Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

The traveler wiped his face a few more times and slowly turned around.

So what if it wasn't him? Even if he looked back in Teyvat, it would be the last time.

Gilded eyes, a long robe with dragon scale patterns, and a body made of precious gold.

It’s Zhongli.

But Xiao has disappeared.

The traveler then suspected that the person in front of him might be a demon in disguise, trying to help him pass away peacefully.

“I sent him back,” Zhongli answered the traveler’s unanswered question.

"Oh." The traveler was momentarily speechless. She couldn't remember a single word of what she had asked Xiao to convey: "Um, I've already told Xiao what I wanted to say before I left. I'll have him tell you later. There's no time to repeat it again."

"It's alright. I heard you." Zhongli smiled faintly, but her eyes were full of sorrow.

"You can hear me from this far away?" An embarrassed blush appeared on her face.

I used to live next door to him, so wouldn't he know everything I did?

"Yes. Even after thousands of years, this body is still sharp of hearing and sight."

"There's one more thing I haven't told him. Since you're here, I'll tell you." The traveler stepped off the stone platform, his mind wandering as he stumbled over the edge.

"Be careful!" Zhongli warned, having already prepared to catch the traveler, though he didn't need to.

The traveler approached Zhongli, his hand nearly crushing the flower stem in his hand: "I...I..."

"Don't worry, there's still time," he reassured her.

"I like you." The traveler's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, but it didn't matter; she knew Zhongli could hear her.

After hesitating for a few seconds, to ensure she conveyed her true feelings, she looked into Zhongli's golden eyes and said again, "I like you."

Zhongli's pupils contracted slightly, his lips moved, he pursed them, and then he spoke: "I know your feelings."

"Alright then," the traveler said with a smile.

Even though she was rejected, she wasn't sad, which surprised her. She had originally thought she would feel ashamed.

She felt satisfied that she could hear heartfelt words spoken to her personally.

This time I'm not lying.

Looking at the traveler's face, he couldn't help but take a step closer, wanting to touch her cheek again, or give her one last hug.

The traveler did not do as he wished; she took a step back and created some distance.

Zhongli raised his hand, hovering in mid-air, and finally lowered it.

"Is sending me away the best arrangement you think it is?"

"Yes." Zhongli nodded.

A surge of emotions churned within him, tempting him to act irrationally.

Without anyone knowing, he suppressed his anger once again.

"I believe you," the traveler said calmly.

"Why?" he asked, curious.

Why does this child from another world never go against his own will?

The two sides ended up being badly hurt, even though they were following the most reasonable course of action.

"Because I've known you for a long time and know a lot about you, I trust you."

What if I lied to you?

"That's because they're thinking of me," the traveler affirmed.

Zhongli retorted, "What you see is not necessarily true, and the person in front of you may not be reliable."

He almost hurt her once, so why doesn't she remember?

"If even Mr. Zhongli cannot be trusted, then I will trust the Hilichurls instead."

The traveler had intended to lighten the mood, but it clearly had no effect; it was even more boring than Bieno's lame jokes.

"Believe in yourself, traveler." He listened carefully to every word the traveler said and answered earnestly.

"That's true," she replied dismissively, not wanting to hear such grand pronouncements at the moment.

The sticky feeling on her hands reminded her of something else.

"Oh right, here's this. Hmm? It's all crushed... Never mind, just go pick one from somewhere else."

The traveler looked at the rotten Qingxin in his hand, which had made his hands sticky, and decided not to give it away.

He doesn't like me anyway, why bother giving him anything? He can just pick it himself.

“I want it.” He reached out to take it.

"They're all rotten, don't get your hands dirty." The traveler hid the flowers behind his back, not intending to give them to anyone.

"Please give it to me, young lady traveler, as a parting gift," he insisted.

After he said that, the traveler felt embarrassed not to give it to him.

"Alright, let's not make this one into amber. It doesn't look good just sitting there," the traveler added.

"I have my own use." He held the withered flowers, lost in thought.

"Since you've given me such a precious gift, I should reciprocate; that would be proper. What would you like?"

"Haven't you given me so many gifts already?" The traveler didn't expect anything more.

“You didn’t bring them with you. I suppose they’re inconvenient to carry, so I’m giving you something else.”

"Then... give me a strand of hair." The traveler was thinking about her unique merchandise, but after a moment's thought, she decided against it: "Never mind."

In Liyue, even a strand of hair can be considered a token of love, so don't make things difficult for him.

