Mason's brows were still knit as he stared at the settings panel.
Keqing noticed immediately.
"Did something happen?"
"It's nothing. Actually, it's good news." Mason exhaled. "This world is set to Peaceful. No monsters spawning out in the wild, which means we can develop safely for a while."
He hesitated, then added with a hint of regret, "The only problem is… if Peaceful is permanently locked and we can't unlock higher difficulties, then progressing the world might be painfully slow."
"And opening the path to the Genshin world might be even further away."
Mason looked at Keqing, apologetic.
Keqing's expression softened.
"As long as there's hope, it's enough." She squeezed his hand. "Teyvat, Liyue… even if they were real, they still don't feel as real to me as you do right now."
"As long as I have you, I don't want to overthink the rest."
Mason's shoulders eased.
"You're right. We'll worry about the future later." He closed the interface that was making him restless and laced his fingers with hers. "This is what matters."
…
The Forest Cottage came from Mason's Starter Pack, a blueprint tied to the Simple Earth Architecture mod. The interior design matched the name: it was shockingly modern, with comforts that felt ripped straight from the twenty-first century.
Like the tea set he'd found on the coffee table the moment he moved in.
It also had things that felt distinctly Minecraft, like a kitchen that would run perfectly fine if you tossed in a single piece of coal.
"Ta da!" Keqing announced. "Braised eggplant is ready!"
She wore the kitchen's built-in apron like she was born for it, full-on home-chef mode. For convenience, she'd tied her hair into a side ponytail draped over her left shoulder, making her look bright, sweet, and dangerously domestic.
Mason, lacking a Vision and any magical wardrobe tricks, was still wearing his black shirt and casual pants. It was summer, so after their wash the fabric had dried quickly.
"Alright," Mason said, amused. "No more dishes. Sit down and eat."
Keqing stared at the table and refused.
"How can we eat? It's only three dishes, and there's no soup!"
She glanced at the spread again. Everything looked and smelled incredible. For their first meal together, she wanted to leave Mason with the unmistakable impression of a capable, reliable wife.
Mason stood, smiling helplessly. He walked over, placed both hands on her shoulders, and gently pressed her down into the chair.
"You've worked hard all day. Rest." His voice softened. "I'll handle the soup. I've got two and a half years of solo-living cooking experience."
Keqing pouted, but gave in.
"…Fine."
Ten minutes later, a simple tomato-and-egg soup was placed at the center of the table.
Hiss.
Tiny bubbles danced on the surface.
Two cans of beer clinked together, cold from the Forest Cottage fridge just like the ingredients.
"Cheers."
"Cheers."
…
The next day.
Mason woke on the soft king-size bed to a faint movement in his arms.
A fluffy head popped out from under the blanket, revealing a beautiful, delicate face.
"Mm… morning, Mason." Keqing rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.
"Morn…" Mason murmured, barely awake.
They had, unsurprisingly, slept together. Between the warmth of a full belly and the fact that they were very much in love, the night had gone exactly where it wanted to go.
Even Keqing, who normally ran on a brutal, always-on schedule, had overslept. As for Mason, a man who usually didn't even possess the concept of "mornings," he was utterly hopeless.
Keqing watched him respond with lazy, half-hearted sounds and grew visibly dissatisfied.
Her cheeks puffed a little.
After a moment of thought, she plucked a tiny strand of her hair and tickled Mason's nose.
Mason shivered.
He snapped awake to see Keqing's peach-blossom eyes glittering with mischief.
The sleep vanished instantly.
With a sudden twist of his hips, Mason rolled, flipping their positions in one smooth motion. Keqing gasped as she ended up pinned beneath him, her bare back exposed to the cool air.
Her heartbeat sped up.
"W-What are you doing? Get up!"
Mason, fueled by petty revenge and morning irritation, didn't move.
Keqing didn't shove him away with real force either, which was its own kind of answer.
Mason lowered his head.
Keqing's protest dissolved into a muffled sound as he stole a kiss.
A moment later, the world outside the blankets became irrelevant.
…
An hour later, the shy sun slipped behind a thin layer of cloud, and the bright day turned crisp and dry.
Mason got dressed and glanced at the quartz clock on the bedside table.
"It's already 1 p.m."
Keqing glared at him, mortified.
"This is all your fault. We wasted so much time. If we'd gotten up earlier, we could've already finished two full sets of iron gear."
"It's fine," Mason said easily. "We're on Peaceful right now. Iron isn't that urgent."
He paused, then looked at her.
"Hey, Keqing. Can you fish?"
Keqing lifted her chin.
"Are you seriously underestimating someone born and raised in Liyue Harbor?"
Mason blinked, then nodded to himself.
Right. Harbor city. Even if she hadn't fished personally, she'd definitely seen enough to learn.
"Perfect. I found a fishing rod in the game room yesterday. We'll use that."
Keqing's brows rose.
"You mean those little sticks that are not even a meter long? What are you going to catch with that?"
"You'll see." Mason grinned. "It's a masterpiece of modern scientific civilization."
Keqing deadpanned.
"I'm pretty sure the masterpiece of a civilization is not 'a fishing rod.'"
By now, she had a solid grasp of Mason's personality.
If something interested him, he could and would start talking nonsense with total confidence.
This time, she didn't let him get away with it.
Ten minutes later, the two of them left the Forest Cottage with fishing rods and a plastic bucket.
Unlike yesterday, they were both far more relaxed. Now that they knew the world was on Peaceful, this trip felt less like survival and more like a casual outing.
"By the way," Mason said, "I remember you're really good at grilling fish."
Keqing squinted at him.
"You learned that from the game again, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Tch. It feels like I have no secrets in front of you. That's not fair."
Mason poked her puffed cheek with one finger.
"Want me to tell you the story of how I wet the bed as a kid?"
"You idiot. Who wants to hear that kind of secret?"
"You said it wasn't fair." Mason spread his hands. "So what do you want to hear?"
Keqing's eyes sharpened.
"How many girlfriends have you had?"
The look she gave him was pure execution.
Mason answered with absurd confidence.
"Twenty-five years old. Single. Living alone. All-boys high school. Engineering major in college. Construction-site civil engineer after graduation. Plays Genshin. Likes one fictional girl named Keqing."
Keqing didn't understand half the words.
High school. Engineering. Construction site.
But somehow… it made him sound unbearably pitiful anyway.
She hesitated.
"…Have you always been alone?"
Mason went quiet.
Keqing panicked at the emotional dead end she'd created and scrambled for a lifeline.
"Ah, um, anyway! I'm really good at grilling fish!" she blurted. "I'll grill some for you later!"
Mason burst out laughing at how clumsy the topic change was. He reached out and lightly tapped her nose.
"Deal. I want three fish."
Keqing's tension melted under his bright smile.
"Leave it to me."
Then…
Two hours passed.
Mason stared into the bucket filled with pufferfish and fell into deep, troubled silence.
More PS = More Chapters