The lanterns of Liyue Harbor burned bright against the night.
Walking down the busy street after dinner, Hu Tao happily clung to Su Xuan's arm.
"Now I'm officially the Hall Master who's covering Rex Lapis himself, you know~"
Su Xuan chuckled. "Hall Master's logic checks out."
On the way to the restaurant earlier, he had already guessed who tonight's tablemates would be.
Besides Hu Tao, there was Venti, Zhongli… and the little blue-haired loli Ruoda, whom Zhongli had picked up and taken back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"The moment you step into Liyue Harbor, the old man is bound to sense it," Hu Tao said, swinging their hands. "And if I invite you to dinner, there's no way he doesn't hear about it."
"So I might as well use the excuse of 'inviting a big client' and drag him along too."
"That way I don't have to deal with him cornering me later, trying to say thanks for you helping A'Jiu—
'How did you meet Mister Su? What's your relationship? Can you introduce us?', and so on. I can't take that kind of interrogation."
She puffed out her cheeks.
"I also know you don't like eating and drinking with a bunch of old men."
"So this time… just… just treat it like I owe you one, okay?"
Su Xuan almost burst out laughing.
The way her brain jumped around really was something.
He really didn't like drinking and joking around with a table full of old men, that much was true.
But he wouldn't go as far as demanding that Hu Tao owe him a favor over one dinner.
Besides, Zhongli hadn't even asked him for help; he'd just wanted to express his personal gratitude.
And tonight's invitation really had been Hu Tao's idea first and foremost. Zhongli and Ruoda's business was more of a "since we're all here anyway" add-on.
"If you put it that way, I'll just take it as is," Su Xuan replied, amused.
Both Hu Tao and Xiangling stared at him.
Hu Tao puffed her cheeks even more. "You're really going to remember that!?"
"Mm?" Su Xuan raised a brow. "You are in Liyue, where contracts matter more than anything. Hall Master Hu, you've just verbally agreed to a contract with me."
"So I absolutely can't 'forget it.'"
"How about this—if you really want to pay me back, then from now on, come live with us."
Hu Tao: "Eh?"
Xiangling blinked. Then she looked up at the glowing orb hanging over the sea like a second moon.
The Jade Chamber, wrapped in telekinetic light.
"Boss Su, you mean…" Xiangling pointed up toward the floating palace.
Su Xuan nodded. "Yeah. Do you still remember what I said before? I'm taking you up there to be my personal Chinese chef."
He pulled a stack of books from his storage and put them in her hands.
"These are recipes from a world outside this one."
"Every day, each recipe generates the ingredients it needs automatically."
"But whether the dishes actually taste good depends on the chef's skill and control over the heat."
Xiangling practically lit up like a lamp.
"Ingredients every day… by themselves? That's amazing."
"It's okay. Consider them a gift," Su Xuan said.
"Eh!?"
"Don't be so surprised. Once I've decided on a little chef, I don't plan on letting her slip away so easily."
"That said, I don't mind if you popularize them for the rest of the world either."
Xiangling understood immediately.
As long as she followed him up to the Jade Chamber, these recipes were hers to use however she liked.
Even if she copied them for her father and let Wanmin Restaurant start serving dishes from another world, Su Xuan wouldn't object.
For any chef, the greatest wish was always the same:
to have as many people as possible taste the food you'd poured your heart into.
This kind of gift was something Xiangling wouldn't have even dared dream of before.
But—
She suddenly lost a bit of confidence and fidgeted.
"I… I know who lives up there. They're all really important people. I'm just… me… is that really okay?"
"Don't overthink it. I treat all diary holders the same," Su Xuan said.
"Besides, I bet a few of the ladies up there are dying to learn a thing or two from you in the kitchen."
"And there's that master chef in Fontaine too—
I have no plans to let her go either. When she arrives, you two can trade techniques."
Listening to him talk, watching Xiangling's eyes practically sparkle out of her head, Hu Tao suddenly felt a pinch in her chest.
She hadn't realized Su Xuan had really called Xiangling up there to be the resident chef.
Neither of them had ever planned to ask Su Xuan for anything.
All they'd wanted was the chance to be a little closer to this incomprehensible man.
Him calling their names in the diary—that had already been more than enough.
They hadn't expected this.
"If you don't mind how useless I am, I'll do my best to create as many new dishes as I can for you," Xiangling said at once, clutching the recipe books to her.
There was no way she was refusing an opportunity like this.
Hu Tao could feel her excitement.
But when she thought of herself, she hesitated.
