After hanging up with Ningguang, Xia Zhi gathered up the jade pendants on the desk. His mind wandered back to his conversation with Furina—there was still that crystal ball he needed to make.
He pulled a stone from his inventory and channeled geo power into it. The rough, speckled rock smoothed into a flawless crystal sphere.
Xia Zhi traced a rune across its surface, engraving it with [True Sight].
Once it was done, he decided to test it out on someone and headed next door.
Ganyu and Shenhe looked up at the crystal ball in his hands, curiosity flashing across their faces.
"Is that for fortune telling?" Ganyu asked.
"Nope," Xia Zhi said with a grin. "Just something I whipped up."
"What's it do?"
"It's fun."
"…Huh?"
"Here—put your hand on it." Xia Zhi set the ball down on the bed.
"Like this?" Ganyu pressed her hand against the smooth surface. "Okay, now what?"
"Do you want it?" His finger brushed across her lips as he asked the question.
"Yes!" The word slipped out instantly, carried on a strange rush inside her chest—like something had pried open her heart and let the truth spill out.
And then it hit her. Her face went scarlet. She yanked her hand back like the crystal was scorching hot.
"I didn't—! I mean—what I meant was—"
Xia Zhi smirked. "That's what it does. Whoever touches it can only speak the truth."
Ganyu: "…"
Shenhe gave her a long look. "Didn't know my sister was that thirsty."
Ganyu's blush deepened to crimson. She stammered, "I—I just—! It's a special time of month, you know, urges and all that—I can't help it! And why the hell did you even make something like this?"
"For the pet shop," Xia Zhi said casually.
"…Pet shop?"
"Yeah. We can only keep so many cats in-house. When people want to adopt, this ball will show their true intentions. That way the cats don't end up with the wrong person."
"Oh… that makes sense."
"You were the first to try it. Looks like it works pretty well."
"Don't remind me!!!"
Mortified, Ganyu buried her face in her hands. But honestly, the three of them had been together long enough. She'd done far more embarrassing things than this. Saying she wanted something… well, it wasn't exactly news.
She nudged Shenhe. "You try it."
Shenhe shot her a look like she was insane. "Not a chance."
Ganyu whined about the unfairness, then tackled her, the two of them roughhousing until Shenhe's pajama buttons came undone.
Xia Zhi raised an eyebrow. "How about we play truth or dare?"
And so they did. Questions like, Do you want to do it with Master? and dares like, Tie senior sister's bell around your junior's neck.
Hours later, after midnight, they all ended up at the internet café.
When Ganyu saw her master Cloud Retainer there, her cheeks heated again, the words from "truth or dare" echoing in her head.
Cloud Retainer just blinked at her, utterly baffled.
The next morning, Xia Zhi rolled out of bed and reached for his phone. Ningguang had already spammed him with messages.
The usual good morning. Then: she'd sent a document to Xia Ci—compiled notes on the Lawrence family, sorted out last night. Hopefully it would help him.
Of course she'd sent it to Xia Ci; his eyesight wasn't great.
Sure enough, Xia Ci had forwarded the file along.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, Xia Zhi recorded a quick voice message: "Thanks."
Ningguang replied instantly: Don't mention it.
He flirted a bit after that, because why not.
Across the city, Baixiao and the others noticed Lady Ningguang in unusually high spirits—smiling to herself more than once, radiating pure feminine charm.
Once Xia Zhi was done teasing the rich lady, he opened the document and read.
Turns out the Lawrence family was hated even more in Mondstadt than he'd realized. Not just for their ugly history, but because they'd never given up on "restoring their former glory." They still dreamed of ruling Mondstadt again.
Liyue's intel networks even suspected they were cozying up to the Fatui.
Xia Zhi shook his head. This family's brain cells must be fried.
Mondstadt was, after all, a theocracy. The only reason the Lawrences had ever dominated politics was because the Anemo Archon had happened to be sleeping.
But now? Barbatos was drinking his days away in the tavern, and he had an old dragon king buddy at his side. Even if every Fatui Harbinger showed up, they'd get smacked around like flies.
What caught Xia Zhi's attention most, though, was that half the file focused on Eula.
As a child, she had passed the Lawrence family trial with ease, earning the Mark of Frost.
It was their crest, symbol of martial strength, meant to represent their ancestors' unbroken will—cold, pure, unyielding. In a thousand years, only a handful had succeeded.
In other words, like Jean, Eula was her family's pride.
But because the Lawrence reputation was rotten, while the Gunnhildrs' was sterling, the way the two women were treated couldn't have been more different.
Carrying that pride, Eula left her family. She trained under Amber's grandfather, joined the Knights of Favonius, and eventually rose to captain of the Reconnaissance Company.
The file listed every commission she'd taken from the Adventurers' Guild, every battlefield achievement, even her side jobs. Liyue's spies really didn't miss a thing.
By the time Xia Zhi put his phone down, his thoughts were heavy.
Eula hadn't been broken by humiliation—she'd been crushed by her own family.
