Inside the treehouse.
Cloud Retainer had also woken up.
She looked at her own pajamas and the bedsheets beneath her, lost in thought.
Why would I have that kind of dream?
At first, she'd simply dreamed of Mr. Xia, but then her body had suddenly felt that intense pleasure she only ever experienced during massages, and then…
Luckily she'd been alone.
At least no one would know about this embarrassing moment.
Cloud Retainer took off her pajamas and tossed them, along with the bedsheets, into the laundry machine to clean themselves.
After freshening up, she headed to the dining area.
Everyone was mostly there already.
But she noticed something odd about their expressions.
They all seemed a bit distracted.
Some would occasionally glance at Xia Zhi cooking breakfast, then blush and quickly look away, as if recalling something.
Even Amber, who'd only joined them yesterday, seemed to have the same odd expression.
Cloud Retainer sat down next to Ping, frowning slightly.
Could it be… everyone else had dreams like mine too?
Dreams fall under the domain of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's power… could it have been her doing?
With that one's nature, it wasn't impossible.
She stole a glance at Xia Ci, sitting not far away laughing with Xia Zhen.
She seemed completely normal.
Maybe it wasn't her?
Cloud Retainer wasn't sure.
She leaned over to Ping and whispered, "Ping, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"After you left the dream last night, did anything weird happen?"
"…No."
"You're lying, you hesitated just now."
"..."
"Did you have some weird dream?"
"Why are you asking about that?"
Ping looked at Cloud Retainer with a flat face.
"Did you have some weird dream after leaving the dream realm?"
Cloud Retainer quickly replied, "Of course not."
Ping nodded. "Me neither."
"..."
"..."
The two of them fell silent.
Cloud Retainer felt like she'd gotten no answers out of Ping — but also like she'd gotten all the answers she needed.
She lowered her head, thoughtful.
So what had happened last night, really?
In thousands of years, she had never had a dream like that — and the dream's focus had been Mr. Xia.
Even though she'd woken up at the crucial moment, probably because her brain lacked any real experience to continue the scenario…
That didn't matter. What mattered was why she'd had that dream at all.
Could it be, like Ganyu, she had entered some special phase of her life?
Wait… Ganyu…
She remembered something Ganyu's mother had told her long ago about the Qilin bloodline having certain special effects…
Cloud Retainer frowned, searching her memory.
After a few minutes, she finally recalled.
That was it…
She jerked her head up to look at Ganyu across the room.
Ganyu was sitting with Shenhe, speaking softly. Her cheeks were a little red, but her expression was more blissful than shy…
Cloud Retainer stared blankly for a moment, as if everything suddenly clicked.
She let out a long, inexplicable sigh.
Ping glanced at her. "Why are you sighing?"
Cloud Retainer didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out one of the sour wild fruits Xia Zhi had given her yesterday, wiped it off, and took a bite.
Then she scrunched up her face and said, "Nothing. I just felt like eating something sour all of a sudden. Want a bite?"
Ping looked at her like she was crazy. "I'll pass."
--
Shenhe watched Ganyu curiously.
"Senior Sister."
"Mm?"
"That coconut scent from you… I don't smell it anymore?"
Ganyu blushed faintly, murmuring, "Yeah, it's gone now."
"So does that mean your, um, special time is over?"
"Not yet…"
"Then how come?"
"It's just… um… well… anyway, normally, there won't be that scent again."
"Normally? So what's not normal?"
"Not normal would be… if I hold it in too long again…"
"How long is 'too long'?"
"I-I'm not sure, maybe ten days, half a month?"
"So you need to… release it every so often to stay healthy, right?"
"…Yes."
"I see."
Shenhe nodded, thoughtful.
--
After breakfast, everyone finally seemed to recover their energy.
Xia Ci left the Serenitea Pot, started up the hovercar, and headed for Mondstadt.
Since they followed the main road, the sight of the flying vehicle drew plenty of curious looks.
One girl, dressed like a noble lady, looked up in its direction, frowning slightly.
Someone nearby asked, "Captain Eula? That thing looks like it's headed for Mondstadt! Should we go back to the city?"
"No need. We'll keep on with our mission."
Eula shook her head. She had noticed the red ribbon tied to the hovercar, which looked very much like Amber's headband, probably a marker.
