After a while, Xia Zhen's soul body looked almost indistinguishable from a normal person's.
She opened her eyes and said, "I think I'm pretty much fully recovered."
"You sure?" Xia Zhi asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Then take it out."
"Okay."
Xia Zhen reached into her chest and pulled the orb back out.
Its color had faded into a light lavender.
The two goddesses again exchanged thoughtful glances.
Xia Zhi took the [Universal Battery] from her and checked the remaining energy—only [28%] left.
Seeing his cousin still looking intrigued, Xia Zhi said, "There's still a bit of charge left. You can use it to restore your divine power if you want to try."
Xia Ci hesitated for a moment. "Restoring divine power… hmm, sure."
Xia Zhi pressed the orb to her chest as well.
Once it fully merged, Xia Ci experienced the same strange sensation that Xia Zhen had.
Her youthful body began to change—legs growing longer, chest expanding, hair lengthening…
But the transformation only lasted a dozen seconds or so before halting.
Xia Ci pressed her hand to her chest and pulled the orb back out. It was now completely colorless and transparent.
"Cousin, is it broken?"
"No, it's just out of power."
"Power? So it is an electric toy!"
"…That's just a figure of speech."
Xia Zhi took the battery and tucked it away into his inventory. "Now that Xia Zhen's soul body is fully restored, we can begin the process of her full resurrection."
Xia Zhen's expression went from excited to concerned. "Didn't you say before you were worried your divine power wouldn't be enough? What if the resurrection fails halfway?"
"Don't worry. With that thing, I can top up my divine power anytime."
"So we're doing it today?"
"Tomorrow. I still need to make a few preparations."
"All right."
With the resurrection plan settled, Xia Zhi left their room and headed to the large plaza.
A gentle melody floated on the breeze.
Venti was once again sitting atop the stone statue, playing his lyre.
Xia Zhi followed the music to the base of the statue and listened quietly.
When the tune ended, Venti leapt down from the statue and greeted him with a cheerful smile. "Morning, my friend!"
Xia Zhi returned the smile. "Morning, Venti."
"Hehe, where's my booze?"
"Right here. All hundred bottles I promised."
"Ah, you're the best, my friend!"
Venti eagerly collected all one hundred bottles of wine.
Xia Zhi reminded him, "This batch isn't the same as last time's Rainbow Wine."
"It's not?"
"This time it's even better."
"Even better? No problem then!"
Venti waved goodbye without hesitation. "Thanks again, my friend. Next time there's a bet like this, don't forget to call me!"
"Will do."
Judging by the direction Venti went, he was probably heading to the Angel's Share to share his new stash of Rainbow Wine with his drinking buddies.
Xia Zhi wondered—after tasting that first sip, would Venti regret this? Would he still be able to tolerate inferior wines after this?
He wandered the plaza aimlessly for a while.
As he passed a certain spot, someone called out to him.
It was that chuunibyou girl with the Night Raven on her shoulder and a silver-colored progress bar floating by her side.
"M-Mr. Xia!"
Her voice was clearly a bit nervous.
Xia Zhi paused, turned, and looked at her curiously. "And you are…?"
She blurted out instinctively, "My true name is Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung of the Immernachtreich, the one who shall judge all sins in this world and see through all hidden truths…"
Xia Zhi blinked. "Prinzessin der… what now?"
The Night Raven on her shoulder helpfully clarified, "She's an investigator for the Adventurers' Guild."
"Oh…" Xia Zhi nodded.
Fischl flushed in embarrassment and muttered, "…That's just a superficial title!"
Xia Zhi chuckled. "So, Your Highness the Prinzessin, to what do I owe the pleasure of this sudden summons?"
Seeing that charming smile on his face up close again, Fischl froze.
Her face went bright red, and she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.
She lowered her head and stammered, "I-I just wanted…"
She mumbled for quite a while without finishing her sentence.
The Night Raven stepped in helpfully: "My lady would like to request your autograph."
"An autograph?" Xia Zhi was surprised.
