The "Withering Tumor" that Lu Chen brought back sparked everyone's curiosity, and the whole family gathered in the backyard.
This was the core lesion of the entire Withering. As it squirmed slightly, it continuously released a black-red ominous aura.
"So gross..." Miko frowned, eyeing the thing with distaste.
Qiqi looked down at the wilted flowers on the ground and blinked in confusion.
"The flowers... they've withered..."
Due to the Withering Tumor's presence, all the plants in the backyard had turned yellow and dry, and the air was filled with a rotting, decaying stench.
"Oh boy! Looks like all of Zhongli's efforts were for nothing," Venti teased as he looked around.
Xiao glanced at Zhongli's expression and noticed he didn't seem angry.
"Lord Zhongli might care more about the plants near the entrance—he had a few Glaze Lilies there that he tended to personally. Those are pretty hard to maintain..."
"They're all dead too," Lu Chen said bluntly.
"Huh?!" Venti immediately turned to Zhongli, his face lighting up with mischievous glee.
Zhongli stared at Lu Chen without expression. Though his deep golden eyes betrayed no emotion, Lu Chen couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to get hit with a giant meteor.
"Hehehe... just kidding..."
Lu Chen chuckled, "I only cut off a small piece of the Withering Tumor. I didn't want to kill your precious flowers."
Zhongli finally looked away.
"But I still underestimated how powerful this thing is..." Lu Chen added.
Even a small piece of the Withering Tumor was enough to kill everything in the backyard. If he had brought back an entire one, the whole property might have been affected.
He turned to Nahida. "I've brought it back for you. Any ideas? Want to use it directly?"
Nahida frowned slightly. "The energy we've extracted so far is really limited. Every bit we use is gone forever—it'd be too wasteful..."
Lu Chen glanced at the small bottle in her hand. She was right. So he turned to Zhongli.
"The Skyfrost Nails beneath The Chasm are going to be a crucial resource. Shouldn't you give the order to seal off the area and stop the Abyss Order from interfering again?"
Before he finished, Zhongli shook his head. "I've stepped down as the Geo Archon. You'll need to bring this up with the Liyue Qixing."
"Oh..." Lu Chen nodded, a bit surprised at how hands-off Zhongli had become.
Zhongli continued, "I believe, after what happened last time, they're taking matters under The Chasm more seriously now."
"They'd better be," Lu Chen muttered with a nod.
Nahida and Ei brainstormed a number of approaches. Even with the Akasha System as a database, Nahida still found herself at a loss when faced with forbidden knowledge. Ei, on the other hand, proposed channeling the energy into weapons.
As the source of Inazuma's swordsmanship and forging techniques, Ei was a master of all things combat-related.
"Infusing weapons with power? That sounds interesting..." Nahida mused. "But ordinary weapons won't be able to handle elemental energy..."
Both turned to look at Lu Chen.
"Sturdy weapons, huh?" Lu Chen thought for a moment. System-produced gear was always top-tier. Only the weapons in his inventory would probably meet the requirements.
...
The Withering Tumor was placed in the center of the backyard. Ei returned to her workshop to study weapon forging. After a while, everyone else left, leaving only the Four Archons still focused on the situation.
By late afternoon, Lu Chen stood before the Withering Tumor, holding a reforged Traveler's Handy Sword that had been melted down and remade.
He studied the refreshed blade. It still lacked an edge and wasn't sharp, but it now emitted a faint blue glow. After enchantment, it looked as cool as the Skyward Blade.
Gripping the sword tightly, he slashed it into the writhing tumor.
With one strike, the Withering Tumor instantly turned to blackened charcoal, its movement ceased. The decaying aura around it visibly diminished.
Moments later, Lu Chen could breathe fresh air again—the Withering was effortlessly neutralized.
But the dead plants were beyond saving. Seeing this, Nahida clasped her hands and began to pray.
Green grass sprouted from the soil, and the cracked, dry ground came back to life.
"That's better..." Nahida sighed. "But if we want to restore the soil's fertility and return it to how it was before, this alone isn't enough. I'll need to continuously channel Dendro energy into it..."
Zhongli looked at the rejuvenated backyard and gave a rare nod. The old man couldn't stand desolate scenes.
"This thing is really handy!" Lu Chen weighed the sword in his hand and turned to Ei.
He now had a weapon that could effectively combat pollution—but that wasn't enough. He had a bold idea.
"Ei, I need a favor!"
"Hmm?"
Lu Chen looked at her seriously. "Can this weapon be mass-produced?"
All four Archons turned to him, and Ei's eyes widened slightly.
...
A few days later.
Morning sunlight poured into the Dawn Winery Tavern, where jazz music played softly as usual.
Lu Chen sat at the bar. Diluc, following routine, slid him a glass of Mondstadt's signature drink—but this time, his gaze held a hint of reproach.
Because Lu Chen had brought Nahida with him.
She wasn't even tall enough for the barstool. Her small legs swung back and forth as she sat, her wide eyes curious about everything in the tavern.
Such a cute little girl in a bar immediately drew everyone's attention.
Lu Chen had to explain several times, smiling as he insisted she was his little niece, before a couple of patrons finally put away their phones, which they had been about to use to call the guards.
"Those two probably thought I was some creep who abducted a kid..."
Under Nahida's eager gaze, Diluc served her a beautifully colored juice with a sprig of mint.
"Thank you!"
She beamed and sipped her juice happily.
Diluc shot Lu Chen a look, clearly asking, "Why'd you bring her here?"
"For Primogems," Lu Chen answered honestly. He had no other options—none of his current missions could be completed quickly. But...
Returning to Teyvat was urgent, and the exchange periods were 24 hours minimum. He needed to redeem several days' worth or he wouldn't make it.
So yes, he desperately needed a lot of Primogems.
Just earlier, he'd walked Nahida down from Ling Shan Bay. Along the way, her adorable outfit caught tons of attention, and soon a group of young women surrounded them, asking for hugs and photos—they could barely move. It was exhausting...
Photos were fine, but he firmly refused the hugs. The Dendro Archon wasn't someone people could just cuddle on a whim.
Then the girls joked that hugging him was fine too.
Lu Chen rejected that even harder.
They hadn't even gotten far from home! Ei could still see him.
But amidst all the chatter, he accidentally completed a few achievement quests:
[You really have to see it with your own eyes to feel the world's beauty (Achievement 2)]
[What if I'm just too popular?]
[Nahida never imagined she'd be so popular in a new world, but what if it's too much to handle?]
"Why do you need so many Primogems?" Diluc asked, still puzzled. He'd never seen Lu Chen so desperate before.
Lu Chen set down his half-finished drink, his expression turning serious.
"To take down the Heavenly Principles."
Diluc went quiet for a moment, then nodded and poured him another glass.
In the laid-back atmosphere, Lu Chen's words sounded like a joke. He was always the type to joke around, after all.
But just for a moment, Diluc saw something deadly serious in Lu Chen's eyes.
Nahida, who had been swinging her legs beside him, paused. She set her juice down and looked at Lu Chen's profile.
Diluc poured himself a drink, then raised his glass slightly.
"To you."
"Thanks," Lu Chen replied.
Nahida took a small sip of her juice, her thoughts drifting somewhere far away.