"Alice, I need to know why you came to Liyue."
The young man, his black hair streaked with warm orange and his eyes as deep as golden amber, gazed at the blonde witch before him. His tone was calm and firm.
"Oh, Mr. Zhongli, consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, you shouldn't always look so serious. I mean no harm."
The witch smiled as she replied, an openwork golden hat atop her platinum braids and Dodoco swaying gently with her hair. Her red-and-white dress made her red, cross-shaped pupils look all the more lively. Danger, playfulness, and mature elegance blended strangely in her.
"I only came to Liyue... to find a little pet I accidentally lost."
"A pet?"
"Mm-hmm."
Zhongli turned his hand over, and a transparent golden cube appeared out of thin air in his palm.
Inside was a peculiar creature, neither quite a rat nor quite a cockroach, quietly chewing on a kernel of corn.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
Alice's beautiful eyes lit up, and a flash of delight at finding what she had lost crossed her cross-shaped pupils.
"Little Black, so this is where you ran off to!"
Little Black?
He really was her... pet.
Zhongli shook his head slightly and was just about to return him to her.
The Cockroach Rat heard Alice's voice and abruptly looked up.
When he saw Alice and her smiling face, his fur immediately stood on end!
Haki Cockroach Rat: Spinosaurus form!
Activate!
"Hiss~ Hiss~ Hiss!"
Zhongli froze.
Why was the little fellow so agitated?
He had been quite docile in Zhongli's hands.
"Little Black, what's wrong? Have you forgotten all those days I took care of you?"
Alice pouted, looking hurt.
As his owner, having her pet hiss at her was heartbreaking.
But the Cockroach Rat wouldn't listen. He only wanted to get away from this woman, this great demon!
Zhongli tried holding him out, and he hissed louder. When Zhongli pulled him back, his hissing grew quieter. After trying it a few times, Zhongli no longer knew what to say.
"A beast with such... intelligence. Could it be that you mistreated him?"
Without deep-seated hatred, he wouldn't show such intense hostility.
In that case, Zhongli needed to think carefully before handing the Cockroach Rat over to Alice.
All things had spirits, and those who abused living creatures were despicable.
The Cockroach Rat was mild-tempered and had never hurt anyone. Though he looked strange and had a few extraordinary abilities, and though he might cause some panic if he ran into a busy market and needed to be watched, that was no reason to let him continue suffering abuse at his original owner's hands.
"How could I possibly mistreat Little Black? I was so good to him. I even built him a house, and I was afraid he wouldn't eat well, so I went to other countries to collect food for him. When he got sick, I personally prepared potions to treat him... I did so much for him, and he's still hissing at me."
Like a misunderstood pet blogger, Alice began pouring out her grievances to Zhongli, listing everything she had done to care for her pet.
"Hmm..."
Zhongli fell silent.
Alice's expression didn't look feigned, and there were no flaws in what she had said. She truly had the creature's best interests at heart.
But then why had the Cockroach Rat reacted...
As the situation reached a bit of a stalemate,
"I've got it."
An idea suddenly struck Alice, and she pulled a plate of food from the Dodoco bag she carried.
"Little Black, I brought you some new food this time. I'm sure you'll love it!"
She beamed, her face full of concern and affection.
But when Zhongli got a good look at the dish, his expression changed at once.
What the hell was this indescribable thing giving off purple vengeful spirits?
With the appearance of the dish, even space seemed to warp.
When the Cockroach Rat saw Alice bring out that kind of food again, his fur instantly stood on end with fright. He clawed frantically at the walls, desperately trying to break through the seal and escape.
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak-!"
"Is this... thing what you usually feed him?" Zhongli asked hesitantly.
"Ah, more or less. It's all Little Black's favorite food." Alice gave a blissful smile.
"Don't worry, Little Black. I'll bring it to you right now."
Those words dealt the Cockroach Rat an even greater blow!
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak-!"
Watching the indescribable thing draw closer and closer, the Cockroach Rat's fear reached its peak. Terrible memories surfaced in his mind one after another, until finally-
He foamed at the mouth, his limbs pointed skyward, and he fainted (sad).
Zhongli: ...
He desperately wanted to ask Alice,
What made you think he liked it?
Can't you see he's nearly scared to death?
Has she really kept a pet before?
Countless questions and complaints filled his mind.
Seeing the Cockroach Rat faint, Alice said, distressed:
"Little Black, Little Black, what's wrong now? Did you faint from hunger? I'll give you something tasty right away. Come on, open wide, ahh~"
Better not.
Zhongli hurriedly put the cube away.
Alice grasped at empty air.
"Ahem, this creature still needs some quiet rest and recuperation. I'll look after him for now and return him to you another day."
"Hey, I'm his owner. I can take good care of Little Black." Alice puffed out her cheeks.
Give me a break.
Before she brought out that dish, Zhongli might have believed her a little. Afterward, he no longer had any expectations of her.
Eating that kind of... dark cuisine every day, it was no wonder the Cockroach Rat refused to acknowledge her as his owner.
Even the house Alice had built for him, the potions she had used to treat him... and all her other care might have been extreme in their own way.
Rather than raising him, she was torturing him.
The kind of torture that would make even an enemy let go of a grudge.
Yet Alice herself was oblivious, unable even to read her pet's emotions.
The Cockroach Rat was remarkably resilient to have survived this long.
With Zhongli insisting, Alice was unable to take Little Black back as she wished.
Though Alice was a little disappointed that she couldn't take Little Black back immediately, she trusted Zhongli's character. Little Black wouldn't be mistreated in his care.
Cockroach Rat: This is heaven!
"Now that you've found the creature's whereabouts, if you have no other business, you should leave Liyue as soon as possible." Zhongli issued the expulsion order without hesitation.
"You're asking me to leave so soon? As the Geo Sovereign, shouldn't you show a little hospitality?" Alice's lively, cheerful smile returned.
"Another day."
Zhongli shook his head.
Liyue was going through troubled times, especially with that Skyfrost Nail up above. He needed to focus on dealing with it and didn't have the energy to keep an eye on a witch as well.
Having Alice leave Liyue was the best option.
Though it sounded somewhat indecently heartless, those who knew Alice's impact knew what she was like-a ticking time bomb.
Alice wasn't a coy young girl. She was a mature witch and mother, and she understood what Zhongli meant. Showing no unusual emotion, she nodded understandingly.
"All right, I'll visit again another day."
Zhongli breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"However-"
Hmm? (Image)
Zhongli looked at her, and Alice continued:
"I have another pet... well, I suppose it doesn't count as a pet. A research specimen has gone missing, and I'm looking for it too."
"Missing? Is it in Liyue as well?"
"It should be. I followed its scent all the way here."
Zhongli sighed.
Sure enough, things weren't as simple as he had thought.
"If it's a spirit beast like Little Black, I can search for it on your behalf."
"Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Zhongli."
Alice winked playfully.
"But I think I've already found its whereabouts."
"Oh?"
(Let's post one more chapter to make it seventy thousand words.)