Sunset glow spread across the sea of clouds, the glazed tiles shining brilliantly.
Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, stood upon the breeze-swept, cloud-wreathed steps. Reading the letter in her hand, her elegant brows knit slightly in confusion.
Though their nations differ, Ningguang sincerely recognizes the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
Because the two countries often trade, Ningguang and Jean inevitably have dealings.
Strictly speaking, the two have a decent personal rapport.
They exchange letters when matters touching both nations arise. But this time, what Jean wrote left Ningguang a bit puzzled.
"A great prophet has appeared in Mondstadt..."
"The Fatui envoys harbor many schemes; not only are they stirring up trouble in Mondstadt, they will also cause waves in Liyue Harbor..."
A clear breeze lifted the hem of Ningguang's golden cheongsam; white hair swept past a jade-like face—regal and aloof from the world.
These points surprised her slightly.
She remained skeptical about great prophecy, yet the Fatui's plots were indeed plausible, and Liyue truly had to be on guard.
But the last few lines—smart as she was—even she couldn't quite parse them.
"The era of gods may be coming to an end; Liyue's future will ultimately rely on the Qixing and its people. Regardless, I hope Liyue and Mondstadt remain as friendly as ever."
Ningguang pondered these words over and over.
She understood the literal meaning; precisely because it was clear, she understood it less.
The God of Freedom is absent from Mondstadt—indeed, Mondstadt is living in an age of mortals.
But Liyue's Geo Archon endures eternally. Soon, at the Rite of Descension, he will deliver divine oracles and guide Liyue toward a better future.
So while she grasped the meaning, she didn't understand why Jean would say it.
"Baishi, have people look into recent happenings in Mondstadt—something detailed."
Given Ningguang's understanding of Jean, the latter was not one to speak in riddles.
If Jean could only allude to it in a letter, clearly some things were hard to say outright. Even if Ningguang wrote back to ask, she might not get a clear answer.
So she called in her secretary Baishi to thoroughly investigate recent events in Mondstadt to infer Jean's intent.
"Understood, Lady Ningguang."
Receiving her orders, Baishi withdrew.
Ningguang's long legs carried her back into the Jade Chamber. With slender fingers, she sealed the letter away. Her exquisite cheongsam swayed gracefully as she walked.
In truth—
Jean wasn't fond of riddles either. But when it came to Liyue, she didn't know how to speak.
Fatui envoys permeate the Seven Nations, pursuing covert plans.
Jean's correspondence with Ningguang stayed within bounds—discussing commerce or similar matters without touching state secrets.
But not long ago, Jean saw, in Ken's dossier, something about Liyue's future.
At the Rite of Descension, the Geo Archon would feign his death; the adepti would withdraw from Liyue's stage, handing the nation completely to its people; the Fatui would seize the chance to sow chaos.
Ningguang would even lose the Jade Chamber.
These were grave matters; to the uninitiated, prophecy sounded absurd.
So after much thought, Jean chose to hint gently.
She couldn't very well say... "Don't prepare the Rite of Descension—prepare the Geo Archon's funeral instead."
Even if she and Ningguang were on good terms, it wasn't her place to opine on another nation's god.
Though Ningguang was puzzled now, Jean knew that when the Geo Archon feigned death, Ningguang would grasp the letter's true meaning and make the right choices.
…
Magic City.
After seeing a few girls off from Blue Star, Ken sat down at the computer.
On the screen: Genshin Impact.
Diona had started on mobile, but the small screen made a 3D game dizzying for the little catgirl, so they switched to PC.
She wasn't great with computers, but at least she could use the keyboard.
Clever and quick to learn, she had almost finished Mondstadt's main storyline.
"This kitty really grinds..."
Ken sighed, exited the game, and saw many notifications from Twitter and Facebook.
To his surprise, his personal Twitter had over 20 million followers, with a bustling comment section.
He'd registered the account back at Weather Game Company, then let it idle after founding his own studio.
He hadn't expected such growth.
"In that case..."
Ken arched a brow, found a photo on his phone of Diona earnestly grinding Genshin at the PC.
He'd taken it with her permission.
Perfect time to promote—he'd be a fool not to use a 20-million-follower personal account.
["Want to play Genshin with Diona?"]
He posted the line with the photo.
Twenty million active followers is no joke. Even if many were black fans clowning under his posts, that didn't mean their solo stans weren't fast.
Comments skyrocketed.
["Damn! The Star Dome boss plays Genshin too? Must be a whale!"]
["Guess we're all Little Klee, while Mr. Ken the Thief is the Spark Knight, huh?"]
["Post your UID, old thief! Let me invade your world and wreak havoc!"]
["As if... Mr. Ken's the Star Dome boss—his account probably has every character at C6 and max level. You're not getting in."]
["Heard next banner is Anemo Archon Barbatos? When's the preview livestream?"]
["I want a catgirl too... Uncle's house is full of catnip—cat-eared girl, come home with uncle!"]
"..."
Amid the envy and thirst, many asked about the preview and next banner.
