"That wasn't it. Kimono were within my tastes too, but I just thought school uniforms looked prettier."
"You think school uniforms are pretty? You just think they show more skin, and you're lusting after schoolgirls' bodies. You filthy bastard!"
The girl wore an expression that said she had seen right through him.
"As for why I wear a kimono, it's related to my name. You should know what a Zanpakuto's name represents."
"Ah, I get it, I get it."
Li Yue understood instantly and raised a hand to show that he got it.
The girl nodded understandingly, then crouched slightly as she looked at Li Yue.
"All right, we've talked enough. It's time to begin."
Li Yue froze.
"Wait, you're serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Did you think I was joking? You are me, and I am you. Don't you understand your own personality? If someone's going to get screwed over, naturally it should be..."
"One of our own!"
Li Yue's face darkened. Damn, he had forgotten about that. As a Meme Lord, what he loved most was watching his own people make fools of themselves. As the saying went, better a fellow Daoist die than me. That was why he had pretended not to know Zhongli in front of Zhongli and kept talking about the Vago Monarch. And now, his Zanpakuto, his other half, was going to mess with him!
"This is the fun part, my friend!"
The girl gripped the scabbard with her left hand, crouched slightly, and grasped the hilt with her right. Her aura changed instantly as blue light flickered around her.
"Wait, we're going this hard right from the start?!"
Li Yue's eyes widened as he prepared to run.
Yet before he could take a single step, everything suddenly turned black and white.
Then, white lines appeared throughout Li Yue's vision, slicing it into countless fragments.
Crack—
Like glass, the world in Li Yue's eyes shattered after being covered in white lines. Intense pain surged through him.
"Holy shit!"
When he opened his eyes again, Li Yue had returned to reality. He was sitting cross-legged on the chair, while Xingqiu read a novel beside him. The Asauchi that had rested on Li Yue's knees had become a long sword with a white hilt and black scabbard.
Li Yue grabbed the long sword with his left hand and stood up from the chair, rubbing his neck with his right. The sensation of suddenly being sliced into pieces was still fresh in his mind. Even after returning to reality, the place where his neck had been cut still hurt.
"As expected of my other half. The first thing she did was screw over one of our own."
As he sighed, Li Yue looked at the long sword in his hand. Though his own Zanpakuto had messed with him, he had received an excellent result. Both its appearance and its abilities were top-tier. As expected of me!
Grasping the hilt with his right hand, Li Yue spoke the release command he had been told at the same moment he was cut down.
"Sever the world, Yamato!"
Enma's Blade, But It Could Double Jump!
Meme Lord: Woohoo~~~ Taking off~~~
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: What now? You're yelling first thing in the morning. Did you peep on some beautiful girl?
Meme Lord: How tragic, Shiyu-senpai. We're clearly in the same Chat Group, yet you cannot share in my joy. What a tragedy.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Speak normally!
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Li Yue-kun must have successfully awakened his Zanpakuto.
Meme Lord: Godfather really gets me! Thumbs up/Thumbs up/Thumbs up/
Meme Lord: Following what Godfather told me last night, I performed Blade Meditation twice today. During the second time, I successfully entered my Inner World and awakened my Zanpakuto.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Oh? Then congratulations, Li Yue-kun. It seems that you are also an unprecedented genius when it comes to the talents of Bleach.
Meme Lord: I can't compare to Godfather. You awakened yours during your first Blade Meditation, and it was such an awesome Illusion. It took me two tries.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: So you came here to trade compliments with Aizen?
Meme Lord: Shiyu-senpai, it seems you have grown. I'm very pleased.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: ...
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Could Li Yue-kun tell us about the abilities of the Zanpakuto you awakened?
Aizen was extremely curious about what sort of abilities Zanpakuto awakened by people from other worlds would possess.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Of course, it's fine if it's inconvenient to say.
Meme Lord: Godfather! What's mine is yours, so there's nothing inconvenient about it. But I probably can't explain it clearly with just a few words, so I'll upload a file for you all directly.
Meme Lord uploaded a new group file.
Aizen immediately downloaded the group file. He received the memories of a man with slicked-back hair like his future self, wielding a blade and slashing around, and thus understood Li Yue's Zanpakuto abilities.
The Japanese pronunciation of Li Yue's Zanpakuto's name was Yamato. In Japanese, it translated into Chinese as "Yamato," which was why the image of Li Yue's Zanpakuto wore a kimono. The appearance matched the name, didn't it?
