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"Yes, that's right. Actually, Lisa did come to Sumeru as well." Victor Wang exchanged a glance with Paimon and nodded slightly as he spoke.
"As expected, did Lisa come to take part in the bubble-blowing competition too?"
"What are you thinking… It's just because of the recent changes on the Akademiya's side. People from the Spantamad Darshan sent out an invitation, hoping to ask Lisa to return to the Akademiya. She herself wasn't very interested in the matter, but Acting Grand Master Jean still gave her a paid long vacation, so she decided to travel instead."
"So that's how it is." Paimon seemed a little disappointed.
"But there really are quite a few familiar faces who came to join the bubble-blowing competition. Aside from Kaeya and Arataki Itto, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Xingqiu, and Chongyun are all here, and Yoimiya came too. They registered early, and their preliminary rounds weren't on the same day as Lumine's, so you didn't run into each other before. You should be able to see them during the elimination rounds later."
"Hmph hmph, so many people came! But aside from Kaeya, every single one of them has already been defeated by Lumine!"
Five consecutive days of preliminary rounds narrowed more than five thousand applicants down to just five hundred contestants. Next came three days of elimination rounds, which would further whittle those five hundred down to only twenty-five.
Although the number of competitors had decreased, the audience hadn't thinned out at all. By the time Victor Wang and the other two arrived at the venue, the surrounding crowd was already packed so tightly it was almost impenetrable. Trying to find acquaintances in there would be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, precisely to prevent this kind of situation, Victor Wang had long since agreed on a meeting point with everyone else.
Once they met up, everyone exchanged information.
In the Arataki Gang, aside from Arataki Itto himself, Akira, Mamoru, and Genta were completely wiped out.
Xiangling had trained hard at bubble-blowing for quite some time and successfully made it into the elimination rounds.
Kaveh didn't really have much experience, but relied on raw talent to advance to the elimination rounds.
Everyone else was strong enough that no accidents occurred.
At the center of the venue, Qi Xiuming began the opening speech for the elimination rounds. Because of the large number of contestants, the organizers had divided the venue into five areas—East, South, West, North, and Center—and everyone would be randomly assigned.
While everyone was focused on which area they would be placed in, Hu Tao suddenly patted Victor Wang on the shoulder in a mysterious manner. "Look at that person over there. He's really tall, wearing gray-black clothes, with a cloak whose inner lining has a dark blue starry-sky pattern, blond hair, and a very imposing presence."
Following Hu Tao's gaze as she locked onto a "client," passing over the bustling crowd, Victor Wang saw a familiar silhouette. His heart immediately tightened.
Hu Tao continued, "Judging from his appearance, he should be that friend you helped book funeral services for, right? What was it… Dainsleif?"
"Is… is it?" Victor Wang replied.
"Hm?"
"…On the journey along the boundary between life and death, we didn't find any way to lift his curse. Because of that, he's been in a bad mood about the whole thing. We really shouldn't bring it up in front of him. Let him be alone and have some peace."
"Then all the more reason to go get to know him. If he's bent on seeking death, I might have a way to help."
"Don't!"
Hu Tao widened her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Victor Wang shook his head solemnly. "We agreed to schedule his funeral a hundred years in the future. The contract's already signed. We have to honor our agreements. Even if there really were a way to help him, we can't do it now!"
"What you're saying does make sense. The contract's already signed—our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor wouldn't casually break it… But just saying hello and getting his contact information should be fine, right?"
"Really, don't… His temper is really bad…"
"I've seen all kinds of people. It'll be fine!"
Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively and was genuinely about to go say hello, only to discover that her sleeve was being firmly grabbed by Victor Wang.
She tugged hard, but it didn't budge at all.
"What are you doing?"
Victor Wang silently shook his head.
"Let go already, that person's about to leave—"
Just as he happened to be buying some things nearby and was about to depart, Dainsleif sensed the two gazes hidden behind the distant crowd. He nodded toward Victor Wang, then cast a puzzled glance at Hu Tao, and just like that, turned around and left.
Qi Xiuming's speech also finished at just that moment. Paimon was the first to turn back, spotting the two who clearly hadn't been listening attentively. "What are you two doing? The competition's about to start."
Finally pulling her sleeve free, Hu Tao asked helplessly, "Which area am I in?"
"Check the last digit of the number. The one you got when you advanced to the elimination rounds."
The companions who needed to compete all scattered in different directions. The various areas weren't actually that far apart, so Victor Wang stayed behind in the central main venue, cheering everyone on while waiting for the interview he had arranged with Charlotte.
...
"Recently, the three-day elimination rounds of the Second Teyvat Bubble-Blowing Competition have concluded. After fierce competition, only twenty-five contestants remain to advance to the semifinals. Among them, the much-anticipated Mr. Kaeya and Ms. Lumine both successfully qualified, not disappointing us in the slightest."
The elimination rounds passed in the blink of an eye. On the way to the venue, Paimon habitually bought a copy of the Steambird daily newspaper and read it while flying.
"In addition, our newspaper has taken special note that Ms. Yoimiya, the second-place winner of the Inazuma Division of the First Teyvat Bubble-Blowing Competition, and Mr. Arataki 'The First Under Heaven' Itto, who placed third, have also advanced to the semifinals…"
"Wait, what's with that name, Itto?! You can even use a fake name when getting on the newspaper?!"
"Well, there's no rule saying you have to use your real name…" Lumine recalled the "mysterious person" who defeated her in the semifinals of the first bubble-blowing competition. Not only was that person's name fake, but they never even revealed their true appearance from start to finish.
"If I'd known earlier, I would've had Victor register my name as 'Paimon, First Under Heaven First'!"
"To be honest, that name doesn't sound very good," Victor Wang remarked bluntly.
"Really?" Tilting her head to think for a moment, Paimon humbly accepted the criticism. "Then how about 'The One Under Heaven, Paimon'?"
"Uh… that one's passable, I guess."
Paimon grinned smugly and continued reading the newspaper.
"Q: Did the rule changes in this year's bubble-blowing competition affect you, Ms. Yoimiya?"
"A: I was caught a bit off guard, but it was okay. I adapted pretty quickly."
"Q: Are you confident about winning the championship?"
"A: There are too many strong opponents. Ever since I lost to Lumine in the Inazuma Division last time, I don't dare speak too confidently. But… I think I still have some confidence!"
"Q: Did the rule changes in this year's bubble-blowing competition affect you, Mr. Arataki 'The First Under Heaven' Itto?"
"A: Making me blow bubbles of a limited size… that's just way too stifling! But in the face of absolute strength, there's no difficulty that can stop me!"
"Q: Are you confident about winning the championship?"
"A: I will win!"
"Q: Could we ask Mr. Victor to talk a bit about his relationship with the 'Tianquan Star' Ningguang?"
"A: Friends."
"Q: How did you develop a cooperative relationship?"
"A: As mentioned in earlier interviews, the chewing gum and bubble gum were made by Xiangling, the head chef of Wanmin Restaurant. Wanmin Restaurant is a well-known establishment in Liyue Harbor, and you could say they frequently cross paths with the Liyue Qixing's administrative offices. Over time, Ningguang noticed these two new kinds of candy and recognized the business opportunity, so she took the initiative to invite us to discuss cooperation."
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