Belobog.
After having their meal, everyone gathered in Bronya's office.
"Miss Bronya, have you made your decision yet?"
Before Bronya could respond, Ye Yun interjected.
"No rush, someone hasn't arrived yet."
With that, Ye Yun calmly took a sip of tea and exhaled in comfort—he was all about enjoying the moment.
Upon hearing this, Topaz wanted to press further, but Jasper spoke ahead of her.
"It's fine, let's wait a bit longer. There's no need to rush."
Seeing this, Topaz gave a cold snort and sat down with her arms crossed, closing her eyes to rest.
Hu Tao shifted uncomfortably in her seat—the atmosphere here was just too stifling.
She wanted to leave, but she had to support Bronya right now and couldn't walk out.
Oh well, oh well. As the Hall Master, nothing is more important than friendship~
Stelle also felt bored and slouched casually in her chair.
She glanced at Ye Yun drinking tea and suddenly grew curious—why do Ye Yun, Zhongli, and Uncle Yang all like tea so much?
Speaking of which, she hadn't had any tea since waking up at the space station.
So, she tugged at Ye Yun's sleeve and pointed to her mouth.
"Ye Yun, can I have a cup of tea?"
Ye Yun raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? My tea is very bitter."
Stelle shook her head—she just wanted to satisfy her curiosity.
Ye Yun picked up the teapot and poured her a cup.
Stelle took it and recalled how Ye Yun, Zhongli, and the others drank tea: lift the cup, take a whiff, close your eyes, relax, sip gently, don't gulp, just take a small mouthful, and swallow slowly.
After following the whole process, she felt... incredibly cozy.
So this is the charm of drinking tea!
Without a word, Stelle handed her cup back to Ye Yun for a refill.
March 7th, Lumine, Amber, and Eula saw this and also asked for a cup.
Seeing this, Ye Yun simply bought some little cakes from the system and placed them on the table.
Tea party! Showtime!
The girls' eyes lit up as soon as they saw the cakes and each picked their favorite to eat.
Jade and Topaz also chose one each.
Klee spotted a cake shaped like a Dodoco.
"Wow~ It's a Dodoco cake!"
"Where? Let Hook take a look!"
"Cake? Nah, I bet it'd taste great with some booze."
Ye Yun handed the Dodoco cake to Klee.
Klee cheered, waving her arms happily.
"Thank you, Brother Ye Yun~"
Ye Yun smiled fondly.
"Go ahead, share it with the other two—this cake is pretty big. Too much cream isn't good for you."
Klee nodded obediently and picked up a small knife, slicing the Dodoco cake into three parts.
"This one's for Hook~"
"This one's for Diona."
"And this one's mine~"
The three little ones each held their slice and began eating.
The scene at the table could be divided into three categories:
First group: Stelle, Seele, and Paimon—wild eaters who just shoveled cake straight into their mouths. Forks and knives? What are those?
Second group: Himeko, Jade, Topaz, Bronya, and Eula—elegant eaters with tiny forks and spoons, eating in dainty bites.
Third group: average folks like Lumine, Amber, and March 7th.
As everyone enjoyed their cake, the door was pushed open.
Ye Yun thought it was Asta.
But to his surprise, it was Zhongli.
After greeting everyone, Zhongli calmly sat next to Ye Yun, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup.
Ye Yun swirled the tea in his cup slightly.
"You settled things on your end?"
Zhongli nodded.
"Yes."
"How did it go?" Ye Yun asked.
"Acceptable," Zhongli replied calmly.
Hearing that, Ye Yun raised an eyebrow and continued chatting casually with him.
On the other side—
Jade eyed Zhongli and grew a little worried for Topaz.
This guy clearly wasn't an ordinary person. If he joined the negotiations, Topaz might not be able to hold her ground.
Jade decided she'd help Topaz out if things got rough.
Not long after, the door opened again.
This time, it was the real guest of honor.
Asta entered the office with Herta.
Herta immediately turned to Ye Yun to go shopping.
Ye Yun asked Dan Heng to escort her to the teleportation gate at the Mechanical Settlement.
Jade was stunned when she saw Herta.
These people actually had connections with Herta? And by the looks of it, they were very close.
Then again, now that she thought about it, she had heard the Astral Express team often helped Herta collect rare items.
Asta walked over to Ye Yun.
"Mr. Ye Yun, long time no see."
Ye Yun smiled and gestured for her to sit.
"Long time no see, Asta. Please, take a seat."
Once seated, Ye Yun called to Bronya.
"Bronya, my friend is here. Have a chat with her."
Asta turned to Bronya.
"Hello, I'm Asta."
