Teyvat
Guili Assembly
Chen Meng shot upright in bed, gasping for air.
He felt as if he had really sunk into the depths of the sea in his dream. His body had been sinking slowly, his vision fading, and that feeling of helplessness had been utterly despairing.
"Chen Meng, are you up yet?"
Makoshus's voice came from outside the door.
Pulled from the memory, Chen Meng turned to the window and saw that it was already morning.
"I'm up," he answered.
He got out of bed, got dressed, and opened the door.
But Makoshus wasn't standing there.
"You're up—go sit for a while, I'm making breakfast."
Makoshus poked his head out from the kitchen. Seeing Chen Meng emerge, he ducked back in and continued cooking.
Chen Meng looked toward the table. Morax was sipping tea, while Gui Zhong and A'Ping were deep in a passionate discussion.
"Makoshus, let me help," Chen Meng said as he walked into the kitchen, figuring it'd be a good chance to level up his cooking skill.
Makoshus turned and asked, "Chen Meng, do you even know how to cook?"
After all, Chen Meng had only been 'alive' for two days.
"I probably don't—but I want to try."
"Then help me slice the ingredients. I'll show you how first."
Makoshus decided on the safest task. He figured Chen Meng wouldn't yet be able to control portion sizes or manage cooking temperatures. And since they were just using a normal knife, even if Chen Meng accidentally cut himself, it wouldn't hurt him.
After demonstrating, Makoshus handed him the knife. Chen Meng took it, walked up to the cutting board, recalled Makoshus's demo and the system's techniques, and began slicing.
Makoshus, watching beside him, was visibly shocked.
Chen Meng's cuts were fast, precise, and beautiful. Every piece was perfectly handled.
"Chen Meng... is this really your first time cooking?"
Makoshus asked. Chen Meng's technique didn't look like a beginner's at all.
How could Makoshus possibly guess that Chen Meng was a transmigrator? Even without the system, he'd already known how to cook—though never this flawlessly.
"Probably, considering I've only existed for two days."
Chen Meng replied with a straight face, showing no hint of guilt.
Makoshus got back to work.
With Chen Meng's help, breakfast was ready in no time. Together, they brought it to the table.
"Gui Zhong, A'Ping—time to eat," Makoshus called out to the still-debating duo.
Morax and Chen Meng were already seated, waiting.
A'Ping put away her guqin, Gui Zhong retracted her Dustcleansing Bell, and both began eating.
After breakfast, they cleared the table and settled in for some tea and idle conversation.
Gui Zhong and A'Ping immediately resumed their discussion about music.
"Morax, what kind of tea is this? It tastes different from what we usually have," A'Ping asked as she sipped.
"Hmm... this is Celestial Jade Tea."
"Celestial Jade Tea? From Celestial Jade Valley?"
Gui Zhong turned to Morax in surprise.
"That's right—Celestial Jade Valley."
Morax replied, glancing at Chen Meng.
A'Ping and Makoshus also turned to look at Chen Meng but found he showed no particular reaction.
"Chen Meng, would you be interested in learning to cook with me when you have free time?"
Makoshus asked.
"You want Chen Meng to cook?" Gui Zhong asked curiously.
"Yeah. He's got real talent—he sliced most of the ingredients for today's breakfast."
"I'd love to," Chen Meng replied.
He figured learning under Makoshus would help him level up his cooking faster.
Makoshus was clearly delighted, lifting his teacup in celebration.
A'Ping and Gui Zhong returned to their music discussion, while Chen Meng glanced at Morax.
Morax sipped tea and quietly watched the scenery while the sounds of A'Ping and Gui Zhong's music drifted around them.
Even during the Archon War, Morax's overwhelming presence kept other gods from acting rashly against Guili Assembly.
Listening to their melodies, Chen Meng slipped into the system space.
'System, fuse Basic Mechanism Crafting.'
'Understood. Please prepare yourself, Host.'
A rush of knowledge filled Chen Meng's mind, making him dizzy for a moment.
'System, why did this feel different than last time?'
'Because the system has been updated.'
System Mailbox: Ding-dong! Host has unclaimed achievement rewards. Please claim promptly.
"Claim rewards."
'Congratulations, Host, on unlocking achievements: "A Day in Another World," "First Time Cooking," and "Music."Rewards: Lottery Ticket ×1, Cooking EXP +100, Basic Music Arts unlocked.'
'Congratulations! Cooking has reached Beginner level. Reward: Recipe – Almond Tofu.'
'Fuse Basic Music Arts.'
'Fusion commencing…'
Chen Meng felt his understanding of music deepen.
'Congratulations, Host, for unlocking Music Arts. Reward: Xiaomeng Flute added to weapon inventory.'
"Open host panel."
[Host: Chen Meng]
[Authority: Dream Authority (Incomplete)]
[Weapons: Fillet Blade, Xiaomeng Flute]
[Familiars: None]
[Skills: None]
[Talents: Beginner Cooking, Beginner Mechanism Crafting, Beginner Music Arts, Weapon Mastery][Inventory: Clothes ×1, Sweet Flower Chicken ×3, Lottery Tickets ×8]
Chen Meng examined the panel.
"System, open Xiaomeng Flute description."
[Xiaomeng Flute]"Zhuang Zhou dreams he is a butterfly; the emperor's spring heart rests in the cuckoo." This flute may be used as an instrument or weapon. When used as a weapon, its melody induces hallucinations in enemies—excluding the player—plunging them into a dreamscape that the player can control. In the dreamscape, enemies cannot harm the player, but the player can harm them. Note: If an enemy has high willpower or superior strength, the effect is nullified.
Chen Meng looked over the description thoughtfully.
'This would be perfect for clearing mobs.'
He withdrew from the system space and lifted his teacup to take a sip.
Though it felt like he'd been in the system a while, in the real world, only a blink had passed.
"Gui Zhong, song is the voice of the soul—born of emotion. It's impossible for a mechanism to compose true music."
A'Ping said as she plucked her strings.
"A'Ping, mechanism arts may not fully replace human emotion in composition, but the results can rival simpler works."
Gui Zhong replied, operating her Dustcleansing Bell.
The two continued their spirited debate, neither yielding an inch.
Makoshus, sensing the tension rising, discreetly nudged Morax with his elbow, hoping he would step in.
Morax set down his teacup, stood, and approached them.
"Gui Zhong, this is a finely crafted piece—perfect for use in ceremonial events."
He said, and then casually took the Dustcleansing Bell into his own hands.
Seeing Morax do so, Gui Zhong had no choice but to yield.
A'Ping also set aside her guqin, but Gui Zhong wasn't ready to give up on the idea of music via mechanisms—so she turned her gaze toward Chen Meng.
"Chen Meng, what's your opinion on composing music through mechanism arts?"
Chen Meng hadn't expected to be asked that and blinked in surprise.
A'Ping also looked over, curious about his response.
Chen Meng thought—wasn't this just like comparing AI-generated art to hand-drawn works?
"I'm not too sure myself, but both have their pros and cons. Mechanism-composed music is convenient, but lacks emotion. Manually composed music is full of feeling, and you can feel its atmosphere—but when passed on by others, that emotion often gets lost."
Both A'Ping and Gui Zhong fell into thought at his answer.
Morax and Makoshus simply continued sipping their tea in silence.
Chen Meng reached into the system space and pulled out the Xiaomeng Flute.
A'Ping, Gui Zhong, Morax, and Makoshus all noticed and turned to look at him.
Chen Meng raised the flute to his lips.
He began to play…