In front of the Gate of Teyvat.
Jack and Keqing didn't have to wait long.
The gatekeeper returned with a pile of salty, damp sand in his hands.
"Master Creator, there's a beach across from the door. There's no sign of human life around, and even fewer animals. No danger has been detected so far."
The beach?
It seems that the other side of the door is not Sky Island. Judging from the description, it looks more like the place where Paimon was caught.
"Investigate again and report back!"
"yes!"
"It's you, follow me, we'll go together."
"Okay! Master Creator!"
Witnessing the interaction between the two, Keqing couldn't help but smile.
Maybe it's because a bystander sees more clearly.
From her perspective, the gatekeeper's respect for Jack did not seem fake.
One could tell from his eyes that he really regarded Jack as a god, which was similar to the way I looked at the Rock King before I met Jack.
This is a pure emotion that Jack, who lived in an atheistic era, could not understand.
As she withdrew her thoughts, Keqing felt her palm tighten.
"Come on, Keqing, let's go back to your home."
Keqing nodded, her slender hand laced with a larger one, interlocking her fingers.
Under Jack's gentle gaze, the nervousness of returning home gradually faded away.
Wherever Keqing is, that is home.
Keqing thought sweetly.
...
One day ago.
Teyvat continent, Mondstadt.
"Towards the stars and the abyss, welcome to the Adventurer's Guild."
"Good morning, Catherine. Do you have any commissions that would make me some easy money?"
In front of the Adventurer's Guild window, a flying elf asked.
"Well, yesterday, Captain Qin issued a request to help clean up the Seven Days Statue at Xingluo Lake. It seems a battle took place there, leaving behind a scorched area."
"Uh, I think I know who did it. Okay! I'll take it!"
The image that came to Paimon's mind was a little girl with a very red and hot face.
I guess Klee escaped to fry fish again.
Seeing that Paimon was about to take on the commission alone, Catherine felt a little sorry, so she asked, "Is the Traveler still spending the whole day in the Angel's Gift instead of doing any missions?"
Paimon's expression froze, and then he forced a smile.
"She's feeling a little unwell. It's okay. I ate so much of her Mora before, and now it's time for me to repay her!"
Paimon waved his arms to cheer himself up.
"But with all due respect, Lord Paimon, it's quite a distance from here to Starfall Lake, and we might encounter danger along the way."
"It's okay, it's okay! The Traveler and I have defeated the Wind Dragon, the Fatui Executor, and the Thunder General before. We're totally fine!"
Seeing that Paimon insisted on doing so.
Catherine couldn't persuade her any further.
Although years of contact with adventurers have made her, the winter doll, develop human-like emotions, she actually does not understand human hearts and cannot see the sadness hidden under Paimon's optimistic mood.
After accepting the task.
Paimon did not set off directly.
Instead, he went to the Angel's Gift Tavern.
"Mr. Charles, is Ying still there?"
"You looking for the Traveler? She's on the second floor."
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Charles."
Paimon flew up the stairs and found Ying lying on the table, drunk and dreaming.
"Ying, I'm going to do the mission."
"Um... be careful... burp... be safe..."
"He will definitely come back! Here are you, me, and many other people he cares about!"
"HooHoo"
"He fell asleep."
Paimon wiped the little pearls that accidentally squeezed out from the corners of his eyes and clenched his fists.
"Now that he's gone, Ying has fallen into despair. Now it's time for Paimon to shoulder the responsibility of this family! When he comes back, I'm going to feast on him and eat him to death!"
After saying this, as if he remembered his dream from yesterday, Paimon felt even hungrier despite not having eaten much to begin with.
"No, no! We have to finish the mission quickly!"
So she left a small bag of Mora to Ying to pay for the wine and flew outside.
...
"What's wrong, Keqing? You seem to be worried about something."
"Nothing, I just have a sense of déjà vu, as if I've visited this world before."
Jack picked a raspberry and just looking at it made his mouth water.
One bite and the sweet, sour and moist taste proves that this is reality, not a virtual game.
Refer to the scene when I first met Keqing.
The other world of Teyvat that was opened up through her connection might really be the world where Jack's game account is located.
