Ningguang had been following Lumine and Lumine's affairs for a long time.
On one hand, she had received a letter from the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt City early on, but besides that, news from Mondstadt also continuously reached her.
Ningguang might even be more aware of the truth about the Dragon Disaster than some Mondstadters.
She knew very well that Stormterror was a familiar of Barbatos, the Anemo God. As an element dragon and a familiar of the Anemo God, his strength was self-evident.
Moreover, in this Dragon Disaster incident, there was also the shadow of the Abyss Order, and the involvement of those guys made this incident even more perilous.
Since Aether and Lumine were able to shine so brightly during the Dragon Disaster, even saving Mondstadt from its plight, it's enough to prove their extraordinary nature.
Ever since Ningguang became Tianquan Star, her approach to discovering and utilizing talent has always been unconventional.
Take Yelan, for example; if Ningguang hadn't had such keen foresight, with Yelan's way of doing things, she would likely have faced a lot of ostracization and suppression in the General Affairs Department.
Therefore, Ningguang held similar thoughts regarding Aether and Lumine as she did for Yelan.
Although these two are Travelers, even a short-term contract would be enough for her to accomplish many things she wished to achieve.
Ningguang had great faith in her own judgment.
Of course, she couldn't directly extend an invitation to Aether, even if she trusted her judgment and the Damselette's abilities.
So, Ningguang took the opportunity to propose a commission to Aether; on one hand, she wanted to see what his abilities were truly like, and on the other hand…
Ningguang also had to admit that she harbored some other thoughts.
Yelan had once told her that this Damselette was very unique, possessing an inexplicable allure; anyone who personally interacted with this Damselette would unconsciously develop a certain fondness for him.
Ningguang could now confirm that Yelan's words were true; in fact, after actually interacting with him, she found that what Yelan had said earlier was still somewhat conservative.
At least now, she had a considerable interest in Aether.
She wanted to keep Aether by her side and get to know him better.
"How about it? Will you accept my commission?" Ningguang's expression remained calm, but she herself seemed not to notice that a hint of anticipation had grown in her heart.
"This…" Aether hesitated.
He wasn't worried about Ningguang tricking him or anything; after all, Ningguang was immensely wealthy and held a high position of power, and besides his body, there was nothing else worth her scheming for.
Even if she truly coveted his body, it was still up in the air who would ultimately get whom.
Aether's hesitation stemmed from the matter Ningguang had mentioned itself.
Ningguang said that all three of her secretaries recently had urgent matters to attend to, and she hoped to commission Aether to serve as Ningguang's personal secretary for a few days.
This made Aether very hesitant; as the saying goes, 'when there's work, the secretary does it, when there's no work…' Cough, no, that's not right.
His point was, as a secretary, he would definitely come into contact with many documents from Ningguang and other high-ranking Liyue officials; no matter what, he was still an outsider, and if he accidentally saw some secret he shouldn't, wouldn't he be in a difficult position?
Of course, if he successfully became Ningguang's secretary, his chances of taking down Ningguang would directly increase, and at the Please Immortal Ceremony not long after, he might even be able to directly ask Rex Lapis about Lumine's brother.
"Don't be so quick to agree, first listen to the generous Reward I'm offering, shall we?" Ningguang smiled slightly, seeing Aether's conflicted expression; she was ready to put down her chips.
"I know you intend to meet Rex Lapis in person. If you are willing to accept my commission, I can promise to bring one of you into the inner venue of the Please Immortal Ceremony, to directly face Rex Lapis."
"!"
--
Aether returned with the breakfast he had bought; he still hadn't directly agreed to Ningguang.
Ningguang also told him to go back and discuss it with Lumine first, and if he made a decision, to go directly to the General Affairs Department to find Ganyu, and have Ganyu take him to Qunyu Pavilion.
Aether nodded in agreement; such a matter not only needed to be discussed thoroughly with Lumine but also with Hu Tao.
After all, strictly speaking, he was still in a state of working for Hu Tao.
Although he usually didn't do any work for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, only accompanying Hu Tao as she ran around everywhere, under the guise of 'promotional work'…
But no matter what, he had signed a contract with Hu Tao, so he couldn't just become Ningguang's secretary without a word.
The consequences of breaking a contract in Liyue were very severe; oath-breakers would suffer the punishment of eating stone, and Aether didn't want to be forced to eat Shitou.
When Aether pushed open the door, Lumine was already awake; after all, Paimon was about to wake up soon, and if Lumine kept lying there, Paimon might notice something amiss.
Hu Tao, however, was still lying in bed; although she was awake, she seemed unable to get up for a while.
"Aether, you're back!" Lumine immediately broke into a big smile when she saw Aether.
She knew Aether had gone out, but she was simply too tired at the time, so she only looked twice before falling back asleep.
"Did you go to buy breakfast?" Lumine tilted her head in confusion.
If he went to buy breakfast, why was he back so late?
"Yes, I bought it for you guys…" Aether placed the breakfast he had bought aside.
"Oh, there are shrimp dumplings!" Hu Tao, who was sprawled on the bed, immediately perked up.
"Not bad, not bad, worthy of the Hall Master's closest friend, you completely understand the Hall Master's preferences."
"Isn't that obvious? You're practically naked on my bed right now." Aether patted Hu Tao's little butt through the blanket.
"Hmm, but I still don't know what you like, my dear friend?" Hu Tao pouted and said to Aether.
"Me?" Aether was also slightly stunned at this, then began to think seriously.
Because upon closer thought, he didn't seem to have a particular fondness for any one type of food.
"Speaking of which, I guess I don't either; I still don't know what Aether likes to eat?" Lumine looked at Aether and also spoke.
If they needed to camp outdoors on this journey, she was always the one cooking, as what Aether cooked could cause problems if eaten.
But for such a long time, she hadn't noticed Aether's eating habits.
"Hmm, I don't have anything I particularly like, and I'm not very picky…" Aether rubbed his head, and looking at the two of them, his tone shifted again, "If I had to say, I like the taste of both of you very much."
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