"Why is she here?"
Ningguang frowned slightly, her hand pausing mid-motion.
This was someone who never visited without a reason.
Instead of going out to sea, she came straight to the Jade Chamber?
Wait—
Out to sea?
A thought struck Ningguang. She turned to Baishi.
"Has Keqing's maritime ban still not been lifted?"
Previously, due to the revival of the Overlord of the Vortex, and for the safety of Liyue's citizens, Keqing had issued a temporary sea ban, prohibiting all vessels from leaving port.
Most likely, Beidou's fleet had been affected by this.
"Ningguang, Lady Keqing said that since the demon god was only just dealt with, the ban will remain in place for now as a precaution."
Baishi relayed the information she had gathered.
"I see."
Ningguang nodded.
She had no objections to Keqing's caution.
After all, this was a demon god.
Even if it had been defeated, it couldn't be taken lightly.
Take the great serpent of Inazuma, for example— dead for many years, yet its remnants still caused calamities.
So from a safety standpoint, lifting the ban too quickly would indeed be unwise.
However, Beidou's situation couldn't be ignored either.
Strictly speaking, Beidou didn't belong to Liyue.
It was just that the Crux Fleet used Liyue Harbor as its base of operations, docking there frequently.
They also had business ties with Ningguang.
Given all that, a meeting was unavoidable.
"Invite Beidou in," Ningguang said to Baishi.
"Yes."
Baishi bowed and left.
Not long after, she returned with a familiar figure.
Long black hair.
Bangs covering her left eye.
Crimson pupils.
A qipao paired with thigh-high heeled boots.
Her style bore a vague resemblance to Kaeya's.
"Ningguang, why was a sea ban suddenly issued? When can my fleet set sail again?"
Beidou sat down directly across from Ningguang—completely unceremonious.
If it were anyone else, the three secretaries would've already rebuked them.
Daring to be so disrespectful to Lady Ningguang?
But since it was Beidou, they were long used to it.
Among all of Ningguang's collaborators, Beidou was the only one who showed no reverence at all—
In fact, she often challenged her.
What shocked the secretaries even more was this:
This woman had actually won Mora from Ningguang before.
Unthinkable.
As the Feiyun Commerce Guild's president once said:
In all of Liyue Harbor, only Beidou dares to win Ningguang's money for real.
Because of that, the three secretaries still treated Beidou with respect.
"Didn't you go to Yujing Terrace?"
Ningguang took a sip of tea and asked calmly.
"I did. But it's chaos over there—no one had time for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come looking for you."
Beidou sounded slightly irritated.
She was, after all, the leader of the Crux Fleet, with considerable prestige in Liyue.
Yet she couldn't even get a meeting with Keqing.
"Try to be understanding. After such a major battle, they have far too much to handle,"
Ningguang said, setting her teacup down.
"A battle? What battle? You mean the disturbance out at sea earlier?"
Beidou's interest was piqued.
When the ban went into effect, she and her crew had been near the harbor, and they had felt the tremors.
But Guyun Stone Forest was too far away for her to see what actually happened.
From the sound of it, something huge had gone down.
"Not long ago, the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, revived.
We defeated it at Guyun Stone Forest."
Ningguang said it casually—
As if she were talking about a routine scuffle.
"That thing?!"
Shock flashed across Beidou's face.
As the head of the Crux Fleet, she often sailed past Guyun Stone Forest.
She knew very well what lurked beneath those waters.
To think that demon god had actually revived—
No wonder the sea was sealed.
Now it all made sense.
What truly stunned her, though, was this:
Ningguang and the others had defeated a demon god.
"Was it because of the adepti?"
Beidou wondered.
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
From Ningguang's tone, the victory sounded almost… effortless.
And even with adeptal aid, demon gods weren't that easy to deal with—
Unless the Geo Archon himself had intervened.
But from what Beidou had heard, that wasn't the case.
Her curiosity skyrocketed.
"Would you mind telling me how the battle went?"
"Not at all."
Ningguang smiled faintly and recounted the entire sequence of events.
The matter of Boss Han's manga shop would inevitably spread.
Given Beidou's information network, she'd find out sooner or later anyway.
Better to tell her personally and earn a bit of goodwill.
"A manga shop… that can do all that?!"
After hearing everything, Beidou's eyes burned with excitement.
What Ningguang described was simply too shocking—
Railguns.
Steel armor.
A gigantic golden dragon.
And above all—
That world-shaking bomb that blasted a demon god into submission.
Not to mention Ningguang casually smashing a demon god with the Jade Chamber.
Now Beidou finally understood the colossal disturbances she'd felt from the coast.
One was blown up.
The other was smashed down.
Simple. Brutal. Effective.
"Boss Han's manga shop is truly extraordinary," Ningguang said with a smile.
"There's nothing you can imagine that he doesn't have.
Take my Jade Chamber—suddenly growing larger, gaining intelligence, even smashing a demon god.
Who could've imagined something like that in the past?"
"True enough."
Beidou nodded deeply in agreement.
She'd been wondering why the Jade Chamber looked so much bigger earlier.
So that was the reason.
"I'm planning to take Baiwen and the others to read manga after things settle down.
Would you like to come along?"
Ningguang extended the invitation.
"There's even a manga about pirates over there."
"Pirates?"
Beidou's interest ignited instantly.
This was the first time she'd heard of such a theme.
"One Piece — East Blue Arc,"
Ningguang said softly.
Though she'd only visited the shop a few times, she had already memorized all the available titles.
There was no way a captain like Beidou wouldn't be tempted.
"Pirate King? That name is badass!"
Beidou's eyes lit up at once.
Something deep inside her seemed to awaken.
She crossed her arms and grinned.
"Then listen well—
I, Beidou, am destined to become the Pirate King's woman!"
—------------------------------
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