Zhongli didn't refuse. A finely crafted dagger appeared in her hand at some point, and she cut off a lock of her long hair along the hair tie, handing it to the traveler: "Is this enough?"

"You're giving me all of them?" The traveler was shocked. Didn't she just want one?

Why did he give all of these to me? If my character model in the game also has short hair, wouldn't I be the one to blame?

"An immortal's body can change as needed, so don't worry. If you think it's too much, keep one and throw the rest away."

The traveler accepted the "gift" only after hearing what he said; one piece was considered an edge, while the other was strangely eerie.

She knew she should have gotten the earrings... The official earrings are already priced quite high...

"Then I'll be going?" The traveler finished speaking and didn't want to linger any longer.

When you have nothing more to say, you should leave.

She stepped back onto the stone platform.

“Wait, I…” Zhong Li frowned, suppressing the complex emotions in his eyes.

What's the point of saying what's hidden in my heart now? Do I really want to keep her by my side?

Liyue is in grave danger. How can I protect her if I leave her behind? I might even be the one who hurts her.

Wear and tear occurs slowly and can usually be suppressed, but if an accident occurs, the wear and tear will accelerate, and the person will lose their mind.

The "accident" was the traveler, who unintentionally stirred her compassion, which gradually developed into a rift in her divine heart.

God cannot be moved by mortals to the point of exceeding his divine authority.

There were moments when he actually wanted to abandon everything and destroy all living beings in the world, so that she would only be able to look at him.

It is utterly unbearable to lose the nobility of God.

I can't let her see me in such a wretched state. I thought that as long as I stayed away from the source, my heart would find peace, but instead, the wear and tear only intensified.

The demon god has not been eliminated, so I cannot enter the tomb that was prepared long ago to remove the throne of the Rock God.

"Hmm?" the traveler asked, puzzled.

"Have a safe journey." Zhongli still didn't say those words out loud.

"Thank you." She couldn't say anything more.

The stone slab is brimming with energy, and particles of rock element light overflow from the glowing incantation carvings.

The stone platform trembled... and it wasn't just the stone platform that was moving; the entire ground was shaking.

"What's going on?" the traveler asked, her heart pounding, a bad feeling creeping over her.

Zhongli didn't answer, but looked ahead warily, the piercing spear that had appeared in his hand pointing forward as well.

The tremors grew more intense, as if something was trying to emerge from the ground.

Dozens of rock spears were poised to strike in the air.

A rocky shield protects the traveler's path.

Boom!

A giant worm burst out of the ground, as huge as a mountain, its body milky white, with rows of teeth in its enormous mouth, swallowing soil and rocks.

Several more powerful earthquakes shook the earth, and the insect's entire body broke through the rock and took hold in the forest. It was even larger than the giant serpent demon.

"Zhongli!" the traveler exclaimed in concern.

"This is none of your business. Go home." He propelled the stone platform up into the sky along the golden path.

The giant worm spotted the flying stone platform and wriggled its long body to chase after it. Several rock spears, aided by gravity, forced it back, but failed to pierce its body.

Zhongli's vision suddenly blurred. He blinked, and in an instant, the giant insect appeared in front of him.

"Morax!" came an extremely piercing sound from the giant worm's mouth.

With a flick of its body, it kicked up dust and crushed the hills blocking its way.

*

The travelers in the air are getting farther and farther away from the ground, and the scenery below is becoming smaller and smaller.

She could no longer see Zhongli, but the giant worm's movements were clear, each one making the traveler's heart clench.

The stone platform rose higher and higher, moving faster and faster, sparking from friction with the air, which looked like a shooting star from the ground.

The people in Liyue Harbor discovered it and made wishes upon it.

Xiangling made a wish to develop a new dish.

Walnut made a wish to recruit new employees.

Xingqiu made a wish to discover a new book.

……

D'Artagnan, watching the shooting star, thought of the traveler. He went to the inn early the next morning to look for her, only to learn that she had already left. He wished her a safe journey.

*

Qunyu Pavilion.

Ningguang, observing the unusual movement of the dust cloud rising in the distance, ordered the Thousand Rock Army to assemble.

……

The traveler, now among the stars, had long since left this continent and could see nothing more.

The thin golden lines extended into a space that resembled a black hole.

The stone platform pierced straight into the black hole. Ahead lay a black stone door, which slowly opened, and light diffused from the cracks, enveloping the traveler.

In the blinding light, the long hair in the traveler's hand turned to dust and escaped through his fingers.

In the end, nothing was left behind.