Of course, the name had another transliteration: Enma's Blade!
It was the demonic sword Enma's Blade wielded by a certain someone in the famous aerial combat game series! Li Yue's Zanpakuto abilities were Vergil's Enma's Blade!
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Spatial abilities, and it can directly sever space from a great distance. A very powerful Zanpakuto.
Aizen sincerely believed Li Yue's Zanpakuto abilities were powerful. As the final villain of Bleach, Aizen possessed formidable combat strength. With Illusion alone, he could easily take on ten opponents by himself. However, Illusion had one major weakness: it could not withstand enormous area-of-effect attacks from enemies on the same level.
No matter how strong Illusion was, it was still only a false illusion. If Aizen himself was truly injured in battle, the injury would not vanish. Moreover, if he wanted to inflict effective damage upon his enemy, he had to be on the battlefield himself. Therefore, he found opponents with extremely powerful area-of-effect abilities quite troublesome.
Of course, even ordinary Captain level opponents with powerful area-of-effect abilities could not harm him, because his Reiatsu was too strong. Battles in Bleach were fundamentally battles of Reiatsu. When his Reiatsu far surpassed that of his opponent, even an enormous area-of-effect ability could not inflict effective damage on him.
That was why Aizen had specifically restrained the Captain-Commander during the final battle. If the Captain-Commander unleashed his Bankai and attacked him indiscriminately, Aizen might not have been able to withstand it. Thus, he had specially created an Arrancar to restrain the Captain-Commander's flames.
Meme Lord: That's right. My Zanpakuto has tremendous offensive power, especially in direct combat, but its battlefield control is inferior to your Illusion, Godfather.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Indeed, it is powerful, but it also has obvious weaknesses.
When Aizen saw that Li Yue's Zanpakuto could perform a Dimension Slash over an enormous area to attack enemies, his first impression was that the ability was extremely formidable. However, he did not find it troublesome.
Enma's Blade was powerful, but its weakness was also obvious. If it truly unleashed a Dimension Slash over an enormous area, its wind-up was rather long. It could easily catch someone off guard if they did not know its abilities, but against someone familiar with Enma's Blade, that wind-up would be fatal. It would also be difficult to hit them, since the top combatants among Bleach and Hollows were all extremely mobile and would have already escaped.
Therefore, Aizen was not worried that this Zanpakuto posed any threat to him. Besides, he would not consider Li Yue a potential threat.
Though they had only exchanged a few words, Aizen had already rapidly analyzed Li Yue's personality. Just as Li Yue's nickname in the group suggested, he was a Meme Lord, with a somewhat ridiculous side. His thoughts might be unconventional, but he would never be some champion of justice or heroic savior.
If he ever went out to save the world, it could only mean one thing: saving the world could bring him amusement.
Furthermore, from Li Yue's initiative in proposing a trade, Aizen could tell that Li Yue regarded him as a partner rather than a competitor. Aizen was also happy to become friendly partners with Li Yue, because as the Group Leader of the Chat Group, Li Yue had given him opportunities to contact other worlds and provided limitless possibilities. Aizen was very satisfied with that. As for Li Yue always calling him Godfather, Aizen believed that Li Yue was merely amusing himself at his expense. Such things were insignificant to Aizen.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: So after all that, what exactly is a Zanpakuto? How can it do something like that?
Kasumigaoka had also downloaded the file and seen the memories of that man swinging his sword and demonstrating techniques. Although she knew Li Yue and Aizen both came from supernatural worlds, she still did not quite understand.
Meme Lord: Didn't you watch the story from Godfather's world, senpai?
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Not yet. I was angered by Akise Tomoya yesterday, and after I returned last night, I went straight to thinking about my novel's plot. I didn't watch any other stories at all.
Meme Lord: Go take a look now and you'll understand. It only takes one second anyway.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings downloaded a group file.
Following Li Yue's instructions, Kasumigaoka downloaded the story file for Bleach. After finishing it, she fell silent.
Several minutes later, she sent another message in the group.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: I'm glad I live in a peaceful, ordinary world.
Kasumigaoka Utaha did not pay much attention to Aizen, the villainous final boss. What truly concerned her was the setting involving souls—consumable goods that could be purged at any time in order to maintain the balance of the world. It was far too inhumane.
Meme Lord: Oh? Shiyu-senpai wasn't afraid of Godfather after finishing it?
Following the usual pattern, shouldn't she have become terrified and wary after discovering that Aizen was a supervillain final boss?
