Celestia snapped her fingers, and a force pried Aether's mouth open.
With a wicked grin, Celestia approached Aether, holding a bowl of stinky cow organ soup.
Seeing that Aether didn't recognize what she was holding, Celestia said,
"O Esteemed Prince, this soup was specially prepared for you—stinky cow organ soup. The main ingredient is grass eaten by a cow that hasn't yet been digested. I'm sure you'll absolutely love it, heehee~"
As soon as Aether heard the explanation, he felt nauseous and began gagging uncontrollably.
He struggled desperately, trying to break free from the ropes.
Celesti casually waved her hand, and several dark red chains of energy bound him even tighter to the chair.
She scooped up a spoonful of niubie soup and brought it to his mouth.
"Come now, Your Highness~ Time for your soup~"
The moment the soup went down his throat, Aether passed out cold.
March 7th watched the whole thing, finding it way too brutal. When Xiangling heated that stuff earlier, the smell alone was enough to make her shudder.
Let's just say, after cooking it, Xiangling threw the pot out on the spot.
Ye Yun, seeing how miserable Aether was, clicked his tongue in sympathy. "Bro Aether... Rest In Peace!"
Afterward, everyone dispersed—those who were playing Calestial Jade went back to their game, and those assembling PCs kept on working.
Xianyun glanced at Hu Tao, who was deeply into her mahjong game. Her eyes sparkled, and an idea popped into her mind.
She suddenly transformed into her human form, mischievously picked up a computer, and ran upstairs.
Once on the second floor, she dropped the computer on the ground and grinned.
"Hehehe… Let's see what secrets this otherworldly machine holds!"
Just as she was about to disassemble it, a divine power wrapped around the computer and returned it to the first floor.
Sensing it came from the Geo Archon, Xianyun instantly wilted.
Sigh… caught again.
All she could do was trudge back downstairs, watching the others assemble computers with longing.
As a tech enthusiast, being able to look but not touch was absolute torture!
Finally—
By late evening, Ye Yun and the others had successfully assembled all 1,000 PCs.
Silver Wolf even used the Ether Editing to redecorate the internet café—adding a front desk, drink machines, and more.
The first floor was a general hall, still priced at 998 coins per hour.
The second floor had five-person private rooms, 1,998 coins per hour.
The third floor featured eSports suites for two people to game and rest, priced at 69,998 coins per day.
Hu Tao led everyone on a tour, then clapped her hands and said,
"Thanks to everyone's help, I've asked Xiangling to prepare a feast—this meal's on me!"
Upon hearing that, the group burst into applause.
Led by Hu Tao, everyone headed cheerfully toward Wanmin Hall.
Along the way, laughter and chatter filled the air. Stelle suddenly said,
"Should we skip going to Fyxestroll Garden tonight? How about an all-night gaming session?"
March 7th immediately shook her head.
"No way! Every time you guys charge in without protecting the marksman—it's such a terrible experience for me!"
Stelle chuckled.
"Don't worry—this time, I'll protect you!"
March 7th thought for a moment.
"Hmm… alright then. All-nighter? What do you think, Hu Tao?"
Hu Tao, the queen of staying up late, was all in.
"No problem! Let's dive into the canyon together tonight~"
Lumine and Amber chimed in, saying they wanted to join too.
Eula, however, preferred other games—she wasn't that into the canyon.
Klee, Hook, Diona, and Bailu were running around with little windmills, trying to make them spin.
These windmills were gifts from Xianyun, and the kids loved them.
Ye Yun looked at Hook and suddenly remembered—she hadn't gone home in a while. Would her dad be worried?
He decided: after attending the grand opening of Hu Tao's new internet café tomorrow, he'd take Hook back for a visit.
As for Diona, Venti had already visited her father in full Archon regalia, saying she'd be training with him.
Naturally, Diona had resigned from her tavern job.
From Jean and the others' perspective, Diona had way more room to grow by staying with Ye Yun.
At the very least, her worldview would expand greatly.
Plus, with Ye Yun's full support for the kids' hobbies, Diona had access to abundant learning resources.
She even got hands-on guidance from the likes of Himeko and Welt.
Diona genuinely enjoyed it here—not only did she have friends to play with, but she also got to experiment with terrible-tasting drinks in the train lab every day.
