In front of the Linjian Cabin.
The two, who were about to enter the villa, simultaneously stopped.
It wasn't that they were being humble to each other.
Rather, they had been mining for half a day and then frolicking on the road, leaving them completely filthy, and they couldn't bear to dirty their newly acquired home.
"How about we wash up in the backyard?"
"Hmm, I agree!"
After reaching an agreement, Jack and Keqing changed direction, walked around the house, and arrived at the open-air pond in the backyard.
"This house is really good, I didn't expect you to have a talent for architecture."
As the Director of the Liyue Natural Resources Bureau and a member of a local old-money real estate family, she had developed a high level of architectural appreciation from an early age, making her qualified to say this.
"Although I'd love to accept your compliment, I have to be honest, this was generated with one click from an architectural blueprint, and its name is Linjian Cabin; I just moved my finger."
"Cabin... Cabin?!"
Keqing truly couldn't hold back, and couldn't help but think of the Traveler's surprisingly large Serenitea Pot.
Jack spread his hands helplessly, indicating that he had also complained about it before, then walked to the edge of the small pond, quickly took off his clothes and pants, leaving only his shorts.
"I'll just wash on the shore, it'll be quick. If you feel it's not clean enough, you can go in directly after I leave."
Jack squatted down, with his back to Keqing, scooping water from the pond with his hands to wash his body.
But he didn't hear Keqing's response.
Hidden beneath the splashing water was the quieter sound of clothes rubbing against skin.
He waited for a long time.
Jack had stopped scooping water, but he didn't dare to turn his head, his heart filled with an absurd thought.
Until... a jade-like foot stained with mud appeared within his line of sight.
Jack's eyes uncontrollably glided from the small, bud-like toes, then to the veiny instep, the delicate and bony ankle, and along the faintly visible blue veins beneath the skin, gradually moving upward... finally being obscured by a dark purple Teyvat lantern pants, covering the most mysterious area.
"Have you seen enough?"
Keqing's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, her gaze drifting into the distance, her arms crossed over her chest, concealing her soft bosom that could not be covered by her small clothes.
"Gulp~"
Jack wanted to speak, but his somewhat dry throat couldn't utter human words. Only after swallowing a mouthful of saliva did his linguistic function return.
"Never enough!"
"What kind of talk is that? Really, come down and wash together!"
Keqing cast a sidelong glance at the pond, her feigned resistance having a rather alluring and criminal appeal.
Jack felt he had underestimated the power of max-level affection.
The overflowing love almost spilled from Keqing's eyes.
"Hoo~"
Taking a deep breath, Jack slowly calmed down.
Splash!
Both of them entered the water.
But the cold lake water could not stop Jack's burning gaze, and Keqing's neck turned crimson from blushing.
She couldn't calm down at all!
The romantic atmosphere spread with the ripples of the lake water.
For the first time, Keqing untied the twin buns on her head, letting her long hair flow freely.
Because the two were not too far apart, a strand of hair floated to where Jack could reach.
Jack twirled a strand of Keqing's hair and tentatively swam towards her.
Keqing gave him a sidelong glance, then ignored him, self-consciously splashing water to cool her face, as if waiting for something.
The distance between the two kept closing.
20 centimeters... 10 centimeters...
Thud!
A muffled collision sound came from underwater.
Keqing only felt a solid embrace from behind her.
Although a bit unfamiliar, she didn't dislike the feeling. Like a kitten, she arched backward, finding a comfortable position to lean against.
"Keqing."
With the warm, soft jade in his arms, Jack narrowed his eyes and softly called out the girl's name.
His chin rested on her fragrant shoulder, inhaling the subtle body scent emanating from the girl's temples.
"Hmm, I'm here."
Keqing was at her most bashful at this moment, mechanically mumbling her replies, while feeling the warm breath on her face and listening to Jack, who had suddenly begun recounting his past life to her.
"I was born in an era of material abundance but spiritual scarcity. I simply completed my compulsory education, and then, in a methodical manner, finished university with decent grades... until the very last moment when I died saving someone. How about it, wasn't my first half of life, or rather, my previous life, quite boring?"
Unbeknownst to them, as Keqing listened to Jack's story, her hair had already become slightly dry.
"Boring? But I hear your nostalgia for the past?"
"After all, it was a world I lived in for 25 years, so a bit of homesickness is normal."
"And now, Jack, do you feel, well, spiritual fulfillment?"
"Yes, but far from satisfied. Spending this half-day with you feels like being with a friend I've known for years, replenishing a lot of the joy that society had worn away from me."
Keqing suddenly became dejected: "...Just friends?"
Jack smiled at her words: "I forgot my Keqing is so straightforward. Since that's the case, I don't need to be reserved."
He lifted his head, and the hand on Keqing's waist gently turned Keqing's head, looking at her with their foreheads touching.
"I like you, Keqing. Let's be together."
"Okay!"
Keqing replied quickly.
The two smiled at each other, then gradually leaned in, sealing their vow.
Mwah~
...
Night fell.
Stars began to dot the sky.
On the vast plain, only the Linjian Cabin glowed with firelight.
In the front yard, the two, who had taken a rather long bath, were preparing ingredients for dinner.
"Jack, is this red one your world's Jueyun Chili? It looks very spicy."
"That's a Facing Heaven Pepper, it's a relatively spicy chili. It's delicious for stir-frying."
Keqing carefully made a note of it.
After the two confirmed their relationship, she quickly asserted her position as the rightful partner; the likes of Kamisato Ayaka, Yoimiya, and Nilou were no longer a concern.
But occasionally, she would look up towards outside the yard, where the dark space was silent and desolate, and deep within, man-eating demons seemed to lurk.
"Jack, didn't you say monsters would come at night? Why haven't we seen a single one yet?"
Jack picked an eggplant, looked in the distance following Keqing's gaze, and explained.
"MC has several modes in its settings: Peaceful, Easy, Normal, and Hard. I'm not sure which mode I'm in right now, and our cabin is full of torches. Monsters won't spawn around these decorative blocks."
At this point, Jack opened the main interface of his MC system.
After some searching, there was indeed a gear icon in the upper right corner.
This was hidden too well, without any hints?
Clicking the gear icon, a row of various settings appeared before Jack.
Keqing also stopped her work and looked at him curiously.
Difficulty: Peaceful (Locked) [No modification permission for now]
Mode: Survival (Locked) [No modification permission for now]
Mod Management: Simple Blue Star Architecture, Maid Contract, Adventurer's Toolkit, Farmer's Delight (part of the dragon's adventure integration pack, currently not loaded), ice and fire legend (part of the dragon's adventure integration pack, currently not loaded), Starshine Magic...
Shader/Texture: Default
Otherworld: Nether (Unlocked), End (Unlocked), Genshin Impact (Unlocked)
Other Settings
"The first three mods correspond to Linjian Cabin, Jack, and the two-colored potions in my hand, while the un-loaded ones are mods from the dragon's adventure integration pack."
"The Nether and End can be reached with their respective portals. The Genshin Impact World was unlocked because of Jack, but the method to activate it is unknown."
"What does it mean that I don't have permission for the game mode here? Does it mean I can unlock GM permissions and directly enter creative mode if I achieve certain hidden achievements or defeat the Ender Dragon?"
"This is truly My World, isn't it!"
This information didn't provide Jack with many answers; instead, it left him with more questions.
Unfortunately, his MC World didn't come with an instruction manual or quest progress, so he could only explore step by step on his own.