Ken replied broadly.
The game had just launched; the preview stream would be at least half a month away.
When Venti hits the banner, having Barbatos show up would add flair.
After answering a few hot comments, a word caught his eye: "catnip."
He suddenly wondered—does little Diona like catnip?
"I'll bring some catnip when I visit tomorrow."
He decided to bring her a Blue Star specialty.
After scanning the comments, he opened his email to read staff daily summaries.
Post-global launch, Genshin's reception was good at home and abroad; performance was smooth, servers stable, bugs minor.
After work, Ken opened the system.
He decided to use all today's gach-draws. While saving pulls stacks the count, the odds don't really change. Unless too busy, he spent them daily.
Ding—
["Congrats: Invite Time Boost Card ×1."]
["Congrats: 4-star weapon billet: The Flute."]
["Congrats: Special energizing coffee."]
"..."
Twenty-some pulls gone; aside from the Time Boost Card, nothing eye-catching.
The Flute and the coffee weren't of much use to him, though the quality was decent—better than nothing.
The rest was meh.
"Use the Time Boost Card."
He held the golden card and willed it.
"Invite Gate duration increased to: 8 hours."
"Up three hours at once... nice."
He was satisfied. Eight hours meant more time in Teyvat and time on Blue Star to invite new guests and roll rewards.
"Let's check in on Mondstadt!"
With time to spare, he didn't want to waste it.
The company had capable operators; he only needed to check in periodically to avoid management issues—no need for daily grind.
Rather than touring Blue Star, he preferred Teyvat.
…
Mondstadt.
A wide street, breeze drifting through. Where the gate was once quiet, it now bustled with crowds.
As Ken approached, excited cries rose.
"Miss Barbara! It's really Miss Barbara!"
"Your song is the light of my life!"
"Step on me, Miss Barbara!"
"You are my faith, Miss Barbara!"
"..."
He edged forward and saw a temporary camp set up by the gate with many wounded.
Sisters were busy; Barbara was among them.
"Ken?"
Sensing a familiar presence, Barbara turned and spotted him instantly in the throng.
Busy as it was, her man still shone dazzlingly.
Her fair cheeks flushed.
"I heard from Paimon you went to Dragonspine too—are you hurt?"
Under looks of envy and jealousy, Barbara pulled him into a nearby tent.
She immediately began checking him over.
"Of course not, I'm fine. Those outside—injured by the avalanche?"
Because Ken was strong now, Barbara couldn't sense elemental energy from him under normal circumstances.
She knew he could use multiple elements but not how strong he was.
The avalanche injured many; even the Spindrift Knight Eula seemed hurt. Barbara was worried.
If she weren't tending the wounded, she would've rushed to Blue Star.
"Yes... mostly adventurers and residents. The Church can't stand by."
Once she confirmed he was fine, she sighed in relief. "Be careful if you go again... it's dangerous there."
"Mm." Ken's hands started to wander.
Blushing, Barbara said, "I have to keep tending them. I'll find you tonight."
"Okay, I won't disturb you." He smiled.
Barbara said nothing—then suddenly went on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"This is my special treatment just for you. If you get hurt, come to me."
Her face scarlet, eyes glinting mischievously, she fled the tent after dropping the suggestive line.
"..."
Watching her go, Ken was a bit surprised.
Well now...
Barbara had gone bad too—he'd have to discipline her later.
Composed, he stepped out.
By now, the crowd's whispers had shifted.
"I saw Miss Barbara blush... does she like that pretty man?"
"Ah! My heart hurts! My Barbara!"
"What? Miss Barbara's with that pretty man?"
"What? They're getting married?"
"What? That pretty man is Mr. Ken, Mondstadt's savior?"
"So it's the esteemed Mr. Ken... Though I admire him, he stole my Barbara, and I suffer greatly."
"What? Mr. Ken and Miss Barbara already have a child?"
"..."
Barbara dragging him into a tent in public was seen clearly.
On a normal day, she'd never do that.
But worry gnawed at her; even though Paimon said Ken was fine, she was still on edge.
After all, the Abyss Prince had reportedly appeared on Dragonspine and met Ken... she just couldn't rest easy, yet current duties bound her.
So the instant she saw him, she pulled him in to check him over.
And when she came out, cheeks rosy and eyes dewy—everyone saw that too.
In an instant, a strange sense of heartbreak spread through the crowd.
Rumors snowballed.
Listening as the subject, Ken was speechless.
Turns out in any world, onlookers are great at spreading nonsense.
Barbara wanted to explain, but the more she said, the messier it got—until Ken stopped her with a look.
Pointless... he knew gawkers too well. Besides, this time they weren't wrong.
"Mr. Ken... you are my idol, but you stole my wife. I'll need two days of silence before admiring you again!"
A young man, tearful, ran up, declared this earnestly, and dashed off.
Ken: "???"
Seeing the crowd's love-hate faces, he decisively left.
Better to visit the Adventurers' Guild and check on his commission.
If unclaimed, he'd find another way—forge his signature weapon first.
…
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