Early the next morning.
When does hard work truly feel joyful and satisfying?
Lumine felt she had finally found her own answer—when she was making enough money.
A fan's lightstick cost only a tenth of a Mora, yet in her livestream there were two million viewers who kept their lightsticks glowing.
Even after splitting the earnings with Lu Heng, she could still bring in about fifteen thousand Mora a day.
And that wasn't even counting all the gifts and tips from her fans.
How could being an adventurer compete with this?
She felt that no matter how many jobs she took through the Adventurers' Guild, she'd never match what she was earning now.
What a wonderful era.
Lumine loved her new life—easy, relaxed work that had her waking up early every morning eager to get started.
"Paimon, start the stream!"
"On it!"
If it had been anything else, Paimon might have been lazy about it, but streaming meant endless Mora pouring in.
Who didn't like Mora?
Paimon often dreamed of sleeping on a bed made of golden coins—and now, she was helping to make that dream come true.
The moment the stream went live, within just a couple of seconds, thousands of viewers flooded the chat.
As time passed, even more joined in.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Lumine greeted them with a cheerful smile.
"Lumine looks as lively as ever today."
"You can tell she had a good rest last night."
"Hey, streamer, I've got a question!"
"What's up?" Lumine tilted her head. "Since you've asked so earnestly, go ahead—what's your question?"
"Check the fan group chat—I sent a picture. Who's the guy in it?"
"666!"
"Huh?"
Curious, Lumine opened the group chat on her phone.
A photo popped up on her screen.
It was a sunny day on the bustling streets of Sumeru.
The picture captured her and Lu Heng walking together.
In the photo, she looked shy and radiant, almost like a girl in the middle of her first crush.
Lumine clicked her tongue. "Wow, I look pretty good."
"Really? You're just gonna compliment yourself like that?" Paimon scratched her head.
"C'mon, be honest—don't I look good in that picture?"
Lumine held up her phone like a trophy.
"With a face this cute, I'm practically doing you guys a favor showing it on stream. Come on, tap those little stars!"
"Shameless!"
"She's not even pretending anymore!"
"I still can't believe it… the sweet girl in that photo is the same chaotic gremlin we're watching now!"
"Chaotic?" Lumine snorted. "That's just the persona I play for you guys. Honestly, if I weren't trying to win your Mora, I'd be the kind, gentle, caring type. Really."
"Gotta admit, aside from her questionable combat skills, Lumine's not bad at all."
"Watch your mouth! You're brave to talk about her strength in her own livestream. Careful, she'll crawl through the internet and smack you!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Lumine waved her hand. "If I have flaws, I admit them. That's called self-awareness. But hey—don't forget, that was the old me! The new me? I'm so full of energy I can hardly sleep."
"The end of an era," Paimon sighed dramatically. "The traveler who used to fall asleep the moment she lay down… gone with my youth. Time has claimed her."
"I'd say it's the era that changed me," Lumine chuckled.
She leaned toward the camera, grinning. "You've all noticed how much I've improved, right? Want to know my secret to getting stronger? I've just put it up in the shopping cart—go grab one if you're ready to change your life."
A small digital product popped up in the stream's store:
'The Traveler's Secret to Becoming Stronger' – Price: 1 Mora.
Within seconds, thousands of copies were sold.
Even Paimon couldn't resist and bought one.
She opened it and froze.
The entire "secret" was just one sentence:
Save up your money, then go check out the Card Shop.
"…Huh?"
Paimon stared, dumbfounded.
The chat exploded.
"That's it?!"
"Lumine, you sold me one sentence for a Mora?!"
"She's a streaming genius! I'm crying!"
Lumine burst out laughing, then put on a serious face.
"You guys don't get it. Fake advice fills three thousand pages; the real stuff can be said in a single sentence. If I didn't want to help you, I could've written a bunch of fancy nonsense. But this? This is the real deal. If you actually do it, your life will change."
"Alright, haters, you can have that sentence for free," she added with a mischievous grin.
"I was ready to roast her, but now I don't know what to say."
