huh? It can talk?! And it knows who I am!" Klee looked at Shen Qin and Sucrose in amazement. "But… what does 'bond' mean?"
"Hmm… it just means becoming best friends!" Sucrose said in a way she could understand.
Klee nodded seriously and said to the pet, "Alright! From now on, you're Klee's best friend!"
"Bonding successful~" the mechanical pet cheered, spinning joyfully around Klee. "Klee, please give me a name!"
"A name… a name… Oh! Since you're like Dodoco, I'll call you… 'Little Duke'!"
"Okay! From today onward, my name is Little Duke." The pet's eyes curved into happy crescents, its tail swaying, and ears twitching slightly.
Even though it didn't have true emotions, all of its tones, expressions, and movements were intelligently calculated responses—making it feel almost indistinguishable from a real, sentient being.
Seeing Klee and Little Duke bonding so naturally, Shen Qin finally spoke up with a smile. "Alright, Little Duke, why don't you tell Klee about all your features?"
"Yes, Mr. Shen Qin."
Little Duke's belly opened, revealing a storage compartment: "I can carry items inside me, up to a limit of 100 kilograms."
It then pointed its tail toward Klee's smart bracelet. "I have a built-in data library, and within ten meters of your bracelet, I can also access your full database."
Next, a radar symbol appeared on its faceplate. "I can scan a 500-meter radius around us. If I detect enemies, I'll sound an alert. You can also ask me to locate things or analyze the environment, and I'll report it back to you with voice prompts."
Then, a panel below opened up, showing one large and two small thrusters. "Normally I fly slowly, but in emergencies I can activate my high-speed mode for a powerful burst!"
"And lastly—my most important function—I can keep Klee company: we can chat, read books, and play together, anytime, anywhere."