"Where have you been, Traveler?!"
Sniffle "Paimon and Lumine have been looking for you... hic... for so long... sob... even the bards said... the winds couldn't find a trace of you. Everyone thought you'd... you'd already died... Even Hu Tao was heartbroken for the longest time..."
"There, there. I'm back now, Paimon. Don't cry. Look what I brought you."
Sniff "Steak! N-No, don't think you can bribe Paimon with just one piece of steak! Paimon's not that easy to buy off!"
"What if it's five pieces?"
"Five?! (???`?)"
Guuuuu~~
Just hearing the word steak made Paimon's stomach roar with longing, but her heart still wasn't ready to forgive Gong Qu so easily for running off without a word.
Her body and mind were in open conflict, twisting her little face into a crumpled mess as she struggled to choose the right expression.
Gong Qu pinched her chubby cheeks and turned to the Gatekeeper who had arrived late.
"There are still a few stragglers nearby. Go take care of them."
His words carried a deadly chill.
"At once, Master!"
The Gatekeeper raised his god-bestowed, infinitely enchanted bow and strode off toward the pack of monsters drawn by the commotion.
At that moment, even if a dragon had landed in front of him, he would've loosed two arrows without hesitation.
"Long time no see, Paimon."
"Mmmph... It's been so long since I've had something this tasty. Huh? Keqing? Am I so starved I'm hallucinating now? Am I actually seeing Keqing?"
"You're not hallucinating. She's the real deal."
Gong Qu gave Keqing's backside a little lift as he shifted her weight. The heaviness pressed against his back.
Blushing, Keqing shot him a sidelong glare and quickly hopped off his back.
"After starving for so long, steak is too heavy for your stomach. Paimon, drink some milk first. I'll cook up some porridge."
"Okay~~!"
Paimon replied, drawing out the syllables with delight.
Gong Qu ruffled her hair. "Why are you alone? Where's your usual companion?"
Hearing this, Paimon's face fell.
"It's... it's all your fault, Qu! When you disappeared, Lumine and I searched every corner of Teyvat for you. Eventually, we found Zhongli, and he told us to ask the bards—he said nothing escapes their ears. But even they said... either you left this world or... you died."
"Lumine cried for hours that night. The next day, she locked herself inside Angel's Share, drowning in drink like an old drunkard, burying herself in barrels of wine."
Paimon spilled everything in one long tumble of words.
Everything she'd kept inside—her longing, her grief, her frustration, came pouring out all at once.
She didn't even notice when Gong Qu pulled her into his arms. Her mouth just kept moving.
"Alright, you've been talking for nearly half an hour now. Your throat must be dry. Here, have some porridge."
As Gong Qu's designated little chef, Keqing's maid satchel was always stocked with ingredients, cooking tools, and essentials like white rice.
Paimon took the steaming bowl of porridge and downed a giant gulp.
"Wow! It's sweet!"
"I added a little Sweet Flower nectar. Qu once told me that something sweet helps with digestion when you're tired or hungry."
"Ehehe, it's delicious!"
Paimon slurped the whole bowl clean, even licking the sides. Then, holding the empty bowl with both hands, she looked up with sparkling eyes. "More, please!"
Used to feeding small creatures, Keqing fondly patted her head and took the bowl back for a refill.
Gong Qu wiped a bit of porridge from the corner of Paimon's mouth with his thumb. "No rush. Eat slowly. Once you're full, we'll head back to Mondstadt together."
"And I'll explain everything, why I left, and where I've been."
Thirty minutes later.
"Phew... I'm stuffed. Okay, Traveler, Paimon forgives you now!"
"That's it? Your forgiveness is that cheap? Just one meal?"
"Eh? No, no! One meal's not enough. At least... at least five! Wait, no, ten!"
Paimon looked down at her hand, realized it only had five fingers, and then raised both hands, showing ten fingers just to be sure.
Gong Qu chuckled and raised a single finger.
"How about... a lifetime? I have an entire world's worth of resources at my fingertips now. Feeding one tiny glutton isn't even a challenge."
"Waaah! Qu, you're the best! Deal! Pinky promise!"
Feeling like she'd struck gold, Paimon stuck out her little pinky, afraid he'd change his mind.
Smiling, Gong Qu linked his pinky with hers.
Very soon, with Keqing tidying up the area and the Gatekeeper finishing off the remaining monsters, Gong Qu prepared to set off again, this time with Paimon.
"Um, Qu, I took a commission from the Adventurers' Guild yesterday and haven't finished it yet."
"What kind of task? Tell me, I'll have someone take care of it for you."
"Eh? R-Really? It's not even that hard, just cleaning the Statue of The Seven at Starfell Lake."
Gong Qu glanced toward the charred statue in the center of Starfell Lake, then turned to the Gatekeeper, who was munching on bread to restore his fullness.
"My faithful follower, would you mind cleaning that statue over there for us?"
Plop!
The half-eaten bread dropped from the Gatekeeper's hands. Tears welled in his eyes, shining like stars.
"At once, my Creator!"
Keqing watched as the Gatekeeper dove into the lake, brimming with purpose, and couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Qu... can his body take it? He hasn't rested since he got here."
"Don't worry. His health bar's still full. I also checked, after I psychologically manipulated him earlier, he gained a morale buff. The guy's running on infinite stamina right now."
The Gatekeeper, such a reliable tool!
Gong Qu was already considering whether he should build more Gatekeeper huts and form a whole squad of... devoted believers. Yeah, believers. Definitely not tools.
And besides, he had gifted that overpowered enchanted bow,it's not like he was some heartless capitalist, right?
When Paimon first flew from Mondstadt to Starfell Lake, it took her an entire day and night of dodging danger to get there.
On the return trip, Gong Qu simply formed an elemental shield and rocketed back like Superman, carrying her and Keqing along with him, less than two hours, start to finish.
Screeech!
With a single foot, Gong Qu skidded to a dramatic stop, leaving a brake trail thirty meters long.
"Ugh. I really need a dragon mount. Running on the ground like this? Lame. Keep this up and I'll end up bald like Saitama."
He bit into a steak to replenish the drumstick-worth of fullness he'd just lost.
Keqing and Paimon dismounted from his back.
The former had long grown used to sleeping in Gong Qu's~