Ganyu Meet with Lumine

"I'm sorry, traveler, but didn't I warn you before? Remember the old Liyue proverb: 'Walls have ears.'"

After chatting with Baizhu, Lumine acquired the 'Everlasting Incense'. The next step is to place the 'Everlasting Incense' in the Feiyun Slope. After Lumine and Paimon left, From a corner, Yelan emerged.

"Oh, it seems the fatui 'Childe' is scheming something."

Yelan always held a strong distaste for the Fatui. But this is in Liyue, although Yelan and Ningguang are in a partnership.

After all, Liyue is managed by Ningguang. Regardless of the situation, Ningguang needs to be informed first.

"What exactly does this Fatui Childe want with the 'Exuvia'?"

"We need to report this to Ningguang."

"Yes, Miss Yelan."

The spy next to her retreated. Not long after, Ningguang received the intelligence provided by Yelan.

"Oh, it seems Childe already knows the 'Exuvia' is in the Golden House."

"But what exactly are you plotting?"

"Inform the others, the Golden House should immediately arrange for more Qixing Soldiers, enhance the management of the Golden House!"

"Yes, Miss Ningguang."

Watching Baixiao leave, Ningguang fell into deep thought. Although the 'Exuvia' in the Golden House indeed belongs to the Geo Archon, Ningguang always had a feeling that the Geo Archon is not truly dead.

But Ningguang doesn't understand, if the Geo Archon is not dead, then what is the deep meaning behind his actions?

Could it be that the Geo Archon's actions are a test for the people of Liyue? In the past, the Geo Archon also tested the people of Liyue. But both the Seven Stars of Liyue and the people of Liyue Harbor performed very well.

"Nevermind, whether the Geo Archon is still around or not, our main focus now should be on the demon god of the Guyun Stone Forest."

"Miss Ningguang, Lady Ganyu has arrived." Just as Ningguang was in deep thought, Baixiao came in.

"Ganyu is here? Let her in quickly."

"Yes." After a while, Baixiao brought Ganyu in.

"Ganyu, did you rest well yesterday?" Upon seeing Ganyu's arrival, Ningguang gave a slight smile.

"Miss Ningguang, I rested very well yesterday. I came today because I have something to tell you."

"Oh? Sit first, Baixiao, go brew some tea."

"Yes, Miss Ningguang."

"What brings you here today, Ganyu?"

"Yesterday, I strolled around Liyue Harbor with Mr. Owner and gained a lot from him."

"Mr. Owner told me that Liyue should open another school."

"We could let the children of ordinary people come to school and educate them, nurturing the next generation of Liyue."

"A school? To nurture those children?"

"That sounds quite good."

"But Ganyu, you must know that our Liyue is vast. If we want to bring those children to Liyue Harbor for schooling, it will not be easy."

"You know, there are many monsters in areas like Dihua Marsh, and not only Dihua Marsh, but other places as well."

"I also discussed this issue with Mr. Owner."

"But Mr. Owner mentioned that Xiangling had recently acquired a car, and the alchemists of Liyue Harbor are researching it."

"When the time comes, and the car can be mass-produced, we can build some roads and have people drive the children to and from school."

"That's a pretty good idea."

"I've considered this before, but due to some reasons, it was put on hold."

"Now that Mr. Owner brings it up, this matter is indeed plausible."

"And I believe that if the lord of geo were to witness this, he would surely be satisfied."

Just as Takarou said, if we could cultivate the children of Liyue, it would indeed be beneficial for the next generation. Take Qingce Village, for example, there are just too many elderly people there. And the children of today basically spend their days playing. Especially here in Liyue Harbor, where many people are business owners, they naturally do not have much time to educate their children.

But if we were to open another school where children from ordinary families, and even other families, could come and learn, then I believe the people of Liyue would be grateful for this decision made by the Seven Stars of Liyue. However, such an undertaking is not something that can be accomplished immediately. At least not until the current crisis has passed.

"It seems that you and Mr. Owner get along quite well, Ganyu." Ningguang looked at Ganyu with a faint smile.

