December 29th, Crazy Thursday.
After work, Xia Zhi, as usual, made fried chicken and fries for everyone at the shop.
"Cousin."
"Hm?"
"After we're done eating, help me write a notice saying that the shop will be closed tomorrow."
"Oh, okay!"
"Boss, isn't tomorrow Friday?"
"December 30th, it's the last day of the year. Why bother working? Everyone should go have fun."
"Long live the Boss!"
Everyone was thrilled!
Xia Ci washed her hands and went to grab some paper and a pen.
This paper was newly bought recently, and the quality was much better.
"Cousin, should the notice just say we're closed for one day tomorrow?"
"Let me think for a moment…"
"Normally, don't people take a break until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year?"
"That's true… I was planning to visit the school construction site after the New Year to check on things there. The shop has been too busy for me to find time before… So, let's just extend the holiday until the Lantern Rite on the 15th."
"Alright."
"Eh? Boss, does that mean we're getting a half-month vacation?"
"Yes. Don't worry, it'll be a paid vacation."
"Long live the Boss!!"
Everyone was even more excited!
After writing the notice, Xia Ci posted it on the wall outside the shop.
Xia Zhi stood up, adjusted his clothes, and put on the scarf his cousin had given him earlier.
"Boss, are you heading out?"
"Yeah, Xia Ci and I have something to take care of. We'll be back in about two hours."
"Oh!"
"We just had fried chicken, so I assume no one's hungry right now?"
"Not hungry at all!"
"Then we'll have dinner a bit later today."
As the sky darkened, Xia Zhi and Xia Ci headed out together.
Shenhe watched their retreating figures, her eyes flickering slightly.
The boss didn't bring her along, and she felt a little disappointed.
Then, she turned to the others and said, "I'm planning to go shopping outside to buy a gift for the boss and give it to him tomorrow. Would anyone like to join me?"
"Let's go together!"
"What about Qiqi?"
"I want to go too."
"Since everyone's going, let's lock up the shop."
"Alright."
Twenty minutes later, Ningguang, accompanied by her little secretary, stood in front of the tightly locked shop door, staring at the lock in silence.
--
Xia Zhi and Xia Ci walked along the streets of the city, eventually leaving Liyue Harbor and heading into the wilderness.
Then, the two continued along the official road until they reached a certain spot on Mt. Tianheng, standing before a swirling golden mist of light.
"Is this a Ley Line Outcrop?"
"Yes, but it seems like it's been clogged for quite a long time."
"Then let's clear it up quickly."
"Mm."
Xia Ci extended her finger and lightly tapped the golden mist.
A ripple spread across the mist, and it began to distort, suddenly transforming into a group of Whopperflowers and Slimes.
"These are the Memories flowing within the Ley Lines."
"Quite interesting."
Xia Zhi raised his hand and unleashed a [Holy Light Judgment].
Countless light swords rained down from the sky, pinning the transformed monsters to the ground and annihilating them instantly.
"Cousin~ You're so amazing~"
"Cut it out!"
The bodies of the Whopperflowers and Slimes on the ground turned back into light, gathering at the original Ley Line Outcrop and blooming into a massive, human-sized peculiar flower.
"This is a Ley Line Blossom, a conceptual flower symbolizing disrupted elemental cycles and stagnated Ley Line energy."
"Hm… I originally thought we'd need to make a trip to Inazuma ahead of time, but since the Ley Lines connect the entire continent of Teyvat, we don't need to go through all that trouble."
"Will it work?"
"Shouldn't be a problem. I even made some extra preparations for this."
Xia Zhi took out two white cloth banners from his inventory.
[Soul-Summoning Banner]
Quality: Golden.
Type: Set Item.
Trait: Soul Summoning.
Effect: Can summon departed souls.
Hidden Effect: Collecting all two pieces of the set activates the set trait.
[Soul-Guiding Banner]
Quality: Golden.
Type: Set Item.
Trait: Soul Guiding.
Effect: Can guide departed souls.
Hidden Effect: Collecting all two pieces of the set activates the set trait.
At the same time, Xia Zhi heard the system's voice resonate in his mind.
"All two pieces of the set items have been collected. Set trait is being activated."
"Set trait [Guidance] has been activated."
"[Guidance]: The emitted sound possesses a special effect to summon departed souls. During the summoning process, for each set item used, the summoning effect is enhanced by 50%."
This was the fourth set item Xia Zhi had collected.
Unlike the previous three Silver sets, this was a Golden set.
Though it only consisted of two pieces, the final set trait effect provided a staggering 50% boost.
This was likely the difference in quality.
Xia Ci looked at the items in his hands with curiosity. "Are these soul banners?"
Xia Zhi nodded.
"Their sizes are different too."
"The larger one is the Soul-Summoning Banner, and the smaller one is the Soul-Guiding Banner. They serve different purposes."
"Cousin, you actually understand ritual artifacts!"
"Yeah."
"How come I didn't know you knew about this before?"
"I learned about it later."
Xia Zhi planted the two soul banners on either side of the Ley Line Blossom.
The banners immediately fluttered on their own without any wind.
After making these preparations, Xia Zhi took out a cup from his inventory.
It was just an ordinary porcelain cup from the shop.
But it was filled with a hometown specialty that Zhu Zi's parents had sent her from Inazuma—Salted Sakura.
This was the medium for summoning the soul.
Xia Zhi placed the cup on the ground.
Sakura, it must be the "Fate" that exists between him and Makoto.
He had eaten Sakura Mochi before, leaving a unique Sakura scent in his body. Later, it was captured by the [Dream Pillow], likely treated as some kind of specific signal. Following this signal, it searched for Makoto's unique dream realm, connecting him to her.
"Let's begin."
"Okay."
"Stand back a bit."
"Huh?"
"I'm about to summon the soul."
"Oh!"
Xia Ci stepped back.
Xia Zhi "glanced" at the [Temporary Certificate] equipped on his character page.
The words written on the badge were: [Reaper].
His skill list at this moment also included a bunch of temporary skills, all necromantic spells.
Among them was a Tier 3 spell: [Undead Summoning], capable of summoning the soul of a deceased person.
However, this spell had strict requirements. For a specific summoning, the soul to be summoned must still linger in the world, and a corresponding medium—namely a relic—was needed.
This spell had a Tier 4 advanced version: [Holy Spirit Summoning], which consumed more mana and could summon more powerful souls. The medium required for this was often called a Holy Relic.
Beyond that, there was a Tier 5 forbidden curse that consumed divine power: [Divine Spirit Summoning], capable of summoning the soul of a god. This spell also required an item imbued with the god's aura.
Once Xia Ci had moved far enough away, Xia Zhi began casting this Tier 5 necromantic spell.
A terrifying aura of death surged from his body, and an immense amount of mana constructed an incredibly intricate necromantic array in the void. Then, countless streams of divine power began to pour into it, slowly illuminating the array's patterns.
Xia Ci looked up, only to see the previously clear sky suddenly turn dark and oppressive.
A chilling wind blew through the air, carrying faint, unsettling whispers of ghostly cries.
This was the phenomenon caused by a god's intervention.
Just like the thunderstorms and tsunamis when Osial broke free from his seal.
"Such a huge commotion… I hope this doesn't attract Morax. I forgot to give him a heads-up…"
Xia Ci wore a worried expression.
Then, she pulled out a handful of Sunflower Seeds from her ring and started munching on them with relish.
"Cousin, do your best!"
When the necromantic array before him was fully illuminated, Xia Zhi suddenly heard chaotic whispers resounding in his mind:
"Summon me!"
"I can help you!"
"Please!"
"I want revenge!"
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