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: I was somewhat afraid at first, but once I remembered Aizen isn't in my world, I wasn't so scared anymore. Simply put: how is that any of my business?
Meme Lord: ...All right, then...
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Li Yue-kun, while you are still happy, let me tell you the results of my research into Elemental Power.
Meme Lord: Oh? Has Godfather gotten results from researching Elemental Power?
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Yes, I have obtained some results.
A World That Loved Adding More Lore
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: According to my analysis, this Elemental Power is incomplete power, or rather, fragmented power. Like the Bleach and Hollows in my world, it forms part of the world's power rather than being complete power. It is simply that my world does not have as many branches of power, while your world, Li Yue-kun, seems to have quite a few.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: This Elemental Construct you gave me contains a very high concentration of elements, far exceeding that Raspberry from before. To a certain extent, it can even serve as a small source of Elemental Power, making it convenient for me to study other possible applications of this power.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: However, this element should be merely one branch of Elemental Power. I sense a heaviness within it, perhaps an attribute related to rock or earth. It is similar to the Kido-type Zanpakuto among Battle Soul Blades, possessing the abilities of natural elements.
As expected of Aizen. When Li Yue stuffed Zhongli's Heavenly Star into the red packet, he had not said what element it was, nor had he said how many elements existed in this world. Yet through his own research, Aizen had directly determined that Geo Element was not the only kind of Elemental Power.
Meme Lord: As expected of Godfather. The currently established broad setting of this world is that there are seven elements, though I can't say how many more there may be. What I gave you, Godfather, was a Geo Element aggregate, and it was created by the God of Geo Element.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: The God of Geo Element?
Meme Lord: Let me introduce the world I live in. Information about both of your worlds has been uploaded, so it is time to reveal some information about mine as well.
The setting of Original God was not yet complete. Considering how the MiHoYo world loved casually adding new lore, who knew how many new settings would appear later? Therefore, Li Yue could not simply upload a complete file.
Meme Lord: Originally, this world had no humans. Its primordial inhabitants were a group of dragon lizards who controlled elements. Their rulers were elemental Dragons, seven in total. The Primordial One came to this world and decided to seize it, so he created four gods: life and death, time and space. Leading those four gods, he defeated the elemental Dragons and became the ruler of the world. They reshaped the land into a place suitable for human survival, then allowed humans to multiply across it.
Meme Lord: That period was the most harmonious era in this world. The Primordial One was called Heavenly Principles, and also the First Throne. But good times did not last. Before long, the Second Throne descended into this world and waged war against the First Throne. The world underwent many changes because of that war, though I am not very clear on exactly how many changes occurred.
Meme Lord: After the war between the Thrones ended, many Demon Gods descended from the heavens. Each possessed different authorities and was scattered across every corner of the world known as Teyvat. Each ruled a region and led the humans who followed them, until one day, Heavenly Principles issued an order for the Demon Gods to slaughter one another. Obeying Heavenly Principles, the Demon Gods began the prolonged Archon War. This war lasted for a thousand years, until only a few victors remained. These victors were granted the title of the Seven Archons. Each controlled a different element, and they were also known as the Seven Sovereigns of the World, ruling the seven nations of the Teyvat continent.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: What are the seven elements?
Meme Lord: The elements controlled by the Seven Archons are Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro, and Cryo. The seven nations are Mondstadt, the Nation of Wind; Liyue, the Nation of Geo; Inazuma, the Nation of Lightning; Sumeru, the Nation of Grass; Fontaine, the Land of Water; Natlan, the Nation of Fire; and Snezhnaya, the Nation of Ice. The seven gods govern the seven nations, which make up the main portion of the Teyvat continent. Humans also largely live within these seven nations. The Seven Archons are the highest rulers of the seven nations, and I live in Liyue, the Nation of Geo.
Meme Lord: The Vago Monarch, who has ruled Liyue for thousands of years, recently wanted to retire. So he went among mortals disguised as an ordinary person, intending to live an ordinary life and prepare for his retirement in the near future. I also pretended not to know his true identity and lived by his side. After all, the Vago Monarch is the strongest martial god among the Seven Archons. As an ordinary person, living beside a martial god is the safest option.
Meme Lord: The stone I gave you before, Godfather, was created by the Vago Monarch using Geo Element. As the god representing the Geo Element, the Geo Construct he created using Geo Element naturally possessed the highest concentration of Geo Element. That is why you felt there was so much Elemental Power inside that stone.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: I see. Li Yue-kun's world is also a very interesting one.
