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

As dusk descends upon Sumeru City, the day gradually fades, and the shadows in the corners of the streets and alleys have not yet fully covered the city.

On a relatively quiet side street, a ragged beggar, his face covered in dust, knelt on the cold stone ground, kowtowing and pleading with the few passersby.

"Please, kind people... I beg you to help me! I have elderly and ailing parents to support, and a young child crying for food. We are so desperate that we have nowhere else to go but to..." His voice was hoarse, with a deliberately drawn-out sob, his eyes were red, and his outstretched hand was covered in dirt and trembling violently.

Most passersby hurried by without glancing at the pleading voices, quickening their pace or deliberately avoiding them, their faces displaying the indifference and defensiveness common among city dwellers. Those who did occasionally glance over quickly looked away, as if afraid of being clung to by the pleas.

Only one figure stopped.

He was a blond young man, dressed neatly but not extravagantly, with handsome features and a gentle, approachable air. At this moment, however, he was frowning, his eyes filled with obvious sympathy and struggle.

He stood a few steps away, watching the beggar who kept kowtowing, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the leather wallet at his waist.

After hesitating for a long time, he sighed, stepped forward, and took out the somewhat empty wallet from his pocket. His movements were even trembling slightly because of his inner conflict.

He opened his wallet, where only a handful of Mora remained. He gritted his teeth, his fingertips trembling slightly, and took out the few remaining Mora, bending down to place them into the beggar's broken bowl.

Upon seeing this, a barely perceptible glint flashed in the beggar's eyes, and his wailing suddenly intensified.

He didn't take the few Mora coins. Instead, he lunged forward, grabbed Kavi's leg, pressed his face against his trousers, and cried out in an even more desperate voice, "My benefactor! My great benefactor! I... I haven't eaten a single bite of food for ten days, nor drunk a drop of clean water for twenty days! I just want to live. Please, give me a little more, so I can buy a piece of bread and a drink of water..."

Kavi was startled by his sudden action and froze.

Upon hearing the horrific scene of "not having eaten for ten days and not having drunk water for twenty days," the last trace of hesitation on his face vanished, replaced by deep pity.

He frantically tried to break free, but was afraid of hurting the other person. In the end, he could only helplessly and softly put down the few Mora in his hand. Then, with trembling hands, he seemed to want to take out the last uncashed check from his wallet...

Wow~

A woman's voice suddenly broke the silence, shattering the "touching" scene of begging.

"This belt...it's so shiny! I've never seen anyone in Liyue Harbor willing to use such fine material to make a belt!" The traveler appeared beside them at some point. She didn't even look at the two people entangled on the ground. Instead, she hooked the edge of the finely crafted gold belt that was inadvertently exposed under the beggar's tattered outer robe and gently tugged at it, as if weighing the material.

The beggar who was clinging to Kavi's leg and wailing suddenly froze, and all the wailing stopped abruptly.

He released his grip as if electrocuted, and with a speed completely inconsistent with his previous weakened state, almost lightning fast, he ripped his collar back to cover the gold belt, then, without even bothering with the broken bowl and the few Mora coins on the ground, he sprang up like a carp, hurriedly pushed aside the passersby, and disappeared around the street corner in an instant. His agile figure showed no sign of having "not eaten for ten days."

Kavi remained in the position of taking out his wallet, staring blankly in the direction the beggar had disappeared, then at the few lonely Mora coins on the ground, and finally at the suddenly appearing traveler, his face full of bewilderment, still unable to recover from this dramatic turn of events.

The traveler shook his head at Kavi: "Kavi, doesn't Sumeru City have a relief and vocational assistance system established by the Order of the Church? Although the application process is a bit cumbersome, people who really need help wouldn't stoop to begging on the street with such absurd excuses. That guy just now is almost certainly a professional scammer, specifically targeting people like you... with kind faces."

"But...but..." Kavi awkwardly put away his wallet, still unable to help but argue, "The relief application process is so complicated, with so many forms to fill out and several layers of review...what if someone really can't handle it, or urgently needs money to save their life?"

"He just said he hasn't eaten for ten days and hasn't drunk water for twenty days." The traveler sighed, "Is it possible for a human body to endure that long?"

“Well… well, maybe he was just too hungry and dizzy, and couldn’t even remember the date, or maybe it’s an exaggeration…” Kavi continued to stubbornly try to find a rationale for the “poor man” he had imagined.

"..."

This guy is such a worry.

Sigh, early risers always seem to find the perfect sucker.

Kavi quickly composed himself, a bright smile returning to his face: "By the way, Lu Ren, are you free today? The Academy is having an 'Academy Celebration' today. Various schools of thought—Life Theory, Basic Theory, Wonderful Theory, Bright Theory…—will invite many outstanding alumni to come back and demonstrate the charm of their respective disciplines. This is to showcase the advantages of each school of thought to the freshmen who haven't yet decided which field to specialize in. You must go and see it!"

"I..." The traveler opened his mouth, but did not immediately agree, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

“Let’s go together! It’ll be really interesting!” Kavi invited enthusiastically, afraid that she would refuse, and began to list the highlights as if they were his own treasures: “I know a senior of the Wonderful Theory School named Farusan. She is very knowledgeable and has a very special personality, but you two might get along very well.”

"And another thing, you girls are probably interested in things like the starry sky and destiny, right? On the Minglun School side, there's a scholar named Leira who's prepared a super fun experience called 'Dream Tour of the Stars'."

He wished he could instantly teleport the traveler to the celebration site.

Seeing the expectant look in Kavi's eyes, the traveler's hesitation turned into apology. She said in as calm a tone as possible, "Kavi, I'm leaving Sumeru today."

"Today?" Kavi's bright smile froze instantly. "So soon? How...so suddenly?"

"There were too many things to deal with, all piled up at once, so this trip was rather rushed," the traveler explained.

Thanks to that demon god of reincarnation, my work plans were completely disrupted, but thankfully everything is finally back on track.

“Ah…” Kavi lowered his head, his golden bangs falling down and partially obscuring his eyes. He remained silent for a long time, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat, but in the end, they only turned into a regretful sigh: “If only I… could have the memories of the previous reincarnations like that guy Elhesen.”

Ha ha.

Honey, it's better if you don't have those memories.

"So...did you say goodbye to Elhesen?" Kavi asked, then, as if remembering something, hurriedly added, "He...actually, he still cares about her quite a bit."

"We bumped into each other by chance at the Lambad Tavern and said a brief goodbye," the traveler nodded.

“And Tinari, Seno, Nasita…” she counted them one by one: “Before I left, I visited and said goodbye to them all.”

"I heard from Sino that you two solved a big case together? And that 'immortal grass' project that Tinari was researching, it seems to be related to you too?" Kavi's eyes showed admiration.

“Yes.” The traveler smiled slightly, then looked at Kavi earnestly: “But for me, Kavi, you are the first friend I made in Sumeru. So, I want to say goodbye to you last.”

A gentle morning breeze swept through the streets and alleys, carrying the unique scent of Sumeru City, a blend of fresh plant fragrances.

Kavi scratched his head in frustration: "If I had known... if I had known you asked me to have dinner with you that day, I should have agreed."

Looking back now, that missed meal was a missed opportunity to spend time together.

Seeing his regretful expression, the traveler felt a pang of sadness himself: "Until we meet again, Kavi."