She understood Ganyu's temperament. Having her interact with people could be unsettling for her as she often didn't know what to talk about.

After all, she's a half-Celestia Beast, half-human who had always lived in Jueyun Karst. It was only later, at the invitation of the Geo Archon, that she came to Liyue Harbor. But since coming to Liyue Harbor, Ganyu has been busy with work. Now that she sees Ganyu getting along well with Mr. Owner, it means Ganyu now has a friend.

She is happy for Ganyu. But Ganyu, after all, is a celestial being. Even if all of the current generation of the Seven Stars of Liyue pass away, Ganyu will continue to live. Witnessing the next generation of the Seven Stars of Liyue.

"Mr. Owner is a very nice person, chatting with him is very beneficial for me, and he is also very easy to get along with."

"Mr. Owner doesn't look at me with awe like others do."

"No matter what, Ganyu, I am happy that you have a friend in Liyue."

"You can visit Mr. Owner when you have the time."

"Mm." Baiwen brought tea and placed it in front of Ningguang and Ganyu.

"Ganyu, tonight, go find the Traveler. I want to meet with her."

"Traveler? Alright, I understand." Ganyu nodded, taking Ningguang's instructions to heart.

After staying for a while longer, Ganyu then left.

....

On the other side, at the Feiyun Slope, Lumine placed the 'Everlasting Incense' on the altar.

"Mr. Zhongli, the 'Everlasting Incense' has been placed. What should we do next?"

"Good, now that we have the laborers and the 'Everlasting Incense', we are not far from preparing for the ceremony."

Hearing Zhongli's words, Lumine and Paimon breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, finally!!"

"What have you gained from this journey to bid farewell to the Geo Archon, Traveler?"

Lumine honestly answered: "It was quite a peculiar journey."

"Peculiar?"

"I'm not sure whether to say that I experienced the life of a tycoon or the struggles of the poor?"

Hearing Lumine's response, Zhongli laughed: "Hahaha, which one is it then? Questions during a journey are always so complex."

"The Traveler's experience is for the Traveler to slowly mull over. Oh, as a reward for helping prepare the 'Farewell Ritual', I've decided to-- treat you."

"Zhongli treating us? Oh my god!" Lumine and Paimon, upon hearing Zhongli's words, looked at him in disbelief.

_______

"Hm? Oh, rest assured, this time, I'll remember to bring money."

"Tonight, I'll take you to visit the highly praised old cellar of the port."

"The old port cellar? The kind for drinking?" The name sounded similar to places for drinking. Paimon asked, puzzled.

"Yes, we will meet at the 'Three Bowls Not Past the Port' near the dock. Don't be late." Having said that, Zhongli left.

"Lumine, there's still some time before nightfall, where should we go next?"

Paimon looked at the sky; it was only the afternoon. There was still quite some time before Zhongli's invitation, which was set for the evening.

So they couldn't possibly just go there now and wait, right?

"Um... how about we go see Mr. Owner?"

"Go to Mr. Owner's? Great!"

Upon hearing that Lumine wanted to go to Mr. Owner's, Paimon became extremely excited. Going to Mr. Owner's meant they could eat something delicious again!

Seeing Paimon's excited face, Lumine couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. She could clearly see what her little companion was thinking.

Afterwards, Lumine and Paimon arrived at the New Century Comic Store. They both entered the New Century Comic Store. Upon seeing Noelle there, they were taken by surprise.

"Noelle, how come you're here?"

"Ah, it's the Honorary Knight, and Paimon too, welcome to the New Century Comic Store."

Seeing Lumine and Paimon, Noelle was also somewhat surprised. Nevertheless, she greeted them warmly.

"Noelle, from what you're saying, are you now an employee of the New Century Comic Store?" Paimon asked, puzzled by Noelle's tone.

"That's correct, Paimon, I am now an employee of the New Century Comic Store." Noelle replied with a smile.

"Wow, we haven't come here for a few days, and Mr. Owner's store has gained a new employee, and it's Noelle."

