Chapter 9
Lu Lin was quite curious about this magnificent palace floating high in the sky. Building a massive levitating palace in the heavens was something even the technologically advanced world he had come from couldn't achieve.
What a shame that such a splendid palace would soon be hurled into the vast ocean as a weapon.
Yesterday, while strolling through the streets with Ganyu, he had overheard people talking about the Dragon Disaster that had just struck Mondstadt — and from that, he had already deduced the exact point in time he had transmigrated to.
The Traveler Lumine had just resolved the Dragon Disaster in Mondstadt and was now on her way to Liyue. The assassination attempt on the Geo Archon had not yet occurred.
"Please come in, Mr. Lu. Miss Ningguang has been waiting for some time!" Bai Wen escorted him to the door of Ningguang's office and did not follow him inside.
Lu Lin stepped into the lavish office. He had to admit that Ningguang, as the wealthiest woman in Liyue, truly knew how to live in style.
The office was filled everywhere with calligraphy and paintings by renowned masters, antique treasures, and all manner of rare and precious flowers and plants…
Any single item in this office, if sold, would be enough to keep an ordinary person comfortable for half a lifetime.
At the very center of the office stood a strikingly beautiful woman with white hair pinned up behind her head, dressed in a bright golden gown. She was facing a wall, reading documents pinned to it.
She was tall and slender, her bearing graceful and regal — like a secluded orchid blooming in an empty valley.
Sensing Lu Lin's entrance, she turned elegantly and smiled. "You must be Mr. Lu Lin? A pleasure to meet you."
"Miss Ningguang, the pleasure is mine." Lu Lin returned a friendly smile.
"Mr. Lu cuts quite a distinguished figure, and your taste in clothing is exceptional as well. That fine garment is made from quality materials with exquisite craftsmanship — it must be a prized piece from the Feiyun Commerce Guild, yes?"
Lu Lin's attire did indeed give him an air of extraordinary refinement. Even Ningguang, who was accustomed to the upper echelons of society, found herself pleasantly surprised.
"Ganyu picked it out for me. It does fit rather well," Lu Lin said with no small amount of pride.
"Oh? Miss Ganyu is always busy with work and rarely interacts with strangers — let alone picks out clothes for them. You must have quite an unusual relationship with her, Mr. Lu."
"Mm~ we are indeed fairly close."
"And yet I've never heard your name before, Mr. Lu. A young talent such as yourself shouldn't be going unnoticed."
"I only arrived in Liyue recently. It's perfectly normal that Miss Ningguang hasn't heard of me."
Already close with Ganyu after just arriving in Liyue?
Ningguang raised an eyebrow slightly, her interest in Lu Lin growing by the moment.
Though Ganyu appeared a little absentminded in daily life, she had presided over Yuehai Pavilion for three thousand years without a single mishap. She was hardly someone to be underestimated.
To earn Ganyu's trust so quickly — and possibly develop an even more intimate relationship — this man was no ordinary person!
His origins were unknown. He had appeared in Liyue out of nowhere, gotten involved in the monster outbreak at the Guili Plains, and was now closely connected to Ganyu…
He was wrapped in too many mysteries, and unraveling mysteries was one of Ningguang's favorite pastimes.
"Ganyu should have already shown you the report on the Guili Plains incident, yes? She wants you to collect your reward, yet she was vague about the details — I imagine she has reasons she'd rather not make public. But since she's willing to let you come see me, it means the matter can be told to me in person. Am I correct?"
"Miss Ningguang is truly perceptive." Lu Lin said admiringly.
"The root cause of this monster outbreak was a black miasma formed by the fusion of Abyss power and Archon Residue. This miasma erodes the power of Ganyu and the others. I, however, am an outsider from beyond this world, with a unique constitution — not only am I immune to the miasma myself, but I can also help dispel it from within her body. The method of dispelling it, however, is not something easily spoken aloud."
"What is it?"
"A kiss."
Ningguang's brow furrowed. The answer was so absurd that she felt Lu Lin was deliberately teasing her. You've only known Ganyu for a few days and you've already kissed her?
