Lumine put away the photo, looked at Ningguang and Keqing, and asked:
"Do you two want to take one as well?"
As soon as Ningguang and Keqing heard this—hiss!—they realized… they didn't really have a way to refuse!
And so—
The two women stood beside Osial and took more than a dozen photos, trying out a variety of poses.
March 7th handled the photos on-site, processing them right away, and everyone was quite pleased with the results.
Meanwhile, Moon Carver, Cloud Retainer, and Madam Ping stood at the bow of the ship, sighing as they looked at the unconscious, eyes-rolled-back Osial.
Kids these days were this strong already? Fighting demon gods like it was a game.
They had just watched the entire scene unfold from the Jade Chamber—Stelle's pursuit and beatdown of a demon god.
Their review? Fantastic. More of this, please.
After all, Osial was a long-time nemesis of Liyue. Seeing him suffer? Great entertainment.
And judging from Tianquan and Yuheng's reactions, this young lady who beat up Osial was one of their own.
The three immortals were even more delighted. If it weren't for the presence of the Millelith and the Qixing, they would've clapped and cheered on the spot.
After the photo session, Ningguang and Keqing stared at the massive body of Osial, clearly at a loss.
Seeing this, Stelle pulled out the Judgment of Shamash.
"Want me to just vaporize him?"
Xiao immediately stopped her.
"No. When a demon god dies, a massive surge of energy erupts, and it will leave behind corrupted remains."
Stelle shrugged.
"Well then, I got nothing~"
Hu Tao stroked her chin in thought.
"How about I go ask our guest consultant? He should have a solution."
Ningguang looked surprised.
"Guest consultant? You mean Mister Zhongli? He's very knowledgeable, sure, but he's still a mere mortal. What can he do?"
At this moment—
March 7th suddenly spoke up in agreement with Hu Tao, revealing a piece of shocking news to the Liyue crowd.
"That's a great idea! Your guest consultant is your Liyue Archon, right? He'll definitely have a solution. Go ahead, Hu Tao, we'll wait here."
Hu Tao gave an OK sign.
"Then you all head back to the Jade Chamber first. I'll take the boat to Liyue Harbor and use Xiangling's gate to cross over."
Upon hearing that, Xiao coolly said:
"No need for all that. I'll take you back."
With that, Xiao wrapped Hu Tao in Anemo energy and vanished into the distance.
After Hu Tao and Xiao left—
Ningguang and Keqing were left standing frozen in place.
What?! Hu Tao's "guest consultant"—that Zhongli—is actually the Geo Archon?!
Oh my Archon!!!
Ningguang suddenly remembered she once invited Zhongli to work at Jade Chamber… and instantly felt the sting of awkwardness.
Keqing, on the other hand, looked like she turned to stone.
Haha… ha… she had directly criticized the Archon to his face once.
How boring. Life is meaningless. Humanity is not worth it.
Meanwhile, at Ye Yun's store—
The chess quartet had finished their match.
Champion: Zhongli.
Runner-up: Welt.
Third place: Jing Yuan.
Last place: Ye Yun.
Ye Yun's head was spinning. These guys played chess like monsters, calculating ten steps ahead. He couldn't keep up at all and got eliminated early on.
Ye Yun checked the time.
"Alright, alright, I'm off to make dinner."
He stood up and opened the reception room door—only to see Hu Tao already at the entrance.
"Hu Tao? You're back already?"
Hu Tao shook her head.
"Not yet. I came back to find our guest consultant."
She stood on her tiptoes and peeked inside, spotting Zhongli sipping tea.
"Guest consultant! I need you!"
Hearing her call, Zhongli came to the door.
"Hall Master, what do you need from me?"
Hu Tao replied casually:
"Nothing major. We went to Sea of Clouds this afternoon to have fun, and Klee and the others ended up bombing some fish. They blew up a demon god from the seabed. Stelle knocked him out, but we don't know how to deal with him. Mind coming with me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhongli's eye twitched uncontrollably.
They bombed fish… and blew up a demon god? That must've been Osial. What kind of bombs were those kids carrying to break through even his seal?
Just then, Jing Yuan and Welt walked out from inside the room.
Jing Yuan smiled and asked:
"What's going on?"
Zhongli sighed.
"Nothing too serious. I'll head out first and join you for tea again tomorrow."
Jing Yuan checked the time—it was still early.
