Naturally, Takumi wouldn't say no to little Klee.
Without hesitation, he stepped up and bought it for her.
And paid instantly.
The Lantern Rite had only just begun, but the streets were already bustling.
It would only get livelier from here.
Thanks to the festival, more and more people arrived in Liyue Harbor.
The strong cultural atmosphere made it very appealing.
Takumi soon began spotting other familiar faces arriving.
Kaguya showed up and even brought Eirin Yagokoro along.
Also with them were two of her rabbits.
Black Rabbit followed from behind, accompanied by a group of children.
Many others in the group also brought their friends along.
Seeing so many kids, Klee ran off with Qiqi and Yaoyao to join them.
The kids quickly gathered and began chattering away.
"Lord Takumi!"
Black Rabbit spotted Takumi and ran over to greet him.
She looked visibly happy.
It had been a long time since she'd experienced such a lively scene.
"Hey, Black Rabbit~! Come have some spicy rabbit head!"
(Д)
The words stunned Black Rabbit on the spot.
"Maybe we should make my Reisen's head into spicy rabbit head!"
Kaguya chimed in cheerfully.
What did she just hear? Spicy rabbit head?
They had one at homeshould they add it to the feast?
"Princess, please don't scare me!!"
Reisen panicked at Kaguya's words, her whole bunny self turning pale.
She'd been loyal and hardworking, and yet her master wanted to eat her?
Too terrifying!
Even Tewi Inaba took a few steps back and tried to hide herself.
These people were just too scary.
Was it still possible to reincarnate and escape?
"Just kidding. Alright, we'll stop scaring you."
"Black Rabbit, are you getting used to things here?"
Takumi chuckled and switched to small talk.
Hearing that, Black Rabbit sighed in relief.
"Things are great! It's way more comfortable than the Little Garden."
"In our community, anyone willing to work hard can earn money."
"And we've even recruited lots of new members!"
She lit up as she spoke.
Their community was really growing now.
With all the new worlds merging into Takumi's world, there were so many races, families, and factions.
So naturally, many people were forming or joining communities.
If you had ability, you could join.
Once this world fully evolved, formal community structures would likely return.
People were already preparing for it.
Though there wasn't a formal registry, many had taken the initiative.
If Takumi asked Prometheus to start registering names, lots of people would probably sign up.
For now, many of them were working as gourmet hunters.
Since the system for trading powers hadn't been established yet
In other words, the Gift Cards weren't in circulation yet.
Once those appeared, Gift Games would surely follow.
Then, many people would begin trading abilities.
That was one of Little Garden's unique aspects.
And Takumi's world would definitely adopt that system in the future.
Just not yet.
After all, the full transformation of this world hadn't been completed.
Takumi hadn't enabled those functions yet.
As his Cocoon of the End continued to merge with Little Garden's Core, it was inevitable.
"That's great to hear. Keep building up."
"Soon, your community's flag will rise once more."
"Even though this isn't the Little Garden, it'll surpass it one day."
Takumi was full of confidence.
If he couldn't surpass Little Garden, he might as well go be a farmer.
Hearing this, Black Rabbit became even more excited.
She was truly looking forward to that day.
She believed their community could definitely rise again.
After all, it was no longer the same community it once was.
It had become much stronger.
Chapter 596: Could They Have Been Snatched Up by Someone Else?
The current main members of the No-Name Community were undeniably powerful.
Izayoi, Asuka, You, and Black Rabbit just these four alone were already immensely strong.
After all, they were all in the group chat.
Back when invitations were first sent out, all of them were brought in.
And the community had other members too the vampire loli and several other children, plus many newly joined individuals.
Some were even dragonkin and similar races.
Altogether, their strength had elevated the community to an unprecedented level.
Takumi chatted with Black Rabbit about these matters.
Others were also casually conversing.
Gradually, Takumi saw familiar faces arriving, like Tomoyo and the others.
Tomoyo had brought along Sakura and young Tomoyo.
Seeing her, Kaguya immediately ran over to greet her.
Kaguya and Tomoyo were now close friends.
Sometimes, they would gather for tea and chat about topics only princesses would discuss.
