Xia Zhi finished massaging all the girls, tossed the damp bedsheets into the washing mechanism, and soaked in a bath before returning to his room.
He first retrieved the [Universal Battery], then activated a time barrier. This time, he inserted eight different elemental scrolls.
After a burst of explosions, the once-clear orb turned a brilliant violet.
[Current Charge: 100%].
This charging method really was the most efficient.
Of course, the key was the time barrier—it prevented any energy leakage from the explosion.
Xia Zhi merged the battery into his body, then opened the [Shop] and searched for books on "Resurrecting a God."
Some described resurrection through the power of faith. Others through the physical remains. Still others through the soul.
When he'd revived Xia Lin, he used her heart as the medium. It was the simplest method—though it came with serious side effects.
Xia Lin had originally been Diamond-tier. After resurrection, she dropped straight to Platinum.
This time, for reviving Xia Zhen, he was preparing to use the soul method.
But this approach required an enormous amount of divine power—typically several times the god's original strength. Usually, this was offset using massive faith.
Unfortunately, Xia Zhi didn't have many followers. He'd have to fuel the spell with his own divine power.
He continued flipping through the pages, until his hand suddenly froze.
One passage read:
"…When a god falls, the rule they governed goes berserk, causing the surrounding region to be overwhelmed by that rule's influence. The closer to the god's remains, the more intense the assimilation by the rampant rule. Conversely, when a god is resurrected, their rule returns to them—still affecting the surrounding area, but with gentle assimilation. The closer to the god, the more peaceful the effect…"
The description of a fallen god and a resurrected one was nearly identical—yet two entirely different words were used:
"Rampant" and "Gentle."
Xia Zhi had never witnessed a god's death firsthand, but the war-scarred ruins left behind from the Archon War painted a vivid enough picture.
Rampant rule… likely referred to intense destructive force. By contrast, gentle rule… was less destructive.
And the range and impact depended on the god's power.
His cousin… was she considered strong?
Where could he resurrect Xia Zhen… so the rule's power wouldn't harm the people of Mondstadt?
Xia Zhi lowered his head in thought, realizing that reviving Xia Zhen might be even more complicated than he'd originally assumed.
-----
After finishing the book, Xia Zhi lay down on the bed.
He suddenly sniffed the air and caught a faint scent on the pillow, delicate like orchid, lingering like musk.
This scent... if he wasn't mistaken, it was the scent of Cloud Retainer.
But why would the scent of Cloud Retainer be on his bed?
It was clearly Xia Lin who had slept here last night, not Cloud Retainer.
Xia Zhi stared at the pillow, thinking it over.
There was only one possibility—Cloud Retainer must've entered his room today and touched his bed.
Everyone had been out during the day, so it must've been in the evening, probably during the massage and bath session when she had the chance.
But what would Cloud Retainer be doing in his room?
Was there something on his bed she wanted?
Xia Zhi suddenly remembered the sachet Cloud Retainer had taken from the treasure chest earlier that day.
Could she have been looking for his hair?
…That was probably it.
Well, let her be.
Xia Zhi lay back down and chatted with Furina for a bit on his phone.
Furina said she absolutely adored the piece he played for her in the dream last night.
She wanted a recording of it so she could listen to it whenever she liked.
Xia Zhi figured Furina probably felt a certain kinship with Dvalin.
Their experiences were quite similar—both of them had borne a painful curse alone for their respective nations five hundred years ago. They suffered in silence all this time, and when they finally reached their limit and tried to seek help from those they protected, they were met with misunderstanding...
Xia Zhi nodded to himself and agreed to Furina's request. He took out the instrument, set down the [Silence Orb], and was just about to hit record on his phone when Qiqi came knocking with Xia Lin.
Apparently, the little girl had another nightmare and couldn't fall asleep alone—she wanted to sleep with her dad.
Alright then, she could stay the night.
Qiqi saw the guqin in his hands and asked, "Master, are you going to play?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "I was planning to record it."
"Then I'll help Master record it."
