Chapter 30Zhongli used his magical powers and brought Hu Tao to the pond at the entrance of Liuyun Cave in Jueyunjian.

  That’s right.

  Zhongli had pced the portal that Yuri gave him here in Liuyun. This pce was secluded, and with Cloud Retainer watching over it, there was little chance of trouble. He had also left some of his own magical power here as an additional safeguard.

  Hu Tao looked around curiously and tugged at Zhongli’s sleeve.

  "Wow, you’re amazing, Keqing! You brought me so far in such a short time!"

  Zhongli didn’t respond but instead walked toward the portal.

  "Master, this way."

  Hu Tao, who had been using her Homa staff to poke at a frog, quickly followed.

  Before stepping through, she picked up the frog that had just flipped over and turned it back again.

  Hu Tao reached the portal and stared at it curiously.

  "Wow! Why is there a door here? It looks so out of pce."

  She kicked at the portal but found it completely immovable.

  Zhongli opened the door.

  "Let’s go, Hall Master. The destination is just beyond."

  As they stepped through, Hu Tao’s vision briefly darkened. When her sight returned, she found herself in a strange new pce.

  The décor was unfamiliar, completely different from Liyue.

  And… was that a star outside the window?

  At the long dining table in the center of the room, several people were having breakfast. When they saw Zhongli, they greeted him casually.

  Zhongli nodded in response.

  To his surprise, the room was unusually crowded today.

  Yuri, Welt, Dan Heng, Himeko, Pom-Pom, Kevin, March 7th, Ying, Paimon, Amber, Eu, Noelle, Venti, and the three little ones were all present.

  From the kitchen, Yuri called out, "Hey, Zhongli, you’re te today! You were the first one here two days ago."

  Zhongli gave a calm reply. "I brought my Hall Master with me. She took some time."

  Hearing this, Hu Tao waved excitedly.

  "Hello, everyone~ My name is Hu Tao!"

  Himeko smiled warmly.

  "Hello, Hu Tao, I’m Himeko. Come, sit here. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? It’s a great time to eat together."

  Hu Tao grinned.

  "No need~ I already ate! The skewers my guest brought me st night, hehe.

  Oh, wait—you’re the friends Keqing mentioned, right? You had a party st night."

  Himeko thought for a moment. "Yeah, that’s right. But come have some porridge anyway. Something greasy so early in the morning isn’t great for you."

  She dled a bowl of porridge and set it on the seat beside her.

  Seeing this, Hu Tao walked over and sat down.

  Himeko also pced a small dish of pickles next to her. "Make yourself comfortable. I’ll take care of these three little ones first."

  Hu Tao followed Himeko’s gaze and saw three adorable little girls perched on stools, happily eating.

  "Okay, okay, thanks for the porridge! You go ahead and take care of them—I can handle myself."

  Himeko chuckled before returning to the children.

  Hu Tao took a sip of porridge, nibbling on some pickles. Instantly, she felt refreshed.

  She then noticed March 7th sitting beside her.

  "Hey, friend! What’s your name?"

  March 7th turned sluggishly toward her. "Hey, Hu Tao. I’m March 7… a very tired traveler."

  Hu Tao took note of the dark circles under her eyes. "Did you stay up te? You look exhausted."

  March 7th yawned and nodded. "Yeah, we spent the whole night fighting the Hilichurl tribe to earn Stelr Jade. I’m so sleepy…"

  Hu Tao tilted her head in confusion. "What do you need Stelr Jade for?"

  March 7th blinked in surprise. "Zhongli didn’t tell you? You can trade Stelr Jade for Star Coins, and Star Coins let you buy items from all across the worlds from Yuri.

  If you don’t know about the myriad worlds, think of them as many, many different pces."

  Hu Tao was astonished. Stelr Jade could be used like that? She had always just used it for skipping stones or throwing at birds.

  March 7th pointed to Yuri.

  "That’s Yuri. If you want to buy something, he’s the guy to see."

  Hu Tao took note of Yuri’s appearance and nodded.

  "Got it. Thanks for the info."

