Teyvat Continent.
After altering people's perceptions through the Irminsul, Lu Chen suddenly felt his body undergoing a transformation.
"Chen?" Ei noticed him staring blankly at his own outstretched hand for a long time and grew worried.
"What's wrong?"
"In my ears..." Lu Chen frowned. "No, in my heart... I can hear voices. So many voices, all jumbled together. Can't you hear them?"
"Voices?" Ei glanced around in confusion. "What voices?"
"I don't hear anything?" Nahida leaned closer, equally puzzled.
The three of them were in a small village within the Sumeru Rainforest. They had intended to observe the changes brought about after modifying the Irminsul. The forest was quiet now—no rainfall, no strange sounds like the ones Lu Chen described.
"Wait, I understand now!" Without further explanation, Lu Chen shot up into the sky.
His body rose rapidly, soon overlooking the entire continent of Teyvat.
From this observer's vantage, the voices became clearer.
"Will we win? We must win..."
"Will He descend..."
"God, please bless me..."
"I don't want to die in the apocalypse! Humanity... we must prevail..."
...
Lu Chen suddenly realized his perception had become boundless, able to pierce into every corner of the continent below.
He could feel the wishes of countless people—their prayers, their encouragement, their blessings for one another...
Lu Chen felt hope. This was the concrete form of the "human realm's power."
He tried to respond to those voices, to reassure them that humanity's victory was certain.
At once, countless wishes surged toward him, more fervent and devout than before.
His head throbbed as if it would burst. His current body couldn't withstand this force—it felt like the weight of "responsibility" itself was tearing him apart.
He was forced to stop, struggling to adapt to the overwhelming power.
In the process, he realized his thoughts had transcended the limits of ordinary beings. He was rising, ascending into a higher dimension.
In his sight, time and space, life and death—the very laws of the world—seemed to fall within his grasp.
"So this is the power of wishes?"
"Am I... a god?"
"The god of this world?"
Lu Chen raised his hand. The water vapor gathered high in the sky froze in place, as if time itself had stopped. He plucked a single droplet and examined it.
His eyes pierced its surface, revealing the atomic structure within. Countless intricate details imprinted themselves in his mind.
With another wave, time resumed. The vapor dispersed, and a long-awaited rainfall poured down.
Soon the skies cleared. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling over the continent of Teyvat in a warm glow. From above, he watched countless lives greedily absorb the nourishment he had brought.
Bathed in sunlight, Lu Chen seemed cloaked in divine radiance. He gazed upon the world's creatures—like a deity.
He savored the moment, until—
"Chen!?" A voice, laced with worry, called from behind.
Lu Chen turned calmly. Ei's hair was tousled by the wind, her violet eyes filled with shock and unease.
"You..."
"You are..."
The flood of wishes and prayers abruptly ceased. Human thought returned. Lu Chen let out a breath of relief, the compassionate, godlike expression fading from his face.
Instead, he tugged at the corner of his lips, showing Ei the roguish grin she knew so well.
"What? Can't recognize me after just a few minutes?"
"I'm still me. If you don't believe it, come check for yourself~"
Only then did Ei finally relax, exhaling deeply as she flew to his side.
"Just now... you looked so unfamiliar. I've never seen you like that before..."
"And the power radiating from you... it was impossible to approach. You felt like the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles—no, even more distant and unreachable than them..."
"It's the human realm's power..." Lu Chen murmured. Besides himself, the only one who truly mastered this power should be the Primordial One, Phanes. For a moment, he had likely come very close to the existence of that creator god of humanity.
"If the final battle comes, and you fully master this power..." Ei's violet eyes locked on him. "Won't you become someone else? After ascending the throne, will you still be... my Chen?"
"Impossible." Lu Chen shook his head with a wry smile. "No matter what I become, I'll always be your Chen."
Even after hearing that, Ei's brows remained furrowed in worry.
Lu Chen gently took her hand, speaking with patient reassurance. "When we reach Celestia, I'll turn it into our vacation resort. The scenery up there must be breathtaking. I'll even build you a vast training ground, with every ascended human hero as your sparring partner. And of course... a huge kitchen, one that will never explode~"
"You're talking nonsense again." Ei glared at him helplessly, though her expression softened.
"I mean it," Lu Chen said with a grin, holding her hand as they slowly descended back toward Sumeru.
High in the sky, Ei's voice was carried away by the wind.
"You'll never change, will you?"
"Of course not~"
"Good."
Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she didn't want to linger on that question anymore.
Her violet eyes shifted again, this time filled with curiosity.
"Do you know what Miko wished for?"
Lu Chen nodded gently. "Yes. She wished for me to stay by her side—forever."
No concealment, no evasion—Lu Chen had never wished to lie to Ei.
"Just that, huh..." Ei let out a small laugh, her smile turning sly. "That fox... rare to see her so innocent and pure~"
Lu Chen chuckled. "At her core, she's always been that same little fox from back then..."
"The pink-furred fox who could be tricked with just a pile of treats," Ei said, unable to suppress her laughter.
When they landed, Nahida finally breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the two chatting and laughing together.
"You scared me half to death, Lu Chen. I thought something had happened to you..."
"Of course not. Who do you think I am?"
Lu Chen grinned. When he saw Nahida sitting obediently on a tree stump, he reached out to pat her head, but she quickly dodged in refusal.
"So, where do we go next?" Nahida asked.
"To the border. I need to see if it can hold out for a few more months."
"Didn't you check it from the sky just now?"
Lu Chen shook his head. "Not this border. I mean the other one."
...
Half an hour later, the three returned to Reality World [110786]. Lu Chen spread his perception outward, sensing the oppressive aura of darkness spreading further into the realm.
At the same time, in a desolate farmland on the outskirts of a city, a team of heavily armed operatives was engaged in battle against magical beasts.
"Scattered magical beasts have already infiltrated." Nahida's face darkened as she pointed to the distant battlefield. "The casualties look severe. Should we help them?"
Ei assumed Lu Chen would, as usual, keep a low profile and simply lead them away through the temporal rift.
But to her surprise, he nodded.
"Of course we help."
"And besides—this time, there's an old friend."