Chapter 61. Cloud Retainer Shock and Joy
And so, Futsu Mitama and the others departed from the Jade Chamber.
After stepping outside, Sangonomiya Kokomi lifted her gaze toward the magnificent floating palace suspended high in the sky, awe filling her eyes.
"It truly is an incredible creation," Sangonomiya Kokomi said softly with admiration. "In times of peace, it can serve as a place to host distinguished guests, and in times of war, it can instantly transform into a fortress."
Clearly, Sangonomiya Kokomi was somewhat envious.
If circumstances allowed, she would naturally also wish to construct something similar herself.
Unfortunately, Watatsumi Island was simply too poor. There was no possibility of gathering enough resources to build such an extravagant structure.
After all, even Ningguang's Jade Chamber had not been completed overnight. It had been painstakingly constructed little by little through an unimaginable amount of mora.
"Indeed."
Paimon nodded repeatedly in agreement. She stared at the Jade Chamber above before suddenly lowering her voice and speaking mysteriously.
"But compared to that, I think actually living in the Jade Chamber is the real dream. By the way, don't you know about a certain rumor regarding Ningguang and the Jade Chamber?"
"Hm?"
Lumine looked toward Paimon curiously, wondering what exactly she was referring to.
"Oh?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi blinked as well, her curiosity immediately piqued.
Even Aila and Black Aila, though expressionless as always, still shifted their gazes toward Paimon, clearly wanting to hear what kind of rumor she intended to mention.
Futsu Mitama was also slightly curious.
A rumor concerning Ningguang?
There were naturally many rumors surrounding Ningguang.
Most revolved around her beauty, her incomprehensible wealth, or her incredibly lofty status within Liyue.
Titles such as "Tianquan of Reverence" and "Lady Ningguang" were themselves proof of the respect and prestige she commanded throughout Liyue Harbor.
As such, most discussions regarding Ningguang were less gossip and more admiration toward the terrifying amount of mora she could earn, her frightening eye for business opportunities, and the sheer scale of the intelligence network she controlled within Liyue Harbor.
As for anyone who dared to slander her…
At best, they would receive a stern warning from the Millelith.
At worst, they would simply disappear from public discussion entirely.
Under such circumstances, there were actually very few true rumors concerning Ningguang herself.
Most gossip instead revolved around Keqing.
Facing everyone's attention, Paimon puffed out her chest slightly, looking rather smug as she mysteriously declared,
"The rumor is that among all the people who've ever been invited into the Jade Chamber only the Qixing and Ningguang's personal secretaries are truly allowed to live there permanently."
"Even the Millelith stationed there only have temporary resting quarters. They don't actually have permission to reside there."
"So during dinner that day, I overheard two merchants discussing what kind of treasure they would need to offer in order to gain the right to stay in the Jade Chamber."
Sangonomiya Kokomi blinked slightly.
Living in the Jade Chamber…
That truly sounded extremely attractive.
After all, the benefits were obvious.
On one hand, simply residing there would drastically elevate one's status and reputation.
On the other hand, being able to frequently interact with Ningguang herself would already create endless opportunities.
Even setting romance aside completely, merely discussing business with Ningguang could probably generate tens of millions of mora with ease.
"Treasure?" Lumine tilted her head slightly. "Couldn't they just use mora instead?"
"You're so silly!"
Paimon immediately looked at Lumine with a somewhat exasperated expression.
"Do you really think Ningguang lacks mora? She's practically the richest woman in all of Teyvat!"
"Those merchants wouldn't even blink at spending millions of mora, but besides money, they didn't have anything special they could offer her. So they started thinking about what kind of treasure could actually impress Ningguang enough to let them stay in the Jade Chamber, even if only for a few days."
"According to them, as long as they could stay there briefly, countless influential people would proactively approach them afterward. They could make a gigantic fortune from that alone!"
At this point, Paimon suddenly seemed to think of something.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
She rubbed her hands together excitedly before looking at Lumine.
"Traveler! Why don't we ask Ningguang to use that Qixing request in exchange for two permanent residency spots in the Jade Chamber?!"
"…"
Lumine stared at Paimon speechlessly.
After a long pause, she slowly pressed a hand against her forehead, utterly unsure how to respond.
