"..."
Lu Ze didn't say anything further, instead collapsing onto the counter and falling asleep. He was truly a lightweight, easily drunk. If Jizi wanted to get him drunk, it would be effortless; a single bottle of beer would suffice.
"Sigh, he's asleep, and I'm the one who has to do the work."
Lilia glanced around at the other people. Right, why should she do it herself? She could just ask someone nearby. Ah, how clever she was!
"Um, excuse me, big brother, could you carry Brother Lu Ze back? Look at my weak little body, I can't possibly lift him, can I?"
Lilia blinked her big, cute eyes, her tail wagging behind her. She looked at Diluc with a pleading expression, making it hard for him to refuse. He called someone over to take over as bartender, then walked to Lu Ze's side and easily hoisted him onto his back.
"Next time, I'm never asking you to drink again. You pass out after one drink. You should stick to your beverages."
Diluc couldn't help but complain. A normal person wouldn't pass out after just one drink, and this beer was only 45% alcohol, not particularly high or low, but passing out after one drink was just too strange.
Lu Ze seemed to be having a very long dream. In his dream, he saw Jizi, Fu Hua, Kiana, Bronya, Mei, and the people of St. Freya. He saw the crew of the Hyperion. He had been living a good life, but then everything was shattered.
He remembered it very clearly: it was a rainy night. Lu Ze walked alone in the pouring rain. Behind him was Kiana. It was his first mission withasma, and also his last mission with Kiana.
"Why? Why joinasma? You know, the people ofasma never spared us. They only ever hunted us endlessly. Whether it was Durandal or Rita, they were all our enemies! But why did you betray us!"
Kiana looked at Lu Ze with burning anger. How much she had trusted him, she could even have had his back. But here was the man she trusted, betraying her, like a sharp knife piercing her heart.
"I... I have reasons I must join. I... even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. You just need to know that everything I do is for you. I won't hurt you. You should leave."
Kiana looked at the person in front of her in disbelief. She watched him walk further and further away, his figure becoming increasingly blurred. Tears mixed with the rain, causing her heart to grow once more, her maturity becoming more prominent.
"I..."
Recalling the conversation from thirty minutes prior, Durandal had said to him with deep respect that if he didn't joinasma, this city would be struck by silver bullets and instantly turn to dust.
Lu Ze looked at Durandal before him, incredulous. After all, she knew about silver bullets. How could she agree to such a plan?
"It wasn't my decision; the Bishop himself gave the order. His condition was that you joinasma. If you don't join, he will..."
Lu Ze sat on the ground, utterly drained. If the silver bullets were truly deployed, he might perish. Not just himself, but Kiana, an A-rank Valkyrie, would also instantly turn to ash. And the people of this city would all be doomed.
"I... I'll join. Please, tell your Bishop not to deploy the silver bullets..."
Lu Ze looked at Kiana, who was searching for him in the distance, with a face full of helplessness and apology. Perhaps this was the only way for you to survive, to grow into the Kiana in my heart, the mature and steady one... But I prefer your immaturity...
That night, he stood in the rain, his heart in turmoil, unable to find peace. He punched the ground in anger, kneeling on the dark road, looking at the city...
From then on, a question often lingered in his mind: had he done the right thing?
"Kiana!"
Lu Ze jolted awake from his dream. He looked around at the room. This wasn't his shop. When did he get back here? And he was thinking about those unpleasant memories again. How annoying!
"Does the Captain really like Kiana that much?"
Lilia stared blankly at the person in front of her, holding a piece of paper and a pen, marking tally marks on it.
"What are you doing, Lilia?"
Lilia innocently held up the paper and said, "Let me count, there are 45 tally marks. Each one is five strokes, so you've called Kiana 225 times. Didn't you say you would always love Lilia? Call me 226 times, okay?"
"Where does this baseless sense of comparison come from? No, no, that would exhaust me to death."
Lu Ze hadn't expected it. Did he really still love Kiana? No, she hated him. What was the point of his one-sided affection? It was just superfluous.
Thinking about these past events made him feel unhappy. When he felt unhappy, he wanted to sing a song. Fortunately, he had found a guitar in the ruins. I remember it was... a gift from Kiana...
Damn it, this is even more annoying... Sigh... She really influenced me a lot. Both my personality and my will, my style and my plans. I changed a lot for her, but was it worth it?
"Lilia is unhappy. Lilia needs the Captain to comfort her."
Seeing the little girl unhappy, Lu Ze could only comfort her with a sigh. There was no other choice. After all, it was obvious that she must have carried me back, right?
Diluc: "You're so noble, so proud. I'm not even as good as a girl, right? I've lost all love, all love!"
"Okay, okay, our Lilia shouldn't be angry. Tomorrow, I'll definitely take you to visit Mondstadt City, alright? I'll buy you a bunch of snacks, things to play with, and then take you to the church to see the giant statue of the Anemo God."
Lilia pouted her lips and said, "That's more like it. Goodnight then, Captain. It's almost midnight."
He carried Lilia to bed and tucked her in. Lu Ze then went out. What? You ask why he wasn't sleeping with her? Please, that's illegal! Do you want a pair of silver bracelets? Don't worry, I'll call someone for you, they'll send them for free.
He went outside and sat by the lake, feeling the gentle breeze. It felt like the last time he sat so quietly was when he was on a mission with Mei. Mei always made people feel relaxed. In the past, she was always so gentle and kind, truly unforgettable. And now? Warning: Herrscher of Thunder!