Bronya stepped forward and held out her hand.
"Hello, Bronya. This way, please. I'd like to speak with you privately."
Asta nodded and followed Bronya into a side room.
Topaz was stunned—what the heck?! Why is Asta here?
And it looked like... she came to help settle the debt!
Soon after, Bronya and Asta came back out.
Asta looked at Topaz.
"Director Topaz, long time no see. Last time we met was at the company's annual party, wasn't it?"
Topaz smiled faintly.
"Indeed, Miss Asta. So, how did your talk with Miss Bronya go?"
Asta smiled and took out a black card.
"Charge it to my account."
Topaz sighed and had an assistant bring out a high-value payment device.
After the transaction was complete and the funds confirmed, Topaz handed the card back to Asta.
She couldn't help but be a little curious.
"Miss Asta, if I may ask—what did Miss Bronya promise you in return for such a hefty expense?"
Asta replied:
"Bronya promised to repay me 10,000 Stellar Jade in installments.
Well, now that it's settled, I'll be heading off to take care of my own business."
She turned to Ye Yun.
"Ye Yun, can you take me to your store? I want to buy something."
Seeing everything was resolved and the time wasn't too early, Ye Yun prepared to leave.
He then led the three little ones, Stelle, and the others back to the train.
Topaz and Jade also got up to leave.
Honestly, Topaz didn't expect the issue to be resolved so quickly.
Usually, messy debts of this size were incredibly hard to clear up.
They often dragged on with endless disputes, and in worse cases, required violent collection tactics.
Still, Topaz preferred to settle things peacefully whenever possible. She disliked using force.
After everyone left, only Bronya and Seele remained in the office.
Bronya slumped into a chair, looking out at the busy city streets, and let out a long sigh.
"Whew~ It's finally over."
Seele nodded.
"Yeah, Belobog really has been through a lot.
Let's hope we can finally enjoy some peace and development from here on."
Bronya nodded.
"Yes. Seele, starting tomorrow, take a squad out to collect Stellar Jade in the wild.
We may not owe any credits anymore, but we still have a Stellar Jade debt to repay."
Seele accepted the task—negotiating wasn't her thing.
But fighting? That was her specialty. Just grab the scythe and swing.
Speaking of scythes, Seele suddenly remembered she hadn't cleaned hers since slicing a durian at Ye Yun's shop.
She pulled out the weapon and sniffed it. Hmm... There was still a faint smell.
Time for a wash.
Seele bid Bronya farewell and left the office.
Back on the train, everyone went off to do their own thing.
Zhongli, Welt, and Dan Heng were organizing the newly gathered specimens.
They planned to preserve the samples as specimens for storage.
It was Zhongli's first time seeing this kind of material. Curious, he followed Welt's instructions and made a leaf specimen himself.
The girls—Stelle and the others—were lounging in the tea lounge playing games.
"Can someone please watch my back?! I'm the marksman here, and no one's protecting me!" March 7th cried out after being easily assassinated again.
Stelle, Lumine, Eula, and Hu Tao were all charging recklessly into the enemy.
"I'm the top laner—I have to be up front," Stelle said while chasing the enemy marksman.
Lumine was engaged in a close-range fight with the enemy tanks.
"I'm tanking damage right now—no time."
Hu Tao was the jungler.
"I just took down their mid, but I'm low on health. Heading back to base."
Eula cast her combo and ran.
"I'm out of Mana. Later."
The team fight ended with just March 7th dead.
Marksman sacrificed—magic thrives. The other four healed up and steamrolled the enemy in one push.
Seeing the "MVP" title next to her name, Stelle grinned proudly.
"As expected! I carried! Come on, ready up for the next match!"
Hu Tao was about to click "Ready" but paused.
"You guys go ahead—I've got something to do tonight."
"Oh? What's the rush? Need help?" Stelle asked.
"You know my job—I've got to send a client to Wuwang Hill tonight," Hu Tao replied.
The others lit up with curiosity.
"Let's go with you!" Stelle said eagerly.
Hu Tao didn't mind. While the others didn't know soul-guiding rituals, their strength was more than enough to handle ghosts.
"Sure, shall we head out now? The portal's still a ways from Liyue Harbor."
Stelle glanced at Venti, who was sipping wine at the small bar, and smirked.
"No rush—someone's giving us a lift."
Then, the girls continued playing.
Soon after, March 7th let out another wail—she got assassinated again with no protection!
The noise caught Silver Wolf's attention, and she came out of her private room to join the game, taking March 7th's place.
Silver Wolf was way better at the game.
With her on board, the team racked up a winning streak and quickly climbed to the King rank.
