Before he knew it, it was already late August—summer was nearly over.
After the "Memorial Mirror and Obsession" incident, Lu Chen's life had returned to its usual calm.
His usual "calm."
From the yard outside the seaside villa came the screech of tires. Venti must've hit something again.
Lu Chen, enjoying the sea breeze on the balcony, looked down and saw the bumper of his newly purchased Audi A8 had crashed into one of Zhongli's stone pillars.
The bumper was dented, and the engine had stalled—but thankfully, the car wasn't seriously damaged.
"Sorry, sorry..."
Rolling down the window, Venti apologized repeatedly.
While practicing driving, he had nearly crushed Zhongli's carefully maintained flowerbeds.
Old Master Zhong put down his scissors and watering can and glanced helplessly at the ground—several beautiful cosmos flowers had been ruthlessly flattened.
A whole morning's work, gone.
"I swear I won't mess up next time~"
Venti jerked the steering wheel, restarted the engine, and headed down the winding mountain road.
Zhongli silently watched the A8 disappear down the slope. Lu Chen figured the old man was probably muttering, "Next time, huh?"
Lu Chen watched the A8 until it vanished from view.
Ever since Venti passed his written driving test, he'd been out practicing daily—all for the promise Lu Chen made about going to that bar.
But since then, the mountains had been echoing with the sound of screeching brakes... and occasionally things being hit.
Lu Chen sighed and went downstairs, thinking that once Venti finally learned to drive, he'd probably have to buy another car.
With the villa's windows and doors open to the cool sea breeze, Lu Chen grabbed a Coke for himself.
As he passed through the living room, he saw Hu Tao and Qiqi curled up on the sofa watching TV.
Their relationship had improved a lot lately—which was a relief.
"Qiqi~ Can we change the channel?"
Qiqi shook her head silently, eyes glued to her favorite show, Animal World.
Hu Tao shook her arm for ages, but Qiqi's expression didn't budge.
Sneaking a glance at the remote on the coffee table, Hu Tao quietly snatched it.
The screen flickered—now it was Uncle Nine Catches Ghosts.
A long-bearded Taoist on the screen was chanting spells, instantly subduing a mob of zombies. Hu Tao watched with delight.
"Now that's more like it..."
But Qiqi's expression changed, and the temperature in the room dropped suddenly.
Hu Tao's little arms stiffened from the cold—she could barely hold onto the remote before Qiqi swiftly took it back.
The screen flashed again—snowfields and a polar bear hunting on the ice...
Back to Animal World.
"Qiqi! What's so great about that show?!"
Hu Tao grumbled and summoned her Pyro power, melting the ice instantly.
She lunged to snatch the remote.
Qiqi was ready—out came her Ice Blood sigil.
Fire and ice clashed, back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand. Lu Chen watched as the leather on the sofa began to crack.
His eyebrow twitched.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Suddenly, a loud bang came from the backyard. Every electronic device in the room flickered.
The TV Hu Tao and Qiqi were fighting over went black for a moment.
Lu Chen looked toward the backyard. That was the training arena reserved for Ei.
What kind of training was she doing now? Didn't they agree not to use elemental powers?
He sat down on a small stool, eyeing his chaotic household with a helpless look—his Coke still untouched.
What a peaceful day.
...
Maybe the system noticed he had nothing to do—because it finally sent a new mission.
He hadn't gotten one since completing the funeral quest during the last Zhongyuan Festival.
Who would arrive in reality this time?
[Challenge Quest: To Save the World—Become an Idol!]
[Help Barbara become a school idol and make her debut performance at the dazzling Starlight Carnival.]
[Reward: 4,800 Primogems and 4.8 million yuan in real-world currency]
Just as the quest appeared, Lu Chen's living room began to ripple and twist. Hu Tao and Qiqi, still fighting over the remote, both turned to look.
The air shimmered like disturbed water, revealing the contours of space itself.
After a brief spatial disturbance, a girl with golden twin-tails in a white priestess outfit suddenly appeared.
Caught off guard by the unfamiliar world, she stepped back warily.
"Where... where am I?"
Barbara, Mondstadt's prayer priestess and beloved idol, stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
Her bright blue eyes looked around in confusion.
"Lu... Lu Chen?"
"You're here too?"
Seeing a familiar face helped ease her nerves a little.
"Welcome, welcome!" Lu Chen waved with a smile.
He hadn't expected the next character to be Barbara—and this time, they didn't even have to go looking. The system just dropped her right into his living room.
But it wasn't over yet.
[Challenge Quest: Mondstadt Special Drink]
[Help Diluc rebuild the Dawn Winery and craft a critically acclaimed interdimensional wine.]
[Reward: 4,800 Primogems and 4.8 million yuan in real-world currency]
Another space distortion followed. A flash of crimson red hair and a black aristocratic hunter's outfit—Diluc appeared in the room.
Unlike Barbara, his response to the unfamiliar environment was immediate. He summoned a massive black claymore, held it at the ready, and scanned the room with sharp vigilance.
Pyro energy surged in the air, startling Hu Tao, who jumped off the sofa.
"Who's that?!"
She gripped her spear, facing off against the cold-eyed Diluc.
"Wait! It's a misunderstanding!"
Lu Chen flashed between them.
His sudden appearance surprised Diluc, who instinctively raised his sword.
But the expected attack didn't come. Looking more closely, Diluc recognized him.
"You? Lu Chen?"
"Yeah... it's me," Lu Chen smiled wryly. "This is my house. It's safe. Let's put the weapons down..."
Diluc scanned the room. Seeing Lu Chen there relaxed him a little—but he still didn't lower his weapon.
"Relax, relax. No enemies here—just friends," Lu Chen gestured.
"My living room can't take the two of you fighting it out!"
Only after repeatedly confirming that this was real—and safe—did Diluc finally put his sword away.
He frowned. "Explain. What's going on?"
...
With two new arrivals, everyone gathered around, curious.
Even Venti came rushing back from his driving practice.
The sofa was given to Diluc and Barbara. Under everyone's gaze, Barbara shifted uncomfortably.
After listening to Lu Chen's patient explanation, she finally grasped the situation.
"This all feels like a dream. I still can't believe it... I've actually come to another world..."
Diluc adjusted faster after the initial shock and started analyzing the "system" Lu Chen had mentioned.
"So, if I help you complete these missions, I'll be able to return to Mondstadt someday?"
"Exactly." Lu Chen nodded. The Archon Quest was already 45% complete. The reopening of the Gate of Teyvat wasn't far off.
Diluc frowned. "But I still have unfinished business back in Mondstadt."
"Don't worry about that. You're not getting back anytime soon anyway!" Venti grinned, clearly thrilled to see his fellow Mondstadt natives.
"Let's focus on the task at hand. Get Dawn Winery up and running here—I've been dying for a taste of Mondstadt wine~"
Lu Chen rolled his eyes. So he didn't miss his fellow countrymen—he missed the wine from Dawn Winery...