Before the Gate of Teyvat.
Gong Qu and Ke Qing didn't have to wait long.
The gatekeeper returned, still holding a bundle of damp, salty sand in his hands.
"Creator, on the other side of the gate is a beach. There are no signs of human life around, and even animals are scarce. I haven't detected any danger for now."
A beach, huh.
It seems that the other side of the gate isn't the Sky Island. From the description, it's more likely the place where Paimon was fished out.
"Go investigate further and report back!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Forget that! Stay behind me; we'll go together."
"Okay! Creator!"
Seeing their interaction, Ke Qing couldn't help but smile.
Maybe it's easier to see things from an outsider's perspective.
From her viewpoint, the gatekeeper's respect for Gong Qu didn't seem forced.
Just looking at his eyes made it clear that he regarded Gong Qu as a god—much like how she had once looked at the Geo Archon, Morax, before she met Gong Qu.
This was a kind of pure emotion that Gong Qu, in his godless era, could not fully comprehend.
Pulling her thoughts back, Ke Qing felt her hand tighten in Gong Qu's.
"Let's go, Ke Qing. Let's visit your home."
Ke Qing nodded, her slender fingers lacing into the larger hand.
In Gong Qu's gentle gaze, the nervousness about returning home slowly faded.
Wherever Gong Qu was, that was home.
Ke Qing thought sweetly.
...
One Day Earlier.
Mondstadt, Teyvat.
"To the stars and the abyss, welcome to the Adventurer's Guild."
"Good morning, Catherine! Do you have any easy commissions for making money?"
A little flying elf spoke up at the counter.
"Hmm, yesterday, Acting Grandmaster Jean posted a commission to clean up the Seven Statues of the Starfall Lake. It seems there was a battle there, and the area is scorched."
"Uh, I think I know who did it... Alright! I'll take it!"
The image of a small, fiery red girl filled Paimon's mind.
It's probably Klee out there blowing up fish again.
Seeing that Paimon was about to take the commission alone, Catherine hesitated and asked, "Is the Traveler still spending the whole day in Angel's Share and not doing any commissions?"
Paimon froze for a moment, then forced a smile.
"She... she's a bit unwell. It's fine. I've eaten so much of her Mora before, now it's my turn to repay her!"
Paimon waved her arm, trying to encourage herself.
"But with all due respect, Paimon, the Starfall Lake is quite far from here. You might encounter danger along the way."
"It's fine! It's fine! We've beaten Stormterror, the Fatui Harbingers, and even the Raiden Shogun! No problem at all!"
Seeing Paimon so determined, Catherine didn't try to dissuade her further.
Though her years of contact with adventurers had given her emotions similar to those of humans, she still didn't understand their hearts well. She couldn't see the sadness Paimon was hiding beneath her cheerful demeanor.
After accepting the commission, Paimon didn't head directly out.
Instead, she made a detour to Angel's Share Tavern.
"Charles, is Ying still here?"
"Looking for the Traveler? She's upstairs."
"Thanks, Charles."
Paimon flew up the stairs and found Ying lying on the table, deep in a drunken stupor.
"Ying, I'm off to do a commission."
"Mm... be... hic... safe..."
"Qu will definitely come back! You, me, and all the people he cares about are here!"
"Hu~~ hhh~"
"She fell asleep…"
Paimon wiped the small tear that had involuntarily squeezed out of her eye, clenched her fist.
"Qu's gone, Ying's given up... now it's time for Paimon to shoulder this home! When Qu comes back, I'm going to feast like never before and eat him out of house and home!!"
With that, she seemed to remember the dream from yesterday. Paimon felt even hungrier than before, despite not having eaten much.
"No, no! I need to hurry and get this commission done first!"
So, she left a small pouch of Mora for the tavern tab and flew out the door.
...
"What's wrong, Qu? You seem to have something on your mind."
"It's nothing, just a feeling of déjà vu. It's like I've been to this world before."
Gong Qu picked a raspberry, and just by looking at it, his mouth watered.
He bit into it, the sour-sweet, moist taste confirming that this was real, not some virtual game world.
Perhaps the Teyvat world, accessed through Ke Qing, really was the world of Gong Qu's old game account.
