A few hours earlier.
Dust Song Pot.
After washing up, Keqing and Ying sat on the edge of the bed, chatting about girlish topics.
"What? You've never won once, and he's that strong in that area?"
"Well, Jack's current status is quite special. He should be considered something like a god in that world, so it's normal for him to be a bit stronger in that regard."
Keqing didn't mention the infinite stamina.
Mainly because she was afraid of scaring Ying. If that happened, Ying might go gather a few sisters under the excuse of "sharing the burden," and then Keqing really wouldn't know where to cry.
"He became a god after just a few months? Well, this guy has always been mysterious. He somehow keeps getting tons of creation crystals out of nowhere. It's not surprising he reached godhood."
Ying's eyes shifted, and she suddenly reached over to touch Keqing's stomach.
"By the way, you've been together for over a month. Nothing going on here?"
"What do you mean, 'going on'?"
"I mean, you two sleep together almost every day without protection. Isn't it possible you already have a baby?"
"Ha—!"
Keqing jumped to her feet.
Then, realizing her reaction was too intense, she instinctively covered her stomach.
"Probably not yet. I... I don't know! No, this is too much! I have to go ask him!"
"Wait, hold on!" Ying quickly grabbed her.
"I was only joking. It might not be true. You haven't felt any nausea or lost your appetite recently, right?"
"…"
Her silence was loud.
"Am I wrong?"
"No, it just suddenly occurred to me… Ying, you've been traveling with Jack for two and a half years. Don't tell me… you two never had children during that time?"
"This… I… We were just companions, relying on each other as travelers. Of course, anything dirty that might taint that bond…"
"You haven't done anything, have you?"
"…"
"What about kissing? Not even that?"
The Traveler sank.
"Oh no, not even once! He was like a block of wood back then. He could only talk sweetly, but when I lifted my skirt to tease him, he didn't even dare to touch me!"
"Hehe. I kissed Jack the very first day we reunited."
"Too strong! Teacher Ke, please teach me!"
"So, Ying, do you still dare to tease your teacher like this?"
"Huh?" Ying paused mid-performance, then scratched her head awkwardly. "Haha, so you saw through me. Heh~"
"Hmph! Jack's right, you're way too mischievous."
"No, he's just slandering me! I, Traveler Ying, am upright and proper. He's the one stirring up trouble everywhere! If anything, he's the one looking for chaos in the world!"
"Oh? Then do you dare say that to his face?"
"Why wouldn't I? Tomorrow morning, I'll get up early and tell him straight to his face!"
Seeing Ying's proud confidence, Keqing couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
Silly child. One day, when you can't get out of bed, you'll understand. The physique of the gods in the MC world is completely unreasonable.
The next day.
Jack arrived at Chen Ge Pot in high spirits.
He greeted the fluffy sparrow spirit A Yuan and stepped inside.
The decorations looked familiar: swords hanging randomly on the wall, stone lions in the corner, and a massive folding screen right at the entrance.
"This setup is nice enough, but I should find time to redesign it."
Sitting in the inner room, Jack noticed a familiar doll.
"Isn't this a statue of Grandmaster Takenami? Cute."
He picked it up—just as footsteps sounded from the stairs.
"Good morning, Keqing. Did you sleep well?"
Keqing yawned.
"Well, Ying kept me up talking for ages, so I went to bed late."
"Hey, what's that in your hand? So cute."
"This? A clay figurine of Inazuma's Narukami-sama. Limited edition. Even the Shogun herself praised it."
"Gods, huh."
Keqing stepped closer to look, but her thoughts wandered to the dragon statue of the Geo Archon she had at home in Liyue.
Though she still respected the Archon who protected Liyue for over 3,700 years…
Now, the most important person in her heart was the man in front of her. Even if she had to go against the Archon for Jack, she would probably take his side without hesitation.
But that shouldn't happen.
"Keqing! What are you thinking so deeply about?"
"Ah, nothing! I wasn't being disrespectful!"
"If you didn't sleep well, you should rest more. I'll make breakfast."
"It's fine. Cooking with you is its own kind of rest. Most of the time, I just watch while you prepare everything anyway."
"I really can't win with you."
Jack rubbed her hair, and Keqing smiled, linking her arm with his as they walked to the kitchen.
Upstairs. A flash of blonde hair.
"Breakfast, breakfast! Chicken legs! Ah, so good!"
"Paimon, don't talk while eating."
Ying rapped her chopsticks on Paimon's head.
"Oww, okay!"
Paimon pouted—then spotted an extra fried egg in her bowl.
"Wow! Keqing, you're the best!"
"Haha. Paimon may be small, but she eats a lot."
Keqing practically glowed with a motherly aura, while Paimon looked like her spoiled child.
Jack glanced at Ying, whose expression was a bit strained.
Feels like Keqing's been bullying her a little too much.
To break the tension, he set down his chopsticks and started a new topic.
"Ying, what's your next plan? Keep exploring Sumeru?"
Ying shook her head. "Not for now."
"Oh? You're not looking for Sora anymore?"
"Who needs a brother who only speaks in riddles? I'll follow my husband wherever he goes. And I heard your world is still waiting to be explored."
"That's true. Keqing and I have only mapped around 300 kilometers so far—and that's just temperate plains and mountains."
"We still haven't touched the tropical rainforests, the taiga, the oceans, or the frozen lands. And if you want a dragon mount, you'll have to hunt for dragon nests. That takes time."
"By the way, only underground nests spawn Stage 4 dragons and above. If you want eggs, you'll need to defeat the female dragon—or maybe steal them directly."
Ying's eyes lit up at the word dragon.
"Like Dvalin? I've wanted one for ages, but stingy Venti always said, 'Freedom under command isn't freedom.'"
"Probably similar. But the MC world runs on different physics, so I can't compare their exact strength."
"Just by size alone, though, a Stage 5 dragon would tower so high we'd barely reach its toes. That kind of power would be overwhelming."
"Okay! I'm in! You can have me pose however you want tonight—just get me a dragon mount!"
Ying felt that it was okay to sacrifice a little bit of her looks. Besides, Keqing had already taken such a big lead, so she couldn't fall behind.
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