Lu Chen instinctively glanced at Asmodeus, who followed him like a guard watching over a prisoner. She radiated a nervous or anxious energy, clearly worried he wouldn't accept the key. Lu Chen and Ei exchanged a look—this key seemed problematic.
Phanes quickly answered his question.
"Sometimes, omniscience and omnipotence aren't necessarily blessings for beings like us—those who experience joy, pain, jealousy, and anger."
Lu Chen immediately recalled how he always felt unrecognizable whenever he tapped into the power of the human realm. Ei's unfamiliar, pained expression during those moments remained etched in his memory. She had always feared he would cease to be her Lu Chen. So if he ascended this throne, would it mean he would forever lose his humanity, becoming an eternal, immortal deity?
Phanes continued:
"Look at me. After losing my power, these days of drinking nutrient solution daily might be the happiest I've had in tens of thousands of years—even as I face imminent death."
"That's why I wish to leave the choice to those who come after. You are not of my kin, and I would not impose such a burden upon you."
"Lord Phanes..." Asmodeus finally revealed a flicker of emotion. "But what of us? Where will our world go from here..."
Phanes' projection finally faded. In the room, only the key suspended in midair remained, along with Asmodeus's intensely complex gaze. Silence hung heavy for a long while as Asmodeus kept his intense gaze fixed on Lu Chen.
Ei watched Lu Chen too, her fingers unconsciously tightening around his arm. She saw him deep in thought, and fear gripped her—fear that he might agree. Yet this matter concerned the very survival of the world; she couldn't stop him. She couldn't be so selfish... Her heart felt like a saw, being pulled back and forth, causing unbearable agony.
"Are you waiting for my answer?" Lu Chen finally broke the silence.
Asmodeus nodded.
"My choice is..."
Lu Chen leaned closer to examine the key. It seemed no different from the one that locked Qiqi's diary—utterly ordinary. Then, a smile spread across his face.
"As for this throne..."
"I'll sit on it... and I won't."
Asmodeus and Ei both exchanged puzzled glances. Asmodeus cut straight to the point: "What on earth does that mean? This concerns Teyvat's very survival—you can't treat it like a joke!"
"Look..." Lu Chen glanced at her. "If I accept this, wouldn't I become your direct superior? Could you please tone down the hostility?"
Asmodeus wore an expression of utter exasperation.
Lu Chen turned his gaze away from her and met Ei's confused eyes, explaining:
"Who says the throne must be occupied by one person? Why can't we rotate it?"
"Rotation?" Asmodeus frowned. "Who else in this entire world wields Human Realm Power besides you? Are you joking?"
"Just because there isn't one now doesn't mean there won't be one in the future~" Lu Chen waved his hand nonchalantly, grabbed Ei's hand, and turned to walk out the door.
Suddenly, Ei understood Lu Chen's meaning.
"Chen!?"
A delighted smile spread across her face.
Lu Chen and she shared a knowing smile. Secretly, he thought: Those Celestia folks have no idea that Genshin Impact has already taken another world by storm. Especially now that the Genshin protagonists just saved the world, their "Wish Power" is practically inexhaustible. If he could achieve it, he could leverage his influence to help Zhongli, Venti, and Nahida do the same. He'd even consider organizing a roundtable meeting on Celestia—Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, whoever wanted to join. It was just a small sacrifice of humanity for a short while. Afterward, everyone could go back to sipping tea or goofing off. Lu Chen wasn't the type to be shackled by responsibilities like "saving the world." He'd long been assimilated by that guy, Venti.
"Hey! Lu Chen!"
"Don't go!!"
Behind them, Asmodeus's voice rang out in disbelief as she tried to chase after their retreating figures. But Lu Chen and Ei flickered and vanished, already returning to another world.
Having unlocked the gateway to Teyvat, the two worlds were now seamlessly accessible to Lu Chen. The Heavenly Principles held no sway over him. Above the sky, only a carefree laugh lingered, contrasting sharply with Asmodeus's darkened face.
...Third Day, Evening.
In the kitchen of the seaside villa, the family gathered around the dining table, chattering excitedly about the great battle.
"It was so terrifying back then!!" Barbara clutched her chest, still shaken. "I almost... I almost thought I was going to die..."
"Really? I didn't feel it." Scaramouche shrugged indifferently. "Was it really that terrifying? I haven't had my fill yet."
"You just haven't had enough of playing god, have you?" Miko teased, glancing at him. "After all, the chance to wield four divine bodies isn't something everyone gets."
"Whatever you say," Scaramouche replied, though inwardly he felt profound regret. The four main deities had reached the end of their lifespan during the intense battle and were now nothing but scrap metal.
"So everyone's this pessimistic? Speaking of which—" Master Hu suddenly looked at everyone mysteriously. She then carefully scanned the expressions around her.
"What do you mean?" Xiao asked her.
"I was going to say... hehehe..." Master Hu grinned. "I actually prepared a coffin for each of you! All made from the finest, most expensive golden thread Aralia Wood! Though now, it seems we won't need them..."
At the mention of coffins, Qiqi couldn't sit still, splashing coconut milk all over Venti's face across from her.
"C-coffin—!"
"Qiqi, no!!"
Miko smiled warmly, comforting Qiqi. "Hu Tao was just joking. Don't be scared, Qiqi. She won't bury you again~"
Recalling that long-buried terrifying experience, it took everyone a long time to calm Qiqi down. But Hu Tao avoided Qiqi's gaze, mouthing silently to the others.
"It's~ real~, y'know~"
"And you called us pessimistic! You're the pessimistic one, okay!" Miko retorted, exasperated. Everyone else was merely still shaken by that day's events, but this Master Hu of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had even prepared a coffin...
