Sacrificing Myself: Nine Transmigrations (Genshin Impact)

Time flew by in the blink of an eye—half a year had passed.

Elliot and Qiqi had been living happily in the forest. They even gave the little sparrow a name: Little Fluffy.

Every day, Qiqi took care of it attentively, chatting with it often. Meanwhile, Elliot had become acutely aware that his time was running short.

"I'm heading out now."

"Okay... I want coconut milk..."

"I'll bring some back for you, don't worry."

Carrying a pack full of goods, Elliot left the forest. Over the past six months, they had gathered flowers from the forest, dried them, and turned them into fragrant sachets. His backpack now held over a hundred of them in various sizes.

After a long journey, he returned to Liyue and went straight to Wanmin Hall.

"Xiangling, long time no see."

"Elliot! Long time no see! How's Qiqi? Did she miss me?" Xiangling greeted him with her usual bubbly energy.

"She missed you... and coconut milk too."

"Sounds like she missed the coconut milk more."

"That's true."

"?"

Xiangling blinked in confusion. Wasn't she just joking? Why did he agree so readily?

At that moment, Elliot pulled a sachet from his backpack and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Xiangling instinctively brought it to her nose, and a delighted smile spread across her face. "What a rich, natural scent! You must've used a lot of dried flowers."

"Yeah, over a dozen different kinds. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Not bad at all. So, how much coconut milk do you want this time? I'll consider it."

By now, she'd long figured out Elliot's visits always had a pattern: either buying coconut milk or working for it when he didn't have Mora—helping out as a waiter, dishwasher, or gathering ingredients.

After going back and forth like this, they'd naturally become familiar.

"I'll come back for it later. I've got something to take care of right now. I'll find you when I'm done."

With that, Elliot slipped away.

Watching him leave, Xiangling felt something off. His tone and demeanor weren't quite the same. Even if he tried to hide it, she trusted her gut after knowing him for so long.

"I've got to step out for a bit. You guys hold the fort."

Leaving that message behind, she quickly followed after him, quietly keeping her distance.

...

After leaving Wanmin Hall, Elliot headed straight to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

"Yo, it's you. So, what brings you to the Hall Master?"

"Have you finally decided to bury Qiqi? Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll make sure it's a grand send-off!"

Hu Tao greeted him, hands on hips, proudly puffing out her flat chest.

But she wasn't alone—Zhongli, a consultant of the parlor, soon approached at a calm pace.

"Mr. Zhongli, this is the person I mentioned—Elliot. He's the one with the zombie girl named Qiqi!"

"I see. Hello, I'm Zhongli, a guest consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," he said with a polite nod.

"Hello. I came today with a request," Elliot said with a faint smile.

"Oh, I know, I know. You're here about Qiqi's burial, right? So, what kind of funeral are we talking about? Grand? Somber? Joyful? You name it—we at Wangsheng can handle it!"

Ancient times had Wang Po selling melons, and now there was Hu Tao offering coffins.

Always thinking about funerals.

Didn't funeral directors usually wait for people to come to them?

Why was Hu Tao actively going out to solicit customers?

There must be something off about the grandpa in this version of the timeline...

Elliot silently blamed Hu Tao's parallel-universe grandfather.

Despite the thought, he pulled out two sachets from his backpack and handed them to Hu Tao and Zhongli.

They both instinctively sniffed them.

"Wow! This smells amazing! I can catch a hint of plum blossom—there must be some in here!" Hu Tao said excitedly.

"Indeed. The fragrance is quite refined. Judging by its composition, I'd say more than a dozen types of dried flowers were used, all carefully selected."

Zhongli remained as universally consistent as ever—no matter which Teyvat timeline, his analysis stayed the same.

"My time is short. I came here to ask that, after I'm gone, you take care of Qiqi."

"She's devoted—when she likes something, she sticks with it forever. Just like coconut milk."

"I'm afraid she might do something unpredictable once I'm gone."

"A long time ago, Qiqi was a little herbalist... but during the war between the Adepti and demons..."

Elliot briefly explained how Qiqi became a zombie, and how she received her Vision.

After hearing her story, both Hu Tao and Zhongli lowered their heads in silent thought.

"I just hope that if you ever see Qiqi, you can look out for her a little. Her memory isn't great, and she can be a bit slow—but she won't hurt anyone. She's just afraid of being alone..."

"I have other things to take care of, so I'll be going now. Thank you both."

With that, he offered his thanks and walked away—without any hesitation.

By the time Hu Tao and Zhongli came to their senses, Elliot had already gone far.

They looked at each other, then down at the sachets in their hands, remaining silent.

Following quietly behind, Xiangling clutched her sachet tightly.

This was the first time she'd heard Qiqi's backstory, and now she fully understood what Elliot was trying to do.

She left without a word.

...

"Hello, this is Qiqi. She's a zombie—very sweet and harmless, though a bit shy and afraid. If you ever run into her, please don't avoid her. And if you can, try to talk to her."

Elliot handed a sachet to a kind-looking woman, then showed her Qiqi's photo and briefly explained the situation.

"Mm-hmm. Thank you for the sachet."

"You're welcome. I wish you peace and good luck throughout the year."

After saying goodbye, he approached an older man with another sachet in hand.

"Hello, could I have a moment of your time? This is Qiqi. She's a little zombie—not harmful, just timid. If you see her, please don't keep your distance."

"Hello, here's a sachet for you—can I tell you about Qiqi..."

From morning until midnight, as the lights of Liyue gradually dimmed and the city drifted into slumber, Elliot successfully gave out every one of the hundred-plus sachets.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. His stomach grumbled, and his mouth was dry.

An entire day without food or water—spent delivering gifts.

It was finally done.

He was exhausted, but to Elliot, it had all been worth it.