  March 7th waved it off. "No problem. Ugh… I’m so sleepy! I need to sleep!"

  Hu Tao blinked. "Then… why don’t you just go to bed?"

  March 7th groaned and pulled out a handful of Stelr Jade.

  "We just got back and haven’t exchanged it for Star Coins yet. Plus, we’ve been starving all morning. We gotta eat first. I can’t sleep when I’m hungry."

  Hu Tao nodded in understanding. She always ate before sleeping, even when she came back from Wuwang Hill exhausted. Sleeping on an empty stomach was miserable.

  As she ate, she chatted with Kevin and the others, quickly becoming friends.

  When she heard about the snowball fight pnned for tomorrow, she excitedly insisted on joining in.

  From their conversation, she also learned that she wasn’t in Teyvat anymore. She was aboard a train traveling through the universe.

  Ying took the time to expin what the universe was.

  Teyvat was merely one pnet. The universe was made up of countless pnets.

  Hu Tao was amazed. The train could travel between worlds? If she didn’t have Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to manage, she’d love to join the crew.

  As everyone enjoyed their meal, a loud banging suddenly came from a private booth nearby.

  "Wahahahahaha!!!"

  Everyone turned to look.

  Silver Wolf stood with her hands on her hips, ughing triumphantly. The dark circles under her eyes were severe, but her expression was brimming with energy and excitement.

  Yuri rolled his eyes. "What are you doing so early in the morning? Could you at least open the door gently?"

  Silver Wolf scoffed. "Hmph! I won’t argue with you!"

  She scanned the room and grinned in satisfaction. "Perfect. Everyone’s looking. Now listen up!"

  She took a dramatic pose.

  "The invincible Silver Wolf has finally completed 'Elden Warrior!' Show your appuse!"

  Kevin was the first to cp enthusiastically. "Good! Good! Good!"

  Seeing him, everyone else started cpping too.

  Why? No one really knew. But when one person cpped, it felt right to follow along.

  Hu Tao cpped along but leaned toward Ying. "What’s happening?"

  Ying, half-asleep, yawned. "No idea. Just cp and it’ll be over soon. Everyone’s doing it."

  Hu Tao thought for a moment.

  "You know what? That makes sense."

  Silver Wolf looked at Yuri, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She wanted to test the effect of the immobilization spell she had earned from "Elden Warrior"

  Yuri calmly picked up a piece of pickle and popped it into his mouth, utterly unbothered by what she had just said.

  Silver Wolf was stunned.

  No way. No way! Did I just spend all that effort completing "Elden Warrior" for nothing?

  She felt utterly betrayed. God knows how long she had struggled to clear that game. She had sacrificed sleep, food, and sanity—only to get a dud reward?

  Seeing her expression of existential despair, Yuri chuckled. "Maybe you’re just using it on the wrong target?"

  Silver Wolf blinked. Oh. Right. The game had mentioned that the spell only worked on those below the rank of Commander.

  Scanning the room, she locked onto Kevin.

  "Kevin, I’m sorry! Freeze!"

  The next second, Kevin actually froze in pce—but only for a few seconds before shaking it off.

  Silver Wolf’s eyes sparkled with joy.

  Yes! The great Silver Wolf can finally fight back against that evil Kafka!

  With a vilinous grin, she cackled, baring her fangs.

  "Hehehehe! Kafka, my dear Kafka! Next time you come around, the great Silver Wolf will be ready for revenge! Wahahahaha!"

  Klee, watching from the side, tugged on Yuri’s sleeve and whispered, "Brother Yuri, is this sister… sick?"

  Yuri chuckled. "Well, she’s certainly a bit… special. That’s why Klee needs to eat well and stay healthy, okay?"

  Klee gnced at the still-cackling Silver Wolf and shuddered. "Klee understands!"

  Ignoring Silver Wolf’s antics, everyone resumed their breakfast.

  About ten minutes ter, breakfast wrapped up, and everyone dispersed to their respective activities.

  March 7, Amber, and the rest of st night's Stelr Jade grinders all went home to catch up on sleep.

