Puzzle, door, battle.
Kiss.
Then puzzle, door, battle again.
And another kiss.
The black mist grew thicker. Its erosion stronger. To keep Hu Tao in fighting shape, their kisses had to come more frequently.
Her lips grew redder, her plum blossom eyes softer. Every time they kissed, she grew bolder. Her wandering hands sometimes outpaced even his.
They cut through wave after wave of monsters. The mist grew so thick their visibility dropped below a meter. Finally, they reached an ancient, imposing gate.
"Once we open this, we should be at the core of the domain. Whatever's generating the mist is probably inside," Hu Tao said, face grave, spear in hand.
If someone was pulling the strings, they'd likely meet them here.
Lu Lin knew this was the critical moment. He quickly set about solving the final mechanism.
Click.
The lock snapped open.
Rumble. The gate rose slowly, revealing a grand stone hall.
In the center stood a stone altar, shrouded in a yellow barrier. A green sphere of light floated above it.
Around the altar were two strangely dressed figures in black. Each held a dark orb seething with a chilling power.
They were trying to use the energy in the orbs to break the barrier around the altar.
Black mist poured from the orbs, but was pushed back by the green sphere's light, forced to spread outward. As a result, visibility in the hall was actually good; Lu Lin could see everything clearly.
The sound of the opening gate made the black-clad figures turn.
Abyss Mages.
"Frostbite, more little bugs have wandered in. Go deal with them," one drawled.
"Hmph. Blaze, we're equals. You don't get to boss me around," the other snorted.
Despite the complaint, Frostbite didn't hesitate. A pillar of ice shrouded in purple-black energy shot toward Lu Lin and Hu Tao.
"Watch out!" Hu Tao cried, charging forward. Her spear blazed as it met the ice head-on.
Boom!
The pillar shattered into shards.
But the force flung Hu Tao backward. Lu Lin caught her, but the impact sent him flying too, slamming hard into the wall.
Damn, that hurts!
He hissed as pain lanced through him, like his bones were coming apart. The girl in his arms had blood at the corner of her mouth and had already passed out.
The instant the ice collapsed, a purple-black fireball materialized and streaked toward them.
Blaze had joined in.
At that critical instant, a door swung open to Lu Lin's left.
Whoosh!
An icy arrow flew out, trailing frost and starlight, intercepting the fireball midair and blowing it apart.
"Lu Lin, get out of here! I'll hold them off!" came a familiar voice—Ganyu.
Lu Lin didn't run.
Even with just a glance, he saw she was in bad shape.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. That single Frostflake Arrow had cost her dearly. She might have the blood of an adeptus, but like Hu Tao, her power was clearly being eroded by the mist.
And she'd been in Guili Plains longer than they had.
If he fled now and left Ganyu to cover them, she would never make it out safely.
Abyss Mages were no Hilichurls. They were elites of the Abyss Order; their strength was on a different level entirely.
A dozen plans flashed through Lu Lin's head in the space of a heartbeat. Then he chose.
He activated [Critical Moment].
Time froze.
He didn't waste it attacking the Abyss Mages. With his current strength, even if he had the Staff of Homa, he'd only be scratching them.
Shrouded in abyssal energy, they might be hurt, but killing them quickly was a fantasy.
[Critical Moment] could only be used once per day. If there was a safer plan, he wasn't going to gamble.
He scooped Hu Tao up, dashed to Ganyu, gathered her into his other arm, and triggered the teapot mark on his palm.
Ever since he'd been dragged into the domain, he'd felt for the mark. Luckily, it still worked. This was his final trump card, the safest retreat he had.
The moment the familiar little house appeared before him and the two girls came with him into the pot, Lu Lin finally exhaled. He carried Hu Tao into the downstairs room and laid her on the bed.
[Critical Moment] was strong enough that time inside the Serenitea Pot was frozen too.
Once Hu Tao was settled, he returned to Ganyu.
The beautiful girl still stood with bow drawn, eyes steady, posture unyielding. Her tight battle gear highlighted every perfect line of her body.
She's so pretty…
Lu Lin took Amos' Bow from her hand and set it aside, unable to resist pinching her soft cheek again before carrying her upstairs.
He miscalculated.
Just as he stepped into the room and hadn't set her down yet—
Time resumed.
"Eh? What—? Wasn't I just fighting the Abyss Mages in the domain?"
As the time stop ended, Ganyu came back to herself. She blinked and realized she was cradled princess-style in Lu Lin's arms, in a room she didn't recognize, staring right into his eyes.
She was completely lost.
In her memory, one second she'd been loosing an arrow at the Abyss Mages to cover Lu Lin and Hu Tao's retreat. The next, she was in some unfamiliar house, in his arms.
And he'd just squeezed her calf for no discernible reason.
"Uh… so… how are you feeling?" Lu Lin hadn't expected the timing to be this awkward. He forced himself to look calm, retracting the hand that had taken advantage of the freeze.
"C-could you… put me down first?" Ganyu turned her head, unable to meet his eyes.
It wasn't her first time in his embrace. That warm, comforting feeling was dangerously addictive; she almost didn't want to leave. But now wasn't the time for romance.
"Sure." He could feel her faint attachment to him, but with Hu Tao still unconscious downstairs, he wasn't in the mood to flirt.
Once he set her down, Ganyu's gaze went to Hu Tao on the bed. "I'll check her injuries first."
Ganyu was a powerful fighter, but during the Archon War she'd also tended to the wounded. She was very experienced at treating injuries.
After a careful examination and a few pills, she said, "It's not serious. She's in good shape. Once the medicine takes effect and she rests, she'll recover."
"Whew. That's a relief." Lu Lin's heart finally lifted. Seeing Hu Tao coughing blood and collapsing had scared him stiff.
