Chapter 43: Aftermath
The pre-set celebratory fireworks at the finish line platform erupted a few seconds too late. Showers of dazzling sparks rained down over the metal grating, officially sealing the final rankings for the chat group's Tour de Inferno.
Stelle didn't even spare a glance at the pyrotechnics. She kicked her motorcycle's kickstand down with a sharp clack, vaulted off the seat, and jabbed a trembling finger at Lumine and Dan Heng. "You... you guys..."
Lumine casually waved a hand, dispersing the swirling currents of Anemo energy that still clung to her clothes. A faint, knowing smile tugged at her lips. "You're allowed to pull out a bamboo-copter, but I'm not allowed to use a wind field?"
Beside her, Dan Heng lowered his spear. The roaring, translucent water dragon coiled around him dissolved into a fine, cooling mist. He brushed a stray damp strand of hair from his forehead, his expression a mask of perfect indifference. "Reasonable use of our innate abilities does not violate the rules."
Stelle's mouth opened and closed like a stranded fish. She stared at their utterly unapologetic faces, then reached up to touch the little plastic bamboo-copter still spinning lazily on top of her head. Suddenly, the five hundred system points she had burned for this 'cheat'felt entirely unspecial.'Why am I the only one in this group who can't naturally fly?' she thought, a dark cloud of gloom practically hovering over her head.
Meanwhile, high up on the treacherous cliffside, March 7th was practically glued to the guardrail. She had witnessed the entire absurd spectacle of the trio's landing. Each of them had shamelessly bypassed the laws of physics, displaying their respective divine powers. Her mouth hung open in a perfect 'O' shape.
It took a long moment for her brain to process the sheer audacity of her friends. When it finally clicked, she stomped her boot against the asphalt. "This is way too much! Every single one of you was hiding your ultimate moves! You're just bullying me because I can't fly, aren't you! Hmph!"
She peered over the edge. The sheer drop made her stomach do a nervous flip. Then she looked at the long, winding road stretching out toward the distant finish line below. A heavy, resigned sigh escaped her lips.
Accepting her fate as the only normal person left, she twisted the throttle and steered her motorcycle into the daunting stretch of continuous hairpin turns. Top three? Forget it. Safety first!
By the time March 7th cautiously handled the final curve and rolled her motorcycle across the finish line, the podium spots were already set in stone.
Stelle had paid the agonizingly heavy price of five hundred points—equivalent to several days of hard-earned sign-in and mission rewards—to secure her brand-new bamboo-copter. That little spinning gadget had carried her across the line first, undeniably crowning her the champion.
Lumine, riding her self-made cyan wind field, had touched down with the graceful elegance of an Anemo spirit, securing a comfortable second place.
And Dan Heng, whose roaring water dragon had shattered into countless sparkling droplets the exact second his tires kissed the platform, had smoothly locked in third.
March 7th killed her engine. A sheen of exhausted sweat dotted her forehead from the grueling drive, but physical fatigue was nothing compared to the burning soul of complaints igniting within her chest.
"Hey! Stelle!" March 7th closed the distance in two aggressive strides. She stopped right in front of the trailblazer, planting her hands firmly on her hips. Her voice shot up a full eight octaves.
"You! You actually dared to burn another five hundred points just to buy a bamboo-copter?! All of that just to win a race?!" She unleashed the full force of her pent-up frustration.
Stelle, however, was entirely insulated in the warm, glowing bubble of her great victory. She looked exactly like a triumphant little trash panda. Her head was held so high her chin practically pointed at the sky. The sheer smugness radiating from her face screamed 'throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one.'
Faced with March's fiery accusations, she simply activated selective deafness, offering only a series of foolish, self-satisfied giggles in response.
Finding no satisfaction there, March 7th pivoted. Her firepower remained completely undiminished as she locked onto Dan Heng, who was quietly inspecting his motorcycle's chassis nearby. "Dan Heng! You are the one who surprised me the most!"
She jabbed a finger back toward the towering cliff, her eyes wide with absolute disbelief. "Normally, aren't you the calmest and most reliable person here? The steadying anchor of the Astral Express!"
"How did you end up driving like an absolute maniac? Did you learn that from Stelle?! When you saw her jump off the cliff, you just hit the gas and rushed out after her without a single word! My heart actually stopped beating for a second! Is this really the Dan Heng I know?" She patted her chest with exaggerated, dramatic gasps.
Called out so bluntly, Dan Heng's hand froze over the exhaust pipe. He straightened up. A very rare, fleeting trace of embarrassment cracked his usual stoic facade. He averted his eyes, suddenly finding the metal grating beneath his boots incredibly interesting. He cleared his throat. "Cough... it was... a momentary impulse."
Yet, beneath that calm exterior, a strange ripple stirred within his chest.
Perhaps the crushing weight of resolving the Mara-Struck crisis on the Xianzhou Luofu had forced him to suppress far too many emotions for far too long. That wild, unrestrained, purely competitive dash off a cliff had unexpectedly granted him a rare moment of exhilarating release.