The Qixing's favor… and Paimon wanted to exchange it for permanent residency rights in the Jade Chamber?
To ordinary people, that might indeed sound like an incredibly profitable deal.
But in Lumine's eyes, it was an absolutely terrible trade.
One had to think long-term.
"Speaking of which…"
Futsu Mitama suddenly spoke at that moment.
He lightly stroked his chin as though recalling something.
"Ningguang actually already gave me a permanent residency slot in the Jade Chamber. She said I could come stay anytime."
The moment those words fell—
Aila, Black Aila, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Lumine, and Paimon all froze simultaneously.
Everyone stared at Futsu Mitama in complete shock.
They had never heard about this before.
"Why isn't this in your memory?"
Black Aila immediately turned to look at Aila.
It was as if she were saying, "Such an important matter, yet you actually forgot about it?!"
"When did this happen?!" Aila looked toward Futsu Mitama in equal shock, unable to hide her disbelief.
Beside them, Sangonomiya Kokomi lightly covered her mouth with her hand. Clearly, she had not expected that while everyone was still discussing ways to permanently reside in the Jade Chamber…
Futsu Mitama had already quietly obtained the qualification long ago.
More importantly, none of them had known about it. She was sure she had not missed a single message in the Chat Group.
"Eh?! Eh eh eh eh?!!!" Paimon's eyes widened completely as she cried out in disbelief, "Ningguang hasn't even joined the group yet!"
If Ningguang had already joined the Chat Group, Paimon would not have found it strange at all. After all, they were all companions there already, so giving Futsu Mitama permanent residence in the Jade Chamber would not be that shocking.
But now, the situation was completely different.
Even if Ningguang and Futsu Mitama had a good relationship, it should not have reached the point where she casually allowed him to permanently reside within the Jade Chamber.
"Hm~ Do you still remember the Primo Geovishap?" Futsu Mitama suddenly brought up the matter from back then.
Aila frowned slightly before saying thoughtfully, "Could it be because you helped Liyue slay the Primo Geovishap, so Ningguang allowed you to stay permanently in the Jade Chamber?"
"But that still doesn't sound right. Back then, wasn't it Master, the Conqueror of Demons, Senior Sister, and Young Master acting together?"
Aila still remembered that battle very clearly.
Cloud Retainer had taken the lead, Xiao had been responsible for the final strike, while Shenhe and Futsu Mitama had assisted from the side.
At that time, although Shenhe and Futsu Mitama were already exceptionally strong among humans, they still had difficulty directly confronting a creature like the Primo Geovishap.
Because of this, Aila found it difficult to believe that Ningguang would hand over a permanent residence within the Jade Chamber solely because of that matter.
One had to understand that the Jade Chamber was Ningguang's greatest treasure.
A permanent residence did not simply mean being invited as a guest.
It meant that Ningguang had directly carved out a portion of the Jade Chamber itself and handed it over to someone else.
Just how enormous of a favor would that require?
Or rather… just how much did Ningguang value Futsu Mitama?
"It was because of the Juvenile Jade," Futsu Mitama explained calmly without hiding anything. "At the time, I was preparing to leave for Mondstadt."
"And not long before that, the Rite of Descension had just concluded. The era belonging solely to humanity had officially begun. Ningguang and the Qixing wanted to resolve Liyue's current problems without relying on the Adeptus."
"At the time, the Abyss Order had stolen the Fatui's machinery, causing the Vishaps throughout Liyue to evolve and rampage uncontrollably."
"So I sold the Primo Geovishap's Juvenile Jade to Ningguang. In exchange, she gave me a large amount of mora and said there would always be a room reserved for me in the Jade Chamber."
Yes.
It really was that simple.
A single Juvenile Jade from the Primo Geovishap had earned him permanent residence within the Jade Chamber.
"Primo Geovishap?! Juvenile Jade?!!!"
Although Paimon had absolutely no idea what those things truly were, her eyes still lit up instantly.
"Where is it?! Traveler and I can go deal with it too! That's a room in the Jade Chamber!!! If we ever do business in Liyue Harbor later…"
Paimon's eyes sparkled as she imagined the future.
"Wouldn't bringing guests into a room inside the Jade Chamber automatically give them pressure?!"
