"Am I dead? My chest hurts so much!"
Lin En woke up on a wooden bed.
"No. The Geo Archon saved you."
A familiar voice came from beside him. He turned toward it and saw Ronava.
She sat by the window, reading an ancient text.
"Looks like heaven doesn't want me dead either. It wants me to stay, so I won't leave. Ow, ow, ow!"
Lin En raised both hands above his head, but the sudden movement pulled at the injuries on his arms, twisting his face in pain.
The afternoon sunlight of Liyue Harbor streamed through the window and fell warmly on Lin En.
He looked down at his chest. It was wrapped in thick bandages, and he could faintly smell herbs. They were probably medicinal herbs from Bubu Pharmacy in Liyue.
He tried moving his arm and hissed in pain, but at least he could still move it.
"If you don't want to spend a few more days in that bed, stop moving around."
Without looking up, Ronava turned a page.
"How long was I unconscious?"
Lin En asked.
"Three days."
"Three days?"
Lin En's eyes widened. He had been unconscious for that long? Then who had taken care of his daily needs during those three days?
"Then you, these past three days..."
"I stayed."
Those two short words shocked him. Had Ronava personally looked after him for three days? Was this really the same cold, aloof and unfeeling Ronava he remembered?
Ronava closed the book and finally looked up at him. Her complexion was indeed a little paler than before.
Her gaze was as calm as ever, but when she saw Lin En wearing that ever-present smile, the corner of her mouth moved almost imperceptibly.
"You acted decisively when you stepped in front of me."
"I didn't have time to think. If you'd been hit, we'd both have died there. But if I sacrificed myself to protect you, you'd still have had a slim chance of survival."
Lin En tried to scratch his head, but pulled at his wound again.
"You really are an idiot."
She slowly stood up and handed him a bowl of medicinal soup. Steam was still rising from it, and the liquid was pitch-black, with a bitter, astringent smell.
"Drink it."
Lin En took the bowl. The bitterness rising from the vivid green medicinal soup hit his taste buds, making him swallow involuntarily.
"Um... did you put any sugar in this?"
Ronava didn't answer, only giving him a cold look. Lin En gave in under her gaze and drank the medicine, his whole face scrunching up from the bitterness.
"So bitter! Why is this medicine so bitter? That's traditional Chinese medicine for you."
Lin En complained a few more times. This medicine was ten times more bitter than what he had drunk on Earth.
Lin En looked up at her and found that she had walked over to the window and was looking outside.
People came and went along the streets of Liyue Harbor. Vendors' cries, children's laughter and shouts from the distant harbor mingled as they drifted inside.
Seeing the melancholy in Ronava's eyes as she stared outside, Lin En asked in confusion.
"What's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind."
"You don't belong to this world. Why did you save me? Am I of any use to you?"
Lin En froze at her words.
"How did you know I don't belong to this world?"
"I suspected it from the start, because of the strange clothes you wore when we met. After regaining some of my power, I also discovered that your status didn't belong to this world, which made me even more certain that you were a Descender."
Lin En also felt that there were some things he did need to tell her. Of course, he still had to keep some things secret, such as that strange system.
"So you want to win me over, defeat Phanes and become the new king?"
"Wait, wait, wait. Where did you get that idea? I only saved you because I didn't want you to become a sacrifice to the Heavenly Principles."
Lin En hadn't expected that simply telling Ronava about Earth would make her think he had come to take down Phanes. Perhaps some things from Earth had shocked her too much, like phones and nuclear bombs?
"Can you get your hands on that kind of weapon now? Just one..."
Lin En hurriedly interrupted Ronava.
"I can't."
"Very well. If weapons with such destructive power were used indiscriminately, the order of Teyvat would likely fall into chaos."
"Good, as long as you understand."
"You just said you weren't leaving. Why?"
"Because someone still needs me."
Lin En smiled. Although the wound on his chest still ached faintly, this smile was more relaxed than any he had shown before.
"If I left and she couldn't find me, that wouldn't be good."
Ronava didn't turn around, but Lin En saw her fingers tighten slightly around the book.
"If you bring those things up again, I'll..."
A rapid burst of footsteps sounded outside, followed by the door being shoved open with a bang.
"Lin En! Ronava! Are you two all right?"
Hu Tao rushed in with a food box in hand, followed by Zhongli at a leisurely pace and an exasperated-looking Zibai.
"I heard you ran into a Ruin Serpent in the Chasm? Oh my gosh! That thing is no pushover. Good thing Zhongli said you were all right, or I was going to come collect your... uh, come help you!"
Halfway through, Hu Tao realized that "collect your bodies" wasn't very auspicious, so she changed her words and set the food box on the table.
"This is a special medicinal meal. They say it's good for restoring your vitality."
"Thank you, Director Hu."
Lin En thanked her with a smile.
Zhongli stepped forward, his gaze lingering on Lin En for a moment.
"From a rational standpoint, Lin En can be considered a young hero. Such character is rare even among his peers."
"Exactly, exactly! Putting yourself in harm's way to save someone-you're a true role model for the rest of us."
Hu Tao chimed in. Although she had lost a job, it was more important that they were alive.
"You're too kind. I only did what I should have. And who is this?"
The two had embarrassed Lin En, so he hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh, this is Zibai, an old friend of mine. She now helps out at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with us."
Zhongli explained. Zibai rested a hand on her chin and looked from Lin En to Ronava. She was growing more and more confused about what the people before her were trying to do, but she introduced herself nonetheless.
"Hello, my name is Zibai. As Mr. Zhongli said, I work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Hearing this, Ronava looked at Zibai and thought in confusion.
She's alive too? What other secrets does Liyue hold?
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group left.
Ronava stood and placed the ancient text on the table.
"I'm going to Dragonspine."
Lin En paused.
"Dragonspine? I remember there's a nail there too."
"With only a tenth of my power restored, I still can't stand against Phanes. As for you, you're too weak right now. I can go alone this time."
"Alone? How long will it take my injuries to heal?"
"At least half a month."
Lin En did the math.
"I think ten days should be enough. Wait ten days for me, all right?"
"Then half a month."
Ronava sat back down in the chair by the window and picked up the ancient text again.
"We'll go in half a month."