"Because…" Cael said with a grin,
"I want to tease her a little longer."
Hearing that, Seele fell silent for a moment.
Then she said softly,
"In that case, Lord Agarest, tease me more too. I like it when you tease me."
Seeing her deliberately adorable expression, Cael instantly felt like his HP bar wasn't enough anymore.
He reached out and patted her head.
"Being able to pat Seele's head is already more than enough."
"…Mm. Okay then."
Cael was already extremely skilled at haggling with the aunties at the marketplace.
Combined with his reputation, he managed to buy the most ingredients for the least Mora.
Seele watched carefully—and then tried it herself.
In the end, she successfully cut the price by one Mora.
A huge discount.
…Which was basically the same as not cutting it at all.
Cael looked at her and patted her head again.
"That's already great. My first time haggling, I didn't manage to cut even a single Mora."
Seele nodded seriously.
She'd keep working hard.
...
...
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
"Hehe~ today Cael's cooking!"
Hu Tao sprawled lazily on the couch, looking blissful.
"This Director is very much looking forward to it!"
Nearby, Zhongli, who was teasing a bird, sighed and glanced at her.
"Director, if you keep this up, you'll be completely spoiled by my old friend."
Hu Tao shot upright, glaring at him.
"What—are you saying this Director isn't doing proper work?!"
"That is correct," Zhongli replied honestly.
"..."
Hu Tao turned her head away.
"Hmph! This Director has been working on a major project lately! I've decided to expand Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—spread it across all of Teyvat!"
Zhongli's interest was piqued.
"Oh? Director Hu Tao intends to open branches in the other six nations?"
An ambitious idea—but far from easy.
Hu Tao nodded proudly.
"Exactly! And I've already established connections with Inazuma!"
"Inazuma?" Zhongli paused.
"Isn't Inazuma currently under the Sakoku Decree? How did you manage that?"
Hu Tao placed her hands on her hips, grinning.
"Heh-heh! Easy! I found a chance to chat with some 'Yae officials' over there. With this Director's brilliance, I totally won them over!"
I, Hu Tao, am a genius!
Zhongli smiled faintly.
He more or less understood what had happened.
...
...
Inazuma
Yae Miko lounged lazily, holding an ancient light novel from centuries ago:
My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute – IF: Kuroneko Route.
The author's name on the cover read: Cael Chen.
Her fox ears twitched lightly as she popped a Dango Tricolor into her mouth.
"Hmm… light novels have been popular for centuries now," she mused,
"but none of them ever managed to rival Agarest's works."
At the same time, she couldn't help but look forward to the novels Cael would write after returning.
"Still… who would've thought Agarest would end up staying at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue?"
She chuckled.
"In that case, I suppose I should take special care of them."
"Not bad—Inazuma finally has a proper place to handle funerals."
Her gaze drifted toward Tenshukaku, and her expression grew troubled.
"The Fatui really are a headache…"
She opened a cabinet and took out a purple Gnosis, brushing off the dust.
...
...
[Congratulations, Host. Required achievement count reached.]
[System Shop unlocked.]
Just as Cael was lying down to sleep, the system's voice startled him.
This system really loved popping up at the worst moments.
Suppressing the urge to complain, he opened the so-called System Shop.
One look—and his eyes widened.
There was only one item.
[Origin Power: Full Release Experience Card (1 minute)]
Price: 100,000,000 Mora
A full release of Origin Power was undoubtedly powerful.
A hundred million Mora was actually cheap for something like that.
But why was there only one item?!
Still… it was useful.
With a sigh, Cael paid up.
Just like that, one-tenth of his treasury vanished.
"…Sigh. Mora really is never enough."
He glanced again at the shop and noticed a line:
[Next refresh in 31 days]
At least it refreshed.
Cael stared at the card in his hand, lost in thought.
"Alright… enough thinking. Time to sleep."
...
...
"It's my fault! I killed her! If I had just told her I was safe that night, she wouldn't have run out—she wouldn't have died!! I'm a failure!!"
Cael clutched the lifeless body of a ten-year-old herb-gathering girl.
She had beautiful blue hair—
but her life had ended forever at the age of ten.
"It's not your fault, Agarest."
An elegant goddess—Guizhong—approached and tried to comfort him.
"…Guizhong."
Cael didn't respond, staring blankly ahead.
Zhongli stepped up beside him, his expression equally heavy.
"You know a mortal body cannot withstand your divine power," Zhongli said quietly.
He had lived with Cael the longest—how could he not know what he was thinking?
Cael tightened his grip, his gaze resolute.
"She shouldn't have died. I'll seal her away. When her condition stabilizes, I'll release her."
Watching Cael leave, Zhongli let out a long sigh.
"Morax… our war…"
Guizhong looked at him worriedly.
"Did it really have meaning?"
Zhongli replied calmly,
"By universal principles, this isn't about meaning or lack thereof. It was necessary—inevitable."
...
...
Another moment in time.
Guizhong glanced at Zhongli's profile, her heart trembling like a startled deer.
"Morax," she suddenly said.
"What is it?" Zhongli asked, puzzled.
Behind a rock, Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, the Five Yakshas, Ganyu, Cael, and many other adepti and gods were all watching with anticipation.
Guizhong looked at Zhongli deeply and finally spoke:
"Morax… to me, you are special—one of a kind. I want to walk with you to the end of the world… so…"
"I like you, Morax."
"OOOOOOH!!!"
The crowd erupted.
A confession!!
Was it happening?!
Zhongli looked at Guizhong and replied calmly,
"Guizhong, I naturally like you as well."
Everyone was ready to cheer.
They were together!!
But then—
"I also like Agarest, Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, my Five Yakshas, and everyone in Liyue. Don't we all like each other?" Zhongli said matter-of-factly.
In his heart, he added:
This is what Agarest taught me.
Everyone: "..."
Guizhong: "..."
"…You really are a block of stone," Guizhong muttered, wiping her eyes as she hurried away.
The onlookers were furious.
Damn it!!
Cael was the angriest of them all.
That line is NOT for this situation, you idiot!!
...
...
Morning
Cael slowly opened his eyes.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
He raised a hand and wiped his face.
"Was that a dream… or memories from the past?"
"…Zhongli's dark history."
...
...
— Join the group —
Group 2 available
Group 1 will expand once we're rich
New Year's coming soon—wishing everyone an early Happy New Year 🎉