In the main hall of the cabin nestled deep in the forest
Keqing was crouched down, carefully measuring the dimensions of a listless orange cat.
Suddenly, a flash of white light blinked outside the door, followed by a familiar elemental presence sweeping through the area.
Moments later, the door opened, and Gong Qu stepped inside.
"Welcome home, A-Qu. What's wrong? Did you forget something?"
"No, I just ran into an interesting merchant. I didn't bring enough emeralds, so I came back to grab some."
"An interesting merchant?"
Keqing looked at his back with a puzzled expression.
A few minutes later.
Gong Qu came up from the basement, walked straight over, and downed the tea on her table in one gulp.
"So, here's what happened..."
He pulled Keqing to sit beside him and recounted the encounter with the Gatekeeper
And his startling theory about the true nature of this world.
When he finished, Keqing felt her head spinning. Clutching his arm, she asked anxiously, "Trying to seize control of the world… That sounds extremely dangerous, doesn't it? How about… how about we just forget it, and live a quiet, peaceful life together instead?"
Gong Qu hadn't expected this reaction from her, so he countered softly, "Don't you want to go back to Teyvat? There must still be people you care about there."
Keqing bit her lip and gazed at him, eyes full of unspoken emotion, choosing silence over response.
So… she means the person she cares about most is right here?
The powerful emotional sensitivity granted by Dendro told him everything he needed to know. He gently pulled Keqing into a quiet embrace.
"Don't worry. I've already died once, I treasure my life more than anyone. And besides, not until you've given me enough kids to form an entire soccer team. Until then, I'm not going anywhere."
"Ugh... I think I just jinxed myself with a dozen death flags."
Gong Qu sighed, feeling like one of those doomed old generals from a stage play.
Still, the heavy air of near-farewell hanging over them instantly shattered.
"Pfft. A-Qu, you idiot."
Keqing raised her fist to hit him, then hesitated halfway and put it down gently.
Instead, she tilted her swan-like neck upward.
"Kiss me~"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Gong Qu cradled her in his arms, dipped her slightly, and kissed her, like a prince sealing his bond with a princess in a fairytale.
Over ten minutes later.
Keqing pushed him away, panting.
"I'm going with you. Even if it's dangerous, we'll face it together. Just… don't say stupid things like that again."
"Yes, my lady!"
"Urgh! Say that one more time!"
"Yes, my lady! Yes, my lady! ×N!"
"O-okay! That's enough! Let's just go already!"
Keqing's face turned bright red as she escaped his arms, even using her Thunder Wedge to teleport away in embarrassment.
"Heh... my wife is just too cute."
Meanwhile
Gatekeeper: "Lord Verdant Roar, what did the Creator mean by what he just said?"
Triangle Dragon: "Rawr~"
Gatekeeper: "Apologies, I'm not smart enough to understand your language. These are the rations I've saved up, please, don't hold back."
Triangle Dragon: "Rawr rawr!"
When Gong Qu arrived via teleportation anchor, the sight that greeted him was bizarre, to say the least,
The stalwart Gatekeeper, normally a devout, battle-hardened priest, was grinning sheepishly as he tried to win over a carnivorous dragon by offering bread.
And the dumb dragon? Absolutely unbothered, chomping down his entire stash of food like it was a buffet.
Gong Qu knew full well: the two treasure chests in the Gatekeeper's house were true symbols of poverty. Back when he played the game, he didn't even bother looting them.
"Oh! Creator, you've arrived!"
The Gatekeeper jumped up, brushing dust from his trousers and bowing respectfully.
"Yeah. Got what I need, let's go."
At the cue, the Gatekeeper hurried ahead to lead the way.
Keqing followed behind, curiously observing this NPC whose behavior differed from the average village folk. Honestly, he didn't seem much different from a real human.
"We've arrived, Creator."
"So I just hand the emeralds to you?"
"Yes. Or, you could place the exchange items directly into the chest."
Gong Qu did as suggested, opening his inventory and tossing in half a stack of emeralds.
Ding-dong!
With a soft chime, a blueprint titled Gate to Teyvat (Structure Blueprint) popped out of the chest.
The Gatekeeper took the blueprint and reverently offered it up to Gong Qu with both hands.
"So technically, as long as I have a chest, I can complete the exchange. Doesn't seem like I need you at all, huh?"
"W-what?!"
The Gatekeeper staggered as if struck by lightning. His faith crumbled on the spot, a shadow falling over his face.
"Ahhh~~ If the Creator doesn't need me… then maybe it's time to end my meaningless life..."
He whipped out an iron sword and, without hesitation, drove it into his chest.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed out, his red heart indicators above rapidly draining.
"Whoa! You're actually serious?!"
Gong Qu grabbed the sword and kicked him away, casting a healing spell in the process.
He scowled.
"You're being way too extreme!!"
"S-sorry, Creator! I... I just…"
"Enough. I was joking. I still have plans for you."
"Yes, Creator!"
That line worked better than his healing spell.
The next second, the Gatekeeper, who was just dying moments ago, was back on his feet like nothing happened.
"Hey. You're still bleeding from your chest," Keqing kindly pointed out.
The Gatekeeper pressed his hand against the wound and forced an awkward smile. "I'm fine now."
Gong Qu had no choice but to keep healing him.
The stab was no joke, fully through the chest. Even with his potent Dendro healing, it took several minutes to close the wound.
After it finally mended, Gong Qu made him rest for another half hour.
Once the madness settled down, he took Keqing and the Gatekeeper through the teleport anchor to a high mountain north of their forest cabin.
There, he placed the Gate to Teyvat.
"The description says this is a portal to the alternate world of Genshin. It's bidirectional, and we can control when it opens. It also comes with a paired key that lets us open a return portal from anywhere in Teyvat, back to this exact spot."
He glanced at the still overly respectful Gatekeeper and instructed,
"I'll keep the gate open on both ends for now. I need you to scout the other side first."
"By your will, Creator. Even if flames and brimstone await me, I shall march forward without flinching."
"Good. Then after you return, I'll reward you with a magma bath."
"My life may be short, but to sacrifice it for the Creator is my greatest honor. I will not,"
"Just get in already!"
Gong Qu couldn't stand his dramatic nonsense anymore and kicked him straight through the shimmering gate.
Now, only Keqing was left at his side.
"A-Qu… he really does seem to admire you. Don't you think you're being a little harsh?"
"I'm just running a Turing test."
Gong Qu's usual cold composure returned as his earlier sarcasm faded.
"This guy… his origins are unclear. He's a native of this world and exhibits extremely high"