Lumine, Paimon, and Zhongli walked into Bubu Pharmacy together.
No patients were in sight, nor was there a doctor.
The scent of various medicinal herbs wafted through the air.
Since most herbs required a cool environment for storage, the atmosphere felt rather eerie.
Paimon was so spooked she nearly hid in Lumine's arms.
Lumine called out toward the interior of the shop.
"Excuse me—is the owner here?"
A voice came from behind the counter.
"Welcome."
The unsettling atmosphere, combined with the disembodied voice, made Paimon shrink behind Lumine.
"Did… did you guys hear where that voice came from just now…?"
"Seems like it was from the counter."
Paimon tugged at Lumine's sleeve.
"T-this… Hey, Lumine, why don't you go take a look first?"
Lumine couldn't stand Paimon's cowardice.
"What's there to be afraid of in broad daylight?"
She strode confidently toward the counter—
Only for a small purple head to pop up, startling her so badly her face twisted into a comical expression.
[Lumine's expression is hilarious!]
[Still putting on a brave face, Lumine? Hahaha!]
[These two are seriously adorable.]
[She was just mocking Paimon, and now she got scared too!]
The person behind the counter stood on their tiptoes, finally revealing their full head.
Once Paimon got a clear look, she wasn't as frightened anymore.
"Oh! So you were here the whole time! You're even shorter than the counter!"
Lumine swiftly changed the subject. "Actually, if we're talking about height, Paimon is even—"
Paimon protested, "I float! So height doesn't matter!"
——————
[It's Qiqi, our little sweetheart!]
Guinaifen stared at the strange little girl with a talisman stuck to her forehead.
"Huh? Isn't that the five-star I pulled in a ten-roll?"
[You're pulling on the standard banner?]
[New here? How can you not know?]
[The streamer's a whale. Ask again and you'll get muted.]
"Just got lucky, just got lucky! Thanks to Mu Yang's blessings—used the money he gifted me as a Governor to do a few pulls."
[Mu Yang: My generosity was wasted.]
[Oh sure, he gave you money so you could pull for him, not for Qiqi.]
The shameless Guinaifen doubled down.
"Just ten pulls, guys! I had to, or I couldn't progress!"
"Who knew I'd get Qiqi in just ten?"
[Git gud. I cleared everything with just the starter trio.]
[Whale detected. Unfollowing.]
[How many five-stars do you even have, streamer?]
"Not many, just a few."
——————
Paimon eyed the talisman on Qiqi's head.
"Wait… is she a zombie?"
Qiqi: "Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy. I am Qiqi."
"Qiqi… died once. Then, an Adeptus saved me. So now, Qiqi is a zombie."
Lumine was stunned by how casually Qiqi dropped this bombshell.
"To say something so unbelievable so calmly… truly, this is a 'land of gods.'"
Zhongli asked if they had Everlasting Incense.
Qiqi, however, said they needed a prescription.
Though Everlasting Incense was just an ingredient and didn't require one, Qiqi had imposed a rule upon herself—she would only prepare medicine with a prescription.
Zhongli tried again.
"Little Qiqi, we don't have a prescription, but we were hoping you could help us find 'Everlasting Incense.'"
This time, Qiqi agreed—but on one condition.
They had to help hunt for a "Cocogoat" using the Guizhong Ballista.
That would be fair.
After all, Liyue was the land of contracts. Qiqi's terms were perfectly reasonable.
The problem was… none of the three had ever heard of a "Cocogoat."
Zhongli pondered briefly.
"The Guizhong Ballista… I've heard of that."
"It's a type of ballista constructed by ancient Adepti on Mt. Tianheng, a product of ancient machinery."
"Located within the ruins of the old city, it was designed to autonomously fend off massive monsters and guard against external threats."
[Zhongli seems to know everything.]
[Just a little, just a little.]
[Just a tiny bit.]
[Liyue's walking encyclopedia?]
Still, even with that knowledge, they had no idea what a "Cocogoat" was.
Qiqi offered another hint.