"Just blame the internet lag—go ahead and roast her anyway!"
"No wonder she's so popular. She's in a league of her own."
Lumine giggled and opened Genshin Impact.
"Enough chit-chat. Time to get back to work. Let's see what the next region after Sumeru has in store for us."
She had already finished Sumeru's main story and the Scaramouche interlude.
She'd expected to move straight into the next nation's storyline, but instead, there was an extra Traveler's Chapter.
"Kaeya… in Sumeru?" Lumine raised her brows.
"In the story, he came to Port Ormos to study the wine trade. Funny enough, in real life, Kaeya and Diluc are actually in Port Ormos doing the same thing. That's a perfect match!"
Paimon, watching alongside her, gasped.
"Wait… Kaeya's identity?!"
The story had hinted at Kaeya's origins before, but now the truth was fully revealed.
"Whoa!"
"He's got a royal lineage," Lumine teased. "Turns out he's a descendant of the founder of the Abyss Order. That's some serious pedigree."
"Kinda impressive," Paimon admitted, then tilted her head.
"But your brother's the Abyss Prince now. If Kaeya ever went back to the Abyss, would he inherit the Order as its founder's heir… or serve under your brother?"
"Hmm…"
Lumine fell silent, pondering.
"Isn't it dangerous to have Kaeya as the Knights of Favonius' cavalry captain?"
"Hey, Mondstadt's all about freedom—don't worry about it."
"Diluc trusts him, that's enough for me."
"But if Kaeya ever wanted power, could he challenge the Abyss Prince?"
"No way."
"I doubt it too," Lumine said, shaking her head.
"My brother's been around for a long time—his grip on the Abyss Order has to be strong. Speaking of which…"
She picked up her phone and sent a message to Aether.
Lumine: Send me some Mora.
Paimon looked at her in shock.
"Couldn't you at least say something nice first?"
"I'm his little sister. Why bother pretending?" Lumine replied with a shrug.
"If she actually gets any Mora, I'll eat my hat."
"Relax, Aether spoils her. I bet he'll send some."
"By the way, it's been a while since the Abyss Order caused any trouble."
"With so many powerful card users around, the Abyss Order probably learned to keep their heads down. Otherwise, someone would've crushed them already," Lumine said while working through the quest.
"C'mon, guys, send me some Mora too. I'm going shopping at Lu Heng's place later."
"Unbelievable. My favorite streamer's asking me for money… to spend on her crush."
"Kinda heartbreaking, actually."
A notification popped up on her phone.
[Ding! Incoming funds: 2 billion Mora]
Lumine and Paimon stared in shock.
Lumine glanced at her balance and broke into a triumphant smile.
"See that, guys? My dear brother came through! This afternoon, I'm going on a shopping spree at Lu Heng's!"
"Aether's probably watching the stream right now, crying in silence."
"Abyss Order agent lurking in the chat, reveal yourself!"
"I'm scared of them in real life, but online? I'll roast them all day!"
Lumine checked her balance again, then muttered, "Hopefully my brother works even harder and, y'know… makes it at least ten times more."
"Two billion isn't enough?" Paimon blinked.
"Not even close!" Lumine said firmly.
"At least twenty billion. Then I could finally… uh… cough."
Paimon raised a brow, smirking.
"Go on. We all know what you were about to say."
"We know! She wants to sponsor Lu Heng!"
"Lumine's feelings for him are obvious to everyone."
"Dream on, girl. He's way out of your league."
"With twenty billion, you could have suitors lined up from Liyue Harbor to Fontaine. Why cling to one tree?"
"You don't get it," Lumine grinned.
"This tree is the World Tree."
Paimon just sighed.
"Fine. At least you're not hiding it anymore."
"Thanks to 'Lumine Is Lu Heng's #1 Fangirl' for the donation!" Lumine suddenly announced, blowing a kiss at the camera.
"Much appreciated!"
Somewhere far away, Aether stared at the screen with the expression of a man who'd seen too much.
He let out a long, weary sigh.
