Chapter 7

To prevent any mishaps, Ganyu fired three more arrows in rapid succession after the first, and the raging Cryo energy tore Frost Slayer apart completely.

They'd done it!

The moment Frost Slayer was slain, the system notification for mission completion chimed simultaneously.

[Ding — Host has successfully completed the mission to rescue Xiangling. Rewards: 500,000 Mora, 100 Points, 100 EXP. Random Residence Entry obtained: Telepathy.]

[Telepathy]: Can be granted to multiple holders. When one holder experiences intense emotional fluctuation, other holders within a certain range will share the feeling. (0/5)

Lu Lin: ?

This entry… was absolutely broken, wasn't it?

Connect the minds of five people?!

If he paired this with [Double Happiness], the effect would be… almost too terrifying to imagine!

"Xiangling, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Hu Tao bounced over to Xiangling, snapping Lu Lin out of his daydream.

"I'm fine, not a scratch on me! But what just happened? And who is this gentleman?" Xiangling tilted her head and looked at Lu Lin, feeling a strangely inexplicable sense of familiarity with him.

"That's a question for Lu Lin — one moment we blinked, and you were right beside him. None of us even saw how it happened."

"Is it… some kind of teleportation ability?" Ganyu walked over to join them.

She had now experienced two instances of time stopping, both while fully conscious, so she had formed her own theories about Lu Lin's abilities.

She was just off in the wrong direction.

From what she'd observed, the effect did look very much like teleportation. Lu Lin didn't bother correcting her — he simply gave Ganyu a thumbs-up, and no one pressed the topic further.

"Thank you so much, Mister Lu! When we get back to Liyue, please come visit Wanmin Restaurant — I'll cook you something delicious!"

"I wouldn't dream of refusing. I've long heard that Chef Xiangling's cooking is extraordinary — what a treat it would be to taste it for myself!"

Xiangling and Guoba had safely escaped danger, and the two Abyss Heralds who had been the source of the monster rampage were eliminated. All that remained now were the two black orbs.

Although the orbs had been born from Archon Residue fused with Abyss power, they weren't particularly powerful on their own. Their primary function was corrosion and destruction — specifically, to erode and break the seal.

Unfortunately for them, they had run up against a seal left behind by the Geo Archon himself. The Archon whose residue they carried had been personally slain and suppressed by the Geo Archon in the first place — what trouble could its remnants possibly stir up?

Still, Ganyu found herself at a bit of a loss over how to deal with the two orbs.

Just then, the seal that had been dormant all this time suddenly stirred.

The seal expanded outward, golden light wrapping around both black orbs and engulfing them — and then a blinding flash erupted!

Ganyu and the others instinctively shielded their eyes. When the light faded, the entire palace was empty. The golden seal, the green orb of light, the black spheres — all of it had vanished without a trace.

The seal and the black orbs were understandable — the seal's power had presumably purged the orbs entirely. But where had that green orb of light gone?

The ruins of the Guili Plains were shrouded in thick black mist. Xingqiu had just finished dealing with another wave of monsters and was resting in place.

A full day had passed since Hu Tao and Lu Lin had suddenly disappeared. He had been searching everywhere, clearing out monsters along the way, yet had found no trace of either of them.

He too had been eroded by the black mist and was gradually reaching his limit.

"Hm? The mist… it's thinning out a lot?" After resting for a short while, he suddenly noticed the black mist was rapidly dissipating.

He was still puzzling over this change when he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my, Xingqiu is here too — what a coincidence!"

He turned around. Hu Tao, Ganyu, and Xiangling — along with that Mister Lu Lin — were slowly emerging from the black mist.

"I finally found you all. Is everyone alright?"

"We're perfectly fine! The source of the problem has been dealt with. Once we clear out the remaining monsters, we can head home!"

"You're all amazing — you found the source that quickly."

"Everyone give it your all! Once the monsters are cleared, we're heading to Wanmin Restaurant for a proper feast — this Director is treating!"

None of them noticed that among the crumbling ruins, a corner of a robe lingered for a brief moment before drifting silently away.

