RUMBLE!
The exact moment Mason finalized the placement, a deafening roar shook the earth.
The holographic wireframe projection flared into solid reality. It was like watching time fast-forward: from the foundation piles, to the skeletal framework, up to the main superstructure. Out of thin air, a luxurious four-story manor complete with a garden and a pond manifested before his eyes.
Still reeling from the spectacle, Mason pushed open the manor's arched wooden gates.
A spacious front courtyard greeted him. In neat, perfectly symmetrical plots of tilled soil, various vegetables and fruits were already thriving. Judging by the colors and shapes, he was looking at mature tomatoes, eggplants, and similar produce. Around the perimeter, fruit trees—oranges, grapefruits, and the like—stood heavy with ripe clusters.
"No wonder it came with a free maid. Cleaning a 'cottage' this massive would be a nightmare on your own."
Suppressing the urge to take a full tour, Mason opened his inventory and retrieved the so-called Maid Talisman.
[Use "Maid Talisman (Unused)"?]
"Yes!"
The long, paper-like talisman in his hand instantly emitted a soft, warm glow. The light flowed off the paper and pooled on the ground, rising to form a translucent, humanoid silhouette in front of him.
[Included: Random Maid Skin Expansion Pack. Draw for Skin Expansion Pack now?]
Skin Expansion Pack?
Mason stared thoughtfully at the sudden prompt.
He was familiar with Minecraft maid mods. The Dragon's Adventure modpack he held right now almost certainly included the Touhou Little Maid mod. He remembered that mod allowing players to download custom character models and voice packs online, featuring characters from the Touhou Project, Azur Lane, Genshin Impact, and endless other ACG franchises.
Was this expansion pack working on the same principle? Could his maid actually take on the appearance of a 2D anime girl?
He had to admit, he was intrigued.
He tapped the confirm button. Immediately, a dizzying array of character icons began flashing rapidly across his vision.
There was a white-haired girl blinking at him, a pink-haired one doing the same, a girl with donkey ears... a whole parade of iconic poster girls he recognized instantly.
[Draw Complete. Obtained Skin Expansion Pack: Keqing]
[Loading Maid Skin Expansion Pack...]
Before Mason even had time to process the name, the system chimes rang out, and the glowing white silhouette rapidly stretched and reshaped itself.
Seconds later, a young woman with purple hair styled into twin-tail cat ears stood gracefully before him.
Her eyelashes fluttered. The girl, who looked practically identical to Genshin Impact's Keqing, slowly opened her eyes.
"Master? ...Wait, no. Traveler? What are you doing here?"
Keqing's first words carried the casual tone of speaking to an old acquaintance.
Now it was Mason's turn to be confused.
"You know me?"
"Uh, Traveler, is this a joke? How could I not know you? Speaking of which, where are Lumine and Paimon? You guys are usually inseparable."
Keqing stretched her limbs slightly, her sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings. The scenery, so clearly un-Liyue, made her frown.
Mason didn't immediately explain. Instead, he analyzed Keqing's words and attitude.
From her perspective, he wasn't just some invisible player manipulating a screen. He was the "Traveler"—an entity who was somehow both formless air and a physical person who traveled alongside the Twin and Paimon. And, apparently, he looked exactly like himself.
Did that mean the flashing images during the draw weren't just random art, but actual character data pulled from his own game accounts?
Was this "skin" actually materializing the character directly from his personal save file?
Feeling like he was onto the truth, Mason knew he just needed to check Keqing's stats to confirm his theory.
Using his administrative authority as her Master, he opened Keqing's inventory.
[Character: Keqing]
[Level: 90]
[Vision: Electro]
[Friendship Level: 10]
[Constellation: Level 6]
[Weapon: Mistsplitter Reforged]
[Artifacts: Survivor of Catastrophe (Plume), Thunderbird's Mercy (Flower), Hourglass of Thunder (Sands), Omen of Thunderstorm (Goblet), Thunder Summoner's Crown (Circlet)]
Max constellation, max level, Refinement Rank 1 Mistsplitter. A mixed artifact set with two pieces of Thundering Fury, two pieces of an ATK set, and an off-piece Electro DMG goblet.
Yep. That was absolutely his personal Keqing build.
"What are you doing? Why do I suddenly feel like you've seen right through me?" Keqing crossed her arms, looking unsettled.
"Can you not see this interface?" Mason pointed at the holographic inventory panel floating between them.
"What interface? What are you talking a—wait, what is this thing?"
Keqing stepped to his side. Seemingly without thinking, she hugged Mason's arm, going up on her tiptoes to peer at the stat screen hovering slightly above her eye level.
Rustle.
The smooth texture of fine silk pressed against Mason's arm, accompanied by a distinct, soft sensation of yielding curves pressing against him.
He caught a glimpse of the tips of Keqing's ears turning bright red. He wisely chose not to call out her vaguely manipulative, "innocent" posturing.
"This is your personal information interface. It shows your current equipment, Constellations, Friendship Level, and so on. Also, because of the unique rules of this world, you have an extra 2x9 inventory grid. You can use it to hold materials specific to this world—like this Oak Log."
As he spoke, Mason opened his own inventory and transferred a stack of logs into Keqing's maid inventory.
"F-Friendship Level?! I-I absolutely do not have that kind of... for you..."
Keqing hadn't heard a single word he'd said about inventories. Her eyes were glued to the 'Friendship Level: 10 (Max)' indicator, and she was visibly flustered.
It was basically broadcasting a young girl's private feelings to the entire world!
She shot Mason a deeply resentful glare.
"Ahem. Anyway, let's head inside and talk. I have some questions I need you to answer, too."
He could feel Keqing's grip on his arm tightening. It was certainly comfortable, but if she cut off his circulation for too long, his arm was going to go numb.
Half an hour later.
In the massive, hundred-square-meter living room of the "Forest Cottage."
Keqing and Mason sat side-by-side on a plush sofa, two cups of steaming tea resting on the table before them.
"So, what you're saying is... I'm no longer in Teyvat?" Keqing's expression was grim.
"Yes. And that's assuming the memories in your head are based on reality. If you only exist because I drew a character template and the system injected a backstory into your mind... then the Teyvat you remember might just be an illusion. You only exist in this current reality."
Mason wasn't naive enough to assume this was the real Keqing pulled directly from a living Teyvat. He was considering all possibilities.
Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly, or the butterfly dreamed it was Zhuangzi. It was the same paradox.
Keqing was smart. After his brief explanation, she grasped the reality of her situation.
"No wonder I subconsciously called you 'Master' when I first saw you. Maybe I really am just an item—a prop given Keqing's body and memories."
"I have to disagree with you there. At the very least, I don't see you as a prop."
Mason picked up his tea, blew on it softly, and handed it to her.
"Try some."
"Uh... thank you."
Cupping the bottom of the mug, Keqing took a tiny sip.
"Ow! Hot!"
Much like the cat-ear buns styled into her hair, Keqing apparently had a "cat's tongue" sensitive to heat. She yanked the cup away, sticking out her little pink tongue and fanning it rapidly with her hand.
"See? How does that reality feel? Instead of agonizing over whether your past actually existed, why not just hold onto those beautiful memories and focus on experiencing the present?"
Keqing froze. Then, she turned her head away with a soft hmph.
"Who asked you to comfort me? And also... you deliberately tricked me, you... jerk!"