Chapter 41, Welt: The Honkai is still chasing me!

Seeing that his prank failed to trick Zhongli, Venti looked utterly dejected.

"No way, Old Timer, is my acting really that bad?"

Zhongli gave a slight nod.

"Yes."

Venti produced a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Zhongli.

"Old Timer, try some of these appetizers to go with the wine."

Zhongli accepted the chopsticks, picked up a piece of marinated shredded pig ear, and popped it into his mouth. The fresh and savory flavor of the chili peppers, combined with the crisp and tender texture of the pig ear, complemented each other perfectly.

"Mmm—these appetizers go remarkably well with the wine."

The two of them sat together, enjoying the side dishes while drinking wine and chatting. Unbeknownst to them, the savory aroma of the appetizer drifted away on the wind, floating all the way into a nearby Serenitea Pot.

Inside the realm, Cloud Retainer, who was busy tinkering with mechanical contraptions using her tools, suddenly raised her head and took a deep sniff of the fragrance permeating the air.

"What is this scent? Why is it so enticing?"

Following the direction from which the aroma drifted, Cloud Retainer discovered that it was coming from outside her abode.

Thus, she opened the doors of her realm and stepped outside.

Just as she emerged from the cavern concealing the entrance, Cloud Retainer spotted Venti and Zhongli drinking in the distance.

"Barbatos? Rex Lapis?"

With a flap of her wings, Cloud Retainer flew over to their side.

"Rex Lapis, Venti."

In earlier years, Venti frequently visited Liyue and grew very familiar with all the adepti. Combined with Venti's easygoing personality, most of the adepti in Liyue addressed this avatar of his directly by name, with the sole exception of Xiao, who had received Venti's grace.

"Cloud Retainer, it's you! Long time no see!" Venti waved at her.

Zhongli also offered a gentle nod in her greeting.

Cloud Retainer glanced at the food and wine on the table.

"Venti, so many years have passed, and you are as fond of alcohol as ever."

Venti chuckled playfully.

"Naturally! Would you like to try some, Cloud Retainer? I brought all of these back from another world."

Cloud Retainer looked at Venti in astonishment.

"Another world?"

Venti smiled.

"That's right. If you don't believe me, ask the Old Timer."

Cloud Retainer turned her gaze toward Zhongli, casting a questioning look in his direction.

Zhongli spoke calmly.

"Neither the wine nor the food are products of Teyvat."

In disbelief, Cloud Retainer looked back at Venti.

"Venti, how on earth did you travel to another world?"

Venti took a sip of his wine and recounted the story of Ye Yun to her.

Once she heard the whole tale—especially the part about Venti taking Zhongli to that other world tomorrow—Cloud Retainer immediately began to clamor about joining them.

Zhongli said.

"There is no need to rush. Tomorrow, Barbatos and I shall go ahead first. Once we have confirmed the situation, we will bring the rest of you adepti over."

Seeing that Zhongli had spoken, Cloud Retainer relented and agreed with a drooping, crestfallen look.

Seeing this, Venti handed her a pair of chopsticks.

"Oh, come on, don't dwell on it. Come join us for a bite."

Cloud Retainer glanced at the appetizers on the table, and the aroma indeed smelled wonderful.

With that, she took the chopsticks and began to eat.

..........

Belobog, Underworld.

Dan Heng brought Welt to the scene.

The moment Welt laid eyes on Stelle, he froze in absolute shock.

To be precise, he froze when he saw the Divine Key of Elios in Stelle's hands.

"Stelle, where did you get that weapon?"

Stelle waved the weapon in her hand.

"Mr. Yang, you mean this? I pulled this from a gacha machine at Ye Yun's place. Pretty cool, right? Hehe."

Welt wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Cool... can I take a look at it?"

Stelle handed the weapon over to Welt.

"Here you go, Mr. Yang. Be careful, though; using this weapon consumes stamina."

Welt took the weapon and examined it closely, confirming that it was fundamentally identical to the one he knew. The only difference was that the one he was familiar with would erupt with extremely high temperatures upon use, whereas this one merely consumed stamina.

Welt couldn't help thinking: if the Divine Key he knew from his own world only required consuming stamina...

Hiss!

Welt drew a sharp breath of cold air.

Noticing his reaction, Stelle asked with concern.

"Mr. Yang, what's wrong?"

Regaining his composure, Welt shook his head.

"It's nothing. Here, take it back."

Stelle took the weapon back, transforming it into its dual-pistol form and holstering it at her waist.

Welt turned his attention to Svarog standing nearby.

"Is this the automaton?"

Dan Heng gave a slight nod.

"Yes."

March 7th chimed in as well.

"Mr. Yang, please help us fix it. Svarog is a very important family member to Clara."

Hearing that Svarog had a connection to Clara, Welt immediately recalled the robot Clara had previously mentioned—the one who taught her mechanical knowledge.

"Alright, let me take a look first."

After a thorough inspection, Welt concluded.

"The problem isn't serious. Only a few connection points were burned out; I just need to replace them."

A dozen minutes later, Welt finished repairing Svarog, and the automaton stood back up.

"Thank you, stranger."

Welt shook his head slightly.

"Think nothing of it. Since everything is fine, I will be heading back now."

With that, Welt bid farewell to Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Svarog, and returned to the Express.

Stelle patted Svarog on the thigh.

"Svarog, what happened to you earlier? You just started fighting without a word."

Svarog replied.

"Stellaron. Taboo. Do not allow touching."

Hearing this, the three of them finally understood. As it turned out, they had inadvertently triggered a taboo piece of information within Svarog's programming, which explained why he had suddenly gone berserk.

After lingering for a little while longer, Svarog led his automatons back to the Mechanical Settlement.

Meanwhile, Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng headed toward Boulder Town.

..........

As the trio entered Boulder Town, they immediately spotted Natasha, Seele, and Bronya standing in the distance, discussing something with worried expressions.

Stelle waved.

"Natasha, Seele, Bronya, what are you guys talking about?"

Natasha turned around.

"It's you three. Are you done with your business?"

March 7th nodded.

"We're done. Svarog has been repaired and already went back with his automatons. What about you guys? What are you discussing here?"

Before Natasha could answer, Seele chimed in eagerly.

"We were discussing whether we should make a trip to Rivet Town. So many people got injured in this battle, and our medical supplies are running low."

Hearing this, Stelle patted her chest confidently.

"Then let's go! We'll accompany you."

Natasha shook her head and gently refused.

"There's no need for that. Seele and Bronya are enough. You guys already helped us a huge favor, you should get some rest."

March 7th insisted.

"It's fine, let's go together."

Stelle added from the side.

"That's right! I am the righteous Galactic Baseballer; how can I stand idly by when people need help?"

Seeing their persistence, Natasha found it difficult to refuse further.

"Then please be careful. If things go beyond your control, you must not act recklessly."

Stelle and the others readily agreed.

Shortly after, the five of them set off together toward Rivet Town.

No sooner had they arrived in Rivet Town than they were ambushed by a pack of Fragmentum monsters.

Fortunately, Bronya noticed them in time and swiftly unholstered her rifle.

"Watch out!"

Bronya fired a single shot, instantly taking down a Thunderbird attempting a sneak attack.

Seeing this, the others quickly drew their weapons and entered combat readiness.