The milk buns on the plate were disappearing at a visible speed, and Lu Chen figured Ei must have been starving.
Her cherry-blossom-like lips bit into the soft bun, revealing the golden, creamy filling inside, and the enticing aroma of milk quickly spread through the room.
Ei savored the custard bun slowly, looking graceful, though her cheeks were adorably puffed out.
Her fair neck moved with a steady rhythm as she swallowed.
Lu Chen's throat bobbed as he watched—though he wasn't sure if it was from hunger... or something else entirely.
The urban documentary on the TV ended, replaced by a cooking show.
Ei, still munching on a bun, stared intently at the screen.
On the show, a five-star chef was preparing an elaborate French meal with premium ingredients.
But thanks to Ei's presence, Lu Chen found that even this luxurious dish didn't look half as good as the thirty-yuan bag of frozen milk buns she was devouring.
By the end, Lu Chen realized he'd only managed to eat two.
The rest—more than ten buns—were all gone, swept up by Ei.
Glancing at her still-flat stomach, Lu Chen suddenly realized something terrifying—Ei was a big eater.
If she ever did a food stream, Lu Chen was confident she could crush any top streamer without even trying.
No one's looks could compete with Ei's—not even a single strand of her hair.
And now, she could out-eat them too.
...
"What are you staring at me for?"
Ei looked at him in slight confusion, seeing him gaze at her without blinking.
"Is there something on my face?"
Lu Chen nodded. "There is."
Ei reached up, patting her cheeks suspiciously—only to realize a moment later that she'd been tricked.
Her face flushed slightly with anger, but as the Electro Archon, she couldn't show emotion over such trivial matters.
She quickly regained her calm, sitting upright in the center of the sofa as if it were her throne.
The noble, dignified general was back.
Seeing her composed once again, Lu Chen looked away.
Ei had changed so much.
Just this ability alone—to hide her feelings perfectly—was fitting for someone born to rule.
That thin, delicate girl from long ago... had borne too much.
Lu Chen shook his head, clearing away the melancholy.
There were more important things to think about now.
He hadn't expected Ei to come back to the real world with him.
Now that things between them had calmed down, he needed to consider the next step.
Damn it, was the system really going to leave him hanging like this?
No updates, no guidance, nothing?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a familiar mechanical prompt finally rang out.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Home Time"]
[Condition: Sit on the sofa with Ei, watch TV together, and share food.]
[Achievement Reward: 100 Primogems, 100,000 real-world currency.]
...Where the hell did that come from?
Lu Chen frowned.
Had the system, dead silent until now, finally come back to life?
As if responding to him, the cold, mechanical voice sounded again.
[Beep... beep...]
[Host detected. Real-World Teyvat System activated.]
A blue, high-tech interface appeared before Lu Chen's eyes—one he hadn't seen in a long time.
[Archon Quest: Reopen the gate to Teyvat and connect the worlds. Current completion: 0.1%.]
[Quest Reward: 1,600,000 Primogems, 10 billion real-world currency.]
[Wish System activated.]
[Character Panel activated. Complete quests to unseal your power!]
Holy crap.
Lu Chen almost jumped when he saw the reward list.
Primogems—the lifeblood of Genshin Impact—could be used for pulling characters and weapons.
Ten thousand pulls at once?! That was insane.
Wait a second...
He was in the real world now.
What good would the Wish System do him here?
Could it summon actual living beings?
Lu Chen quickly dug into the system information.
Soon, he understood:
The Real-World Teyvat System differed from the game.
It wouldn't summon playable characters—it had been "rationalized" for this world.
Instead, it allowed summoning objects or powers closely tied to Teyvat.
For example, a Vision.
In this low-magic world, where elemental energy was faint, even a single Vision would cause an uproar.
A person with a Vision would basically become a real-life superhero.
Lu Chen was so fascinated by the system's various new rules that he barely glanced at the 10 billion cash reward.
Primogems were the real treasure here.
Besides...
Calling it "real-world currency" was a little sloppy.
What if it was Zimbabwean dollars? That was technically real-world money too.
Very sloppy.
As the name implied, the "Real-World Teyvat System" would turn reality into a new kind of Teyvat.
Lu Chen would be completing Archon quests, challenge missions, and unlocking achievements—just like a player inside the game.
For instance, eating milk buns and watching TV with Ei just now had triggered the achievement "Home Time," rewarding him with 100 Primogems and 100,000 yuan.
"Still as stingy as ever..." Lu Chen muttered.
100 Primogems wasn't even enough for a single ten-pull.
"Who's stingy?"
Ei's voice came from beside him.
"Nothing. I'm stingy," Lu Chen waved his hand dismissively, returning his focus to the system description.
Apparently, the system's ultimate goal was to reopen the gate to Teyvat, connecting the two worlds.
However, progress was at a pitiful 0.1%.
Lu Chen didn't hold out much hope for a quick resolution.
According to the system, completing more quests and interacting with new characters from Teyvat would increase the percentage.
In other words, Ei's sudden arrival wasn't unique.
More characters would eventually cross over.
Thinking about it, Lu Chen felt a little excited.
Imagine it—everyone he knew from Teyvat showing up here.
What kind of chaos would that cause?
His gaze shifted to Ei—who was now happily flipping through TV channels like a kid with a new toy.
He couldn't help but smile.
It would definitely be hilarious when others arrived.
As for the mission types:
Archon quests were the hardest.
Challenge missions were moderately difficult.
Achievements were easiest to trigger—usually during memorable moments like eating together, singing karaoke, or going to the movies.
Another glance at Ei—who was now dismantling the remote control to examine its insides—and Lu Chen felt reassured.
With her around, there would be no shortage of those "interesting moments."
Snatching the disassembled remote back from her, Lu Chen continued exploring the system interface.
The rewards for challenge missions were much more appealing.
Take the only challenge mission currently available:
[Challenge Mission: Enroll Ei into Haizhou Academy and become a student.]
[Reward: 1,600 Primogems, 1.6 million real-world currency.]
1,600 Primogems—that was finally a decent reward.
But this particular task...
Wasn't it a bit much?
Making the Electro Archon—the eternal lightning, the sublime and noble Raiden Shogun—go to high school?
Was this some kind of joke?
Lu Chen glanced again at Ei.
She was standing right in front of the TV, staring curiously at the black, flat device that contained countless worlds.
She had even pulled out Musou Isshin, as if she intended to dissect the TV just like she did with the remote.
When Ei got serious, her true personality showed through.
She was...
a bit of an airhead.
"...Maybe it's not impossible after all."
Lu Chen thought, starting to believe that even this challenge might not be so difficult.