Clearly, the mischievous little Paimon had already started fantasizing about owning her own residence within the floating palace in the sky.
After all…
Who would not want their own sky city?
"The Primo Geovishap is already extinct."
Black Aila spoke calmly at that moment. Her gaze landed on Paimon as she explained indifferently, "The Primo Geovishap that Young Master and the Adeptus slew was the only remaining Geovishap in Liyue."
"Its Juvenile Jade possessed an immense attraction toward all Vishaps. For the Liyue of that era, it was an unimaginably precious treasure. And beyond that, the Juvenile Jade itself possessed extraordinary value. If used properly, it could nurture another Primo Geovishap for Liyue."
Black Aila had inherited Aila's memories completely.
Naturally, she understood very clearly just how significant Futsu Mitama's favor toward the Qixing had been back then.
Under such circumstances, Ningguang permanently reserving a room for him within the Jade Chamber was entirely reasonable.
"Ex—extinct?!!!"
Paimon's expression immediately collapsed. She clearly had not expected the Primo Geovishap to already be gone.
For a moment, her entire body radiated disappointment.
Still, after hearing Black Aila's explanation, she also somewhat understood why Ningguang had been willing to grant Futsu Mitama such treatment.
If someone handed over a treasure of that level to Ningguang…
Then Ningguang sharing part of her own treasure in return truly did not seem strange anymore.
Lumine looked at Futsu Mitama somewhat unexpectedly.
She had not imagined that he would willingly hand over something as valuable as the Primo Geovishap's Juvenile Jade.
Did he never consider raising a Primo Geovishap himself?
Although Lumine had never personally seen one before, according to Aila's description, a mature Primo Geovishap possessed combat power comparable to an Adeptus.
However, after thinking for a moment, Lumine quickly stopped dwelling on it.
Because for the current Futsu Mitama…
The strength of a Primo Geovishap probably no longer meant much.
Not to mention Futsu Mitama himself, even Aila and Black Aila, who possessed complete Archon authority, could likely suppress a Primo Geovishap with ease.
Meanwhile, Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes shifted slightly, as though she were quietly contemplating something.
Because if she remembered correctly…
According to Azhdaha, the Primo Geovishap's Juvenile Jade could greatly accelerate the evolution of Vishaps.
Any Vishap could potentially evolve into a Geovishap.
They simply required enough time and opportunity.
And she herself… she possessed a sliver of bloodline of a Dragon King.
So what would happen if she obtained a Juvenile Jade?
For a brief moment, Sangonomiya Kokomi quietly sank into thought.
"Alright, enough talking. Let's head back first."
Futsu Mitama did not continue the topic any further and simply led everyone back toward his residence.
Soon, the group returned home.
However—
A crane was already standing atop the roof, looking down at everyone below.
"Wow!!! It's that woman again!!!"
Paimon instantly widened her eyes after seeing the crane, clearly not expecting Cloud Retainer to appear here.
"Impudent! What do you mean 'that woman'? This Adeptus possesses a proper title—Cloud Retainer… Hm?"
Cloud Retainer's majestic voice suddenly paused midway.
Her gaze swept across Paimon before abruptly locking onto Aila and Black Aila.
A rare look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
The next moment, she descended directly from the rooftop and landed before them.
Aila and Black Aila quietly looked back at her.
"Master."
Aila respectfully bowed slightly toward Cloud Retainer.
Even though she now possessed confidence that she could surpass her master in battle, her respect toward Cloud Retainer had never changed.
Black Aila, however, merely gave a slight nod.
There was no visible reverence in her attitude.
Even after inheriting Aila's memories, to Black Aila, Cloud Retainer was still only a familiar stranger.
Futsu Mitama was different.
The memories Black Aila inherited regarding him were like a ray of light piercing through endless darkness.
Or perhaps…
It was possible that among all of Aila's memories, the ones most deeply engraved within Black Aila were precisely those involving Futsu Mitama.
"You two…"
Cloud Retainer stared at Aila and Black Aila in complete shock.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Even after surviving the Archon War and witnessing countless absurd scenes throughout Liyue's thousands of years of history…
Cloud Retainer had never seen anything like this before.
This situation was simply too outrageous.
So outrageous that for a brief moment, she even wondered whether Rex Lapis had personally invited some higher existence beyond the Seven Archons to interfere in Aila's fusion battle.
