"Yes, it's true. I opened a Pyro Vision. Look."
Surrounded by a curious crowd, Zhang Xu straightened his back and proudly displayed the red gem hanging at his waist.
A genuine Pyro Vision.
The onlookers stared at it, their eyes filled with intense envy.
A notorious gambler, a man they used to look down upon, had ascended to the ranks of the chosen. It was enough to make anyone jealous.
"So, what are you doing now?"
Someone asked, genuinely curious. "Now that you have a Vision, you won't be doing regular labor, right? Did the Qixing assign you a post?"
"Yeah," Zhang Xu's face fell slightly. "Working to pay off my debt."
He had power, but no skills. The Millelith had helped him grasp the basics of fire control, but his immediate future was just mandatory community service to pay for the market stall he burned down.
"Oof. That's rough."
"At least you can control fire. Could be worse."
"I'm still jealous. I'd work for ten years if it meant getting a Vision."
"I'd eat shi—dirt for a Vision."
"Heh, you just want free food."
As the crowd chattered, Zhang Xu slipped away. He had to report to the Millelith HQ tomorrow morning, so he needed to enjoy his last few hours of freedom.
Outside the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
Andrei, the Northland Bank Manager, stood near the strange, twisted building next to the guild warehouse. He frowned.
"Lord Tartaglia said there would be a guild worker guarding this place. He told me to sneak in when they weren't looking."
But there was no guard.
The entrance to the "Horror House" was completely unmanned.
Where is the challenge in sneaking in if there's no one to sneak past?
Andrei shrugged. Fine. I'll just walk in boldly then.
Without hesitation, he strode toward the entrance, ignoring the small group of civilians loitering nearby.
"Hey!"
One of the locals shouted as Andrei approached the door. "Don't go in there! Young Master Xingqiu said it's dangerous!"
"Yeah, the worker just stepped away for a second and asked us to watch the door!"
Andrei didn't even slow down. He sped up, darting into the dark entrance before they could physically stop him.
"Damn it."
"Another one."
"Why doesn't anyone listen? Xingqiu warned everyone not to enter."
"Maybe they think the Young Master is hoarding the fun?"
"That's like the fifth person. The worker just went to the bathroom! I can't believe how impatient people are."
"Whatever. We aren't guards. Let them deal with it when they come out."
While the locals complained, the Feiyun Guild worker rushed back, buttoning his pants.
"I'm back, I'm back!"
"Bad news," one of the locals sighed. "Someone just ran inside."
"AH?!"
The worker's face drained of blood.
Someone went in?!
He had only been gone for three minutes! He knew exactly what was inside that "house." He had tested it himself and nearly died of fright. He was a seasoned traveler, yet the psychological horror inside had broken him.
"How many?" he asked frantically.
"Quite a few, actually," the local admitted. "Before that tall guy, a few others slipped in too."
"Can't you just go in and kick them out?" another asked. "It's just a room, right?"
"Yeah, drag them out by the collar."
The worker paced back and forth, sweating profusely. "It's not that simple! It's not just a room... it's a domain! Unless Master Xingqiu is here to reset it, I can't just 'drag them out'!"
Inside the Horror House.
Andrei stepped through the threshold and was immediately engulfed in absolute darkness. It wasn't just a lack of light; it was a heavy, suffocating void.
He tried to step back, but the floor vanished.
Falling.
He was free-falling through the void. He couldn't see, couldn't control his limbs.
"What is happening?!"
Andrei panicked. This wasn't a room. This was an abyss.
"Holy crap! It's so dark!"
"Where the hell are we?!"
"I thought it was a house! Who builds a house like this?!"
"Mommy! I regret this! I want to go home!"
Screams of other people echoed around him in the darkness. Andrei's eyelid twitched. So I'm not alone.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A few seconds later, the sensation of falling stopped abruptly. Andrei landed on solid ground, though there was no impact pain.
It was still pitch black.
"I... I landed?"
"I'm alive. But I can't see anything."
"Why is it like this..."
The voices of the other trespassers trembled in the dark. They were regretting their disobedience instantly.
"Phew."
Andrei took a deep breath. Hearing others helped calm his nerves. As long as he wasn't alone, he could maintain his composure. He was a Fatui agent, after all.
CLANG!
Suddenly, a massive metallic sound reverberated through the space, like a giant gate slamming shut.
Click... Click... Click...
The sound of massive gears turning grinded against their eardrums.
"Wh-What is that noise?"
"I'm scared..."
BOOM!
A wave of searing heat blasted them from above.
The darkness shattered, replaced by an ocean of fire.
They were standing on a floating platform of black obsidian. Around them, hundreds of similar platforms hovered in a void.
Below them lay a boundless sea of churning magma.
Above them, black flames danced in the air like restless spirits.
"Where... where are we?"
"It's so hot!"
"Lava?! Why is there lava?!"
The trespassers—ordinary citizens of Liyue—stared at the infernal landscape in sheer terror. Their faces were pale, illuminated by the red glow of the magma below.
This wasn't a prop house. This was hell.
Andrei's face turned green.
He suddenly remembered what Lord Tartaglia had once told him about the nature of Teyvat.
"There are many hidden Domains in this world. Pocket dimensions. Some are ancient ruins, others are traps. Even Vision bearers can die if they stumble into the wrong one."
This "house"... it's a Domain Entrance!
It contained an entire pocket dimension filled with lava!
Outside the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
Just as the panic inside reached its peak, a large rectangular screen mounted above the entrance of the Horror House flickered to life.
A crystal-clear image appeared on the display.
"Holy crap! What is that?!"
"Look! It's the people who ran inside!"
"My Archons... where are they? Is that... lava?"
The crowd outside, who had been preparing to leave, stopped dead in their tracks. They stared at the screen, mouths agape.
They recognized the faces on the screen—the impatient locals, and Andrei.
But the background... floating rocks? A sea of fire?
What kind of "Prop House" was this?
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