  Meanwhile, Yuri, Zhongli, Walter, and Dan Heng gathered around the coffee table, preparing tea, setting up a chessboard, and settling in for a rexed game.

  Venti strolled over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of wine, and began drinking. With the whole Dvalin mess resolved, he could finally kick back.

  Himeko took Cra to her lessons.

  The three little ones—Klee, Hook, and the newcomer Diona—explored the train excitedly.

  Diona, however, had one major grievance: the bar.

  Every time she passed it, she shot it a gre so fierce one might think she was pnning to burn it to the ground.

  Noelle accompanied Hu Tao on a shopping trip.

  Earlier, March 7 had overheard Hu Tao talking about wanting to go shopping, so she had generously lent her 5,000 Star Coins.

  Hu Tao now stood in front of the bar’s massive dispy screen, eyes sparkling at the sheer number of products.

  "Whoa! A flying motorcycle? It actually flies?! So cool!"

  "This handheld fan is adorable! Everyone else has a fan, so I want one too!"

  "Wait… there are exorcism spells for sale here? I’ll take one!"

  After much deliberation, Hu Tao made her purchases:

  A Flying Motorcycle (Smart Version): Equipped with flight capabilities, automatic navigation, and fingerprint recognition. Cost: 4,000 Star Coins.

  Five Handheld Sor-Powered Fans in different designs. One hour of sunlight charges them for an entire day. Cost: 10 Star Coins each.

  A Book on Exorcism Techniques containing various rituals and techniques. Cost: 800 Star Coins.

  After her spree, she had 150 Star Coins left for ter.

  Eager to test her new ride, Hu Tao rushed into the portal and returned to Teyvat.

  The moment she nded, she threw down 4,000 Star Coins, shattering the bubble encasing the flying motorcycle.

  It materialized before her in all its glory.

  Hu Tao hopped onto it, vibrating with excitement. The motorcycle's intelligent system activated.

  **"New user detected. No valid driver’s license found. Initiating novice tutorial.

  Reminder: Reckless driving will make your loved ones cry."**

  Undeterred, Hu Tao began the tutorial. At first, she wobbled awkwardly, but she quickly got the hang of it.

  "Xiangling! Here I come!"

  Back at the shop, Yuri realized something.

  "Wait a second… the three little ones haven’t gone shopping yet. And if I take them… I’ll complete one of my tasks!"

  Feeling pleased with himself, he turned to them. "Alright, 100 Star Coins each! Go buy whatever you want."

  The three little ones cheered and bolted toward the bar.

  However, upon arrival, they faced a problem—they couldn’t reach the dispy screen.

  Hook, ever the problem-solver, smirked. "Klee, Diona, let’s stack up!"

  She patted her shoulder. "Diona, stand on my shoulders."

  Diona giggled to herself assisting.

  Hook crossed her arms. "That’s what I said. Diaona. Right, Klee?"

  Klee nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It’s Diaona! You didn’t say it wrong~"

  Diona hung her head in defeat. "Forget it… let’s just buy our stuff."

  Following Hook’s pn, Diona climbed onto her shoulders while Klee perched atop Diona’s head.

  The three girls giggled in delight, browsing the goods with newfound ease.

  In no time, they completed their shopping:

  Diona bought bizarre ingredients that looked utterly disgusting. She pnned to use them for making cocktails.

  (There was no way ingredients from another world could make good drinks. Impossible! She would prove it! Mondstadt’s wine industry was doomed!)

  Hook loaded up on snacks to share with the Mole Party once she returned to Belobog.

  Klee found some interesting gadgets but ultimately picked up a few explosives—because, of course, she did.

  Tomorrow, Yuri pnned to take the three little ones to explore the Belobog Gcier.

  Even the train crew was excited for the trip.

  Afterward, they would all take a couple of days to restock supplies before heading off to their next destination.

  [System Notification]

  [Congratutions, Host! You have successfully entertained 20 different customers! Reward: Lottery Shop unlocked!]

  [New task issued: Entertain 50 different guests. Reward: Copy Portal.]