Night Market

(Brain storage area)

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yiyi turned on his phone and found that it was already eleven at night.

The sobbing girl gathered herself and stood up again.

"Alright, this Hall Master lost her composure just now. You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about it."

Hu Tao returned to her usual lively, carefree self. With a grin, she spoke to the man and boy before her.

Her emotions had always come and gone quickly. After such a heavy day, Lin Yiyi smiled faintly. "Come on. We finally made some money, and it's just the three of us now. Let's go have a good meal."

Zhongli nodded as well. "Though it is late, there is nothing wrong with indulging ourselves once in a while."

Hu Tao sprang to her feet. "Since even the consultant says so, shall we go find a place that serves that hotpot you mentioned?"

Lin Yiyi nodded, then hailed a taxi by the roadside and raced with them toward the food street.

However, Lin Yiyi had overlooked the fact that it was already eleven at night. The food street was still packed with customers, most of them office workers born after 2000 or university students. Moreover, most hotpot restaurants had already closed. Lin Yiyi and Hu Tao looked at each other, then both turned to Zhongli.

He was the oldest of the three. Even though Lin Yiyi was a local, he instinctively handed the decision over to Zhongli.

"Why are you looking at me? Well, since it is nighttime, why not try some snacks like fried skewers?"

Zhongli folded his arms, considered it briefly, and offered his suggestion.

Lin Yiyi said nothing. He merely watched the bustling crowd nearby. Some people had already noticed them and were whispering about Hu Tao and Zhongli.

Most people here were young, so naturally they were familiar with Genshin Impact. The boy realized he had no choice but to separate Hu Tao and Zhongli again.

After thinking for a while, Lin Yiyi said to the two of them, "How about this? Let's buy some late-night snacks and take them home. It's cold outside at night."

With Zhongli's intelligence, he naturally saw through the boy's thoughts and agreed, "Indeed. Dining indoors is more comfortable than eating outside."

"What does Hall Master Hu think?"

Hu Tao remained silent, whether because she was still thinking of her family or considering what to eat tonight.

When Lin Yiyi saw that she did not respond, he tugged at her wide sleeve.

"Travel companion, look! There's a little snake with four legs on the ground!"

She had always possessed a wildly imaginative mind, so what caught her attention often differed somewhat from what others noticed. Hu Tao took the boy's hand. Unlike Kamisato Ayaka's dignified and elegant personality, Hu Tao was not overly restrained by etiquette, so holding hands came naturally to her.

Pyro characters were all so cheerful and lively, weren't they? the boy thought. No, except for the owner of Dawn Winery.

Pulled along by her, Lin Yiyi looked in the direction she pointed and discovered a tiny reptile lying there without moving.

"Oh, that? It's called a gecko."

It was already early spring. Even though there had been a light drizzle last night, it did not stop the temperature from rising.

Spring had returned to the land, and all things were awakening. Looking toward the food street, one could see blossoms blooming on every tree along the road.

Naturally, some small animals would awaken as well, so encountering these little creatures was only to be expected.

"What kind of tiger is that? Is it a type of tiger? Are tigers in your world this tiny? Does it bite people? Is it fierce?"

"..." Lin Yiyi was momentarily left speechless by the barrage of questions, unsure how to answer. Still, he explained, "A gecko is a kind of lizard. It's timid and won't bite people."

Only then did Hu Tao understand. She then asked, "I see. Can we take it home and keep it?"

"If you mean taking it back to Liyue, probably not. It wouldn't adapt to the environment and wouldn't live long."

"Ah, what a shame. Say, travel companion, the creatures in your world really are amazing."

"Something this tiny is actually named after a tiger."

Lin Yiyi smiled and said nothing.

In one world, there were even people who could turn into white tigers.

And there were all sorts of bizarre and fantastical worldviews besides.

Afterward, Lin Yiyi withdrew several hundred yuan in cash from a small convenience store. When he came out, he said, "Mr. Zhongli, could I trouble you to buy some fried skewers? I'll get some snacks for us to eat when we get back."

He handed Zhongli two hundred yuan. "Just buy whatever looks good. Get whatever you want. I don't eat spicy food."

Hu Tao immediately added, "This Hall Master doesn't like spicy food either, so Consultant Zhongli, don't forget!"

Zhongli chuckled. "Then I shall go first. Once we are finished with our respective tasks, let us meet here."

After the composed man left, Lin Yiyi sighed.

He had finally found another excuse to send the two of them away.

"Teacher Hu Tao, could I take a photo with you?"

Lin Yiyi turned toward the voice. It belonged to a bespectacled girl who looked about his age, though she was around twenty centimeters shorter than him and about the same height as Hu Tao. She seemed quite shy and carried a crossbody bag. Lin Yiyi noticed that her bag displayed plenty of Hu Tao merchandise.

Holographic cards, instant photos, pin badges...

As Lin Yiyi looked at her, the girl's eyes seemed to shine.

"She's a huge fan of yours, Hu Tao." The boy pointed at the crossbody bag by the girl's waist.

Hu Tao followed the direction of his finger and discovered that it was covered in merchandise of herself.

"You two should take the photo first. Don't keep the girl waiting." Lin Yiyi smiled. After the pair took a cheerful photo together, he explained, "That kind of bag is called an ita bag. People usually pin merchandise of their favorite characters inside it."

Hu Tao nodded. Lin Yiyi had previously explained what "favorite" and "superfan" meant. Put simply, liking a certain character made them one's favorite, while buying merchandise related to that character, editing character videos, drawing fan art, and similar things counted as being a superfan.

However, there was not much difference between fans and superfans now. Both gave the best love they could within their means.

"Teacher, you look so accurate! What an incredible face!" The little girl then launched into a flood of praise.

Lin Yiyi smiled. "Looks like she really likes you."

A trace of pride appeared on Hu Tao's face as she put her hands on her hips. "Looks like this Hall Master is quite famous in your world?"

Lin Yiyi smiled but said nothing.

"Wow, that voice! You're literally Hu Tao herself!"

"And that pose, Teacher... I'm crying!"

The girl's eyes seemed to sparkle with stars. Lin Yiyi felt like she was only one step away from pinning Hu Tao to the ground and showering her with kisses.

Watching the two chat happily, Lin Yiyi pondered something. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

"Teacher, do any of your friends have Zhongli?"

"Holy shit!"