Genshin Impact: A Mortal's Ascension to Godhood

Li Tao had a pretty good time during this Lantern Festival.

The old friends realized the truth about the selection meeting and returned to their respective positions again with disappointment, regret and expectations for the future.

The Lantern Festival started as usual. Although there was no "sign in to get 10 draws and choose a 4-star skin", the shops in Feiyunpo were bustling. Li Tao did not have to worry about being "alone at home eating for the festival" because all the restaurants had set up tables and chairs with great fanfare, taking advantage of the Lantern Festival to attract customers and provide New Year's Eve dinner for tourists who had no time to cook and were alone outside.

Li Tao also got a free New Year's Eve dinner at Wanmin Hall: the cheapest one was only 2,800 Mora. 2,800 Mora, two meat dishes, three vegetarian dishes, five dishes and one soup. This was no different from charity.

Of course, Li Tao is not short of money and will not be stingy on such things: Xiangling is his good friend, Master Mao always takes care of young people like them, and he must take care of Wanmintang's business and order a sumptuous meal.

Since he couldn't finish the meal by himself, he called Xingqiu Chongyun over.

Xingqiu agreed readily. He said that after finishing the reunion dinner with his family, he wanted to save some space for the second meal. He also invited Li Tao to go with him to release the sky lanterns. Li Tao hesitated for a while but finally agreed.

As for Chongyun, he also had to eat New Year's Eve dinner with his family members. However, he didn't even need to tell his family members, he could arrange his own time. Because there was no custom of staying up all night in Liyue, and they would not gather together to watch the Spring Festival Gala. After dinner, people would go to Liyue Harbor to watch the sky lanterns.

Li Tao originally wanted to spend the holiday in a relaxed manner, but the Adventurer's Association was extremely busy at this time, and Li Tao had to accept some tasks to help find materials for making [Sky Lanterns] and [Bright Sky Lanterns]. Running back and forth between the port and the suburbs, he finally found all the raw materials for making Sky Lanterns for some suppliers.

.......

Night falls.

After Li Tao, Xingqiu, and Chongyun finished their own business, they finally arrived at Wanmin Hall. After ordering a few dishes, the three of them ordered a New Year's Eve dinner set meal for 2,800 Mora.

There was no other way. Except for Li Tao, the other two had almost finished eating. They came here just to chat and wait for the release of the flying lanterns.

"Every time the New Year Lantern Festival comes, things start to get more complicated." Li Tao drank some ice water and told his two friends about his missions in the past few days. "I originally planned to spend these days peacefully, but the branch president, like before, directly issued a call to summon idle adventurers to accept the piles of missions, and I also accepted several of them."

"First, we need to find materials for the Chamber of Commerce. Hmm, I don't know why they have to wait until now to find materials."

Xingqiu picked up his cup, clinked it with Li Tao's, and said, "Is it possible that the stock in the market has been sold out?"

Li Tao complained: "Shouldn't we prepare earlier? How can we rely on adventurers like us?"

"But later I found out that there was another hidden story behind this."

Chongyun picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and took a bite. He looked at Li Tao curiously and said, "Brother Li, tell me more."

Li Tao also started to deal with a fish that was fried to a crisp. "It turned out that a group of treasure robbers had sneaked into the Chamber of Commerce, and they stole the materials they had prepared and sold them to other people."

"So when they were counting the materials, they found that the quantity was wrong, and they immediately issued an emergency task and asked us adventurers to run errands."

"What happened to that member of the treasure-stealing group later?" Xingqiu tilted his head and asked with the same curiosity.

Li Tao gestured and said, "How's it going? Hey, his whereabouts were strange, and he was discovered by the seniors of the Adventurer's Association. After tracking him for a while, we caught him red-handed."

"He was taken to the General Affairs Department, and then we came back."

Xingqiu laughed and said, "Oh, this is really interesting."

"He's just a petty thief, nothing to worry about." Li Tao shook his head and asked the two, "Have you prepared your own lanterns?"

Xingqiu and Chongyun nodded at the same time and admitted, "Of course..." "The family has already done it for me."

Then, the two of them seemed to suddenly react, and Xingqiu asked first: "Wait, Brother Li, didn't you make your own Sky Lantern?"

Li Tao put down his chopsticks, folded his hands, and said reluctantly: "Ah, this is the first thought that came to my mind when I came to Liyue. I only recently learned about the customs of the Lantern Festival."

This is a lie.

Li Tao just didn't have the intention to release the lantern to express his vision because of the loneliness in his heart.

“That won’t do! Whether it’s to commemorate Liyue’s heroes or to fulfill one’s own wishes, the Sky Lantern must be released. Come on, Brother Li, we’ll take you to pick a Sky Lantern!”

After saying that, Xingqiu took Li Tao's arm and walked out.

Chongyun also followed with a smile, and Li Tao seemed to have thought of something. From the slight struggle at the beginning, he turned to silently accepting their kindness.

