As soon as Ryou stepped out of her office, Keqing finally let out the breath she'd been holding.
Last night, he'd really put her through it. Even with a Vision, she wasn't in good shape right now, and a dull sting still lingered.
Still, she spent most of her time on the move, and she trained with the sword. That alone made her stamina and energy far better than most people's. If she rested through the day, she should be fine by tonight.
How is he that… strong? That's not how I pictured him.
Whatever. No matter what, he's my husband now.
Keqing pulled her thoughts back and turned to her work. She couldn't leave the Ministry of Civil Affairs to handle outside matters today, but there was plenty here that still needed her.
Meanwhile, once Ryou left her office, he got a quick rundown from the staff assigned to him. A stack of "miscellaneous" files was dropped on his desk.
The contents were all small-time nonsense—petty theft, catching cheaters in the act, minor merchant disputes, and other headaches like that.
Honestly, most of it was easy.
Ryou was a modern person. Dealing with these kinds of cases wasn't hard.
Petty theft?
Lock them up for a month first. Then talk.
Catching cheaters?
Lock up the cheating pair for a month so they can cool off. Then let the lawyers and ritual masters handle the rest.
As for merchant disputes, those were the real nuisance. It was all little tricks and technicalities. One side insisted they were right, the other side insisted they were right, and it turned into a mess that needed time and care.
So, naturally, he handed those off to someone else.
I'm here to clock in, not to grind myself into dust.
You're not seriously expecting me to work like a mule, are you?
What kind of joke is that?
My dad is one of the Liyue Qixing.
My wife is also one of the Liyue Qixing.
I could just coast.
And you want me to work like a mule for you?
What kind of joke is that?
In under half an hour, Ryou had cleared the entire stack of minor cases.
He leaned back and stretched. The soreness from earlier wasn't nearly as bad anymore. That "all attributes" boost really did something.
He even checked a mirror and noticed his face looked a little different—subtle, but enough to catch his eye.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he tried "talking" to his five organs.
Heart: What now?
Liver: Master wants us to help again, doesn't he? If you want full-body strengthening, we all have to work together. But… not right now.
Spleen: Exactly. You think we Darken just because you tell us to? You're already full of energy.
Lungs: Your body's already in good shape. Forget Darkened Mode.
Kidney: No more boosting. Your wife can't take it anymore. If you boost again… you'll need another wife. No—two.
Ryou's expression darkened.
Heart, liver, spleen, lungs… none of you did much.
The one doing all the heavy lifting was the kidney.
Heart: Master, have a conscience. If we didn't work together to strengthen you, you'd still be half-dead.
Liver: Exactly, Master. Instead of pushing us, go work out more yourself.
Spleen: That's right.
Lungs: Even if we boost you, it won't solve everything. If you ask me, just rely on the kidney. He Darkens at the drop of a hat.
Kidney: I'm mad because you won't improve. What, I'm not allowed?
[Ding!] Kidney entering Darkened Mode.
[Ding!] Darkened Mode active. Kidney function increased to 400%.
Ryou's eyes lit up.
This kidney is a good guy.
If it keeps entering Darkened Mode like this, even better.
He was four times stronger than before now. With his current strength, pushing Keqing around would be effortless.
If he went all-out…
Keqing probably wouldn't be able to come to the Ministry of Civil Affairs tomorrow to handle official business.
Still, she had a Vision, and she'd trained with the sword for years. She shouldn't be that fragile, right?
Maybe tonight he could test the effect.
Heart: Kidney, are you out of your mind? What's the point of a boosted function if the body can't keep up?
Liver: Exactly!
Spleen: Without us backing you up, your boosting won't last. You'll just end up hurting Master.
Lungs: Stupid kidney.
Kidney: I'm happy. So what? If you don't like it, then you Darken and show me.
[Ding!] Hands entering Darkened Mode.
[Ding!] Darkened Mode active. Gained skill: Nimble Hands. When you use your hands to do anything, proficiency doubles!
Ryou froze at the prompt.
What is this?
So it's not just the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidney—his hands can enter Darkened Mode too?
Does that mean his head, his legs… wait.
Can his entire body enter Darkened Mode?
Then does that mean… he can enter Darkened Mode as well?
[End of chapter]
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