Hours later, after Tianqiu went home, I returned to my room with my [Serenitea Pot] in hand. I was practically buzzing with excitement as I sat down on my bed, and it took me all I had to not lift the lid then and there.
I took a deep breath. Right, plans, plans. I didn't have any expectations on what my new world would look like once I entered, but I did have a few things I wanted to do at least. Go and explore, find a place I would put my two new Generators, maybe find some place I could use to make a second home—the whole nine yards.
Gingerly, I placed my hand around the lid. Light was already pouring out as I moved the lid slightly, and it felt as if the world around me had slowed down in response. Then, I pulled the lid away, and a bright light overwhelmed everything as I felt myself being sucked away.
It was an…odd feeling. Not quite painful, but extremely uncomfortable. As if I was being compressed into a noodle before being sucked into some whirlpool.
But it was worth it once I saw the Personal World I was sent into.
My breath caught in my throat as I saw a world filled with islands floating above an ocean of idle clouds. There were easily dozens of islands around me, all connected to one another through a web of giant roots that stretched between the islands. The largest island hovered just a little further above the others, and atop grew a giant pink flower, blooming with gentle yellow light.
But what truly captivated me were the streams of wind that blew from the clouds and high into the sky, almost like geysers of sorts. I knew what they were immediately; they were there for me. Flying was something I always wanted to do, and though that wasn't available just yet, I could now glide all around the world.
"My Personal World…" I whispered, and I smiled as I took a step forward. The ground below me was soft yet sturdy. I could probably lay down and fall asleep quite easily. I walked towards the edge of the island I appeared on, and then stared down into the clouds below me.
For a moment, I wondered what lay beneath those clouds, but apprehension filled me at the thought. It was as if the world itself was telling me not to do that, lest I fall back into reality or something.
I glanced to the side. Not too far from me was a geyser of wind, blowing up into the sky. An idea came to me immediately, and I couldn't help the wide smile that came to my lips.
Winds blew around me as a halo formed above my head, followed by a pair of wings appearing behind me in a flash of light. I gave my wings a flap, and though they were made entirely of light, they somehow caused a small wave of wind to blow back.
I bent my knees, and with a powerful kick I leapt off the island. I jumped right into the geyser of wind, and my grin only grew as I was blasted high into the sky. "Hell yeah!" I screamed in delight, even happier now that I remembered there was no one watching me. The world blurred as I was carried up, before I was spat out at the top. I spun as I did my best to realign myself, and my breath hitched when I did.
Up here, I could see everything. I could see now that each island was different in some way. One was incredibly flat, another would be adorned with cliffs and mountains. One would be all land, and another would have a large lake in the middle. One was a sparse garden, and another practically overwhelmed by flora.
But what truly amazed me was the feeling of staring out into the emptiness past the islands, and instead thinking that it can be filled. I didn't quite know how, but I was sure that more islands could appear eventually. This world could become even more vibrant than it already was.
I decided to begin gliding around. I was incredibly high in the sky, and it'd take some time before I even reached the highest island. But I wasn't in a rush, and so I let myself drift around like a leaf as I passed over each island. I was still looking for a good spot to put my Generators, after all.
That was when I came across something surprising. Or rather, someone.
On the island with the large lake was a…bird-like person. That was the best way I could describe them. A bird-like person sitting in a floating teapot surrounded by yellow clouds. They almost looked like they were sleeping with how still they were, but I nearly flinched when their head suddenly turned to me, their eyes still closed.
Both intrigued and somewhat creeped out, I quickly descended before them. I let my wings dissipate as I touched the ground, and I gave the bird-person a hesitant smile. "Good…morning?"
"Good morning, Fate Defiant." They said, voice high-pitched and almost chirpy. As expected of a bird-person, I suppose-
Wait, what did they call me?
"Naturally, I would know." They said. I blinked; did I say that out loud. "That you did." Oh. That's embarrassing. "But I was supposed to first appear before a Traveller from amongst the Stars, and yet that Destiny has changed." They hummed. "Another Descender has taken Their place."
I furrowed my brows. There were a lot of terms being thrown around there, most of which I had no context to. But most of it seemed to boil down to how I changed Fate, that I understood at least. "I'm Venti." I said slowly, still digesting what I heard. "What's your name?"
