I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 64

On Teyvat.

At Hu Tao's invitation, Silver Wolf, Yuri, Himeko, Clara, and Welt were helping her assemble the machine.

Jing Yuan and Zhongli had set up a tea stall at the door, preventing outsiders from entering.

Nahida watched quietly from the side. Just yesterday, she had learned what a computer was.

She found it fascinating—something about it felt eerily similar to the virtual "void."

A voice interrupted Nahida's thoughts.

"Nahida, watch and learn carefully. When we move to a new planet in the future, you'll be in charge of the network."

Asmodeus patted Nahida's shoulder with an air of importance, then turned and walked upstairs.

Having nothing to do, she wandered into the building and stumbled upon a curious little room.

The room was on the top floor—not too large, just about 30 square meters.

Asmodeus' eyes gleamed with excitement.

"This will be my private space," she mused. "A computer here, a bed over there... When I get tired of gaming, I can just roll over and sleep. Perfect~"

Meanwhile, Nahida had been attentively observing Yuri and the others install the computer, itching to try it herself.

When she saw Dan Heng reach for a tool to swap his blade, she instinctively moved to help—

But before she could act, Welt handed it to Dan Heng instead.

Nahida let out a small sigh, her enthusiasm dimming slightly.

Yuri, who had been watching from the side, noticed this.

"Your name's Nahida, right?"

Nahida looked up, her emerald eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Hello, I'm Nahida. And you?"

Yuri smiled. "I'm Yuri. You've been watching us for a while now. Do you want to give it a try?"

Nahida's eyes widened in surprise. "Can I?"

Yuri grinned and pulled over an unassembled computer.

"Come on, I'll guide you through it."

Beaming, Nahida followed Yuri to an empty table, where he began teaching her the process.

She listened intently, occasionally asking questions whenever she didn't understand something. Yuri answered each one with patience, explaining everything in detail.

Once they had gone through the steps together, Yuri handed her another computer and let her assemble it on her own.

Nahida eagerly took the challenge, her fingers working quickly as she immersed herself in the task.

Watching from the sidelines, Xianyun felt an overwhelming surge of envy.

"I want to play with that too! A machine from another world!"

But alas, fate had other plans. Poor Xianyun had been banned by Hu Tao from touching any computers.

The reason? Hu Tao had simply pulled out her flying motorcycle in response.

Seeing the infamous flying motorcycle, Xianyun was left speechless.

And so, she could only watch from the sidelines, longing for what she could not have.

Next to the building was the Northland Bank's branch.

On the overpass, Childe and La Signora observed the bustling scene below with mild amusement.

Especially Kevin and the others, who had gathered to join the fun.

Earlier that day, Hu Tao had even traveled to Mondstadt to invite Eula and Amber.

With Mondstadt at peace, the two had no issue taking a short leave.

La Signora, watching Childe's intense gaze, raised a brow in curiosity. "Why are you staring at them Childe?"

Childe let out a bitter chuckle, pointing at Kevin.

"See him? He defeated me in one blow."

At that moment, Kevin noticed Childe's gaze and waved in greeting.

Childe nodded in response, an amused smirk playing at his lips.

La Signora stared at him in disbelief. "In one blow you say?"

Childe nodded solemnly. "That's the truth. And that battle at sea a few days ago? That was his work too—the techniques were identical."

La Signora turned to look at Kevin once more. How was that even possible?

She shook her head. "Liyue is full of monsters..."

Fortunately, thanks to the Queen's new orders, they no longer needed to collect the Archons' Gnosis.

The Ice Queen had sensed something unusual about Liyue and stationed both Childe and La Signora here.

After all, Liyue was to be the first nation to be relocated.

The Ice Queen needed them to witness it firsthand.

Childe looked at the busy people below and smirked. "Let's go down and check it out."

La Signora scoffed. "You're such an idiot. Do you think people like you? Don't go looking for trouble."

Childe chuckled darkly. "An idiot, huh? Maybe. But I'm also a VIP customer at Wangsheng Internet Cafe."

With that, he turned and walked down.

La Signora shook her head and headed back to Northland Bank instead.

By the time Childe arrived at the scene, Kevin had already spotted him.

