Boom!
The moment Gong Qu selected the build site—
A thunderous roar rang out.
The once-transparent digital blueprint flickered and began to materialize. From the foundations to the frame to the main structure… in what felt like a time-lapse sequence, a luxurious four-story manor—complete with pastoral fields and a pond—rose from nothingness, fully formed.
Still reeling from the spectacle, Gong Qu pushed open the manor's arched wooden gate. What greeted him was a spacious front yard.
Symmetrically arranged plots of cultivated land were brimming with vegetables and fruits. Judging by their color and shape, they looked like tomatoes, eggplants, and other common produce.
The edges of the courtyard were lined with citrus trees—oranges, pomelos—laden with ripe fruit.
"No wonder they threw in a maid. Cleaning a place this size would be a nightmare."
Suppressing the urge to explore further, Gong Qu opened his inventory and pulled out what was labeled the "Maid Talisman."
Use "Maid Talisman (Unused)"?
"Yes."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the talisman in his hand glowed with a soft, gentle light.
The light fell to the ground, and in its wake, a translucent humanoid figure began to take shape before him.
Bonus Skin Expansion Pack: Maid Edition available. Draw now?
Skin expansion pack?
Gong Qu studied the sudden prompt, deep in thought.
He'd used maid mods before.
In fact, the Dragon's Adventure Mod Pack he was currently running probably had an oriental maid module bundled in.
He remembered how those mods let players download character models and voice packs online. Characters from Touhou Project, Azur Lane, Genshin Impact—basically every major ACG franchise—had their own versions.
Could this maid skin pack be something like that? Would his maid transform into a 2D waifu from one of those games?
Gong Qu couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
He tapped the "Confirm" button—and instantly, a flurry of icons from countless franchises flashed before his eyes.
White-haired girls blinking, pink-haired girls blinking, girls with donkey ears blinking... all of them familiar poster girls from well-known titles.
Draw complete. Skin acquired: Keqing.
Loading maid skin pack: Keqing...
Before Gong Qu could even react, a series of system sounds chimed in. The luminous humanoid figure twisted and stretched, reshaping itself.
Seconds later, a violet-haired, twin-tailed cat-eared girl stood gracefully before him.
Long lashes fluttered. Her eyes opened—eerily similar to Genshin Impact's Keqing, though not quite identical.
"Master? …Wait—Traveler? What are you doing here?"
She spoke with the tone of someone greeting an old acquaintance.
Now Gong Qu was the one confused.
"You... know me?"
"Eh? Traveler, you're joking, right? Of course I know you. Where are Lumine and Paimon? Aren't they usually stuck to your side?"
Keqing stretched slightly, her gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
Clearly, the scenery didn't match Liyue. Her brows furrowed.
Gong Qu didn't explain right away. Instead, he carefully dissected what Keqing had just said.
From her perspective, it seemed he wasn't an invisible player, but rather a companion who traveled with Lumine and Paimon—someone who existed physically in her world and, more interestingly, looked exactly like himself.
So that flash from the skin pack draw earlier—was it not just cosmetic, but a full-on projection of his in-game avatar?
Was the maid skin not just a model overlay, but an incarnation of the character from his save file?
Gong Qu felt like he'd uncovered the truth. Now he just needed to confirm one thing—Keqing's stats.
He opened her inventory using his administrator privileges.
Character: Keqing
Level: 90
Vision: Electro
Friendship Level: 10
Constellation: Tier VI
Weapon: Mistsplitter Reforged
Artifacts: Thundering Fury (Feather), Bloom of Life (Flower), Thunderstruck Hourglass (Sands), Sweet Demise (Goblet), Stance of Storm (Circlet)
Full constellation, max level, R1 Mistsplitter, mixed electro and attack sets, and a weird Electro Goblet setup… yeah, this was his account alright.
"What are you doing? Why do I feel like you're... undressing me with your eyes?"
"You can't see this interface?"
Gong Qu pointed at the floating UI displaying Keqing's data.
"Interface? What are you even… huh? What's that?"
Keqing stepped closer, seemingly by accident, and wrapped her arms around his. On tiptoe, she peered at the slightly taller interface window.
Shfff~
Silky fabric brushed against his arm. Something soft, pliable, and unmistakably feminine pressed against him as she leaned in.
Gong Qu stole a glance at the flush spreading across Keqing's ears but didn't call her out on her sly behavior.
"This is your character sheet. It shows your gear, constellation level, affection rating, and so on. Also, because of the nature of this world, you've got a special 2×9 backpack grid for storing local items. Like this—"
He opened his own inventory and moved a stack of oak logs into Keqing's maid-specific storage.
"A-affection rating?! W-what do you mean, I—I don't feel that way about you!"
Keqing clearly hadn't processed the rest of the explanation. She was fixated on the maxed-out affection rating, her expression flustered.
That's practically broadcasting a girl's feelings!
She glared at Gong Qu, cheeks faintly pink.
"Ahem. Let's head inside and talk. I've got some questions of my own."
He could feel her grip on his arm tightening. It was comfortable—but a bit too tight for healthy blood flow.
Half an hour later.
In the hundred-square-meter living room of the forest manor—
Keqing and Gong Qu sat side by side on the couch, two steaming cups of tea on the table before them.
"So… you're saying I'm no longer in Teyvat?" Keqing's expression darkened.
"That's right. Assuming your memories are real, and not just implanted data based on the character template I drew, then yes—you've left that world behind. But if those memories were generated as part of the draw, then maybe Teyvat never existed in the first place. Maybe only this moment is real."
Gong Qu wasn't naïve enough to believe she must have literally come from the game world. He was considering all possibilities.
Like Zhuangzi's butterfly dream—who's to say what's real and what's illusion?
Keqing was quick on the uptake. With just a brief explanation, she grasped the situation.
"No wonder I instinctively called you 'Master' earlier. Maybe I'm just a prop—one with Keqing's body and settings."
"I'd disagree with that. I've never seen you as a mere prop."
Gong Qu blew on his tea and offered it to her.
"Here. Try it."
"Uh… thanks."
Keqing took the cup, sipped carefully—
"Hot!"
Just like her twitching cat-like ears, her tongue turned out to be sensitive too. She quickly pulled the cup away, puffing her cheeks and fanning her mouth.
"And? Does it feel real enough? Instead of dwelling on whether the past was real, why not savor this moment—the sweetness of now?"
Keqing froze. Then turned her head with a snort.
"Hmph. As if I needed your comfort. You… you meanie."