Chapter 98

Mondstadt, the morning sunlight spilled over the manor as a white light flashed.

Hiroshi appeared, holding Klee's hand, with Kuroneko beside them. Nearby, Lumine stretched as she enjoyed the familiar fragrance of the flowers and greeted Hiroshi before heading directly towards the large door not far away.

Lumine intended to return to her room to wake up Paimon, who was still sleeping in. After all, they had just returned from saving the world—how could Paimon still be lazing around!

"Brother Hiroshi, Klee wants to see Roundy and Bebe!"

Klee raised her little hand, pulling Hiroshi and Kuroneko towards the bamboo grove. With a big smile on her face, she added excitedly, "Klee hasn't hugged Roundy and Bebe in so long. Can we visit Jean after that?"

"Alright, let's go see Bebe and Roundy first."

Hiroshi picked Klee up and placed her on his shoulders, holding Kuroneko's hand as they walked to the bamboo grove.

Klee giggled, resting her head on Hiroshi's as she looked around at the changing scenery. She couldn't stop laughing with joy.

In the bamboo grove, Roundy and Bebe were lazily chewing bamboo when they saw Klee approaching. They rushed towards her, toppling over as they rolled around happily.

Sitting on a bamboo bench, Hiroshi held Kuroneko's hand tightly. "I'm planning to head to the training area later to break through the demigod stage. Rex Lapis has invited us to Liyue for the Rite of Descension on the fifteenth of this month. I want to get stronger."

With a gentle smile, Kuroneko raised her arm in a cheering gesture and said, "Good luck, Hiroshi."

"I won't be long."

Hiroshi hugged Kuroneko softly, then turned to look at Klee, who was playing with Roundy and Bebe, seeing who could roll the furthest. He smiled, shaking his head.

"I'll be off then, Kuroneko."

"Alright."

Hiroshi opened a blue screen and selected the training area.

Klee, who had been rolling on the ground, saw Hiroshi vanish in a flash of white light and stopped moving. She hugged Roundy and Bebe tightly, both of whom had grown considerably. Raising her head to look at Kuroneko, Klee blinked her big eyes in curiosity.

"Sister Kuroneko, where did Brother Hiroshi go?"

Standing up, Kuroneko picked a bamboo leaf from Klee's head and patted Roundy and Bebe, who were gnawing on the bamboo nearby. She smiled.

"Hiroshi went to become stronger."

"Wow!" Klee's eyes widened in amazement, and a happy smile spread across her face.

"When Brother Hiroshi comes back, let's all go on a big adventure!"

"Yes."

"And we should bring Hinata and Tamaki with us too! I want to show them my treasure!"

Kuroneko patted Klee's head, smiling. "Klee really loves adventures, doesn't she?"

"Hehehe."

Klee laughed happily. "Because Klee's mom is a great adventurer!"

---

In the training area, Hiroshi appeared again atop a misty mountain peak.

He could feel the depleted energy reserves in his body after his domain had dissipated. He opened the shop interface and purchased a new domain.

That familiar sensation returned as energy gathered from the world. Sitting cross-legged on the mountaintop, Hiroshi quickly reconstructed his domain, and soon enough, a newly formed domain once again surrounded him.

Hiroshi opened his eyes, clicking into the enhancement area. His opportunity to become a demigod awaited there.

[Space - World Enhancement Points 150,000]

Transform the domain into a world, become the world itself. Note: All of one's accumulated experience will become the foundation for the creation of the new world. The size of the world is linked to one's accumulation, existing independently as a separate entity within the sea of worlds.

Taking a deep breath, Hiroshi selected "Enhance."

Buzz!

He felt an intense shock ripple through his body as his awareness expanded endlessly, a sense of clarity pervading his mind. He saw a small white speck that quickly enveloped his entire consciousness.

Within this pure white space, an invisible force surged and expanded rapidly until it reached a diameter of forty kilometers.

Once the expansion ceased, the formless force merged with the space, elevating it to a higher-dimensional existence. Five distinct colors appeared in the sky—brown formed the earth, gold became the bones of the land, blue breathed life into the world, green nurtured vitality, and red infused warmth.

A powerful dragon's roar echoed as a golden dragon emerged.

The long, serpentine creature bore golden scales that glistened under the light. Silver wings adorned its back, and its five claws shone as it soared across the sky, encircling the newly formed world before diving into the center of the land below.

The golden dragon merged seamlessly with the earth, becoming the spine of this new world—its dragon vein.

The five elements interconnected, flowing endlessly. At that moment, the world was complete, and Hiroshi's consciousness, which had witnessed the changes, felt whole and at peace, like a return to the womb. His spirit curled inward and fell into the core of the new world.

