Ganyu and Hu Tao had originally wanted to drag Ryen back to their respective homes,

but both were firmly stopped by Ningguang,

who strongly insisted they had matters to attend to at Yuehai Pavilion and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Everyone had been dismissed.

Watching the two leave reluctantly, Ningguang's eyes held a trace of satisfaction.

As the Tianquan Star, acting willful once in a while and giving Yuehai Pavilion and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor something to do wasn't too hard to justify, was it?

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Ryen also handed Nahida and Klee over to Jean and the others.

Then, Ningguang grabbed Ryen's hand and quickly pulled him onto the floating stone platform, heading straight to the Jade Chamber.

Baishi and Baixiao were about to come up to greet them, but Ningguang dragged Ryen past them without so much as a glance.

"Handle official matters yourselves. Don't come running to me for everything. Until noon tomorrow, do not let anyone disturb the Jade Chamber! Especially not Ganyu and Hu Tao!"

"Even if the Geo Archon himself shows up, he's not allowed in!"

Baishi and Baixiao looked at each other, then reluctantly nodded.

Still swaying from exhaustion and sporting heavy dark circles under their eyes, they turned away to take over Ningguang's official duties.

Heaven knows—back when they were just her secretaries, they never had to handle all of Liyue Harbor's governance on her behalf!

But Ningguang didn't care about any of that right now. After five whole days of thirsting, the fact that she hadn't dragged Ryen away that very afternoon was already a tremendous show of restraint.

In a rush, she pulled him into her room and locked the door behind her with a quick twist of her hand.

Without another word, she slipped off her luxurious qipao and let it fall to the floor.

Smiling sweetly, she fixed her gaze on Ryen.

"Until noon tomorrow, you're not allowed to leave."

Ryen looked at her like he was admiring a work of art, and couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.

"To me, that almost sounds like a temptation."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Waiting to have a little chat with you, of course…"

"No time for that!"

Ningguang shook her head decisively and clung to him tightly.

"Talk while we do it! Business first!"

Ryen had never imagined that Ningguang could one day say something like that.

Still, this version of Ningguang had a charm all her own.

Since Ningguang wasn't holding back, how could Ryen—apex predator that he was—hold back either?

In no time, the two were already entangled together.

Liyue Harbor.

Ayaka followed Beidou as they slowly strolled through the winding streets and alleys.

All around them, the lanterns of Liyue Harbor had just been lit—it was the perfect time for the night market to begin. Everywhere you looked, Liyue's people, having worked hard all day, were now out shopping and enjoying themselves with their families.

Young couples could be seen whispering sweet nothings to each other as they went on dates.

There was variety and vibrance in every corner.

But one thing they all shared was a deep-rooted pride and confidence.

It came from their unwavering belief in the strength of their nation.

And honestly, they had earned that confidence.

They had slain gods and defeated tens of thousands of sea beasts—

Without losing a single person.

Such a feat would be jaw-dropping anywhere in all of Teyvat.

Ayaka couldn't help but think—if Inazuma could ever be as strong as Liyue… well, if she had Yae Miko's tail, she'd be wagging it high enough to walk on air.

Along the way, Ayaka had already sighed from the heart at least four or five times about just how powerful Liyue was.

Neither she nor Beidou mentioned anything they had seen or heard in Ryen's courtyard.

Beidou was about to take Ayaka to purchase some supplies when Lumine suddenly ran over from a distance, waving cheerfully at Ayaka.

"Ayaka! Over here! I've got something to talk to you about!"

Ayaka glanced at Beidou, who chuckled and said,

"Don't look at me like that, I won't get lost on my own. Go ahead. I'll grab a few things and head home."

Ayaka nodded and quickly walked toward Lumine.

"Traveler…"

"Just call me Lumine! No need to be so formal, Ayaka!"

Lumine naturally linked her arm with Ayaka's, grinning brightly.

"Come on, let's chat on the way. I heard Mr. Yun Jin from Yun-Han Opera Troupe is performing The Rite of Parting tonight. Let's hurry and grab a spot!"

Ayaka paused for a moment. She had heard from Beidou and the others that Lumine was still searching for her brother.

She thought Lumine had come to ask about that.

Curious, Ayaka softly asked,

"Lumine, weren't you going to ask about your brother?"

"My brother?"

Lumine blinked, then waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Forget about him! He's living quite comfortably now. No need to rush to find him! What's important right now is to enjoy life in Teyvat!"

Ayaka pursed her lips in a smile, her mood lightened by Lumine's optimism.

"Lumine, you really are carefree…"

"But actually, I do have something I wanted to ask you."

Lumine blinked playfully and whispered,

"It's about going to Inazuma. I heard there's a war going on there. How bad is it?"

Ayaka's expression faltered slightly. Her mood darkened in an instant. She pursed her lips and shook her head.

"It's not good… or rather, it's devastating…"

"The war in Inazuma continues to spread. Lumine, you should understand—an unending war means suffering for ordinary people."

"What's worse is that Inazuma is already close to the Abyssal seas. Our strength isn't as great as Liyue's. Monsters are wreaking havoc everywhere…"

Lumine was silent for a moment before softly saying,

"I'm sorry, Ayaka…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for. It's simply the truth."

Ayaka shook her head.

"The reason I came to Liyue this time… was actually to seek aid. But Her Excellency the Tianquan was right. If things went the way I imagined—if Liyue truly got involved…"

"The war would escalate."

"This is something we must resolve ourselves."

Though always cheerful and upbeat, Lumine understood matters of nationhood well.

After all, she had lived for over a thousand years.

After thinking it over, Lumine declared firmly,

"Alright! It's decided! I'll help you!"

"What?"

~~----------------------

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