When Himeko and the Trailblazer extended their invitation again, Sam Li didn't refuse this time. After a brief moment of thought, he agreed.
However…
Sam Li also made a request: he hoped to bring one more passenger along. And that passenger was none other than Venti—the one who had been slacking off this whole time, the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.
Upon hearing this,
March 7th didn't even think before answering, "No problem! Forget one more passenger—five or ten would be fine! There are still plenty of empty rooms on the train…"
Himeko gave a gentle smile. "Mr. Sam Li, on behalf of the entire train crew, welcome aboard."
The Trailblazer was genuinely delighted. "With Mr. Sam Li joining us, this journey will be much safer."
A few days earlier, they had already witnessed Sam Li's strength. With the bloodline of the immortal Aeon [Dragon], he could transform into a dragon at will. He had fought the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant—an existence close to an Emanator—and ultimately won… They had no doubts about Sam Li's power, and what they lacked most on the road to the Star of Wishes was someone exactly like him.
With Sam Li joining them, everyone finally relaxed, their confidence in the journey rising significantly.
But at that moment—Nicole, Billy, Nekomata, and Anby noticed Sam Li speaking with the train crew and hurried over.
Nekomata asked curiously, "Meow, what were you all talking about? You looked so happy?"
March 7th replied excitedly, "Sam Li agreed to travel with us into the starry sky—together to the Star of Wishes! How could we not be happy?"
Hearing this, Nekomata, Billy, Nicole, and Anby all froze in place.
What?
Sam Li was getting on that strange train, heading into the starry sky, to that strange Star of Wishes? In an instant… it felt as if the sky had fallen on them. Sam Li was leaving.
Nicole forced herself to stay calm. "Um… ahem. Sam Li is an employee of our Cunning Hares. How come we didn't know he was going with you to the starry sky?"
March 7th said confidently, "Because we just decided. Of course you didn't know. But knowing now isn't too late."
Hearing that, Nicole immediately looked at Sam Li. He stood there calmly, nodding slightly.
"I was never truly someone of this world. With the Hollow Zero crisis resolved, it's time for me to leave…"
Nicole went silent. "…"
Billy covered his face, unsure of what to say. "…"
Nekomata looked at Sam Li, eyes full of grievance. "…"
Anby seemed at a loss. "…"
When they first learned Sam Li was a God from Liyue, they knew he would one day leave the Hare's House. But they never thought that day would come so soon. They weren't ready. Sam Li had already made his decision.
After a brief silence, Nicole said, "Could you… leave a little later? At least wait until Calydon City is finished, so you can see the result of our work together…"
Before Sam Li appeared, the Cunning Hares had been a tiny agency on the verge of bankruptcy—creditors blocking the door daily, water and electricity constantly being cut off, and them having to borrow utilities from next door.
But after Sam Li joined them, the once-disliked, nearly bankrupt Cunning Hares slowly turned its reputation around. Sam Li secured countless high-quality cases, earning them a huge amount of dennies…
They ventured into Hollows together, fought Ethereal Aberrations together, ate together, took group photos, had coffee and burgers on Sixth Street, played Strange Companions at the arcade… Scenes from those days resurfaced one after another.
Through everyone's effort, the Cunning Hares had gotten better and better. They finally had enough dennies to buy a new car… Enough to invest in Calydon Town, even winning Nicole a Deputy Mayor position in Calydon City—fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming an important figure…
But—the bright future they imagined together was still far from complete. And now Sam Li suddenly had to leave with the train crew for the depths of the cosmos.
The universe was vast. If they parted now, who knew how long it would be before they met again?
Just thinking about it, Nekomata's eyes were already wet.
"Sam Li, don't go, okay? I'll give you the best blue mackerel…"
Sam Li patted her little head with a smile. "It's not like we're parting forever. Why cry? Who knows—maybe we'll meet again soon."
Only Sam Li knew that the so-called Star of Wishes was most likely the very planet on which Teyvat lay. So returning to New Eridu in the future wouldn't be difficult at all—he just needed to use a Statue of The Seven to teleport.
Billy's voice trembled, "Good thing I didn't install fake tear blocks… What a pity, the latest Starlight Knight movie is about to release…"
Anby asked earnestly, "Can we delay the departure a little?"
Seeing such a heartfelt scene, Himeko spoke solemnly, "To avoid interrupting you all, we'll delay our departure as much as possible."
Nicole suddenly smiled. "Thank you—"
After that, everyone followed the Sons of Calydon to tour the developing Calydon City.
According to Caesar, this district was built following the layout of Sixth Street. Once construction finished, they planned to invite the Proxy from Sixth Street to relocate here…
Then Caesar pointed ahead.
"Look—this building is being constructed specifically for your Cunning Hares. Burnice named it 'Hare Hole.' Hahaha. Nicole, Mr. Sam Li, what do you think of the name?"
Hearing this, before Sam Li and Nicole could respond, Lucy couldn't hold back.
"Caesar, you acted on your own again! 'Hare Hole' sounds terrible! This is the future office building of Calydon City—how can you call it 'Hare Hole'…"
But before she finished, Nicole's distracted voice suddenly responded, "Mm, sure…"
The next moment, Lucy stared at her in shock.
"????"
What was going on? Normally, with Nicole's personality, she would never have liked that name and would have sharply criticized it. But today she actually agreed?
Seeing Nicole so absent-minded, Lucy quickly shook her shoulder.
"Miss Nicole, since when do you share Caesar's taste?"
Being shaken snapped Nicole back. She blinked in confusion at Lucy and Caesar.
"Huh? What? What did you two just say?"
Caesar smiled confidently. "Burnice and I discussed it and decided to name the building 'Hare Hole.' What do you think?"
Lucy added, "It'll be the future headquarters of your Cunning Hares."