It likely wasn't an enemy.
An hour later, the hovercar reached Mondstadt's gates.
The Knights of Favonius on guard saw the mechanical vehicle descending and instinctively gripped their weapons, wary.
Until Amber jumped out of the car, waving cheerfully at them. "Morning, everyone! No need to worry, it's just a travel vehicle."
"It's Outrider Amber!"
"Then it's fine."
"A travel vehicle like that — I heard Fontaine has unusual transports, is that one from Fontaine?"
Seeing everyone's curiosity, Amber shook her head with a smile. "Nope, this one's from Liyue — it's a type of Adepti mechanism."
Klee hopped out next. "Ta-da! Klee's back!"
Then, when a whole group of people stepped out from the cramped vehicle, the guards were even more amazed.
Liyue Adepti arts, truly extraordinary.
With Amber's endorsement, the Knights of Favonius let them through without trouble.
Xia Ci put the hovercar away and walked with them into Mondstadt.
The cobblestone streets, though worn by time, were still smooth and even.
Wooden planters lined the road, filled with colorful blossoms, the leaves still sparkling with morning dew.
Unlike Liyue's mostly wooden buildings, Mondstadt's homes were built of stone, decorated with wood trim, with green vines climbing up their walls, steady yet full of vitality.
Xia Lin seemed a bit uneasy about returning to a place she hadn't been in five hundred years, clinging to Xia Zhi's sleeve.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then simply took her hand.
Feeling his warm palm, Xia Lin finally relaxed.
Listening to her call him "Daddy" as she chattered about the street vendors' wares made Xia Zhi feel like he was really on a family outing with his daughter.
They followed the street to a small plaza, where a fountain gushed water surrounded by a ring of flowers — a beautiful sight.
Charlotte hurried to take a picture with her camera, snapping a few group photos at the fountain for memories.
At the bottom of the fountain, the coins sparkled brightly — all Mora.
Amber laughed, explaining that people often tossed coins in to make wishes, hoping the spirit would hear and grant them.
The weather today was gorgeous.
Several cats were lounging lazily in the sun at the square.
Diona's eyes lit up, and she rushed over to greet them, stroking their fur as she introduced them, "They're the Cat's Tail's kitties, from that tavern over there! I used to bartend at Cat's Tail, and the owner was really nice to me."
The cats recognized Diona's scent and weren't afraid at all, letting her pet them with sleepy, contented purrs.
"Meow, meow…"
Then Diona pointed out other shops nearby. "That one's Mondstadt General Goods, where you can buy all sorts of things. That one's With Wind Comes Glory, for artisan souvenirs — though a bit pricey. That one over there is the Good Hunter, they do great meat platters, but honestly, the boss's cooking back home is still the best…"
Ying'er suddenly pointed to a spot in the distance, asking curiously, "Hey, is that an alchemy table?"
Amber glanced over and nodded. "Yeah, that's an ancient alchemy table. They dug it out of some old domain ages ago, but hardly anyone uses ancient alchemy these days. Sometimes Albedo and Sucrose come over to experiment with old formulas… and there are a few alchemy apprentices who hang around too. That guy standing there is one of them. Oh, and Wind Gliders — they were made using an ancient alchemy table, too…"
Cloud Retainer heard this and couldn't help glancing again at the giant alchemy table.
Ying'er turned her head and asked in a whisper, "Boss, do you know ancient alchemy?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "A bit."
He had actually purchased complete alchemy knowledge from the [Shop] in his system, so to him there was no difference between ancient or modern.
Ying'er's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing."
Amber clearly had no clue what Xia Zhi's "a bit" truly meant, and responded earnestly, "No problem, I'll check with Sucrose at the Knights of Favonius lab later. She'd love to talk with you."
Ying'er smiled. "Sure."
With the boss around, she only wanted to discuss alchemy with true masters; if there was anything she didn't understand later, she could always ask him.
As for random alchemy apprentices — way too underwhelming, better not bother.
Ying'er glanced once at the young man standing by the alchemy table, then looked away.
No helping it — the boss's charm was just too high.
Day to day she might not feel it, but once surrounded by other people, she realized no one else could even compare.
Ugh, not just her mouth — even her eyes were already "shaped like the boss."
----
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