Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

He looked up and glanced to his left, where the fireplace was right in front of him. Miss Ying was wearing a cool white summer dress, sandals, and a straw hat that slightly covered her long, golden hair. The brim of the hat cast a light shadow that covered her eyes, obscuring her expression.

Ying glanced at him lightly, her gaze indifferent, but Qing Nuoyan seemed to read the hidden meaning within—a clear message: 'You're dead when you get back this time!'

Qingnuoyan, with his eyes closed and his mind focused, pretended not to know anything and turned a deaf ear as he grilled his fish.

He just wanted to be a carefree nobody... why was he put on the grill and roasted?

"These are fish I bought with my own money." She looked away, calculated the bill, and said calmly, "Three hundred moras per pound, I paid for them."

“Yes, I, spend, money,” she repeated, enunciating each word clearly.

"You're the one who should leave."

As expected... everything said in the garden reached Miss Ying's ears.

Qing Nuoyan felt like he was going to be completely roasted today.

Qing Nuoyan only regretted that he was so poor when he was young that he couldn't even scrape together money to buy fish. When he was desperate, he went to the God of Wealth, Mr. Zhongli, to borrow money. But when this guy opened his mouth, he said something like "generally speaking rationally," which left people half-understanding. In the end, he couldn't even get half a penny.

One person and one god couldn't scrape together enough Mora... so they had to find a rich young woman named Ying to support them.

He shifted his gaze again, like a fish on a grill turning over to face the other side of the stove.

“Blonde,” Lia said.

A handsome god is indeed a handsome god; even his words are concise and to the point.

“I paid for the fish,” Ying said. “It’s your turn to leave.”

“Blonde,” Lia said.

"..." Ying, like a little lion with its mane bristling, stared at Liya's beautiful face with her bright golden eyes, and grunted threateningly, "Don't you dare mention blondie again!"

"This beach is mine."

As expected, Lia didn't mention the blond guy. She brushed her soft, silvery-white hair behind her ear, glanced at Ying with a disdainful look, and said, "This sea is mine too."

"You are not a resident of this city, and I do not welcome you."

The attack power on this side is also very high.

Qing Nuoyan withdrew his gaze, lowered his head even further, and focused intently on brushing oil onto the grilled fish.

"Is this Qingnuo Rock?" Ying said coldly. "Since you're not welcome, then we'll leave."

"Qingnuo Rock is it. You can manage on your own."

"Why?"

“I have two,” Lia said calmly.

"...What?" Ying was a little stunned.

Two pieces.

Lia took out two amber-like, sparkling fragments. The warm sunlight fell on the crystal fragments, scattering layers of light—these were fragments of the Heart of the Contract. She proudly spread her hands and displayed them to Ying as if showing off, "Two hearts, but you only have one."

"I have more than you."

"You...!" Miss Ying gritted her teeth, making a soft clicking sound. She turned her head and stared intently at Qing Nuoyan, the 'you're dead this time' meaning hidden in her eyes growing stronger...

“More than you.” Lia raised her delicate neck slightly, taking advantage of the situation, and said as if adding fuel to the fire, “Twice as much as you.”

My beautiful god, please stop talking... If you speak again, Ying will definitely rip my heart out and cut it into seven or eight pieces... Then I can even perform a skit like, 'Master Ying, do you want this kind heart, or this Buddha-like heart...?'

Qingnuoyan secretly groaned.

"Waaah..." Miss Ying retreated step by step, letting out a whimper like a wounded animal, "Don't mention the fragments again!"

“Blonde,” Miss Lia said.

"You...!" Ying turned around, stared at Qing Nuoyan who was pretending to be dead, and said, "You, you go and talk!"

Ying pointed at Heulia and said like a child tattled, "She...she bullies people."

What am I supposed to say... I'm just a piece of trash that's been roasted.

No matter which way you flip over, you'll get roasted.

Stop being stubborn...

Qing Nuoyan opened his mouth, feeling his lips were a little dry. He hesitated for a long time, trying to think of what to say, but he didn't know how to start. The scorching summer sun covered him, making him feel hot and oppressive, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his cheeks.

Lia also stared at Qingnuoyan, her golden eyes calmly reflecting his face. The beach was eerily quiet, with only the sound of the waves crashing.

Sizzle, sizzle.

After a long pause, Qing Nuoyan finally managed to utter a sentence:

The fish is burnt.

His brain was also fried. He looked pitifully at Ying, then pitifully at Liya. He looked back and forth between the two of them and tentatively asked, "...Can we eat the fish first?"

-

These two have finally stopped causing trouble.

