At the school.
As the students filed out after dismissal, some of them curiously eyed the friendly-looking new security guard.
The Dragon King smiled back, occasionally calling out reminders: "Be careful on the floating stairs! Don't roughhouse. There's Adepti magic to keep you safe, but falling still hurts."
"We know!"
"Do your homework tonight! Teachers will check it tomorrow!"
"We know!"
"…"
From a distance, Zhongli watched the Dragon King fussing over the children, a strange emotion rising in his heart.
If it hadn't been for [Erosion], this old friend would never have turned against him…
Even when the ley lines beneath the Chasm were shattered and his body wracked with pain, he'd only gritted his teeth and endured.
In the end, it was Liyue that owed the Dragon King a great debt.
Thankfully, Mr. Xia had restored him with his miraculous skills.
A blessing, truly.
Though… it meant Zhongli owed Mr. Xia another favor.
Cloud Retainer's grievous injuries, Xiao's karmic debts, the Dragon King's erosion…
So many favors piling up…
Sigh. Better not to dwell on it.
Zhongli shook his head. Once all the children had gone, he approached the Dragon King.
The Dragon King looked up and grinned. "Good evening, Principal! Here to inspect your staff?"
"Indeed. How's the new job treating you?"
"Pretty good. Nice and easy."
"Glad to hear it."
"Want to drink tonight?"
"Of course."
Zhongli paused.
"Tonight… I'll log in too."
The Dragon King blinked, then laughed. "So you figured it out, huh? Alright! Tonight, we'll dominate the game together!"
---
Leaving Qingce Village, they traveled along a wide waterway, skirting just south of Wuwang Hill.
These waters were connected to Fontaine's rivers, and it was said that every year, vast schools of fish would swim upstream in a spectacular migration—but unfortunately, it wasn't the right season now.
The hovercar skimmed swiftly above the waterway.
At noon, Xia Zhi stepped out of the Serenitea Pot and stood on the vehicle's deck, glancing at the small device in his hand—the screen finally showed signal.
That was the one flaw of the current phones.
Outside, as long as there were rocks around, it had full signal strength.
But once inside a pocket realm like the Serenitea Pot, it lost all signal completely, severing contact with the outside world.
And since Furina sent Xia Zhi tons of messages every day, in order to reply in a timely manner, he had to step out of the pot every hour or two to get some fresh air and check his phone on the hovercar.
As soon as the signal returned, the device began chiming with new message alerts.
Xia Zhi tapped Furina's icon. As expected—several unread messages.
Nothing particularly important—just her daily chatter.
Still, Xia Zhi patiently read through and replied to each one.
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: Cousin, where are you guys now?
[Xia Zhi]: Almost at Stone Gate.
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: I've never been there before! I want to see pictures!
[Xia Zhi]: Can't be helped. This batch of phones was an early prototype—only tested for signal, no camera installed.
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: No worries! Just have Charlotte take lots of photos. When you all come to Fontaine, show me then!
Xia Zhi smiled and was about to reply when he suddenly sensed a faint, somewhat familiar fluctuation from outside the car.
It was a trace of Hydro elemental energy—like the aura of a powerful Hydro creature…
Although he had already gifted Furina the Tears of the Goddess, Xia Zhi had long since comprehended the hydro power, making him highly attuned to Hydro fluctuations.
After a bit of focus, he found that this aura resembled Focalors'—just slightly.
But his detection range was limited. He couldn't trace the anomaly's source from a god's-eye view.
He walked over to the window, took out a small mirror, and used it to peer outside.
Beneath the hovercar stretched a vast, clear lake.
The water was deep and still—its true depth unknown.
But Xia Zhi could sense that the aura's origin lay somewhere within that lake.
He gazed at the mirror thoughtfully.
A powerful Hydro creature… and an aura similar to Focalors'… The answer wasn't hard to guess.
Could there be a pure water spirit living in that lake?
Xia Zhi had once glimpsed Furina's fate and knew that after Egeria's fall, Fontaine's water became uninhabitable for pure water spirits. Many fled, scattering across the continent.
So, it wouldn't be strange at all if one of them had taken up residence in this lake.
Most likely a Platinum Treasure Chest encounter.
He made a mental note of it.
Since Xia Zhi hadn't replied for a while, Furina grew curious and sent a lone punctuation mark:
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: Cousin? Where did you go?
Xia Zhi put away the mirror and replied:
[Xia Zhi]: I'm here. Sorry, just sensed something unexpected—got distracted.
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: What was it?
[Xia Zhi]: The car flew over a big lake just now. I think I sensed a pure water spirit inside.
[Cousin's Cream Puff]: !
The hovercar zipped over the lake at high speed.
Moments later, deep within the water, a pair of ethereal, illusion-like eyes surfaced and gazed upward at the fading silhouette of the car.
"…I think I just felt the Hydro Archon's aura?"
---
That evening.
Everyone returned to the dreamscape internet café to play games.
Compared to the previous days, they had a new player—Zhongli.
He examined the computer and mouse with some curiosity. "How does one operate this device?"
Xia Zhi explained while casually asking how things were going at school lately.
Zhongli listened while familiarizing himself with the controls, responding as he learned.
"What do you think, Mr. Zhongli?"
"From a rational standpoint, this device is quite ingenious."
The Dragon King called out impatiently, "Morax! You done learning yet? Come on already!"
Zhongli nodded. "I'm ready. But… how does one open the game?"
"See that icon? Click it."
"Ah, I see."
"This game is a 5v5 match between two teams."
"We have eleven people here, and there are still two who haven't shown up. That's three extra."
"No worries. Shenhe, Ganyu, and I won't play. You ten go ahead."
"This…"
"We're heading out to collect some dreamscape materials."
The Dragon King shouted again, "Cloud Retainer! You switch sides tonight—I said I'm taking Morax!"
Cloud Retainer silently switched teams. "Fine…"
The game began.
Xia Zhi didn't stay to watch. He left the café with Shenhe and Ganyu in tow.
After all, games couldn't compare to spending time with your girlfriend.
---
The next day at noon, they arrived at Stone Gate.
This was the border between Liyue and Mondstadt. The only trade route between the two nations passed through here, making it a bustling hotspot.
Many inns and teahouses lined the road—a unique little ecosystem of its own.
The hovercar descended, and everyone disembarked.
Just like back at Wangshu Inn, one had to sample the local flavors while traveling.
They strolled through the market, then sat down at a roadside tea stall.
The tea was inexpensive—just a basic, mellow brew meant to quench travelers' thirst.
The stall also served fried snacks—fried lotus root slices and fried lotus leaves.
Curious, Xia Zhi asked the vendor about them.
Turned out, Stone Gate had abundant water sources and, being close to Mondstadt, benefitted from its Anemo Archon's blessings.
The region enjoyed a warm climate year-round, encouraging aquatic plant growth.
Most notably, lotus roots.
Whether due to the water quality or the climate, the lotus roots here were especially tender and crisp—sweet even when eaten raw. Coated in starch and deep-fried, they became fragrant and crispy, a hit with travelers.
Over time, lotus root became a local specialty.
Xia Zhi ordered two portions—freshly fried by the vendor.
The aroma was enticing.
After tasting them, the group found the flavor novel—different from any lotus root they'd had before. But not quite "praise-worthy" delicious.
After all, their palates had been spoiled.
When they left, the vendor looked at the empty plates, a little puzzled and self-doubting.
He'd run this tea stall for years. It was rare to have guests not compliment the snacks.
Had something gone wrong in the kitchen today?
----
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