The moment she heard the word "reliable," Hu Tao nearly laughed out loud.
"March 7th, do you actually think Old Zhong is reliable?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" March 7th asked in confusion.
Zhongli's eyelid twitched. His director was about to start complaining again. Still, he let her speak. After all, one had to indulge one's "daughter."
"You have no idea what Old Zhong is like," Hu Tao said. "He never carries money when he goes out. Whatever he buys gets charged to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's account, and it's always the expensive stuff too. Half the time, he just wants all of it..."
She went on item by item. Of course, she was not truly blaming Zhongli. She was just venting a little. He had been putting things on the parlor's tab for years already.
Seeing Zhongli's slightly awkward expression, Guizhong laughed so hard her shoulders shook. She hid her face behind her broad sleeve so nobody could see her like this.
This was not the first time she had heard Hu Tao complain about this sort of thing, but every single time, it still made her laugh.
Zhongli could only shake his head helplessly, though he was not angry. On the contrary, he rather enjoyed this kind of life.
"Koji told us Morax made mora," March 7th said after finally putting it together. "How could he possibly not have money?"
Mora was the currency used all across Teyvat. There was no way Morax could actually be poor.
"I've paid Old Zhong a salary before," Hu Tao said. "He just never brings any money with him."
If Zhongli ever went out carrying money someday, Hu Tao would probably be the one left in disbelief. She was already too used to his habit of going around empty-pocketed.
"Mr. Zhongli really is quite the character," Sunday said with feeling.
Going out without money, yet somehow living even more freely than the bard next door, Venti. Ordinary people really could not reach Zhongli's level.
"..."
March 7th had no words.
Why were these gods all stranger than the last? One got drunk out of his mind all day, another never carried any money when he went out. She could no longer look at the word "god" the same way again.
"It kind of gives me this image of Uncle Yang going out without money and charging everything to the Astral Express," Stelle said after thinking it over, offering her own comparison.
The two of them were both the calm, dependable type. Even their voices sounded alike.
Welt: "..."
Hearing Stelle's comparison, he almost lost his composure.
What did she mean, he would not bring money? He did carry money on him. Besides, aside from the occasional thing he genuinely liked, such as mecha-related items, he was not the sort of person who wanted to buy everything the moment he saw it.
"If Welt ever went out without money and kept putting everything on the Astral Express bill," Koji said with a smile as he walked into Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, "would Pom-Pom throw him off the train with a broom?"
Welt fell silent. Probably not, right? Conductor Pom-Pom was still quite reasonable.
"If it happened once or twice, none of us would say much," Himeko said with a smile. "But if it happened every single time, then we would have to seriously consider finding a place to drop Welt off."
"That would not go that far, would it?" Welt said with a helpless look.
There was no need to exaggerate like that. He was a grown man.
"Of course it would, Uncle Yang," Stelle said with complete seriousness. "If that really happens, then you can go in peace. I'll take good care of your models for you."
If Welt was gone, then she would gladly accept that "inheritance."
Welt's gaze sharpened at once.
"Don't worry. That day will never come."
Even if he did have to get off the train, he would take all of his models with him. The ones he picked were all limited editions. Once they were gone, they were truly gone.
"Bro, what brings you to Liyue?" Stelle asked.
After spending a few days together, everyone had become pretty familiar with each other, so she addressed him in a friendly way.
"Just wandering around. One of my residences is here too," Koji said.
Even though he had the Serenitea Pot as a convenient place to stay, he still came back to Liyue from time to time.
"We ran into Hu Tao on the way while she was promoting Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services," Stelle said. "She was so enthusiastic that it was hard to refuse, so we followed her here to sit for a while."
"Don't tell me you're here to buy coffins?"
"You're joking," Himeko said, caught between laughter and tears. "None of us is thinking about that."
No one had died, so why would they buy something like that?
"Himeko, I kind of want to know what it feels like to sleep inside a coffin. How about we buy three and take them back to the train?" Stelle asked tentatively.
It was strange, yes, but she was genuinely curious.
She had slept in cardboard boxes before, but never in a coffin.
"Stelle... are you even in your right mind?" March 7th asked, staring at her in shock.
Usually Stelle was abstract enough already, but now she wanted to sleep in a coffin? March 7th truly could not understand what went on inside her head.
"I'm perfectly clear-headed," Stelle said seriously. "We're Nameless walking the path of Trailblaze. Trailblazing inside a coffin is still Trailblazing, right?"
It was just like trailblazing inside a trash can. Was that not Trailblaze too?
The Astral Express crew: "..."
After hearing Stelle's explanation, nobody knew what to say. The idea was simply too far ahead of its time. Normal people could neither understand it nor accept it.
Even Zhongli looked at Stelle strangely.
She really was quite an unusual person. To think she actually wanted to sleep in a coffin.
"Stelle, this director can guarantee that the coffin will absolutely be brand-new," Hu Tao said, taking Stelle's hand like she had just met a kindred spirit.
Someone else who also wanted to sleep in a coffin. She was honestly delighted.
"Stelle, if you buy a coffin and bring it onto the Astral Express, Pom-Pom is definitely going to get mad," Himeko said, the corner of her mouth twitching. She had still underestimated just how unhinged their Stellaron sprite could be.
If Pom-Pom saw Stelle carrying a coffin back onto the train, it would definitely let out a piercing shriek.
Were the beds on the train not comfortable enough? Why insist on sleeping in a coffin? Even if it was a brand-new one, it still felt rather unlucky.
"I can just keep it in my own room, can't I?"
Stelle scratched her head. It was not as if she planned to leave it in a public area. She just wanted to try it out for herself.
"You should go ask Pom-Pom," Himeko said. "If Pom-Pom agrees, then you can bring a coffin back and use it as a bed."
She did not make the decision for Pom-Pom, though she knew Pom-Pom would most likely refuse.
"Okay, I'll ask Pom-Pom when the time comes. March, if it's allowed, want to try sleeping in a coffin with me?" Stelle asked with a nod, then turned to March 7th.
Come on, sister, together?
"Ugh, no thanks."
March 7th shook her head immediately. There was no way she wanted to sleep in a coffin. For a beautiful girl, that was a hard no with absolutely no room for negotiation.
And squeezing into one coffin together with Stelle... just imagining it made her feel weird all over.
Stelle was a little disappointed, but lying in one by herself would do too.
Zhongli and Guizhong looked at each other.
The bigger the world, the stranger the people in it. Stelle was a truly special case. There was probably no one else in all of Teyvat quite as unhinged as her.
(End of Chapter)
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