She fiddled with her fingers and said awkwardly, "All I really know how to do is send people on… you know… I'm not exactly good at anything else. Are you sure you want me too?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Su Xuan said. "How could I not want a Hall Master as adorable as you?"
The sudden compliment sent Hu Tao's cheeks up in flames.
Her heart pounded wildly.
This man, who was he again?
Someone from beyond the universe, who knew Teyvat's past and future;
who knew Sky Island above and the Abyss below.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was little more than a prop in his eyes.
Archons were opponents he could beat with a single strike.
From across the sea, he could crush a Fatui Harbinger with the power of an Archon between two fingers.
And he'd just called her cute?
If that wasn't something worth being proud of, what was?
She crossed her arms, cheeks still puffed, and said, "I don't buy it. Unless… you give me a kiss."
Su Xuan froze.
There's such a good deal in this world?
Under Xiangling's shy, quickly-averted gaze, he very straightforwardly granted Hu Tao's completely baseless demand.
The girl's plum-colored eyes shook like someone had tossed pebbles into a pond.
The 77th Hall Master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had done it.
Su Xuan really did think she was cute.
With both girls practically walking on air, Su Xuan took them up to the villa on Yujing Terrace and showed them how to use it as a relay to the Jade Chamber.
Watching Hu Tao and Xiangling sprint excitedly off into the depths of that floating palace, he couldn't help the crooked grin that tugged at his lips.
Two more pure little lambs successfully lured into the wolf's den.
Whatever they currently felt toward him deep down, one thing was certain—
Now that they were in the dragon's lair, there was no stepping back out.
After all…
Under the "guidance" of their older sisters, these innocent girls would eventually understand the weight of the role they bore on their shoulders.
Hu Tao's mischievous mood had rubbed off on him; Su Xuan, still in high spirits, opened up his system panel.
He hadn't pulled any draws since recording the entry about Dottore.
Everything after that had been about cosmic-scale concepts:
the [Abyss], the fate of the universe, the paths he could take to protect Teyvat's false firmament.
All that content had built up the largest stock of lottery pulls he'd ever had.
Since he was in a good mood, he did what he always did when he felt rich—
He hit [All In].
Two golden beams flared across his mind's eye.
Su Xuan blinked.
Two golds in one go?
It was the most abundant draw session he'd ever had, and it had yielded two golden rewards?
But then—
A surging wave of power suddenly roared to life inside his body.
This time, the increase was the strongest he'd ever felt.
He froze.
When the psychic "golden light" faded, Su Xuan immediately focused on the two new rewards.
[Good Teacher, Close Friend]
Can directly transfer one's own power to another.
Su Xuan: "?"
He probed deeper into the details.
In simple terms, this ability allowed him to select specific powers of his and bestow them on someone else.
The benefits to the recipient were somewhat similar to the Demon Essence he'd previously distributed:
how much of that power they could wield depended on the person's own foundation.
Not everything could be transferred, and it wasn't the same as just giving someone a copy of himself.
On the surface, it didn't look like much of an upgrade for him personally.
But the more he dug into the description, the more one line caught his eye.
Good Teacher, Close Friend had a very subtle hidden effect—
it possessed a yin-yang complementary property.
When the transfer was carried out under certain "conditions," both sides would experience a small but real increase in their own energy.
The boost wouldn't be explosive, but it would be constant.
Over a long enough period of time, the cumulative gain would be enormous.
"This is…"
Very, very nice.
At the very least, Good Teacher, Close Friend would quietly help push his strength ever higher throughout his future "daily life."
Still, this particular reward didn't directly explain the tidal wave of power he'd just felt.
Which meant the other one had to be the real monster.
[Mighty Spirit: Equal to Heaven]
Allows the user to summon a Mighty Spirit to assist in battle using their own strength as the medium.
Note: Mighty Spirit – Equal to Heaven's starting level is such that a single strike can shatter a star. Further performance scales with the user.
Su Xuan: "?!"
Inside the Jade Chamber's inner Immortal Mansion, in a room sealed by telekinetic barriers—
Guizhong finally woke around mid-afternoon.
With Cloud Retainer's patient explanation, she understood why she was alive again.
Just like Cloud Retainer, Guizhong now possessed her own diary copy.
The entries from before her resurrection were still there.
When she woke, those pages had actively poured themselves into her mind over a short period of time.
Even without sitting down to read them one by one, the contents were already etched into her memory.
"Our Teyvat has truly gained a remarkable guest," Guizhong sighed in awe. "Someone who can even overturn life and death…"
Cloud Retainer nodded, only giving a small "Mm."
She had no idea how to start relaying the "task" Su Xuan had left her.