The Night Raven nodded solemnly.
"Indeed. It is the duty of any loyal fan to ask for their idol's signature. You won the music competition yesterday. My lady has become your devoted admirer."
Idol? Fan?
Xia Zhi looked even more stunned.
He had actually heard these terms from someone in this world?
Could this chuunibyou girl also be a transmigrator from another world?
He quietly examined her and the Night Raven with his god's-eye view.
The girl still looked a little weak, likely from lingering stomach issues.
He asked, "If it's just a signature you want, I don't mind."
Her face instantly lit up with joy. She pulled out a notebook and pen from behind her back. "Please sign here!"
She was so excited, she actually spoke like a normal person.
The Night Raven dutifully reminded her, "My lady, you're holding the pen upside down."
"…!"
Fischl quickly flipped the pen around.
Xia Zhi took the notebook and pen and signed his Liyue name on the page.
Thanks to his Calligraphy Master trait, the signature came out beautifully. Even though Fischl couldn't read Liyue script, she still found it aesthetically pleasing.
"All done."
"T-Thank you!"
Xia Zhi handed the book and pen back to her.
Fischl hugged the notebook to her chest and turned to leave.
But Xia Zhi suddenly noticed something odd.
A faint wisp of Faith Power was drifting off of her and flowing into him.
It wasn't as refined as the Faith Power he received from Qiqi, but it was relatively pure nonetheless.
That meant this girl standing before him was one of his followers—a sincere one at that.
But she didn't worship any specific divine role of his, like [Light] or [Darkness]; instead, she was passionately devoted to his music. That, too, counted as faith.
Just a few days after arriving in Mondstadt, he'd already gained such a loyal follower. Not bad at all.
He called out after her, "Miss Fischl, wait a moment."
"Eh? Is there something else, Mr. Xia?"
"That autograph wasn't complete."
"Complete?"
"I actually understand Mondstadt script as well. It's just that I haven't used it in a long time, so I instinctively signed in Liyue script earlier. If you'd like, I can add a Mondstadt-style signature too."
"Yes please!"
She immediately handed the notebook and pen back to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Xia!"
As they exchanged the items, their fingers brushed briefly.
Taking advantage of the notebook's cover, Xia Zhi quietly cast a [Dispel] on her, resolving the lingering digestive issue in her body.
Fischl felt an electric tingle shoot through her at the touch. A strange warmth flooded her body, clearing her mind and making her stomach feel instantly better.
She didn't think too deeply about it.
She just assumed it was like the stories said—"a fan's first intimate contact with their idol," and "an idol's power can help their fans overcome any obstacle."
"All right, your Mondstadt-style signature is done."
"Thank you!"
"Thank you both for your support. Feel free to come listen to me play anytime."
"N-no need to thank us! We definitely will!"
Flustered, she said her goodbyes and left.
Xia Zhi watched her retreating back from his god's-eye view.
She still had more than half of her silver progress bar left to go—not that it mattered much. A mere [Silver Treasure Chest] wasn't of much use to him anymore.
He hadn't helped her just to fill the bar. As a god, he simply felt compelled to bless a loyal follower.
After all, truly devoted followers were hard to come by—especially in a world where the Seven had already monopolized nearly all belief.
Every single believer he gained was precious.
Xia Zhi scanned Mondstadt again and discovered he had quite a few other believers here too.
Some were merchants from Liyue who still prayed to Venti, but whose luck now pointed toward Xia Zhi instead.
Others were like Fischl—ordinary people who'd heard his music yesterday and were so captivated that their admiration turned into a new form of belief, distinct from that of the Seven.
Fischl was the only one among them who held a Vision. Her devotion likely stemmed from her chuunibyou nature.
After all, those prone to self-fantasy were also more susceptible to self-hypnosis.
Xia Zhi thought back to the words she'd used earlier—"idol" and "fan"—and fell deep into thought.
Since she was now his follower, he was bound to meet her again.
Next time, he fully intended to ask her where she'd learned those two words.
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