Xia Zhi spent the whole morning mentoring Yanxiao in the kitchen.
Around noon, a somewhat scruffy-looking middle-aged man walked in, carrying a fishing basket.
"Yo, chef! What're you cooking today? Smells amazing."
"Jiangxue, you freeloader, don't come in here and mess things up."
"Mess things up? I brought fish today! Look—caught several! You can use them for lunch."
Xia Zhi took a look at Jiangxue through his god's eye view—and saw, surprisingly, that he too had a Silver Progress Bar.
Yep. Traveling really was the right call.
"These fish..."
Yanxiao was about to reject them with a grimace when Xia Zhi spoke up.
"Fish, huh? Perfect. I'll make Squirrel Fish."
"Understood, Mr. Xia. I'll clean them right away."
Yanxiao grabbed the basket and went to work.
Jiangxue, seeing Yanxiao so obedient, looked at Xia Zhi with a curious expression.
"And you are...?"
"Just a passing traveler. You?"
"Just a freeloading fisherman."
"Haha, Jiangxue, you're quite the character."
"So are you, Mr. Xia."
"Have you eaten?"
"Was just about to come beg for a bite."
"Well then, please wait a moment. You can try my cooking."
"Sounds good."
Before long, another Silver Treasure Chest was earned.
---
A promise is a promise—half a day meant half a day.
That afternoon, Xia Zhi accompanied the group for another stroll through the town. They bought plenty of things and took lots of photos.
That evening, everyone gathered around the hearth, chatting. The girls, full of playful energy, coaxed Xia Zhi into playing a few classic songs from his original world on his [Focus Guitar], earning unanimous praise. Even Madame Ping seemed to soften a little.
Later, back in his room, someone knocked at the door.
Xia Zhi opened it to find Xia Ci and Xia Zhen standing outside.
"Cousin, massage time!"
"Come on in."
"Yay!"
"It's a single room—just lie on my bed."
"Okay."
"Wait, why are you both on the bed?"
"We can do a group massage!"
"No."
"Fine, I'll go first."
As the familiar soothing sensation spread through her body, Xia Ci closed her eyes in bliss.
Surely, Nahida far away was feeling just as relaxed right now?
Xia Zhen sat at the head of the bed, watching her bestie enjoy herself.
While massaging, Xia Zhi casually told them about the strange dream he had the previous night.
"By the way, I think I dreamed of Durin last night."
"Durin?"
"The Abyssal Dragon?"
"Pretty sure it was him."
"He's not dead?"
"My guess is... he's in a similar state to how I was before."
"Half-dead, not quite gone, huh..."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment.
"I also saw a massive Nail embedded in Dragonspine."
"That? It was sent down by Celestia."
"What's it for?"
"Well, it's used to patch the world."
"Patch the world?"
"Yeah. Teyvat is kind of like an egg. The shell is fragile. If there's too much fighting inside, it cracks. The nail is used to glue the shell back together."
"Got it, sort of."
Something that powerful must be a Diamond-tier item, right?
"Cousin, what are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering if I could collect the nail as scrap metal."
"?"
---
Yuehai Pavilion.
Late at night, the office lights were still on.
Ningguang rubbed her temples, lifting her head from a mountain of paperwork. She was clearly exhausted.
Third day without Mr. Xia. I miss him.
"Baishi."
"Yes, Lady Ningguang?"
"Go make me some instant noodles."
"Yes, miss!"
A few minutes later, Ningguang was slurping a steaming bowl of instant noodles.
Sigh... On a cold, lonely night like this, only noodles made by my husband himself could truly warm me.
---
The next morning, the group checked out of Wangshu Inn, bid farewell to the two Adepti, and hopped into the hovercar to resume their journey.
"So, which direction are we heading now?"
"Northwest."
"Toward Jueyun Karst?"
"First, we're visiting Cloud Retainer's abode."
"Got it."
"What's next after that?"
"If we head east, we'll reach Qingce Village."
"That's Yaoyao's hometown, isn't it?"
"She hasn't visited her parents in months, right?"
"It's been several months!"
"Then let's drop by and visit her family."
"Sure!"
"Last year she was still a little girl. Now she's grown so tall—her parents might not even recognize her!"
"Hehe~"
"After that, we'll reach Wuwang Hill."
That's the Boundary—the forbidden area guarded by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Chi Yu thought for a moment and offered a reminder.
"Let's skip that place. It's creepy, and the scenery sucks."
"Agreed."
"I've set the auto-drive route. We should reach Mt. Aocang in about two days."
"So fast!"
"Alright, let's play some games next!"
"Let's do it!"
---
That night, Qiqi returned to her treehouse.
After climbing into bed, she pulled out a tiny key, held it to her chest, and whispered her master's name.
A stream of pure faith power flowed from her body into the key.
Qiqi opened her eyes.
She could feel it—the key was nearly full.
In two days at most...
She would become a Magical Girl of Light.
Her master seemed pretty interested in that, didn't he?
Qiqi thought for a bit and decided she'd find her master when the time came.
It would be her first transformation, after all. If something went wrong, she'd feel better with him around.
She put the tiny key away and sat cross-legged, beginning her daily cultivation.
---
At Night.
Fontaine, Palais Mermonia.
Furina rolled around in bed. "So weird, so weird…"
In the mirror, Focalors looked exasperated. "Can you sit still for once?"
Furina froze, staring at the ceiling. "Focalors, why haven't I dreamed about Cousin these past two nights?"
"How should I know?"
"It's your fault! You woke me up that one time!"
"Alright, alright, blame me."
"But seriously, why? I've been sleeping properly. Could I have overlooked something? Wait... I vaguely remember rewarding myself that night… a few times?"
"No idea."
"Your memory's terrible. Must be the erosion kicking in."
"Why would I remember something like that?!"
"Three times, maybe?"
"You seriously need to be more patient. It's only a few more days, right?"
"You don't get it. The darkness before dawn is the hardest to bear."
"Stop reading those dumb novels!"
"So weird, so weird…"
Furina muttered to herself, rolling around again.
Focalors watched her, unable to stop herself from commenting once more.
But really, this was just how they were. Their dynamic had long been established—bickering and bantering, yet always together.
For the past 500 years, this was how they fought off loneliness.
"…Alright. I'm tired. Going to sleep."
Furina closed her eyes.
And once again, she began to dream.
The setting was the same—her empty bedroom.
Furina sat at the edge of the bed, glanced around, and looked slightly disappointed.
She walked to the bathroom, intending to take a bath.
She turned on the hot water, and steam began to fill the room.
The bathroom mirror fogged up.
Just as she was about to undress and step into the tub, her gaze froze on the mirror.
On the foggy surface, three words had silently appeared.
A wordless reminder from Focalors:
[He's here].