"Sounds good."
Qiqi stood beside him, holding the phone close to the guqin.
Xia Zhi plucked the strings.
A mournful melody flowed gently into the room.
Xia Lin sat on the bed, listening as a dull ache grew in her chest. Her eyes welled with tears, but she didn't dare make a sound, afraid of ruining the recording.
When the song ended, Qiqi pressed stop and softly said, "Master, it's recorded."
"Mm."
The little girl, eyes red, crawled over.
Xia Zhi gently ruffled her hair. "I'll play a lullaby next. Qiqi, record that too."
"Yes, Master."
His fingers danced across the strings once more.
This time, the melody was calm and serene.
The heaviness in Xia Lin's chest slowly melted away.
After the song ended, Qiqi put the phone down and quietly left Xia Zhi's room.
Xia Zhi picked up the phone and sent the two recordings to Furina.
She immediately replied with a heart emoji.
Xia Zhi chuckled. He had initially thought about posting the recordings in the group chat, but since they were in Mondstadt, if someone accidentally played the track out loud, it might attract Dvalin, so he decided against it.
He opened Shenhe's profile and sent her a message letting her know he wouldn't be joining them tonight.
Shenhe replied with a goodnight emoji.
Xia Zhi placed the phone on the nightstand. "Let's sleep."
"Okay, Papa."
The little girl obediently lay down, wrapping her arms around his.
—
Dream Realm.
Xia Zhi didn't rush to open the internet café's doors. Instead, he first gathered Zhongli, the Dragon King, Venti, Xia Ci, and Xia Zhen to carefully ask about the scene of Makoto's fall during the war.
Zhongli and Venti exchanged glances. While they couldn't talk about the war itself, this sort of tangential information was fine.
Based on what he gathered, Xia Zhi was able to estimate a general area.
Venti asked curiously, "Why are you asking this?"
"I'm planning to resurrect Makoto," Xia Zhi said.
Venti froze. "Huh?"
Zhongli's expression remained calm. "Do you need our help?"
Xia Zhi shook his head. "Not yet."
The Dragon King pondered. "Then the range you asked about just now is for…?"
"It's my first time trying to revive a god," Xia Zhi said. "But according to some records, when a god is resurrected, the power of their domain affects the surrounding environment. The area affected is usually about the same size as when they fell. I just wanted a point of reference."
The Dragon King nodded. "I see."
Xia Ci considered. "Environmental influence, huh? If that's going to happen again during the resurrection, it could be a problem."
Xia Zhi looked at her. "What do you mean by 'happen again'?"
Xia Ci explained, "Like you said—the god's domain power alters the environment. That's how it is when a new Archon is born. The surroundings and even local lifeforms get affected."
Xia Zhi's eyes narrowed. "Lifeforms?"
Xia Ci smiled. "Cousin, have you ever wondered how the Aranara came to be?"
Xia Zhi blinked. "You mean..."
Xia Ci nodded. "Exactly. Aranara didn't exist before—these strange creatures that coexist in dreams and reality. They appeared because I hold authority over dreams. When I was born, the dream domain affected the world, and they emerged with me, naturally becoming my kin."
Xia Zhi thought aloud. "Then Oceanid, as the Hydro Archon's kin, must have originated the same way?"
Zhongli nodded. "Correct."
Xia Zhen shook her head. "Not all gods are born with companions. The Dendro and Hydro domains are relatively gentle, which is why kin can form from them. My lightning domain, on the other hand, is extremely violent. When my sister and I were born, no such kin emerged."
Xia Ci added, "So when you resurrect Makoto, you don't need to worry about kin forming. What you do need to worry about is nearby lifeforms being assimilated by the lightning domain."
Xia Zhi frowned. "Assimilation..."
"The simplest case," Xia Ci continued, "normal slimes would mutate into Electro Slimes. That's easy to handle. The real issue is intelligent creatures—like Hilichurls. Mondstadt's wilds are full of Hilichurl tribes. If they mutate and get stronger from the lightning influence, and then fall under the Abyss Order's sway, they'll probably attack Mondstadt. For a city already low on strength, it'd be a disaster."
