It was a new Monday, and the atmosphere in Class 2 was unusually quiet.
The students had their heads buried in their books, preparing for the upcoming monthly exam. The only sound in the classroom was the soft rustling of turning pages.
After completing the mission at the seaside, Lu Chen returned to the calm routine of school life.
Well, "calm" might not be quite accurate. With the people from Teyvat around, Lu Chen's life was destined to be full of unexpected surprises.
He quietly pulled out his phone and saw that Raiden Ei had sent him a picture on WeChat.
It was a photo of an ice cream cone topped with a tempting cherry. In the background was the school gymnasium, where the fencing team members were training in full gear.
Lu Chen replied with a panda meme, arms spread wide.
Everyone else was grinding day and night for the competition, and she was off sneaking an ice cream? That cone must've come from the commercial district, which was three kilometers from campus—there's no way she didn't sneak out to get it.
And the school team just let it slide? Was this the kind of treatment reserved for a genius champion candidate?
Ying: This is really good. Want one, Chen?
Teyvat's Most Handsome: You didn't fly out to get it, did you? Let's try to keep a low profile...
Ying: [Image: cat-face begging emoji]
Teyvat's Most Handsome: ...
Lu Chen had bought both Raiden Ei and Venti a smartphone so they could keep in touch more easily. He hadn't expected Ying to pick it up so quickly—she was already sending emojis.
His own phone only had their WeChat contacts. Thinking of that, he tapped on Venti's profile.
This guy was learning even faster—he was already posting on Moments.
The first post was a photo of whiskey on the rocks: "Rich and full-bodied, just the right taste with ice."
The second was a shot of vodka: "Spicy and intense, with a clean finish."
The third was a bottle of Erguotou: "Mellow and smooth, leaves a sweet aftertaste."
Good grief, is this a full-on liquor review?
Lu Chen suddenly remembered Venti's bold declaration about drinking every kind of alcohol in the world. Looking at it now, he must've meant it seriously...
Raiden Ei probably hadn't figured out how to post Moments yet—otherwise, her feed would be nothing but dessert reviews...
The leisurely retired life of two gods from another world was surprisingly chill. Lu Chen started looking forward to the day Lord Zhongli would join them.
With that thought, Lu Chen pulled them both into a group chat.
Teyvat's Most Handsome: Venti, when did you buy that alcohol? Don't tell me you're hiding it in school? Watch yourself!
The Greatest Minstrel: [Image: panda-head meme, arms akimbo smug look]
Teyvat's Most Handsome: ...
Ying: I saw him using elemental power to fly out and buy it after class.
The Greatest Minstrel: Beelzebub! You're snitching on me?!
Teyvat's Most Handsome: Is that what elemental power is for???
The Greatest Minstrel: I won't do it again.
Teyvat's Most Handsome: "Again"? (smile emoji)
The Greatest Minstrel: Ehehe~
...
When class ended, Raiden Ei still hadn't returned. Her seat remained empty.
Once the teacher left, the classroom filled with chatter.
Lu Chen's phone lit up with a weather report: just when spring was about to shift into summer, the city had suddenly dropped a few degrees.
He frowned slightly. The breeze outside still felt warm—he couldn't sense any obvious change in temperature.
There was also news about crops being frost-damaged on a farm in the southwestern suburbs, which made Lu Chen feel something was off.
With the Gate of Teyvat about to open and the two worlds gradually merging, any unusual weather could be related.
Leaning back slightly, he overheard the source of gossip behind him.
Same old school chatter—like the fencing team's vow to redeem themselves against Experimental School, or how the new music teacher was wildly popular, even drawing non-music students to the lecture hall out of curiosity...
Forget it. No point relying on those two for real intel.
Lu Chen was just about to open the WeChat group to discuss the situation when a system prompt suddenly popped up.
[Challenge Task: Melting Ice]
[Within 72 hours, head to the deserted mountains in the southwestern suburbs and resolve the ley line anomaly. Welcome the new character Qiqi.]
[Reward upon completion: 1,600 Primogems, 1.6 million yuan in real-world currency]
A new challenge had arrived, and this one was a little different from the previous two.
Those had involved helping Genshin characters complete difficult tasks. This time, the goal was to resolve the anomaly first—then welcome the character.
Ley line anomaly? No wonder the city's weather had gone weird.
This time, the focus was clearly on combat. All the leveling and training Lu Chen had done would finally come into play.
So those Slimes by the beach weren't for nothing after all.
And... the new character was Qiqi?
The image of the little girl from Liyue's Bubu Pharmacy flashed in Lu Chen's mind. A child with a tragic past, caught in the crossfire of an Adeptus-demon war, her body had died in an accident.
The Adepti had infused her with immortal energy to revive her, but she became a zombie. She could only act on command.
Yet she was one of the rare zombies who had her own consciousness—and could give herself commands.
...
During lunch break, Lu Chen and Raiden Ei met up in Venti's lecture hall.
Both of them were deeply concerned about the new challenge. Lu Chen laid everything out honestly, and Raiden Ei's expression turned serious.
"Ley line anomalies are extremely dangerous. Your strength is still too weak. I'm going with you!"
"This is a rare training opportunity," Venti said lazily. "With you tagging along, he won't even need to lift a finger. You call that protecting him?"
Raiden Ei looked over at Venti. Lu Chen silently nodded in agreement at what Venti had said.
He wanted to grow stronger. He didn't want to always be protected under Ei's wing.
This was just the beginning—harder challenges would follow. As the former top fighter of Inazuma, Lu Chen couldn't stand being shielded by someone he cared about.
"Just focus on the match. Isn't your rematch with Experimental School in three days?" Lu Chen smiled.
"Matches mean nothing to me." Raiden Ei shook her head firmly. "Or rather, nothing here does. I joined the school team only because you needed me to."
She looked quietly at Lu Chen, those amethyst eyes reflecting only him.
Lu Chen sighed.
"Can you stop feeding me dog food already..." Venti clicked his tongue. "Fine, I'll go with him. I don't have many classes right now—asking for leave is easy."
The lecture hall fell silent for a moment. Raiden Ei still didn't say anything.
Venti blinked. "No way! Isn't having the Anemo Archon Barbatos accompany him enough? You still don't trust me?"
Raiden Ei glanced him up and down. Venti was sitting on a student's desk, legs swinging like a child, looking anything but serious.
She gave a small, silent nod.
Meaning—no, she didn't trust him.
"Huh?!" Venti jumped off the desk. "Come on! You seriously underestimate me! I am a archon, you know!"
Raiden Ei smiled. "Fine. You two go—I'm staying."
Lu Chen smiled and took her hand. "Focus on the competition. When you're done, we'll go cheer for you and celebrate your win!"
"Keeping promises" was one of Lu Chen's life principles. Since he'd promised the school, he'd do his best to follow through.
Besides, letting Venti and Ei stay behind after the mission had its purpose. Knowing the system's nature, there were bound to be more challenge tasks ahead. Quitting now would make all their previous efforts pointless.
"Be good, alright?"
"Mm."
Raiden Ei nodded so slightly it made Lu Chen wonder if she'd actually heard him.