When he played games in reality, he was actually participating in the historical process of the world from the perspective of some kind of high-dimensional creature.
The characters in the game remember Jack's knowledge in a way that they can observe.
The difference between Jack and Keqing's memories is precisely because they are not in the same observation dimension.
So, it seems that after I finished the Book of Sumeru Sand, I boarded a certain train and quit the game for a few months. Did the progress of this world stop there?
"Keqing, let me ask you a question. How long has it been since we last met before I summoned you to my world?"
"How long, well, let me think."
Keqing recalled her last visit to Chengehu. "It's been about four or five months. I haven't seen Keqing since that day, but I still occasionally hear that Ying is searching the world for you."
"The timing is roughly right, but, Ying...?"
Jack read the name, but didn't know how to face her.
Although the game protagonist controlled by the player does not have a so-called favorability system.
But judging by the sense of crisis Keqing felt when she mentioned this name, I'm afraid her relationship with Ying is more than just traveling companions.
"I understand. After activating the anchor point, we'll continue on our journey and try to reach Mondstadt within today."
Afterwards, Jack spared no expense in consuming elemental power and bestowed an uninterrupted acceleration buff upon the three of them.
At the same time, because he walked out of the MC world and various restrictions were lifted, Jack felt that his power had expanded a lot and soon accelerated to an outrageous level.
Two hours later.
Carrying Keqing on his back, Jack has run more than 100 kilometers at a speed of 5 seconds for 100 meters. If it weren't for taking care of the gatekeeper, he could even reach a top speed of 3 seconds for 100 meters.
"Your physical fitness is so weird, don't you ever get tired?"
"Sorry, we MC players don't have a stamina bar. As long as we're hungry enough, we can keep sprinting. I'm on peaceful difficulty right now, so players don't lose their hunger, but I do feel hungry myself.
Besides, Keqing, you are also an MC now."
Jack's joke was lost in the wind, but Keqing couldn't laugh.
She is self-aware and knows that there is a qualitative gap between ordinary MCs and the Creator Jack.
You can tell by the gatekeeper's half-dead breathing.
Only Jack has the setting of unlimited stamina.
This also explains why she was always the first to lose in their "battle", while Jack always looked unsatisfied and his stomach was always filled to the brim.
Does it seem like Jack has always been giving in to her?
——Help!
"That voice is...Gatekeeper, speed up!!"
"Okay, Master Creator... er, I mean, okay, Master!"
Jack glanced at the gatekeeper and threw a healing hand at him. The gatekeeper recovered and quickly changed the way he subconsciously addressed him.
Jack didn't bother to pay attention to this immature middle-aged man. He accelerated and briefly broke through the sound barrier, making a deafening sound.
...
"Help! Don't come over here! Paimon's meat is sour and tastes bad! Wuuwu——"
Ya!
Along the shore of Xingluo Lake.
Paimon flew in mid-air, trembling.
Behind her were the Hilichurls chasing her, and the Hilichurl archers were aiming at her mercilessly with their bows. In front of her was a huge water slime, with elemental power surging, and the condensed water balls turned into sharp arrows ready to be fired.
Sorry Ying, I can't continue traveling with you.
Paimon had tears in her eyes, and the last thing on her mind was a photo of her, Ying, and someone she was very familiar with but couldn't remember what he looked like.
She gave up resisting and slowly closed her eyes.
Boom! —
A fierce and furious gale came straight across the surface of Xingluo Lake.
The cut waves were like two sharp blades, flying upwards dozens of meters, leaving rainbow-like tail feathers in the air.
Before several water slimes could react, they were smashed into pieces by the terrifying impact force, while the strong wind continued to ruthlessly tear apart several hillbillies along its path.
The wind stopped.
Paimon felt as if Tevarin had sneezed, and his body was involuntarily carried into the sky by the strong wind, but he was soon caught by someone and the surroundings became warm and safe.
Could it be...
"Ying, I knew you—"
He opened his eyes in surprise, but before Paimeng could finish his words, Jack's strange yet familiar face came into view.
She was dazed, and her already small brain briefly froze for a moment.
Then the grievances in my heart suddenly exploded, and the tears that had been suppressed for a long time gushed out like a dam breaking.
"Traveler!!——"