He knocked on the door, and soon footsteps came from inside.
John lowered his hand and patiently waited for the owner to answer.
"John, you're here?" Seeing him, Keqing stepped aside to let him in.
Today, since she was working from home, Keqing wore no fancy attire—just a plain white blouse with fitted black pants. Her hair was tied simply in a single ponytail, giving her a clean and professional appearance.
John entered Keqing's home.
"Sit anywhere. Sorry for the mess—there are too many files to handle recently, so the study is a bit cramped."
Keqing scratched her cheek apologetically, glancing at the files scattered around the living room.
She didn't want to leave an untidy impression in front of a future subordinate.
It also showed just how urgently she needed a reliable assistant. Handling files like these would normally be a secretary's job.
Having just started her new position, she hadn't recruited a secretary yet. The Yuehai Pavilion did have a dedicated secretarial team, but Keqing herself was in a semi-leave state. She wanted to familiarize herself with Liyue's grassroots situation before fully starting her work.
She also preferred not to have multiple strangers in her home, usually enjoying solitude.
"Are these things I can look at?" John asked, pointing to the piles of files on the sofa, tables, and floor.
"Hmm, let me see."
Keqing gestured at the files on the table: "Don't touch these. The rest, you can try looking through."
Since she wanted to train an assistant, it made sense to involve him in her work.
Rather than teaching theory, Keqing preferred John to gain practical experience—after all, practice yields true knowledge.
John nodded but didn't act immediately. Instead, he placed the Dragon's Roar in the Box, wrapped in white cloth, in front of Keqing.
"This is…?" Keqing paused, recognizing the shape as a weapon.
"Keqing, try it out." John handed her the weapon, gesturing for her to unwrap it.
Following his instructions, she removed the white cloth, revealing a finely decorated blade.
The carvings didn't compromise its flexibility or sharpness. The sound slicing through the air resembled a dragon's roar. Holding it, Keqing felt the Thunder element within her stir.
It was a special-effect sword, and upon gripping it, a thought flashed through her mind.
"How is it? Suitable?" John asked with a smile.
"It's too valuable. I can't accept it," Keqing said wisely. She understood that John's intent was to gift her this special weapon.
"There's no reason not to accept it. Compared to the help you've given me, this sword is trivial," John admitted honestly. He would likely acquire many such weapons in the future, but a friend willing to help in a crisis? That was rare.
Before this, John had been just a new acquaintance to Keqing, even merely a buyer-seller relationship.
Yet, in her most difficult moment, she had extended a helping hand.
This favor… John would never forget.