Only Lu Heng remained in the backyard.
He had a feeling that everyone was busy, while he alone was idle.
"But I actually have things to do too."
Lu Heng was definitely serious about the tasks his wives entrusted to him.
Sitting on a small stool nearby, a special piece of metal appeared in Lu Heng's hand. This thing had a rather intimidating name, but its actual strength didn't quite match its name. Lu Heng pulled and stretched it with both hands. The extremely hard metal became like dough in his hands, easily kneaded and shaped. In just a few breaths, the metal block had turned into a rough bow blank.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Heng's hands surged with magical power. Under the power of the Art of Creation, the mana solidified, becoming a golden metal block shimmering with electric light. He integrated all these lightning-flickering metal blocks into the bow blank, then studied it for a while.
Sara was a die-hard fan of Makoto and Ei. A bow with lightning effects would surely please her. It was similar to how fans liked items associated with their favorite stars. In the land of Electro, things related to lightning were often seen by people as having an aura of divinity, just like how Mondstadt people might think of the Anemo Archon when feeling the wind.
Lu Heng weighed the bow blank in his hand. It was still early; he had plenty of time to refine it slowly, though it could honestly be called slacking off. Crafting a high-tier five-star weapon wasn't difficult for Lu Heng, but he dragged the process out until evening.
Carrying the freshly forged divine bow, Lu Heng headed to Tenshukaku with his hands clasped behind his back.
Tonight's banquet was just for their family, plus Sara and the Kamisato siblings. At least for Lu Heng, it didn't seem too grand, just a small gathering.
Makoto was in the main hall discussing the distribution of some four-star cards with Kamisato Ayato. Sara stood behind Makoto like a bodyguard.
"Not off work yet?" Lu Heng walked in with a smile, then looked at Sara. "This is for you."
Seeing what Lu Heng produced, Sara's eyes widened slightly.
The bow was entirely purple. Compared to the legendary Thundering Pulse, it had a more divine and imposing feel. It looked as if it were made from two curved blades joined together, with the outer edges of the curved parts clearly resembling sharp blades. Sara keenly noticed the joint marks on the bow's grip, suggesting it could be separated into two curved blades for use! More notably, this bow had no string!
"Infuse it with elemental energy, like this," Lu Heng demonstrated.
Using a trace of power, a bowstring materialized. Without even needing an arrow, Lu Heng lightly pulled back the mana-formed bowstring with two fingers, and a dazzling golden arrow naturally took shape. He shot an arrow towards outside the hall; the golden light burst like fireworks, brilliant yet fleeting.
Withdrawing his power, Lu Heng handed the bow to Sara. "The Shogun specifically asked me to make this for you. I believe this bow will be a great help to you."
Sara was deeply moved and immediately bowed to Makoto. "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Makoto gave a wry smile. "I just made the request. I didn't do the work."
"I understand!" Sara bowed to Lu Heng as well. "Thank you, Sir!"
"No need for formalities." Lu Heng shook his head. "Take it."
"Yes!" Sara accepted the treasured bow and briefly separated it, swinging the blades. The blades seemed to slice through the air itself. Sara immediately became rather fond of it, almost reluctant to put it down.
This was typical of martial types. Upon obtaining a fine, suitable weapon, they'd want to test it immediately. Sara's mind buzzed with excitement. She reassembled the bow, holding it carefully as if it were a precious treasure.
This was a bow bestowed by Her Highness, commissioned from Sir Lu Heng! A gift from the Shogun herself!
To be honest, Sara felt a bit reluctant to actually use it. Despite being a pragmatic warrior, the thought of taking it home to enshrine it crossed her mind. The more she thought about it, the happier she became, a smile breaking through her usually cool expression.
Unfortunately, Sara's loyalty was already maxed out, with no room for increase, otherwise, one might witness a scene of fervent vows.
Lu Heng recalled a joking thought. Wasn't this just raising a die-hard follower? Makoto's kindness towards her subordinates was palpable to anyone. After spending a long time with her, anyone with a sense of gratitude would be willing to die for her!
Among the Archons of Teyvat, aside from their habit of considering others, they shared another trait: they were like charm magnets! Although Venti was usually unreliable, when serious, he possessed great personal charm, though his overly informal style could seem frivolous. Zhongli needn't be elaborated on; he was even more extreme. Probably the only critic of the Geo Archon in Liyue Harbor was himself; other critics couldn't survive there. And now, after getting to know Makoto and Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lu Heng deeply felt it too.
Putting himself in their followers' shoes, it would be truly blissful.
"What are you thinking about?" Makoto walked to Lu Heng's side, smiling. "Let's go, to the backyard."