Before long, it was time for the group to head to Teyvat.
Silver Wolf thought for a moment and decided to tag along—she'd never been to another world before.
So the girls went to Ye Yun and asked him to open a portal.
Only a portal opened by Ye Yun could send Stelle, March 7th, and Silver Wolf to Teyvat.
Then, the girls and Venti stepped through the portal, heading for Teyvat.
***
Stelle and the girls hurriedly stepped into the teleportation portal heading to Liyue.
Stelle successfully summoned the "Venti-brand ride-hailing service" with a bottle of wine.
After arriving at Jueyun Karst, Venti would take the group to Liyue Harbor.
After the girls left—
Himeko suddenly found Ye Yun.
"Ye Yun, weren't the materials you gave Clara to assemble her mech a bit... special?"
Ye Yun nodded.
"Yeah, since Clara asked, of course I gave her the best.
As for the core, I used one embedded with a super intelligent system, loaded with a ton of combat techniques.
The body materials all came from a technologically advanced sci-fi world.
Let's put it this way—if it were a one-on-one fight, our dear mech could take down two Creation Engines without a problem."
Himeko was speechless after hearing that.
Ye Yun was really spoiling Clara, huh?Creation Engines? And not just one, but two!?
Himeko was completely at a loss for words. In her opinion, on the Astral Express, the strongest one was undoubtedly Clara now.
Even if Bronya and Seele teamed up, they wouldn't be a match for Svarog and the mech.
Those two were top-tier in Belobog—well, except maybe for that guy in the tavern, Sampo.
Meanwhile, Jade and Topaz returned to the warship to rest.
Topaz stretched after organizing the mission report into a table and sending it out, then flopped straight down onto the couch.
"Didn't expect Asta to show up halfway through."
Jade stirred her teacup gently, the spoon circling the rim smoothly.
"At least the outcome was good. We recovered the full debt, didn't we?"
Topaz nodded—true, at least the money was back.
Then she suddenly recalled the reward Bronya had given Asta.
"Hey, Jade, did you catch that? Asta mentioned that Bronya paid her 10,000 Stellar Jades for the favor.
Is Stellar Jade really worth that much? From Asta's reaction, it looked like she'd hit the jackpot."
Jade looked down thoughtfully into her tea.
That was indeed worth looking into—Stellar Jade was everywhere, yet no one seemed to know its true value.
Topaz suddenly asked:
"Should I go ask Asta about it?"
Jade shook her head.
"No need. Let's go ask that guardian lady. She should know what's going on."
Topaz agreed.
"Alright, then I'll get some rest first. See you tomorrow."
Jade nodded slightly.
"See you, little Jelena."
Topaz turned and headed to her room for rest.
In Liyue Harbor—
Venti used his divine power to carry Stelle and the girls to the entrance of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Mission complete. I'm heading off now," Venti said to the group.
Just as he was about to leave, Stelle grabbed him.
"Don't rush off—we'll need you to take us back later."
Venti looked reluctant.
"Huh? Didn't you just say you wanted to come to Liyue Harbor?"
Stelle waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, don't be like that. I'll pay extra. How about I buy you a few more bottles of wine when we get back?"
Hearing that, Venti immediately agreed.
"Aiya, Stelle, no need to be so polite! Of course I'll take you back.
It's totally not because of the wine—I'm doing it purely for our friendship.
I'll be nearby in Teyvat. Just holler when you want to go, I'll come flying right over!"
Stelle nodded with satisfaction.
"Off you go then~"
Venti turned into a breeze and vanished.
Hu Tao, Amber, and Eula looked confused.
Hu Tao raised her hand.
"Question! Stelle, didn't you say Venti was going to take us back? Why'd you let him leave?"
Stelle replied nonchalantly:
"Don't worry. I heard from Ye Yun that you can see Venti anywhere outside Mondstadt.
Besides, he's your local Anemo Archon. What did Ye Yun say again... ah yes, 'every wind carries his ears and eyes.'"
March 7 chimed in:
"Exactly! That's why Venti said we could just call him when we want to go back."
Hu Tao was dumbfounded.
What!? That drunkard is Mondstadt's Anemo Archon!?
Amber and Eula exchanged glances—though they didn't want to admit it, that guy really was their god.
"Yes, Venti is Mondstadt's Anemo Archon."
Amber suddenly remembered Barbara in the church. If Barbara ever found out that Wendy was the Anemo Archon…
Stelle suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Hu Tao, did you know that Zhongli is the Geo Archon?"
Hu Tao froze on the spot, her mind crashing.
"You what!? Our guest consultant is the Geo Archon!?"
