Bailu immediately felt a deep sense of kinship with Klee—finally, someone who shared her pain!
"Exactly! I hate being grounded too. That's why I had to escape."
Just like that, the two little ones formed an unbreakable revolutionary friendship based on this single shared experience.
Klee then introduced Yeyun, Hook, and Diona to Bailu.
Bailu greeted each of them politely.
She looked them over curiously.
"You're not from the Xianzhou, are you?"
Ye Yun smiled.
"That's right, we're not from here."
Klee was surprised.
"Wow~ Sister Bailu, you're amazing! You could tell right away that we're not from around here!"
Bailu wagged her tail slightly, clearly pleased by the compliment.
"That was easy! I'm a doctor—I know exactly what Xianzhou folks look like."
Klee clapped her hands in admiration.
"Waaah~"
Ye Yun glanced toward Challenge Heaven. They probably wouldn't be able to return there for a while.
Thinking it over, he decided they should head back first. Tonight was hotpot night—he had already invited nearly everyone.
The hotpot base would be much tastier if he stir-fried it himself, and there were still vegetables and ingredients to prepare.
"Klee, Hook, Diona, time to head back."
Hearing that they were leaving, Bailu suddenly looked downcast. She had only just made new friends—barely even played together—and they were already parting ways?
Diona noticed Bailu's reluctant expression and spoke up.
"Bailu, do you want to come back with us? It's not far from here."
Bailu's mood instantly turned sunny. Her face lit up.
"Really? I can go with you?"
Klee and Hook immediately hugged Yeyun's legs from either side, pleading for Bailu.
"Brother Yeyun~ Can we bring Sister Bailu back with us? Please?"
"Ye Yun! Let Bailu come too! If we're short on food, I'll eat less and give my share to her!"
Ye Yun couldn't say no to that. Of course, he agreed.
"Alright, alright. Let's go, Bailu—come with us."
Bailu jumped and danced with joy on the spot.
"Yay!"
Klee, Hook, and Diona were thrilled as well.
Bailu pointed ahead with a little finger.
"Everyone, let's go!"
She led the charge, running ahead, with Klee, Hook, and Diona close behind.
Ye Yun smiled and followed closely behind the four little ones, watching over their safety.
Luofu – Divine Foresight Mansion
Jing Yuan lounged lazily beside a tea table, sipping his tea. In front of him was a report detailing everything Stelle, March 7th, and Welt had done that day in Luofu.
It was extremely detailed—even noting exactly which treasure chests Stelle and March 7th had opened and when.
After reading it, Jing Yuan sighed.
"They came at just the right time. Now my odds of winning have increased."
What he focused on most was the group's strength—and clearly, they were all top-tier.
As for the treasure chests, he barely glanced at that section.
Those chests were guarded by monsters, the loot was poor, and the contents were mostly junk materials or those useless Stellar Jades.
If Stelle and March wanted to open them, let them—treasure chests like that existed all across the galaxy, not just in Luofu.
At that moment, a pink-haired girl in white stockings entered from outside.
"General, why haven't you arrested Kafka yet?"
Jing Yuan smiled.
"Well, if it isn't Fu Xuan. Don't just stand there—come, sit."
Fu Xuan rolled her eyes.
"Sit? Why sit? General, why haven't you captured Kafka yet? She's almost certainly involved with the Stellaron."
Jing Yuan smiled gently.
"No need to rush, Fu Xuan. Some people haven't revealed themselves yet."
Hearing this, Fu Xuan understood his reasoning.
Luofu was already chaotic even before the Stellaron had fully activated.
Domestically, there were meddling old schemers among the Vidyadhara clan, and externally, the Disciples of the Abundance were secretly growing their influence.
This disaster might just be the perfect chance for some of these hidden elements to reveal themselves—giving Jing Yuan the excuse to act.
Jing Yuan continued.
"Don't worry, Fu Xuan. I've already arranged the team to apprehend Kafka. We'll move out tomorrow."
That finally calmed Fu Xuan down a bit.
"As long as you've got a plan. Since you've made arrangements, I'll head back."
She turned and left without hesitation.
Just then, a Cloud Knight rushed up to Jing Yuan.
