I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 21

(A/N I'm addicted to Xenoblade X...)

When Venti realized he had failed to prank Zhongli, disappointment washed over him.

"No way, old man! Is my acting really that bad?"

Zhongli nodded slightly.

"Mm."

Venti sighed but quickly brightened up. He pulled out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Zhongli.

"Old man, you should try this snack."

Zhongli took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of cold pig ear, and placed it in his mouth. The fresh aroma of chili mingled with the crispy texture, creating a satisfying contrast.

"Hmm~ This appetizer is quite good."

The two continued drinking and chatting, savoring the dish. What they didn't realize was that the enticing aroma drifted into a nearby cave, carried by the wind.

Inside the cave, Xiayun, engrossed in tinkering with a mechanism, suddenly paused. Sniffing the air, she lifted her head.

"What's that smell? Why does it smell so good?"

Following the scent, Xiayun stepped outside the cave, her wings fluttering slightly. He spotted Venti and Zhongli drinking in the distance.

"Barbatos? Emperor?"

She soared toward them, landing gracefully.

"Emperor, Venti."

Venti, who had often visited Liyue in the past, was well-acquainted with the immortals. His carefree nature made it easy for them to address him casually, except for Xiao, who maintained a respectful distance due to past blessings.

"Xiayun! Long time no see!" Venti waved enthusiastically.

Zhongli gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Xiayun glanced at the table, noting the fine food and wine. "Venti, even after all these years, you still love your drinking."

Venti chuckled. "Of course! Hey, want to try some? I brought these from another world."

Xiayun's eyes widened. "Another world?"

Venti grinned. "Yep! If you don't believe me, ask the old man."

Xiayun turned to Zhongli, puzzled.

Zhongli simply stated, "These wines and foods are not from Teyvat."

Xiayun was stunned. "Venti, how did you get to another world?"

"It's a...long story.." Venti laughed as Zhongli and Xiayun looked on with a puzzled expression.

Lower Town of Belobog.

Walter turned to the robot beside them. "Is this the one?"

Dan Heng nodded. "Mm."

March 7 chimed in. "Uncle Yang, can you fix it? Svarog is very important to Clara."

Hearing Clara's name, Welt recalled the robot she had spoken about—the one that had taught her mechanical knowledge.

"Let me take a look."

After a brief inspection, Welt determined the issue. "A few connection points are burned out. I just need to replace them."

Ten minutes later, Svarog stood up, its systems restored.

"Thank you, strange human."

Welt waved it off. "It's fine. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back."

After exchanging farewells, he returned to the train.

Kevin patted Svarog's metal leg. "Hey, what happened back there? You went berserk over nothing."

Svarog's mechanical voice responded. "Star core. Taboo. Not allowed to touch."

The realization hit them—when they had triggered forbidden information in Svarog's programming, it had automatically entered an aggressive state.

After some discussion, Svarog and the mecha soldiers returned to the mechanical settlement.

Meanwhile, Kevin, March 7th, and Dan Heng made their way to Panyan Town.

As they entered, they spotted Natasha, Seele, and Bronya in the distance, deep in conversation, their faces tense.

Kevin called out, "Natasha! Seele! Bronya! What's up?"

Natasha turned, relieved to see them. "You're back. How did it go?"

March 7th nodded. "All good! Svarog's fixed and back with its mecha's. What about you guys?"

Seele answered first. "We're debating whether to go to Rivet Town. The battle left many wounded, and we're running out of medical supplies."

Kevin clenched his fist. "Then let's go. We'll help."

Natasha hesitated. "You've done enough already. Seele and Bronya can handle it. You should rest."

March 7 shook her head. "It's fine. We'll go together."

Kevin grinned. "Right! I'm the righteous Galaxy Stick Man—I can't ignore someone in need!"

Seeing their determination, Natasha sighed. "Alright, but be careful. If it gets too dangerous, don't take risks."

They agreed and set off.

Time passed quickly, and the next day came in a blink of an eye.

On the train, inside Yuri's shop.

Pam prepared breakfast, and Yuri, Himeko, Welt and the three little ones sat around the long table in the middle to eat.

