Some time had passed since then.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the film was successfully released. The musket murder case was officially closed…
Xavier had been so busy with editing and promotion that he was rarely seen. Tonight was the awards ceremony, yet he was still wearing his old suit and didn't look particularly confident.
Furina, by contrast, was far more certain of herself. She immediately brought up the matter of accepting the award. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you come up with a name for our team?"
Xavier scratched his head. "Huh? But I still don't know if we'll even win anything… I—I wouldn't dare open the champagne early like that…"
[A tribute to the Champagne God]
[Fontaine Media]
[Furina Films]
Furina told him to have more confidence. Just watch how the audience reacts when they leave the theater—there won't be a single person who doesn't praise it.
"You know it yourself, right? The theater staff must have already contacted you about increasing the number of screenings."
According to Furina's five-hundred-year experience as an artist, although the film's return on investment wasn't as high as Mu Yang's (after all, that person had written, directed, and starred in it himself, with every actor appearing for free), it was still more than enough for Xavier to open a proper film company.
[What a way to say "appearing for free"—did Mu Yang just grab some Treasure Hoarders off the street?]
[Can't take it]
Xavier felt conflicted. His journey had been far too fortunate. The film's success belonged to everyone. It didn't feel right for him to be the one naming the team.
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. If Lumine had time, could she make a trip to the Fortress of Meropide? There was someone even busier than him right now—Chevreuse.
It just so happened that today was the day the three criminals from the musket murder case were being transported. Xavier was worried she might forget to attend the awards ceremony.
Of course Chevreuse hadn't forgotten. After finishing her handover with the Duke, she was about to leave when Lumine and the others arrived.
"Festivals really are something else—even this place feels lively," Wriothesley joked.
"It's the Thousand Spirits Festival."
"That's right. The head nurse even prepared a deluxe version of the nutrient milkshake… healthiness level also deluxe. Want to try some?"
Paimon immediately shrank back.
Wriothesley was only joking. Although he hadn't promised Chevreuse anything specific, simply sending out a copy of The Steambird printed with the story from twenty years ago was something he could easily arrange.
"Go enjoy the festival."
The Duke personally saw them off.
— — — — — —
Back at the Court of Fontaine, Chiori had already been waiting for quite some time.
"Miss Chiori?"
"You're all so slow. If you don't get changed and do your makeup now, you'll be late."
"Makeup?"
Before Lumine and Chevreuse could figure out what was happening, they were dragged into Chioriya Boutique. When they reappeared, both were wearing new outfits.
"Mm. Not bad. This is how a best actress should look."
"I can understand why Chevreuse needs to go up on stage to accept an award, but what's with my outfit?"
Lumine looked puzzled as she examined the gorgeous light-blue starry evening gown she was wearing, along with the jewelry crafted from rare ores from various nations.
"I'm only fulfilling an order. Ask Mr. Mu Yang about the rest."
— — — — — —
[It really is you, Mu Yang]
[The biggest surprise of this event, huh]
[You're pretty good at hiding things!]
[Little Gui is completely speechless, isn't she?]
"Guys, I'm just saying—if you meet someone like this, it'll be hard to feel anything for other men ever again."
Little Gui covered her face and wept. This dress was far too beautiful.
'Thank you, Li Dazhentou, for the paid message': Look at me, look at me (100 yuan)
[This hurts, guys. Mu Yang is playing favorites. We empty players want shiny jewelry too, okay?]
[Traveler's outfit is already really good. What more do you want?]
[Mu Yang himself only ever wears one jade pendant. Not giving the guys matching accessories actually fits his character.]
[Hopefully this isn't limited to a cutscene!]
[Relax. When has anything related to Mu Yang not given out good stuff?]
— — — — — —
By the time they arrived at the awards venue, Lumine's outfit had already drawn plenty of attention.
"No way, is that the blonde Traveler? How come we never noticed she was this good-looking before?"
"Who designed that dress?"
"Probably Chioriya Boutique. Look, Miss Chiori came with her."
"I don't care—I want that exact one too!"
"Alright, alright. We'll go get it custom-made for you after this…"
Although this wasn't Lumine's first time standing under the spotlight, appearing in a non-combat setting like this was still rare.
"…This really is a bit uncomfortable…"
"This dress isn't meant for fighting. Don't go pulling your sword out in public."
Mu Yang appeared out of nowhere and instantly guessed what Lumine was thinking. She really had been wondering whether she could draw her sword in case of sudden trouble.
"Nothing else is going to happen at the venue today. Just relax and enjoy the banquet."
Lumine turned around. Mu Yang had also changed into a new outfit today.
How should she put it? Anyone could tell at a glance that both evening gowns had come from the same person. Same style, complementary colors. It was extremely eye-catching.
There was still some time before the awards ceremony began. Music was already playing in Fountain Square. Paimon took the opportunity to raid the buffet.
Mu Yang extended his hand and invited Lumine to dance.
"You know I'm not good at this kind of thing."
Compared to ordinary dancing, Lumine preferred dancing with a blade…
"Just follow the rhythm."
And so, the two most eye-catching people in the crowd performed the twist under the spotlight…
[Alright alright alright, they even gave us a tribute at the end]
[I know this one—it's from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction]
[Stephen Chow paid tribute to this scene too]
[This film festival is way too high-class]
[How is Mu Yang keeping a straight face]
[Fun fact: Vincent also gets shot dead at the end. This is the scene Mu Yang is imitating]
[Hey…]
Furina, a proper Fontaine aristocrat of the old white-flag school, watched the wild dancing and simply shook her head.
"I don't want to know them. Is that okay…?"
Navia and Clorinde didn't mind at all. The two of them joined the dance floor. Yae Miko grabbed Shenhe and Ei and pushed them in as well. Then came Ganyu, who had just finished her official meeting. Yae Miko's little sister had caused enough trouble, so Big Sister Ganyu dragged her in too…
Everyone was swept up in the atmosphere and stopped worrying about whether they looked elegant or not. They just kept dancing to the music.
[Ei? When did she get here?!]
[Shenhe and Ganyu are here too?!]
[Hahaha, you weren't actively exploring the map and missed the hidden Easter egg, didn't you?]
[It's over. I feel like I lost a hundred million!]
The awards ceremony began in a lively atmosphere. Every film received the awards it deserved. (Because Mu Yang, who had invested in them, was very wealthy, everyone got to enjoy themselves.) Lumine also received a minor award—arranged by Mu Yang, of course.
Amid cheers and applause, the Thousand Spirits Film Festival came to a close…
[Musket and Rose · Complete]
[Obtained Outfit: Thousand Spirits · Evening Star]
Because Ganyu still had some matters to handle at the Akademiya, and Shenhe mentioned she had never been to Sumeru before, Lumine and Paimon patted their chests and declared that they knew the place extremely well.
In truth, that was indeed the case. Mu Yang couldn't be of much help at the Akademiya, but Lumine and Paimon really could.
The matter was settled quickly. After showing Shenhe around Sumeru, they took a boat from Port Ormos back to Liyue.
The moment they stepped off the ship, they saw a big silly guy and a little imp-headed girl discussing going out to sea to fish.
"Come on, today we're definitely finding ingredients that can strengthen Onikabuto!"