Lisa is an unparalleled genius, hailed by the Sumeru Akademiya as a once-in-two-hundred-years talent.
If not for not being a Sumerian herself, and her own dislike for the Akademiya's atmosphere, Lisa wouldn't merely have had the opportunity to become the Akademiya's librarian.
It wouldn't even be impossible for her to become a Sage.
After all, Lisa possesses strength, her own teacher is a Sage, and her connections are sufficient.
Because of this, Lisa knows many of Sumeru's secrets.
For example… Lesser Lord Kusanali!
But why would Lesser Lord Kusanali appear in Liyue?
And in the arms of that unfamiliar man?
She even looked incredibly well-behaved, like his younger sister.
Lisa immediately noticed Jiang Xuan.
She scrutinized him carefully.
He looked young, in his early twenties.
His face was gentle and handsome.
Other than that…
He had no Vision, nor any signs of elemental power.
He seemed to be just an ordinary Liyue official.
But how could an ordinary person hold Lesser Lord Kusanali?
Lisa fell into contemplation.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xuan also felt Lisa's gaze. Their eyes met, and he gave a gentle nod.
Then he went back to feeding Nahida.
He was just a spectator today; at least for now, it wasn't his business.
Lisa narrowed her eyes slightly. After some thought, she confirmed that she had no memory of Jiang Xuan.
Only then did she temporarily set aside her investigation of Jiang Xuan.
But ultimately, she had committed Jiang Xuan's appearance to memory.
"In the past, I've communicated with Acting Grand Master Jean through letters many times. Even then, I felt that Acting Grand Master Jean was an excellent lady knight who adhered strictly to the Way of the Knight."
"Seeing her today, it's just as I expected."
Ningguang smiled faintly and nodded at Jean.
Jean, seemingly treating this as a serious occasion, responded earnestly:
"Lady Ningguang flatters me. I still have many shortcomings."
These were her true feelings.
Jean genuinely felt she was not worthy of the title of Grand Master.
But Ningguang chuckled softly, every movement revealing the nobility and aura of a Tianquan.
"Today's invitation is merely a friendly gathering. Acting Grand Master Jean, there's no need to be so formal." 170
"Please try Liyue's specialties first. If they're not to your taste, I'll have some Mondstadt-style dishes sent up."
Before Jean could say anything, Paimon's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Can we eat now! Yay, yay! I can't wait!"
"Paimon!"
Lumine was mortified and quickly covered Paimon's mouth.
Ningguang and the others' gazes instantly fell upon them.
Perhaps due to the accumulated aura of power and authority over the years, or perhaps feeling somewhat serious after ascending to the Jade Chamber.
Paimon weakly shrank her head.
"No need to be constrained."
Ningguang gently shook her head, smiling.
"Eat as you please. Liyue will not lack a meal for its friends."
"Thank you, Lady Ningguang."
Lumine nodded slightly and released Paimon.
"I imagine this must be the Traveler who fought the Dvalin in Mondstadt earlier? It's quite unexpected; she's a lovely young lady."
Ningguang glanced at Jiang Xuan out of the corner of her eye, then focused on Lumine.
"Hehe! More than that!"
Paimon, perhaps finding Ningguang easy to talk to, relaxed and, while eating a golden shrimp ball she held, mumbled indistinctly:
"Our Lumine has already helped Mondstadt solve Dvalin's corruption; she's a great hero of Mondstadt!"
Hearing this, Ningguang's eyes brightened slightly, and she softly said:
"Is that so? It seems Miss Lumine is exceptionally powerful."
Lumine glared fiercely at Paimon, responding:
"It's all thanks to Acting Grand Master Jean and their help; otherwise, I couldn't have solved it alone!"
As soon as her words fell, Paimon, as if offering a treasure, handed Lumine a golden shrimp ball.
"Lumine! Stop talking! Hurry and eat! These are the finest dishes in Liyue Harbor! They won't taste good if they get cold!"
Lumine felt a rush of blood to her head, wishing she could pinch Paimon's cheeks hard.
Ningguang also smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and chuckled:
"This little one is right; food must be eaten hot to retain its maximum flavor."
"But it's alright. If it gets cold, I'll have them send another table. Today, everyone just needs to enjoy themselves."
Hearing this, Paimon's big eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly:
"Really! Paimon can eat to her heart's content?"
"Of course!"
Ningguang also found this little one very amusing and teased:
"Even if you can eat two tables by yourself, it's fine. If there's anything you want to eat, just tell Baiwen, and she'll have Liyue Harbor's restaurants make it for you."
"Wow!"
Paimon hugged her cheeks, her face filled with happiness.
"Lady Ningguang is such a good person! A million times better than Lumine!"
Everyone burst into laughter, while Lumine, pouting, pulled Paimon's cheek and stuffed food into her mouth.
"Can't food shut you up!"
After this commotion, the atmosphere became much more relaxed, and no one discussed serious matters.
Ningguang truly intended this banquet as a friendly invitation, without any rules like "no talking while eating or sleeping."
They ate and chatted about the situation in Mondstadt.
Paimon, however, was truly focused on battling the food.
In a short while, she cleared a table of dishes, her stomach still showing no change, and looked expectantly at Baiwen.
Baiwen also found this adorable little creature quite interesting; girls naturally have a fondness for such things.
She immediately had Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion continue sending dishes.
The meal lasted about an hour, and both hosts and guests were thoroughly entertained.
Of course, Paimon was the happiest.
She ate four tables of dishes by herself.
Only then did she lie on the table, rubbing her round belly, her face full of contentment and completely unconcerned with her image.
She rarely had the opportunity to fill all her stomachs.
For Paimon, who believed "food is mother," Ningguang at this moment stood incredibly tall in her heart.
