Venti was visibly disappointed that his prank had failed on Zhongli.
"No way, old man… is my acting really that bad?"
Zhongli nodded slightly.
"Mm."
Venti handed a pair of chopsticks to Zhongli.
"Old man, try some of these snacks—they go great with the wine."
Zhongli took the chopsticks and picked up a slice of cold pig ear, placing it into his mouth.
The spicy aroma of chili combined with the crunchy texture of the pig ear—it was a perfect match.
"Hmm~ This side dish is quite excellent."
The two of them drank and chatted as they enjoyed the snacks.
What they didn't realize was that the aroma of the food drifted with the wind and wafted into a nearby domain.
Inside the domain, Cloud Retainer—who was busy tinkering with some mechanism—suddenly lifted her head and sniffed the air deeply.
"What's that smell? Why is it so fragrant?"
Following the direction of the scent, Cloud Retainer realized it was coming from outside the domain.
So, she opened the domain's entrance and stepped out.
The moment she exited the cave concealing the domain, she saw Venti and Zhongli drinking in the distance.
"Barbatos? Morax?"
With a flap of her wings, Cloud Retainer flew over to them.
"Lord Morax, Venti."
In earlier years, Venti had often visited Liyue to have fun and was quite familiar with the adepti. Due to his easygoing nature, most of the Liyue adepti called him by his current form's name—Venti—except for Xiao, who had once received his grace and still addressed him more formally.
"Cloud Retainer, it's you! Long time no see!" Venti waved enthusiastically.
Zhongli also nodded gently in greeting.
Cloud Retainer glanced at the table laden with food and wine.
"Venti, it's been so many years, and you're still as fond of drinking as ever."
Venti laughed sheepishly. "Well, of course! Cloud Retainer, want to try some? I brought this stuff back from another world."
Cloud Retainer looked at him in surprise. "Another world?"
Venti grinned. "Yep! Don't believe me? Ask the old man."
Cloud Retainer turned to Zhongli with a puzzled look.
Zhongli replied, "These food and drinks are not products of Teyvat."
Cloud Retainer looked at Venti in disbelief. "Venti, how did you get to another world?"
Taking a sip of wine, Venti began explaining everything about Ye Yun to her.
Upon hearing that Venti would take Zhongli to the other world tomorrow, Cloud Retainer immediately insisted on joining them.
Zhongli said, "There's no rush. Barbatos and I will go first tomorrow to confirm things. If all is well, we'll bring the rest of you adepti afterward."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer drooped slightly but agreed.
Venti, seeing her disappointed expression, passed her a pair of chopsticks.
"Come on, don't be like that. Have a bite!"
Cloud Retainer looked at the food on the table. The aroma really was irresistible.
So, she accepted the chopsticks and began eating.
Belobog – Underworld
Dan Heng brought Welt to the scene.
The moment Welt saw Stelle, he froze in shock.To be more specific—he was stunned by the weapon in her hand: Judgment of Shamash.
"Stelle… where did you get that weapon?"
Stelle swung the greatsword playfully. "Oh, this? I won it from Ye Yun's lottery. Cool, right? Hehe~"
Welt wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "Very cool… can I take a closer look?"
Stelle handed the weapon over. "Sure! But be careful—it drains stamina when you use it."
Welt carefully examined the weapon. He was almost certain—it was nearly identical to the version he knew.
The only major difference: the version from his own world emitted extreme heat when used. But this one simply consumed stamina.
Welt couldn't help but think—If only the Judgment of Shamash in my world worked like this…
Hiss!!
Welt drew a sharp breath.
Stelle noticed and asked with concern, "Uncle Welt, are you okay?"
Welt shook his head, snapping out of it. "I'm fine. Here, take it back."
Stelle took the Judgment of Shamash and transformed it into its dual-gun mode, holstering it at her waist.
Welt then turned to the nearby machine.
"This is the mech, right?"
Dan Heng nodded. "Mm."
March 7th chimed in, "Uncle Welt, please help us fix it! Svarog is really important to Clara—he's like family!"
Welt heard that name—Svarog—and immediately recalled Clara mentioning a robot who taught her mechanical knowledge.
