TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
After finishing off a bowl of Black-Back Perch Stew and chatting with Chef Mao about everyday matters for quite a while, still without seeing anyone return, Victor Wang left Wanmin Restaurant with a faint sense of loneliness.
Buying a house… With the Mora he had now, it would be enough to purchase a place in Feiyun Slope, or even in Yujing Terrace. But after buying one, there might not be much left over. It wasn't a necessary need, so it was better to… keep the money for emergencies.
Still, having a place to live was quite necessary. The wilderness was actually more convenient, but inside a city, he couldn't really sleep on the streets.
This was the same for Lumine and Paimon. Even with the Serenitea Pot, if no one was guarding outside when entering it, then if something happened outside, something would also happen inside the pot. That was why Lumine and Paimon rented places to live whenever they were somewhere populated. In the wilderness, unless the environment was confirmed to be safe, they would never dare to spend the night inside the pot.
Renting a place… Inns were cheap. Victor Wang turned and headed toward Longmen Inn.
Longmen Inn was located near the bridge connecting Chihu Rock and Feiyun Slope. Feiyun Slope and Yujing Terrace directly connected to Mt. Tianheng, while Chihu Rock was more like an isolated island, relying entirely on this bridge to connect it to Feiyun Slope. Beneath the bridge was the seawater of the Sea of Clouds.
The reason the inn was called Longmen Inn was twofold. First, Liyue had the legend of a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate to become a dragon, an auspicious reference. Second, it was said that the original founder of the inn had once witnessed a massive fish leaping up from the sea here, vaulting over the bridge—which was by no means low. Thus, the name Longmen Inn had remained unchanged for over a hundred years.
As for whether the founder's experience was true, it very well might have been. After all, crossing this bridge toward the innermost side led to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and inside there truly was someone whose… at least adeptal form could be called a "dragon."
In short, Longmen Inn and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor stood diagonally across a bridge from each other, and directly opposite Longmen Inn was the Yanshang Teahouse.
Yanshang Teahouse was no simple place either. It had originally been an underground gambling den. Its former owner, for the sake of "business," had borrowed heavily from the Northland Bank. In the end, he made a fortune but refused to repay his debts, prompting Childe to personally come knocking.
It was also during that debt collection that Childe obtained what he believed he had spent a long time tracking down, unaware that it had already been arranged in advance—whether by "La Signora" or Zhongli—to awaken the Overlord of the Vortex: the critically important first [Sigil of Permission].
Childe also exposed the former owner's fake accounts and sent him to prison, after which Yanshang Teahouse was temporarily occupied by the Fatui.
After the Overlord of the Vortex incident erupted, the Fatui forces were purged. Yelan happened to return from abroad and took the opportunity to become the third owner of Yanshang Teahouse, transforming it into a covert operations office. Only then did the story of Yanshang Teahouse come to an end.
However, Yelan didn't seem to be at Yanshang Teahouse now either.
It was the New Year season—where had everyone gone?
Everyone was busy. Being busy was good…
After renting a room at Longmen Inn, Victor Wang opened the window to let the sunlight in. He squinted, then suddenly widened his eyes.
Longmen Inn as a whole was a rectangular building facing the street, far more spacious than Yanshang Teahouse. And between Yanshang Teahouse and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were actually several unknown buildings. They were also opposite Longmen Inn, but since he didn't recognize them, Victor Wang had always ignored them in the past.
At this moment, he saw Shenhe and Yanfei walking out of the building closest to the bridge—and thus closest to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The two of them also saw him.
Shenhe had been discussing something with Yanfei. A clear joy immediately appeared at the corners of her lips and brows. She stood on tiptoe and waved vigorously toward Victor Wang on the second floor of the inn across the way, then headed straight for the inn. While marveling at this twist of fate, Victor Wang quickly went downstairs as well.
After meeting up, Shenhe smiled and asked, "Guess what I'm doing?"