"There's so much you don't know." Takarou said to Lumine and Paimon with a smile.

"Hi, Mr. Owner, long time no see." Upon seeing Takarou, Paimon was brimming with enthusiasm.

Seeing her companion fly off like an eager puppy, Lumine couldn't help but facepalm.

"Mr. Owner, do you know what we've been through these past few days?"

"Oh, did you go to Jueyun Karst and meet the Adepti?" Takarou pretended to be surprised.

"Hehe, Mr. Owner is really smart, yes, we indeed met the Adepti! and those Adepti are really powerful! Especially that Cloud Retainer, we entered her cave, and it was really big."

Paimon was talking while gesturing with her hands.However, she was so small, no matter how much she gestured, she still seemed tiny.

"I didn't expect Lumine and Paimon's connection to the Adepti to be so good."

"But, after telling the Adepti about this, I'm afraid they're already near Liyue Harbor, right?"

"After we told them about the death of the Geo Archon, they were all shocked."

"Cloud Retainer even said she wanted to come to Liyue Harbor to suppress it, but we managed to talk her out of it."

"I didn't expect the Geo Archon to hold such a great place in the hearts of both people and the Adepti."

"That's natural. After all, during the war of demons, the Geo Archon didn't aim for the throne but for the sake of the people."

"For the people, he carved out a continent, which is now Liyue."

"So, the Geo Archon, whether in the hearts of people or Adepti, is great." Takarou gave a slight smile, explaining to Lumine and Paimon.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Owner is correct."

"But Mr. Owner, have you ever heard of a coconut goat?,Paimon turned her eyes to Takarou.

'Coconut goat?'

"Haha, Paimon, Lumine, weren't you tricked by Qiqi from Bubu Pharmacy?"

"Qiqi? Mr. Owner, you know about Qiqi?"

"And you even know we were tricked by Qiqi?"

"Actually, there is no coconut goat. What Qiqi likes to drink is just the juice from the leaves of the coconut tree, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly it."

"Qiqi didn't explain clearly, which made us repair a Machine." Paimon nodded her head in agreement.

Speaking of Qiqi, she was actually quite pitiful. With that, Takarou let out a sigh.

"Qiqi? Mr. Owner, do you know about Qiqi's past?"

"Hmm, I know a bit."

"Mr. Owner, could you tell us about it?" Paimon looked at him expectantly.

She never expected Mr. Owner to know about Qiqi's past. Lumine, sitting on the side, was also somewhat eager. Seeing their eager expressions, Takarou smiled slightly.

"Since you're so eager, I'll tell you."

"This ancient story has long been forgotten. A common herbalist girl named Qiqi stumbled into a fairyland and accidentally injured her right leg, so she hastily hid in a cave to rest. While busy dressing her wound, she heard an unearthly sound, but she never expected that after a loud noise, she would be forever trapped between life and death. Whether adepti or demon, justice or evil…everyone understood that she was just a mortal, an innocent bystander who was caught in the crossfire. Perhaps it was fate. The dying Qiqi accidentally received the 'Cryo vision', which ended this fairy-demon war. The adepti couldn't bear it and each imbued a strand of their power into Qiqi's body, intending to resurrect her. The awakened Qiqi was reborn, but she couldn't control the power inside her body, and she fell into an unprecedented madness... To quell the turmoil, the 'Mountain Shaper' had no choice but to seal this unfortunate girl into amber. Hundreds of years later, Qiqi in the amber was finally discovered and sent to the 'Hall of the Departed' for burial. The mountain roads were rough, and the amber was inevitably bumped. Over time, Qiqi's seal was almost completely dissipated. One night, Qiqi fully awakened, secretly broke the amber and ran away. Following her habit of picking herbs when she was alive, Qiqi ran straight to the forest. Along the way, she was adopted by Baizhu, the owner of the Bubu Pharmacy. Baizhu's medical skills were excellent, but he was not a man of high integrity and courage. Even so, he insisted on keeping Qiqi, even though she has poor memory and often makes mistakes when sorting herbs. Baizhu's tolerance of Qiqi seems to be related to his personal pursuit. Qiqi, although stiff, was not dull and noticed this. However, she didn't take it to heart. Whether she had experienced too much or had been alone for too long... even if the 'kindness' had ulterior motives, it was still something to be grateful for to Qiqi. Qiqi carried a notebook with her. Qiqi's memory was very poor, and in order to ensure her daily life could go smoothly, this was an essential item. The text inside was written in a font from hundreds of years ago, with graceful handwriting. The first page described how to practice soft gymnastics. Flipping through, there were descriptions of various herbs and some "orders". Qiqi had to give herself orders to avoid acting ineptly, these orders were written particularly meticulously. Things to do every day were also seriously written down. Recently, some new "brain exercises" and "memory enhancement methods" have been added.

