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

I once said that there are no ghosts in the world.

Within our beautiful real world, Teyvat is truly haunted.

"Sister, sister, play with us!"

"Sister, don't go back."

The traveler was now being haunted by a little ghost.

"No, no, I have things to do. Have you seen a lady with pigtails? Her hair ornament is a plum blossom, and she's wearing shorts." The traveler's hands were being pulled by two small spirits.

“If my sister doesn’t play with me, we’ll go to her every night.”

It was pitch black, with gusts of cold wind and flickering phosphorescent lights.

A chill ran down the traveler's spine.

"Let me give you some good things. I'll stay at the Rebirth Hall tonight. Our headmaster will send you off as soon as you arrive."

When they returned from Bubulu, Qiqi gave the traveler a handful of candy.

This is exactly what came in handy!

The traveler placed candy in front of the two children's gravestones.

I don't know if it's due to restrictions or because it's not aesthetically pleasing, but large areas of graves here are not visible on the map.

The Teyvat continent is a scaled-down version in the game; the scenery you see in person is much more extensive than what you can see while exploring the map.

The two spirits' eyes lit up when they saw the candy, and they happily began to eat it.

"You can see it once that older sister climbs over the embankment in front of her."

Kids, or rather, little devils, are easy to coax.

"Thank you."

Being the head of the ancestral hall is really not easy; dealing with the dead is no simple task.

Upon first encountering the ghost, the traveler maintained the composure expected of someone in the Hall of Rebirth and did not utter a sound.

The hike over a hill was quite arduous. The Hilichurls on Wuwang Slope seemed more irritable than those in other places. After chasing them away, the fireflies all over the mountain would occasionally shock them.

Fortunately, the traveler dealt with these small fry quite easily.

Upon reaching the top of the hillside, I saw no one, but instead a newly dug pit.

If you haven't practiced before, you can't dig this deep in such a short time.

The traveler slid down the hillside and peered into the deep pit, where he indeed found Master Hu.

She sat in the pit, her head buried in her knees, her long ponytail and the hem of her clothes dragging on the ground.

The traveler jumped into the pit.

Wow, this is so deep, my claustrophobia is about to kick in.

Hearing the traveler jump into the pit, Hu Tao didn't look up.

The traveler put his hat on her head and sat down beside her: "Master, I've been looking for you for ages."

"Lu Ren, why...didn't you go to the hall?" The girl's voice still trembled as if she had just finished crying.

"Of course I went. Without you, the hall was in complete chaos, with no one to do any work. Neither Lao Meng nor I could manage them, so I had to come and ask the hall master for help."

“As long as the hall master intervenes, they will behave themselves.”

Inside the Hall of Rebirth, all the ritual officiants sneezed, unaware that the traveler was cricketing behind them.

"Everyone... is a good person."

"So, they are very worried about you."

"..."

"Go back, Master."

"..."

"We go home."

"what……"

The traveler lifted her face with both hands, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said in the gentlest tone he had ever used, "Master, let's go home."

“Lu Ren…” Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Come on, let's hug and make up. It's all my fault. I'll never go to Bubulu again and use any sorcery with that old witch Bai Shu, okay?"

Mr. Baizhu, I'm so sorry! Baizhu chef, I'm so sorry!

I have my reasons!

"Lu Ren!" Hu Tao suddenly pounced on him.

The traveler fell backward, his back hitting the ground hard, but thankfully his head was unharmed.

The girl's body was soft and squishy.

The traveler's clothes were wet in two places on the front of his chest.

"Alright, alright, let's go back now," the traveler gently patted the sobbing girl to comfort her.

Thank goodness I'm male; if I were female, I'd definitely be the bottom, sigh...

"Don't die, traveler..."

"Haha, great!"

"No, no, you should just die. I was thinking of giving you a funeral befitting a deputy hall master."

"Alright, alright! Let's talk about it again in another hundred years, haha. I'll be your deputy hall master for a hundred years first."

"Okay, it's a deal, one hundred years. We'll sign the contract when we get back." The girl beamed.

"Huh? You're serious...?"

The traveler thus signed a hundred-year indenture.

*

Early the next morning.

"As you all know, I have always wanted to appoint a deputy head of the hall," Hu Tao announced, standing on the wooden table in the office.

"This deputy hall master is our excellent ceremonial attendant, Lü Ren! Everyone, give him a round of applause!" Hu Tao finished speaking and clapped in the direction of the traveler.

"Congratulations, Miss Lü Ren."

"I hope the Vice Hall Master will take good care of me in the future!"

The ceremonial attendants gathered around to congratulate the traveler.

"Hehe, thank you everyone. I will definitely work harder in the future to repay the hall master." The traveler smiled stiffly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his photo on the offering table in the center of the office.

Two wreaths were placed beside the offering table, each inscribed with a line of poetry about walnuts, and a black-and-white photograph of a traveler was displayed in the center.

First line: Dying early or dying late, it's all the same.

The second line reads: Once you're at the Hall of Rebirth, you can't escape!

It doesn't look very auspicious.

The banner hanging above reads: Congratulations to the Hall of Rebirth for finding a new deputy head.

I must say, the traveler in this black and white photo has a peaceful smile on his face, and the photo is actually quite beautiful.

It's... not a very auspicious-sounding word.

They're all reverse flags!

*

Back in his room, the traveler changed his clothes and took a nice, relaxing hot shower.

As the Lantern Festival approached, the weather turned a bit chilly, so she wrapped herself in thick clothes and closed the window.

An unsigned letter appeared on the table at some point.

The traveler skillfully activated the elemental vision and identified the elemental attribute: golden rock.

Mr. Zhongli's rock element is more dazzling than anyone else's.

A bunch of colorful flowers was also placed on one side.

The traveler opened the envelope and read the words on it.

The Lantern Festival, at Tianheng Mountain, as night falls.

—Zhongli