"This mecha warrior is really cool!" Nahida lit up the moment she saw the Gundam toy.
Sure, part of it was because it was her first gift ever—but there was more to it than that. Nahida was different from most girls. She didn't like dolls or princess figures. Instead, she was drawn to toys that involved combat or puzzles, especially the kind she could build herself.
But all the toys she had made were now stored in a wooden box in a corner of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, gathering dust. The reason? No one played with her, so the toys lost their meaning.
Nahida had already torn open the packaging and was happily fiddling with the toy, while Lu Chen noticed a supermarket employee sneaking glances at them.
He didn't stop Nahida. It was rare for her to be this happy. If she wanted, he wouldn't even mind buying out all the toys in the store.
However… Nahida's excitement dimmed slightly once she realized these cool mecha warriors weren't real—they were just fictional creations.
"If only they were real…"
Lu Chen patted her head and casually comforted her, "Don't worry, these might be fake, but who knows? Maybe one day you'll see a real one."
He didn't expect that to be a prophecy.
Someday in the future… they really would encounter one of these towering machines—and end up fighting it...
[This gift is special]
[Achievement reward: 100 Primogems, 100,000 yuan in real-world currency]
The Primogems were barely a drop in the bucket, but at least Nahida had completed one-tenth of her challenge quest.
Still pushing the shopping cart, Lu Chen made his way to the produce section.
Nahida followed behind cheerfully, while Ei, beside them, seemed distracted.
"What's on your mind?" Lu Chen glanced at her curiously.
"Hm? Huh?" Ei snapped out of her thoughts.
She was pushing a cart too—one that was piled even higher than Lu Chen's.
Looking closer, he found the reason: a brand-new oven sat among the groceries.
"Thinking about last time," Ei said.
"Last time?" Lu Chen picked up a bag of mushrooms from the shelf. The people of Sumeru would probably love these.
He tossed them into the cart and looked back at her. "Are you still thinking about… the oven breaking from overload? Don't worry. Next time, your cookies will turn out great."
Ei shook her head, her expression unreadable.
"Just kidding." Lu Chen chuckled. He remembered how, ever since they returned from Liyue, Ei had been deep in thought.
She finally spoke. "When we defeated the Abyss Order last time, the device used to suppress the remnants of the Archons was destroyed too. But…"
As she spoke, she pulled a blackened shard from her pocket.
"What's this…" Lu Chen remembered they hadn't stayed long because of Xiao's urgent condition. He hadn't expected Ei to quietly pick up a fragment.
He took it and examined it—it was pitch black.
"This thing… it's broken, isn't it?"
"There's still a faint trace of power." Ei raised the fragment to her eyes and examined it carefully.
To demonstrate, she leaned in closer to Lu Chen.
"Look closely at the surface details."
Thanks to his enhanced vision, Lu Chen could now see elemental particles invisible to ordinary eyes. He leaned in and spotted a faint, flickering blue light on the shard—so dim it almost felt like an illusion.
"This blue glow… looks familiar…" Ei put the fragment away and met Lu Chen's gaze.
They had unknowingly gotten very close.
Lu Chen stared into her violet eyes, noticing how serious she looked.
"This kind of blue light, filled with technological essence… it could only be from the Heavenly Principles."
Lu Chen continued, "Deep in The Chasm lies the Skyfrost Nail—a device from Celestia used to sever ley lines and suppress Abyssal corruption. Sometimes, it's even used to wipe out entire nations."
Ei's gaze darkened. "The two places are quite close. If that's the case, the Abyss Order might've created this device using materials from the Skyfrost Nail, trying to reverse-engineer Celestia's technology."
"That's possible," Lu Chen nodded. With Nahida nearby, he thought of a legendary Sumeru ruler—the Scarlet King.
The Scarlet King had once studied the blue crystals embedded in a 'Celestial Nail' and reached an incredible level of technological advancement. Now, this shard's glow looked remarkably similar to the crystals on the Skyfrost Nail.
Of course, the Scarlet King met a tragic end. If they were in Teyvat, Lu Chen might have considered this a dangerous object—but here, the Heavenly Principles had no jurisdiction.
"Ei, can you try repairing it?"
She shook her head. "The energy is too faint. If we returned to The Chasm and I could examine the Skyfrost Nail myself, maybe."
"Well, we'll talk about it when the chance comes." Lu Chen figured that anything capable of suppressing an Archon's remnants was worth keeping.
While they chatted, Nahida stood nearby and gently reminded them:
"Lu Chen, Ei, aren't you going to buy anything? You two are practically about to kiss."
Both froze—then realized they'd leaned in too close during their conversation.
Ei's cheeks flushed slightly. She quickly turned her head.
Then she pointed at a shelf, acting like nothing happened. "We're out of sugar at home."
Lu Chen nodded. He remembered Ei burned through a lot of white sugar when experimenting with desserts.
The three resumed shopping. Nahida tugged on Lu Chen's sleeve, and he bent down.
"You two have such a good relationship. I'm jealous…"
"It's probably because we've been through a lot. Someday, you'll…" Lu Chen sighed and reached to pat her head.
Nahida swiftly dodged his hand—she clearly didn't like being patted.
"Then…" A sly look flashed across her face.
"What about Miko?" she whispered, glancing furtively at Ei.
"Grown-up business isn't for kids!" Lu Chen glared at her and ruffled her hair anyway.
Her white, side-tied ponytail had green tips and was silky to the touch.
Nahida pouted, clearly unhappy, but Lu Chen's big hands made escape impossible. The strength difference was just too much.
"I hate being treated like a child," she grumbled.
Ei turned and saw her expression, then smiled.
"Exactly!" Nahida muttered in protest.
"Exactly what? In Teyvat, strength rules!" Lu Chen kept ruffling her hair, amused by Nahida's sulky-cat expression.
"Wait… Stop messing around…"
Ei's tone suddenly changed. Lu Chen and Nahida looked at her.
She was holding a dried-out, shriveled cauliflower. "How could vegetables in this state still be on the shelves?"
Lu Chen frowned and walked over. A closer look showed it wasn't just the one she held—an entire row of vegetables had withered, as if all moisture had been sucked out in an instant. They looked like they'd been sun-dried for months.
And besides the dryness, the air now carried a faint, rotting scent…
"Something's wrong…"
Just then, Lu Chen's phone buzzed. It was a message from Venti.
"Come quick! The street trees outside the supermarket have all withered! Zhongli and I are here!"
Nahida's cheerful face turned serious.
She and Lu Chen looked at each other and said the same word in unison:
"The Withering?"