"Report, General! Someone from the Alchemy Commission says Miss Bailu has run off again. They've asked us to help find her."
Jing Yuan chuckled. Bailu had slipped away again, unable to sit still.
With all the current chaos in Luofu, it really was better for her to stay at the Alchemy Commission.
Back in the day, Jing Yuan would've helped search for her—but when he got around to it was another matter entirely.
Hey, he never said he wouldn't help—just that he had other things to do first, right?
That way, even those so-called dragon elders couldn't say a word.
At Yeyun's shop
When Ye Yun returned, he saw Amber playing with a small yellow sprite.
"Little Firebee, come this way—fly faster!"
The yellow spirit was called Little Firebee, a Flying-type.
Diluc, Kaeya, Jean, Lisa, Lumine, and Paimon were all there, each playing with their own little spirits.
Kaeya had chosen a Water-type sprite, Barr—its final evolution was impressively strong.
Diluc's was a fiery red bird named Crimson Chick. Its ultimate form, Crimson Phoenix Spirit, was a top-tier powerhouse—absolutely at lieutenant-level strength.
Honestly, Yeyun was shocked that Diluc had managed to pull a Crimson Chick from a low-tier spirit capsule. That was about as likely as winning the grand prize in an interstellar lottery where only one person wins per drawing.
Eula had a deep-blue, octopus-like sprite named Blu—a super rare Water-type known as the "Child of the Sea."
Lisa's was a Grass-type rare sprite that looked like a bean sprout: Little Sprout.
Jean's sprite was a fluffy pink creature named Poppy.
Jean sat with Poppy in her lap, gently petting its fur.
"Poppy, nice to meet you. We'll be partners from now on."
"Poppy~ Poppy~"
After greeting everyone, Ye Yun headed into the kitchen to start preparing the hotpot for the evening.
Noelle quickly came to help—washing vegetables and dishes, lending a hand where needed.
Soon, Zhongli and Hu Tao arrived at the shop, accompanied by Ningguang, Yelan, Keqing, and Cloud Retainer.
As soon as Cloud Retainer stepped inside, she couldn't resist the urge to take things apart—itching to see how everything was built.
No choice—she was the ultimate techie through and through.
***
Bailu arrived inside the train and looked at the lively atmosphere with delight.
She had spent most of her years in the oppressive environment of the Alchemy Commission, which made her feel stifled.
This was also why Bailu often ran away. She was just a child, after all—who could endure such an atmosphere?
It wasn't that Bailu didn't like studying. She genuinely wanted to learn medicine and help others, but the mood in the Alchemy Commission was just too much for her to take.
"Sister Bailu~ come over here, we're watching cartoons~"
Bailu snapped out of her thoughts and saw Klee calling her from the sofa and refreshment area.
"Okay! I'm coming!"
Bailu's short legs pitter-pattered as she dashed over.
The four little ones sat in a row, huddled together watching cartoons, occasionally chattering about the characters on the screen.
"Wow, Klee thinks this kitty is so dumb—it can't even catch the mouse~"
"Herta thinks so too."
"How can a cat be this dumb? The cats at my tavern are way better."
"Exactly! If it were me, I'd have caught that mouse ages ago!"
Before long, the portal shimmered.
Bronya, Seele, Natasha, Gepard, Pela, Serval, and Lynx stepped out.
Bronya looked around and saw Ye Yun and Noelle busying themselves in the kitchen.
"Ye Yun, Noelle, we're here."
Hearing this, Ye Yun looked up.
"Welcome, welcome. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves—I'll need a bit more time over here."
Noelle chimed in.
"Welcome, everyone."
Natasha saw Ye Yun handling ingredients and patted Bronya's shoulder.
"Bronya, you go show them around. I'll go help Ye Yun."
With that, Natasha headed into the kitchen.
"Ye Yun, anything I can help with?"
Yeyun was glad to see her—today was going to be really busy with so many guests, and lots of food to prepare.
"You and Noelle can help wash and cut the vegetables."
Natasha rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Bronya led the rest of the Belobog group to the sofa and refreshment area.
Bronya, Gepard, and Seele were fine—they had been here before.
The newcomers—Lynx, Pela, and Serval—were a bit shy.