In the sky, a full moon was emitting a soft and clear light. The light was like a carefully polished pearl, shining with warm and bright light, gently pushing away the surrounding darkness, and spreading a peaceful and mysterious silver world.

Under the sky is the world of fireworks.

......

After much entanglement between the two, Li Tao still went to Feiyunpo and spent a large sum of money to buy a sky lantern.

After all, during the Sea Lantern Festival, Xiao Lanterns are at their most expensive. As an adventurer who helps merchants find raw materials, Li Tao certainly knows this.

But now, his heart was quite touched——

Maybe I can really spend this festival peacefully with my true friends?

This was something that Li Tao had never dared to imagine. After all, he was a Genshin Impact player before, and even his roommates always mocked him for "playing Genshin Impact".

Perhaps, this is the change brought about by gaining strength and regaining confidence?

In the past, due to various reasons such as family, economy, and education, I had to indulge in my own world and rarely interact with the outside world. But now, since I have obtained the Eye of God, I am shining in the adventurer industry and can be considered a young hero.

I have friends I can truly interact with, and everything is moving in a good direction...

In fact, I am just used to loneliness, but I dare not accept a better future.

Li Tao thought so and followed Xingqiu's steps closely.

"Brother Li, what are you daydreaming about?" Chongyun walked up to Li Tao and waved his hand in front of him. "We're going to meet Xingqiu's family soon. Um, I'm a little nervous."

Li Tao was speechless for a moment: Chongyun, don't talk like a young wife is going to meet her parents-in-law!

Xingqiu was also surprised: "Brother Li, this is the first time you meet my parents and elder brother, but Chongyun, haven't you met them before?"

"Actually, I'm not very good at dealing with others..." Chongyun said distressedly, "Every time I get nervous, my face becomes stern and I don't know what expression to make."

......

"Hello, uncle and aunt. Hello, brother. I am Li Tao from the Adventurer's Association."

"Uncle, aunt, big brother...hello."

After arriving at a viewing platform, the leaders of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce and their families gathered there. Xingqiu introduced Li Tao and Chongyun to his parents and brothers, and Li Tao and Chongyun also greeted the elders respectfully.

As expected, just as Chongyun said, he now seemed to have turned into that cold and aloof Taoist boy again. However, Xingqiu would not say such things on the spot, but just smiled secretly behind his back.

"Hello, Mr. Adventurer. Chongyun, you too." The shopkeeper of Feiyun Chamber of Commerce is a middle-aged man with ordinary looks and a generous temperament. He has no distinctive features and his modeling is more like the ordinary Liyue NPC created by MiGame.

"Welcome here. I heard from Xingqiu that during this year's Lantern Festival, you and your friends will be releasing flying lanterns together." This is Xingqiu's mother, who does not appear in the game. At present, she also looks like an ordinary middle-aged woman.

"Young people just like to travel together. Father, mother, just let them go over there." Xingqiu's eldest brother, the legitimate heir of Feiyun Chamber of Commerce explained to his parents.

Thanks to his help, Li Tao, Xingqiu and Chongyun were able to run to the other side of the observation deck after chatting with their elders for a while and enjoy the night view of Liyue.

"It's finally over... Come on, Brother Li, Chongyun, let's take out our lanterns and write down our wishes. In a little while, it will be time to release the lanterns."

What to write?

Li Tao was in a trance for a moment, then he picked up his pen and wrote a poem on the lampshade of the lantern:

"A bright moon is born at sea, and the world is here."

Yes, there is no need to care about the painful past, and no need to worry about the uncertain future - isn't the significance of the Sea Lantern Festival to make people focus on the present, on the fleeting yet eternal beauty?

Late at night, the sky is like a washed deep blue gem, inlaid with a round pearl - that is the moon, quietly hanging in the sky, casting silver light like water. Its light is soft and pure, like a fairy in a poem, quietly descending to the world, shrouding the whole world in a hazy poetic feeling.

Under the curtain of the sky, Liyue Harbor was brightly lit, reflecting the full moon in the sky. Bright lanterns, like twinkling fireflies, illuminated every alley and every courtyard. Red, yellow, blue, green, and all kinds of colored fireworks intertwined together, forming a colorful picture that was dazzling.

At this time, countless sky lanterns slowly rose into the sky, like spirits endowed with life, dancing in the night sky. Each sky lantern carries people's good wishes, and they carry these wishes, passing through the clouds and floating towards the distant starry sky.

The light of the sky lanterns flickers in the night sky, interweaving with the light of the full moon, forming an indescribable beauty. They float slowly in the air, like blooming flowers, blooming with brilliant colors. These sky lanterns are like stars in the night sky, lighting up people's hopes and the world.

"Anyway, happy Lantern Festival."

Li Tao sent such blessings to himself and to you and me in front of the screen.