Dawn approached.
Cloud Retainer's consciousness left the dream realm and returned to reality.
She should've woken up directly—but because of the sachet, she instead slipped into a brand new dream.
At the same time, Xia Zhi had just woken up when he sensed something calling to him through his dream authority.
Who was it?
After two seconds of thought, a name came to him.
Cloud Retainer?
Xia Zhi closed his eyes again, tapped into the power of dreams, and followed the call back into the dreamscape.
The scene was familiar.
Late at night. Outdoors. A giant crater.
At its center, a white crane with broken wings lay crying in pain.
So this… was Cloud Retainer's most vivid memory of him?
Xia Zhi walked over and crouched beside her. "Don't move. I'll help you."
She didn't respond, only looked at him with eyes like glazed glass.
She hadn't realized this Mr. Xia was real—she thought he was a figment of her memory.
Xia Zhi raised a hand and cast [Healing].
With his current divine power, even such a basic spell fully healed all her wounds—wings included.
Cloud Retainer blinked in surprise as her body recovered completely.
Wait… this isn't how it happened in my memory.
This wasn't the dream I was trying to have!
He healed me already? Then how am I supposed to cover him with my wings later tonight?!
Maybe I imagined him too strong, so now he's strong in the dream too...
She was still dazed.
Xia Zhi gently stroked her feathers. "Feeling better now?"
She lowered her head to look at him. After a long pause, she finally said, "Thank you."
Xia Zhi smiled. "No need. It's late. We should find a place to sleep."
We should find a place to sleep?
Cloud Retainer froze again.
Isn't this progressing a little too fast?
I mean… yes, this is the kind of dream I wanted…
But I'm still a crane right now...
Xia Zhi started walking. After a few steps, he turned and looked back at her. "Come on."
She silently followed.
The man and the crane stopped under a tree heavy with sour fruits.
Xia Zhi told her to sit by the tree, then leaned into her feathers, breathing in that musk scent, feeling warm and safe.
Cloud Retainer was a bit tense.
But after a while, when she realized he wasn't making any inappropriate moves, she just… fell asleep.
Cloud Retainer felt exasperated.
Was it because she lacked relevant experience that her brain just couldn't come up with anything else?
She stared blankly for a while.
Until the Xia Zhi in her arms lifted his head and softly said, "I have something important to do today, so let's end this sweet dream here."
Cloud Retainer jolted.
Then, the dream ended.
She sat up in bed, her chest rising and falling slightly, her expression dazed.
That just now—was it really just a dream?
----
After leaving Cloud Retainer's dreamscape, Xia Zhi woke up again.
Even though it had felt like a long time inside the dream, factoring in the 12x time dilation, only a short while had passed in the real world.
His chest felt a bit heavy. Switching to a god's-eye view, Xia Zhi noticed that at some point during the night, Xia Lin had once again crawled onto him and was now curled up in his arms, fast asleep.
This kid really had the most restless sleeping posture.
He reached out and poked her cheek.
It was soft and springy to the touch.
Disturbed, the little girl blinked groggily awake and looked up at him. "Papa… good morning."
Xia Zhi gently brushed the strands of hair sticking to her face. "Why do you always like climbing on top of me while you sleep?"
She looked at him innocently. "I don't know… I just woke up like this."
Xia Zhi guessed, "Maybe it's a dragon trait—territorial by nature, doesn't like being under people, prefers being on top?"
The little girl didn't quite follow, but stuck her tongue out and quickly scrambled off him.
Xia Zhi sat up and leaned against the headboard.
She immediately clung to his arm and begged for a song.
So he played a few children's tunes for her.
She listened with rapt attention.
"Alright, enough songs for now. Time to get up and go play with Yaoyao."
"Okay! Oh, right, Papa…"
"Hm?"
"Yesterday, when Yaoyao was practicing her spear drills, I saw a big sister standing in the corridor. She was watching too."
"A big sister?"
"Someone Klee knows. I think her name was Sister Noelle."
"Noelle, huh…"
"Papa, you know her too?"