"Long time no see, defeated general." Kevin's words dripped with mockery.

Childe gritted his teeth, displeased with the title, but he couldn't deny the truth—he had lost to him.

"Long time no see," he replied, forcing a smile. "I hear Wangsheng Internet Cafe is expanding?"

Kevin nodded and gestured toward the building behind them. "Yeah, this will be an Internet cafe soon. Have you ever played here?"

Childe smirked. "Of course. I'm a VIP. But it's funny—I've never seen you around, Kevin."

Kevin shrugged. "I'm not from this world. Isn't it normal for me not to come here? Besides, computers are everywhere in my world."

Childe's eyes gleamed with understanding. So that explained it—no wonder why he was so powerful.

Just then, Hu Tao set up a table and called out. "Kevin! Come inside and play some Stellar Jade Realm!"

Seeing this, Kevin bid Childe farewell.

"Alright, let's talk later. I'm going to play Stellar Jade Realm."

With that, he rushed inside, taking his seat at the table.

"How much are we betting today?" Ying asked as she shuffled the deck.

"Same as yesterday? One Stellar Jade at the base, five at the top."

March 7th immediately protested. "Can we lower it a bit? Yesterday, Qingque took over 1,300 Stellar Jades from us."

Kevin shrugged. "One Stellar Jade is the lowest denomination. You can't go any lower than that."

March 7th sighed in defeat. Oh, right. She had forgotten that Stellar Jades didn't go below one.

With the bet set, March 7th, Kevin, Ying, and Hu Tao started their game of mahjong.

Amber and Eula watched from the side, learning the rules, and eventually took turns joining the table.

Meanwhile, Childe sighed and headed back toward Northland Bank, as renovations made it inconvenient to enter.

Asmodeus, descending from upstairs, caught sight of the lively game and approached with curiosity.

"Hu Tao, what game is this?"

Before Hu Tao could answer, Ying looked up—and in an instant, she had drawn her sword.

"It's you!"

Ying drew her sword and slashed at Asmodeus.

Asmodeus waved casually, and a dark red energy block intercepted Ying's strike.

Hu Tao and the others were momentarily stunned. What was going on? Why did Ying suddenly attack?

Kevin and March 7th quickly grabbed Ying, restraining her as she cursed, gripping the sword without a blade.

"You old woman! I will have my revenge today! 500 years! Do you know how I survived these 500 years?"

Paimon, hovering nearby, chimed in. "Didn't you say you slept through most of it?"

Ying faltered for a moment. Well... that was true.

"Then why did you seal my power?! I had to spend so many Stellar Jades to unseal it! I have to settle this account with you today!"

Ying struggled, nearly breaking free, but Kevin and March 7th held her back just in time.

Meanwhile, Asmodeus, who had been restrained by Hu Tao and Eula, was growing furious.

Brushing Hu Tao and Eula aside, Asmodeus snapped, "Oh, so you want to settle accounts? Fine! But let's be clear, you and your brother owe me! You two destroyed the False Sky!"

"At first, you and your brother tore through the False Sky and broke into Teyvat! I had to patch up the holes you left! And then, after arriving, you continued causing trouble. Especially your brother! He even sided with Khaenri'ah and helped them descend into the Abyss!"

"You think I was wrong to seal you? Your brother's troublemaking alone was enough! As his sister, you were likely just as bad! Sealing your power was the only way to prevent you from wreaking havoc like he did!"

Asmodeus was practically fuming. Ever since the law of nature had become the False Sky to protect Teyvat, he had worked tirelessly to keep the world stable. He patched up holes, cleaned up after Khaenri'ah's disaster, and now he had to justify himself to Ying?

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Ying looked at the aggrieved Asmodeus, her anger slightly wavering. It seemed... this wasn't entirely unjustified. But still—

"Damn it, Aether! Look at what you've done!" Ying fumed internally. Now it made sense why he had been in such a rush to leave. He caused chaos and ran away!

At that moment, Zhongli approached, his voice calm and measured.

"Your Highness, the Ruler of the Sky has spoken the truth.

"The catastrophe of Khaenri'ah 500 years ago was instigated when they embraced the Abyss. Your Highness, the Ruler of the Sky, led the Seven Archons to resist.