Who knew how Kaguya managed to get along so well with Tomoyo?
Kaguya was clearly an indoor recluse.
Yet she got along surprisingly well with Tomoyo.
Maybe it was a remnant of her pre-NEET self.
More and more people arrived at Liyue Harbor.
As the time came, fireworks began to rise above the port.
Everyone was gathered in a huge plaza, watching the beautiful firework show.
Alongside that, many sky lanterns floated upward into the night sky.
Even Takumi joined in, releasing one himself.
In an instant, the sky above Liyue Harbor was filled with colorful lanterns it was a breathtaking sight.
Meanwhile, Zhongli sat in a private room at a teahouse.
Aside from him, several Archons and immortals were also present.
"This is the first Lantern Rite since Liyue was relocated to this world."
"I hope Liyue continues to flourish."
"Even as people from Teyvat, we mustn't forget our traditions."
"If there are any festivals in the future, let's celebrate them in full."
"This lively atmosphere is what everyone truly loves, isn't it?"
Zhongli looked around at the other gods.
Hearing his words, everyone smiled.
"Of course~!"
"When Windblume Festival comes around in Mondstadt, I'll make sure we celebrate just as grandly!"
"This is amazing. It's even more festive than back in Teyvat."
"I really enjoy scenes like this."
Venti looked at the bustling crowd below in Liyue Harbor.
He felt a pang of envy.
He hoped Mondstadt could become just as vibrant.
Gods love their people. The Archons of Teyvat naturally wished the best for their cities.
Even though there were no more nations per se, what difference did it make?
As Venti's words fell, the others echoed their agreement.
Indeed hosting festivals like this could even rake in massive profits~!
So why wouldn't they continue?
"Cheers~!"
"Here's to our continued prosperity."
Zhongli raised his cup to them.
The others chuckled and lifted their cups to toast with him.
The first festival celebrated by Liyue in this world had been an overwhelming success.
Takumi and Keqing stood at the port, watching the lanterns rise into the sky, both visibly satisfied.
"Thank you~!"
"Liyue's people are doing better and better now."
"We really do have you to thank for all the help you've provided."
Keqing glanced at Takumi.
Ever since Liyue moved here, Takumi had been a great support.
She had seen it all.
She was truly grateful to him.
Liyue's current prosperity had a lot to do with him.
"It's mutual benefit~!"
"No need for thanks. You're helping me too, aren't you?"
Takumi didn't mind at all.
Most of what he provided was easy for him to create.
But Keqing didn't see it that way.
"Still, I want to say thank you~!"
She shook her head.
Without Takumi's help, Liyue wouldn't have been able to relocate so completely and smoothly.
In fact, it had even expanded.
Liyue now was changing daily, truly transforming.
And all of that was thanks to the vast world Takumi brought.
Liyue's people had benefited immensely.
Takumi didn't dwell on the topic.
The two stood there, watching the lanterns continue to float upward.
When the time was right, Keqing invited Takumi out for a late-night snack.
Her responsibilities with the festival were done.
From now on, she could just enjoy the time with Takumi.
However, finding a place to eat at that hour was tough every restaurant in Liyue Harbor was packed.
So Keqing simply brought Takumi back to her place and cooked for him herself.
Yes, it was grilled fish "Survivor's Grilled Fish."
Takumi finally got to taste it.
It was Keqing's specialty, and the flavor was surprisingly good.
To express his thanks, Takumi decided to stay the night at Keqing's place.
...
The next day, Takumi happily returned home.
Keqing went back to work.
Their relationship had taken a step forward though for now, no one else knew.
Except for Bronya.
Takumi hadn't come home, so she instantly guessed where he had gone.
But she didn't say anything.
In the following days, everyone was busy.
Takumi spent his time wandering around or hanging out with the girls.
For half a month straight, this was his routine.
At the same time, Takumi grew a little frustrated none of the invitation letters he sent out had returned!
It had been quite a long time now, hadn't it?
Not a single one had come back?
That was ridiculous.
Tomoyo, Inori Yuzuriha, Kanade, Tsukuyomi Komoe, Minato Namikaze, Kaede Honjou, Hatsune Miku, Kotori Minami, Hana Shirosaki, Yukinoshita Yukino...