With his mind made up, Ye Yun planned to take the four little ones to Belobog the next day.
Nearby, Jing Yuan, Welt, and Zhongli were quietly munching on skewered candied fruit.
Ye Yun asked, and it turned out Jing Yuan bought them—curious to try sweets from another world.
After tasting it, his verdict: not bad. Made from sunsettia fruit—sweet and tangy.
Before long, the group arrived at Wanmin Hall.
In the first-floor kitchen, Xiangling and Master Mao were busy cooking.
Since upgrading to a modern kitchen, the father-daughter duo could cook much faster—no more chopping wood or fetching water.
Even Guoba had switched roles—from fire-stoker to vegetable chopper.
Stelle lifted the kitchen curtain.
"Xiangling, we're here~"
Seeing everyone arrive, Xiangling said,
"Wow, you're early! I just started cooking. Head upstairs and relax for now."
Stelle walked into the kitchen and saw Xiangling frying pork strips—planning to make Guo Bao Rou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork).
It was a new dish she learned from a cookbook and added to the Wanmin Hall menu right away.
Everyone who tried it loved it—the feedback was amazing.
Xiangling thought for a moment, coated a big bowl of fried pork in sauce, and handed it over.
"Stelle, take this up first. The other dishes will be ready soon."
Stelle's eyes lit up. Fresh out of the pan—this had to be good!
So—
She carried the big bowl upstairs.
On the second floor, everyone was already seated and chatting.
It's worth mentioning that Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, and Yelan were also present.
According to Ningguang, she was a shareholder in the new internet café too, so while Hu Tao handled the front end, she had to manage the support side.
Tonight's dinner? Her treat.
Stelle placed the bowl on the table.
"Come on, everyone~ Xiangling made Guo Bao Rou! Try it!"
Everyone eagerly grabbed a piece.
"Mmm~ this is delicious!"
"Hu Tao, does the chef at Wangsheng know how to make this?"
"Nope."
"Then fire him—what good is he if he can't even make Guo Bao Rou?"
"Alright, alright, Celestia—don't blame our chefs. Honestly, only Xiangling in all of Teyvat can pull this off."
***
Soon, the table was filled with dishes, and everyone sat around together to eat.
Xianyun was enthusiastically recounting stories from when Ganyu was little.
"Back then~ Ganyu was chubby and round, really cute.
This one remember once, the first time she saw a human, she thought it was a monster and hid in a corner crying loudly.
Oh, and once she rolled down a mountain and was swallowed by a monster. Guess what? The monster choked to death on her."
Everyone listened with great interest—no one expected Ganyu to have such an embarrassing past.
Ganyu instantly felt mortified and wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
"M-Master!"
Seeing Ganyu puffing her cheeks in anger, Xianyun finally stopped.
"Alright, alright~ This one won't say more. This one just don't get why little Ganyu wanted to lose weight so badly. Round and chubby is cute!"
Jing Yuan, sipping his wine, looked at Stelle, Hu Tao, and the other girls, suddenly remembering the upcoming Martial Arts Ceremony.
Jing Yuan turned to March 7th and the others and asked:
"Luofu will soon host a Martial Arts Ceremony, aimed at encouraging friendly sparring and exchange among the younger generation. Are you interested in participating?"
Ye Yun, who was drinking nearby, immediately choked on hearing that.
"Jing Yuan, are you sure about letting Stelle and March take part? The two of them combined could probably beat a whole squad of generals."
Jing Yuan smiled at Ye Yun's expression.
"Yes, it's just a friendly match. Aren't Stelle and March part of the younger generation too?"
Ye Yun didn't quite understand what Jing Yuan was thinking. Oh well, there was no doubt—Stelle would be the final champion.
Stelle's strength was far beyond her peers. Yanqing and Yunli were talented too, but...
March 7th and the others immediately got excited about the Martial Arts Ceremony and clamored to participate.
Xianyun suddenly remembered her disciple on the mountain—Shenhe.
"General Jing Yuan, This one has a disciple one's like to have join as well."
Jing Yuan looked over at Xianyun. This was, after all, a long-lived old monster from Liyue and an immortal; her disciples shouldn't be weak.