Xia Zhi turned to Venti. "What's your take?"
Venti stroked his chin. "Huh. My dear friend, if you give me another 100 bottles of that wine from this morning, go wild. I'll guard Mondstadt myself."
Xia Zhi stared at him. "Isn't guarding Mondstadt your job already? Fifty bottles."
Venti bargained, "Fifty's a bit stingy…"
Xia Zhi considered. "Forget it. I'll ask Dvalin for help. It's just a bunch of Hilichurls…"
Venti quickly said, "Dvalin's still recovering, don't bother him. I'll go myself! Fifty bottles it is!"
Xia Ci laughed. "You act like you're taking a loss. Mutated creatures drop rare alchemy materials. Mondstadt's treasury is dry right now. This influx could solve a lot of problems."
The Dragon King asked curiously, "What kind of wine can make this lazy Barbatos get off his ass?"
Xia Zhi replied, "A new one I developed recently. Tastes pretty good."
The Dragon King asked, "How does it compare to Rainbow Wine?"
Xia Zhi said, "Think of it as a fortified Rainbow Wine."
"Fortified?"
"About four times tastier than the original."
The Dragon King couldn't help taking a deep breath.
Then, a simple grin spread across his face. "Mr. Xia…"
"Hmm?"
"Liyue's pretty close to Mondstadt. If I travel through the ley lines, I can get there in half a day."
"And?"
"Well, I've been sleeping too long, and standing guard at the school doesn't keep me busy. I was thinking, maybe I could come help you defend the city?"
Xia Zhi laughed. "Really??"
The Dragon King immediately said, "Please! You're my closest friend and benefactor. Helping you with something like this is a given! No need to talk about conditions—kills the vibe! I can even catch up with Barbatos while I'm at it. Old friends, you know?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Alright then. Come on over. I'll make sure you have all the wine you want."
Venti quickly asked, "Wait, bestie, what do you mean by all the wine I want?"
Xia Zhi replied, "It means you can drink as much as you want."
Venti's face instantly turned serious. "Friend, I've had a revelation. With our relationship, how could I ask you for wine? Let's forget the fifty bottles."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Then I'm not giving them."
"What's there to give!"
Venti waved dismissively like he didn't care.
With things settled, the Dragon King quit the game on the spot to head straight for Mondstadt.
Can't afford to delay the important matter of wine—I mean, reviving the Raiden Shogun.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper had been listening in from the side, and by now they understood the gist.
They exchanged glances.
How long had it been since they'd had a meal made by Mr. Xia?
Too long.
You craving it?
Obviously.
So what now?
Let's go. At the very least, there'll be plenty of food, right?
Eh, bumming a meal is one thing—but really, it's about helping Mr. Xia. That's what matters!
The two Adepti shuffled over and whispered next to Zhongli, "Your Excellency…"
Zhongli waved a hand. "Go."
The two immediately logged off.
The Dragon King opened his eyes, finding himself back in his school dorm room.
He lived alone, ate at the cafeteria, and didn't have much to pack. After changing into something decent, he locked up and was ready to head out.
Just as he turned around, he saw two familiar figures in the hallway.
It was Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper.
The Dragon King looked at them, surprised. "You two aren't playing either?"
Mountain Shaper said solemnly, "Games don't compare to what Mr. Xia needs. He's helped us so many times—now that he needs help, of course we're going."
Moon Carver nodded. "Mr. Xia's surrounded by women. It'd be boring for the Dragon King to go alone. Might as well tag along—shopping in Mondstadt is more fun with company."
The Dragon King grinned. "Sounds good. The three of us plus Barbatos—we can get a mahjong table going. Let's go!"
At the plaza, the Dragon King raised a hand, looked back one last time, and the three of them sank into the earth.
Upstairs, Zhongli leaned against the railing, withdrew his gaze, and looked up at the full moon.
"Another old friend… is about to return at last…"
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