A few hours earlier.
In the Serenitea Pot.
Keqing and Lumine, freshly washed and dressed, sat side by side on the bed, chatting about the kinds of things only close girls talk about behind closed doors.
"Wait, what? You've never won? He's really that good in bed?"
"Mm… well, Ah Qu is kind of a special case now. He's basically a god in that world, so it's not that surprising he's, you know… extra capable."
Keqing didn't tell Lumine about the unlimited stamina.
Mostly because she was afraid of scaring her. If Lumine got spooked and decided to call in a few more girlfriends to "share the burden," all in the name of fairness… Keqing would truly have nowhere to cry.
"So in just a few months, he's ascended to godhood? Not that shocking, honestly. He's always had that mysterious vibe, pulling those 'Genesis Crystals' out of thin air. Becoming a god sounds like the natural next step."
Lumine's eyes sparkled with mischief. She reached out and gently poked Keqing's stomach.
"Speaking of which, you two have been together for over a month now… no signs of anything… developing here?"
"What do you mean by developing?"
"You know. You guys are… doing it almost every day, right? No protection either. So… maybe there's already a little bun in the oven?"
"Wha—!"
Keqing jumped to her feet.
Then, as if realizing her reaction was too dramatic, she instinctively shielded her belly.
"I-I don't think so…? I—I don't know! This is too soon for me… No, I have to ask him!"
"Hey, wait!"
Lumine quickly grabbed her hand.
"I was just teasing! It's not necessarily true. You haven't been feeling nauseous or losing your appetite lately, right?"
Keqing fell silent.
"…You're not saying I guessed it right, are you?"
"No! I just suddenly remembered—you and Ah Qu traveled together for two and a half years, right? And in all that time, you two never… you know… tried making a baby?"
"I—we… Back then, we were just pure travel companions! We relied on each other like comrades! Doing that kind of… filthy thing that would taint our friendship—of course we never…"
"So, you didn't. Got it."
"…"
"What about kissing? Don't tell me you didn't even do that?"
Traveler Lumine: emotionally critical hit received.
"Ugh, no… not even once! He was like a block of wood! All bark, no bite! I even lifted my skirt and let him peek under, and he still didn't dare touch me!"
"Heh. Me? I kissed Ah Qu the day we reunited."
"You're incredible! Teach me, Master Keqing!"
"In that case, Student Lumine, do you still dare tease your teacher like that?"
"Eh?" Lumine dropped the act and scratched her head sheepishly. "Haha, you saw through me, huh? Ehehe~"
"Hmph! Ah Qu was right about you—you're way too cheeky!"
"That's slander! I, Lumine the Traveler, walk a righteous path! It's always him stirring up trouble. If anyone's a menace to society, it's him!"
"Oh? Then why don't you tell him that to his face?"
"Why not? First thing tomorrow morning, I'll get up early and say it loud and clear!"
Watching Lumine puff up with pride, Keqing couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
Silly girl… wait 'til the day you can't get out of bed. You'll understand then—being the god of the Minecraft world comes with truly absurd stats.
The next morning.
Gong Qu strolled into the Serenitea Pot, looking fresh and full of energy.
He greeted the fluffball Teapot Spirit, Ayuan, before casually pushing the door open.
The decor felt… familiar.
Swords randomly stuck on the walls, a stone lion slouched in a corner, and a massive folding screen right at the entrance.
"No sense of aesthetic… Really need to redesign this place someday."
Taking a seat in the inner room, Gong Qu spotted a familiar figurine.
"Isn't this a miniature of Lady Raiden Shogun, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho? Kinda cute, actually."
He reached for it—just as footsteps echoed from the staircase.
"Morning, Ah Qing. Sleep well last night?"
Keqing yawned.
"Mmm, Lumine and I stayed up talking forever… slept kinda late."
"Oh hey, what's that in your hand? It's adorable."
"Oh, this? A limited-edition clay figurine of the Raiden Shogun from Inazuma! Even Kujou Sara from the Shogunate couldn't stop praising it."
"A divine figure, huh?"
Keqing examined the little statue closely. Her mind drifted to the dragon effigy of the Geo Archon she kept back in her home in Liyue.
Even now, she deeply respected the god who protected Liyue for over 3,700 years.
But in this moment… the most important person in her heart had changed.
If it came down to it—if she had to defy the Archon for Gong Qu—she probably wouldn't hesitate.
Not that such a thing would ever happen… probably.
"Ah Qing! Hey! You spacing out again?"
"Ah! No, no—I wasn't being disrespectful to our celestial masters!"
"If you didn't sleep well, go back and rest a bit more. I'll make breakfast."
"It's fine. Cooking with you is a kind of rest. After all, most of the time I just watch—you handle all the prep work anyway."
"You really are a handful."
Gong Qu tousled her hair affectionately. Keqing beamed, holding onto his arm as they walked into the kitchen together.
Upstairs.
A flash of blonde hair vanished around the corner.
"Breakfast, breakfast! Drumsticks! Aah~ so good!"
"Paimon, don't talk with your mouth full."
Lumine tapped her floating companion's head with the tip of her chopsticks.
"Okay, okay!"
Pouting, Paimon suddenly noticed a sunny-side-up egg had appeared in her bowl.
"Wow! Keqing, you're such a good person!"
"Hehe, you're tiny but always eat so much. Such a cute little thing."
Keqing radiated motherly warmth. Paimon, in turn, basked in it like a pampered child.
Gong Qu glanced at Lumine, whose expression had turned slightly sour.
Was she… developing some sort of tragic heroine complex? Constantly being "stolen from" by Keqing?
To break the awkward silence, he set down his chopsticks and changed the subject.
"So, Lumine—what's your plan now? Going to keep exploring Sumeru?"
Lumine shook her head.
"Not in the mood for exploring lately."
"So… giving up on finding Aether?"
"Psh, that riddle-spewing brother of mine? Whoever wants him can have him. I'm choosing the 'marry-the-chicken-follow-the-chicken' path now. Heard your world's still under development?"
"Yep. So far, Ah Qing and I have only explored about 300 kilometers around our spawn point. It's all temperate plains and mountains for now."
"We haven't even touched the tropical rainforests, tundras, oceans, or frozen zones. And if we want to tame dragons, we'll need to scour the world for dragon dens. That alone could take ages."
"Fun fact: Only underground dens spawn Stage-4 or higher dragons. You have to slay a female to even have a shot at getting an egg—unless you want to try stealing one."
At the mention of "taming dragons," Lumine's eyes sparkled.
"Dragons? Like Dvalin from Mondstadt? I've always wanted one! That stingy Venti never let me have his—said, 'Freedom given by command is not true freedom,' or whatever."
"Pretty similar, probably. Though Minecraft-world physics are a whole different beast, so it's hard to compare strength directly."
"But based on size alone, a Stage-5 dragon might make us look like ants. Safe to say, they're a force to be reckoned with."
"Perfect! I'm in! Tonight, you can tell me exactly what pose you want me in!"
All for the dream of a badass dragon mount.
Lumine figured—sacrificing a little modesty wasn't a big deal. Especially since Keqing had already pulled so far ahead.
She had to catch up.
...even if it meant trying some… unconventional poses.