“I…”
Nahida lowered her head, a bit ashamed.
This was the first time she had been caught spying on someone’s dream, and being confronted by the dreamer left her feeling flustered and at a loss for words.
“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing you.”
Luo Qing chuckled and moved closer to Nahida, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. Instead, he extended his hand with a friendly smile.
“I’m honored to have you visit my dream, Little Archon. My name is Luo Qing.”
“Luo Qing…”
Nahida repeated his name softly, her gaze shifting to the outstretched hand.
After a brief hesitation, she reached out with her small hand and shook his.
“Hello, Luo Qing. I’m Nahida.”
Feeling the soft, warm touch of her tiny hand, Luo Qing couldn’t help but smile.
The realism of this dream had its perks—every sensation felt vivid and lifelike.
If even the small details feel so real… does that mean other things might be just as…
“Luo Qing, you’re not from Teyvat, are you?”
Nahida’s voice broke his train of thought. She glanced around at their surroundings, her tone quiet and inquisitive.
The bustling streets, mechanical vehicles, and vibrant advertisements—all of it was unlike anything that could exist in Teyvat.
Even the handheld devices carried by passersby were a mystery to her. Luo Qing’s dream world was as fascinating as it was alien.
“Little Archon, you’re as sharp as they say.”
Luo Qing chuckled. “But this is my little secret. Can I count on you to keep it, Nahida?”
As the incarnation and steward of the World Tree, Nahida’s divine authority was unparalleled, even if her combat prowess lagged behind the other Archons. Luo Qing had long anticipated that she might discover his true origins someday.
However, the manner in which she did so had caught him by surprise.
“Alright. If this is the price for intruding on your dream, I’m willing to accept it,” Nahida said with a gentle nod, her voice soft and sincere.
“It’s settled, then,” Luo Qing replied casually before taking another look at the surroundings.
Even now, the dream’s uncanny realism astonished him.
“This is the first time I’ve experienced such a lifelike dream. Any idea why it’s like this, Little Archon?”
“Um…”
Nahida hesitated. “I’m not sure. I simply stumbled upon the bubble of your dream and decided to enter.”
“I see…”
Luo Qing pondered for a moment before recalling something.
Last night, he had deliberately kept his Akasha terminal on while sleeping, hoping it might attract Nahida’s attention.
Could it be that this hyper-realistic dream was a result of the Akasha terminal enhancing his brain’s computational power?
“Eh, whatever.”
Luo Qing shook his head.
If this dream offered him a chance to relive the real world, he wasn’t going to overanalyze it—especially not when Nahida was here to keep him company.
It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity.
“You seem curious about this world, Little Archon,” Luo Qing said, smiling as he walked beside her. “How about I give you a tour? Anything you want to know, just ask, and I’ll explain it to you!”
For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was enticing an innocent young girl into mischief.
“Knowledge from another world…”
Nahida lowered her head in thought.
“This shouldn’t be forbidden knowledge, right?”
If it wasn’t forbidden knowledge, then absorbing a little bit should be fine… right?
After a moment of hesitation, she glanced again at the lively street around her. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she looked up at Luo Qing.
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you, Luo Qing.”
“Great!”
Luo Qing stepped aside to let Nahida walk beside him. With a slight nod, she followed as they ventured down the street together.
The neighborhood where Luo Qing’s apartment was located wasn’t part of the city center, so the streets were lined mostly with old shops, with nothing particularly remarkable in sight.
There were no giant advertisements from miHoYo, no slogans like “Meet Your Fated Encounter, Enjoy the Taste of Another World.”
As they strolled, Luo Qing explained various curiosities to Nahida. From self-service adult stores to scams involving “instant riches” plastered on utility poles, and the truth behind clearance sales that didn’t actually involve anyone jumping off buildings, he covered it all.
By the time they finished exploring the street, Nahida was visibly overwhelmed—though some of the terminology still baffled her.
It didn’t stop her from being thoroughly amazed, and she even expressed a desire to revisit Luo Qing’s dream in the future.
Dreams always pass quickly.
Just as Luo Qing was about to take Nahida to the bustling city center to test the dream’s boundaries, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Standing with her hands clasped behind her back, she looked up at him.
“Thank you for showing me your dream, Luo Qing.”
“What’s wrong?” Luo Qing asked, puzzled.
They hadn’t even been exploring for half an hour.
“Time moves faster in dreams than in reality,” Nahida said softly.
“Luo Qing, it’s time for you to wake up. And it’s time for me to return.”
“Return?”
“Mm…”
Nahida nodded, her tone gentle. “Until next time, Luo Qing.”
With that, her figure dissolved into a faint green light, vanishing from his dream.
“Wait…”
Luo Qing instinctively reached out to stop her, but his hand grasped nothing but air.
The next moment, he woke up abruptly, sitting upright in his bed.
“You okay? Did you have a nightmare?”
Makoto’s voice came from beside him. Turning his head, he saw her sitting at the edge of the bed, still dressed in her loose lavender nightgown from the night before. The sight of her snow-white skin and ample curves nearly made him choke.
“No… it’s nothing,” Luo Qing said, shaking his head and glancing toward the window.
The sun was already high in the sky, its rays streaming through the glass to illuminate his room.
“If it’s nothing, don’t scare me like that…”
Makoto gave him a look of mild annoyance. “Hurry up and get downstairs for breakfast. It’s getting cold.”
She tossed his clothes at him before turning and leaving the room.
“…”
For some reason, watching Makoto’s retreating figure gave Luo Qing the odd feeling of being a husband in a domestic scene.
What exactly had happened between the two of them to lead to this dynamic?
Scratching his head, he thought back to his dream from last night before getting dressed and heading downstairs.
At the dining table in the corner of the living room, a Mondstadt-style breakfast awaited him. Makoto and Rosalyne each occupied a corner of the couch—one knitting a sweater, the other engrossed in a book.
As soon as Luo Qing appeared, Rosalyne stood up and respectfully asked, “Master, breakfast is ready. Shall I reheat it for you?”
“No need.”
Luo Qing waved her off, sitting at the table alone.
While eating, his mind lingered on the dream. Even after waking, he couldn’t help but marvel at how vivid it had been.
The dream had felt so real that when he threw a punch at an NPC, not only did he feel the feedback, but the NPC had even pretended to suffer a concussion, presumably to extort him.
After finishing his meal, Luo Qing was about to head out when there was a knock at the door.
Makoto glanced at him, her voice low.
“Make sure you’re back early tonight.”
With that, she and Rosalyne ascended the stairs, leaving Luo Qing alone.
“…”
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