What could he do?
Stop her? Impossible.
Approve? The thought alone made him uncomfortable.
"Cancel the old projects," he finally said. "There's no point in sticking to those plans. We're better off relying on my sister."
The Abyss mages around him blinked in surprise.
But the more they thought about it, the more it made sense.
The card system had become the new supreme power.
With enough Mora, surpassing even Celestia was no longer a fantasy.
If the Abyss Order kept following their old strategies, they'd only end up being crushed by card masters.
Aether wasn't foolish—he could see the truth.
If it weren't for their terrible reputation, he'd have had the Abyss mages helping grandmothers cross the street just to boost Lumine's karma.
"Such a pity…" he murmured.
Fate was cruel.
He himself couldn't turn back, so all his hopes rested on his sister.
But he didn't want her to shoulder his burdens.
Whatever choice she made, as long as it was true to her heart, that was enough for him.
"All I ask is that next time she asks for money, she calls me 'big brother' first," he muttered with a wry smile.
"Just 'send Mora'… this ungrateful little sister."
He couldn't scold her, couldn't beat her.
All he could do was grumble to himself.
Later that morning, at Tenshukaku.
Lu Heng and Raiden Makoto were sitting close together, quietly sharing tender words.
From the side, both Yae Miko and the Shogun puppet watched them with visible irritation.
Can you two at least remember there are other people in the room?
"Where's Ei?" Makoto asked.
"Sulking," the puppet replied flatly.
"She's in the Plane of Euthymia, drawing circles on the floor and contemplating life."
Makoto was speechless.
She shook her head with a small smile.
"What do you want for lunch?"
"I'm not picky," the puppet said. She rarely ate at all.
"Something with fried tofu," Yae Miko added immediately.
"I'll cook," Makoto said warmly, turning to Lu Heng.
"I'll go get the ingredients. You can handle things here, alright?"
Lu Heng glanced at the stack of documents on the desk and nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright."
"Come with me," Makoto said to Yae Miko, and the two women left together.
"Your health's really that good?" Yae Miko asked in surprise as they walked.
"Nothing serious," Makoto smiled.
She had felt a little unwell in the morning, but as a god, her body recovered quickly. By now, she was almost fully fine.
Yae Miko relaxed at that.
Meanwhile, Lu Heng sat at the desk, massaging his temples as he eyed the paperwork.
He then turned toward the Shogun puppet.
"I'll need your help with this," he said seriously.
"Gladly!" the puppet replied at once.
Hearing Lu Heng say he needed her made her heart leap with joy.
It meant she was useful to him.
The more she could prove her worth, the deeper an impression she could leave on him.
"Pathetic bootlicker…" Ei muttered from within her inner realm.
The puppet ignored her.
With Lu Heng right in front of her, why waste time on Ei?
Lu Heng lingered a while longer, watching as the puppet worked through the paperwork efficiently.
Once he was satisfied she could handle it, he finally relaxed.
Stretching out like a man with no worries, he pulled out his phone—and immediately froze.
A headline blared across the screen:
'Knights of Favonius Cavalry Captain Kaeya Has a Royal Inheritance!'
Even clickbait had reached Teyvat now.
Another headline caught his eye:
'Famous Streamer Lumine Says: If I Had 20 Billion Mora, I'd Sponsor the Great Lu Heng!'
"…Seriously?"
Lu Heng didn't even know how to respond.
Then another headline:
'Kaeya: I Won't Be Ruled by My Bloodline, But I Do Hope My Ancestors Left Me Some Abyss Order Shares—Imagine the Dividends!'
Lu Heng clicked it, finding an interview by Charlotte in Sumeru.
Kaeya's words were simple: he had no intention of joining the Abyss Order, but if his family had left him some shares, he wouldn't mind cashing them in—or at least collecting some dividends.
"If the Abyss Order is evil, I can just use the Mora I earn from them to get stronger… and then beat them up myself," Kaeya had joked.
Lu Heng could only shake his head with a wry smile.
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T/N:
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