Zhongli used his magical powers and brought Hu Tao to the pond at the entrance of Liuyun Cave.
Zhongli had placed the portal that Yuri gave him here in Liuyun. This place was secluded, and with Cloud Retainer watching over it, there was little chance of trouble. He had also left so of his own magical power here as an additional safeguard.
Hu Tao looked around curiously and tugged at Zhongli's sleeve.
"Wow, you're amazing, Zhongli! You brought so far in such a short ti!"
Zhongli didn't respond but instead walked toward the portal.
"Master, this way."
Hu Tao, who had been using her Homa staff to poke at a frog, quickly followed.
Before stepping through, she picked up the frog that had just flipped over and turned it back again.
Hu Tao reached the portal and stared at it curiously.
"Wow! Why is there a door here? It looks so out of place."
She kicked at the portal but found it completely immovable.
Zhongli opened the door.
"Let's go, Hall Master. The destination is just beyond."
As they stepped through, Hu Tao's vision briefly darkened. When her sight returned, she found herself in a strange new place.
The décor was unfamiliar, completely different from Liyue.
And... was that a star outside the window?
At the long dining table in the center of the room, several people were having breakfast. When they saw Zhongli, they greeted him casually.
Zhongli nodded in response.
To his surprise, the room was unusually crowded today.
Yuri, Welt, Dan Heng, Hiko, Pom-Pom, Kevin, March 7th, Ying, Paimon, Amber, Eula, Noelle, Venti, and the three little ones were all present.
From the kitchen, Yuri called out, "Hey, Zhongli, you're late today! You were the first one here two days ago."
Zhongli gave a calm reply. "I brought my Hall Master with . She took so ti."
Hearing this, Hu Tao waved excitedly.
"Hello, everyone~ My na is Hu Tao!"
Hiko smiled warmly.
"Hello, Hu Tao, I'm Hiko. Co, sit here. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? It's a great ti to eat together."
Hu Tao grinned.
"No need~ I already ate! The skewers my guest brought last night, hehe.
Oh, wait—you're the friends Zhongli ntioned, right? You had a party last night."
Hiko thought for a mont. "Yeah, that's right. But co have so porridge anyway. Sothing greasy so early in the morning isn't great for you."
She ladled a bowl of porridge and set it on the seat beside her.
Seeing this, Hu Tao walked over and sat down.
Hiko also placed a small dish of pickles next to her. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll take care of these three little ones first."
Hu Tao followed Hiko's gaze and saw three adorable little girls perched on stools, happily eating.
"Okay, okay, thanks for the porridge! You go ahead and take care of them—I can handle myself."
Hiko chuckled before returning to the children.
Hu Tao took a sip of porridge, nibbling on so pickles. Instantly, she felt refreshed.
She then noticed March 7th sitting beside her.
"Hey, friend! What's your na?"
March 7th turned sluggishly toward her. "Hey, Hu Tao. I'm March 7... a very tired traveler."
Hu Tao took note of the dark circles under her eyes. "Did you stay up late? You look exhausted."
March 7th yawned and nodded. "Yeah, we spent the whole night fighting the Hilichurl tribe to earn Stellar Jade. I'm so sleepy..."
Hu Tao tilted her head in confusion. "What do you need Stellar Jade for?"
March 7th blinked in surprise. "Zhongli didn't tell you? You can trade Stellar Jade for Star Coins, and Star Coins let you buy items from all across the worlds from Yuri.
If you don't know about the myriad worlds, think of them as many, many different places."
Hu Tao was astonished. Stellar Jade could be used like that? She had always just used it for skipping stones or throwing at birds.
March 7th pointed to Yuri.
"That's Yuri. If you want to buy sothing, he's the guy to see."
Hu Tao took note of Yuri's appearance and nodded.
"Got it. Thanks for the info."
March 7th waved it off. "No problem. Ugh... I'm so sleepy! I need to sleep!"
Hu Tao blinked. "Then... why don't you just go to bed?"
March 7th groaned and pulled out a handful of Stellar Jade.
"We just got back and haven't exchanged it for Star Coins yet. Plus, we've been starving all morning. We gotta eat first. I can't sleep when I'm hungry."
Hu Tao nodded in understanding. She always ate before sleeping, even when she ca back from Wuwang Hill exhausted. Sleeping on an empty stomach was miserable.
As she ate, she chatted with Kevin and the others, quickly becoming friends.
When she heard about the snowball fight planned for tomorrow, she excitedly insisted on joining in.
From their conversation, she also learned that she wasn't in Teyvat anymore. She was aboard a train traveling through the universe.
Ying took the ti to explain what the universe was.
Teyvat was rely one planet. The universe was made up of countless planets.
Hu Tao was amazed. The train could travel between worlds? If she didn't have Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to manage, she'd love to join the crew.
As everyone enjoyed their al, a loud banging suddenly ca from a private booth nearby.
"Wahahahahaha!!!"
Everyone turned to look.
Silver Wolf stood with her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly. The dark circles under her eyes were severe, but her expression was brimming with energy and excitent.
Yuri rolled his eyes. "What are you doing so early in the morning? Could you at least open the door gently?"
Silver Wolf scoffed. "Hmph! I won't argue with you!"
She scanned the room and grinned in satisfaction. "Perfect. Everyone's looking. Now listen up!"
She took a dramatic pose.
"The invincible Silver Wolf has finally completed 'Elden Warrior!' Show your applause!"
Kevin was the first to clap enthusiastically. "Good! Good! Good!"
Seeing him, everyone else started clapping too.
Why? No one really knew. But when one person clapped, it felt right to follow along.
Hu Tao clapped along but leaned toward Ying. "What's happening?"