"Isn't this optimism!?" Hall Master Hu retorted, eyes wide.
"Hehehe... To treat life and death with indifference, to laugh at all worldly matters—Hall Master Hu truly embodies optimism..." Venti wiped milk stains from her face.
"Right? Right?!" Hall Master Hu gave the Anemo Archon a thumbs-up.
Diluc, who had been quietly listening to the conversation at the table, suddenly realized something.
"Lu Chen, where are Raiden Ei?"
"Oh? Right?" Nahida suddenly remembered. Tonight was supposed to be the victory banquet for the Abyss battle, but where were the guests of honor?
Venti nudged Zhongli with her elbow. "Do you know anything about them? They went to Celestia, but now they're missing? Where are they?"
Zhongli thought for a moment before pulling out a phone from somewhere.
"Hmm..." He paused, then said, "Lu Chen texted me, saying he was going on a long trip."
"A long trip!?" Venti asked curiously. "How far?"
"Probably not very far..." Miko pulled out her pink phone. "Lu Chen also said he'd be back in three days, which would be tonight... Three days shouldn't take him too far..."
Though her tone didn't betray much worry, Miko had been glancing toward the doorway intentionally or unintentionally since the beginning. Miko's subtle movements were caught by Nahida. Narrowing her eyes, she whispered with a hint of gossip, "Miko, are you waiting for him?"
"Who's waiting for him? I'm not waiting for him!" Miko immediately averted her gaze.
"Oh~~?" Nahida drew out the syllable, her smile growing more mischievous. "I'm not done yet. How do you know I'm talking about him?"
As the saying goes, love makes fools of us all. The usually sharp and cunning Miko found herself caught in little Nahida's web of words. She shot her a displeased glance, her cheeks puffing up in annoyance. Nahida blinked, deciding to stop teasing her.
The others were still pondering where Lu Chen and Ei had gone. Hu Tao pondered, "Three days... they couldn't have gone very far in three days."
The next second, space twisted and warped.
"Ha! Not far indeed—just spanning half a galaxy across two planes~"
Lu Chen's carefree voice echoed at the doorway.
Everyone looked over, surprised and delighted. Though Lu Chen and Ei showed no signs of aging after three days, for some reason, they seemed as if they'd been gone for an eternity...
"Half a galaxy?" Venti slammed her hand on the table. "Why didn't you invite me to such an adventure?"
"Next time. We had business to attend to this trip." Dust-covered Lu Chen pulled Ei forward to meet the group.
Three days prior, after reaching Celestia, he had successfully completed his system quest. A final message from the system appeared:
[The Starry Sea is Boundless! Your journey has not yet reached its end. Go forth and work! For the sake of—the entire universe!]
Lu Chen struggled to describe his expression at that moment. He never imagined the [Reality Teyvat System] would upgrade into the [Reality Grand Realm System]. The pool of companions he could select from suddenly expanded beyond the world of Genshin Impact to encompass countless classic works. The worlds and universes available for traversal were nearly infinite...
Finally, the system's cold mechanical voice softened slightly. It revealed that it originated from a highly advanced civilization far surpassing the technological level of the Phanes Mother Civilization. Its purpose was to combat the law of entropy increase. This civilization spanned countless worlds and dimensions, and Lu Chen, among many others, was the executor of this grand plan—the civilization's sole hope.
The reason he and Ei vanished these past three days was to journey to a new world, completing the first dimensional mission after the system upgrade. He arrived in a world spiraling into ruin and even took a detour to explore a peculiar academy... called Saint Freya... or something like that.
"Just come back... just come back..." Miko, who had been chatting and laughing with everyone moments ago, felt her nose suddenly sting the instant she saw the two appear. She dashed toward Lu Chen and Ei, and the three embraced tightly.
"It's not like we couldn't come back. Didn't I send you a message..." Ei patted Miko's back gently, a mix of exasperation and affection.
"Who knew where you'd gone? Your last message was from Celestia! Those people are so evil! What if you never came back?" Miko laughed, but tears welled up in her eyes.
"I'm the savior of the world, you know. The people on Celestia can't touch me." Lu Chen gently stroked Miko's soft pink hair.
"Yeah, I know. I was just worried..." Miko hugged them both tightly, feeling their warmth. That fear of losing them finally subsided.
Meanwhile, the others at the table started teasing them. Miko blushed bright red and returned to her seat.
"Oh right, what are we having for dinner?" Venti looked at the empty table and suddenly realized something.
With everyone either recovering from injuries or visiting family these past days, the sudden gathering notice made them assume Lu Chen had already prepared everything.
"Ah, this!" Lu Chen chuckled, pulling Ei toward the kitchen. "We visited a really interesting place. Ei learned a trick from someone there—her cooking skills have improved tremendously!"
Hearing that Ei would be the chef today, everyone except Qiqi wore sour expressions.
"But this is a celebratory banquet..." Barbara accidentally met Ei's gaze and quickly waved her hands. "No, Sister Ei, I'm not doubting your cooking skills, I..."
"I..."
"Just scared to death," Venti finished for her.
Ei looked at everyone helplessly, then shifted her gaze to Lu Chen. Lu Chen met her eyes with a steadfast, reassuring look—he'd already eaten his fill anyway.
Feeling his trust, Ei nodded firmly, her resolve reigniting.
"Everyone, please believe in me!!"
"This time, I absolutely! Absolutely can! Can pull it off!!"
The diners exchanged bewildered glances. Hall Master Hu chuckled.
"Heh~ Looks like that empty coffin will finally have a purpose!"
Everyone burst out laughing, unable to hold back any longer.
The evening glow streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the dining table in a warm light. Laughter and cheerful chatter echoed throughout the seaside villa.
For a very, very long time.