Only half of the recipients had replied.
He'd sent out 20 invitation letters, but only 10 had returned?
That was bizarre.
Especially considering it had already been two full weeks.
Takumi wasn't the only one who thought it was strange even shiroyasha found it odd.
She began grumbling in the group chat.
shiroyasha:
[This makes no sense.]
[It's been two weeks, and not a single new world has been integrated?]
[What's going on here?]
In the past, new worlds were being added every few days.
But now?
Chika Fujiwara:
[Maybe the holiday break isn't over yet?]
[We just got through New Year's!!]
Even invitation letters needed time off.
Maybe they hadn't arrived yet because it wasn't officially time to return to work?
Takumi:
[I have no idea. I'm frustrated too.]
It really didn't make any sense.
Could someone have intercepted them?
And with all this time passed, the worlds from Little Garden were probably close to arrival.
But his invitations still weren't all back.
Wouldn't it be ridiculous if, by the time the world transformation was complete, some invitations still hadn't returned?
Chapter 597: We're the Fertilizers
The lack of responses to the invitation letters left Takumi extremely puzzled.
It didn't make any sense.
Takumi began to suspect had someone intercepted them?
His brows furrowed at the thought.
Could that really be the case?
If so, a serious battle might be on the horizon.
Takumi had always maintained a wary attitude toward the forces beyond dimensions.
That strange aura still hadn't been fully investigated.
Now, with no activity from the invitations he'd sent, Takumi seriously wondered if something had gone wrong.
Still, he couldn't jump to conclusions.
The coordinates embedded in the invitations hadn't been activated.
If they had, Takumi would know they had entered a world.
But since they hadn't, it was likely the letters were still drifting through dimensions, searching for other worlds.
In fact, the invitations Takumi had sent had been intercepted.
At this moment, in some unknown dimensional coordinate, a warship was drifting one so vast it dwarfed countless worlds.
Even more surprising, the beings living inside it were equally massive.
You could call them human-shaped, but they were hardly human.
Their bodies shimmered with the color of stars, as if studded with celestial orbs.
They had no faces, and their smooth, glowing skin looked eerily alien.
They were enormous one hand could probably pinch an entire galaxy.
These beings lived aboard the colossal ship.
Their number? Unknown.
Their strength? Also unknown.
One of Takumi's invitation letters now rested in their hands.
As they examined it and sensed the coordinates inscribed, even they were surprised.
Inside a massive room, several of the titanic figures had shrunk themselves down to human size.
One of them held the invitation and turned it over thoughtfully.
"So that world has come this far, huh?"
"To think something like this would be created."
They had been shocked when they intercepted the letter especially by the aura it carried.
It was from a world they had visited before.
Back then, it was weak, primitive, and ordinary.
They had left behind some technology and energy materials to help it evolve.
And yet, in such a short time, it had developed this far?
How interesting.
Looks like it's time to harvest.
Since it had grown strong, they would now reap the benefits.
They, the "fertilizers," enjoyed watching seeds grow.
With that simple discussion, they reached a decision.
"Let it grow a while longer."
"Harvesting it will only take a moment anyway."
"No need to rush."
Although that world had grown, it was probably still not very strong.
So they would let it continue to develop.
The longer they waited, the more there would be to gain.
The invitation was intriguing, but there was no urgency.
Let it ripen a bit more.
Who knows maybe it would produce a surprise?
For now, the benefits were still small.
Even if it was evolving, how far could it really go?
No need to worry.
Their discussion was short. The decision was made.
Meanwhile, Takumi had no idea those beings had already appeared in his world.
They existed solely in dimensional realms.
They treated each world like an orchard.
When they encountered an ordinary world, they would fertilize it, let it grow, and then harvest its power.
Now, one of Takumi's invitation letters was in their possession.
They even knew exactly which world Takumi was in.
Why? Because the invitation carried coordinates.
After sensing them, they instantly recognized it.
Still, they weren't in any hurry to act.
Even if they did, Takumi wouldn't be afraid.
In fact, Takumi was actively looking for them.
Such a powerful race would be incredibly valuable.