Ying, half-asleep, yawned. "No idea. Just clap and it'll be over soon. Everyone's doing it."
Hu Tao thought for a mont.
"You know what? That makes sense."
Silver Wolf looked at Yuri, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She wanted to test the effect of the immobilization spell she had earned from "Elden Warrior"
Yuri calmly picked up a piece of pickle and popped it into his mouth, utterly unbothered by what she had just said.
Silver Wolf was stunned.
No way. No way! Did I just spend all that effort completing "Elden Warrior" for nothing?
She felt utterly betrayed. God knows how long she had struggled to clear that ga. She had sacrificed sleep, food, and sanity—only to get a dud reward?
Seeing her expression of existential despair, Yuri chuckled. "Maybe you're just using it on the wrong target?"
Silver Wolf blinked. Oh. Right. The ga had ntioned that the spell only worked on those below the rank of Commander.
Scanning the room, she locked onto Kevin.
"Kevin, I'm sorry! Freeze!"
The next second, Kevin actually froze in place—but only for a few seconds before shaking it off.
Silver Wolf's eyes sparkled with joy.
Yes! The great Silver Wolf can finally fight back against that evil Kafka!
With a villainous grin, she cackled, baring her fangs.
"Hehehehe! Kafka, my dear Kafka! Next ti you co around, the great Silver Wolf will be ready for revenge! Wahahahaha!"
Klee, watching from the side, tugged on Yuri's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Yuri, is this sister... sick?"
Yuri chuckled. "Well, she's certainly a bit... special. That's why Klee needs to eat well and stay healthy, okay?"
Klee glanced at the still-cackling Silver Wolf and shuddered. "Klee understands!"
Ignoring Silver Wolf's antics, everyone resud their breakfast.
About ten minutes later, breakfast wrapped up, and everyone dispersed to their respective activities.
March 7, Amber, and the rest of last night's Stellar Jade grinders all went ho to catch up on sleep.
anwhile, Yuri, Zhongli, Walter, and Dan Heng gathered around the coffee table, preparing tea, setting up a chessboard, and settling in for a relaxed ga.
Venti strolled over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of wine, and began drinking. With the whole Dvalin ss resolved, he could finally kick back.
Hiko took Clara to her lessons.
The three little ones—Klee, Hook, and the newcor Diona—explored the train excitedly.
Diona, however, had one major grievance: the bar.
Every ti she passed it, she shot it a glare so fierce one might think she was planning to burn it to the ground.
Noelle accompanied Hu Tao on a shopping trip.
Earlier, March 7 had overheard Hu Tao talking about wanting to go shopping, so she had generously lent her 5,000 Star Coins.
Hu Tao now stood in front of the bar's massive display screen, eyes sparkling at the sheer number of products.
"Whoa! A flying motorcycle? It actually flies?! So cool!"
"This handheld fan is adorable! Everyone else has a fan, so I want one too!"
"Wait... there are exorcism spells for sale here? I'll take one!"
After much deliberation, Hu Tao made her purchases:
A Flying Motorcycle (Smart Version): Equipped with flight capabilities, automatic navigation, and fingerprint recognition. Cost: 4,000 Star Coins.
Five Handheld Solar-Powered Fans in different designs. One hour of sunlight charges them for an entire day. Cost: 10 Star Coins each.
A Book on Exorcism Techniques containing various rituals and techniques. Cost: 800 Star Coins.
After her spree, she had 150 Star Coins left for later.
Eager to test her new ride, Hu Tao rushed into the portal and returned to Teyvat.
The mont she landed, she threw down 4,000 Star Coins, shattering the bubble encasing the flying motorcycle.
It materialized before her in all its glory.
Hu Tao hopped onto it, vibrating with excitent. The motorcycle's intelligent system activated.
**"New user detected. No valid driver's license found. Initiating novice tutorial.
Reminder: Reckless driving will make your loved ones cry."**
Undeterred, Hu Tao began the tutorial. At first, she wobbled awkwardly, but she quickly got the hang of it.
"Xiangling! Here I co!"
Back at the shop, Yuri realized sothing.
"Wait a second... the three little ones haven't gone shopping yet. And if I take them... I'll complete one of my tasks!"
Feeling pleased with himself, he turned to them. "Alright, 100 Star Coins each! Go buy whatever you want."
The three little ones cheered and bolted toward the bar.
However, upon arrival, they faced a problem—they couldn't reach the display screen.
Hook, ever the problem-solver, smirked. "Klee, Diona, let's stack up!"
She patted her shoulder. "Diona, stand on my shoulders."
Diona giggled to herself assisting.
Hook crossed her arms. "That's what I said. Diaona. Right, Klee?"
Klee nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It's Diaona! You didn't say it wrong~"
Diona hung her head in defeat. "Forget it... let's just buy our stuff."
Following Hook's plan, Diona climbed onto her shoulders while Klee perched atop Diona's head.
The three girls giggled in delight, browsing the goods with newfound ease.
In no ti, they completed their shopping:
Diona bought bizarre ingredients that looked utterly disgusting. She planned to use them for making cocktails.
(There was no way ingredients from another world could make good drinks. Impossible! She would prove it! Mondstadt's wine industry was dood!)
Hook loaded up on snacks to share with the Mole Party once she returned to Belobog.
Klee found so interesting gadgets but ultimately picked up a few explosives—because, of course, she did.
Tomorrow, Yuri planned to take the three little ones to explore the Belobog Glacier.
Even the train crew was excited for the trip.
Afterward, they would all take a couple of days to restock supplies before heading off to their next destination.
[System Notification]
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully entertained 20 different custors! Reward: Lottery Shop unlocked!]
Reviews
All reviews (0)