However, Lumine and Ayaka didn't need to join in on the excitement. During this time, Lumine had also gotten to know Yun Jin, and the two had become good friends.

Tonight's trip to the opera was actually at Yun Jin's invitation.

Naturally, she had prepared an excellent private box for them.

Once they sat inside, the noise from outside became much more muffled.

Ayaka glanced down below before turning to speak softly:

"Lumine, when do you plan to go to Inazuma?"

"Hmm…"

Lumine scratched her cheek and muttered:

"Ayaka, are you in a hurry?"

"Inazuma's situation isn't looking great, but I feel that Liyue might offer a better solution."

Ayaka shook her head.

"If possible, I'd prefer to go a bit later. I still haven't explored Mr. Ryen's world, and besides, to reach Inazuma, we'll need to borrow Beidou's ship."

"And judging by Beidou's recent attitude, it doesn't seem like she'll be sailing anytime soon."

Lumine giggled and said:

"No need to make it that complicated! Paimon and I have raised four dragons. I'll lend you one when the time comes, and we'll just ride there."

"No matter how fierce Raiden Shogun's lightning storm is, our dragons are divine beast-tier—descendants of the gods. She won't be able to take them down easily..."

"But yes, I do agree with going later."

"The Twilight Forest mod just opened. I plan to search it for some good loot, get fully prepared, and then head to Inazuma."

Hearing this, Ayaka nodded happily in agreement.

Seeing that they'd basically settled on a plan for Inazuma, Paimon, who had been listening nearby, came over with a flattering smile.

"Lumine... can I stay in Liyue? Of course—it's for your sake!"

Seeing Lumine looking at her with a smirk, Paimon hurriedly added defensively:

"Think about it, Lumine! If we both go to Inazuma, who's going to pay attention to Ryen's world? Just think! Ningguang and the others only skipped five days this time—"

"And we already built the Orbital Dragon-Slaying Cannon and even launched a new mod. If you leave for a whole month and something new happens in Ryen's world, you'll fall way behind!"

"I'm doing all this for you, you know!"

Lumine chuckled and nodded.

"Are you done?"

"Not yet!"

Paimon waved her tiny hands and muttered softly:

"If you could also bring me back some Inazuman food, that would be even better…"

"Hmm…"

Lumine shot her a sidelong glance and replied coolly:

"Not happening! Weren't you the one who said you'd follow me everywhere? Are you Ryen's guide or mine?"

Paimon instantly slumped down, propping up her cheeks in despair.

Lumine rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that look. We have dragons—it's not that hard to do a round trip in a single day."

"Besides, if it really comes to it, we can always use teleport anchors to sneak across. It'll only take a blink of an eye!"

Only then did Paimon cheer up—just a little.

Ayaka also smiled and added:

"If Paimon goes to Inazuma, I'll make sure to treat you well too. Whatever you want to eat, just tell me anytime and someone will go buy it."

"Piping hot Tri-Color Dango is way better than cold ones."

After spending some time together, Ayaka had come to understand—Paimon fit the textbook definition of 'whoever feeds me is my parent'.

Sure enough, as soon as she heard Ayaka say that, Paimon perked up immediately.

"Really?! Ayaka! You're so kind!"

"But Paimon has money! You don't have to buy it for me!"

Lumine rolled her eyes on the side and teased:

"Yeah, but that's not even your money! Ningguang gave it to you!"

"But Sister Ningguang said so herself! If she gave me Mora, then it's my Mora! I can spend it however I want!"

Paimon puffed up proudly and gave a haughty hum.

"Lumine's just jealous! Because Sister Ningguang didn't give you that much Mora!"

Lumine didn't argue with Paimon.

The reason Ningguang gave her so much Mora… Paimon had no clue.

Previously, Ningguang had given her one hundred million Mora, and Paimon burned through it in just three days.

After that, Ningguang finally understood why even Lumine couldn't afford to raise such a tiny floating pet.

She ate way too much!

Even after a huge feast, if she lay down for a bit, she could still get up and eat a whole pile of desserts again.

The key was—no matter how much she ate, she wouldn't gain any weight!

Because of this, Ganyu was always envious of Paimon, constantly trying to secretly figure out how to obtain a physique like hers.

At that moment, the performance at Yunhan Opera Troupe had already begun. Yun Jin secretly glanced toward Lumine's private booth and saw Lumine waving at her.

She gave a quick wink, and amid thunderous applause, Yun Jin made her grand entrance on stage.

This was Yunhan Troupe's first reopening since the Rite of Parting ceremony.

And the drama they were performing was none other than the widely talked-about event of the Archon War.

In no time, all of Liyue's people had poured out of their homes and gathered at the Yunhan Troupe theater.

Normally, in such a momentous event, Zhongli would surely be there to watch.

However…

Now that he'd found the chance to revive an old friend, he had devoted himself completely to the task of gathering the lingering souls of the immortals.

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

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