Lu Heng snapped back to reality. "Off work already?"
"We were just discussing the distribution of some cards," Makoto said. "It's mostly settled now."
"Four-star cards are relatively few, so it doesn't take much time," Ayato added.
"True." Lu Heng nodded, and the group headed towards the backyard.
Tenshukaku was vast, and the backyard was spacious too. Tables and chairs were already set up, with attendants waiting nearby.
Hearing footsteps, Lu Heng looked back and saw Hanachirusato hurrying over, carrying a box.
"What did you buy?" Lu Heng asked curiously.
"Some sweet pastries from the Court of Fontaine. Lady Yae asked me to prepare some exotic flavors for everyone," Hanachirusato replied.
'Preparing some exotic flavors for everyone' was a good pretext. Lu Heng couldn't help but tease, "Despite Yae liking to tease Ei, she's genuinely good to her."
"Yes." Makoto deeply agreed. Once you understood more, you knew Yae Miko was truly good to Ei.
"But now, certain people rank much lower~" Yae Miko sauntered over, linked arms with Lu Heng, and looked at him with a smile. "You and Big Sister are the most important~"
Must you insist on inviting us to this banquet? Ayato felt a bit strained. Don't go too far, alright? Including his sister and Sara, who hadn't arrived yet, there were only a handful of single people here! His expression remained neutral, but Yae Miko noticed.
Seeing Ayato's discomfort, Yae Miko was even more amused.
"It seems my ranking is higher than Ei's," Lu Heng felt immensely pleased. After sitting down, he asked, "Is Ei not done yet?"
"It's a fairly high-grade Demon Crystal, not so easy to refine completely," Makoto shook her head, glanced at the time, and said, "But she should be here soon."
Refining energy to enhance herself was indeed addictive for Ei. But she hadn't forgotten about tonight's banquet. Less than half a minute after Makoto finished speaking, Ei arrived.
"How did it go?" Makoto asked.
"Only about one-third refined." Ei's expression carried excitement. Although only a third was done, Ei could clearly feel her improvement. Speaking in terms of data, it went from 57.7 to 57.8! Progress at the five-star level was extremely difficult; this 0.1 increase meant more to Ei than five hundred years of arduous cultivation! It couldn't be helped; while Teyvat's native resources weren't exactly barren, they truly lacked items like Demon Crystals (Monster Cores). So Ei felt very eager, itching for a fight! But looking around, she found no suitable opponent. Lu Heng was too overpowered, not an option. Her sister wasn't skilled in fighting. Yae Miko, despite having four five-star gold cards, wasn't the type who liked direct combat. Apart from the Rating Tower, Ei really couldn't find a suitable opponent.
"I'll continue refining after dinner tonight. I'll go check the Rating Tower tomorrow morning!" Ei declared.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Look at this, Yae specially asked Hanachirusato to buy it for you from Fontaine," Makoto said with a smile.
Ei leaned in for a look, and her eyes immediately lit up. She had three hobbies. First, martial arts. Second, sweet desserts. Third, light novels! To put it more succinctly, Ei enjoyed martial arts and reading light novels while eating sweets.
"Yae, you're the best!" Ei exclaimed.
Seeing Ei's moved expression, Yae Miko smiled. "I just happened to remember. Don't thank me too much~"
Watching them chat, Lu Heng took the tea handed by Hanachirusato and took a sip, then turned to Ayato. "Times like these are quite rare."
"Yes." Ayato nodded. Once familiar with everyone, the tension eased. Relaxing at a time like this was indeed very comfortable. No need to think about heavy work, just sitting here drinking tea, enjoying the breeze, chatting, and looking forward to a sumptuous dinner was truly pleasant.
"Ayaka isn't here yet?" Lu Heng checked the time. "Maybe we weren't considerate enough. The Kamisato Estate is so far. We should have picked her up."
"Ayaka just sent a message saying she's already in the city," Ayato said. "She won't keep everyone waiting long."
Lu Heng nodded.
At this moment, everyone was chatting in their own groups. Lu Heng and Ayato were chatting casually. Makoto pulled Yae Miko aside, talking in low voices about topics among Lu Heng's wives. The happy Ei was teaching Sara some archery techniques. Hanachirusato was giving instructions to the other attendants about the arrangements later.
Over ten minutes later.
The 'Tears of the Era'... no, Kamisato Ayaka arrived.
Lu Heng glanced over and raised an eyebrow slightly. Ayaka wasn't wearing her usual attire, but instead, an elegant, light blue dress. Her accessories also seemed very low-key. Her choice of clothing was quite considered. As a subordinate and a young lady, wearing something too flashy wouldn't be appropriate.