High above Liyue Harbor floated a palace in the sky.

This was the residence of Liyue's foremost merchant, one of the current Liyue Qixing who held great authority — Tianquan Star Ningguang. It was known as the Jade Chamber.

As Tianquan Star, Ningguang had an enormous amount of official business to attend to each day, and she was also one of the humans who understood Liyue most deeply.

[Ningguang, who holds all of Liyue Harbor's secrets, is herself Liyue Harbor's greatest secret.]

This was the assessment given by Kaiyang Star, a fellow member of the Qixing.

Jade Chamber — Ningguang's office.

Clad in a nightgown, her white hair draped over her shoulders, Ningguang sat at her desk. Two urgent intelligence reports lay before her.

The morning light outside was just barely breaking through the pre-dawn darkness. She wouldn't normally rise this early, but today she had been roused by these two emergency dispatches.

Even in a nightgown, her graceful figure was impossible to conceal — especially the impressive fullness of her chest, which traced a sweeping arc that drew the eye.

Her hands were exquisitely maintained, slender and long-fingered. She picked up the first report from the desk and read it carefully.

"Mondstadt Dragon Disaster Observation Report"

"In recent days, the neighboring nation of Mondstadt suffered a Dragon Disaster, causing considerable damage. Investigation confirms the disaster was caused by Stormterror Dvalin, once a devotee of the Anemo Archon. In the course of resolving the Dragon Disaster, a mysterious golden-haired girl contributed greatly and was awarded an honorary knighthood by the Knights of Favonius. It is reported that this girl has plans to travel to Liyue in the near future."

Ningguang set down the report, pondered for a moment, then picked up the second one.

"Guili Plains Monster Rampage Incident Resolution Report"

"In recent days, a large quantity of black mist suddenly appeared in the Guili Plains, triggering a mass monster uprising. The source has now been identified and resolved…"

Hm? The source of the Guili Plains monster rampage had already been resolved? That was faster than anyone could have expected!

Could it be that Rex Lapis himself had intervened?

Ganyu had also been on the scene. She possessed an adeptal beast bloodline and was extraordinarily powerful — it wouldn't be surprising if she had resolved it this quickly.

Or perhaps it was that enigmatic Great Demon Vanquisher?

Wait — who was Lu Lin?

Ningguang continued reading down the report, and when she came to Lu Lin's name, her gaze sharpened slightly.

This report… why was it so vague?

The report was indeed vague, but that wasn't the fault of whoever wrote it — Ganyu had glossed over the details when giving her account.

While the incident had ultimately been resolved by Ganyu and Hu Tao working together to eliminate the two rampaging Abyss Heralds, the one who truly deserved the most credit was Lu Lin.

Had he not dispelled the black mist's influence from both of them and restored their combat strength, the outcome might have been very different.

But his method of dispelling the black mist was… rather difficult to explain, and Ganyu didn't want Lu Lin's contributions to go unrecognized — so the report had ended up this vague.

Lu Lin himself didn't care about credit, but according to Ganyu, resolving an incident of this scale would yield considerable material rewards. Lu Lin had only just arrived and was short on funds, so getting a little something out of it wasn't a bad idea.

After clearing out the monsters in the Guili Plains, everyone returned to Liyue Harbor together.

After the relentless, high-intensity fighting, they were all exhausted. They agreed to meet up the following evening at Wanmin Restaurant for a proper gathering, then went their separate ways to rest.

Only Ganyu and Lu Lin didn't head home right away — instead, they went shopping around Liyue Harbor.

The main purpose of the outing was, naturally, that Ganyu wanted to buy some furniture to furnish her new home.

A bedside table, a vanity, a wide writing desk, bookshelves, a beautiful sofa, a large wardrobe…

When it came to actually spending money, Lu Lin's 1,500,000 Mora didn't seem quite enough after all — though Ganyu didn't let him pay, insisting on furnishing her own room with her own money.

After all, it was her new home!

It was a rare chance to shop so freely, and she was doing it with Lu Lin — the smile never left Ganyu's face.

