Genshin Impact: Back From Teyvat - The Archon Follows Me Home!

"Damn author! Where are you?!"

"Why haven't you updated yet? Waaah…"

"How many days has it been? Are you dead? If not, get out here and update!!"

"What happened to Liyue in the end? Is the Geo Archon still alive? Say something, author!"

"Waaah, dear author, how am I supposed to live without you…"

Seeing all the reader complaints, Lu Chen guiltily closed the comment section and opened his editor's private messages instead.

"@Chief Writer of Yae Publishing House, Brother Chen, are you still alive?"

"Everyone says you died in the legendary land of Teyvat. Is it true?"

"Hurry and update! The editor-in-chief is already yelling at me!!"

"My year-end bonus… Brother Chen, please, I'm begging you, update already…"

Lu Chen closed the editor's DMs just as sheepishly. He really hadn't updated in a while. Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks had cut off right at the climax of the Archon War…

It wasn't his fault. Between the fencing championship, the trouble caused by the Memorial Mirror, and some matters involving the Abyss Order, he hadn't had a moment to sit down and write.

Now looking at the backend, the novel's views had already dropped below 500k, and the comment count had exploded past 999+... all of them complaints, of course.

It looked like if he wanted to complete the "Read Novels, Choose Yae Publishing House!" quest, he'd have to pick Floating World back up again...

As for the other two popular authors...

Standing on the second-floor balcony, Lu Chen looked down, scanning for candidates.

Tonight's stars were unusually bright, reminding everyone of Teyvat's dazzling night sky. The whole household was gathered downstairs, stargazing.

"Hey, anyone want to write a novel?"

Everyone kept looking at the stars, ignoring him.

Lu Chen frowned and raised his voice.

"Hey! Anyone want to write a novel? The rewards are great!"

Qiqi looked up at him, her lifeless eyes widening slightly.

"Excuse me… what's the reward…"

"Qiqi, huh..." Lu Chen glanced at her. "Yeah, maybe not Qiqi."

"Can I get another wish?" Yae Miko chimed in.

"Nope, not you either..." Lu Chen shuddered at the thought.

"I still need to study calculus and learn to bake cookies," Ei said, shaking her head. "Very busy. No time."

"Oh..." Lu Chen turned directly toward Zhongli, Venti, and Hu Tao.

"I have someone in mind," Zhongli said, looking toward their housemaster, who was squatting on the ground catching crickets.

"Master Hu is a literary genius, a once-in-a-lifetime talent."

"Oh?" Lu Chen vaguely recalled that Master Hu had a knack for writing humorous verse, even calling herself Liyue's "Dark Alley Poet."

Her "Hilichurl Ballad" was her most famous piece—rumor had it the tune was beloved far and wide, with its dark meaning and eerie undertones praised by storytellers alike...

"Ooh, writing a novel? That sounds fun!"

Hu Tao's plum blossom eyes lit up. She released the poor cricket and looked up at Lu Chen with eager interest.

Then she cleared her throat.

"Ahem! The sky tonight is clear, the sea is vast, and the moon is bright..."

"A perfect setting for a poem~"

"Master Hu, what a cultured soul." Lu Chen watched as Hu Tao swayed her head, her expression solemn like a grand poet from Liyue Harbor—like a literary masterpiece was about to be born.

She glanced at the stars, then at the sea, and without hesitation, recited:

"A star in the sky, a corpse on the ground~

The Master carries corpses, smiling all around!

If there's not enough coffins, then—"

"Yeah... never mind." Lu Chen quietly turned and headed back to his room.

He figured he'd shelve this task for now—unless Young Master Xingqiu showed up, there really wasn't much hope...

...

The next morning, everyone gathered at the door, getting ready to head to the Starlight Carnival.

Originally, only Diluc needed to stay behind to mind the shop. Unexpectedly, Zhongli didn't want to go either.

"The Glaze Lilies at the door need more care, or they'll wither easily." His reasoning left Lu Chen no room to argue.

"If Lord Zhongli isn't going, then I'll stay too," Xiao followed up.

"No!" Lu Chen and Venti said at the same time, their tone unusually firm.

Xiao showed a rare hint of helplessness. This so-called "Starlight Carnival" meant absolutely nothing to him—he couldn't understand why everyone was so excited about it.

Tending to the flowers with the Emperor sounded way more interesting.

"We agreed to let Xiao experience more of the mortal world!" Venti strongly objected to him slacking off with Zhongli.

Xiao looked toward his Emperor. Zhongli gave a small shake of the head and sighed.

"Venti is right. It'll help suppress your karmic affliction."

"Hear that?" Venti looked at Xiao's reluctant expression and grinned. For some reason, he felt incredibly satisfied—like he'd just poached someone else's follower.

"I'm not going either!" Hu Tao puffed her cheeks and glared at Lu Chen.

"Hm?"

Lu Chen noticed she was holding a thick stack of handwritten pages. Was she trying to write a novel?

"You said I couldn't write one, so now I have to prove you wrong!!" With that, she turned and stormed back to her room with her manuscript.

"Huh?"

Lu Chen turned to Qiqi, who was usually glued to Hu Tao, a bit curious. "Do you know what kind of story she's writing?"

Qiqi shook her head. "She wouldn't let me read... I only saw a little..."

"A little's fine. What did you see?" Lu Chen was getting more intrigued.

"Corpses, death, and darkness..."

"Oh? A horror story?" Lu Chen stroked his chin—sounded pretty on-brand for her.

"Anyone else staying behind?" He looked around, then paused on Miko.

"Hey, Chief Editor Yae—you're well-read. Writing a light novel should be no problem for you, right?" Lu Chen considered. She was probably the best pick.

To complete the quest, maybe he should just lock her in to write while everyone else hit the red carpet. Let her enjoy the grind and pressure for once...

"No way!" Miko's eyes flashed, her beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowing dangerously.

She crossed her arms. "I've already said—the reason I became an editor was to read novels. And to enjoy the delightful process of tormenting authors with constant deadlines! If I became a writer myself, where would the fun be in that?"

"And besides—" She saw Lu Chen about to say more and quickly warned:

"I'm going with you. Don't even think about leaving me behind!!"

"Uh..." Lu Chen looked into her intense violet eyes and, for some reason, felt a little guilty.

"Don't worry, we won't be gone long. We'll be back soon..."

"No!"

"Five days—"

"No!"

"Three days?"

"No. Way." Miko hugged her arms, glanced at Lu Chen, then at Ei, and huffed.

"If you two disappear again without a word, where am I supposed to find you? I need to keep an eye on you!"

"Miko..." Ei and Lu Chen exchanged glances.

Seeing her stubborn expression, their minds drifted back to the past.

Back to the cherry blossom trees... to the little fox who chased them endlessly for a piece of fried tofu.

And, of course, to all the laughter that once filled those days.