Hu Tao soon returned with the bedding. After getting everything ready for Unknown God, she yawned and headed back to sleep.
Asmode looked around the room. The little house wasn't luxurious—very simple, in fact—but it gave her a warm feeling inside.
Pulling the covers over herself, Unknown God quickly drifted into sleep.
Sun rose, moon fell.
Morning arrived the next day.
Unknown God woke up early and peeked into Hu Tao's room, only to see the vine-like spirit sprawled out in all directions, fast asleep.
A fan sat by the bed, gently blowing cool air onto Hu Tao.
Unknown God quietly closed the door and decided to wander around.
Wandering a bit, she soon found herself at the entrance of the internet café.
She had been curious about it since yesterday, and now seemed like a good time to take a look.
So, Unknown God walked into the internet café.
The moment she stepped inside, a wave of noise hit her.
"Hey net admin! Bring me a cup of instant noodles—pickled cabbage flavor!"
"You're still playing that old mini-game? Everyone's into Meteor, Butterfly, Sword now, nobody touches that anymore."
"Take this—my sword strike!"
The internet café was bustling, packed with people immersed in their screens.
One of the front-desk girls noticed Unknown God and approached her.
"Hello there! Are you here to use the internet?"
Unknown God glanced around at all the happy, absorbed people using computers. She nodded.
"Mm."
She wanted to give it a try—wanted to understand what made this thing called a "computer" so fun.
The girl smiled and said,"Alright, it's 998 Mora for half an hour. How much would you like to top up?"
Mora? Unknown God thought. What's that?
"I don't have Mora."
The girl chuckled awkwardly.
"Ah, sorry… we need payment for access."
Just then, Unknown God remembered what Hu Tao had said yesterday.
"Hu Tao told me to give her name."
The girl's expression lit up immediately.
"Oh, you're a friend of the Hall Master! No problem at all."
She led Unknown God in."Let me get the computer started for you. Where would you like to sit?"
Unknown God glanced around and picked a single-person booth by the window.
The girl set up the machine, then brought her a cola and a bag of chips.
Anyone who came with Hu Tao's name didn't need to pay, and they'd even get a complimentary iced cola and chips.
"If you need anything, just press this button. Someone will come help you. Enjoy your time!"
After the girl left, Unknown God looked at the cola and chips—not that interested at first.
She turned to the glowing computer screen but had no idea how to operate it.
So—
Unknown God quietly activated her divine power and secretly peeked at how others were doing it.
Coincidentally, a nearby young girl had just started using a machine and opened a game called Audition Online.
Unknown God mimicked her and opened Audition too.
The screen flickered, and the tutorial mode began.
Lively music started playing, and characters on-screen began to dance.
Unknown God discovered that if she pressed all the correct keys for a round, the character would dance—if she failed, the avatar would stomp in frustration.
Her eyes sparkled. Interesting!
She stared at the keyboard and pressed each key with careful precision.
Unfortunately, she was a little slow—missed the round.
But now her competitive spirit had been awakened.
"Today, I will beat this!"
Asmode threw herself into the challenge.
Soon, she advanced from "watch-and-play" to "blind play" level.
After all, there were only five keys to remember.
Finally! After more than half an hour, she completed the beginner tutorial.
She slapped the table, joy written all over her face.
"Nice! I did it!"
After immersing herself so deeply in the game, Unknown God now felt a bit thirsty and hungry.
She looked at the untouched cola and chips and decided to try them.
She opened the chips first, sniffed one, and popped it into her mouth.
The moment it touched her tongue—her eyes lit up.
"Mm! This is delicious!"
Then she turned to the cola.
Slurp~ slurp~
Unknown God felt all her cells bursting with excitement. She let out an astonished shout.
"This!!! What is this magical drink? It's amazing!"
Without pause, she bit the straw and sucked furiously.
"Ahh~ so refreshing! This cola with chips is the perfect combo."
Sadly, it was gone too fast.
So she pressed the call button.
Soon, a young girl from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor arrived—it was the daughter of a staff member, working part-time to support her family.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
Unknown God waved her hand grandly.