In this way, it could indeed be called a practical guide for home and travel. But if one day Qiqi forgets to read the notebook... then there's really no way to help.

_______

Lumine and Paimon heard Takarou talking about Qiqi's past. Their expressions also turned dim.

They felt great sympathy for Qiqi's unfortunate experiences. It was truly an undeserved calamity. Fortunately, when Qiqi was on the brink of death, she obtained the a Vision. Otherwise, this little girl would have perished long ago.

"Lumine, I never expected Qiqi's background to be so pitiful. Next time we see her, let's treat her well," said Paimon with teary eyes, looking at Lumine.

Seeing her companion on the verge of tears, Lumine nodded repeatedly and embraced Paimon, comforting her.

"No wonder we often saw a diary by Qiqi's side when we were at Bubu Pharmacy. It turns out that was the book she used to write her journal," Lumine remarked.

"But speaking of Baizhu..."

From the moment Lumine laid eyes on Baizhu, she felt that something was off about him. Combining it with what Mr. Owner said, it seemed that Baizhu took in Qiqi with the intention of conducting research.

If that were true...

However, this was merely hearsay from Mr. Owner, and they didn't have any conclusive evidence. Moreover, if they were to take Qiqi out of Bubu Pharmacy, where should she go?

"Will Qiqi be in danger if she continues to stay at Bubu Pharmacy?" Lumine inquired.

"Danger is unlikely. Qiqi is quite powerful," replied Takarou with a faint smile.

"Oh, by the way, when you see Keqing, let her know that she should come to the comic store when she has time. I have something to discuss with her," Takarou added.

"Alright, Mr. Owner, I'll remember," Lumine confirmed.

In the following time, Lumine and Paimon didn't spend their time at the comic store reading comics. After all, they had been busy for several days, and what they wanted most now was to rest.

Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms on the second floor. Takarou agreed to let Lumine and Paimon take a good rest on the second floor of his comic store. Lumine and Paimon rested until evening when Noelle arrived outside their room and knocked on the door.

"Lumine, it's already evening. Zhongli has invited us to dinner. Let's go," Noelle informed them.

"Okay, okay," Lumine replied.

Lumine quickly tidied up and went downstairs to inform Takarou before leaving New Century Comics. As soon as they stepped out of New Century Comics, Lumine and Paimon noticed Zhongli sitting at a table on the right side of the store. The table was adorned with various dishes.

"Ah, you're here. No need to order; I've already taken care of it," Zhongli greeted them.

"This restaurant, 'Heyu Tea House,' is unlike the taverns in Mondstadt. Here, the proprietor refuses to serve 'improper' drinks like juice," Zhongli explained.

Lumine turned to Zhongli and asked, "So, can I finally have a glass of wine this time?"

When she was in Mondstadt, she had wanted to taste alcohol. However, the taverns there considered her underage and refused to serve her.

At that time, Lumine was angry because she was already of legal drinking age and felt she should be allowed to drink.

Unexpectedly, in Liyue Harbor, Zhongli was finally going to treat her to a drink. But just as Lumine was contemplating this, she heard Zhongli continue, "So, this time, I ordered a bowl of sweet fermented rice balls for you."

"????"Lumine was puzzled by Zhongli's words, marked by a series of question marks in her mind.