"You may call me Chubby, Fate Defiant." My lips twitched as I heard their name. Chubby, really? "Yes, really. Unfortunately, that was the name I was given upon my conception. And I could not go against my creators, could I?"
I glared. "I definitely didn't say that out loud."
Chubby raised an eyebrow, somehow looking smug despite not opening their eyes. "And how can you be sure?"
I almost groaned. This almost felt like I was speaking to a combination of Morax and Guizhong. It was making my head spin.
I rolled my eyes instead. "So, why are you here?"
Chubby hummed. "You may consider me a Travelling Merchant, of sorts." They waved their wing, and my eyes went wide as a panel filled with icons appeared behind them. It looked remarkably similar to my [Shop]. "I offer certain wares to aid further vitalize this world you have created." Their smile became a little more teasing. "Well, that and more, I suppose."
I took a step forward to better read the options, and I frowned. "I don't recognize this. It's not asking for Mora, is it?"
"I call it Realmite. The Developers were awfully lazy, and opted to simply recolor Mora instead of making an actual new currency." Chubby shook their head. "That aside, you are able to convert Mora into Realmite, and vice versa."
"...huh." I rubbed my chin as I saw the option. 100 Mora for 1 Realmite—it wasn't the worst conversion, especially in contrast to the Mora-to-Primogem conversion. That sucked my Mora away like no tomorrow.
The things being offered was interesting, though. I could straight up buy new islands to add to my Personal World, though they were pretty expensive. I could also buy houses and buildings, though it didn't seem like I could customize them much after the purchase. Livestock was also an option, and there was also a section full of animals-
Dog. I could buy a dog. A dog that was half-adepti and could do martial arts.
Wow. I really want to buy that.
I had to physically grip my arm to restrain myself. Getting a dog sounded amazing, but this wasn't the time. I didn't have a place for the dog to stay yet, and I wasn't finished exploring the rest of my Personal World. Besides, I could always come back here at a later time. I just had to be patient.
…Gulp.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Is it only you here?"
Chubby smiled. "Ah, no. As a fact, my dear partner Tubby can be found a few islands away, though I believe she is currently refraining from showing herself." I stared, and he seemed to read my mind as he continued. "Not for any malicious reasons, no. Rather, she is waiting until you bring someone else into your realm."
I blinked. "I…can do that?"
"Why, yes! This is a world, after all. And your teapot is a portal. Though only those you deem worthy are allowed to enter and leave on their own volition."
I took a deep breath. Because a new possibility just cropped up in my mind then. An idea so radical, but saddeningly reasonable.
As the war between gods continued, I was certain there would come a boiling point. At that point, who knew just how many would be sacrificed in the crossfire? All manners of people, lost to the petty conflicts between gods. Their lands and homes, destroyed irreparably.
But I had another option now! If the lands they lived in become so inhospitable, I could offer them an entirely new world for them to cultivate. A world free from the conflict of the gods, and filled with an infinite amount of materials they could use.
A smile lifted Chubby's face. "I see you have found another way of opposing Destiny, have you not, Fate Defiant?"
I glared. "Stop reading my mind."
Chubby shrugged. Or at least his teapot did.
I smiled slightly. Of course, this world wasn't quite ready for full habitation just yet. It was still missing all sorts of things to make sure people were comfortable. I'd need to spend some more Primogems to buy more Generators, and get some Realmite to make more islands.
There was work to be done, but it didn't feel impossible at least.
"Anyway, I think I'll go exploring a bit more." My wings reformed behind me, and I gave it a flap as I glanced at a nearby wind geyser. "Thanks for the information, Chubby." Chubby returned a small nod, and soon I began moving towards the edge of the island.
But he then spoke as I approached the ledge. "Ah, I just remembered something."
I stopped and turned around. "What is it?"
His smile became just a little sly. "I believe you can fish up some wondrous Ornamental Fishes in this world." He tilted his head. "They would be of even higher quality than the ones you would find in Teyvat, as they've been bathed in the vitality of this world's-"
Before he could even finish, I'd already gone to the lake, sat down, and threw my fishing line into the lake's water.
Chubby stared at my back for some time before they chuckled.