"Alright then. Since it's your request, Jean, I'll take you to have a look."
Gong Qu scratched the back of his head, thinking of the makeshift crew that had just come together yesterday in the MC world. Honestly, it was still too raw to show off.
But the person standing before him wasn't just anyone—she was his partner.
Letting her see the current state of things couldn't hurt. Who knew? Maybe it'd even lead to a pleasant surprise.
So, casting aside the polished speech he'd prepared for formal introductions, Gong Qu summoned his fairy arts and called forth the Serenitea Pot.
"I've placed the entrance to my world inside the pot. We'll go through there."
After a brief explanation, he led the way into the pot.
Jean and the others followed closely behind.
BOOM!
No sooner had they stepped foot inside—
A deafening explosion rang out.
A gust of wind roared past them, and within it echoed the frantic squawk of a panicked Round Sparrow.
Gong Qu: "...Right."
He'd completely forgotten there was still a little troublemaker left inside.
Jean: "KLEE!!——"
"Eeep!"
A red blur screeched to a halt mid-chaos. It was a tiny sprite-like girl, now frozen in place, peeking cautiously at the newcomers near the portal.
Jean's brows knitted in disapproval.
Klee lowered her head and shuffled over, sheepish and guilty.
Lisa chuckled behind her hands. "Hehe, children are so full of energy."
Amber rubbed her temples: Even I can't save you this time, kid.
Eula had always gotten along pretty well with Klee and felt the urge to say something in her defense.
But when she looked around at the wrecked rockery—the handiwork of one very mischievous little girl—she reconsidered. This was her boyfriend's house, after all. Time for a little tough love. She crossed her arms and stayed quiet.
Klee, ever the smart one, knew exactly who her only lifeline was.
She scurried behind Gong Qu's leg and peeked out nervously.
"Captain Jean... Miss Lisa, Miss Eula, Miss Amber, and Big Traveler Bro—g-good afternoon!"
"Aww, such a polite little girl," Gong Qu said, crouching down and giving her a gentle pat on the head. "But you can't use bombs inside the pot, Klee."
"B-but I didn't! I was just giving Roundy a gift and it accidentally... slipped, and then... boom."
"But Klee, gifting a bomb to A Yuan isn't really appropriate. Even if he's a magical creature created by the Adepti, he can still get hurt... He feels pain, too. And he can cry."
"You don't want him to stop playing with you forever, right?"
Klee puffed her cheeks, glancing toward A Yuan who was now smoothing his ruffled feathers. He gave her a strained, forgiving smile.
"Uwaah... I'm sorry! Klee knows she was wrong!"
Gong Qu scooped her into his arms and gave Jean a wink.
Jean's fury deflated by half. She sighed, half-scolding, half-softening. "You're spoiling her."
"It's fine—it's my daughter… er, I mean, little sister. Of course I'm gonna spoil her. She's still young. She'll grow out of it."
To most players, Klee really did feel like a daughter.
Gong Qu had slipped—and the girls caught it.
"Hm? Come to think of it, none of us have ever met Mrs. Alice's husband. But everyone knows of him... Doesn't that remind you of someone?" Lisa added, voice casual but clearly fishing.
"Wait a second—"
"No way! Absolutely not! That's a plot hole Mihoyo left in the lore! Has nothing to do with me, a regular player!"
"I never said you were Klee's dad. Why so nervous?"
"Eh? Big Brother Traveler is... Daddy?"
Eyes wide and twinkling, Klee squealed with joy.
"Daddy!"
That one word made Gong Qu's face freeze in a deeply conflicted grimace.
Should he be happy he just gained a daughter—or worried that a certain powerful sorceress might come after him with blood in her eyes?
"Pfft!"
Lisa burst out laughing, barely able to cover her mouth.
"Oh, laugh it up! Keep it up and I'll make you bear eight or ten of your own. Let's see who's laughing then!"
"Gladly!" Lisa shot back. "It's not like the librarian's job is too demanding. Babysitting sounds like fun."
The two locked eyes, playful tension rising like a spark before a fire.
Before things could escalate into an all-out flirt-fight, Jean coughed, a sharp reminder of the real reason they'd come.
Gong Qu huffed and turned his face skyward at a dramatic 45-degree angle. "This grudge… I'll remember it."
Eula flushed and turned away. You stole my line! Why are you mimicking my signature move, idiot?!
With the teasing finally winding down, Klee's little "incident" was chalked up to a harmless mistake.
A quick inspection revealed only some ornamental rocks had been blown to pieces. The rest of the structures and plants were untouched.
Especially Gong Qu's treasured fishpond.
His rare, limited-edition Moonlight Fins had merely been startled—not harmed.
He let out a big sigh of relief.
Otherwise, he might've been tempted to take a bamboo shoot and deliver a "stir-fry" lesson to the little gremlin he was still holding.
Soon after, Gong Qu led the group to a large ornate door.
"Beyond this gate lies another world."
"There are a few things I should mention first."
"The physics here are a little different from Teyvat. Don't be surprised if your movement or jumping feels off. And definitely don't try jumping from any great heights—you're not in Mondstadt anymore."
"Also, elemental reactions don't work the same way. Teyvat's Seven Elements are highly reactive, but in my world, they're sluggish. Don't expect chain reactions. That said, individual elemental powers still function as normal."
"And..."
The others were seasoned adventurers. One round of instructions and they understood well enough.
Only Klee made him nervous, so he repeated the warnings to her several times.
Once everyone had the basics down, Gong Qu activated the gate to the MC world using his admin access.
Forest Cabin
After passing through the gate, and hopping through a couple fast-travel anchors, the group finally arrived at Gong Qu's current base: Entara.
The moment they landed, the two field-hardened girls gasped in awe.
"The natural landscape here is beautiful."
"Yeah. The temperature's perfect too."
Hearing his home praised so highly, Gong Qu beamed. Then he turned and hollered toward the open fields.
"Big Horn! Little Horn! Third Horn! Come greet the guests!"
ROAAAR!!
Three young dragons, previously splashing around near the river, immediately perked up and bolted toward the call.
"Wait… Dragons?!"
Jean and the others instantly drew their weapons.
But the next moment shattered everything they thought they knew about dragons.
These towering beasts—with massive horns and thick hides—ran up like oversized puppies, tongues lolling, begging Gong Qu for pats and affection.
It broke their brains a little.
"You think this is shocking? Just wait. Come on, hop on. We're heading to City Hall. I wonder if Keqing is still around?"
The moment he said the name, the atmosphere around the four girls shifted. Even the ever-composed Lisa flinched slightly.
Each of their hearts began racing.
Jean: Keqing, one of the Liyue Qixing. Ninguang always said she was strong-willed and commanding. People like that usually don't like sharing. Will she make things difficult for Gong...?
Lisa: He's really dragging a whole harem to meet the official girlfriend. Classic Gong Qu move. This is gonna be delicious.
Amber: You've got this, Amber! She might be your future sister-in-law, so first impressions matter!
Eula: Oh no oh no oh no it's really happening I'm not ready I'm so not ready—Damn it! This grudge, I'm writing it down!!
Only one among them was totally carefree, even thrilled.
Klee, riding on the back of the dragon, slapped the scales with glee.
"Yay! A big adventure!!"