"Alright. I'll set the price at one hundred million Mora."
After pondering for a long while, Lin Ze finally made up his mind.
"Any more than that and they wouldn't be able to afford it anyway."
He leaned back slightly, sorting through the logic in his head.
"If someone actually fuses with a Gnosis, they'll ascend and get dragged off to Celestia to work.
That won't really affect Teyvat in the long run.
"And besides, the number of people who know I can knead a Gnosis with my bare hands is extremely limited."
One hundred million Mora per Gnosis.
By all accounts, that was a ridiculously generous price—borderline charity.
Anyone who bought one would be getting an absurd bargain.
But in truth, the ones who benefited the most were Heavenly Principles and Lin Ze himself.
Lin Ze got Mora he could freely spend.
Anyone who ascended would be taken to Sky Island and put to work repairing space—Heavenly Principles profited without lifting a finger.
As for Ningguang, she only intended to use it as strategic deterrence.
There was no way she'd mass-produce them.
Anyone else?
Even if they got their hands on one, whether they could understand how to use it was another matter entirely.
And if they did understand it, they'd probably ascend anyway—straight into Celestia's workforce.
With Heavenly Principles personally overseeing things, it was airtight.
Having finally settled the matter, Lin Ze felt significantly lighter.
He'd spent too long sitting in the teahouse, so he decided to stretch his legs.
He wandered around Liyue Harbor for hours, completely unfazed by fatigue—his current physique simply didn't recognize it.
After dinner, he casually carried a bag of late-night snacks home.
And the moment he reached his front steps—
He saw a small cat curled up there.
A cat with two tails.
There was no need to think hard about who it was.
"Oh? A two-tailed kitty—now that's rare."
Lin Ze smiled mischievously.
"Come on, little kitty. Let's go inside."
Before Kirara could even react, Lin Ze grabbed her by the scruff of the neck—
And just like that, she instantly lost all resistance.
He carried her straight into the courtyard.
In the meantime, he even updated his diary.
[Captured a two-tailed kitty.]
Then, for good measure—
[Kirara.jpg]
[Not 99%, but at least 90% sure this is Kirara.]
As he typed, he started petting her.
He had to admit—it was impressive.
Smooth, soft fur.
Truly worthy of a yokai.
"Hey! Where do you think you're touching?!"
Suddenly, Kirara yelled—despite still being in her cat form.
"You think I can't talk just because I didn't make a sound earlier?!"
Lin Ze froze.
Apparently, he'd touched something he shouldn't have.
To be fair, Kirara had tolerated quite a lot already.
The teasing in the diary? She ignored it.
Being treated like a normal cat and petted? She endured it.
She was a cat, after all.
Lin Ze was handsome, and—aside from his annoying sense of humor—he was a decent guy.
She'd already realized who he was the moment he carried her into the courtyard.
She could let all of that slide.
But—
Don't treat her like a clueless kitten.
"…Huh?"
Lin Ze immediately let go.
"I was just petting you along the back. What could I possibly—"
Then he paused.
"Oh… you don't like your tail being touched?"
He genuinely looked confused.
"I thought cats didn't mind their tails being petted?"
"You—y-you—!"
Kirara instantly reverted to human form, her face flushed bright red.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Lin Ze like he was some kind of menace.
Now Lin Ze was even more confused.
"Wait, what? I didn't touch there.
"And even if you're a nekomata, I've never heard of that being on your back."
"You—hmph!"
Kirara turned away, too embarrassed to explain.
She'd intentionally reduced her size to avoid drawing attention.
She'd even hidden one tail while lying on the steps.
Compared to that—
Lin Ze's hands were huge.
Judging by his reaction, he clearly hadn't done it on purpose.
But accidental or not—
It still happened.
Now she could only regret reverting to her original form in the first place.
She should've turned into a parcel box instead.
At least then she wouldn't have suffered such an awkward misunderstanding.
"I'd know if I touched something like that…"
Lin Ze started to protest—then stopped.
…Wait.
She really didn't seem like the type to joke about something like this.
"…Alright. Maybe I did accidentally touch somewhere sensitive."
He sighed, choosing to shoulder the blame.
"Let me just confirm one thing.
You really don't like people touching your tails?"
He stared openly at the two fluffy tails behind her.
Pure curiosity.
Nothing else.
"Absolutely not! I object! No touching!
Not the tails—and not the paw pads either! Hmph!"
Kirara turned sharply, clearly done with this conversation.
She was leaving.
Her curiosity about Lin Ze?
Forgotten.
She just wanted out—fast.
She'd rather explore Liyue Harbor alone for a while, then head straight back to Inazuma.
This "formal meeting" had been a disaster.
"Hey—wait!"
Lin Ze hurried to stop her.
"You waited outside my house for so long. You probably haven't eaten, right?
I brought back some late-night food—let's call it an apology?"
He gestured toward the snacks on the table.
Truthfully, Lin Ze was very interested in Kirara.
Honestly?
He was absolutely tempted.
Human form—cute.
Yokai form—amazing fur.
And she was a catgirl.
What man could resist that?
"No need. I have Mora."
Kirara wasn't fooled for a second.
She'd noticed where Lin Ze's gaze had been lingering.
This guy was clearly after her tails.
No touching meant no touching.
Zero chance.
In the end, Lin Ze failed to stop her and could only watch her leave.
But as she walked away, he still opened his diary.
He snapped a photo.
[Kirara's tail.jpg]
[Too bad—she wouldn't let me touch them. I'll keep this as a souvenir.]
[They probably feel amazing.]
[I admit it—I'm shamelessly tempted by Kirara's tail.]
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