He wanted to go with Zhongli and see this "other world" for himself.
"Mr. Zhongli, are you heading back to your world? Mind if I tag along? I'd like to see what this other world looks like."
Zhongli agreed without hesitation.
"By all means."
Seeing that, Welt joined in as well.
"Count me in."
Ye Yun chimed in:
"I'll open the gate for you. You all go ahead, I'll stay and make dinner.
"Oh right, Hu Tao—go check if Xiangling's free and ask her to come help."
Hu Tao agreed.
Soon, Jing Yuan, Zhongli, Welt, and Hu Tao stepped into the portal.
A moment later, the portal flashed again—Xiangling dashed out excitedly.
"Ye Yun, you called for me?"
Ye Yun chuckled.
"Yep, come in and help out. We've got a lot of people eating tonight. Bronya and the others just messaged—they're coming to shop. The Interstellar Peace Corporation folks too."
As he spoke, he realized Xiangling didn't know these people, and smacked his forehead.
"Right—you don't know them yet. No worries, you'll meet them soon. Come on, time to help out."
Xiangling ran into the kitchen. Noelle was already washing vegetables.
Xiangling went to her familiar cooking station, tied on her apron, and started cooking.
Half an hour later—
At Liyue Harbor, the place was packed. Basically, the entire city had gathered.
Why? Everyone came to watch the spectacle.
Osial had been dragged back and was now laid out at the harbor.
He had regained consciousness—and felt thoroughly humiliated.
All these puny Liyue people were pointing and gawking at him, which made him very uncomfortable.
But… the little gray-haired girl standing next to him was far too strong. Just thinking of how she split the sea and smacked him down made Osial choose to lie flat and behave.
Besides, that guy Morax was here too.
Forget it, forget it. There's a saying: "A wise man knows when to retreat."
Zhongli was also troubled over how to handle Osial. He could seal him again, sure, but what if someone broke the seal again?
Killing him was no good either—the remains of a slain demon god would be problematic.
Jing Yuan looked at Osial, thought for a moment, and said:
"How about I take him and lock him up in the The Shackling Prison?"
Zhongli pondered the suggestion for a moment.
"Then I shall trouble you, General Jing Yuan."
Jing Yuan smiled.
"No trouble at all. Consider it a small favor."
He hadn't expected Liyue to be like this—a place so similar to Luofu.
It even felt reminiscent of the ancient days of the Xianzhou.
Jing Yuan was quite fond of Liyue Harbor. Nestled between mountains and water, the scenery was beautiful and the environment well-preserved.
***
Jing Yuan couldn't help but think — maybe he could retire here in the future?
That didn't seem like a bad idea. Mr. Zhongli was the master of this place. If he asked for a small farm and a little house, surely Zhongli wouldn't refuse.
Ningguang and Keqing stepped forward and bowed slightly in front of Zhongli.
"Current Tianquan Star, Ningguang, greets the Lord."
"Current Yuheng Star, Keqing, greets the Lord."
Hearing how the two women addressed him, Zhongli glanced at Hu Tao, who was playing card game with Amber and Eula nearby.
No need to guess — it was definitely Hu Tao who spilled the beans.
Fortunately, the place he was standing was rather hidden, under a small pavilion. Otherwise, if others saw…
"Sigh~ Just call me Zhongli. I am merely a guest consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor — Zhongli."
Ningguang and Keqing were smart enough to catch Zhongli's hint — he didn't want to reveal his true identity.
"Yes, Mr. Zhongli."
Zhongli nodded slightly, then looked at Osial.
"Have the civilians cleared out first. As for Osial, I will handle it."
Upon hearing this, Ningguang and Keqing responded:
"Understood."
They went off to instruct the Millelith to disperse the crowd that had gathered to watch.
Once the people and soldiers had left, Zhongli stepped in front of Osial.
"Transform into a human form."
Osial snorted coldly.
"Hmph! Why should I listen to you, Morax! A thousand years of hatred — how will you repay it?"
Just as Osial was about to rise and roar into the sky, he saw that little grey-haired girl silently pulling out her flaming greatsword, smiling as she stared at him.
Osial froze instantly and swallowed hard.
Zhongli spoke again.
"Transform, unless you want to suffer pain."
This time, Osial obediently transformed into a human form.
His human form was a burly man with a full beard, looking very rugged.
After that—
The group headed to Wanmin Restaurant, using the portal inside to return to the train.
