I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

"In that case, we'll take our leave."

He arrived swiftly and with great fanfare, but left without a sound. Before Fu Hua and the others could even hear his words, he, along with the [Gold] alchemist Reinhardt, the witch, the prince, and others around him, vanished in an instant.

As if time had been cut out, Fu Hua noticed nothing in her sight as the group disappeared without a trace.

"gone?"

This strange character, who was a perfect example of starting strong but finishing weak, made Fu Hua pause for a moment. But the next second, she realized that although Zhong Li's answer was not a definite confirmation, the fact that he did not deny it represented a silent acknowledgment.

Since Zhongli has indirectly acknowledged Ike's guess, then the other party naturally has no reason to stay.

"However, the departure was so decisive. That's surprising." After understanding the other party, Fu Hua shook her head slightly: "I thought this guy named Ekko would be more troublesome."

"Such a decisive departure feels a bit off."

Fu Hua slowly revealed her thoughts, her voice filled with doubt: "You didn't even try? You just left so decisively?"

"In the story he just told, he was obsessed with resurrecting the [girl]. I thought he would bow his head and beg Zhongli."

“It is precisely because he left without hesitation that we need to be more vigilant.” Gui Zhong’s expression became even more serious: “Perhaps he has already decided that Zhong Li will not help him, and no matter how much he begs or how humbles himself, Zhong Li will not help him.”

"Perhaps he was so sure of this that he left without hesitation."

"If that's the case, then it means he must be an outrageously paranoid person."

"I'm afraid they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals."

"..." Fu Hua nodded slightly in understanding: "That is indeed possible."

Zhong Li, standing to the side, had one arm crossed over his chest and the other supporting his chin, lost in thought and remained silent.

The traveler girl, lagging behind everyone else, had a tense face and seemed to have tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Paimon, who was attached to her, sensed the pain in the girl's heart.

She gently comforted him, "At least, your brother is still alive."

"Yes, I know." Tears streamed down the traveler girl's cheeks, blooming into glistening ice flowers on the snow.

She knew, of course, the meaning of this reunion. Her tears contained three parts joy, three parts melancholy, and the rest was sadness.

"Traveler".

Zhongli's voice suddenly entered her ears.

At some point, this ancient Rock King Emperor stood before her, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "My contract with you may not last much longer."

"Huh??" The traveler girl was stunned for a moment. She was about to say something when the contract between her and the Rock King Emperor suddenly flashed through her mind.

I will help you solve some problems during your trip. All you need to do is focus on what you're supposed to do.

Our contract will not end until either your goal is achieved, or my goal is achieved.

What Zhongli just said means that...

"My purpose? To reunite with my brother?" The traveler girl murmured to herself as she looked at Zhongli, then shook her head firmly: "No, Mr. Zhongli."

"My purpose is not only that!"

"Hmm?" Although Zhongli used a questioning tone, the look in his eyes as he gazed at the traveling girl was not one of doubt, but rather one of encouragement.

He seemed to be encouraging the young female traveler to stand firm in her mind and speak her mind.

"I want to travel..."

The young traveler spoke while slightly lowering her head.

Her voice was very soft, but Zhongli, Fu Hua, and Gui Zhong heard it very clearly.

"The wind god Barbatos once told me: whatever the purpose of your journey, never forget the journey itself."

"I didn't quite understand the meaning of that sentence at first."

"But at this moment, perhaps I understand a little."

"Travel is travel, and travel in Teyvat is also a kind of travel. Although this kind of travel has a different purpose, the essence of travel cannot be denied."

"This is also one of the reasons why my brother and I travel to different parts of the world."

"That is to discover the beauty of the world, to discover the beauty of life."

"In the world of Teyvat, although I want to find my brother, the people I encounter in the process of finding him are also the most beautiful scenery on my journey."

"Whether it's Ganyu who dedicates everything to Liyue, Keqing who works diligently, or Jean who forces herself to work overtime and even dares not rest when she is sick for the prosperity of Mondstadt."

"Whether it's the mischievous Claire, the seemingly poor Mona, or the impulsive yet composed Noel."

"Whether it's the idle wind god Barbatos or Morax, who tirelessly strives to resurrect his loved ones."

"I love these people, these lives."

"I fell in love with this continent of Teyvat, this world shrouded in a false starry sky, during my short journey through these two kingdoms."

"I have fallen in love with this world, and with the feeling of traveling in it."

The traveler girl's long-winded speech made Zhongli's contemplative expression even more profound.

He looked at the young traveler who had inexplicably raised her head, her eyes seemingly sparkling with the light of the morning star, and asked, "So, what do you plan to do from now on?"

Ying smiled.

This smile, compared to the shyness he usually showed when facing Zhongli, and the freedom he showed when facing his brother, contained a hint of enlightenment and reflection.

