As the return countdown hit zero, the darkness of The Chasm vanished from Lu Chen's vision, replaced by the familiar sight of the seaside villa.
Finally, he was back…
The Chasm was now crawling with Millelith soldiers, and he hadn't had time to explain himself to anyone. It had taken no small amount of sneaking and effort to pry a good haul of crystals off the Skyfrost Nail before making it out.
Exhausted, he was ready to flop onto the sofa—only to notice something was off.
"Huh? Why's the sofa scorched?"
A quick look told him it wasn't just the sofa. The whole living room was a mess—elemental energy lingering thick in the air, the smell of alcohol practically baked into the walls.
In the one intact corner of the couch lay Venti, clutching an empty wine bottle and snoring away. So that's where the smell was coming from.
Lu Chen walked over and gave him a pat.
Venti mumbled something unintelligible.
"Hehehe…"
"Tasty… gimme another…"
"When Lu Chen's not here… I can drink all I want… so good…"
Lu Chen could only stare. He'd wanted to ask what happened, but the bard was completely gone.
He pressed harder on his shoulder. "Hey! Wake up!"
Still nothing—just drunken dead weight.
Then an idea struck him. "No more wine! The Fatui stole it all!"
"Damn Fatui!!" Venti shot upright like he'd been shocked, looking around for enemies—only to find Lu Chen's face swimming into focus.
"Oh… it's you… You're back…" He flopped back down. "What Fatui… you're just tricking me again…"
"What happened in here?" Lu Chen asked, frowning.
"Ah… the sofa…" Venti slurred, sinking deeper into the cushions. "Qiqi… and Hu Tao… fought over the remote on the couch…"
"I see…" That explained the half-burnt, half-frozen upholstery.
Honestly, how Venti could sleep through that was beyond him. Lu Chen glanced around—where was everyone else? He'd half expected to come home to a warm welcome, smiles all around… clearly, he'd been wrong.
Just then Barbara's voice rang from outside, urgent. "Lu Chen! Hurry! There's a fight at the door!"
"What?" He bolted from the living room.
Outside, a crowd had gathered. In the middle of the standoff stood Ei… facing Scaramouche.
"What is this place?" Scaramouche scanned the strange world around him, his gaze dark as it swept over the onlookers. "Send me back."
Ei shook her head. "If I let you go, you'll only cause more trouble for Inazuma. I won't allow it."
The spectators exchanged looks. Barbara leaned toward Lu Chen and whispered, "This new guest… feels a bit different."
"I heard he's a Fatui Harbinger!" Hu Tao rested her chin on Qiqi's shoulder, voice full of curiosity. "And it seems like he's got… history with Ei~"
Lu Chen eyed the undertaker. Moments ago she'd been brawling with Qiqi—burning and freezing his sofa in the process—yet now the two were acting like nothing had happened.
Qiqi wriggled out of her grip with visible distaste, but Hu Tao just grinned and looped an arm around her again.
"Don't be mad. I'll watch Animal World with you next time!"
"I want… coconut milk…"
"Okay, okay—double coconut milk!"
"How about you start by fixing my sofa?" Lu Chen cut in with a glare.
Hu Tao gave a sheepish laugh.
Scaramouche's eyes narrowed when he saw Lu Chen in the doorway. He instinctively took a step back.
"You…"
Lu Chen realized suddenly—this kid was afraid of him.
Miko caught on too, her smile turning sly. "You'd better behave here. If you don't change your ways, forget about going back. Otherwise… Lu Chen might have to give you another lesson~"
Scaramouche forced his expression neutral, curling his lips into a mocking smile.
"Change my ways? Heh… bit late to talk about education now, don't you think?"
His eyes locked on Ei. "Don't treat me like that puppet you could throw away whenever you wanted. 'Obedient'? That's a word for fools. After everything I've been through—betrayal after betrayal—
"I'm not the same as before."
Then he looked to Lu Chen. "Remember what I told you? If you didn't kill me, you'd regret it.
"Well, here I am—exactly the trouble you brought home.
"Do you regret it yet?"
Diluc, watching from the sidelines, finally scoffed. "The Fatui really are a bunch without a shred of principle."
Scaramouche barely spared him a glance, as if he wasn't worth speaking to.
Nahida, meanwhile, cast a worried look at Lu Chen. She'd settled into this warm, lively household… but this new guest was all thorns. He was bound to stir up trouble.
"Kunikuzushi…" Ei sighed, clearly at a loss. She turned to Lu Chen, almost pleading.
Lu Chen pushed through the crowd toward Scaramouche, face unreadable.
He lifted his hand slightly.
Scaramouche tensed instantly, retreating—only for his half-healed injuries to betray him, nearly sending him tumbling into the garden.
Lu Chen sniffed the air and glanced toward Zhongli. "What did you plant out here? Smells weird."
"Potatoes," came the calm reply.
Lu Chen: "…"
He hadn't thought Zhongli would actually follow through on that offhand comment before leaving. Sure enough, apart from some wilted glaze lilies, the Teyvat plants were struggling—but the potatoes were thriving.
"Mm… guess I was right. In this cold, potatoes are the way to go."
The former Archon, now a solemn vegetable farmer, nodded. "Potatoes prefer cool weather, adapt well to cold, dry climates, have a short growth cycle, and high yields. An exceptionally efficient crop—"
"Alright, stop." Lu Chen cut him off before he could drift further.
Back on track, he looked at Scaramouche. "Relax. Out of respect for Ei, I won't lay a hand on you."
"And going back? Not impossible."
That caught Scaramouche off guard. "What?"
Lu Chen's smile was almost pleasant. "Work with me on a task, and I'll send you back. Fair deal, right?"
"A task?" Scaramouche eyed him warily.
"That's right. Everyone who comes here helps me finish a task. Once it's done, I can reopen the Gate of Teyvat. Then you can go wherever you want—I won't stop you."
"It's a deal," Scaramouche said quickly.
"Chen?" Ei blinked at him, surprised. She'd brought him here to keep him from causing trouble back in Teyvat—figuring under the eyes of so many strong people, even his temperament would settle. She hadn't expected Lu Chen to agree to his condition.
"Don't worry," Lu Chen said with a faint smile. "By the time the task's done, he'll be… thoroughly reformed."
Because the task's name was:
[Teyvat's Model Youth of the New Era]
Help the new arrival, Scaramouche, become a respectful, kind, community-minded young man—polite to elders, caring toward children, friendly, and helpful.
Completion Reward: 5,000 Primogems and 5 million yuan in real-world currency.
Scaramouche caught the edge of Lu Chen's oddly sinister grin and felt an involuntary shiver.
Something was off. This reeked of a trap.