The three of them walked back together.
"Are you feeling any better?"
"Much better."
"Then let's talk about signing a contract."
"A contract…"
Xia Zhi raised his hand and traced a line of divine power.
Makoto froze for a second, her expression turning a bit surprised.
"This… how is it the same as Morax's contract power…?"
Xia Ci, munching on Sunflower Seeds, explained, "It's basically the same thing at its core."
Makoto glanced at her and asked, "Have you signed one too?"
Xia Ci nodded. "Mmmm Yup."
Makoto turned to Xia Zhi. "Alright then."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment.
"First, you can't tell anyone about what happened today."
"Okay."
"Second, you can't sneak off without letting me know."
"Okay."
"Third, …"
The terms were pretty much the same as the ones Xia Ci had signed before, just some light restrictions.
Makoto listened and said she could accept them all.
Then, Xia Zhi extended his finger, and Makoto responded by reaching out her own.
Their fingers lightly touched.
The contract was made.
Xia Zhi pulled back his finger, feeling another concept of a contract settle in his mind.
"Alright, from now on, you're a new employee at our shop. When we get back, we'll introduce you to everyone."
"Okay."
"But your identity, just like Xia Ci's, is too special. We can't introduce you as is. We need to come up with a fake identity."
Makoto glanced at her bestie, who was snacking on Sunflower Seeds, and said, "Your older cousin?"
Xia Zhi considered it. "That could work…"
Even though Makoto had lost her powers, her appearance was still the same as when she was alive. She looked like a gentle, mature older sister compared to Xia Zhi. Calling her his younger cousin felt weird, but older cousin seemed just right.
Xia Ci immediately put on a serious face and objected. "No way! That would make me the younger sister! I got here first!"
"Objection overruled… Then from now on, your name will be Xia Zhen. After the shop's expansion, we've got extra rooms, but we'll need to buy some bedding and stuff…"
"Hmph… We can just buy it tomorrow. Makoto, sleep with me tonight. It's been so long, and we've got a lot to catch up on."
"Okay."
"Cousin, want some Sunflower Seeds?"
"Huh? I'm in a ghost state right now. I can't eat anything…"
"No worries, Cousin, help her out."
"Give them to me."
Xia Ci handed over the Sunflower Seeds in her hand.
Xia Zhi reached out and touched the seeds, using the power of [Path of the Netherworld Chef] to tweak their state between life and death.
The next moment, Xia Zhen caught a whiff of an enticing five-spice aroma.
"It's ready."
"Cousin, try some. I grew these myself, and Cousin fried them personally. They're super tasty."
"Oh…"
Xia Zhen grabbed a small handful from her and started munching along.
The flavor was really good.
"How is it?"
"Delicious!"
"This is just a snack. Dinner tonight is the real deal. Let me tell you about the other people at the shop."
"Okay!"
"First, there's the employee who joined earliest. Her name's Zhu Zi, and she's from the same place as you."
"Someone from Inazuma?"
"Yup, she's a really lively girl. She even published a novel recently."
"Really?"
"Then there's Shenhe. She's a real pro…"
The three of them kept walking further away.
--
Guili Plains.
Xiao was clearing out a bunch of evil creatures spawned from demonic spirits.
At one point, he suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but look toward Mt. Tianheng.
"Over there… Why is there such a terrifying oppressive aura…? What's happening?"
Xiao frowned and suddenly sped up his efforts to wipe out the creatures in front of him.
Once he'd taken care of all the monsters, he immediately set off for Mt. Tianheng to investigate.
As an adepti, Xiao's travel speed was incredibly fast.
It didn't take long for him to reach the site, where he also spotted two familiar figures.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver.
Hearing his arrival, the two Adepti turned around and greeted Xiao.
"Xiao, you've come too."
"Yeah, what happened here?"
"We're not sure."
"We just happened to be in Liyue Harbor, closer to this place, so we got here before you. But by the time we arrived, there was no one left, just some lingering aura of death, and…"
"And what?"
"And these things… Xiao, come take a look, you'll see…"
Xiao walked over at their words, and when he saw what was on the ground, his expression froze for a moment.
"This is… Sunflower Seed shells?"
"Looks like it."
Xiao went quiet for a second before turning to Moon Carver.
"Moon Carver, have you tried divining what happened?"
Moon Carver gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Impossible. The aura here feels like it was left by some god. It's way too terrifying. Any divination I attempt would likely just result in a useless reading, and it might even anger whoever left it. It's not a good idea."
"This matter should be left to the Geo Archon to handle. But the Archon isn't in the city right now; he's at the construction site outside. Xiao, you're fast, so we'll have to trouble you to make the trip."
"Alright…"
Xiao didn't say anything more.
He reached out, and Anemo energy swirled as he gathered the Sunflower Seed shells on the ground, sealing them inside a wind orb.
Then, his figure vanished.
The two Adepti exchanged a glance.
"Let's head back too."
"Yeah."
--
At the construction site.
Zhongli had just finished dinner and was sitting alone at the table, sipping tea.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the room.
"Geo Archon."
"Xiao."
Zhongli set down his teacup.
"What's the matter?"
"Not long ago, an unusual phenomenon appeared at Mt. Tianheng. I rushed over to check, but I couldn't find the source of it. I felt uneasy, so I came to seek your guidance, Geo Archon."
"Was there anything strange at the scene?"
"There was…"
Xiao took out the wind orb.
Zhongli waved his hand, and the orb landed in his grasp.
He looked at the Sunflower Seed shells floating inside the orb and fell silent.
Unlike the two Adepti and Xiao, Zhongli could sense a faint, familiar Dendro divine power emanating from these shells.
It seemed like a certain neighboring goddess had personally nurtured these seeds.
In other words, she might have been at the scene.
"Is this all?"
"Yes, these are the only unusual items the two Adepti found at the site."
"I understand. I've got an idea about this. You don't need to worry."
Zhongli lightly clenched his fingers, crushing the Sunflower Seed shells in the wind orb, then casually sprinkled them into the dirt outside the room.
Xiao silently watched the Geo Archon do all this, then lowered his head. "Understood. Then I'll head back…"
But Zhongli stopped him. "There's no need to rush off like that."
Xiao looked puzzled. "Geo Archon?"
Zhongli picked up his teacup. "Tomorrow is the 30th. Mr. Xia invited everyone to come over for a get-together. Since you're here, why not join me tomorrow? You've been guarding Guili Plains alone for so long. It'd be good for you to experience some lively company."
Xiao hesitated for a moment. "…Understood."
---
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