47 Supercar vs JDM

"A young man?"

"She did not mention his name."

"Is that so… Take them to the guest room."

"Understood."

Captain Beidou was led to a wide nice-looking room full of paintings, vases and teapots, and was instructed to take a seat. The same was true for the other guest.

"Well, well, well. It's not often that I get to see this room… We should take the chance to enjoy ourselves to the fullest, here! Take a seat, Sai, drink some tea or something. Lady, can you get me some expensive licor?"

Beidou addressed Sai and the receptionist respectively.

"Y–yes, just a moment."

"This place sure is luxurious… even in my hometown I couldn't see this much gold easily. And these decorations… they give me the impression of expensive relics."

"Hahahah! That's because each and every one of these things is a relic of its own! I myself fished quite a number of the ones in this room."

"Dang, for real?" Sai was impressed. That would mean that Beidou was also very rich.

"Yeah! But it's a pity… Ningguang is such a cheapskate that she never uses any of her wealth apart from the management of the nation—"

At that moment, footsteps were heard nearing the room. The 'queen' herself spoke out as she entered:

"Who's a cheapskate? I merely choose to not bother with spending when I already have all I need. And please, address me appropriately next time."

They both stood up from their chairs.

"Hehe…" Beidou was not shaken by the newcomer's appearance, but Sai was.

She was truly a being from another world (indeed she was). Among the Ten Heavenly Beauties, Ningguang ranked fairly well, so it was natural that she would cause great shock to the unprepared eye.

She was quite literally breathtaking: Sai forgot to breath for a short moment, it was just too surreal. He could never have imagined that he would meet the real life version of such an iconic character, and she matched it so well! The blonde hair, the white traditional qipao/cheongsam, the dark gloves and specially… her composure.

Ningguang was so elegant that she might have dwarfed Zhongli's if they stood side by side. Compared to his elegant simplicity, she gave off the aura of nobility and wealth with every step. And there was more, her gaze seemed to pierce through any stories that Sai might have come up with, like she knew about every single one of his secrets.

Although Beidou was also a great beauty, she seemed much less illusory and much more approachable than Ningguang. Comparing them wouldn't be fair. It is like comparing a supercar to a JDM, they are different categories.

"I am Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing. Who might this young man be?"

Before he could answer, Beidou got to it:

"This guy is Sai. He's from a faraway land, but you should really listen to what he has to say. Go ahead, tell her what you told me."

The rich lady who didn't look more than 25 years old raised a brow slightly and turned her attention to him.

"Ahem. Greetings, Lady Ningguang. Just like Captain Beidou said, I have something very important to tell you." He paused there, looking between the two of them. "I have reasons to believe that Liyue is in grave danger."

"Let us have a seat for now." The Tianquan proposed. She was slightly skeptical on the inside.

They sat down around a table, right on cue to Beidou's licor arrival. Interestingly, Ningguang glared at the captain for quite a while, and the person herself was feeling both happy and amused as she drank in big gulps.

"Haaah! This is great!! As expected from Ningguang's reserves, anything you pick is a guaranteed satisfaction! Anyways, let's get serious. Sai here told me that there isn't much time left to prepare." She took another big gulp. "Haah…"

"Ahem… Indeed, time is of essence right now, so I will get to the point: there is one thing I would like to exchange for all the information that I am about to provide, and I believe that it isn't something hard for your excellency to arrange." Sai tried to look more reliable, though it wasn't to much avail.

"Ningguang, don't be fooled by his demeanour, he is actually quite the businessman." Beidou said.

"Yes, I've come to know some of his exploits already… 'Mr. Chen's 100 Mora Shop', was it?" Ningguang smiled with interest.

"H–how do you… Ah, forget it. I did not expect Lady Ningguang to have found out about it, but if you wish, we may discuss it at some other time. However, right now… I wonder if you are willing to listen to my exchange request?"

"Of course. This is Liyue, after all. You have every right to ask for a contract. I just wonder: are your words truly reliable?" She went from nonchalant to serious quite rapidly.

Sai had managed to get a little more accustomed to elemental power recently, so he could feel a very faint passive-aggressive energy leaking from Ningguang. It told a lot about her strength.

"I can attest to it, somewhat. I'll intervene if I find something fishy. That goes for the both of you, so don't go trying anything funny!" Beidou was half-serious there as she looked into the eyes of both.

"Although I am not a hundred percent confident about the details, I am sure that something really is going to happen soon. Besides, the thing I want can only be taken if what I say actually comes true, so you can rest assured about the trade." Sai made his position known.

"Very well. But how are you so sure that I'll pay you back later? Are you planning to use Captain Beidou?"

"Not at all. I actually know more about you than you think. I trust you; you will keep your word."

"It would be laughable of me as the Tianquan to unfairly cancel a contract that has been agreed. If I do decide to go through with it, you shall get your part."

"That's great to hear."

"C'mon, stop babbling. Get to it!"

"Yeah." Sai paused for a moment and looked at the blonde lady. "I will first tell you what I want, and then everything else."

"Go ahead."

"What I want is…"

""!!!""

…

A few days earlier.

Sai woke up in the uncomfortable floor of Chen's cottage.