"Hu Tao's stable for now. Tell me what's going on with you. How did you end up in the domain? And where is this place? What just happened?" Ganyu asked, calm once more as she fixed her gaze on him.
"I went to Yuehai Pavilion this morning to look for you. They said you'd gone to Guili Plains, so I followed. On the way I ran into Hu Tao and Xingqiu…" Lu Lin gave her a quick summary.
"As for this place… well, how should I put it? This is my Serenitea Pot."
"Serenitea Pot? Did Granny Ping design it? No… I don't sense any adeptal energy," Ganyu said, more confused.
"This one wasn't made by a Liyue adeptus, so there's no adeptal power in it. It's…" Lu Lin improvised a story, explaining its basic functions.
"So at the last second, you activated the mark and brought the three of us in?" she asked.
"That's right."
There were still plenty of details that wouldn't survive close scrutiny—like why Hu Tao was on the bed, and why she'd been in his arms.
But Ganyu was considerate by nature. She didn't press. Everyone had their secrets; there was no need to dig them out.
Yes. That was absolutely the reason. It was definitely not because she was embarrassed about having been carried like a princess and having her leg squeezed.
"Right. Come upstairs with me. I want to show you something," Lu Lin said. Since she wasn't questioning him, he could breathe easier. He took her soft hand and led her up.
…Huh?
Ganyu was dazed again. They were holding hands already?
Her palm tingled with warmth. She pressed her lips together and chose not to pull away.
Lu Lin noticed every tiny change in her expression. The mood was good. This was his chance.
The second floor was simple: just a brand-new bed with fresh bedding and pillows.
The quilt was bright red, embroidered with a pair of rosy-tailed doves.
In Fontaine, rosy-tailed doves were considered messengers of love.
With her long life and wide experience, Ganyu knew exactly what they symbolized. She turned to him, puzzled by his intentions.
There was only one bed, with lovebirds on the quilt. What was he trying to say?
"This house was just built. I haven't furnished it yet. What do you think of the view from the balcony?" Lu Lin asked, pointing.
The Serenitea Pot world was vast. Mountains rolled endlessly to the west, while a great lake spread eastward. He'd placed the little house near the shore—a proper lakefront property.
From the balcony, the scenery was spectacular. As someone who loved nature, Ganyu was instantly enchanted.
"The view is wonderful. It's so beautiful here. I love it," she said, throwing her arms wide like she wanted to hug the whole lake.
"As long as you like it. How about I give you this room?" Lu Lin asked, lips curling.
…Huh?
"Give it to me?" she repeated, pointing at herself.
How exactly did one "give" a room?
"My Serenitea Pot has another function. Once someone's authorized by me, they can freely enter and leave whenever they want.
"You always get drowsy at noon and sometimes fall asleep suddenly, right? I'm giving you this room so that whenever you want to nap, you can come here.
"You can decorate it however you like. Treat it as your second home. How about it?"
Second home…
Ganyu froze.
"Home" was a very distant word for her. She'd spent three thousand years watching over Liyue Harbor, burying herself in endless work. She rarely went back to Mt. Aocang, and hardly remembered what "home" felt like.
But hearing Lu Lin's words, she suddenly had the urge to visit her master.
She walked slowly to the bed and sat down, bending to remove her shoes.
She'd worn a looser combat outfit and flat shoes suitable for fighting. Her slender feet were wrapped in white socks.
Shoes off, she slipped under the quilt. The rosy-tailed doves covered her slender figure, but the half-hidden curves made her even more alluring.
She buried her head under the blanket, only her qilin horns sticking out, and took a deep breath.
The new bedding was high-quality, with a faint scent of incense. Beneath that, Ganyu felt a familiar warmth seep into her bones, melting the loneliness she'd carried for so long.
It wasn't the quilt that warmed her. It was the feeling of being in his arms.
"Lu Lin, I really like this room. Thank you," came her muffled voice.
She'd said "thank you." That meant she'd accepted.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully invited Ganyu to move into the Serenitea Pot.]
[Rewards: 1,000,000 Mora, 200 points, 200 EXP, and random host perk: Clear Mind, Keen Heart.]
[Clear Mind, Keen Heart]: Greatly increases the host's comprehension and learning ability.
The quest to invite a Liyue character was complete.
Smiling, Lu Lin walked to the bed and gently lifted a corner of the quilt. "Give me your hand," he said softly.
He focused on the mark in his palm and took Ganyu's soft hand.
Warmth flowed from his hand into hers as a strange link formed between them.
He released her and nodded at her palm.
A golden, teapot-shaped mark flickered into existence, then faded, leaving no physical trace.
But Ganyu could feel it. As long as she focused, the mark would appear, letting her enter and leave the Serenitea Pot at will.
At the moment he granted her permission, Lu Lin felt something shift in himself. He quickly opened his status panel.
[Host: Lu Lin]
[System Level: 1 (200 / 1000)]
[Host Perks: Critical Moment, Clear Mind, Keen Heart]
[Elemental Affinity: Cryo]
[Points: 200]
Just as he'd guessed. By inviting Ganyu in and giving her access to the pot, he'd also gained her elemental affinity.
He could now wield Cryo without a Vision.
His strength had skyrocketed.
Ganyu didn't know any of this. From the moment she'd agreed to move in, her heart had already changed. She'd decided to hold tightly to this rare warmth.
She reached both arms out toward him, with a hint of girlish coquettishness.
Understanding, Lu Lin leaned down so she could loop her arms around his neck and let him help her sit up.
He returned the hug gently, then knelt and took her delicate foot in his hands.
"Ah!" she gasped, body trembling.
-------
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