She even began to ponder whether to occasionally come and act cute for this rich sister to get some food.
Paimon had heard that this elegant woman, who charmed with every smile and frown, was Teyvat's wealthiest person.
One only needed to look at the Jade Chamber to understand.
A manor suspended high in the heavens.
Diluc estimated the construction cost alone to be tens of billions of Mora.
This didn't even include the extremely rare decorations seen everywhere.
The Jade Chamber alone was probably worth nearly fifty billion Mora.
After eating and drinking their fill, Baiwen had the tables cleared and brought out tea and desserts for digestion.
At this, Paimon perked up again.
She forced herself to continue battling, filling any remaining gaps in her stomach.
Paimon's appetite surpassed Ningguang and the others' imagination.
The food Paimon ate that night amounted to at least tens of millions of Mora.
However, Ningguang, with her vast wealth, didn't care about such a small amount of Mora.
She probably earned nearly a hundred million Mora just by blinking.
Having been in the MC world for so long, and with her somewhat ambiguous relationship with Jiang Xuan, Jiang Xuan naturally didn't mind letting Ningguang take some resources to make money herself.
Anyway…
Ningguang was supporting him, right?
And wasn't Ningguang's money still for him to spend?
Ningguang elegantly took a sip of tea, pondering how to shift the conversation to the plan.
Suddenly, the sky above the entire Jade Chamber glowed with a brilliant golden light.
A dense and ancient aura descended with a roar.
Like a majestic peak from eons past falling from the sky.
"Rex Lapis?"
Everyone was stunned, not understanding why Zhongli had suddenly arrived.
Ningguang, Xiao, and others who knew Zhongli's identity had some guesses.
As for Jiang Xuan, his heart was ecstatic as Zhongli was about to descend.
He leaned into Nahida's ear and whispered:
"Nahida, never learn from Zhongli; that guy is extremely petty."
Nahida nodded naively, quietly staying in Jiang Xuan's embrace.
Feeling this terrifyingly ancient aura, Jean and the others also had their suspicions and felt a little nervous.
They quickly rose, just like Ningguang and the others.
Like a mirage, the space before them blurred, and Zhongli, clad in a white hood…
Now, he should be called Morax.
He appeared silently in the center of the hall.
"Greetings, Rex Lapis."
Ningguang and the others bowed slightly. Xiao and Cloud Retainer also silently stepped forward to stand behind Zhongli.
Zhongli nodded slightly, his hood seemingly possessing some magical power that concealed his face.
He turned his head to look at Jean and the others, or more accurately, at Venti, who was already preparing to flee.
"Acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt, I greet Your Eminence, the Geo Archon."
Jean saluted with one hand over her chest.
Zhongli gave Jean a benevolent look.
Then he stared at Venti, who had stealthily crept to the edge of the Jade Chamber.
Golden divine power surged, and a barrier covered in adeptal sigils enveloped the entire Jade Chamber.
Venti's face stiffened, and he slowly turned around, looking at Zhongli with a tearful expression.
"Old friend, since you've arrived, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Without any discernible movement from Zhongli, Venti was instantly transported back to his original seat.
"Ehe… well…"
Venti secretly wiped sweat from his brow, awkwardly saying:
"Old man, isn't it… it's been a long time since we last met. I was thinking, I don't have any wine on hand, isn't that inappropriate?"
"Wine?"
Zhongli seemed to let out a faint chuckle, then turned and sat down at the table next to Venti.
"I brought some for you."
With that, he waved his hand, and more than a dozen bottles of Dandelion Wine, still with fresh earth clinging to them, appeared before him.
Venti immediately recognized them as his private stash, hidden in Windrise for hundreds of years.
Venti's face was filled with indignation.
"Old man! Is that really necessary? When did you even go to Mondstadt!"
"Oh?"
Zhongli poured his own wine, implying:
"Since you can alter my contract and disregard the Seven Archons' Pact by releasing your divine power in Liyue."
"Then, why should I not take a trip to Mondstadt?"
Petty!
Venti roared in his heart, but still forced a diplomatic smile.
"That's not… I was worried about you, old man. Let's not bring up old matters."
"A contract is no small matter, and it will not fade with the passage of time."
Ever since Zhongli appeared, he hadn't stopped talking about contracts.
Venti slumped his head, resigning himself to his fate.
"Alright, alright… Seriously, I never intended to hide when I came to Liyue, so there's no need to keep bringing it up, is there?"
Zhongli's lips curved into a smile under his hood, and he gently offered the wine cup to Venti.
"Those who violate a contract shall suffer the Punishment of Stone Eating."
The wine cup glowed with a rich golden light, and a hint of divine power seemed to be added to it.
Venti swallowed hard, then tremblingly took the cup.
He knew Zhongli had been lenient enough.
Regardless, he had indeed used Zhongli by altering his contract back then.
Moreover, he had undeniably released divine power in Liyue today, drawing the attention of many Adepti.
With both these factors combined, it was already a sign of their old friendship that Zhongli hadn't unleashed a Planet Befall on him.
"Your Eminence, the Geo Archon, Venti, he…"
Jean still couldn't bear to see her Anemo Archon suffer.
But Zhongli's gaze calmly met Jean's, and in that instant, it silenced her further words.
"Those who violate a contract shall suffer the Punishment of Stone Eating. This applies to Barbatos, and it applies to me. No one can defy the justice of a contract."
Jean pursed her lips, wanting to say more, but Venti waved his hand to stop her.
"It's alright. I did alter the old man's contract and used him back then. Honestly, it's generous of him not to have pursued me all these years."
With that, Venti grimaced and gulped down the wine.
Immediately, his entire body froze in place.
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