Good grief.
Before, Zhongli only sent invoices over— but now he was asking Hu Tao for money directly!
Still, Hu Tao didn't refuse.
The more people who went to the manga shop, the better the odds.
What if he got a really good reward?
Thinking this, Hu Tao immediately took out a bag of Mora and handed it over.
"Here, 200,000 Mora. That's enough for two visits."
"Many thanks, Hall Master."
Zhongli nodded politely, accepted the money, and finally left for real this time.
"Let's hope Zhongli's luck is better than mine…"
Hu Tao muttered under her breath, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, waiting for Old Meng and the others to return so she could take them to Boss Han's manga shop.
Meanwhile, at the Jade Chamber…
After leaving the manga store, Ningguang had returned with her three secretaries.
Keqing, needing to discuss important details, stayed behind with her.
As for Yanfei, she had already gone off to enjoy a leisurely bike ride around Liyue.
At that moment, Ningguang and Keqing were deep in discussion about the manga store.
"You've already confirmed the manga shop's… unusual nature," Keqing said seriously.
"So how should we handle it moving forward?"
"Naturally, we let it be. What, you plan to go after Boss Han or something?"
Ningguang smiled faintly as she sipped her tea.
"…"
Keqing went speechless.
Go after Boss Han?
Was she crazy?!
That would be suicide!
She felt that ever since her "cat transformation" incident in front of Ningguang, this woman had enjoyed teasing her more and more.
It happened back at the manga shop, and now again here.
"You know that's not what I meant," Keqing said, exasperated.
"You saw the confrontation this morning.
If the Fatui in Liyue also manage to get their hands on those weapons from the manga, the Rite of Descension could be in serious danger."
At the mention of the Rite of Descension, Ningguang's expression turned solemn.
Keqing wasn't exaggerating—this was a genuine concern.
After all, the Fatui had strong ties across regions.
If La Signora or others passed along the information about the manga shop, Liyue's branch might indeed try to stir up trouble.
Especially with the Rite of Descension fast approaching.
"How about this," Keqing suggested, "we temporarily have the Millelith guard the area.
After the Rite is over, we can lift the restriction."
Ningguang shook her head immediately.
"No. Boss Han runs that shop as a business.
If we block access, we'll offend him—and that's a consequence neither of us can bear."
She didn't know why someone as powerful as Boss Han had chosen to open a manga shop,
but the fact was—he had.
And business was business.
Even if it were just for a few days, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents.
And worse—it was Boss Han's income.
As the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang understood business better than anyone.
So she absolutely refused the idea.
Keqing sighed, realizing her mistake.
She was in a dilemma now:
If they didn't guard the place, dangerous rewards might fall into the wrong hands.
But if they did, they risked offending a being of immense power.
Either way seemed disastrous.
Just then—
"What are you two so troubled about?"
A gentle voice drifted through the room.
Both Ningguang and Keqing turned in surprise.
There stood a woman with long blue hair, a pair of qilin horns, and a white cheongsam with golden embroidery, smiling softly at them.
It was none other than Ganyu, the Qixing's eternal secretary.
For countless centuries, the Qixing had changed faces, but Ganyu had always remained.
As the saying went:
"The Qixing may flow like water, but Ganyu stands like stone."
"Ganyu! What brings you here?"
Keqing's face brightened.
She and Ganyu shared similar habits—both often lost in work for days on end.
"I noticed you hadn't returned from your patrols, Miss Keqing," Ganyu said sweetly.
"So I came to ask Lady Ningguang about it. I didn't expect to find you both here."
She glanced between them curiously.
"But why the long faces? What's troubling you?"
Finding an open seat, Ganyu sat gracefully, her tone soft and kind.
Ningguang and Keqing exchanged glances.
Finally, Keqing decided to explain.
"It's like this… this morning, I came across a rather extraordinary manga store…"
And so, she recounted everything that had happened.
When she finished, Ganyu's eyes widened slightly in shock.
"A manga shop like that… in Liyue?"
To be transported inside the manga… and receive rewards afterward?
That sounded like something out of fantasy.
Still, seeing both Ningguang and Keqing so serious, she knew they weren't joking.
"So you're both struggling to decide how to deal with it," Ganyu summarized softly.
It was understandable— if Boss Han was as powerful as Ningguang described,
then offending him was out of the question.
Even in Rex Lapis' domain, some powers were better treated as allies than enemies.
"Exactly. We were just talking about that," Keqing said with a weary smile.
After thinking for a moment, Ganyu suggested,
"Then how about this— have the Millelith keep watch near the shop, but don't stop people from entering.
When they come out, ask what kind of reward they received.
If it's harmless, leave it be.
If it's something powerful or dangerous, then quietly monitor them.
At least until the Rite of Descension is over."
Ningguang and Keqing exchanged looks— and both saw the merit in that plan.
"That could work!" Keqing said, brightening.
Ningguang's mind was already racing further ahead.
Even after the Rite, she thought, this approach could be continued.
By keeping track of who received powerful rewards, they could anticipate potential threats to Liyue's stability.
That, after all, was the difference between Liyue's pragmatic approach and Mondstadt's carefree attitude.
"As expected of Ganyu—you arrive and instantly find the answer," Keqing said admiringly.
"You two were just overthinking it," Ganyu said with a modest smile.
"I simply looked from another angle."
Ningguang gazed at her with genuine respect.
For Ganyu to have worked as secretary for a thousand years, upholding her contract with the Geo Archon— that level of dedication was unmatched.
Then Ningguang's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Ganyu, would you like to visit the manga shop yourself?"
"Me?"
Ganyu blinked, a little tempted.
After hearing all that, she was curious to see it for herself.
But she hesitated.
"My work… it's not finished yet. It wouldn't be right to take a break now."
"It's fine," Keqing said, smiling.
"Going there is work—it's for Liyue's sake."
(That was exactly how she had justified it earlier.)
"Is that so? …Then, very well. I'll go see for myself."
Ganyu finally nodded.
"Good. It's already noon anyway.
Let's have lunch first, and then we'll head to Boss Han's manga shop," Ningguang said lightly.
"Eh? It's… already noon?"
"Then I should take my lunch nap… ahh, so sleepy…"
Before either of them could react, Ganyu's eyes fluttered shut— and thud!
She slumped forward onto the table, fast asleep.
Ningguang: (⊙⊙)
Keqing: (⊙⊙)
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