"Mr. Lu, that joke isn't funny."
"Miss Ningguang, I have no reason to make a joke that can be verified." Lu Lin spread his hands.
So he really did kiss Ganyu?
Ningguang also realized that while the answer was outrageous, it did explain why Ganyu had been so vague about the details. Of course something like that couldn't appear in a written report!
Wait!
According to the report, he had only encountered Ganyu later on. Before that, he had been acting together with Hu Tao — and Hu Tao had also contributed greatly in the battle. Could it be that Hu Tao had also…?!
This guy had taken advantage of two girls in one go?!
As one of Liyue's de facto rulers, Ningguang had seen all manner of so-called high-society figures, including no small number of people with dissolute personal lives — some had even tried to pursue her.
She held such people in utter contempt from the bottom of her heart. For ordinary suitors she could still maintain an air of elegant composure, but for this type of man, she never had a kind expression to spare.
And on top of that, the ones he had taken advantage of were Ganyu and Hu Tao — one who had presided over Yuehai Pavilion for three thousand years, the other who maintained the balance between the living and the dead. Both had rendered tremendous service to Liyue!
What a scoundrel!
"Understood. I have a full grasp of the details. The corresponding reward will be sent to you once the approval process is complete. Thank you for your contribution to Liyue. I still have work to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer, Mr. Lu."
Though Ningguang's words remained polite, her attitude had clearly undergone a dramatic shift. The smile on her face was gone, replaced by nothing but cold indifference.
Lu Lin naturally sensed this change — her disdain for him was barely concealed at all.
What's going on? Why such a strong reaction just from hearing that I kissed Ganyu?
Lu Lin felt a flicker of indignation. She had summoned him here without even offering a cup of tea, interrogated him, and then dismissed him. What did she take him for?
Just then, the System's voice rang out — he had received a new temporary quest.
[Ding — Random Quest Triggered: Conquer Ningguang]
[Quest Details: Ningguang's impression of you is extremely poor. Complete the total conquest of her heart and mind. Quest is considered complete when the capture progress reaches 100%.]
[Quest Rewards: 1,000,000 Mora, 500 Points, 100 EXP, one random Residence Entry]
Whoa! A System quest actually triggered — just how much does Ningguang despise him?
Lu Lin couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.
Since you dislike me that much, it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to collect a little interest first, would it?
As he had gradually explored and made use of the System and its entries — and pushed the capture progress with Ganyu all the way to 100% — Lu Lin's mindset had undergone a significant shift.
His mind turned, and an idea formed.
Snap!
He snapped his fingers with a flourish, and [Critical Moment] activated!
Time froze at that very instant.
Lu Lin walked over to Ningguang's side and admired her breathtakingly beautiful face, which still bore a trace of unmistakable disdain.
"Even a look of contempt is this beautiful," Lu Lin murmured appreciatively. His fingers traced down along her cheek, sliding down her slender neck, all the way to the collar of her gown.
The two rows of buttons parted on their own without a breath of wind — a flick of his little finger, a pull of his index finger — like clouds parting to reveal the moon, like mist lifting to unveil the mountains.
They were truly magnificent mountains — a full tier grander than even the glaciers of Liyue. Worthy of a member of the Liyue Qixing indeed; she truly possessed a breadth of heart beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The peaks were draped in pristine white snow, with only red plum blossoms blooming at the summits — a perfect scene of admiring plum blossoms in the snow.
Lu Lin retrieved a Kamera from his Serenitea Pot.
He had bought it yesterday while strolling through the streets with Ganyu, originally out of novelty — curious to see how this world's Kamera differed from the cameras of his old world. He hadn't expected it to come in handy here.
A breathtakingly beautiful face, a tall and graceful figure, a regal and dignified bearing, and the stunning scenery of red plum blossoms against white snow — truly a perfect composition!
After capturing several shots of the plum-blossoms-in-snow scene, Lu Lin spent a good while further appreciating the view, the soft, smooth, springy sensation bringing him exquisite pleasure.
But he felt that such a snowy landscape with only red plum blossoms was slightly monotonous, so a flash of inspiration struck him. He leaned down and, with a firm press of his lips, left his mark.