"Cocogoat… are legendary half-Adeptus beasts."
But that was all she could tell them.
What they looked like? No idea.
Where they were found? No idea.
Their origins? No idea.
Pure, utter cluelessness.
With no other leads, the three had no choice but to head to the only clue they had—the Guizhong Ballista.
When they arrived, they found the ballista had been vandalized.
Fortunately, Zhongli knew "a little" about its mechanisms and managed to repair it.
They soon learned it was the Treasure Hoarders who had damaged it for selfish reasons.
Zhongli was furious.
He made quick work of them.
But as for the Cocogoat… still nothing.
"Standing here and thinking won't solve anything."
"Let's return to Bubu Pharmacy, admit we couldn't find the Cocogoat, and figure out our next steps."
Upon their return, their "best efforts" did little to move Qiqi.
Her zombie face remained expressionless, but her words conveyed her feelings clearly.
"Ah. Disappointed. It's okay… but still disappointed."
Paimon felt a pang of guilt.
Lumine suddenly thought of a question.
"Qiqi, why do you want the Cocogoat?"
If they knew its purpose, maybe they could deduce what it actually was.
"Mm… Cocogoat's milk… is tasty. Tastier than normal sheep's milk. So they must… be half-Adeptus beasts."
"Sorry. Qiqi's memory… is bad. So Qiqi wrote down… the name of that milk. Qiqi will… look for it…"
Qiqi flipped through a notebook filled with dense scribbles.
Some entries reminded her to do daily stretches.
Others mapped out nighttime herb-gathering routes.
One page was entirely dedicated to someone named "Yaoyao."
"Ah, here. The tasty milk… is called… coconut milk."
Silence.
That was the mood in Bubu Pharmacy tonight.
[HAHAHA COCONUT MILK, COCOGOAT]
[I'm dying, Qiqi is too adorable!]
[You know what? Her logic kinda makes sense.]
[This little one's thought process is something else.]
Seeing everyone's stunned silence, Qiqi realized she might have made a mistake.
Paimon didn't want to be the one to crush a child's dreams, so she pushed Lumine forward.
Lumine crouched down and gently explained to Qiqi.
"Qiqi, coconut milk doesn't come from Cocogoat. It comes from coconut trees."
Qiqi's brain went into overdrive. (Cue dramatic BGM.)
Then, a man's voice came from behind them.
"Haha, what an enlightening life lesson. Thank you for looking after our Qiqi."
Lumine stood and turned—
The first thing she noticed was the snake coiled around the man's neck.
Meanwhile, atop the roof, Mu Yang stretched lazily.
"Ah—! Finally, my time to shine."
"Bored. So bored."
System: "Are you seriously okay?"
"You're the one who said you didn't dare face her, and now you're complaining about being bored?"
Mu Yang ignored the System.
He twisted his body, doing a few warm-up exercises, then flipped down from the roof—
Just in time to hear a familiar voice speak.
"How pitiful. Qiqi is already naive enough, but to think there's someone even more gullible than her."
What could he say? Compared to the Yaojun of the past, as Changsheng, her personality seemed much more lively now.
But deep down, she was still the same as ever.
Rather than startling the guests by speaking, she couldn't stand the thought of someone mistaking her for medicinal ingredients.
Baizhu introduced Changsheng to Lumine and the others.
"Putting aside the matter of entertaining Qiqi's whims… may I ask what brings you here?"
Zhongli: "Does your pharmacy carry Everlasting Incense?"
Baizhu smiled and nodded.
"Oh, Everlasting Incense? Of course, of course."
Paimon let out a sigh of relief. After all that effort, they were finally getting somewhere.
Baizhu's smile deepened.
"Three million Mora. Top quality."
"THREE MILLION?! You might as well rob the Golden House!"
The price left Lumine utterly speechless.
At this moment, Dr. Baizhu's smile looked more like that of a swindler on the verge of success.
Then, a white-haired young man, gripping a sword, walked through the entrance of Bubu Pharmacy.
"Let me cover it."