"Sure. Just have her come along with Stelle and the others."
Xianyun nodded and used immortal magic to send a message to Shenhe in Jueyun Karst, telling her to come down the mountain.
After the meal, everyone returned to the new internet café set up by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, and Yelan came along too.
Everyone would stay in Teyvat for the night and attend the grand opening of the new internet café in the morning.
Hu Tao, Lumine, March 7th, Stelle, and Silver Wolf immediately ran upstairs to a private room to play games together.
Amber, who wanted to play a MOBA, was dragged by Eula to try other games instead.
Xiangling launched Overcooked and dragged Keqing to play with her.
The two of them were chattering chaotically in the private room.
"Keqing! Tomatoes! Give me the tomatoes!"
"Aren't the tomatoes over by you?"
"No, they're on your side! Look for yourself!"
"Oh, oh! Okay, okay, I'll grab them now!"
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning.
Early in the morning, everyone gathered at the entrance of the new internet café owned by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu Tao and Ningguang, the two bosses, stood in the middle, ready to cut the ribbon.
Crowds of people packed the entrance—completely packed. Ningguang had even called in a squad of Millelith to maintain order.
Childe and La Signora also showed up with a squad of Fatui soldiers to observe the opening ceremony from the crowd.
After alternating speeches from Ningguang and Hu Tao, the two of them held the scissors together and cut the ribbon.
Hu Tao shouted loudly:
"Dear customers! The Wangsheng Internet Café's new branch is now open! Come on in, everyone! Please line up to register for a membership!"
The crowd poured into the internet café, lining up on the first floor to register.
To speed things up, Silver Wolf had built a membership card system for Hu Tao. Players just had to input their card and password to log in.
People like Childe and La Signora, who already had cards, went straight upstairs.
The two of them each picked a private room on the third floor and went in.
Without a word, La Signora started up Audition Online.
Once online, she found a contact named "Invincible Celestia" in her friend list and sent a message:
La Signora: "Trash! Come fight me!"
A reply came quickly.
Invincible Celestia: "Who are you calling trash?"
The two created a room and chose a song with a "moderate" difficulty level that was hard for both of them and began their duel!
Invincible Celestia: "You're going down! I've practiced this song to where I only miss three keys!"
La Signora: "Heh."
Childe, meanwhile, launched Meteor, Butterfly, Sword and continued his freewheeling duels.
Business at the new internet café was surprisingly good. In just half an hour, all the seats were filled.
Ningguang and Ganyu stepped in to help, both of them working the front desk to register membership cards.
In Belobog
Ye Yun took the four little ones to the Administrative District.
They first visited Hook's father at his home. Hook's dad had a new job now—working at the Icefield Deer Ranch.
This job was considered a cushy one in Belobog: relaxed, high-paying, and secure.
When Hook saw her dad, she ran over joyfully.
"Daddy!!! Hook is back!"
Her father, Feisman, was overjoyed to see her too.
"Hook!!!"
Fersman crouched down to catch the rushing Hook.
Hook was adopted by Fersman; her biological parents had long since vanished.
Hook happily clung to his neck.
"Daddy, how have you been lately?"
Fersman smiled.
"I've been great. My illness is cured, and I'm working at the deer ranch now. Life's really good."
Hook was thrilled to hear her dad was doing well.
"That's great! Daddy, what about Julian and the others?"
Fersman replied:
"They're all living in the orphanage established by former Guardian Cocolia. They're doing well—have food and clothes."
Hook nodded.
"That's good to hear."
At this point, Fersman noticed Ye Yun and quickly stood up.
"Mr. Ye Yun, I didn't expect you to return as well."
Everyone in Belobog knew the Astral Express crew well. Thanks to Bronya's efforts in spreading their story, most people could recognize them.
They were, after all, heroes of Belobog.
Ye Yun smiled.
"Fersman, long time no see. The last time we met was right before the Express departed."
Fersman nodded with a smile.
"Yes, yes. Back then, you asked if I'd let Hook travel with the Express. I agreed right away.
Hook is still young. Letting her see the world is a good thing. Only by leaving this small place can she find a better future.
Unlike me—I'm old now. I'm content just having a job, food, and clothes."
Ye Yun said:
"Hook is lucky to have a father like you."