"I guess…? Alright, I'll guess… Do you want me to guess right or guess wrong?"
"That's something you can choose?" Shenhe asked curiously.
"We can try it."
"Then I think you won't guess right."
Victor Wang put on a thoughtful expression, pondered for two seconds, then looked at Yanfei. Yanfei had already coordinated with Shenhe, so naturally she offered no information at all. That didn't stop Victor Wang from making things up.
"You're not working at Wanmin Restaurant at this hour, and you're together with Yanfei, so you must be dealing with legal matters. Could it be that you're representing Wanmin Restaurant in a lawsuit? You're smiling so happily—clearly you've obtained key evidence, or maybe you've already won and recovered a lot of Mora?"
"That's not it." Shenhe shook her head slightly.
"You were the one who wanted me to guess wrong. I've perfectly achieved that goal."
"Then I still think you won't guess right."
"Then let me think again…" Victor Wang fell silent for two seconds, then continued, "Since you're acting together with Yanfei, maybe it's related to the adepti. I heard someone's been looking in Liyue for an adeptus proficient in music. Could you be helping with that?"
"That's not it." Shenhe shook her head again.
"Don't get mad even if it's wrong."
"Then try guessing right."
"Then I'll guess… You came out of a house you probably haven't visited before. Don't tell me you've saved up enough Mora and are looking at houses?"
Under normal circumstances, there wasn't really enough information here to guess correctly, and the reasoning was admittedly far-fetched. But no one paid attention to that. Yanfei tilted her head in confusion, while Shenhe opened her mouth in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"It's simple—because you wanted me to guess right."
Using a small information gap trick, the result was a complete success. Victor Wang smiled smugly. He always enjoyed seeing this kind of surprised expression.
Shenhe grew even more confused by this mysterious explanation. She lightly bit her lip and said seriously, "I'm going to buy a house. Yanfei has been accompanying me to look at places for two days."
Victor Wang responded just as seriously, "Congratulations. Have you found one you like?"
"I'm not sure. To me, as long as a house is livable and big enough, that's fine. Yanfei said the house we just looked at has the best value for money, but I don't really understand."
"Then let me take a look for you?"
"Okay."
Yanfei rummaged through her bag. "Perfect timing—the key to that house hasn't been returned yet. Let's go in and take another look. I'll explain the details."
The three of them turned back toward that house.
The interior space wasn't small—four bedrooms and two halls, with a second floor as well. However, the upper floor was designed as an open viewing pavilion, making it inconvenient for living.
Overall, the renovation looked quite new, but the place was completely empty, without a single piece of furniture.
After leading Victor Wang around, Yanfei introduced the place.
"This house used to be an asset under the former owner of Yanshang Teahouse. Later, he mortgaged it to the Fatui to pay off debts. After that, 'Childe,' in order to compensate for the damage caused by the Overlord of the Vortex, mortgaged these properties to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. That's roughly the background—it's a bit complicated.
This property itself can be said to be one of the best listings in Chihu Rock. It's only separated from Feiyun Slope by a bridge, and on the other side of the bridge is Feiyun Slope's most prosperous Central Avenue. Its original price would definitely not have lost out to properties in Feiyun Slope.
However, the former owner of Yanshang Teahouse had ties to illegal forces. Although they've all been arrested, there are still some accomplices lurking in gray areas outside. Fearing these unstable factors, most people stop considering it as soon as they hear this.
The bigger problem is actually the Fatui. Although 'Childe' mortgaged these houses, guards from the Northland Bank often pass by here intentionally or unintentionally, resting at the entrance. Given the Fatui's reputation, even people with some strength don't really dare to buy this house.
I was also hesitant about bringing Shenhe to see this place. In terms of value for money, it's absolutely the highest. With Shenhe's strength, she certainly wouldn't fear those people. I'm just worried that if they can't take action openly, they might harass her over the long term… If someone really wants to be disgusting without violating the law, there are still quite a few ways to do it."
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa