After leaving Dawn Bar, the sun was shining brightly. The ginkgo trees lining the street shimmered with a slightly dazzling golden hue.
Walking away from the sea, Lu Chen took Nahida into the city for a day out. This wasn't like his casual strolls with Ei—Lu Chen had a mission.
To rack up achievements, he practically had Nahida try every fun and quirky activity possible. Naturally, that included plenty of odd and whimsical antics...
Like squatting by the roadside to eat freshly roasted sweet potatoes, watching an old man play the erhu on a pedestrian bridge, buying the most expensive frilly dress for her in a bustling mall, or running wild in an amusement park with a bunch of colorful balloons...
They also fed cats on a park bench, played games with children at the amusement park, witnessed a couple's wedding on a big open lawn, and even crumpled up their leftover snack bags to see who could toss them into a trash can ten meters away...
By the end of the day, Lu Chen had gone through just about every activity suited to her age—whether it was interesting or not.
Nahida was clearly having a blast. Laughter never stopped the whole way.
And of course, the achievements poured in.
[Sure enough, you have to see it for yourself to truly feel the world's beauty (Achievements 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...)]
[Roadside Picnic]
[Life is tough—Dendro Archon, street performer...]
[Tribute to the Invincible Big Eater!]
[Unmatched in Kindergarten!]
[All the cats love me~]
[Why are we doing such boring stuff?]
[Achievement Reward: 600 Primogems, 6 million yuan in real-world currency]
...
By afternoon, they had cleared six achievements. Only one remained.
Lu Chen was nearly drained—not physically, but mentally...
They had been out since morning, wandering across the entire city. Now, just one final achievement was holding them back from completing the task, and Lu Chen was out of ideas.
"What else is there... What haven't we done yet...?"
He glanced at Nahida, who was still bouncing with excitement despite a whole day of playing around.
"How about we head toward home? Let's stop by the bookstore like we planned, then head to Dawn Bar—Venti and Barbara have a performance tonight. Maybe that'll trigger a new achievement..."
"Hmm... alright..." Nahida nodded, a little reluctantly. Clearly, she wasn't ready for the fun to end.
"I wish we could stay this happy forever..." she said again.
Lu Chen looked at her, and she looked up at him, her emerald-green eyes twinkling mischievously.
"If we could just keep living at your place and never have to return to Teyvat, wouldn't that be amazing?"
"Yeah... I wish that too..." Lu Chen sighed. "But you all are the Seven Archons of this world..."
"Archon Lovers." That was the underlying logic granted to them by the Heavenly Principles—like a factory reset on a phone. Unchangeable.
To truly ask them to abandon their nations, leave everything behind, and stay by his side for a simple, quiet life...
That was impossible.
Even Venti, the most laid-back and carefree of them all, had his own burdens. Zhongli had his plans, and Ei was still determined to return and resolve Inazuma's crisis.
The shadow of Celestia loomed over each and every Archon... including Lu Chen himself.
"Hmm..." Nahida paused in thought. "That kind of life... it could still be possible."
"Only if we're the ones who make the rules," Lu Chen said.
Nahida nodded. "That's why I'm looking forward to your plan. I believe in you."
"Really?"
"Really!" Nahida's face turned serious. "Even if my powers are small, I'll still give everything I have to help you!"
"Thanks for trusting me." Lu Chen smiled.
With four gods standing behind him, he held something no other force in the world could rival. And for him, it was just a matter of a single word.
So, he turned and led her toward the sea—toward home.
As the sun set, the light cast a warm glow on Nahida's cheeks. She looked out at the city bathed in twilight and murmured,
"Since the day I was born... I've never had a day as joyful as this one."
"Really?" Lu Chen looked around. Students were just getting out of school, though he couldn't quite remember where the bookstore was.
"Mhm." Nahida smiled wistfully. She had been happy once, long ago.
"When I was still free to move around, the flower parade was my happiest time. But after certain things happened... I thought I'd never experience days like that again..."
Lu Chen knew what she had gone through.
After the newly born "Lesser Lord Kusanali" was taken in by the Akademiya, she—still a child—had greatly disappointed the sages. Her Gnosis was used to power the Akasha system, weakening her even more.
With little divine power, she was overlooked by both the Akademiya and the people of Sumeru under its influence. Eventually, the sages began working to replace the gods entirely, imposing strict control over her movements.
That was Nahida's childhood—a colorful life existing only within the dreamworlds generated by the Akasha system...
So, Lu Chen's playful antics today had, in truth, fulfilled many of her long-held wishes.
He didn't respond with pity or sympathy. Instead, he grinned and teased, "This is just the beginning. We'll have plenty more days like this."
"Really?"
"Of course. I always keep my word." Lu Chen smiled, then glanced toward the bookstore at the corner.
A group of students had gathered outside, just released from class. The bookstore sign proudly displayed new bestsellers, making the evening crowd much livelier than the morning.
"Huh? 'Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks (Vol. 1)'?"
"A hit online novel, now in print! Recommended by famous authors, acclaimed editors, top musicians, and popular idols—you won't regret reading it!"
"Wait, isn't this the novel that blew up online?"
"I haven't read it, but it looks good. Barbara even recommends it..."
"Eh?! Isn't Barbara from Haizhou? The school idol!"
"Yeah, yeah! I love her!"
"Weird... how did an idol end up tied to a writer?"
The students chatted excitedly as Lu Chen, the author of the book, walked Nahida through the crowd.
Naturally, he overheard everything.
"Your book actually got published?" Nahida whispered, knowing Lu Chen didn't want to draw attention.
"Yeah." Lu Chen found the book on the bestseller shelf. Not that he had to search—it was right in front.
The cover, commissioned by Sha Lin from a famous illustrator, featured a stately, composed dragon—representing Zhongli, the main character. The book wasn't thick, just Volume 1. Lu Chen casually flipped through it. The print quality was solid.
"You didn't bring me here just to show off your book, did you?" Nahida asked curiously as she picked up a copy and breathed in the fresh scent of ink.
Lu Chen smiled and nodded slightly, then moved past the shelf, heading toward the other side—he'd heard some familiar voices.
"I love the Geo Archon and Xiao! They're totally my ideal type~" That was Kenshin Zhou's seatmate.
"I haven't gotten to Xiao yet, but the Geo Archon is badass! He crushed so many Archons! All the heroes bowed to him! I wanna be just like that!" That over-the-top tone could only be Kenshin Zhou himself.
"This is so lame... why'd we even come to a bookstore?" That sluggish voice had to be Zen Zhang.
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, wondering how those three ended up together.