Or, perhaps, a quieter part of him simply wanted to prove that even in this completely unfamiliar domain, he could still carve a path forward to guard his companions.
The thought flashed through his mind, feeling somewhat alien even to himself. His fingertips unconsciously tapped a slow, rhythmic beat against the cold metal shell of his bike.
Having thoroughly interrogated the Express crew, March 7th finally turned her sights on the traveler. "And Lumine! You are unbelievable too!"
Despite her complaining, her eyes practically sparkled. Her tone carried genuine admiration mixed with a tiny, bitter pinch of reluctance at being so thoroughly outdone. "You can actually use Anemo energy to lift an entire heavy motorcycle and just glide down!"
"When you saved Caesar earlier, I thought your limit was making one person float! You guys are way too good at hiding your true strength! You didn't even give me a heads-up!"
Lumine found herself quite pleased to receive such direct praise from the lively, adorable archer. She crossed her arms, a relaxed and easy smile gracing her features. "It really wasn't much."
She turned her gaze toward the distant, swirling skies of the Hollow. A hint of fond nostalgia, laced with a touch of mischief, danced in her golden eyes. "I have a certain bard friend back in Teyvat. He loves Dandelion Wine more than anything else in the world. If he actually bothered to get serious, he could easily blow away an entire mountain range with a single gust of Anemo."
"If we ever get the chance in the future, I will definitely introduce you all to him."
The image of Venti—utterly unreliable, constantly drunk, yet possessing an unfathomably deep power—surfaced in her mind.
The first four racers to cross the line gathered around the platform. They chatted casually, swapping stories about the most thrilling hairpin turns and near-misses of the race. The atmosphere was incredibly warm and pleasant.
It was a rare, precious pocket of leisure after a relentless string of tense battles. The playful banter echoing among the group completely diluted the heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the Hollow.
They laughed and joked, leaning against their bikes as they waited for the self-proclaimed 'senior sightseeing group' led by Zhongli to finally catch up.
Meanwhile, miles behind them, the sightseeing group was cruising along at a painfully steady pace. Under Zhongli's calm guidance, they strictly followed the safest, most improved route generated by the chat group's map.
Paimon gripped the handlebars of her custom mini-motorcycle with white knuckles, cautiously trailing right beside the former Archon. Wise and Belle rode their own bikes just a few meters ahead, keeping a careful watch on the road.
Naturally, a drive through a disaster zone was never entirely smooth sailing.
Ethereals wandering aimlessly through the Hollow quickly locked onto the fresh, appetizing aura of living beings. Guttural roars echoed through the cavernous space as twisted, corrupted monsters lunged from the dark corners and scrambled out from behind jagged crystal pillars.
To ordinary citizens, or even seasoned Proxy investigators, an ambush of this scale would be a lethal threat. But before Zhongli, they were nothing more than insignificant dust.
As the horde of Ethereals shrieked and closed in, Zhongli did not even shift his gaze. His handsome features remained perfectly unperturbed. He kept his motorcycle at a leisurely, cruising speed. The only shift in his demeanor was the faint, golden glow of Geo energy pulsing at the very tip of his long braid.
In a fraction of a second, the solid ground beneath their tires seemed to awaken. With Zhongli at the absolute epicenter, the earth rippled. It transformed into a series of soft, yet overwhelmingly mighty golden-yellow waves that silently brushed outward across the battlefield.
These waves did not crash or explode with destructive force. Instead, they carried a quiet, ancient, and entirely irresistible weight—the absolute authority of stone.
The moment the Ethereals made contact with the rippling earth, they froze. Imbued with the pure authority of Geo, the monsters did not even have the luxury of struggling.
They disintegrated instantly. Like fragile frost exposed to a scorching midday sun, or brittle sandcastles swallowed by the rising tide, their corrupted bodies collapsed. They shattered into motes of primordial Aether energy, dissipating harmlessly into the stagnant air.
The entire execution was terrifyingly quiet and flawlessly efficient. For the former Geo Archon, erasing a horde of monsters was no more taxing than brushing a stray speck of dust from his tailored coat sleeve.
Paimon watched the display with her small mouth hanging wide open. Ahead of them, Wise and Belle exchanged a deeply shaken glance through their helmet visors.
'Is this really the power of a god?'Belle thought, her heart hammering against her ribs.'He didn't even make a single aggressive movement, yet he wiped out an entire pack of Ethereals without breaking a sweat... That is terrifyingly amazing!'
Blanketed by Zhongli's absolute protection, the four riders proceeded through the monster-infested territory without a single scratch, smoothly cruising toward the finish line.
Back at the platform, the low, steady hum of the sightseeing group's engines finally drifted over the horizon, growing louder by the second. The moment their headlights pierced through the Hollow's gloom and came into full view, Stelle—who had been silently calculating this exact timing in her head—sprang into action!
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]