The Inazuma official ship, under the direction of the Liyue Harbor dock foreman, slowly sailed into the port and came to a stop.
At this moment, Liyue Harbor was bustling with people; besides Liyue officials, there was also a large crowd of onlookers, as it was a rare occasion for the supreme leader of another nation to visit Liyue. Everyone wanted to see what the supreme leader of Inazuma looked like.
This scene was several levels grander than the reception for Childe back then.
This was also reasonable, as Childe was merely the last of the Fatui Harbingers, with ten others and the Tsaritsa above him. However, the one who came now was the Inazuma Regent, with only the Raiden Shogun above him.
This level of status could only be matched by Tianquan Ningguang. The problem was that, in Liyue's official hierarchy, the positions of the Qixing were all equal. Although Ningguang was currently regarded as the most senior among the Qixing, in terms of actual position, Ningguang was still slightly inferior to Yuto, because Liyue did not have an official position above the Qixing.
Therefore, one Tianquan was not enough; then add a Yuheng Star. If still not enough, add a Qixing secretary to welcome him together. Only then would it be considered an equal reception.
As the cabin door of the Inazuma official ship opened, one man and two women were seen walking out first, with the two women standing slightly behind the man, indicating their difference in status.
The moment everyone saw the man, they couldn't help but gasp. This Regent was too young, full of youthful vigor. Was he even twenty? How could someone so young become a Regent?
However, as soon as they thought of the many legends of great yokai in Inazuma, their doubts slowly dissipated. Aren't Liyue's high-ranking officials also very young? It's understandable.
Among the onlookers, some were so surprised their eyes almost popped out. This... wasn't this the Yuto they knew? It had only been a few months, how did he suddenly become the Inazuma Regent?
Yuto led the Inazuma Delegation, slowly walked down the ship, and approached Ningguang and the two others. Although Ningguang had confirmed the truth of this matter through collected intelligence a few days prior, seeing Yuto still felt somewhat unbelievable.
For a moment, she felt a little dazed. It had taken her over ten years to rise from a humble fishmonger to the position of Tianquan. Yet now, Yuto had managed to ascend to the position of Regent in just a few months and had successfully stabilized his position. This was a slight blow to the always-proud Ningguang.
However, she quickly composed herself and walked towards Yuto. The two teams met midway during the reception. Yuto faced Ningguang, Yae Miko naturally faced Sister Ganyu, and Kuki Shinobu faced Keqing.
Subsequently, the six people from the three parties extended their hands and shook them, simultaneously announcing the re-establishment of ties between Liyue and Inazuma.
"Regent, welcome to Liyue. Oh no, it should be more appropriate to say 'welcome back to Liyue.' The first time I met you, I felt you were no ordinary person. Indeed, after only a few months, you have already transformed like a dragon encountering wind and clouds."
"You are too kind. It was just good luck. Compared to you, I am merely a junior."
"Long sea voyages are tiring and demanding. I presume you are all weary. I have arranged an embassy at Yujing Terrace for your rest. Tonight, there will be a banquet to welcome you. Please do us the honor of attending."
While Yuto readily agreed, hearing Ningguang mention a banquet reminded him involuntarily of that rather awkward dinner a few days ago. Yuto couldn't help but glance at Yae Miko, but he found that Yae Miko wasn't paying attention to him at all; she was already on the side exchanging pleasantries with Ganyu.
Yuto seemed to have even heard Yae Miko tell Ganyu that she brought a large amount of Inazuman Sea Ganoderma, making Ganyu's face unconsciously show the expression of a foodie.
As for Kuki Shinobu and Keqing, both of them are Vision holders of the Electro element and share some similar personality traits. Additionally, being of similar age, they quickly found common topics.
Alright, it seems no one is paying attention to me. Then I'll go find my little sweetheart too.
The houses near Yujing Terrace can be said to be the most valuable properties in Liyue Harbor. Yet now, Ningguang directly arranged an entire building as the Inazuma embassy. This sincerity was undeniably significant, and the decorations were extremely luxurious and tasteful. This made Itto, who was still a street urchin, very excited, bouncing up and down on the soft mattress.
During the period before the banquet, it was free time for the embassy members. They could rest in their rooms or explore Liyue Harbor, experiencing its customs and culture. However, they needed to remember their identity as the Inazuma Delegation and not do anything that would tarnish Inazuma's reputation.
Yuto's last sentence was practically spoken directly into Arataki Itto's ear. Kuki Shinobu, with great perceptiveness, said she would follow him.
After the lecture, Yuto was the first to slip away towards Mt. Tianheng, unstoppable, showing no attachment to the luxurious embassy. Yae Miko watched Yuto's departing back, wondering what she was contemplating.
Although Yuto now had a very grand mansion in Inazuma, that was just his house. If he were to speak of the feeling of home, it was still the slightly simpler cave dwelling on Mt. Tianheng that gave him more of that feeling. The reason was simple: his beloved lived in that cave dwelling.
To get home as quickly as possible, Yuto directly used his Divine Might to travel, skillfully opening the mechanism to his home, and impatiently shouted, "Shenhe! My dear! Wife! I'm back, I've missed you so much... Holy crap!"
Yuto's loud voice immediately died down, because at this moment, his home was not only occupied by one person; in other words, it was quite lively.
Besides Shenhe, whom he had been longing for, there were also Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, Vigilant Yaksha, Madame Ping, Zhongli, and his spiritual contract beast Azhdaha. Even Ganyu, whom he had just met at the dock, was also there.
It was practically a complete family photo of Shenhe, all her elders. Had he just shown affection in front of them? This was the ultimate social death moment.
Shenhe's face at this moment had also completely turned red, like a ripe red Apple.
Cloud Retainer, as expected of a representative of low emotional intelligence, immediately blurted out, "Boy, what did you just call Shenhe? I do not approve of your relationship with Shenhe!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally awkward atmosphere instantly transformed into a strange one.
Especially Yuto, who had served as Inazuma Regent for so long, and under the influence of the Raiden Shogun, had somewhat acquired some of her domineering aura.
Upon hearing Cloud Retainer's words, Yuto subconsciously wanted to reason with her, instantly unleashing a pressure that overwhelmed the various Adepti, making everyone except Zhongli feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy. The next moment, Yuto realized they were all Shenhe's elders and he couldn't play that card.
So he quickly withdrew his pressure, returning to his harmless junior self, and the atmosphere immediately became awkward again.
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