"Eh?!"
Everyone gasped in unison.
"Can you not be so loud?" Tianlang said helplessly, then opened the door to Mo Yan and Zhao Heng's room. "This isn't the place to talk. Come in—I'll explain everything."
The four exchanged skeptical glances, but followed him into the room and found places to sit. Zhao Heng closed the door behind them and joined the others at the edge of the bed.
"Alright, now will you talk?" Mo Yan asked.
Tianlang nodded. "Yeah. Here's how it happened. Yesterday, something Kaelin said got me thinking. Because of all of you, even if Evilbane saw me, he might choose not to show himself. So I wondered—what if I went alone? Would he appear then? Sure enough, the moment I stepped out this morning, I found a secret letter left for me."
As he spoke, Tianlang took out a folded envelope. "It was tucked into the doorframe of my room. Thanks to my contract with him, only I could see it. The letter told me to come alone, but didn't specify the time or place. So, I had no choice but to head out on my own to look for him. I went to all the spots he might visit, and sure enough—this afternoon, I found him at a construction site just outside the city."
"A construction site? What was he doing there?" Kaelin asked.
Tianlang shook his head. "Didn't ask. He didn't say. Maybe overseeing something? Anyway, after that, we went to a restaurant in the city and had a long talk. I told him everything—about you guys, about recent events."
"And? What did he say?" Mo Yan asked.
"He agreed to meet you."
"Really?!"
The four of them brightened instantly, their faces filled with joy.
Tianlang smiled. "Of course. But the time and place will be set by him."
"That's fine! So, when?" Kaelin asked eagerly.
"He didn't say. But I expect he'll send me word by tomorrow. Just like this morning—he'll leave me a hidden note when the time comes."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. As expected, when Tianlang took charge, things always went smoothly. Now, all they could do was look forward to tomorrow's news.
After wrapping up the discussion, Kaelin and Zixuan returned to their room. That night, both Mo Yan and Kaelin were too excited to sleep. And sure enough, the next morning, Tianlang found another message at the inn's entrance.
"Hour of the Goat (1–3 p.m.), East Alley—One Dish Only. Don't tell anyone ahead of time. —Yaohui"
"Does he really need to be this secretive?" Tianlang muttered to himself, staring at the note.
He carefully returned to his room, where Mo Yan and Zhao Heng were still asleep. After a moment of thought, he quietly closed the door and went downstairs to borrow pen and paper from the innkeeper. He wrote a note and asked the innkeeper to deliver it when the others woke up—then slipped out.
…
Mo Yan woke up around noon, rubbing his eyes as he and Zhao Heng headed downstairs. The common area was already bustling with people. The innkeeper spotted them and handed over Tianlang's note.
Just as Mo Yan opened it, Kaelin and Zixuan came down the stairs.
"So tired..." Kaelin yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Hey, Tianlang—did your friend send a message or not?"
As the drowsiness wore off, she noticed Mo Yan and Zhao Heng standing at the counter.
"Oh, you're all here already?" she said, walking over.
Mo Yan nodded. "Just woke up too?"
"Yeah. After everything yesterday, we were too worked up to sleep. Ended up staying up way too late." She yawned again. "Hey, where's Tianlang? That guy's missing again."
"He left earlier. But he left a note," Mo Yan said, handing it to her.
Kaelin squinted at the strange symbols: a downward arrow and a crude sketch of a dish.
"…What the hell? A menu? Is this some kind of riddle?" she muttered.
Zixuan leaned in, studying it seriously.
"Maybe it's where and when we're supposed to meet his friend?"
Zhao Heng nodded. "Yeah, he did say yesterday that Evilbane would choose the time and place. The arrow probably means afternoon, and the dish…"
"Hey, innkeeper!" Kaelin called out. "Is there a place in Sin City with a name related to a single dish or something?"
"A single dish?" The innkeeper paused mid-task to think. "Oh, you're probably talking about One Dish Only—that little farmhouse restaurant on the east end of town. Pretty decent food, actually. Your friend's got good taste!"
"…I think he misunderstood what we meant by keeping a low profile," Kaelin muttered.
Zixuan asked politely, "Could you give us directions?"
"Sorry, I'm busy at the moment. But if you keep heading east, you'll pass people who can help guide you."
Left with no other option, the four set out on foot. After lunch, they walked east, asking for directions as they went. Eventually, they arrived at One Dish Only, a cozy little farmhouse-style restaurant on the edge of a farm.
With the hour of the goat approaching, the place wasn't too crowded. Mo Yan peered around and spotted Tianlang sitting at a table in the corner.
"Yo, you made it faster than I expected," Tianlang said, standing up with a smile.
Mo Yan waved and led the others over. Sitting next to Tianlang was a young man with snow-white hair, dressed in a black hoodie. His bangs partially covered a pair of intense violet eyes that seemed to exude killing intent even at rest. As he stared silently in their direction, Mo Yan felt his entire body tense. The man looked around the same age as him, but if Tianlang hadn't been sitting next to him, he'd have assumed this guy was some underground enforcer from a crime syndicate.
Kaelin recognized him too—he was the one who had leapt in through the window and subdued the thieves the night of the break-in.
"Let me introduce you," Tianlang said, gesturing toward the man. "This is Yaohui, the guardian of the Black Domain—also known as Evilbane."
Yaohui crossed his arms and gave a small nod. "We've met already. Sit."
The group exchanged glances, then quietly took their seats. Kaelin, clearly nervous, leaned in close to Mo Yan and whispered, "That's Evilbane? Geez, he looks scary."
"Fits his name, doesn't it?" Mo Yan whispered back. "Weren't you already face-to-face with him the other night?"
Yaohui didn't wait for pleasantries. His sharp gaze swept over the four as he spoke:
"So? You came all this way to find me. What for?"
His voice was calm, but his tone carried the weight of a predator sizing up its prey. The four of them froze—none of them dared to speak first.
Tianlang sighed and stepped in. "Let me explain. They're from another world—an accident brought them here. In all my five thousand years in Teyvat, I've never seen something like this. That's why I brought them to you. I was hoping you might know something—or have a way to help them return."
Yaohui snorted. "You're serious?" He turned to Tianlang, his expression hard. "You, the space-walker himself, don't know the cause—and you think I would?"
Tianlang scratched the back of his head, a bit sheepish. "Well, it never hurts to ask, right? Maybe you've heard something? Hehehe…"
"Hmph. I haven't," Yaohui replied bluntly, sighing as he leaned back in his chair.
~~------------------------
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