It was moments like these that made Luo Qing appreciate Makoto even more.
Her timely intervention to get Ayaka to leave had him feeling so moved, he nearly teared up.
Did I save the universe in my past life to deserve someone so kind and capable?
But then Makoto had once casually mentioned that there were three more women just like her.
Tsk…
Once Makoto led Ayaka away, Luo Qing could no longer hold back. He flipped open the blanket and swiftly dealt with Theresa’s mischief, punishing her thoroughly for the way she’d been teasing him earlier.
By the time he was finished, Theresa was left red-faced and exhausted, clutching her stomach as she staggered upstairs, using the wall for support.
Feeling immensely better, Luo Qing settled down on the sofa, donned his Akasha Terminal, and drifted off to sleep.
Tonight was the Sabzeruz Festival, and, according to the timeline, it would also be the night when Azar initiated the Endless Dream project, using the collective wisdom of Sumeru’s citizens to further the god-creation plan.
To ensure his wives didn’t get caught up in the mess, Luo Qing had Makoto remind everyone to remove their Akasha Terminals before bed.
As for Luo Qing himself, his top-level Akasha access rendered him immune to the terminal’s data-extraction protocols.
With a thought, Luo Qing’s consciousness entered the Akasha Network.
The dream had already begun. Wasting no time, Luo Qing dove into the fabricated dreamscape, searching for Lumine.
The familiar scene of the Grand Bazaar unfolded before him. Lumine and her companions were chatting with Dunyarzad, just as they had been during the day. And there he was, too—dream-Luo Qing, surrounded by his six “wives.”
Seeing himself from an outsider’s perspective, Luo Qing couldn’t help but admit the sight was striking.
To the average person, just having one of these women would be a dream come true. But six at once?
Maybe I am a little scummy…
As the dream reset and looped back to the beginning, everything seemed unchanged—same people, same conversations.
The only one who seemed to notice something was off was Lumine, though her realization had nothing to do with Luo Qing.
He wasn’t here to guide her, anyway. He was here to find Nahida.
It had been some time since Luo Qing last encountered Nahida. The vivid dreamscape he had initially used to draw her attention was no longer functioning as bait.
Worse, his Godhood Exchange privileges had been revoked after Azar blacklisted him.
Locating Nahida took only a moment, her presence like a beacon within the dream.
The little Dendro Archon was wandering the Grand Bazaar, seemingly unnoticed by all. Her subtle aura ensured no one could perceive her unless she allowed it.
With a thought, Luo Qing materialized next to her.
“Long time no see, Nahida,” he greeted casually.
“Eh?”
Nahida turned around, startled. She had been eyeing the desserts at a nearby stall but was now met with the sight of Luo Qing smiling at her.
“Luo Qing? What are you doing here?”
“I live in Sumeru. Why wouldn’t I be here?” Luo Qing chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
There was just something uniquely satisfying about patting a silver-haired, green-eyed loli on the head.
“That’s not what I meant…” Nahida muttered, shaking her head. Her eyes filled with suspicion.
“Wait… you’re not part of this dream, are you? You’re the real Luo Qing!”
“Why, have you met a fake me before?”
“Well… no, but how are you here?”
Nahida was genuinely puzzled.
Everyone else in the dream should have been a mere projection of their real selves, their consciousness extracted through the Akasha. Yet Luo Qing, like her, seemed to exist independently of the dream’s constructs.
“It’s because I’m special,” Luo Qing teased with a grin, continuing to tousle her soft hair.
“Anyway, what brings you here, Nahida? Looking to chat with Lumine, perhaps?”
“Um…”
Nahida looked down, embarrassed. Her silence confirmed his guess.
“It seems our little Dendro God is finally ready to return to Sumeru, huh?” Luo Qing said playfully.
“Luo Qing, I haven’t thought that far yet!” Nahida protested, her cheeks puffing slightly.
“No rush. One step at a time,” Luo Qing replied, patting her head once more. “Alright, I have other things to take care of. You go on ahead, and I’ll catch up later.”
“Wait—”
Before Nahida could finish, Luo Qing’s projection vanished.
“How did he…”
Nahida stood frozen, a hint of awe in her expression.
How does he have higher Akasha permissions than I do?
As the Archon of Wisdom, Nahida should have been the system’s highest authority. Even Azar, for all his scheming, could have his access revoked by her at any moment.
But somehow, Luo Qing—a foreigner from Snezhnaya—had obtained permissions that surpassed even hers.
The only way for someone to achieve higher authority than me would be if they possessed the Heart of the Dendro God… or if they had some connection to the previous Archon.
“Is it… her?”
—
Meanwhile, in the Akasha Network
Luo Qing shifted his focus, pinpointing Azar’s location.
That smug Grand Sage had ruined the festival earlier and had even fabricated Luo Qing and his wives into the dreamscape. It was time to teach him a lesson.
—
Elsewhere
Azar was in the Sumeru Ceremonial Workshop, collaborating with Dottore to deconstruct Ei’s Gnosis and fuse it with Scaramouche.
Suddenly, Azar stiffened, his expression blank, before collapsing onto the control panel.
“What is this?”
Dottore frowned, motioning for one of his assistants to check on him.
“What happened to him?”
“Doctor, it seems the Grand Sage has fallen asleep…”
“Asleep?”
Dottore’s frown deepened.
How could anyone sleep at such a critical juncture in the god-creation project?
“Wake him up.”
“Yes, sir.”
The assistant shook Azar, but there was no response.
“Doctor, he’s… sleeping very soundly.”
“Slap him awake, then.”
The assistant hesitated but complied, delivering two sharp slaps.
Azar remained unresponsive.
“Doctor, he still won’t wake up…”
“…”
“Forget it. Move him aside. I’ll handle the directives.”
“Yes, sir.”
Unbeknownst to the workshop team, Azar’s consciousness had been dragged into a surreal dreamscape.
On an endless grassland, a desperate and terrified Azar was being chased by a pack of beastmen.
This time, however, it wasn’t just female beastmen pursuing him. Towering male beastmen—each standing several meters tall—had joined the hunt.
One wrong step, and he’d be… utterly devoured.
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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