"Yeah, I've seen her before at the Knights of Favonius. She's a polite and talented young lady. She's been working hard every day to become a full-fledged knight, just like Yaoyao."
"Wow… okay, I'm going out now!"
"Go on."
The little girl dashed out the door.
By now, the Dragon King should have arrived in Mondstadt.
Might as well go see what's happening.
After changing clothes, Xia Zhi headed outside. At the steps of the Cathedral, he ran into that Cryo nun.
She yawned, looking like she'd just finished a late-night shift and was returning to rest. When she saw Xia Zhi, she gave him a scrutinizing look.
Xia Zhi passed by her calmly without saying a word and made his way to the plaza.
No music in the wind today.
But the scent of alcohol lingered enticingly.
He followed the trail of fragrance.
It led to a bench near the edge of the plaza.
Venti, the Dragon King, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver were all squatting on it, drinking.
When the two Adepti spotted him from afar, they immediately stood and greeted him with smiles. "Mr. Xia! Good morning!"
Xia Zhi smiled and nodded. "You two came too? Good morning."
The Dragon King was sipping his wine, eyes half-closed, looking utterly content. "Mr. Xia, this new Rainbow Wine you made—absolutely divine."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Just a slight tweak on the old recipe. Maybe I'll come up with something better next time."
The Dragon King laughed heartily. "I believe in your talents, Mr. Xia!"
Xia Zhi crouched down next to the bench.
Mountain Shaper, ever thoughtful, grabbed a clean cup and poured him a drink.
Looking around at the booze-laden bench, Xia Zhi asked, "No snacks?"
Venti replied irritably, "There were! I bought some, but these three nitpickers said it tasted bad and refused to eat."
The Dragon King chuckled sheepishly. "Well, after tasting your cooking, Mr. Xia, it's hard to go back to anything else."
Xia Zhi asked, "Then what do you eat at the academy?"
"Cafeteria food."
"Exactly!"
"There's no choice there. But now that we're with you, Mr. Xia…"
Xia Zhi pulled out some cold dishes he'd prepared and laid them out on the bench.
The three Liyue men pounced like they hadn't eaten in days.
Venti just shook his head—until he took a bite.
"!? Save some for me too!"
Xia Zhi lifted his cup and sipped slowly.
The wine was superb—every sip a distinct flavor, layered with a blissful euphoria, like each taste was a moment at the peak of life.
Setting his cup down, Xia Zhi asked, "When did you three arrive last night?"
Mountain Shaper answered between bites, "Around 3 a.m., I think."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Xia Zhi said.
The Dragon King waved him off. "Not at all. After we arrived, we wandered around Mondstadt for a bit. It was actually pretty fun."
"What did you check out?"
"We went to a bunch of taverns, drank with the locals, chatted… then bumped into Venti at one of them. This guy—he's supposed to be the Archon of this place, but he made me pay the bill and buy him drinks!"
Xia Zhi laughed. "Don't even. The first time I met him, I did the same—paid his tab and treated him to wine."
Venti quickly changed the subject. "Hey, friend, your cooking's really something else!"
The Dragon King blinked. "Mr. Xia's been in Mondstadt this long and you haven't tasted his food?"
Venti looked at Xia Zhi. "He eats out at restaurants every day—how am I supposed to mooch a meal?"
The Dragon King shook his head. "No opportunity? Make one! If it were me—"
Xia Zhi cut him off. "Doesn't matter. Once we settle this thing with my cousin, I'll cook a proper feast for everyone."
The Dragon King immediately asked, "Will there be Gods' Temptation?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Of course."
The Dragon King was reassured. He thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Mr. Xia—if I'm here, the tower stands firm!"
Venti whispered, "What's Gods' Temptation?"
The Dragon King whispered back, "A dish."
"I thought it was called Adeptus' Temptation?"
"That's the original. Mr. Xia improved it."
"Tastes good?"
"Delicious!"
"Describe it."
"Better than this wine."
"!?"
Venti stared in disbelief.
----
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