"Alright, since it's your request, Jean, I'll take you to see it."
Gongqu scratched the back of his head, thinking about the makeshift team he'd pulled together in the MC world just yesterday, it didn't exactly inspire confidence.
But the woman in front of him wasn't just anyone; she was his partner.
Letting her in on what was going on wouldn't do him any harm, who knew, it might even bring about an unexpected surprise.
So he cast aside the polite social niceties he'd prepared, invoked his adepti arts, and summoned the Serenitea Pot.
"The gateway to my world is stored in this teapot. We'll pass through here."
After a brief explanation, he took the lead and entered the Serenitea Pot.
Jean and the others followed close behind.
...
Boom!
As soon as they arrived home,
A deafening explosion erupted in their ears.
A fierce gust of wind slammed into them, carrying what sounded like a panicked squawk from some oversized finch.
Gongqu: "..."
He'd forgotten that there was still a little troublemaker he hadn't let out of the pot.
Jean: "Klee!!"
"Eep!"
A little red elf who'd been racing around the space froze, turning wide, guilty eyes toward the group standing at the teapot's anchor point.
Jean's brows shot up in fury.
Klee immediately lowered her head and shuffled over, meek as could be.
Lisa cupped her cheek and smiled. "Hehe, children really are full of energy."
Amber sighed and covered her face. Even she couldn't cover for Klee this time.
Eula, who normally got along well with Klee, thought about saying a few words in her defense. But seeing the wreckage of the rockery, her boyfriend's home, no less, she decided this was a lesson the little rascal needed to learn. She crossed her arms and said nothing.
Klee, knowing exactly who could save her, immediately ducked behind Gongqu's leg.
"Captain Jean... and Lisa, Eula, Amber, and Mr. Traveler, good afternoon!"
"Mmm, Klee's such a polite girl," Gongqu said as he crouched down to ruffle her hair. "But you know you can't set off bombs in the Serenitea Pot."
"Waaah, but I didn't mean to! I was just giving Dodoco a present, and it slipped out of my hands and went boom."
"Even so, giving bombs as gifts to Aranara isn't right. Aranara might be an amazing spirit crafted by the adepti, but they can still be hurt. They can still feel pain and cry."
"And you wouldn't want Dodoco to stop playing with you, would you?"
Klee pouted and glanced at Aranara, who was still fluffing its feathers and gave her a half-hearted smile.
"Waaa, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong!"
Gongqu scooped Klee up and shot Jean a playful wink.
Jean's fury melted away by half, though she grumbled, "You're just spoiling her like this."
"It's fine. She's like my own daughter... er, I mean, sister, of course. I'm supposed to spoil her a little, she's still so young. Once she's older, she won't be so reckless."
For a player, after all, Klee was like a daughter.
Gongqu's slip of the tongue drew curious glances from the girls around him.
"Come to think of it," Lisa said with a teasing glint in her eye, "we've never met Alice's husband, though everyone's heard of him. Hmm... sounds a bit like someone I know."
"Wait, you don't mean?"
"No way! Absolutely not! That's just Mihoyo playing games, it has nothing to do with me, an ordinary player!"
"I never said you and Alice had Klee together," Lisa purred. "Why are you getting so worked up?"
"Eh? Mr. Traveler is Papa?" Klee's eyes went round and shiny as she looked up at Gongqu. Then she let out a delighted squeal.
"Papa!"
That one word left Gongqu's face a complicated mess of emotions.
He wasn't sure if he should be happy to have gained a daughter or worried that a certain witch might come hunting him down.
"Pfft!"
Lisa couldn't hold back her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Still laughing? Careful or I'll make you bear ten or eight of them yourself, you'll be too busy to even complain!"
"Oh, I'd love that," Lisa shot back, eyes glinting. "The library's a quiet job, plenty of time to raise a whole litter."
They locked gazes, sparks flying between them.
Just as it seemed this might turn into a literal battle of the sexes, Jean cleared her throat, reminding Gongqu that they had more important things to do.
Gongqu snorted and lifted his chin to look at the sky at a forty five degree angle. "I'll remember this grudge."
Eula turned beet red and looked away. Why's he copying me? Idiot! That's my line, 'I'll remember this grudge!'
After a round of teasing, Klee's mishap was mostly chalked up to Gongqu's responsibility.
A quick inspection revealed that aside from a few cracked rocks in the garden, the rest of the place and the aquatic plants were untouched.
Especially the fishpond.
His prized Moonlight Fins had been startled but were otherwise unharmed.
That was a huge relief, otherwise, Gongqu might not have been able to resist giving Klee's little behind a proper "bamboo shoot and pork" lesson.
Then, he led everyone to the Gate of Teyvat.
"Beyond this gate lies another world."
"There are a few things you should keep in mind."
"The gravity there isn't quite like Teyvat's. It might feel like you're moving slower or can't jump as high, don't try to push your limits by jumping off tall things."
"Teyvat's elemental power is vibrant and reactive, but there, the elements are half-dormant. They won't interact easily, but you'll still have access to your single-element abilities, so no worries there."
"And..."
Everyone nodded—they were all adults, after all, and understood with just that explanation.
Everyone except Klee, who Gongqu repeated himself to over and over, making sure she'd stay safe.
When everyone was ready, Gongqu used his permissions to open the gate to the MC world.
...
A forest cabin.
They stepped through the Gate of Teyvat, leapt across several teleport anchors in succession, and finally arrived at Gongqu's current base: Entara.
As they landed, the two explorers who spent most of their time in the wild let out admiring sighs.
"What a beautiful natural environment."
"Yeah, the temperature feels just right."
Their praise for his lair made Gongqu's chest swell with pride. He raised his voice and called out toward the empty land beyond.
"Big Horn, Second Horn, Third Horn! Come greet our guests!"
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Three young dragons who'd been playing by the river dashed over at the sound of his voice.
"Are... those dragons?!"
Jean and the others immediately reached for their weapons, tension crackling.
But a second later, they were left wondering if they even understood dragons anymore.
The burly, horned beasts ran up like eager puppies, tongues lolling as they nudged Gongqu's hands for pats.
It was enough to shatter all their preconceptions.
"Alright, there's still more to see. Let's hop on the dragons, we're heading to City Hall to see if Keqing's still around."
That one casual remark from Gongqu instantly made the four girls stiffen, even the composed Lisa.
Their hearts were all a flutter.
Jean: Keqing, one of the Liyue Qixing. Ningguang always said she was a capable, strong-willed woman... someone like that would have a pretty controlling nature. Will she give us a hard time because of this?
Lisa: Bringing a bunch of mistresses to meet the official wife, pfft, that's so like him. If they really meet, it's bound to be entertaining.
Amber: Come on, Amber! You can do this! She's your future sister, you need to make a good first impression!
Eula: What do I do, what do I do! We're really going to meet her?! I'm not ready at all! Idiot! This grudge, I'm definitely remembering it!
Only one person was completely at ease, even excited.
Klee, perched on Big Horn's back, kept patting the dragon's scales.
"Yay! It's a big adventure!"
Author's Note:
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading and supporting my story so far. It truly means a lot to me.
Lately, it's been tough. The market is getting quiet, and the motivation to keep going is slipping. But I really want to finish this story not just for myself, but for all of you who've followed it until now.
If you've been enjoying the journey, I humbly ask for your support. Even just one Power Stone** from each of you would help so much. It's not just about numbers, it's about knowing someone out there is cheering for this story to continue.
Your small support gives me big motivation. Let's reach the end of this journey together. 💙
With gratitude,
—MrBehringer
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