But that was impossible.
Rex Lapis would never go that far merely for Aila's matter.
Moreover…
Even those beings above the Seven Archons might not necessarily be able to perfectly resolve such a problem.
Because Cloud Retainer understood Aila's condition very clearly.
The only true solution was for Aila herself to become stronger than Black Aila. Only then would there be a sliver of hope.
As a master, Cloud Retainer had chosen to trust her disciple. But she had also prepared for the worst possible outcome.
That was why she had handed Aila an item containing the Geo Archon's power before entering The Chasm.
"This… is a rather long story."
Futsu Mitama stepped forward at that moment.
Cloud Retainer appearing here was something he had already expected. Once she learned Aila had emerged safely from The Chasm, she would naturally rush over immediately to confirm the outcome herself.
It was simply that…
The scene before her now had probably exceeded all her expectations.
"It matters not. This Adeptus has plenty of time—Hm?!"
Cloud Retainer suddenly froze mid-sentence. Her gaze landed on Futsu Mitama.
Then—
Her eyes widened abruptly. Because she sensed an aura fluctuation from him that was incomparably familiar.
That aura belonged to…
[Demon Gods].
Futsu Mitama had stepped into the Demon Gods Realm?!!!
And he had done so with a human body?!!!
Although Cloud Retainer was never surprised that Futsu Mitama would eventually reach such a realm…
His talent was simply too monstrous.
He was valued not only by Rex Lapis, but also by the Electro Archon herself.
Reaching the Archon Realm had always been only a matter of time for him.
But—
Why was it so fast?!!! How long had it even been since they last met?!
Not even half a month had passed!
Yet he had already crossed into the Archon Realm?!
For a moment, Cloud Retainer felt slightly dizzy.
She even began wondering whether she had secluded herself for too long and unknowingly developed inner demons.
Otherwise…
How could reality suddenly become this absurd?
"Is something wrong, True Monarch?"
Futsu Mitama blinked slightly as he looked at the silent Cloud Retainer.
Even after reaching the Demon God Realm, his attitude toward her remained respectful.
After all, Cloud Retainer was Aila's master, and she had also helped him greatly in the past.
"Master, are you alright?"
Aila also spoke with concern. Cloud Retainer's current condition was visibly abnormal.
At that moment, Shenhe quietly poked her head out from behind. She completely understood her master's current feelings.
Because back in The Chasm, she herself had experienced exactly the same thing.
Watching one junior sister become two.
Watching Futsu Mitama directly ascend into the Demon Gods Realm.
Watching even Aila and Black Aila step halfway into that same realm through fusion.
Meanwhile…
She herself had not even managed to place half a foot inside that domain.
Both of her junior sisters possessed complete Archon authority. Given enough time, they would likely become genuine Archons.
Thinking of this, Shenhe silently sighed before looking sympathetically toward her master.
Hopefully…
Master would not investigate too deeply. Otherwise, even she would probably suffer a severe blow.
"N-Nothing."
Cloud Retainer's voice had already lost much of its usual dignity. She looked toward Futsu Mitama, Aila, and Black Aila before speaking slowly.
"This Adeptus is merely curious what exactly happened. Your strength… and this situation involving [Aila]…"
"Even this Adeptus finds it somewhat unbelievable."
Despite her words, Cloud Retainer still maintained an outwardly calm appearance, as though this were merely some ordinary matter.
This immediately caused admiration to flash through Shenhe's eyes.
As expected of Master.
Even in the face of such an outrageous situation, she could still remain so composed.
"The situation is roughly like this…"
Futsu Mitama did not conceal anything.
He calmly recounted everything that had happened within The Chasm.
He explained how he had accidentally obtained two special items capable of allowing Aila and Black Aila to fuse together.
And afterward…
For some unknown reason, the fused [Aila] had separated once more. Now, the two of them no longer existed in a fusion battle. Instead, they maintained this extremely peculiar state of coexistence.
As for himself…
He had somehow inexplicably stepped into the Archon Realm. Wasn't that amazing?
After hearing the explanation, Cloud Retainer became even more bewildered.
Her mind completely froze.
This…
This truly was amazing.
So amazing that even Cloud Retainer no longer knew where she should begin criticizing it.