After a long journey by road and sea, the motorhome finally returned to the coastal city just before dawn.
By the time they arrived, the sky was beginning to lighten. A soft glow peeked out from where sea and sky met, and the sea breeze on the mountainside carried a cool, salty dampness.
It all felt so familiar.
They were finally home.
Looking over the garden in front of the villa, it didn't seem all that different from when they'd left.
Except the weeds had grown—nearly overtaking the cosmos flowers.
Looks like Old Man Zhong had some work waiting for him...
Lu Chen opened the door and helped Ei, who reeked of alcohol, into her bedroom.
She couldn't even walk straight when they got out of the car, so Lu Chen had to support her the whole way. In the end, he simply picked her up and carried her in his arms.
"I told you not to drink so much..."
He gently laid her on the bed and sighed.
During that "Three Archons Banquet," Ei had taken advantage of his distraction to drink glass after glass—who knew how much she'd had.
And that wine? Nothing like what Venti claimed—"not strong at all." The aftereffect was real.
Even Lu Chen felt a little lightheaded.
The grand finale of the "Three Gods Banquet" ended with Ei suddenly slumping onto the table, fast asleep mid-conversation.
She groaned and shook her woozy head, trying to sit up.
"Not... that much... I can still drink... Chen, you really underestimate me..."
Lu Chen poured her a glass of warm water. She couldn't even hold it steady, so he brought it to her lips and helped her drink.
"People who can't drink are always the ones insisting 'I can still drink!'"
"Then..." She took a sip and looked up at him with dazed, misty eyes. "What do people who can drink say?"
Lu Chen looked into those innocent, blurry violet eyes. Her fluttering lashes looked like butterfly wings—and it tickled his heart.
Drunk Ei was unbelievably adorable.
He couldn't help but smile.
"People who can drink..."
He thought back to Venti's antics.
"They just flatter you—'Wow, you've got a great tolerance!' 'You're such a good drinker!' Then they egg you on to keep drinking, cup after cup..."
"So devious... So evil..." Ei smacked her lips, swaying unsteadily.
"Exactly. It's all Venti's fault!" Lu Chen reached out to steady her.
Ei giggled dumbly, then flopped onto the pillow.
In the quiet room, her gentle snores soon followed. Lu Chen helped her out of her alcohol-soaked clothes and changed her into pajamas.
Then he tucked her in.
As he left the room and headed downstairs, he bumped into Miko, who had just finished washing up.
Her hair was still damp. When she saw him, she yawned and complained.
"Another night of staying up and another round of nightmares... I haven't had a proper night's sleep in ages..."
"You've been through a lot..." Lu Chen didn't know what else to say.
They hadn't really done anything lately, yet everyone was exhausted.
All because of that cursed souvenir mirror.
Among them, Miko had probably taken the biggest hit.
"Staying up late is a skin killer. Look at me—my skin's totally ruined!"
She leaned in close, and Lu Chen caught a faint floral scent from her body wash.
Pointing at her face, she looked visibly annoyed.
Lu Chen leaned in for a closer look.
"It looks great to me—smooth, radiant, doesn't even need makeup. You could shoot a face mask commercial like this."
"Really?" Miko looked at him suspiciously, patting her cheeks without thinking.
"Really!" Lu Chen nodded immediately.
True or not, one should never talk down a woman's looks to her face... He knew better than that.
Besides, Miko wasn't nearly as bad as she claimed. Aside from a trace of tiredness, she was as striking as ever—hard to look away from, in fact.
"Fine, I'll pretend you mean it."
Even though she knew Lu Chen wasn't being entirely honest, Miko still smiled.
"You're such a smooth talker... No wonder you've got Ei wrapped around your finger..."
"Hey, come on now..." Lu Chen sighed. "I'm giving you a compliment. This is how you repay me?"
"I'm complimenting you too! I'm saying you've got charm, aren't I?" Miko grinned playfully, reaching out as if to bop him on the head.
Lu Chen instinctively shielded his face.
But Miko's hand paused midair, then dropped back down.
After a brief hesitation, she narrowed her eyes into her usual foxy grin and chuckled coldly.
"Almost forgot... You've regained your strength. Getting payback now won't be so easy."
"Not fully recovered yet," Lu Chen scratched his head. "Maybe half my original power."
He thought to himself, if Miko tried her old tricks on him now, she'd be in for a surprise. He had surpassed her strength.
Besides, for reasons he couldn't quite put into words, the two of them hadn't interacted the way they used to.
"Go get some sleep." Miko yawned and returned to her room. "I heard you're not afraid of those nightmares anymore, but judging from your dark circles, you're not doing much better than I am..."
"Pretty much..." Lu Chen chuckled. "Those dreams get me all riled up. Feels like I didn't sleep at all."
"These nightmares..." She glanced back at him. "Will they keep happening?"
"Definitely not," Lu Chen said seriously. "I'll figure something out."
"I believe you." She waved casually and closed her door.
Lu Chen looked at the now quiet hallway and nodded softly to himself.
"Good night."
...
The next morning, Lu Chen was up early.
The nightmares were still there, but they no longer weighed as heavily on him.
In fact, he was starting to get used to them.
He'd begun treating those annoying dream-creatures like game mobs, slicing them down one after another. By now, he'd "cleared the Khaenri'ah dungeon" countless times.
It was his dream, after all—he could do whatever he wanted.
Ei was still sound asleep beside him. Maybe the wine had helped—she hadn't been jolted awake.
Watching her peaceful sleeping face, Lu Chen wondered if the solution was to simply get everyone drunk before bed.
Not a bad idea.
He imagined the whole household drinking together every night, passing cups around. Venti would be thrilled.
...Yeah, no. That wasn't a sustainable plan. Better to scrap it.
After gently covering Ei with the blanket she'd kicked off, Lu Chen got cleaned up and headed downstairs.
Zhongli, ever the model of discipline, was already at the tea table, as usual.
Fragrant steam wafted from the teapot. Sitting across from him was Hu Tao.
"What are you two talking about?" Lu Chen asked.
"Looking for a solution!" Hu Tao pointed at the dark circles under his eyes. "You're not planning to stay like this forever, right?"
"Of course not..." Lu Chen naturally picked up a cup of tea and sat beside her.
Hu Tao propped her chin on her hand. "I don't get nightmares, but seeing you all like this... it's hard not to worry."
Lu Chen thought for a moment. "Everything started with obsession—so it must end with obsession too. Maybe the system had a reason for bringing you here at this time..."
Hu Tao's eyes widened, and she pointed at herself.
"Me?"
Lu Chen nodded. The system had never shown any signs of independent will, but in many cases, its internal logic was deliberate.
For example, after the "Three Archons Debate," his Archon quest completion had suddenly spiked—proof that some of his theories were right.
"The Zhongyuan Festival is approaching."
Zhongli suddenly spoke.
Everyone looked toward him. Zhongli continued calmly, still tending the teaware.
"The traditional funeral rite of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor... should be added to the agenda."