Chapter 233

After dinner, everyone went for a stroll outside.

Yaoyao and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata held hands, looking like sisters. Zhu Zi and Diona ran around, curiously checking out the lively surroundings. Shenhe and Qiqi walked quietly, while Chi Yu held Ganyu's hand, nostalgically talking about the past.

Walking in the middle of the group, Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel like he was leading a big family outing.

He remembered the times when it used to be just him and Zhu Zi sneaking out at night to eat takoyaki from a small food stand at the harbor. Time really flew.

During the stroll, the group passed by the market and bought a pile of personal items like bedding and pillows for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

Since tomorrow was Saturday, Xia Zhi also purchased various dried ingredients, intending to soak them overnight and prepare a grand meal to formally welcome Greater Lord Rukkhadevata into the team.

After finishing their shopping, Qiqi and Yaoyao left together.

Back at the Summer Shop, Zhu Zi took the keys to the neighboring shop and, along with Diona and Chi Yu, helped set up a new room for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

This warm and friendly atmosphere made Greater Lord Rukkhadevata feel at ease.

Meanwhile, Shenhe and Ganyu went to the kitchen to boil water.

With nothing else to do, Xia Zhi went upstairs to his room. He approached the windowsill and picked up the [Essence Bottle] that had been sitting there.

Inside, he found a large droplet of golden liquid—the [Essence of the Sun] that had been absorbed throughout the afternoon. There was also a small droplet of silvery liquid, newly absorbed since nightfall.

Xia Zhi poured out the silver liquid and checked its description.

[Essence of the Moon] 

Quality: Special 

Type: Consumable 

Trait: Nourishing 

Effect: A mysterious liquid produced by the [Essence Bottle] absorbing moonlight, capable of nurturing all things. 

Hidden Effect: +50% effectiveness on plants and flora.

Examining the descriptions of the [Essence of the Moon] and [Essence of the Sun], Xia Zhi noted that their effects were nearly identical, with the hidden effect tailored toward plants for the former and animals for the latter.

Considering that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was the embodiment of the Irminsul and classified as a "plant lifeform," the [Essence of the Moon] would undoubtedly be beneficial to her depleted strength.

But then, the [Essence Bottle] also had a [Mixing] ability that could perfectly blend any liquids…

Xia Zhi split the large droplet of golden liquid into two portions—one portion equal in size to the silver droplet and another, smaller portion stored in a container in his inventory.

He then combined the gold and silver droplets back into the [Essence Bottle] and activated [Mixing].

Under the influence of some mysterious power, the two liquids merged, transforming into a bright, golden-hued droplet.

[Essence of Sun and Moon] 

Quality: Special 

Type: Consumable 

Trait: Nourishing 

Effect: A mysterious liquid produced by mixing the [Essence of the Sun] and [Essence of the Moon] in the [Essence Bottle], capable of nurturing all things. 

Hidden Effect: +100% effectiveness on all living beings.

As expected, one plus one was greater than two.

Xia Zhi stared at the radiant golden droplet of [Essence of Sun and Moon], pondering deeply.

Earlier in the afternoon, he had personally absorbed the [Essence of the Sun] and experienced its immense restorative power, which even replenished his divine energy. Since Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was also a deity, she should have no problem handling it.

But Shenhe's current strength wasn't sufficient; she and the others likely couldn't withstand such potent energy. 

He needed to figure out an appropriate way to dilute it.

The simplest solution would be to dilute it similarly to [Rainbow Concentrate]. However, this liquid didn't require consumption; simply touching the skin allowed it to absorb and nourish.

This characteristic made it particularly suitable for massages...

With this thought in mind, Xia Zhi opened the [Shop], purchased extraordinary materials, and used a previous purchase of water storage barrels to concoct a large batch of fragrant, silky essential oil.

He then added the droplet of [Essence of Sun and Moon] into the mixture, stirring it evenly.

Afterward, he dipped a finger into the oil and applied a bit to his hand.

The essence within the oil absorbed through his skin immediately, spreading a soothing and nourishing warmth throughout his body.

Perfect.

Xia Zhi took some stones he had picked up from the roadside and used [Touch of Gold] to create several golden, pump-style bottles. He filled them with the enriched essential oil and carried them downstairs.

---

Before long, Zhu Zi and the others returned from the neighboring shop, having finished preparing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's new room.

That night, she could sleep peacefully in her own bed.

As the group brought out the mahjong tiles, the evening's entertainment began.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sat nearby, watching with interest as the others played this unfamiliar game.

"Boss, what are we going to do with the shop next door? Just leave it empty?" someone asked.

"Leaving it empty would be a waste. We can knock down the wall and connect the two shops. That way, we can accommodate more customers. After all, we have quite a few employees now," Xia Zhi replied.

"But if we hire someone to do the construction, won't we have to close the shop for a while?"

"Not necessarily. We can just ask someone with a Geo Vision to help. It's only two walls—shouldn't take more than half a day."

"Oh!"

"Normally, you'd have to commission the Adventurers' Guild for something like that. Won't that be expensive, Boss?"

"Why hire outsiders when we have Zhongli? He has a Geo Vision. Tomorrow, we'll cook a big meal and invite him over for lunch. While he's here, we can ask him to help out."

"Good idea!"

"Miss Chi Yu, when you head back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor later, could you let Mr. Zhongli know?"

"Of course, Boss!"

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata turned her head to glance at Xia Zhi, her expression a bit strange.

You're asking the Geo Archon to demolish walls? Impressive. 

What's next? Asking me to arrange flowers?

---

After a round of mahjong, Ganyu went off to take a shower.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata took her place at the table, giving the game a try.

With Ganyu—renowned for her unbeatable luck—finally out of the picture, everyone was ready to shine. But to their dismay, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata started dominating the game, relying purely on her exceptional intellect.

Rookie players truly were monsters.

Xia Zhi watched from the side, noticing how much fun Greater Lord Rukkhadevata seemed to be having. Perhaps, in her previous life filled with endless responsibilities, she had rarely indulged in such leisurely activities.

When Ganyu finished her bath, Xia Zhi got up and headed to the back room to give her a massage.

"What kind do you want?"

"The slimming one! Full-body massage!"

"Hmm… I recently created a new aromatic essential oil that can nourish the body. Would you like to try it?"

"Sure!"

"This oil is still in the testing phase and hasn't been officially launched yet, so I won't charge extra for it."

"Oh, thank you, Xia Zhi!"

Xia Zhi nodded, took out a golden bottle, and poured the silky, fragrant oil onto Ganyu's back.

The room filled with the pleasant aroma of fresh flowers, accompanied by some peculiar noises.

In the main hall, where mahjong was in full swing, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata suddenly felt a faint recovery of her drained power. Startled, she turned her head toward the back room.

What… was that?

Was there really just a massage happening back there?

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