Gulp.
No.11 swallowed hard.
The thing on the plate looked like it had crawled straight out of the abyss.
As a soldier, she had eaten compressed rations, stale protein bricks, and battlefield emergency packs that tasted like wet cardboard.
But this?
This felt like Death itself was waving at her.
She cautiously poked it with a fork.
It bounced.
Why did it bounce?!
"What even is this…?"
"Hahahaha!"
Billy burst into laughter, pointing at the others.
"Scared, huh? Can't eat it, huh?"
"I'm different! I'm a robot! Taste doesn't affect me!"
He crossed his arms proudly.
Valerius's amused voice drifted over.
"You do realize… you have to eat it too, right?"
"I'm not afraid."
Billy was fearless.
Human suffering did not apply to him.
"Oh, one more thing," Valerius added casually.
"For this punishment, your sensory system is synchronized with humans."
"What they taste… you taste."
Billy froze.
"…What?"
"You didn't think you were exempt from punishment, did you?"
Billy trembled.
So he couldn't escape.
"Fine! The Starlight Knight never retreats!"
He stabbed a stretchy, unidentified mass and shoved it into his mouth.
"—URGH!!!"
Instant system malfunction.
Static filled his vision.
Error codes flashed across his internal interface.
He collapsed onto the table.
"Is… is this what humans endure…?"
"And don't forget," Valerius reminded gently, "you must praise it."
Billy twitched.
Praise it?
This was biological warfare!
"…Delicious… very… unique… flavor profile…"
That was the best his database could generate.
Sparkle giggled.
"So fun~"
She scooped up a large chunk and popped it into her mouth.
Her expression twisted violently.
But she swallowed.
"Mm~! Such… creative taste! Truly unforgettable~"
Her face said agony.
Her voice said appreciation.
Robin stared in horror.
This was professionalism of the highest order.
With trembling hands, Robin finally lifted her fork.
She closed her eyes.
Bite.
Her brain went blank.
Colors exploded behind her eyelids.
The texture was both slimy and crunchy.
The fishy stench fused with something metallic and sour.
It could neither be chewed nor swallowed properly.
"D-Delicious… The fish aroma perfectly complements the… um… structure…"
She was seconds away from crying.
But she kept praising.
Because repeating punishment was not an option.
The livestream howled.
[Seele: This is torture.]
[Bronya: That is not edible.]
[Herta: That is a chemical weapon.]
[Ellen: I've had worse.]
[Natasha: Miss Ellen… you're terrifying.]
[Xiangling: I'm curious what it tastes like.]
[Hu Tao: Even your experiments don't look this dangerous.]
Then—
The topic shifted.
Sunday suddenly typed:
[Sunday: I volunteer to replace Robin.]
The chat erupted.
Sibling energy unleashed.
But then—
Raiden Ei casually wrote:
[Raiden Ei: If you're looking for someone older to take punishments… shouldn't you find Morax? He's older than me.]
Silence.
Total silence.
Then—
Explosive realization.
[Keqing: …What?]
[Ningguang: Morax is… here?]
[Beidou: The Geo Archon is in the livestream?!]
The entire Liyue side froze.
In Yuehai Pavilion—
Keqing and Ningguang immediately huddled together.
"Who is it?"
"Filter Liyue players."
They went down the list.
Xingqiu? No.
Chongyun? Impossible.
Gaming? Definitely not.
Then—
One name remained.
Zhongli.
"…It's him."
Keqing nearly fainted.
That refined consultant.
The one who quoted history effortlessly.
The one who never carried money.
The one Hu Tao constantly scolded for unpaid bills.
He was—
The Geo Archon.
Ningguang quickly raised a hand.
"Do not expose this."
"Childe is also in the stream."
Rumors had been circulating that he was searching for the Geo Archon.
Better to pretend ignorance.
After all—
If Rex Lapis chose to walk among mortals,
It was not their place to interfere.
Keqing slowly nodded.
"…Understood."
Back in the punishment space—
Robin was still struggling to swallow.
Billy was rebooting.
Sparkle was laughing between tremors.
And No.11—
Finally took her first bite.
Her expression remained stoic.
But a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Acceptable," she said flatly.
Everyone stared.
She continued eating.
Mission mindset activated.
If survival required this—
She would complete it.
Meanwhile—
In the livestream—
All of Liyue stared at the name "Zhongli."
And suddenly—
Many past details made sense.
The composure.
The knowledge.
The calm authority.
And the unpaid tabs.
He really was the Geo Archon.
Just…
Still forgetting his wallet.
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