Lin Mo gazed at Rosalyn, who lay on the soft couch with flushed cheeks, and asked with concern, "How are you feeling?"
"I... I can't muster any strength in my body..."
Rosalyn's voice was soft and languid, sending a shiver through Lin Mo that left him momentarily dazed.
After all...
A heart transplant surgery...
That was something that...
Lin Mo didn't dare dwell on the scene from earlier.
He had thought the real challenge of the heart transplant would be a technical breakthrough.
But once he actually performed it, Lin Mo realized.
Technique wasn't the issue at all.
The real difficulty was his own self-control as the lead surgeon!!
Just thinking about Rosalyn during the surgery...
No.
He couldn't think about it. Stay calm and composed.
She was still weak from the procedure and needed rest.
He couldn't let his impulses get the better of him!
Lin Mo suppressed the restlessness in his heart and said steadily, "You might need to rest overnight to regain your strength."
"Lin Mo... I'm cold..."
Rosalyn slowly raised her arms toward him.
Her hazy eyes tugged at his heart once more, making it quiver.
"Ahem... You don't need to wear that Delusion mask anymore. It's infused with Cryo, of course it's cold." Lin Mo feigned composure as he added, "You could even draw on the Flame-Witch's power to warm yourself up."
"Let me hold you~"
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow, you can definitely hold me!" With that, Lin Mo turned on his heel.
He strode out of the office without looking back.
"Where are you going..."
A feeble voice called from behind.
"I'm going out for a walk, and maybe grab a drink with my Westwind Company buddies." "I'll stop by the Northland Bank to see you tomorrow when I head to Bubu Pharmacy for tea. Rest well." Lin Mo finished speaking and fled the office like his life depended on it, leaving no room for her to persuade him otherwise.
He knew full well that post-surgery, strenuous activity was off-limits!
If he stayed in the office and his resolve faltered, everything they'd just accomplished would go to waste!
Clenching his teeth against the turmoil inside, Lin Mo stepped out of the Northland Bank.
Right now, all he wanted was to find his wife.
To hold her close, kiss his daughter, and ease the fire in his chest.
"Ganyu... She headed that way, I think?"
With that thought, Lin Mo descended the stairs step by step.
He froze the moment he stepped out of the loft.
"Mr. Zhongli, didn't you say you were all backed up on consultations?"
Indeed, Zhongli stood right outside the loft.
Seeing Lin Mo approach, he said calmly, "Old friend, I have a favor to ask. Would you mind walking with me for a bit?"
"Sure, no problem." Lin Mo nodded.
He could hardly refuse a request from his former boss.
Led by Zhongli, Lin Mo crossed Liyue Harbor's main street.
They arrived opposite Wanmin Restaurant.
On the second floor there was a quaint little teahouse.
Sipping tea at a table on the viewing balcony offered a perfect vantage point for the bustling nightscape of Liyue.
One could watch the throngs of people streaming along the harbor street below.
"Server, tea for two upstairs, please." Zhongli instructed mildly.
Then he led Lin Mo up to the balcony.
They claimed a nearby table and sat down.
Once seated, Lin Mo was the first to speak. "So, Mr. Zhongli, what's this about?"
"Mm."
Zhongli nodded.
At the same time, he placed the Chains of the Dandelion Sea on the table and said evenly, "Do you remember Guizhong, the Dust God of Ending?"
"Guizhong..."
The name alone brought a faint smile to Lin Mo's lips.
Gradually, a touch of nostalgia flickered in his eyes as memories surfaced.
"She was beautiful, lively... and a bit of a fool."
Lin Mo summed up his impression simply, then smiled. "Why bring her up all of a sudden, Mr. Zhongli?"
Zhongli took a sip of tea and pondered. "Seeing you return..."
"It made me think of those old friends from bygone years who've passed on." "Guizhong, in particular, seemed to leave with many regrets." "Back then, she entrusted this chain to me."
As he spoke, Zhongli slid the Chains of the Dandelion Sea toward Lin Mo and continued:
"Millennia have passed, and I still can't unlock it." "I recall that Guizhong learned her crafting from you."
"So I'd like to ask for your help in opening it."
Lin Mo didn't take the chain.
Instead, he asked, "Geo Archon, why do you want to unlock its secrets now?"
"Mm... She said her artisan's wisdom—her very essence—was sealed within." "I believe that knowledge could bring even greater prosperity to Liyue."