Clara was eating breakfast while reading a book. In the past two days, Clara has been learning mechanical knowledge from Welt and Himeko.

Klee and Hook used their own children's tableware to drink porridge in big gulps.2

At this moment, the watch on Himeko's wrist suddenly vibrated.

Himeko opened it and looked a little surprised.

"The space readings on Yalilo IV are abnormal, and the activity in the star core is increasing."

Hearing this, Welt couldn't help but worry about Kevin, March 7th, and Dan Heng who were still on Beloberg.

"How about I go there?"

Yuri said with a smile.

"No, this is Kevin's pioneering journey. The most we can do is provide some off-field support." Himeko stated simply.

"What about the increasing activity?" Welt brought up.

"It hasn't hit a point of true danger...If it does...We can intervene." Himeko responded back with a sense of responsibility.

At this moment, an application reminder sounded in Yuri's mind.

[Zhongli applies to enter the store! ]

[Zhongli applies to enter the store! ]

[Zhongli applies to enter the store! ]

Yuri was a little surprised. Zhongli? How did he get here?

Yuri approved Zhongli's application.

The next second, the portal was pushed open, and Venti alongside Zhongli walked out.

Seeing Yuri and others eating, Venti walked over to the table and sat down in a familiar manner.

"Oh, you are eating. Let me see what you are eating."

Yuri rolled his eyes speechlessly and glanced at Venti.

"There's porridge in the kitchen. If you want to eat it, take a bowl and get it."

Venti chuckled and ran into the kitchen to make himself some porridge.

At this time, Yuri looked at Zhongli.

"Hello, what's your name, friend?"

Zhongli shifted his gaze from his surroundings to Yuri.

"Hello, my name is Zhongli, and I'm a guest at Liyue's Hall of the Rebirth."

Yuri stretched out his hand and motioned Zhongli to sit down.

"Hello, my name is Yuri, sit down and chat."

Zhongli nodded slightly, sat down at the dining table and looked at Yuri.

"I heard from Barbatos that you are selling items from all over the world. Would you mind letting me take a look?"

Yuri nodded and agreed.

"Of course, no rush. Mr. Zhongli probably hasn't eaten yet, right? Let's have a meal together?"

Zhongli nodded slightly.

"The guest should follow the host's wishes. It is better to obey than to be polite."

Yuri then shouted to Venti in the kitchen.

"Venti, bring a bowl out for Zhongli as well."

Venti turned his head and glanced, then agreed.

A few minutes later, Ventimade the porridge and sat down at the dining table.

"Grandpa, this is yours." Venti put Zhongli's porridge in front of him.

Welt was puzzled by Venti's address to Zhongli.

"Old man? If I remember correctly, Venti, you have lived for thousands of years, right?"

Venti picked up the spoon and took a sip of the porridge.

"Ah~ After a hangover, drinking some porridge in the morning is so comfortable~"

Welt looked at Zhongli.

"Then Mr. Zhongli's age..."

Venti spoke out in between eating spoonfuls of the porridge.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

"The old man has lived much longer than me. He's like at least several thousand years old."

Walter and Himeko were both shocked when they heard this.

"What! Older than you?!"

Zhongli did not deny it either.

"Yeah, about the same."

Himeko was shocked.

"In our place, all immortals are cursed to a certain extent, like Xianzhou's evil spirit body, which is more likely to occur as they get older."

"I have it too, but mine is a form of wear and tear that can cause people to forget their previous memories and lose their sanity."

Upon hearing this, Yuri suddenly remembered a product he saw when he was browsing the mall out of boredom.

[Product: Clear Spirit Pill]

Function: It can enhance the rationality of the user and reduce the chance of going astray.

Price: 2000 Star Coins]

Yuri bought one directly. With Zhongli's identity, he didn't have to worry about Zhongli not being able to pay the bill.

"Zhongli, take a look at this, the Clear Spirit pill, it should be useful to you."

Zhongli looked at the Clear Spirit pill in Yuri's hand.

"Are you serious?"

Yuri nodded.

"Of course it's true. If it doesn't work, I won't charge you."

Upon hearing this, Zhongli took the Clear Spirit Pill and swallowed it in one gulp under the gaze of everyone.