As the Liyue Qixing's secretary, she knew every shop in Liyue Harbor like the back of her hand, and she knew exactly which store was best for each purchase.

As a result, the shopping was remarkably efficient. In just half a day, everything had been bought. Lu Lin sent each item into the Serenitea Pot one by one, and before long the space was looking quite presentable.

"I'm… I'm so sleepy. I'm going to sleep now~"

"Sleep well. Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon!"

By the time the room was furnished, it was already noon, and Ganyu was utterly exhausted.

She had received the news of Xiangling's disappearance in the evening and had entered the Guili Plains overnight, enduring a full day and two nights of combat with only a brief rest in the Serenitea Pot partway through. She had been worn out for a long time.

Ganyu slept wonderfully. She had always been a good sleeper — the kind of person who could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow never had poor sleep quality.

But today's sleep was especially sweet. Perhaps it was because this place felt more like home?

"You're awake. Hungry?" Lu Lin sat at the newly purchased writing desk, seemingly reading a book, though in reality he was studying the exchange shop.

With 300 Points in hand, he was thinking carefully about how best to spend them.

"Mmm~ I really am hungry."

"Go freshen up first. I've made something good — I'll bring it up for you."

The kitchen was on the first floor. Lu Lin went downstairs and came back up carrying a bowl of steaming hot tangyuan, and the moment he pushed open the door, he couldn't help but lose his composure for a moment.

Ganyu was wearing the new nightgown they had bought — a new Fontaine style that Lu Lin had carefully chosen for her.

The nightgown was simple yet elegant, with short sleeves that revealed a pair of arms as fair and smooth as frost-kissed snow. The neckline and hem were trimmed with delicate lace, and the skirt was light and airy, with a graceful, flowing quality.

Ganyu's temperament was naturally elegant and serene, and dressed in this understated nightgown, she looked like a pure little white flower blooming on a mountain slope.

Such a girl — ethereal and refined as an immortal — stood gracefully at the desk, her gaze warm and tender. Lu Lin's heart skipped several beats in a row!

"Here — piping hot tangyuan. Tell me what you think."

Ganyu possessed the Qilin Bloodline, and by nature drank only sweet dew and ate only the finest grains — she was a steadfast vegetarian. Red bean paste tangyuan suited her tastes perfectly.

The girl sat down at the writing desk, pulled out the other chair and patted it, then parted her lips ever so slightly in a coquettish pout, like a cat begging for attention.

She wanted Lu Lin to feed her.

The ethereally refined girl had suddenly made such an adorably coquettish gesture that Lu Lin couldn't hold back a laugh.

"What are you laughing at? I'm hungry — feed me~" The girl of striking contrasts let herself go completely, urging him in a sweet, petulant tone.

"Alright, alright — let me feed this little greedy cat~" Lu Lin sat down in the chair, scooped up a steaming tangyuan with a spoon, blew on it gently, and then brought it to her lips.

"Slowly now — careful, it's hot!"

The girl parted her lips and took the tangyuan into her mouth in one bite, puffing out her cheeks like a little hamster.

"Mmm~ it's delicious. Did you make this?"

"The tangyuan were bought pre-made. I just boiled them."

"Hehe, you still made them!"

"As long as you like them. Here, have another." Lu Lin did the same again and fed her one more.

After eating three tangyuan in a row, her earlier hunger had finally eased. The girl's eyes darted around mischievously, and a new idea came to her.

"Mmm~ feed me one more."

She opened her mouth, but this time instead of taking the tangyuan Lu Lin offered, she gently caught it between her teeth.

With it held between her teeth, she suddenly leaned forward, bringing herself close to Lu Lin. She blinked at him playfully, and Lu Lin immediately understood.

He cooperated, parting his lips slightly. The girl's cherry lips opened softly, and she passed the tangyuan she'd been holding into his mouth.

Their lips brushed together for just a fleeting moment before parting. The girl asked with a grin, "Was it good?"

"Sweet as can be — but…" Lu Lin set down the bowl in his hands.

"But what?"

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