At the world's center, the boundary began to contract, transforming the world back into an egg-like form, where it nurtured itself.

Following an inner sense of inspiration, Hiroshi clicked the "Upgrade" button on his attribute screen. The previously halted expansion began anew.

Roar!

Another clear dragon's roar reached Hiroshi's ears. With a smile on his face, Hiroshi closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber as profound insights surged through his mind.

In the miniature world, white light shimmered, and the dragon reappeared, gliding across the land as it expanded.

As the world continued to grow, rivers emerged, mountains formed, and greenery began to cover the earth.

By the time it had doubled in size, a towering mountain stood at the center, with a silver ribbon cascading down from it to a lake below. Grass swayed across the land, and flowers blossomed everywhere.

On top of the high mountain, glimmers of light burst forth.

The world moved in rhythm, as wind swept across the landscape, bringing everything to life. A glow ascended, illuminating the whole world.

Suspended in mid-air, Hiroshi opened his eyes and looked at the newly created small world—his own personal world. His gaze softened as he reached out instinctively.

A golden sun and a silver moon appeared in his hand as ethereal shadows.

Lowering his gaze, Hiroshi understood. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the sun and moon into the world, smiling.

"Now I see a bit of the path ahead."

Stretching his arms, Hiroshi grinned. "My next goal—learn the abilities of yin and yang, then create the real sun and moon to merge with my world."

He opened his attribute screen, curious about his updated stats.

Hiroshi, lv28 [14800/23500] [Demigod]

- Strength: 130

- Constitution: 140

- Agility: 140

- Intelligence: 140

- Mana: 35000

Innate Abilities: Small World lv8, Golden Rule lv1, Wind Rule lv1, Earth Rule lv1, Divine Dragon Power lv1

Abilities: Spirit Control - Wood lv8, Spirit Control - Water lv9, Spirit Control - Fire lv8, Battle Master lv2 (Includes all martial skills)

Small World Demigod Body lv4 (Body nurtured by the new small world, sustaining its existence)

Small World Source Spirit lv4 (Anchor of the small world, fundamental to its existence)

*PS: Small World can be renamed.*

"Since it's my world, I'll name it after myself."

After thinking for a long time, Hiroshi gave up and decided to name it "Hiroshi's World."

Satisfied, Hiroshi saw his attribute panel update to display "Hiroshi's World [Small World]." Now, it looked much better.

Hiroshi took a step out of his small world and felt the newfound power coursing through him—a blend of world force and the power of rules, which had formed his new mana.

Raising his hand, a small flame appeared at his fingertip. Hiroshi flicked it away.

There was no explosion, no noise; the massive rock that it hit merely vanished into the fire. And the flame floated quietly, as if it could burn forever.

"I see now."

He controlled the flame, making it disappear, then recalled Unlimited's teachings. "It seems there's still a long way to go before I can become a divine being."

"The power of a small world, mixed with the laws of reality—that's what mana is. Mana is power."

"To complete the foundational laws and elevate the small world to a higher form, that's when divine power—or immortal energy—will be born."

"There's still the divine body, divine soul, and more to achieve."

Smiling, Hiroshi said, "It's a long journey, but I'll keep moving forward."

He reconstructed the missing rock and stepped out of the training room.

In the outside world, a flash of white light signaled Hiroshi's return.

Sitting on a bamboo bench, holding Roundy and Bebe, Klee saw Hiroshi appear and leapt towards him.

"Brother Hiroshi!"

Klee hugged Hiroshi's neck and blinked her big eyes. "Brother Hiroshi feels different somehow?"

With his right hand, Hiroshi propped Klee up, and with a smile, he asked, "What do you mean, Klee?"

"Hmm…"

Klee crossed her arms, tilting her head in thought. "Brother Hiroshi used to feel like a lot of different colors. Now it's like he's just one clear color… but it also feels like there are a lot of colors hidden in there. It's really strange."

"Is that so?"

Hiroshi chuckled, patting her head. "But I'm still me, aren't I, Klee?"

"Yes!"

Feeling the familiar touch on her head, Klee nodded eagerly. "Brother Hiroshi is always Brother Hiroshi."

Hiroshi laughed, leaning in to touch his forehead to Klee's. Taking Kuroneko's hand, he said softly, "I'm back."

Kuroneko intertwined her fingers with his, her face lighting up with a beautiful smile.

"Welcome home."

Holding Kuroneko gently in his arms, Hiroshi glanced up at the sky before burying his face in her hair. As he remembered the invitation from Rex Lapis and Keqing to attend the Rite of Descension in Liyue, he thought to himself:

'It looks like I have one more reason to visit Liyue now.'