Serval was alright thanks to her outgoing personality and quickly hit it off with the Mondstadt group.
Lynx and Pela, however, were socially anxious. If not for Bronya introducing them, they probably wouldn't have said a word.
Amber noticed how timid they were and pulled the two over to sit next to her.
"Hi Lynx, Pela! I'm Amber, an Outrider with the Knights of Favonius.
This is Eula, the Spindrift Knight."
Lynx and Pela quickly greeted them.
"Hello, hello."
Eula crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Amber, did I say you could introduce me? Hmph! I'm adding that to my list of grudges!"
Pela and Lynx were startled. Oh no, she really holds grudges! Are we on her list now?
Amber nodded knowingly.
"Yep, yep, you've already got plenty of grudges against me—what's one more? Go ahead and add it."
Seeing Pela and Lynx looking worried, Amber reassured them.
"Don't worry, Eula's actually really nice. That whole 'grudge' thing is just her catchphrase."
Eula huffed.
"Oh really? Saying I don't mean what I say? That's another grudge!"
Pela and Lynx finally realized—so that's what's going on.
Amber continued chatting with them, warming up the mood.
Soon enough, Pela and Lynx got comfortable with Amber and Eula, chatting enthusiastically.
As the conversation went on, Pela returned to her true self and started shipping Amber and Eula as a couple.
After all, Pela was Belobog's number one shipper.
She had previously shipped Bronya and Seele.
Before long—
Hu Tao, Zhongli, Ningguang, Yelan, Keqing, and Cloud Retainer arrived as well.
Hu Tao was in a great mood today—her internet café was booming, packed all day long.
When she left earlier, there were still people waiting for seats. Some rich folks had even booked overnight sessions.
She walked straight into Silver Wolf's private room, intending to thank her.
The internet café could only open thanks to Silver Wolf's help.
Hu Tao had even brought over a special dish, Golden Thread Shrimp Balls, made by Xiangling to thank her.
Pushing open the door, she saw Silver Wolf focused on her game.
The room wasn't big—just a sofa, a table, and a wardrobe with her clothes inside.
As for washing up, Silver Wolf used March 7th's room.
"Silver Wolf, what are you playing?" Hu Tao sat beside her, curious about the screen.
Silver Wolf, seeing it was Hu Tao, replied,
"Just a little game I heard about online. People said it was fun, but it's just okay."
Then she noticed the shrimp balls in Hu Tao's hands.
"What's that?"
Hu Tao opened the box and pulled one out.
"Try this—Golden Thread Shrimp Balls, made by a good friend of mine. Thanks again for helping me yesterday."
Silver Wolf waved it off.
"No biggie. These look pretty good."
She popped one into her mouth—and the sweet flavor of the shrimp exploded on her taste buds.
"Mmm~ These are delicious!"
Hu Tao giggled.
"Glad you like it. By the way, do you still have more computers? I want to buy some."
Silver Wolf picked up another shrimp ball and tossed it into her mouth.
"Yeah, how many do you need?" she asked, chewing.
Hu Tao thought for a moment. She and Keqing had planned to renovate the two rooms next to the internet café—should be enough space for 50 more computers.
"Fifty. Do you have that many? How much will it cost?"
This time, Hu Tao was determined to pay. Silver Wolf had already generously gifted her ten units—she couldn't take advantage again.
Silver Wolf did some quick math.
"Those fifty aren't too expensive. About 80,000 credits each on the company site—some old tech.
That's 4 million credits. How about this—you got any gold or antiques?
Give them to me, and I'll sell them online for credits. Once we've got that, I'll buy the computers for you."
Hu Tao thought it was a great idea.
She originally wanted to pay in Mora, but the exchange rate to credits was too uncertain.
Standing up with a grin, she said:
"Wait here, I'll go treasure hunting!"
Hu Tao darted out of Silver Wolf's room and into the portal.
Not long after—
She returned, using a flying scooter to make the trip between Qingce Village and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
As Zhongli leisurely sipped his tea, he noticed the vase Hu Tao was holding and his pupils trembled.
Wasn't that the same vase he had spent forever negotiating with a Liyue collector to buy?