"In that war, Barbatos was gravely injured and only recently recovered. Many Adepti and Liyue's Millelith perished in the Chasm. Raiden Makoto, the God of Thunder, fell. The God of Justice in Fontaine perished. The Pyro Archon was severely wounded. And the Cryo Archon's heart was forever changed."

Hearing Zhongli's words, Ying felt the weight of realization pressing down on her. Aether had played a part in such a tragedy... and now, leading the Abyss Order, he posed an even greater threat to Teyvat.

Clutching her sword tightly, she turned to Asmodeus. "Fine! Where is my brother?!"

Asmodeus arched a brow. "I know, but what do you plan to do? You can't beat him right now."

Ying waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine if I can't beat him. I have Admiral Kevin, the Galaxy Skyfire Warrior, to cut him down for me! Asmodeus, open the gate!"

Kevin, standing to the side, lifted the Judgment of Shamash, one hand resting on his waist. "Who are we fighting, Ying?"

Asmodeus felt Kevin's overwhelming energy and gulped. This guy was terrifying.

Without hesitation, Asmodeus opened a portal to the Abyss.

Ying led the charge, stepping through first. One by one, the group followed her into the darkness.

Deep within the Abyss, Aether sat at a grand table, discussing strategy with his apostles.

"Gather the Hilichurls as quickly as possible. We need to amass strength to avenge the Law of Nature!"

Just as his apostles prepared to leave, a rift tore open in the air above them.

Kevin descended first, the Judgment of Shamash igniting in his grasp.

"Judgment of Shamash—Destruction!"

The apostles scrambled to react, but before they could move, another voice rang out.

"Rain of Arrows!"

Dozens of luminous arrows rained down from the portal, impaling the apostles before they could react. Their wails echoed as they dissolved into black mist.

The remaining Abyss Order members turned their fury toward Kevin, but Zhongli stepped forward.

"As solid as a rock."

A golden shield materialized, deflecting every incoming attack from Kevin's body.

Jing Yuan hovered above, brandishing his blade. With a single command, the Divine General descended upon the battlefield, slicing through the Abyss Order ranks.

"Behead! No mercy!"

Aether moved to dodge, but as soon as he shifted, Kevin adjusted course. There was no escape.

Realizing he had no choice, Aether summoned the Sword of Descension to counter.

"Last time, you caught me off guard and knocked me out! This time, let's see who wins!"

The two clashed midair, but as fate dictated—"the left side loses since ancient times"—Aether was struck down, crashing into the Abyss floor.

Asmodeus, watching the scene unfold, grinned and clapped in delight. "Awesome!"

Seeing Aether sprawled out, Asmodeus was thoroughly entertained. He even cheered for Kevin to sit on the throne of godhood.

Zhongli surveyed the battlefield, his gaze resting on the unconscious Aether before shifting to the encroaching darkness of the Abyss.

"Kevin, take him back. We can't linger here."

Kevin nodded, hefting Aether over his shoulder, and the group swiftly retreated through the portal.

The moment they left, a dark figure emerged from the mist.

"What happened? Where is my great banner?"

Sensing Asmodeus's energy lingering in the air, the figure trembled with rage.

"Damn it! That wretched Asmodeus again! When we break through the False Sky, you will be the first to fall!"

—

Back in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's newly transformed Internet Café, Aether was bound tightly to a chair. Ying ensured he was secure, tightening the ropes until they were firm enough to prevent any escape.

Stepping back, she found a basin of water and unceremoniously dumped it onto Aether's face.

Sputtering and coughing, Aether snapped awake. His dazed eyes darted around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

Where was he? Wasn't he just fighting in the Abyss? How did he end up here?

Before he could piece it together, Ying hurled a tin at his face.

Canned herring.

Aether flinched slightly but quickly collected himself. Did she really think this would faze him? He had suffered through this once before—he was immune now!

Ying sighed and shook her head. "Brother, you brought this on yourself. Don't blame me for what happens next."

With that, she stepped aside.

Asmodeus loomed over Aether with a sinister grin, prying open his mouth and lifting a bowl filled with a dark, bubbling liquid.

"It's time for a meal..."