"Huff..." Ayaka had clearly rushed over, slightly out of breath.
She bowed somewhat flustered. "My apologies for keeping everyone waiting!"
"We were just chatting, waiting a bit is fine. But you must be tired from running?" Lu Heng's smile was gentle as he gestured. "Come, sit. I was just talking about you with your brother."
"Eh?" Ayaka looked at her brother.
Ayato nodded with a smile. "I mentioned your recent work to Sir Lu Heng, and he offered some comments."
"Th-that..." Ayaka clutched her skirt, becoming even more nervous, like a primary school student having her homework checked.
"Ayaka's excellence is evident to all of us. Rest assured," Makoto said with a smile.
Hearing this, Ayaka felt slightly relieved. She was about to speak when Lu Heng raised his hand to interrupt, teasing, "This isn't the time for formalities, you know."
Ayaka's carefully prepared words were instantly scattered. She felt a bit anxious, unsure what to say.
Ayato immediately saw the problem. Ayaka clearly wasn't very accustomed to the relaxed atmosphere among these high-ranking figures. She wanted to be serious and earnest, but it didn't suit the occasion. Wanting to relax a bit, she couldn't manage to let go. This state of unease was most likely to lead to mishaps. The only thing Ayato didn't need to worry about was that no one present would mind such a minor issue.
Although no one minded, Ayato quickly spoke up to divert the topic, trying to help his sister relax a bit.
"Ayaka, come sit by me." Makoto also had a particular fondness for this young girl. Smart, sensible, handling affairs methodically, full of merits everywhere – how could one not like her?
Among those present, except for Hanachirusato who wasn't familiar with Ayaka, everyone else, including Lu Heng, held affection or appreciation for Ayaka.
Yae Miko let out a soft sigh, sounding somewhat regretful. "If only Ayaka weren't from the Kamisato Clan."
"Lady Guuji, why do you say that?" Ayaka was puzzled.
"If you weren't from the Kamisato Clan, I could poach you for the Yae Publishing House~" Yae Miko said with a smile. "Then you'd be my person, wouldn't you? Speaking of which, I discussed with Lu Heng last time about matchmaking for you two. It's a pity you're from the Kamisato Clan. This status is definitely a hindrance!"
Ayato: "?"
Ayaka: "!"
"M-matchmaking?" Ayaka looked shocked.
"Yes~" Yae Miko said cheerfully. "No one said the Grand Narukami Shrine can't act as matchmakers, right?"
"Eh..." Ayaka's face instantly turned red.
Why was the Guuji suddenly bringing up such a matter? The key point was, she actually wanted to match her with Lu Heng!
"The Guuji's range of services is rather too extensive," Ayato said, somewhat exasperated. He coughed lightly. "Ayaka is still young, I don't think there's any hurry, right?"
"Where is she still young?" Yae Miko took Ayaka's hand. "This is the prime of youth. If you don't seize the moment, you might regret wasting these beautiful years later."
"Lady Guuji..." Ayaka's face was completely flushed.
Especially since the person Yae Miko wanted to matchmake for her was sitting right here!
"Alright, Yae." Makoto said helplessly. "Look how you've embarrassed Ayaka."
"I wasn't joking~" Yae Miko blinked. "Lu Heng agreed at the time."
"Cough!" Lu Heng nearly choked on his tea.
"At the time, I asked him who he liked~" Yae Miko said leisurely. "He said: I'll take them all!"
"Bold!" Ei looked at Lu Heng with some admiration.
Sara was also astounded. So this was Sir Lu Heng? He truly was... impressive.
Hanachirusato wore an understanding expression. She had long been persuaded by Yae Miko to become Lu Heng's exclusive maid. She knew in her heart it was only a matter of time.
Ayato looked at Lu Heng in astonishment.
No, bro! You have designs on my sister?! You should have said so earlier! I'd find ten thousand excuses to prevent Ayaka from coming!
Ayato looked up at Ayaka. Ayaka's pretty face was red as if about to bleed. One of her hands was held by Yae Miko, the other was tucked in front of her, her whole person seeming to wish she could shrink under the table like an ostrich.
Ayato knew his sister well. If she wanted to refuse something, she would definitely say so directly, even if her words were (tactful). But in this situation, it wasn't about considering everyone's status anymore. If she really disagreed, she would somehow muster the courage to express her opinion. But her current silence meant...!
No!!! My sister!!
Seeing Ayato's expression as if the sky had fallen, Yae Miko smiled even more happily.
Why did she suddenly bring this up at the dinner table? It both hinted to Ayaka a little and wounded Ayato. It was killing two birds with one stone, making her feel utterly delighted!
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T/N:
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