Sweet fermented rice balls? How is that even remotely related to alcohol?

"Haha, I couldn't have guessed this outcome," said Iron Tongue Tian from the nearby stage.

"If you all are interested, I can continue telling the story of Ningguang and the 'Jade chamber,'" he added.

"Wow, so you're saying we're going to the Jade chamber in the Seven Stars of Liyue, the big one up in the sky? I'd love to go up and take a look too!" Paimon said excitedly and with anticipation.

After all, it's located in the sky, and who knows what kind of scenery you can see from the Jade Chamber, overlooking the whole Liyue Harbor?

"You all know that above our port, there's the Cloud Retainer's Abode, the Mt. Aocang," Iron Tongue Tian said.

"What does it mean to have great influence? Take a look, this is what it means to have great influence. It's the skyward industry set up by Lady Ningguang. When the weather is clear and the air is fresh, you look down from the deck outside the palace gate... it's amazing! It's like a panoramic view of half of Liyue Harbor."

While Iron Tongue Tian was speaking, Ganyu also appeared nearby. She didn't approach immediately but listened to Iron Tongue Tian's storytelling.

"By the way, whenever Lady Ningguang has important matters, she must go to the Jade chamber. She dismisses everyone else and brings only three trusted aides. What are these three aides doing there?" Iron Tongue Tian continued.

"Heh! It turns out they are there to organize intelligence and handle documents. Summaries are posted on the walls, and they keep increasing, but before the white walls are completely covered, Lady Ningguang will definitely make a decision. Once the decision is made, she will crush all the documents, and whoosh! Scatter the paper scraps out of the window."

"Wow, they float and sway, like a sudden snowfall! The characters on those paper scraps, in the eyes of the merchants of Liyue, are like ink stains on a snowy field. Eye-catching! There's a poem that praises it: Fluttering and falling, like snow and dust in the sky. Dense and sparse, each character is as precious as a rare treasure. In an instant, it encompasses the entire land. Everyone knows, the Jade chamber holds the highest authority."

"Think about it. Although they are just scraps of paper, the 'ideas' Lady Ningguang uses for decision-making, they must be extremely precious," Iron Tongue Tian explained. "You should grab one or two more. The benefits that leak from Lady Ningguang's fingers can give you an edge over your peers."

When Iron Tongue Tian finished speaking, Paimon looked at Lumine and Zhongli, saying, "'Tianquan' Ningguang, I've been hearing this name a lot lately."

"The people of Liyue talk about her, the 'Fool's Parade' hates her, and it seems she's the one behind the 'Rex Lapis Funeral Parlor.' We also met her during the 'Rite of Descension'... I wonder what kind of person she really is?" Just as Paimon was speaking, a voice suddenly came.

"Finally, I found you, 'The One Who Returns Amidst the Fleeting Clouds'," the voice said.

Lumine and Paimon heard the sudden voice and looked around. "Who?!" they exclaimed.

"I am an emissary of the 'Seven Stars of Liyue'—I am Ganyu, the secretary of the Moonlight Pavilion, and I have come to see you," the voice explained.

"Emissary? Secretary?" Lumine asked.

"More precisely, my official duty is to serve as the secretary for the entire 'Seven Stars.' But this time, I have come as a special envoy of Miss Ningguang," Ganyu clarified.

Upon hearing Ganyu's words, Paimon's eyes widened. "Wow, an envoy from Ningguang, from Ningguang... has come."

" 'The One Who Returns Amidst the Fleeting Clouds,' please forgive me for being in the streets and not showing proper courtesy," Ganyu apologized. "But I bring this letter, an official invitation drafted by Miss Ningguang in her capacity as 'Tianquan.' She invites you to visit the 'Celestial Palace.'"

"You say... an invitation?" Lumine questioned.

"Yes, Miss Ningguang said, 'Please invite her. I want to see her. At the Jade chamber, I will personally sever every intricate hidden thread,'" Ganyu explained. She then flew the invitation letter in her hand in front of Lumine and left.

As Lumine looked at the invitation letter in her hand, she had a puzzled expression on her face.