Upon the snow-white mountains, a strawberry had grown.
Mm~ symmetry must be maintained!
Lu Lin transformed into a devoted fruit enthusiast, diligently cultivating strawberries on the snowy peaks.
What? You say strawberries can't survive in the snow?
Then you must be using the wrong variety!
Watching the time-stop nearing its end, Lu Lin captured a few more fine shots of the red plum blossoms and strawberries complementing each other beautifully in the snow, then restored everything to its original state.
When fastening the last button, he paused — and deliberately left it undone — then walked back to where he had been standing before.
Time resumed. Ningguang saw Lu Lin across from her snap his fingers with an insufferable smirk.
"Then many thanks, Miss Ningguang. Don't let me keep you from your work."
"Farewell!"
"Don't bother seeing me out!"
After Lu Lin left, the furrow in Ningguang's brow did not ease.
Though she had been filled with intense disgust by Lu Lin's scoundrel behavior just now, that didn't mean she hadn't listened carefully to what he said.
The phrase "outsider from beyond this world" had been committed to memory. The meaning wasn't hard to grasp — in the world of Teyvat, such individuals had appeared before, and records of them had been passed down. Ningguang had read them.
Was Lu Lin's immunity to the influence of Abyss power and Archon Residue due to his special status as an "outsider from beyond this world"?
Ningguang pondered this, yet couldn't shake the feeling that something was off — something strange.
Why did her chest feel so peculiar?
Ningguang instinctively looked down, and her pupils contracted sharply.
She saw the undone button!
When had the button come undone?
She was a woman who paid meticulous attention to detail, and she had three personal attendants including Bai Wen. There was absolutely no way she would have come to work with a button undone.
Could it have popped open just now by accident? Her measurements could theoretically cause that sort of thing — but no, that wasn't right. These buttons were cleverly designed specifically to prevent that from happening.
Ningguang felt a persistent strange sensation in her chest, so she stepped into the adjoining rest room — the place where she took her midday nap each day.
She locked the door and undid the buttons at her chest.
Beneath the magnificent gown was a plain white undergarment, which should have been perfectly neat — but it was slightly disheveled. A bad premonition took hold in Ningguang's heart.
When she pulled the undergarment aside, the sight that greeted her made the veins on her forehead bulge and her eyes go wide with fury!
On the fair, smooth peaks, two strawberries stood out in stark, maddening relief. They were still faintly damp with moisture — Lu Lin's saliva.
Though she had never been in a relationship, she was the ruler of a nation — hardly a naive little girl who knew nothing of the affairs between men and women.
She understood perfectly well what those two strawberries meant.
Lu Lin!!!
I'll kill you!!!
Ningguang had navigated the treacherous seas of commerce for so many years, climbing step by step to her position among the Liyue Qixing. She had long since learned to show neither joy nor anger on her face — yet today, for the first time in her life, she had the urge to smash something!
Consumed by shame and fury, she wanted nothing more than to drop the Jade Chamber on this bastard's head right now!
But she swiftly reined in her rage, and a flood of questions surged to the forefront of her mind.
"How did he do it? Why do I have absolutely no memory of any of this?"
Ningguang reviewed the entire course of their meeting — there had been no discrepancies whatsoever. The only thing that seemed slightly off was that frivolous snap of his fingers at the very end.
Hypnosis? Memory erasure? Or some other method entirely?
Whatever the method, he wouldn't have forgotten to fasten the button — so that undone button was deliberate?!
His purpose was easy enough to guess.
He was provoking her. This was his declaration of war!
In truth, even if Lu Lin had fastened the button, Ningguang would have discovered the strawberries on the mountains when she bathed that evening — but discovering it now was far more shocking than finding it later at night.
He had done this deliberately to provoke Ningguang. One could say this was his declaration of war.
"Lu Lin, just you wait," Ningguang ground out through clenched teeth — but she made no rash moves.
For Lu Lin to be this brazen, he must have something to back him up. She needed to figure out what that was before deciding how to deal with him.
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