After helping the young girl escape the cockpit, the group managed to rescue the two fishermen trapped inside as well.
These two middle-aged men were likely the father and uncle she had called out to earlier. They'd taken a direct hit from the massive wave—probably injured their heads trying to shield her—and had been soaked in seawater for some time.
Now, both men lay pale and unconscious, their condition uncertain.
The girl knelt by her father's side, desperately performing chest compressions, tears streaming down her face.
After the Oceanid was vanquished, the secret realm began to shift. The landscape of Teyvat slowly faded, returning to the sunny shoreline it had been before. Only the ruined, plowed-over beach hinted at what had just transpired—that it hadn't all been a dream.
Lu Chen turned to glance back. A few bystanders were already gathering near the scene.
Zhongli checked the men's pulses and said calmly, "They're still breathing. Thankfully, Lu Chen lifted the boat. With proper treatment, they should recover."
"Really? Really?!" The girl leapt up, too overwhelmed to even wipe away her tears.
Zhongli wouldn't lie about something like this. He nodded gently.
"Thank you so much..." She wiped her eyes, looking at Lu Chen with heartfelt gratitude. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would've done... Thank you so much! You saved my life..."
Lu Chen pulled his gaze from the distance and turned back to the girl, his expression turning serious.
"If you truly think of me as your savior, then treat everything you saw just now... as if you never saw it."
"Huh?" She blinked in confusion.
"A strange creature emerged from the sea. Your fishing boat was caught in a storm. By sheer luck, you made it back to shore—and you pulled your injured father and uncle from the cabin."
He'd crafted the story for her on the spot.
In truth, she hadn't seen much of what she wasn't supposed to. They'd been focused on controlling the out-of-control boat, and Lu Chen had finished off the Oceanid quickly.
By the time it was over, a huge wave had overturned the ship. The people on board had been too busy fleeing for their lives to pay attention to a godlike battle.
The only questionable part was that "teenage boy lifts a fishing boat" moment—straight out of a superhero movie.
Staring at her handsome and gentle savior, the girl nodded earnestly.
"Mm!"
As she watched the three of them walk away, her mouth opened slightly—then closed again.
Her savior was already gone, and she hadn't even had a chance to repay him...
It was such a massive favor, too.
...
On the way home, Lu Chen picked up the plastic bags in both hands and carefully checked to see if the stones or fish had been damaged.
Thankfully, Qiqi had kept them safe. Despite the chaos, only some extra seawater had gotten in. The bags themselves were still intact.
Zhongli looked at him, and for some reason, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Hmm?" Lu Chen glanced over. "What's funny, Lord Emperor?"
They'd walked a fair distance from the scene, but when they looked back, they could still vaguely see more people arriving at the beach.
With the sea breeze in the air, Zhongli's voice grew faint and distant.
"You wish to conceal your identity. You don't want others to discover your current power."
Lu Chen nodded, unsure where he was going with this.
"Right."
Zhongli's golden eyes gazed at him quietly.
"You had much safer options for dealing with those three people."
Lu Chen frowned slightly. "You mean... kill them to silence them?"
Zhongli didn't respond.
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly. "I don't kill the innocent. They were just unfortunate victims caught in the crossfire."
Zhongli stopped walking. His ancient, deep golden gaze remained fixed on Lu Chen.
He was watching him closely.
Lu Chen didn't know what he was thinking, but facing the salty sea breeze, the teen's clear voice continued:
"In Teyvat, I've killed plenty. In one of the bloodiest wars, my longsword was dulled from hacking through so many bodies. The ground was piled high with broken corpses."
"That blade was soaked in blood for so long, even after scrubbing it clean, the stench still clung to it."
"I had many blades like that."
"But—" Lu Chen stopped too, meeting Zhongli's gaze head-on.
"I only ever killed enemies."
His voice drifted on the wind, faint but firm. And in that light tone, Zhongli saw a vision: a youth, soaked in blood, standing tall atop a mountain of corpses and gore.
That boy's blade had only one purpose—to strike down his foes. Even after enduring the hellish Archon War, even after a thousand years had passed, his belief remained unbroken.
Zhongli nodded. His smile deepened slightly with recognition.
"You're a gentle person."
"Huh?" Lu Chen looked a bit flustered by the compliment.
Being called gentle was a good thing, of course—he wouldn't be so popular in Teyvat otherwise, right?
But hearing it from Zhongli just felt... odd.
The three continued walking. After a long pause, Zhongli spoke again:
"Even after enduring so much hardship, your nature remains unscathed. That's something I truly admire."
Lu Chen chuckled. "Now you're someone to admire, Lord Rock Emperor. Compared to your six-thousand-year lifespan, what've I got to show? A little wear and tear?"
The two exchanged a smile, and their back-and-forth praise came to a natural end.
Unexpectedly, a system prompt suddenly appeared.
[Achievement Unlocked: The Many Faces of the World (Part I) — Nature's Way]
Emmm...
Zhongli complimented him, and he got an achievement?
It didn't even come with a reward. Lu Chen stared at the system panel, puzzled.
What's that supposed to mean?
He wasn't complaining that the system was being stingy. It was just... this achievement seemed oddly tied to Zhongli's personal quest.
Maybe he was starting to grasp the deeper meaning behind:
"Witness the world's many forms; savor the flavors of life."
...
Back at home, Qiqi, exhausted from the heat, finally retreated into her beloved cold room. After a quick cooldown, she reappeared in the living room.
Ei was already up. On the sofa, Miko had latched onto her, forcing her to watch the latest light novel despite her resistance.
Out on the balcony, Venti strummed his lyre, the music floating through the porch and lingering in the peaceful seaside villa.
Lu Chen put the two fish in the fridge and was about to bring the stones back to his room—when Miko intercepted him and dragged him into their impromptu light novel session, much to his dismay.
Yae Miko, ever the editor-in-chief, insisted it was "to keep up with the latest trends and absorb quality story ideas."
Another isekai, huh? Lu Chen skimmed through it, half-focused.
But then something caught him off guard—the male lead suddenly turned into the female lead... a beautiful girl, no less.
Wait, is this gender-bending yuri reverse harem now...?
How was he supposed to incorporate something like this into his own "Liyue: Floating World Between a Thousand Rocks"?
His expression grew increasingly bewildered.
The Rock Emperor becomes... the Rock Empress?
What if he told a gender-swapped version of the story, where the "Rock Empress" wins the hearts of every man in Teyvat...
Lu Chen looked across at the old man sitting upright, steeping tea with a serious expression.
That contrast nearly made him burst out laughing.
Zhongli set his teacup down, raising an eyebrow at Lu Chen's strange grin.
He looked mildly confused.