"I see. Let me take a look."
After examining it for a while, Welt said, "It's not too bad. Just a few burnt connectors. I'll replace them."
About ten minutes later, Svarog was up and running again.
"Thank you, stranger," Swarm said.
Welt shook his head. "No need. If there's nothing else, I'll head back."
He said his goodbyes to Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Svarog, then returned to the train.
Stelle patted Swarm's leg. "Svarog, what happened earlier? Why'd you attack all of a sudden?"
Svarog answered, "Stellaron—taboo—must not be touched."
The three finally understood: they must've triggered some forbidden information in Svarog's programming, which caused him to go berserk.
After a while, Swarm left with the other mechs, heading back to the settlement.
Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng then made their way to Boulder Town.
Boulder Town
As soon as they entered, they saw Natasha, Seele, and Bronya discussing something with worried expressions.
Stelle waved. "Natasha, Seele, Bronya—what are you talking about?"
Natasha turned around. "Oh, it's you. Done already?"
March 7th nodded. "Yup! Svarog's all fixed up and headed back with the mechs. What about you guys?"
Before Natasha could reply, Seele answered, "We were thinking of heading to Rivet Town. After the recent battle, lots of people are hurt and our medical supplies are running low."
Stelle immediately volunteered. Then let's go! We'll come with you!"
Natasha shook her head. "No need. With Seele and Bronya, it's enough. You guys already helped a lot—go rest."
March 7th replied, "No worries! Let's go together."
Stelle added, "Exactly! I'm the Galactic Baseballer—when someone needs help, how can I ignore it?"
Natasha gave in. "Alright, but please be careful. If things get too dangerous, don't act recklessly."
Everyone agreed.
And so, the five of them set out for Rivet Town.
Just as they arrived, they were attacked by a group of Fragmentum monsters.
Thankfully, Bronya noticed just in time. She quickly raised her gun.
"Watch out!"
Bang!
A single shot killed a thunderbird trying to sneak up on them.
The others immediately drew their weapons and entered battle mode.
***
After dealing with the ambushing Rift Creatures, Bronya put away her rifle and let out a sigh of relief.
The erosion of the Rift here was quite severe—just now, even an elite unit had appeared.
"Is everyone alright?"
Only Seele and Dan Heng responded to her.
Bronya looked around and spotted Stelle and March 7th, both looking excited near a luxurious treasure chest.
"March, we struck it rich! This chest actually has 30 Stellar Jades!" Stelle exclaimed excitedly, looking at the 30 Stellar Jades in her hand.
March 7th said, "Thirty in total, and there are five of us—six each. We all worked together to get this chest."
Upon hearing this, Stelle distributed the Stellar Jades to Dan Heng and Seele.
Finally, after some thought, she took out six and handed them to Bronya.
"Here you go."
Bronya glanced at the Stellar Jades. With all the loot in the chest, how come Stelle only took this? This was the least valuable thing in there.
"I don't need them. You keep it," Bronya replied.
Stelle grinned and quickly put the six Stellar Jades back into her bag.
"Hehe, if you don't want them, they're mine now!"
Seele, March 7th, and Dan Heng all looked at Bronya in disbelief.
But then they remembered that Bronya didn't know about Ye Yun's shop, so it wasn't all that surprising.
March 7th shook her head inwardly. She figured Bronya might regret it later.
Somehow, March 7th was actually looking forward to seeing Bronya's expression when that happened—it would surely be priceless.
Afterward, the group continued forward and arrived at the orphanage, where they found a good supply of medical resources.
In the original story, Clara had already taken everything from here. But now that the Mechanic Settlement wasn't lacking in such supplies, most of the materials were still present.
It was also here that Bronya recalled her origins—she had once been part of this orphanage before being taken to the upper district by Cocolia.
Seele and Bronya had a private conversation and cleared the air between them, becoming friends.
Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng also decided to put aside their grievances with Bronya.
Thinking about it, Bronya hadn't really done anything wrong. From her perspective, she was just following orders.
The one truly targeting them was Cocolia—that villain.
Over half an hour later, the group returned to Boulder Town with the collected medical supplies.