"Is that all?"
Lin Mo's smile turned a touch mischievous.
A disingenuous Archon? He'd seen that before!
Zhongli fell silent for a long moment under Lin Mo's gaze, then finally admitted, "I... I want to know what words she left for me inside."
"There we go."
Lin Mo's expression brightened with satisfaction.
But in the next breath, he added, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but though I taught her to craft this chain myself, even I can't open it."
"Even you can't?" Zhongli's brow furrowed slightly.
He clearly hadn't anticipated that response.
"Mm." Lin Mo nodded. "It's called the Lovers' Chain—only those who love each other can unlock it."
"In other words, even if Guizhong were reborn..."
"She couldn't open it on her own."
Zhongli absorbed the explanation.
But he simply stared intently at the Chains of the Dandelion Sea, saying nothing more about unlocking it.
After a long pause, he slowly looked up, meeting Lin Mo's eyes directly. "Would you mind telling me more about Guizhong?"
"Sure. Truth be told, I've been thinking of her too." Lin Mo smiled and nodded.
Lin Mo spoke.
Zhongli listened.
Their thoughts drifted back millennia with Lin Mo's words.
Back then.
Liyue wasn't yet called Liyue.
The regions of the land that would become Liyue had no unified name.
By today's terms.
It would be Guili Plains.
"Hey, Lin Mo! How are you slacking off napping again~!"
Guizhong's voice rang out, sweet and melodic.
Even her scolding carried an endearing lilt.
Lin Mo gently blew aside the water lily leaf draping his face and chuckled, "If I wasn't napping here, how would you ever find me?" "Eh? How'd you know I came looking for you on purpose?"
Guizhong stepped toward Lin Mo, who lounged by the stream.
Guizhong bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the modern-day Tianquan Ningguang.
But in temperament.
Ningguang was the commanding, authoritative ice queen.
Guizhong was more like the spirited girl next door, full of life and charm.
"With the Archon and the adepti at Jueyun Karst, whoever you were seeking wouldn't lead you all the way out here to the sticks." "So what else could it be but me?"
"Out with it—what's up?" Lin Mo cut straight to the chase.
"Hehe, well, I noticed you're pretty tight with the Archon~"
"And I realized he treats you differently from the other adepti." "So I have a few questions about him I'd like your insight on."
Guizhong's smile was radiant, her earlier feigned sternness nowhere in sight.
"The Archon? Mm... Go ahead, what do you want to know?" Lin Mo asked, intrigued.
"I wanted to ask... how does the Archon see me when he's around you? What does he think of me?"
Guizhong's words came tentative, her bright eyes brimming with hope.
"Let me think..." "Though she's a demon god, she's no warmonger." "Her personality's a bit rowdy, but tolerable enough."
"There—that's a direct quote from him." Lin Mo said flatly.
"That's it!?"
"What, you expecting more?" Lin Mo shot back.
The answer left Guizhong puffing out her pale cheeks, her face a picture of "I'm not happy."
Though Lin Mo was a player from Earth who'd crossed into Teyvat via Genshin Impact.
Before arriving on the continent.
He had scarcely any recollection of Guizhong.
Just a vague sense that...
Guili Plains was tied to a Dust God named Guizhong.
And that the famed Guizhong ballista, used by the adepti against Orobashi in later ages, was her creation.
That was the extent of it.
"What's with the long face~"
"The Archon's eyes are fixed on battle and conquest."
"You're miles away from all that—why expect him to hold a high opinion of you?" Lin Mo countered reasonably.
At that, Guizhong seemed to recall something, her face lighting up with delight. "Then as his closest brother, you must know how to make a good impression on him, right?" "Uh... You're not saying..."
Lin Mo eyed Guizhong, a flicker of amusement in his gaze.
"Mm~! I like the Archon! I want to be with him~!"
Her confession startled Lin Mo.
So the origin of Guili Plains hid a tale of budding romance, after all.
But...
From what Lin Mo knew of the Archon.
He didn't hold high hopes for her success.
Not because she wasn't beautiful enough.
But because the Archon's mind was wholly consumed by the Archon War.
"I think... I should warn you."
Lin Mo couldn't help but caution her:
"Even rocks have hearts, but Morax does not."
"Guizhong, are you sure you want to pursue him?"
"Mm~! Absolutely!"
Guizhong's reply was unwavering.
Her luminous eyes shone with unshakeable resolve.
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T/N:
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