“I want to continue traveling in Teyvat, whether I find my brother or not.”

"I want to meet more people in this Teyvat world, I want to see more of the scenery in this Teyvat world, I want to see more of the kingdoms and gods in this Teyvat world."

"Of course, at the end of this journey, I will definitely share with my brother the people I met, the scenery I saw, and the things I experienced."

"And in the end, I will also find out what earth-shattering secret lies hidden beneath the false sky of Teyvat, which has filled this world with so much tragedy and suffering."

"I am willing to step into the vortex of fate in this world, and no matter what, I will shoulder my responsibilities."

Even if it was arranged by someone, even if it was fate, I entered into it of my own free will.

"I will definitely do it, and I am absolutely capable of doing it."

"Because I am the traveler---Luminous, a passerby among countless worlds, a child of man, the protagonist of destiny, a troublemaker of the world, and also a pioneer who will tear apart the false starry sky of Teyvat."

After hearing what the traveler girl said, Zhongli was clearly stunned.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently reminded her, "You've already passed the second year of middle school, and Ying, you're already hundreds of years old."

"Ugh~~~!" Ying's cheeks visibly flushed red: "No... it's not chuunibyou..."

At this moment, Little Paimon stepped forward, crossed her arms, raised her head proudly, and looked at Zhongli with a smile: "Hahaha~~~! Our Ying is just being a chuunibyou, it's just her feeling, hahaha~~! Don't laugh."

"Little Paimon, you laugh the loudest." Gui Zhong smiled and tapped Little Paimon's head.

Although Fu Hua had a slight smile on her lips, she was noticeably more serious. She looked at Ying and nodded slightly: "Since you have such a wish, then you should resolutely carry it out."

"The puzzles of the Teyvat world are clearly unusual, as if someone has been maintaining the puzzles of the entire world, and you are the one who solves them."

At this point, Fu Hua's gaze shifted to Zhong Li: "It's obvious that someone knows all the riddles and all the answers, but he might not say it."

"Yes, I can't say it."

Zhongli naturally replied, "If I were to say it out loud, it might not be a good thing for you, young traveler. You need to explore slowly on your journey."

"Yes, I understand." The traveler girl nodded understandingly.

"Alright, alright." Paimon patted Luminous on the shoulder, looking like he knew everything.

"Now that the mystery here has been almost solved, we should head back, Ying."

"To be honest, it's really cold in the snow-capped mountains."

"kindness."

The girl nodded slightly, watching the glistening snowflakes drift down from nowhere. The warm breath she exhaled from her rosy lips rose higher and higher with the cold wind.

Her gaze and thoughts, along with the snowflakes, crossed the mountains and caught up with the golden-haired prince in the distance.

----Brother, you must wait for me. I will solve all the mysteries and overcome all the difficulties. Then, the two of us will continue our journey in Teyvat.

---Without any ulterior motive, just like our previous trips, we simply enjoy the beauty of this world and the loveliness of the people we meet.

Wait for me, brother.

.......

"Yawn~~~~!"

Within an unknown space, the blond prince couldn't help but sneeze.

"What's wrong? Is someone thinking of you, Your Highness?" The witch moved closer to Kong, a charming smile playing on her lips, her smooth, serpentine body almost touching him.

"Hmm..." Sora couldn't help but shift to the side: "Perhaps it's my sister."

"Your Highness, you're still so innocent." The witch covered her lips and giggled. "The more you're like this, the happier I feel."

"But, my sister?"

She touched her lower lip with her slender finger, raised the corner of her eye, and thought for a moment: "I remember Your Highness, you seemed to have mentioned before that this is a reunion after five hundred years. You must be very happy."

"Yes, I am very happy, so happy that I wish I could hug her right now, hold her hand and tell her everything I have experienced in the past five hundred years."

The blond prince sat there and spoke slowly.

“But I don’t want to involve her. The enemy we are fighting is too powerful, and what we are doing is too evil.”

"As her brother, I know what kind of person she is, even after five hundred years."

"Having her by my side will only be torture for both of us."

Upon hearing this, the witch fell silent.

She knelt down and sat beside the blond prince, gently placing her slender hand, clad in a black lace glove, on his head.

She stroked the boy's hair, gently and tenderly comforting him: "Prince, how pitiful."

"You have met the sister you have been longing for, and it is a reunion after five hundred years, but the path you have taken prevents you from recognizing her and from holding her hand like before."

"Prince, how pitiful."

"I'm happy to offer you my embrace, feel free to enjoy it as you please."

"Ahem! Don't talk nonsense." Reinhardt, the alchemist of [Gold] with a blurred face, coughed twice to remind himself that he was still there.

"Kong, don't think too much. There are too many difficulties and obstacles on our path. It's impossible to bring your sister along."