After handing over the materials, they began discussing the matter of the Stellaron.
March 7th looked at the group.
"So, what do you think? When should we go deal with the Stellaron?"
Dan Heng said, "The sooner the better. This isn't something we can delay."
Stelle checked the time. "How about tomorrow?"
The group exchanged glances and agreed.
After that, they went to the hotel to rest.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the next day.
On the Astral Express, inside Ye Yun's shop—
Pam had prepared breakfast. Ye Yun, Himeko, Welt, and the three kids sat around the central long table eating.
Clara was reading a book while eating—she had been studying mechanical knowledge with Welt and Himeko these past few days.
Klee and Hook were happily eating porridge with their children's utensils.
At that moment, Himeko's watch buzzed.
She checked it and looked a little surprised.
"Spatial readings on Jarilo-VI are abnormal. Stellaron activity is increasing rapidly."
Welt grew concerned for Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng, who were still in Belobog.
"Should I go check it out?" he asked.
Himeko smiled and said, "No need. This is Stelle's trailblazing journey. At most, we can offer some support from the sidelines."
Just then, Ye Yun heard a notification in his mind.
[Zhongli is requesting to enter the shop!]
[Zhongli is requesting to enter the shop!]
[Zhongli is requesting to enter the shop!]
Ye Yun was surprised—Zhongli? Why was he here?
Wasn't Lumine still in Mondstadt? Oh, right—probably that Venti guy brought him here.
He approved Zhongli's request.
The next second, the portal opened, and Venti and Zhongli walked out.
Seeing everyone eating, Venti casually sat at the table.
"Yo! You guys are eating? What's on the menu?"
Ye Yun rolled his eyes at the ever-familiar Venti. This guy really had a thick skin.
"There's still porridge in the kitchen. If you want some, go get yourself a bowl."
Venti chuckled and scampered off to the kitchen.
Ye Yun then turned to Zhongli. "Hello, may I ask your name?"
Zhongli looked around, then turned to Ye Yun.
"Hello, I am Zhongli, consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue."
Ye Yun gestured for him to sit down. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ye Yun. Have a seat."
Zhongli nodded slightly and sat down. "I heard from Barbatos that your shop sells goods from countless worlds. May I take a look?"
Ye Yun nodded. "Of course. No rush—Zhongli, I assume you haven't eaten yet? Join us for breakfast?"
Zhongli nodded slightly. "As you wish. I shall gladly accept your hospitality."
Ye Yun then called out to the kitchen.
"Venti, bring a bowl for Zhongli too."
Venti turned and replied with a "Got it!"
A few minutes later, Venti came back and placed the bowl in front of Zhongli.
"Here you go, old man."
Welt was puzzled by how Venti addressed Zhongli.
"Old man? If I remember correctly, Venti, you're already over a thousand years old, right?"
Venti took a big sip of the porridge with a satisfied expression. "Ahh~ A warm bowl of porridge after a hangover is the best~"
After enjoying it for a moment, he replied, "Yeah, so what?"
Welt looked at Zhongli. "Then Zhongli's age must be…"
Venti understood. "This old man has lived much longer than me—at least a few thousand years."
Both Welt and Himeko were shocked.
"What?! A few thousand years?!"
Zhongli didn't deny it.
"Mm, roughly."
Himeko was surprised. "In our world, long-lived species often suffer certain curses—like the Denizens of Abundance on the Xianzhou. The older they get, the more likely it is to manifest."
Zhongli nodded. "I too experience something similar, though mine is erosion. It gradually causes me to forget past memories and lose rationality."
Hearing this, Ye Yun suddenly remembered something he saw in the store earlier.
[Item: Clear Mind Pill. Effect: Strengthens the user's rationality and reduces chances of mental deviation. Price: 2000 Star Coins]
Ye Yun immediately purchased one. With Zhongli's status, he wasn't worried about payment.
"Zhongli, take a look at this—Clear Mind Pill. It should be useful to you."
Zhongli looked at the pill in Ye Yun's hand."Is that so?"
Ye Yun nodded. "Of course. If it doesn't work, I won't charge you."
Zhongli accepted the pill and, under everyone's gaze, swallowed it in one go.