Mondstadt City Plaza, sunset.
the quartet sat in a circle, a fragrant Sunsettia placed in the center, the atmosphere so solemn it was as if they were performing some mysterious ritual.
This was the bizarre scene Lumine and Paimon encountered as they approached.
"Everyone, what are you doing here?"
Paimon floated over curiously.
Jesse looked up and sighed heavily: "Paimon, and Lumine, it's a long story…"
Half an hour ago · Knights of Favonius backyard
Zane was squatting on the ground, a flat house that looked like a children's pop-up book in front of him, adjusting something with a screwdriver.
"Zane, what are you doing?"
Jesse leaned closer and asked in confusion.
"I'm building an observation device. Since we can travel to Teyvat, does that mean other parallel Teyvats also exist? I plan to test it."
Elliot and Matt also gathered around, watching Zane attach the last "flat window" to the cardboard house, and then—
"Finished."
Zane pressed the switch, and the observation machine hummed to life, the windows of the flat house suddenly glowing with an eerie blue light.
"Bang—!!"
The next second, the window flew out as if blasted, slapping onto Elliot's face as he watched.
"What the heck! Where did this send me?!"
A clear male voice came from inside the machine.
the quartet focused their gaze—
A young man dressed in black, wearing a white mask, was crawling out of the window opening of the flat house, casually patting non-existent dust off his pants.
"This outfit is…!"
the quartet's pupils dilated in shock, and they exclaimed in unison: "Bai Luo?!"
"Oh? Interesting."
Bai Luo clapped his hands, the corner of his mouth under the mask slightly curved upwards.
"A talking Hilichurl? And it knows my name?"
His gaze swept over the four, lingering for two seconds on the oversized bottle of Coca-Cola in Matt's hand, and he immediately understood: "So that's how it is."
The next second, a "sweet" Sunsettia appeared out of nowhere in his hand, and he smilingly offered it:
"Sunsettia, sweet, want some?"
Causality Weapon · Bai Luo's Sunsettia!
"Quick, shove this guy back in!!"
Zane let out a sharp, cracking shriek.
"This thing is more dangerous than a Galaxy Destruction Bomb!!"
Matt reacted quickly, his huge hand grabbing Bai Luo by the back of his collar, lifting him up like a kitten, and unhesitatingly stuffing him back into the window opening of the flat house—
"Wait! I haven't—"
"Slap!"
Elliot, quick as a flash, picked up the flying flat window and slammed it back into place.
Zane shut down the machine at light speed, and Jesse and Elliot immediately pounced, quickly tearing the flat house into pieces, finally remembering to set it on fire and scatter the ashes into the Cider Lake.
A double seal of physical and magical means, ensuring Bai Luo could never crawl out again!
Meanwhile · Bai Luo's Teyvat
Bai Luo, forcibly repatriated, stood in the wilderness, his mask half-askew: "…???"
He tried to activate his phasing ability but found no response: "Strange, phasing is ineffective against them?"
However, his attention was soon drawn to the spoils of war in his hand—
"Hehe, no loss anyway~"
He shook the oversized bottle of Coca-Cola he'd snagged from Matt, happily twisting open the cap.
"Haven't had this in ages!"
"Gulp, gulp—hiccup!"
Bai Luo wiped his mouth, looked at the empty wilderness, and suddenly showed a mischievous smile: "But… if I can go once, I can go a second time~"
He casually pulled out another Sunsettia and tossed it lightly: "Next time, I'll bring some 'souvenirs'~"
Back to the present · Mondstadt Plaza
"…And so, his Sunsettia remained."
Jesse pointed at the "sweet" fruit on the ground, his expression more serious than ever.
Lumine and Paimon stared at the Sunsettia, which emitted an enticingly sweet aroma, and fell into an eerie silence.
Lumine's reason for contemplation wasn't how powerful this fruit was.
Instead, the quartet's memories played out in her mind like a holographic projection, "whoosh"!
From Zane building the observation device, to Bai Luo crawling out, to Matt stuffing him back in… the entire process was so clear it was as if she had experienced it herself!
"What kind of bizarre ability is this?!"
Lumine rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"How did you guys even do that?"
Paimon, on the other hand, was simply wondering how powerful this Sunsettia was.
She floated closer to the fruit, sniffing with her tiny nose: "It smells super sweet though!"
Jesse sighed, explaining: "Any Sunsettia Bai Luo touches will revert to its ancestral form, becoming an 'Ancient God-tier Sour Fruit'."
"Ancient… sour fruit?"
Paimon tilted her head.
Zane added: "Simply put, it's ten thousand times more sour than a regular ancient Sunsettia, so sour it can make a God cry on the spot, so sour that Dvalin would rather endure another Thousand Years of Death than take a bite."
"Huh? Sour?"
Paimon looked confusedly at the Sunsettia, which smelled incredibly sweet. This thing was actually sour?
"We're thinking about whether to take a bite. We have healing methods, but the psychological DMG from this thing isn't so easy to heal."
Jesse's explanation made Paimon's little face crumple up.
She floated closer to the golden fruit, an enticing sweet aroma wafting to her nose, but the quartet's expressions, as if facing a great enemy, made her hesitate.
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
Lumine picked up the Sunsettia suspiciously, examining it carefully in the sunlight.
The peel was translucent, even showing the flowing nectar inside.
At this moment, the quartet's internal monologue:
Jesse: [This girl is doomed]
Elliot: [Bets are open, how many seconds can she last]
Zane: [Based on acidity measurements, she'll lose consciousness in 0.1 seconds]
Matt: [My healing preparations are complete]
"Just one lick…"
Lumine cautiously extended her delicate pink tongue.
"Slurp—"
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
"Lumine?!"
Paimon watched in horror as her companion suddenly convulsed, her entire face scrunching up like a chrysanthemum, as if kneaded by an invisible hand.
Lumine's pupils trembled violently, and she made incomprehensible gasping sounds: "/@∽%#$¥*"
"Thud!"
The golden-haired girl fell straight to the ground, her fingers still in a stiff, claw-like shape.
"Lumine!!"
Paimon spun around anxiously.
"You guys, hurry and save her!"
Elliot coughed twice: "Um… little Paimon, don't be scared no matter what you see next."
"What could be scarier than Lumine fainting?!"
Zane adjusted his mask: "Matt, initiate ultimate therapy."
"OK!"
Matt rumbled in response, pulling out from behind him—
"W-wait!"
Paimon's voice suddenly rose eight octaves.
"That syringe is bigger than Lumine!!"
The seven-meter-tall Electro Lawachurl was seen holding a giant syringe, its needle gleaming coldly, with a label on the barrel that read "Special Antidote for Acid Poisoning · For Buttocks Only."
Jesse thoughtfully turned Lumine over, and incidentally, lifted her skirt.
"N-nooooo—"
Paimon's scream echoed through the sky.
"You're committing murder!!"
"Pfft!"
The three-inch long needle entered the target area without obstruction.
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"
Lumine's scream instantly detonated all of Mondstadt:
The pigeons on the bridge took flight en masse
The Angel's Share wine barrels all exploded
Diluc, napping on the sofa, rolled off
A crack appeared in the statue of the seven's hand
The Knights of Favonius rushing from afar, upon seeing this scene, all turned and walked away: "Excuse us…"