It was… hard to bring up.
She couldn't exactly come out and say, "By the way, the reason you're alive again is because that extraordinary man is interested in your body."
"Where is he?" Guizhong asked happily.
"I really need to thank him properly. He gave me another chance to see the world with my own eyes."
"He… uh…" Cloud Retainer looked away. "He went down to Liyue Harbor while you were sleeping."
Just mentioning Su Xuan's itinerary filled her chest with a mix of irritation and frustration.
Earlier that day, she'd invited him to stay and "talk a while."
He'd dealt with his own "tension" very thoroughly… and then just left her there and ran off.
The result was that Cloud Retainer had felt wrong all day.
It was like some pressure inside her body had been winding tighter and tighter with nowhere to go.
Her whole being was stuck on a sort of invisible snag.
"Liyue Harbor, huh…" Guizhong murmured, eyes shining. "So that's Liyue after the Archon War."
"I really want to see how it's grown under Morax and all of you adepti."
"Cloud Retainer, can you take me to have a look?"
"And we can find him on the way so I can thank him properly."
Cloud Retainer: "…"
Take you out?
It wasn't that she didn't want to.
It was that Su Xuan hadn't left his spiritual imprint on Guizhong yet, and the telekinetic barrier wouldn't recognize her.
Girl, you had no way to even get through the door of this room.
"…I should just tell her the truth," Cloud Retainer thought to herself.
Guizhong was, after all, a god who had lived through the Archon War.
Her mind and her heart were hardly fragile; she wouldn't break over something like this.
She didn't have to worry about some mental collapse.
"In fact, the truth is…" Cloud Retainer began.
Just as she was about to rip the bandage off—
Both of their diary copies suddenly floated out in front of them at the same time.
"Hm?" Guizhong blinked. "What's this?"
"That means Su Xuan is writing again right now," Cloud Retainer replied.
"New content?" Guizhong's curiosity flared at once. "Then I'll take a look."
"Though… is it really okay to blatantly peek at someone's secrets like this?"
She stuck out her tongue at Cloud Retainer, obviously trying to cover her guilt with a bit of cuteness.
Cloud Retainer coughed softly and said primly, "It's fine. He doesn't mind us watching."
After all, he'll turn around and strip your soul bare himself, and then keep digging until he's explored every last secret…
"If he doesn't mind," Guizhong said brightly, "then I'm going to read as much as I like."
She flipped to the latest page, eyes full of anticipation.
[Coming back to Liyue this time, I'm in a very good mood.]
[Playful, adorable Hu Tao insisted on throwing a welcome banquet to wash away my travel dust the moment she heard I was returning.]
[I also picked up a little chef named Xiangling, who'll be helping everyone with meals in the Jade Chamber from now on.]
[After all, on this trip back… I suddenly realized that even that tsundere Cloud Retainer would take the initiative to suggest a deep, friendly "conversation" with me.]
[Does that mean she actually missed me a little while I was gone?]
Guizhong: "Huh?"
Cloud Retainer stared, completely stunned.
Of all times, he had to bring her up now?
Others might not understand.
But anyone who'd crossed the last line with him certainly did.
Every word there was loaded.
She could practically feel her carefully-maintained "dignified adeptus" persona crumbling into dust.
She sneaked a panicked look at Guizhong, and sure enough, found confusion in her friend's eyes.
In her haste, Cloud Retainer yanked out the Dainichi Mikoshi schematics.
"This—this is what I wanted to ask him about. I've been meaning to consult him on the design principles behind this device."
Guizhong only needed a single glance to realize how complex the blueprint was.
Her brows knitted.
"We'll talk about this in a bit. Let's finish reading his entry first."
[Anyway, I'm in a pretty great mood right now.]
[So I figured I might as well take care of a little loose end I left back in Inazuma while I'm feeling this good.]
The Inazuman girls reading along froze.
[I've decided—]
[It's time to wipe out every last Dottore segment left scattered across Teyvat.]
Every single diary holder widened her eyes.
As the newest member of their little "diary circle," Guizhong realized immediately:
"Dottore?"
"I remember he mentioned him in earlier entries…"
"But…"
She paused, thinking.
"Cloud Retainer, I remember him saying that he'd only do this when his perception could cover the whole of Teyvat, didn't he…?"
Cloud Retainer nodded, her voice trembling just a little.
"You remember correctly."
"Which means, if he's suddenly writing this now…"
"That means," Cloud Retainer said, shock and excitement tangled together, "his telekinetic sense has finally reached the point where it can cover all of Teyvat."
Guizhong froze.
"…Eh!?"
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