As the sun slowly sets, the orange afterglow of the setting sun covers the beach, a gentle breeze is blowing, and fine salt grains shimmer with golden light on the sand.

It was almost dusk.

As it turns out, fish does indeed burn if grilled for too long... The skin already had a smoky color, but it didn't affect the taste much. Leah took a small bite of the sardine, and after a while, she lowered her eyes:

"So... you're leaving Liyue?"

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue softly.

Instinctively, he gripped his collar, but his expression remained calm.

"Are you here to say goodbye?"

"Mm." Qing Nuoyan nodded.

When do you plan to leave?

"We'll be leaving soon. The boat has already been arranged," Qing Nuoyan said softly. "We're going to Inazuma."

The ship has been arranged. Mr. Zhongli is indeed a well-known figure in Liyue Town, with many connections. Even though Inazuma has blocked the area, he was able to find the fleet—the merchant ship of the [Southern Cross] fleet, whose captain is named Beidou.

"Why?" Lia stared into Qing Nuoyan's eyes. "Why are you leaving?"

"Ugh..." Qing Nuoyan hesitated for a moment, as if making up his mind. He rolled up his sleeve, and beneath the thin sleeve, deep black veins could be faintly seen in his almost translucent white skin.

Lia's slender, fair fingers tentatively touched the lines, but quickly withdrew.

"Although the karmic obstacles have disappeared, they have ultimately been in my body and left some things behind. Should I call it 'pollution'? It's a minor aftereffect."

It is indeed a very minor aftereffect, because the karmic obstacle has completely died, and this thing can only be considered as the remaining [power].

Furthermore, if Qing Nuoyan could completely absorb and digest this power, he would be able to take a significant step forward on the path to godhood.

The so-called "filthy body" described by the system refers to this thing; it is this inhuman body that can withstand the heart of God.

After several days of testing, Qing Nuoyan has figured out a part of the power of this so-called 'ascending to godhood' talent, which may also be its most important power—that is, breaking the limiter of mortals.

Take Fushe as an example. He became the Grand Marshal of Tengshe before he was a hundred years old. He slaughtered countless gods in the war between demons and gods and reached the peak level of level eighty-nine. However, in the following five hundred years, Fushe was unable to make any further progress.

This bottleneck is the limit between mortals and gods. He could never break through it in his entire life.

Ascending the Divine Steps... means embarking on a different path, a path without restrictions, where birds can fly freely in the sky and fish can leap freely in the sea.

"There is a tree in Inazuma, called the Divine Cherry Tree on Divine Cherry Island. It can purify these remaining 'impurities'."

"So...you're going to Kamisakura Island? To purify yourself of the impurities?"

Liya stared into Qingnuoyan's eyes.

“There are other reasons too…” Qing Nuoyan scratched his head, “I just have this inexplicable feeling that I should go to Narukami Island—maybe it’s because I’m craving the food there.”

He wanted to see more places; he was a traveler to begin with.

So you're leaving.

The campfire crackled and popped—the firelight reflected in Lia's eyes as she gently hugged her knees, curling up slightly.

"But you are a resident of my city...you promised."

What kind of residents...?

That awful guy who always calls me Yellow Hair.

Ying doesn't like Heureia...

This guy is always bragging, saying he has twice as much as me...

But for some reason, listening to her words and looking at her, she inexplicably... felt a little reluctant.

That guy did help Qingnuoyan after all.

Ugh, this is so frustrating!

Yinglue took the last bite of sardine, paused, patted the sand off her clothes, stood up, and said in a muffled voice, "I'll go over there. You guys talk things out."

Ying... Qingnuoyan looked at Ying.

"What are you looking at?" Ying turned her head away and scolded softly, "I just thought it was too noisy."

She gave Qing Nuoyan a fierce look: "...Don't do anything strange!"

Miss Ying is so cute... Qing Nuoyan genuinely thinks so.

half an hour.

Only Liya and Qingnuoyan remained on the beach.

Dusk slowly faded along the coastline, the cool moonlight shimmering softly. The campfire crackled and popped.

For a moment, the two fell silent.

"If you want to leave, then leave," Lia said coldly. "A beautiful god doesn't want you anymore."

Under normal circumstances, if this guy wanted to leave, Heureia would simply imprison him in the salt of the earth. After two thousand four hundred years, she is no longer the salt goddess she once was. Retreating will only lead to loss—this is the path she has etched into her life.

But Qingnuoyan was going to Inazuma to purify the remaining filth on his body.

Then she... can't stay.

Despite wanting it so badly, despite promising not to back down, despite feeling so unwilling... I clearly promised not to hurt God.