Meme Lord: It truly is an interesting world. Remember how I mentioned that some people can use this Elemental Power? They possess special objects called Visions. Visions help them absorb Elemental Power from the outside world, allowing them to use it for combat, healing, and elemental creation. They are called Original Gods. Originally, I wanted to become an Original God, and my target was Geo Element. So I kept hanging around the Vago Monarch and dropping all sorts of hints, because Geo Element is excellent at defense. I wanted to obtain a Geo Vision to strengthen my defensive capabilities.
Meme Lord: But now, I haven't obtained a Vision. Instead, I got the powers of Bleach first.
Fat Woman in Black Stockings: You pretended not to know a god who wanted to retire, then kept dropping hints around him. You really know how to have fun.
Meme Lord: That's right. It's another kind of amusement, isn't it? The Vago Monarch wants to retire, so he cannot reveal his identity. That means I can say all kinds of things about the Vago Monarch right in front of him, and he can't refute me. Sometimes, when I see that conflicted expression on his face, I really want to laugh out loud.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: I can already imagine that scene. As expected of you, Li Yue-kun.
Aizen found Li Yue's twisted sense of humor rather speechless, but what interested him more was the setting Li Yue had described regarding the seven elements and Seven Archons. Research into Geo Element was still ongoing. He had only discovered that this Elemental Power was incomplete, while the specific properties of Geo Element still required experimentation. Li Yue said Geo Element excelled at defense, so perhaps it could be used on Hollows to strengthen their defenses. Unfortunately, the world of Bleach had no Elemental Power. Such research opportunities might be limited, so he wanted more Elemental Power and other kinds of elements as well.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Li Yue-kun, aside from Geo Element, what other elements can you conveniently obtain over there?
Meme Lord: When I was just an ordinary person, collecting Elemental Power might have been troublesome. But now, it will be very convenient. How about this? Over the next few days, I'll ask around about the Nation of Wind and see if I can make a trip there. Things like Elemental Power are purest when obtained from the gods themselves. If I'm lucky, I can get some Anemo Elemental Power from the Anemo Archon for you, Godfather.
Hair Gel Man in the Sky: That would be excellent.
I've Decided to Bring My Talent to Mondstadt
Xingqiu spent the entire morning finishing The Legend of the Condor Heroes. During that time, Li Yue performed Blade Meditation again, entering his Inner World to discuss techniques and abilities with Enma's Blade. Meanwhile, Hu Tao successfully sold zero Wangsheng Funeral Parlor commoner packages, leaving her deeply speechless. The limited packages sold so well, so why could she not sell any commoner packages?
After Xingqiu finished reading, the three of them headed together to Wanwen Bookhouse. Though Wanwen Bookhouse normally only sold books, having the owner help print books was not a problem. After all, Inazuma was currently closed off, and new books from Yae Publishing House could not get through. Wanwen Bookhouse also wanted new products to sell, especially since the book business in Liyue Harbor was practically hers alone. With such a monopoly, she was delighted rather than reluctant.
Amid Ji Fang's endless thanks, the three left Wanwen Bookhouse and began searching Liyue Harbor for somewhere to have lunch.
Leaving Wanwen Bookhouse meant passing by Liyue Harbor's two famous restaurants, Xinyue Xuan and Liuli Pavilion.
There was no way they could make it in time for places like Xinyue Xuan and Liuli Pavilion, which required reservations. Liuli Pavilion specialized in Liyue Cuisine, while Xinyue Xuan specialized in Moonlight Cuisine. Not only were they quite expensive, but reservations had to be made three months in advance. Forget tourists from outside the city—who basically had no chance to eat there—even locals had to wait obediently in line for a long time. Not even the Liyue Qixing were exceptions.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Li Yue clicked his tongue as he looked at Moonlight Cuisine outside Xinyue Xuan and Liyue Cuisine outside Liuli Pavilion.
"Do you have some idea, Li Yue?"
Xingqiu asked curiously.
"Nothing. I just think it's really difficult to eat at either of these places. Reservations are booked three months out. I've only been in Liyue Harbor for one month at most. Even if I had made a reservation on my first day here, I would still have to wait at least another two months before I could eat there."
"It is indeed difficult. Even my family has to wait a very, very long time if we want to have a meal at Liuli Pavilion."
Xingqiu nodded in agreement.
Before you continue