Along the way—
Jing Yuan admired the bright lights and bustling streets, deeply enjoying the atmosphere.
It was already night, the moon hung in the sky, and vendors were shouting their wares on the roadside.
The passersby all wore smiles of happiness.
Klee and the other little ones were running and laughing in the street.
Jing Yuan really liked this kind of environment. Once upon a time, Luofu had a place like this too.
It was called Jinren Alley. Jing Yuan still remembered — as a child, he often ran there to buy little snacks.
Back then, even just a small treat, a Qiongshi Bird Skewer, could bring joy for a long time.
Now that he was grown up, not even gourmet food could make him truly happy.
That's why he enjoyed spending time with Zhongli, Welt, and Ye Yun.
Their interactions were equal, all friends. Sometimes they'd joke and tease each other.
That kind of relationship—was something Jing Yuan hadn't felt in a long time.
Bai Heng, Yingxing, Jingliu, Dan Feng…
As they walked—
The four little ones who were playing suddenly stopped at a vendor's stall.
Everyone looked over to see the four girls curiously staring at the sky lanterns on an old lady's stall.
"Granny, what is this?" Klee asked, biting her finger curiously.
The old lady smiled kindly.
"These are sky lanterns. The Lantern Rite is coming soon, and releasing these can bring peace and safety."
Upon hearing that—
"Brings peace and safety? Klee wants to release one too! Granny, how much for a lantern?"
The old lady chuckled.
"You little cuties, Granny will give one to each of you for free."
The four immediately shook their heads.
"No, no, we can't take your things for free!" Bailu waved her hands rapidly.
But the old lady stuffed the lanterns into their arms.
"It's fine, they're not worth much. I made them myself. Take them, be good."
Bailu, after inspecting the old lady carefully, took out her medicine gourd and asked a nearby juice vendor for a cup, pouring some medicine into it.
"Here, Granny, drink this. Consider it payment for the lanterns."
Seeing that, the old lady liked them even more — so polite and well-mannered.
"Alright, Granny will drink."
Once Bailu saw her drink the medicine, she finally accepted the lantern.
Zhongli watched this scene.
"The Lantern Rite is coming in a few days. It's the most important festival of the year in Liyue."
He looked at Jing Yuan, Welt, and the others.
"Would you like to come to Liyue then? Join us for the Lantern Rite."
Jing Yuan and Welt answered right away.
"Sure!"
They continued walking and arrived at Wanmin Restaurant.
On the second floor, they entered the portal—
And returned to Ye Yun's store.
At this moment, Ye Yun, Xiangling, and Noelle had already prepared many dishes.
Tonight was all stir-fried dishes. With Ye Yun and Xiangling both cooking, it was fast — a dish came out every few minutes.
Meanwhile, the Belobog crew and Topaz, along with Jade, were chatting and resting in the lounge.
They had just arrived too.
After learning that Bronya and the others had a good relationship with Ye Yun, Diamond immediately sent supplies to mend ties.
Clearly, Belobog would soon thrive with Ye Yun's help.
Diamond's move was a smart investment.
As the saying goes — the more friends, the more paths.
In the cold universe, more allies meant better survival.
Topaz and Jade were in charge of delivering the supplies to Belobog.
Thanks to support from the company, Belobog had quickly reclaimed the land Stelle had thawed with her power.
They got a huge amount of building materials, and with help from the mechanical soldiers, a residential area was quickly built.
Now, there were no more housing issues in Belobog.
The entire Underworld, except for the mechanical units and Svarog, had moved back to the Overworld.
After discussions between Topaz, Jade, Gepard, and Serval—
Bronya decided to stop mining the underground ores.
Overexploitation could bring unimaginable disasters to Belobog.
Jade suggested Bronya visit Ye Yun to explore new ways to grow the economy. Surely Ye Yun would have something.
She also mentioned that the company could invest in building factories — but they'd only pay taxes, and profits would have nothing to do with Belobog.
And so—
Bronya and the others came to Ye Yun's store.
Meanwhile, Topaz and Jade had struggled to collect more Stellar Jades lately.
To be exact, treasure chests across the universe had suddenly disappeared.
Yes — disappeared.
Now, only a very few planets still had them.
So this time, they only brought 3,000 Stellar Jades.
The Ten Stonehearts had already discussed — this visit was for buying items that could improve their strength.