The white cat wandered for a while longer before returning to the Favonius Cathedral.
It slipped quietly through the entrance—yet still got spotted by the Cryo nun sitting in the last row of pews.
Cigarette holder in one hand, she glanced down at the pristine, beautiful white cat at her feet and murmured, "This isn't a place for stray cats. Out you go."
The white cat ignored her and kept walking inside.
She reached out, grabbed it by the scruff, and lifted it off the ground.
"Meow!"
Startled, it twisted in her grasp and called out a few times.
The nun tapped its head lightly with the end of her cigarette holder. "Little thing, I told you—no coming in here."
"Meow."
"Heh, lucky for you it was me. Another nun might've chased you off with a broom."
"Meow."
"Stupid cat. Guess you can't understand a word I'm saying."
"Meow."
"You're too clean to be a stray. Did you wander away from your owner? Or did they abandon you?"
"Meow."
"Forget it. I'll keep an eye out for you later."
She tilted the cat's chin up with the tip of her holder, voice taking on a teasing lilt.
"You look so pitiful… how about you stay with me for now? If nothing else, you could be my cat."
"Meow?"
And with that, she tucked the white cat against her chest and headed for her quarters without waiting for a reaction.
In Xia Zhi's shared vision, all he could see now was white white white and big big big bbb.
So this nun… looked cold on the outside, but was unexpectedly gentle with animals?
The cathedral's nuns all lived together, and their quarters weren't far from where Xia Zhi and the others stayed.
Before long, the Cryo nun reached her room, shut the door, and set the cat down.
Finally free from the sensation of drowning in softness, the white cat stood on the floor, staring blankly at the simple room.
The nun set down her cigarette holder and began undressing.
"Meow?"
She tossed her clothes aside without a thought.
Nice figure.
She came over, bent down, and scooped the cat back into her arms.
"Meow?"
"Little thing, you're coming with me for a bath. Otherwise, no getting on my bed tonight."
"…"
And so began the white cat's reluctant bath.
Her hands glided over its fur, finding it impossibly smooth, its body elegant, its features refined—like a noble among cats.
Her fondness for it deepened.
She washed it thoroughly, then wrapped it in her own bath towel and dried it carefully.
Only then did she set the cat on the floor and step into the bath herself.
The cat didn't wander, just sat quietly watching her bathe.
Before long, she emerged from the bathroom, the white cat following close behind.
"Little thing, you're pretty well-behaved. Are you hungry?"
Realizing something, she went to the cupboard, pulled out some jerky, broke it into pieces, and set it in a bowl before the cat.
"Eat."
No reaction.
"Not hungry?"
She frowned slightly.
"Thirsty, then?"
She poured fresh water into another bowl.
Still nothing.
"…I get it. You need to use the litter box?"
The white cat remained still.
"…"
She furrowed her brow, unable to figure it out.
House cats were always a hassle.
But… this one was just too pretty to ignore.
"Anyway, food and water are here for you."
Yawning, she switched off the light and climbed into bed.
"I'm going to sleep. Do as you like."
The nun closed her eyes and drifted off.
In the dark, the white cat's big eyes glimmered faintly.
It padded to the door.
It could open it if it wanted, locked or not.
It hesitated… then turned back, leapt onto the bed, and curled up beside her pillow.
For some reason, this Cryo nun had set her sights on Xia Zhi.
Now was the perfect chance to get close—so why not stay and see what she was really after?
-
After the fireworks, Klee was "coincidentally" met on the road by Kaeya, who took her home. Cloud Retainer, meanwhile, brought Yaoyao and Xia Lin back to the Favonius Cathedral.
Once in her own room, Cloud Retainer took out Amber's Wind Glider and began modifying it.
This was something she had promised Amber back at the end of the gliding competition.
Ten minutes later, the modification was complete.
She put the glider away, then took out the beautifying mirror Xia Ci had given her, studying how to integrate it into her Kamera.
Items of this extraordinary nature took far more effort to research.
Still, Cloud Retainer loved tinkering with strange contraptions, and before long she was fully absorbed.
—
Xia Lin came over hugging a pillow and knocked on the door.
Xia Zhi ended his "Vision Sharing" with the white cat, returning his focus to his own room, and went to open the door.
"Papa!"
"You didn't have any nightmares tonight, did you?"
"No… but I want to sleep with Papa!"
The little girl looked up at him expectantly.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Come in."
"You're the best, Papa!" she beamed, throwing her arms around his waist.
The instant they touched—
The system's voice sounded in Xia Zhi's mind.
"New animal touched. Gained [Abyssal Dragon's Blessing]: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +20% Poison DMG, +20% Poison RES."
"New animal touched. All attributes increased by 0.0001%."
Xia Zhi blinked in surprise.
So Xia Lin counted as part of the [Blessing] category too.
Compared to the blessings from "Firefly" or "Cat," a "Dragon's" blessing was clearly far stronger—not only boosting stats more, but also adding new damage and resistance bonuses.
He ruffled the little girl's hair, shut the door, and smiled. "Go get into bed."
"Aren't you going to sleep too?"
"I'm going to make some medicine first. I'll sleep after."
"Then I'll wait too! I want to watch you make medicine."
"…Alright."
Xia Zhi set out his alchemy furnace.
The girl leaned on the table to watch.
"…Papa."
"Mm?"
"When we were setting off fireworks in the plaza earlier, we saw a white cat."
"A white cat?"
"It was so cute! Yaoyao wanted to feed it some dried fish, but it suddenly ran away."
"That's a shame."
"Senior Qiqi said next time she'll lend me her whistle. With that, cats won't be scared of people."
"That's true."
Xia Zhi couldn't help but smile.
They chatted idly as he worked.
In the past, he'd always burned through his Spirit Points each day before sleeping to maximize his point gains.
Now, with the [Universal Battery], a glance at his character panel showed his Spirit Points still full even after a few batches of medicine.
In theory, if he really wanted to grind, he could endlessly craft incense, medicines, or Divine Speech items to convert energy into points.
But there was no need to rush.
With his current strength, he could handle himself in Teyvat just fine.
And those Prismatic-tier items—costing millions—wouldn't really change his travels even if he got one.
His phone buzzed on the table.
Xia Zhi picked it up, expecting a message from Shenhe—only to find it was from Cloud Retainer.
[Mr. Xia, are you there? I've just made some progress on researching that mirror. Interested in coming over to take a look?]
He thought for a moment, then replied.
If the little girl counted for a [Blessing], then surely the little crane would too.
[Alright, I'll come now.]
[Mm.]