"Bring me one—no, five bags of chips!And five more colas!"
The girl smiled brightly.
"Alright, that'll be 2,000 Mora. Please make your payment."
Unknown God froze.
Oh no. I don't have any Mora.
She grew a little embarrassed. What should she do? The girl was still smiling at her expectantly.
What now?! What do I do?!
At that moment, she spotted Zhongli outside through the window, casually walking a bird.
Perfect!
She reached out—and suddenly, Zhongli was yanked from outside into the booth.
Before he could react, Unknown God pointed at him.
"You can go ahead and fetch it, he will pay."
The little girl recognized Zhongli immediately—he was a big shot at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Alright! Just a moment, please."
The girl ran off with a skip.
Zhongli finally processed what just happened. When he looked at Unknown God, his pupils contracted in shock.
"It's… you!!! What are you doing here?!"
Unknown God gave him a sideways glance.
"What do you mean 'you'? Go pay the bill already. Can't you see I'm busy?"
She refocused on the game, entering a beginner room and clicking the "Ready" button.
Zhongli forced himself to stay calm. After a moment, he sighed and went to the front desk.
He told the front-desk girl, "Put all expenses from booth #3 under Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. This guest is a VIP."
The girl, surprised by how serious Zhongli looked, quickly nodded and agreed.
Once it was settled, Zhongli picked up the five bags of chips and five colas, took a deep breath, and returned to Unknown God's booth.
He stepped inside.
Unknown God glanced at him.
"Just put it on the side."
She was still laser-focused on her game.
Zhongli placed the items down and remained standing, planning to have a serious talk with her once this round ended.
***
Very quickly, Unknown God finished a round of the game.
The result was self-evident—she came in last.
Unknown God looked unhappily at herself beside the podium, only responsible for throwing confetti.
She, the dignified sustainer of heavenly principles, relegated to tossing flowers for others? No way! Absolutely not!
Especially since the first-place winner even sent a public message:
[Bunch of noobs, especially the one who came last!]
Unknown God's anger was instantly ignited!
"You've got a big mouth, huh? Don't you dare leave the room—I won't rest until we settle this!"
Just as Unknown God was about to click the "Ready" button again—
Zhongli spoke up.
"Why have you come to Liyue?"
Unknown God looked at Zhongli and resumed her previously aloof demeanor.
"No reason, just an inspection. I've already heard the news from Hu Tao.
Do me a favor."
Zhongli asked, "What is it?"
Unknown God said, "Help me ask that Ye Yun if there's a way to repair the False Sky.
If this is done, I can overlook what Liyue has done previously."
Zhongli nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
He walked out of the private room and glanced back at Unknown God, who was now fiercely engaged in another match.
Zhongli let out a long sigh. Fortunately, this matter seemed resolved, and Liyue wouldn't have to suffer divine punishment.
But looking at the girl inside—just like Silver Wolf, a total gaming addict—he still couldn't quite believe that she was the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who ruled over Teyvat.
Zhongli turned and left the internet café, intending to find Ye Yun and ask about a way to repair the False Sky.
Instead of heading straight to Ye Yun, Zhongli walked toward Hu Tao's room.
He needed to have a good talk with her—how could she just bring someone back without saying anything?
Ten minutes later—
Zhongli was chased out of Hu Tao's room in disgrace.
He had just told Hu Tao not to bring random people back again.
Naturally, Hu Tao wouldn't agree—"I'm the director here, okay! Besides, I was being nice!"
And then—"I'll dock your pay!"
Faced with Hu Tao's threat to dock his salary, Zhongli had no choice but to drop the matter.
Sigh... what a mess.
Outside the back door of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, in an empty area, Lumine's RV was parked.
Just waking up, Lumine opened the window. Warm sunlight and fresh air flooded in.
She stretched lazily, enjoying the morning air and loosening up her body.
She opened the door, unfolded the outdoor table and chairs, and set up the canopy.
After that, she went to the bathroom to wash up.
Once done, she headed to the stove and set a pot of water to boil—she planned to cook noodles later.