Lumine nodded.
"Yup. He said it himself after we saved Dvalin. You weren't there that time."
Hu Tao was stunned.
"Give me a moment to process that."
She turned around and squatted down, deep in thought.
March 7 and the others didn't expect that Hu Tao really didn't know.
Just as March 7 was about to comfort her, Hu Tao suddenly stood up.
"Hold on!"
Everyone looked at her.
Hu Tao mumbled to herself.
"Our guest consultant is the Geo Archon... Hiss! I think I just struck gold!"
She dashed into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and called out to the receptionist girl.
"Girl! Go find someone to print flyers—make sure they have our guest consultant's portrait on them! Yes, his portrait!"
Hu Tao rubbed her hands together excitedly.
"Hehe~ Even the Geo Archon works for me. Let's see who dares not to book my funeral packages now!"
Stelle, March 7, Lumine, Amber, and Eula were all speechless. But on second thought, maybe this was why Zhongli chose to work at the funeral parlor.
Because there was a Hu Tao who cared about him, regardless of his status.
After gathering supplies, the girls set out for Wuwang Hill.
They strolled through Liyue Harbor's streets.
Stelle and March 7 had never seen architecture like this before. They looked around curiously, everything was new and fascinating.
"March, look over there! That place looks like a library, but it's actually a restaurant!"
March 7 followed her gaze—sure enough, it looked like a cultural hub, yet it was a dining spot.
It was dusk.
The sun was setting as they reached the long staircase from Yujing Terrace down to the docks.
"Wow! The sunset is beautiful!" Amber exclaimed.
The girls nodded in agreement.
From their vantage point:
Below the stairs, the market was bustling with people, vendors loudly advertising their wares.
Beyond the market stretched the endless sea, half the sun already dipping below the horizon.
The golden sun lit up the entire ocean, its reflection turning the waters golden.
Above, flocks of seagulls hunted across the sea, ready to return to their nests after a full meal.
After quietly enjoying the view for a while, Hu Tao led the group toward Wuwang Hill.
Behind them, a handsome young man with short orange hair quietly followed.
Yes—Tartaglia, freshly recovered, was stalking Hu Tao again.
"Hope I get luckier this time," he muttered, tailing them.
Once they were out of the city, Hu Tao finally let her client out of a jar.
The client was exuding dark energy—clearly, he hadn't accepted his death.
Within seconds, he transformed into a vengeful spirit and lunged at Hu Tao.
She sighed helplessly.
"Sigh... Why do I always get clients like this? Can't people just accept death peacefully?"
She pulled out the Staff of Homa and, in a flash, jabbed the ghost, dispersing the resentment.
Then she casually slapped a talisman onto him, muttered a few incantations, and sealed him back in the jar.
Hu Tao picked up the jar.
"I thought I'd have it easy this time. Guess not—looks like I'll be lugging this jar the whole way."
This customer had been her chance to travel light, but no such luck.
It was the first time Stelle and the others had seen something like this.
Stelle was amazed by Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao! Could you teach me your exorcism techniques sometime?"
Hu Tao immediately agreed.
Just then, a cold wind blew. Lumine suddenly noticed a shadow behind Amber—a black-robed figure leapt out.
"Amber!"
Lumine instantly teleported beside her and struck down the attacker.
The girls drew their weapons—an ambush!
Eula looked at the corpse.
"That was a Fatui Debt Collector!"
Amber was furious.
"Ugh! The Fatui are the worst!"
No sooner had she said that than dozens of shadows appeared—more Debt Collectors!
Stelle immediately summoned a flame spear and cast a shield, protecting everyone.
At that moment—
Tartaglia jumped down from a tree, clapping.
"Not bad, your reflexes are quick."
Stelle looked at him.
"Who are you? Why did you try to ambush Amber?"
He introduced himself.
"Me? You can call me Tartaglia."
Paimon muttered,
"Eh? This guy is so full of himself—he wants us to call him 'Young Master'?"
Eula reacted.
"Tartaglia? You're one of the Fatui Harbingers?"
Tartaglia looked at her.
"Oh? Someone who knows their stuff. I'll give you all a chance—come at me together. Don't want people saying I bullied the weak."
The girls raised their eyebrows—wow, this guy is really arrogant!
Tartaglia was about to strike when Stelle raised a hand.
"Hold on! Let us talk about who's fighting you first."
Then she pulled the group into a huddle to discuss.
In the end, after much deliberation, they agreed Stelle should take him on.
If this guy was gonna act all high and mighty, they'd let Stelle teach him a lesson.
"Judgment Of Shamash, Unleashed"