The days that followed were a whirlwind of quiet, intense, and incredibly productive activity. The Jade Chamber was no longer just the seat of power; it had become the central nervous system of a grand, national project. Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, and Xianyun were a blur of motion, their days filled with planning sessions, resource allocation meetings, and the endless, a to z work of building a new age from the ground up.
The official announcement of the hovercar and hoverboard was put on hold. They all agreed with Ren's logic: they couldn't tell people they could fly until there was a safe, and official, way to teach them how. And so, the first, preliminary "Driving Schools" were being secretly established, their curriculums designed, their instructors hand-picked from the most reliable and steady-handed of the Millelith.
During this busy, transitional period, Ren found a quiet, peaceful refuge in the familiar, comforting company of Madam Ping. He would sit with her on Yujing Terrace, the two of them watching the clouds drift by, a small, peaceful island in a sea of city-wide, industrious change.
It was on one such quiet, sunlit afternoon that a flash of pink and a weary, dramatic sigh announced a new arrival. Yanfei, her arms laden with a precarious, towering stack of legal scrolls, practically collapsed onto the stone stool beside Ren.
"I am going to demand a bonus for this," she declared to no one in particular, her usual bright, cheerful energy completely buried under a mountain of pure, legal exhaustion. "A very, very, large bonus. With extra benefits. And maybe a lifetime supply of my favorite tea."
She looked at Ren, a playful, tired pout on her face. "And this is all your fault, you know," she said, gently nudging him with her elbow. "Do you have any idea how much paperwork is involved in inventing an entirely new category of property law? The 'Aerial Vehicle Code of Liyue' is giving me nightmares. I dreamt of traffic regulations last night."
Ren just giggled, a warm, happy sound.
Yanfei's playful pout then softened, her sharp, intelligent eyes turning to him with a look of genuine curiosity. She set her mountain of scrolls down, her demeanor shifting from that of a comically overworked lawyer to a genuinely interested friend.
"You know," she began, her voice a little more serious, "I was talking with Lady Ningguang the other day. She mentioned something… interesting. She said that for all of your inventions, for the heater, the refrigerator, and now… this," she gestured vaguely at the sky, as if a thousand hovercars were already flying there, "you haven't asked for a single mora. No royalties, no patents, no accolades."
She looked at him, her head tilted. "I can, in a way, understand the money part. You are, after all, the beloved little brother of the Secretary of the Qixing, and you live under the protection of the Tianquan herself. I doubt you'll ever have to worry about paying for a meal."
She leaned in a little closer, her gaze full of a lawyer's need to understand the motive, the ambition, behind an action. "But still… there must be something, right? A goal? A dream? Something you want to achieve with all of this incredible, world-altering genius?"