She clawed her way out of their chains, but the world never gave her its approval.
Even under constant scorn and suspicion, she still guarded the city's peace.
She wasn't atoning for her family's sins. She was just staying true to herself.
And she bore a Cryo Vision.
Xia Zhi realized most of the people around him with Cryo Visions had lives just as twisted.
Qiqi—undead, stuck between life and death.
Diona—despises alcohol, yet blessed to brew the best drinks in Mondstadt.
Shenhe—longing for affection, yet cursed with a fate of solitude.
Chongyun—dreams of being a true exorcist, but his Pure Yang Body scares all spirits away.
Ganyu—wants to protect Liyue, yet her half-adeptus blood keeps her apart from mortals, even after a thousand years.
Charlotte—driven to expose the truth, but her work made her so many enemies she had to leave home.
--
He'd asked his cousins about it once. They insisted Vision granting had little to do with the Archons or with someone's personality. Just coincidence.
Maybe so.
Xia Zhi stood, smiling faintly. He'd only meant to repay Eula for saving Yanfei.
But now that he understood her better… he actually wanted to help her.
Flowers that grow from the mud are always the purest.
At breakfast, Noelle, Klee, and Fischl were all there.
Xia Zhi handed out the jade pendants he'd carved the night before.
Klee's eyes lit up—she'd been jealous of Yaoyao's bunny pendant for ages, but too shy to ask her big brother outright. Now she had one of her own. She accepted it with a bright "Thank you!"
Fischl had been quietly coveting Qiqi's peace-charm pendant. She thanked him solemnly and looped hers carefully around her neck.
Even Xia Le and Xia Lin got gifts—a little hourglass for one, a peace pendant for the other.
The hourglass for the Time Dragon.
The pendant for peace and joy.
Rosaria glanced over, Little White tucked in her arms. Her expression didn't change. She wasn't close enough with them yet to care about trinkets.
After breakfast, they headed to the pet shop.
Outside, several adventurers were waiting with stray cats. They'd all picked up Lost Cat Commissions from the Adventurers' Guild. Easy pocket money—snag a cat on the way, turn it in, earn some drinking cash.
Rosaria dealt with the paperwork and collected the cats: five in total. Dirty, skittish, three with injuries—some fresh enough to be from the capture itself.
Hard to avoid. Strays were difficult to catch, and adventurers weren't exactly patient animal handlers.
The cats bristled at everyone, some hissing, ears flat, claws out.
Qiqi blew her whistle softly, murmuring reassurance.
Xia Zhi tapped into [Guardian of the Wilds], calming them with quiet Communication.
Gradually, the cats relaxed.
Rosaria pulled out bandages and medicine, but Xia Zhi held out a jade pendant. "Use this."
She blinked. "What's that?"
"A little tool that lets you heal."
Hesitant, she accepted and hung it around her neck. Immediately, knowledge bloomed in her mind: [Healing] and [Purification].
She raised her hand. Soft white light glowed from her palm, seeping into a wounded cat. The gash closed in seconds.
Cloud Retainer, watching from the side, felt a pang of nostalgia. That was exactly how he had once been healed.
One by one, the cats were mended. Rosaria even purified them, the glow washing over their small bodies until their spirits perked up. They scampered over to Xia Zhi and Qiqi, rubbing against their legs.
"Covered in dirt and still clingy," Xia Zhi teased, scooping them up. "Bath time."
The washing was chaos—cats hated water, and Qiqi had to soothe them constantly—but eventually they were scrubbed and blow-dried, transformed into fluffy bundles. The girls cooed over them, declaring them cuter than Cat's Tail's mascot.
Rosaria removed the pendant, holding it out. "Here. Take it back."
Xia Zhi shook his head. "Why?"
"It's yours."
"No, it's yours now. Use it whenever strays come in."
"Medicine works fine. Something this precious—"
"Too slow. Just think of it as me lending it to you."
"If I lose it, I can't pay you back."
"You won't need to."
"I said no."
She was stubborn.
So Xia Zhi shrugged, took the pendant, and called, "Little White."
The cat padded over. Xia Zhi tied the pendant around its neck. "Then it's yours now."
"Meow."
Rosaria's lips twitched faintly. Exasperated, but soft.
Before she could argue again, Xia Zhi pulled out another crystal ball and handed it to her.
"This one's for you."
"…What now?"
"A truth-telling crystal. Use it when someone wants to adopt—test if they're genuine."
Ganyu's cheeks flamed all over again.
Cloud Retainer caught the reaction, recalling last night's internet café incident, and… yes, she understood now.
The other girls crowded around, eager to play.
Rosaria stared at the lively scene, then turned back. "Mr. Xia—"
"You mean boss."
"…Boss. You're really using treasures like this for… this?"
"You don't think it's important?"
"It could be used for far more serious purposes."
As an executioner, she immediately thought of interrogations. Forced truth outclassed any torture.
Xia Zhi waved her off. "Doesn't matter. I'm giving it to you. Use it however you want."
Rosaria hesitated, then finally kept it.
"…Alright, boss."