Last night, she had run into Xiangling, who happened to be making noodles, right when she returned via portal.
So Xiangling gave her some.
With the water boiling, Lumine walked to the driver's seat.
On the dashboard, she had a few pots of green plants. She picked up a watering can and gave them a light spray.
Then—
She headed to the bedroom, looked at Paimon who was still sleeping sprawled out, and picked her up.
"Paimon, time to wake up."
Paimon opened her eyes sleepily and yawned.
"Lumine, what's for breakfast?"
Lumine was speechless. Classic Paimon—the first thing after waking up is asking about food. Impressive.
"Noodles. Go wash up, and keep an eye on the pot afterward. I'm heading out to buy some vegetables—we're out."
Paimon woke up fully.
"Okay~"
Lumine looked in the full-length mirror to check her appearance.
Hmm! Perfect!
She left Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and headed toward Chihu Rock.
Xiangling had said that Chihu Rock always had lots of street vendors, and the vegetables were freshly picked and super cheap.
As Lumine walked down the street, she listened to the conversations around her.
"The Rite of Descension is almost here. Time flies. I wonder what decree the Archon will deliver this year?"
"I have no idea. We just do what the Archon says."
"Exactly. The Archon's decisions have always been right."
"Liyue is the best. The Archon appears every year. Over in Mondstadt, who even knows where the Anemo Archon's gone."
Lumine thought to herself—
The Rite of Descension? Oh—so they're talking about Zhongli.
But yeah, Zhongli's way more reliable than Venti.
Soon, she arrived at Chihu Rock. The variety of street vendors dazzled her.
In the end—
Lumine bought a huge pile of vegetables. She couldn't help it—they were just too cheap! In Mondstadt, a single cabbage costs 600, but here it's only 100!
Tsk tsk! Liyue really is rich.
On the Astral Express—
Ye Yun and the crew were having breakfast with the four little ones.
Stelle and March 7th each held a bowl of noodles while standing near the Essence Incubator.
The high-level essence Stelle placed yesterday was about to hatch.
Finally!
The timer on the incubator hit zero, and the chamber opened. A small red sprite appeared inside.
"Mika~ Mika~"
The moment Stelle saw Mika, she was completely won over by its cuteness.
"Wow! So cute!"
She set down her bowl and picked Mika up, spinning around happily.
The commotion caught Ye Yun's attention.
He looked over—and his eyes widened.
"Mika!!!"
Ye Yun had a shocked expression.
Stelle really is the protagonist—she even got Mika!
Himeko noticed Ye Yun's reaction and asked,
"What's wrong, Ye Yun?"
Ye Yun slowly explained:
"You guys don't know—this sprite is called Mika. It's a Light-type, and it ranks among the very top of all sprites."
Everyone was stunned.
Whoa—so Stelle really did hatch an exceptionally rare one!
Hearing Ye Yun's explanation, especially the part about "top tier among all sprites," made Star love Stelle even more.
Her luck was just too good!!!
She looked at her Fire Monkey and picked it up as well—hugging one sprite in each arm, completely satisfied.
Both her sprites had incredible potential. Perfect!
She silently made a decision in her heart—
She would become the ambassador for spirit promotion! Everyone who visits Ye Yun should leave with a spirit.
Then she could organize a grand sprite tournament. She would show up with Mika and the Fire Monkey—dominating all opponents. That would be... totally fire!
At that moment—
Mika rubbed its tummy, looking unhappy.
Stelle got the message.
"Mika, are you hungry? Come on, I'll get you something tasty."
She carried Mika and the Fire Monkey into the kitchen, opened the spatial fridge, and took out a few berries.
Mika sniffed the fruit and took a small bite.
With that first bite, its eyes lit up. It hugged the huge berry—bigger than itself—and started munching away.
Next to it, the Fire Monkey also began happily eating a berry.
Stelle patted both little ones on the head.
"Eat! Eat lots! The more you eat, the faster you'll grow!"
Mika and Fire Monkey responded with a happy cry and sped up their feasting.