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

It seems we're back on the ground.

The traveler was still not fully conscious. She propped herself up and sat up, trying to open her eyes, which she couldn't open.

The white mist in front of her dissipated, and the dazzling sunlight made her blink several times.

She raised her hand to rub her eyes, only to find that her right hand was clasped with someone else's.

The traveler remembered that when she fell from the sky, Zhongli shielded her in his arms, enveloping her in the protection of rock element, while he himself received no protection and fell directly to the ground.

From such a high place...

"Zhong... Zhongli," the traveler called out to him.

The unconscious person remained silent.

In this land full of ancient ruins, it is so quiet that the sounds of travelers seem out of place.

This is Guili Plain.

He was wearing the divine attire he hadn't worn in a long time.

Time seemed to have turned back to a long, long time ago, to a history that the traveler had never witnessed.

It might seem a little ridiculous, but neither of the two stubborn men was willing to back down, and in the end, they both lay on the deserted wasteland.

The soft, rustling sounds instantly snapped the traveler out of their daze.

Did it come from him?

The sound of cracking appearing in the stone.

The temperature in my palms was different from usual; it was cool, like rock that was hard to warm.

The traveler's long-awaited opportunity had arrived; she was finally able to defy his will and achieve her goal while he was powerless to resist.

She'll be very angry when she wakes up again.

That's still much better than never seeing him again.

To the traveler, he was not some game character, but someone just like her, the person her heart longed for.

I'm also glad that he's a game character, while I come from the higher world that created him, which is why I was able to save him.

The traveler placed his hand on his shoulder and slowly leaned down...

Before their lips touch.

He opened his eyes, moved his pupils, and saw the traveler reflected in them.

"You're awake?" The traveler breathed a sigh of relief.

He let go, took the traveler's hand, ignored her worried questions, gently pushed her away, and stood up.

"Zhongli?" The traveler also stood up, unsteady on his feet, swaying a few times before finally regaining his footing.

He has many names; these past few days, travelers have called him by different names, from Zhongli to Morax, and then to the Rock God.

Should we call him Zhongli now?

"Time traveler." His way of addressing travelers had changed.

He remembered everything: about himself, about the traveler, about Liyue, and about the almost unforgivable mistake he made in a moment of loss of control after being worn down by him.

His nature made the choice, but his reason restrained it.

Whether by nature or by reason, they all share one thing in common: they cannot harm her.

They refused her gift.

Her life was above everything else, above this world, and above his life.

If he is the god of Liyue, then she is his god.

It is sacred and noble, yet it invites desecration.

The traveler could only watch his back and could not know what he was thinking.

He calls himself a "time traveler"...

It was a deliberate act of distancing.

"Wait a minute... Zhongli..." the traveler began, not knowing what to say.

He didn't want to be involved in his decision-making.

The traveler decided to participate against his will.

"You have broken the contract. In the name of the God of Contracts, I punish you—to leave Liyue. Execute immediately." His voice was icy, perhaps tinged with reluctance and sorrow.

"Wait……"

Before he could finish speaking, the traveler appeared in front of a building under construction.

The workers stopped what they were doing when they saw the traveler suddenly appear.

"she is not……"

"Yes, yes, the great hero who saved Liyue, the deputy head of the Hall of Rebirth!"

Zhongli saw her off, but he was still in Liyue.

"Lu Ren?" Hu Tao, wearing a safety helmet, waved her hand in front of the traveler.

“Master Hu…” the traveler came to his senses.

"I've been looking for you for days! Where did you go? I was so worried about you." Hu Tao stood with her hands on her hips, her face contorted with anger.

She was extremely busy, overseeing projects and finding people.

"I have other things to do! We'll talk later." The traveler guessed that Zhongli must have returned to the bottom of the giant abyss of layered rocks.

After finishing his sentence, the traveler hurriedly searched for a teleportation anchor point, leaving Hu Tao alone in the same spot.

"Hey! Lu Renxin Hall will be finished soon! Remember to come back and work in a few days! The Hall of Rebirth can't do without you!" Hu Tao shouted from behind the traveler.

After the traveler's figure disappeared into the street, Hu Tao looked around and sighed, "None of them give me a moment's peace. When will those two be back?"

*

The teleportation anchor point in Liyue Harbor is intact.

Travelers use the teleportation anchor to reach the interior of the Layered Rock Abyss.

She took out the little butterfly that had guided her last time and used the restorative elemental power to awaken it.

The rock butterflies that flew from her palm hovered above her head, sometimes landing on her head, sometimes on her shoulder, but they didn't guide her.

"Please tell me where he is right now?"

She couldn't remember the route from last time because it was too complicated.

The butterflies continued to circle the traveler, showing no sign of flying away.

No wonder, last time Zhongli wanted to see her again, which is why Yandie was able to give her directions.

This time, he didn't want to see her.

"That looks like a treasure!"

"You're unlucky to have run into us!"

The treasure-hunting gang blocked the traveler's path.

Time was already tight, and with the treasure-hunting gang blocking her way, when would she be able to reach him?

"I have other things to do, please make way!" the traveler pleaded, she couldn't waste a single second.

"Let you pass? Fine, but wait until we've ransacked you of everything you had on you!" The leader rubbed his hands together, drooling over the traveler.

"Her clothes look quite valuable," the younger brother said, sizing up the traveler.

"Take it off!" At the leader's command, his henchmen swarmed forward.

The traveler's heart is breaking.

There's no time! There's no time!

She gripped her weapon, her elemental power almost completely depleted, and her movements became chaotic and disorganized.

The traveler and the treasure hunters fought fiercely, each shot drawing blood.

Her body was also stained with splattered blood.

Realizing they had run into a tough nut, the treasure-hunting gang hastily fled, clearing the way.

The traveler searched every stone path and every cave.

Where is he?

Besides the treasure-hunting group, the Deep Rock Abyss also contains slimes, hilichurls, and more...

Why is everything in the world preventing me from seeing him?

I don't know how many hours have passed. If he was determined to die, he might already be gone...

Tears mixed with blood slid down her cheeks. She wiped them with her sleeve, but the sand on the sleeve made her eyes water again.

She desperately wanted to find a secluded corner to have a good cry, but she didn't have the time!

She doesn't have time!

A few hours should be enough for her elemental power to recover somewhat.

Using the method he had once taught him, he infused elemental power into the rock strata, and ventured deep into the depths to search for his whereabouts.

The spatial distortions and chaotic energy of the Layered Rock Abyss make finding him incredibly difficult; every step of exploration is fraught with peril…

She only found that tiny trace when her body temperature dropped to extremely low levels.

*

The traveler arrived at the familiar tomb chamber, which was dark and without a single ray of light, and her heart clenched.

I have a bad feeling.

Where is he?

The rock butterfly illuminated the path ahead and lit up the stone coffin.

The traveler trudged along, each step fraught with danger.

She deliberately slowed her pace.

I dare not reveal the final answer.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The sound of my heartbeat grew louder and louder, even drowning out the sound of my footsteps...

The traveler leaned against the edge of the stone coffin and peered inside.

"what…………"

Hot tears fell drop by drop onto the edge of the stone coffin.

The person in the coffin... the stone statue in the coffin... the face is peaceful, without a trace of life, the stone hand holds three amber flowers, one of which is withered beyond recognition.

They come into this world alone, and they leave it alone.

He left the collapse and grief to the living.

It was left to travelers from the higher world.

"You...you're too cruel..."

Now she can have a good cry.