Sumeru.
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Nahida sat alone in a secluded room.
She wasn't reading today.
Just staring at the time.
It was already past midnight.
But everything here remained quiet.
Nahida bit her lip.
It had been days.
She hadn't felt that strange, euphoric sensation in several days now.
Though it had caused her quite a bit of trouble before—like electric tingles racing through her body, making it impossible to focus—now that it was gone, she felt… miserable.
Like a cat was scratching at her heart. It was unbearably itchy.
She really wanted it…
That unbelievably comfortable feeling…
"What is big sis doing…?"
Nahida was a bit lost. She was sure it had something to do with her elder sister, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Last time, when she told her sister about it, her sister didn't explain much—just said something cryptic like "you don't know how lucky you are."
"What does that even mean…?"
Nahida thought for a moment, then pulled out her Akasha Terminal and sent her sister a message.
--
In the double room, Xia Ci and Xia Zhen lay side by side, listening to a recording.
It was the song Xia Zhi had played and sung that evening.
"Didn't expect our cousin to be able to play guitar."
"Right?"
"But I think it sounds better than Barbatos…"
"Way better!"
"Exactly!"
The two goddesses listened to the song a few more times and chatted for a bit.
"Time to sleep."
"Wait, I wanna check if my sister messaged me."
"Your sister's so easy to deal with."
Xia Ci pulled out the modified little cube and channeled her Dendro power to activate the Akasha's original functions.
She closed her eyes.
A moment later, she reopened them—wearing a strange smile.
"What's with you?"
"Nothing. I just thought of something funny."
Xia Ci put the cube away and turned with a smile.
"Let's go get massages from our cousin tomorrow!"
"Huh?"
Xia Zhen looked completely baffled.
----
Morning
Charlotte glanced at Mona, still sound asleep in the other bed, and quietly slipped out of their shared room.
Verr Goldet was polishing the counter. Seeing Charlotte approach, she greeted her with a smile. "Morning, guest."
Charlotte beamed back. "Morning, boss."
"Heading out for breakfast?"
"Not exactly."
Charlotte leaned in, lowering her voice.
"I'm here to see you."
"Oh? Me?"
"Yes. Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Charlotte, chief editor of the Liyue Newspaper Agency, and also a special intelligence officer under the Intelligence Division."
Verr Goldet's expression instantly turned serious.
She glanced around to ensure their surroundings were safe and private before looking back at Charlotte with a cautious tone. "Please verify your identity."
"Mhm."
Charlotte produced a small die.
Verr Goldet took it, inspecting it carefully.
"This is indeed Lady Yelan's token."
She handed the die back with a grave expression. "Didn't expect we were colleagues. What brings you to me? Is there a mission requiring our cooperation?"
"I need you to help send something back to Lady Ningguang and Lady Yelan."
"?! Understood! We'll ensure it's delivered safely!"
"Ah, well, no need to be that tense. It's just... some ordinary stuff."
Charlotte took out two small boxes, each containing a recorder and a set of photographs.
The recorder held audio she captured the night before—Mr. Xia's music performance.
The photos were ones she'd taken of him over the past couple of days.
This was the important mission Lady Ningguang had personally assigned her for this trip.
As for her new "special intelligence officer" title? That was something Lady Yelan had bestowed upon her last time she came to ask for photos of Mr. Xia.
"I see."
"No, you don't. But whatever. It's hard to explain. Just... thanks."
"Mm."
—
Xia Zhi stepped out of the room and ran into Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper in the main hall, who were having breakfast.
The two Adepti looked a bit tired—likely from working overnight.
"Good morning, Mr. Xia."
"Morning to you both."
"Are you all staying another day?"
"Yes, planning to."
After exchanging greetings, Xia Zhi headed toward the inn's kitchen.
The two Adepti exchanged a glance and, without speaking, slowed their eating pace.
Inside the kitchen, Chef Yanxiao was busy preparing breakfast for the guests.
Xia Zhi walked over. From his God's eye, Yanxiao—like Verr Goldet—had a Silver Progress Bar floating above him.
This inn really was full of hidden talents.
"Mr. Xia?"
Despite the clatter of cooking, Yanxiao's hearing seemed unaffected. The moment he heard unfamiliar footsteps behind him, he turned to look.
"What brings you here?"
His tone toward Xia Zhi was filled with genuine respect.
It was the kind of deference a junior in a specific field might show to a senior, even though Xia Zhi looked younger than him.
Xia Zhi nodded. "Mr. Yanxiao, I've heard about you from Xiangling. You want to become my apprentice?"
Yanxiao looked a bit nervous. "Yes! Your culinary skills are unparalleled. I hope I can learn from you, just like Miss Xiangling..."
Xia Zhi turned toward the stove. "Your dish is about to burn if you don't stir it."
Yanxiao quickly turned back to his wok. "Ah! Got it—!"
Only after Yanxiao finished stir-frying the dish did Xia Zhi speak again.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Yanxiao. I'm not currently planning to take on new apprentices."
Yanxiao froze, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
"It's alright, Mr. Xia. I was being presumptuous..."
"But—we can exchange culinary insights for half a day."
"?! Thank you, Mr. Xia!"
Xia Zhi smiled and walked over to the stove, picking up a ladle. He spoke softly, "Bring me the ingredients you just used. I'll cook the dish again."
"Yes, sir!"
Yanxiao immediately fetched a new set of ingredients and handed them over. He then stood attentively at Xia Zhi's side, assisting where needed and observing every movement with intense focus.
At the same time, the Silver Progress Bar hovering above Yanxiao's head ticked up slightly.
Xia Zhi glanced at it casually through his god's eye.
He didn't particularly care about treasure chests. What mattered was that Wangshu Inn was one of Ningguang's properties, and she was one of his own. Helping Yanxiao improve his cooking was a way to ensure the inn's business flourished.
Since he was already cooking, Xia Zhi decided to prepare everyone's breakfast while he was at it.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper had technically already eaten, but both claimed they hadn't had enough due to working all night—so they shamelessly joined in for another meal.
Madame Ping looked at them with utter disdain.
"You two planning to live at Wangshu Inn now?"
"Yep."
"You closed the doors to my house when you left yesterday, right?"
"Don't worry. We even shut the windows."
"We'll go back once Xiao returns."
"Oh, right. Ping, don't you have a Liyue Bank membership card?"
"I do. Why?"
"Lend it to us so we can book a premium room."
"...Here. Take it."