Listening to the exchange between Lora and Tartaglia, Paimon quietly whispered to Lumine, "Lumine, don't you feel like Tartaglia's been totally outplayed by Lora?"
Lumine glanced at Lora's bright, satisfied smile, then at Tartaglia, who still looked convinced he'd made a profitable deal.
She nodded.
"Yeah, your feeling's right. But thinking about how, when we travel with Lora in the future, our bills can get sent to Northland Bank too… that makes me kind of happy."
"Huh? In the future?" Paimon froze, then asked, "But isn't Lora a Liyue Adeptus? She's already come back to Liyue—shouldn't she stay here? Will she really keep traveling with us?"
"She will," Lumine said, nodding.
"Why are you so sure?" Paimon asked.
Lumine was silent for a moment before answering, "Intuition."
"Uh…"
Paimon narrowed her eyes, pondering just how reliable Lumine's intuition really was.
Over there, Lora turned back toward the two of them and said, "What are you still standing around for? Zhongli's waiting outside. Don't keep him waiting too long—let's go."
With that, she pushed open the door and left the private room first.
Lumine stood up and looked toward Tartaglia. He waved his hand with a grin. "You two go on ahead with Mr. Zhongli. I'll take care of things here—perfect chance to practice using chopsticks!"
"Alright," Lumine replied, nodding. She led Paimon as they followed Lora outside.
Zhongli stood at the entrance of Xinyue Kiosk, watching the steady flow of people along the street. He liked Liyue's prosperity—this lively, bustling atmosphere.
Lora walked up beside him, leaning in slightly as she asked in a low voice, "So? How does it feel, looking at the Liyue Harbor you've nurtured for three thousand seven hundred years?"
"Liyue's prosperity was created by its people through their own strength," Zhongli said as he watched the crowd and the flourishing streets. "I… am very gratified."
"Without you, Liyue wouldn't have enjoyed three thousand seven hundred years of prosperity," Lora said, standing beside him and sharing his view of the bustling city.
"If Liyue can pass this trial through their own efforts," Zhongli continued with a sigh, "then the era of human governance will truly arrive. At the very least, I am fairly satisfied with the current actions of the Liyue Qixing."
"Trial? You mean…" Lora paused, then realized. "The one in the sea?"
Zhongli nodded slightly. "The Fatui used the Talisman of No Restrictions to break the seal. The sea is already far from calm."
"Have faith in their strength," Lora said with a smile. "And if things really get out of hand, I'll be here."
Zhongli gave a quiet acknowledgment.
After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver have already departed from Jueyun Karst and are heading toward Liyue Harbor. They are likely coming to confront the Liyue Qixing. It would be inappropriate for me to appear, so I'll have to trouble you with handling this matter."
"You can sense the movements of the Adepti?"
Lora asked, surprised.
Zhongli nodded.
"The Adepti have contracts with me and may be considered my dependents. As long as they are within Liyue's borders, I can perceive their movements to some extent."
Noticing the odd look on Lora's face, he added, "Rest assured. Although you and I have a divine contract, as the God of Justice and Law, you are not counted among my dependents. I cannot perceive your movements."
"That's a relief," Lora let out a breath. "Don't worry. With me around, it won't come to blows."
"That is good, then," Zhongli said, nodding.
"By the way," Lora asked again, "is it really fine to tell them you're still alive?"
Zhongli nodded. "Naturally. I am Zhongli now, not Rex Lapis."
Lora nodded in response. "I understand."
At that moment, Lumine and Paimon came out of Xinyue Kiosk. Zhongli and Lora stopped their discussion and turned toward them.
"Lumine," Lora said, "you stay with Mr. Zhongli and prepare for the 'Rite of Descension.' I still have some matters to deal with, so I won't be going with you."
"What kind of matters?" Paimon asked bluntly.
"An Adeptus matter," Lora replied.
Lumine gave a small nod. "Alright."
After bidding farewell to Zhongli and the others, Lora headed in the direction of the Jade Chamber.
Partway there, she suddenly felt as though she'd forgotten something.
She kept walking, thinking it over. When she spotted a blue-haired girl ahead, stopping passersby to ask questions, she finally realized what she'd overlooked.
She'd forgotten about Rhodeia.
Unlike Lora, pure water spirits couldn't exert much power in places without water. As a result, Rhodeia couldn't track Lora's whereabouts and had no choice but to ask people one by one.
As Lora drew closer, she overheard Rhodeia talking to a Liyue resident.
"Excuse me, may I ask if you've seen a girl? Yes, a bit shorter than me, not very well-endowed, with blue-and-white hair, very pretty… she looks somewhat fragile, like she needs someone to take care of her."
"Uh…"
Lora's steps came to an abrupt halt, several dark lines forming on her forehead.
So this was how she looked in the eyes of the hydro spirits?
Not well-endowed. Fragile. In need of care.
Was Rhodeia describing her—or Furina?
Standing behind Rhodeia, Lora cleared her throat softly to get her attention. When Rhodeia turned around and saw Lora, she nearly burst into tears.
She immediately let the Liyue resident go and rushed toward Lora, shouting as she ran, "My lady! I've been searching everywhere for you!"
Her cry instantly drew the attention of several passersby.
"L-Let go! You're choking me!" Lora was caught in a tight embrace and hurriedly patted Rhodeia's arms.
Hearing that, Rhodeia quickly released her and said apologetically, "Rhodeia was too excited. Please forgive me, my lady!"
"You're more than a little excited," Lora said helplessly, sighing. "This is Liyue Harbor—the territory of Morax, the Geo Archon. What could possibly happen to me? I was actually planning to go to Bubu Pharmacy to find you. I just didn't expect to run into you here."
She told that lie without the slightest change in expression. When it came to deceiving her own follower, she felt absolutely no guilt.
"After I took Qiqi back, I planned to come look for you," Rhodeia said, scratching her head in embarrassment. "But halfway there, I realized I couldn't find you anymore… I was too anxious. Please forgive my discourtesy."
Lora reassured her with a few words, then added, "Since we've run into each other anyway, you can just come with me."
"My lady, where are we going next?"
Rhodeia immediately straightened and asked seriously.