Once, he had played games in the real world, participating in the world's history as some higher-dimensional being.
The characters in the game only knew Gong Qu based on what they could observe, their memories of him shaped accordingly.
What differentiated Gong Qu's memory from Ke Qing's was simply that they were not in the same observational dimension.
Come to think of it, my time in Genshin Impact must have paused after finishing the Sumeru Archon Quest. After that, I must have boarded some train and quit for a few months. The world's progress must have stopped there, huh?
"Ke Qing, let me ask you something. How long has it been since we last saw each other, before I summoned you into my world?"
"How long? Hmm, let me think."
Ke Qing recalled the last time they were at the Serenitea Pot. "It's probably been four or five months. After that day, I didn't see you again, but I did hear Ying was still looking for you."
"Time seems to match up, but... Ying, you say?"
Gong Qu repeated the name, unsure of how to face her.
Though as the player-controlled protagonist, the game didn't have a relationship system, seeing the sense of urgency in Ke Qing's voice made Gong Qu realize that his relationship with Ying was likely more than just traveling companions.
"I see. After activating the anchor point, let's keep moving. Let's aim to reach Mondstadt by the end of the day."
Gong Qu didn't hesitate to use up his elemental power, casting a continuous speed buff on the three of them.
At the same time, stepping out of the MC world, all restrictions lifted. Gong Qu felt his power surge, and soon, his speed reached an absurd level.
Two Hours Later.
Gong Qu, carrying Ke Qing, was running at 5 seconds per 100 meters, having covered over 100 kilometers. If not for needing to care for the gatekeeper, he could have reached a speed of 3 seconds per 100 meters.
"You guys' physical abilities are crazy. Don't you get tired?"
"Sorry, we MC people don't have a stamina bar. As long as we're well-fed, we can keep sprinting. Plus, I'm in Peaceful Mode, so the player doesn't lose hunger, but I personally still feel hungry.
Also, Ke Qing, now you're an MC person too."
Gong Qu's teasing drifted in the wind, but Ke Qing couldn't laugh.
She knew there was a qualitative difference between normal MC people and Gong Qu, the Creator.
Just looking at the gatekeeper's half-dead breathing told her that infinite stamina was a privilege only Gong Qu had.
So that's why every "battle" between them ended with her being the first to lose, while Gong Qu remained unsatisfied, his belly always full.
Was Gong Qu really letting her win all the time?
—Help!
"That sound is... the gatekeeper. Speed up!!"
"Understood, Creator... er, I mean, yes, Master!"
Gong Qu glanced at the gatekeeper, casting a healing spell on him. The gatekeeper recovered quickly and instinctively changed his address.
Gong Qu ignored the middle-aged man with a bit of a dramatic flair and, with a burst of speed, briefly broke the sound barrier, creating a deafening sonic boom.
...
"Help! Don't come near! Paimon's meat is sour and inedible! Wuwu——"
Ya!
Starfall Lake Shore.
Paimon flew, trembling in mid-air.
Behind her, the chasing hilichurls were closing in, archers aiming their bows mercilessly. Ahead, a massive Water Slime, with elemental power swirling around it, was preparing to fire water orbs as deadly projectiles.
Sorry, Ying... I can't travel with you anymore.
Paimon's eyes filled with tears as her final memory was of an old photo, where she and Ying were smiling with someone else, a face she couldn't quite remember.
She gave up fighting and slowly closed her eyes.
Boom!——
A fierce gust of wind swept across the surface of Starfall Lake.
The splashing waves split like two sharp blades, soaring tens of meters into the air, leaving a rainbow-colored trail behind.
Before the water slimes could react, they were shattered by the shockwave, while the wind tore through the pursuing hilichurls.
The wind halted.
Paimon felt like she'd just been blown up like a feather in a gust, but before she knew it, someone caught her, and the surroundings grew warm and safe.
Could it be...
"I knew you'd—"
Opening her eyes in surprise, Paimon's words were cut off as Gong Qu's unfamiliar yet familiar face appeared before her.
She froze, her mind momentarily blank.
Then, all the pent-up frustration exploded, and tears surged out like a dam breaking.
"Traveler!!——"