The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the hillside, casting long shadows of the four figures.
Elliot spread his arms wide, taking a deep breath; the fresh mountain air invigorated him.
"This place is really amazing!"
He couldn't help but exclaim again, his voice echoing through the valley.
Jesse stood with his arms crossed, gazing into the distance with profound eyes.
"The scenery is indeed impeccable, but have you ever thought—"
He paused, tapping his arm lightly with his fingertips.
"Teyvat Continent is so vast, yet we are only curled up in this corner. Isn't that a bit of a waste of this wondrous encounter?"
"Huh?"
Matt, who was squatting on the ground poking a passing Dendro Slime, looked up at the sound.
"But there's food here, and water to drink..."
Before he finished speaking, the Slime in his hand 'poof' transformed into a puddle of goo.
Zane suddenly jumped down from a rock, kicking up a few pebbles: "I have an idea! How about we build an RV?"
He gestured excitedly.
"One that can climb mountains and dive underwater, and preferably with an Element Cannon!"
"An Element Cannon?!"
Elliot's eyes lit up, and his right hand unconsciously struck his classic chest-clutching pose.
"Then wouldn't we be able to—"
"Stop!"
Matt rushed forward in a flash and covered Elliot's mouth.
"No chuunibyou remarks!"
He turned to Zane and said, "An RV is indeed a good idea, we can consider it."
Jesse looked helplessly at the two who had suddenly started drawing design plans on the ground with tree branches: "Are you serious? To build an RV that can go to the sky and sea, where would the materials come from?"
"Hehe..."
Zane and Matt simultaneously showed mischievous smiles, turning in unison to look at the caravan slowly approaching from the foot of the mountain.
The fluttering Snezhnaya flag was particularly striking in the setting sun, and the leading merchant was spitting furiously as he reprimanded the bodyguards.
Ten minutes later.
"Help! What kind of monster is this?!"
The bodyguards watched in horror as their employer was pounded into the ground by the Electro Lawachurl like pounding mochi.
As for them, they were already in the ground!
Jesse was humming a tune as he disassembled their carriage, while Elliot was actually singing a lullaby to the startled horses!
"Perfect!"
Zane nailed the last plank onto the modified chassis.
The originally ordinary freight carriage now had a fire-breathing engine, and a crooked airbag, seemingly made of Slime condensate, was perched on the roof.
Jesse sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Can this really drive...?"
"Of course!" Elliot made a dashing turn and jumped into the driver's seat, his cape flapping in the wind, "Towards the stars and the abyss—"
"Shut up! Drive!"
The three of them roared in unison.
Accompanied by the roar of the engine and the terrified gazes of the caravan members, this bizarre RV lurched into the sky, its tail exhaust sparks igniting the dandelions by the roadside.
The Snezhnaya merchant poked half his head out of the dirt, tears streaming down his face.
—
"Holy crap! Too fast! Too fast! Elliot, slow down!"
Jesse's screams echoed in the cabin, his fingers digging into the seat, knuckles white as if they were about to embed into the leather.
Outside the window, the pine forests on the border of Mondstadt had blurred into a green torrent, occasionally flashing with startled Cryo Crystalfly, exploding into colorful halos in the sunlight.
"I'm clearly pressing the brake! Why is it still accelerating?!"
Elliot's feet pressed the accelerator pedal, making it creak, and the needle on the dashboard had long since passed the red warning zone.
The elemental flames spewing from the RV's tail changed from blue to a dangerous purplish-red, trailing a comet-like wake across the sky.
Matt had half his body out the window, the strong wind whipping his face. He was only held in by his seatbelt, and his entire body was trembling.
"You idiot, you're stepping on the accelerator! The left one! The one on the left!"
"Nonsense! My driving instructor clearly said the right one is the brake!"
Elliot's forehead bulged with veins, and he suddenly swerved the steering wheel violently: "Damn it! I'll show you who's boss!"
"Click!"
With the crisp sound of metal breaking, the entire steering wheel, along with the steering column, was forcibly torn off.
The cabin suddenly became eerily quiet. The four people stared at the circular object in Elliot's hand, still dripping hydraulic fluid, as the 'Steering System Failure' warning light on the dashboard blinked merrily.
"That..."
Zane's voice trembled slightly.
"Did we forget to tighten the bolts when we built the car?"
"I don't think carriages have bolts..."
Jesse's words silenced everyone.
Outside, the roar of trees being snapped echoed. The RV scraped past the cliff face of Qingyun Peak, the Geo element shield sparking brightly against the rocks.
Xiangling was squatting in Dihua Marsh, picking Violetgrass, when she suddenly saw a flaming metal box doing a figure-eight dance in the sky.
"Guoba! Look at that!"
She pointed excitedly at the sky.
"Is that Liyue's newly developed Flying Treasure Chest?"
Before Guoba could respond, the 'Flying Treasure Chest' plunged headfirst into the mining pit at the northern foot of Mt. Tianheng.
The enormous impact wave overturned all tents within a hundred-meter radius. The Fatui Skirmishers who were slacking off were blown into the sky, and several Debt Collectors dangled from treetops like colorful balloons.
Thirty seconds after the Mushroom cloud rose, rustling sounds came from the charred pit bottom.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Jesse spat out dirt from his mouth, struggling to crawl out of the wreckage. He shook his body like a golden retriever that had fallen into water, charred skin flakes falling off to reveal new skin underneath.
Matt, with still smoking hair, squinted to identify the Cor Lapis Veins on the distant cliff: "Damn it, these patterns... we haven't arrived in Liyue, have we?"
"Elliot!"
Zane's roar scared several Geo Crystalfly into scattering. He swung a Fatui hammer he picked up from the road.
"There's a reason you failed your driving test four times!"
The hammer arced in a perfect parabola, smashing Elliot, who had just climbed out, back into the pit.
A muffled voice from the pit bottom retorted: "Who knew Teyvat's driving system was different from Earth's! Besides, going from Mondstadt to Liyue via the usual route means detouring through Stone Gate. This way, we saved at least three days of travel..."
The three exchanged glances, simultaneously revealing devilish smiles.
Jesse pulled out a two-meter-tall special firework from his four-dimensional pocket, labeled "Yoimiya Special."
"W-wait! What are you doing?!"
Elliot, tied up like a zongzi on the firework, struggled desperately: "I warn you! According to Article 5, Chapter 3 of the 'Teyvat Road Traffic Safety Law'... Waaah!"
The sizzling sound of the fuse Burning interrupted his legal lecture.
With a loud bang, Elliot transformed into a human meteor, shooting towards Mondstadt, startling countless birds along the way.
The three nimbly donned Alice's improved Wind Glider jetpacks and leisurely followed behind.
As for why they were returning to Mondstadt.
Of course, it was so the author could better pad the word count.