Liyue Harbor outskirts
Not long after Junze left, a squad of the Millelith quickly arrived at the scene.
"Here! Right here!" A man dressed like a woodcutter pointed to the place where Junze had just fought and shouted loudly. "This is where I saw that monster!"
The man looked tense, clearly frightened.
Junze had obviously not expected that, while he was devouring Hilichurls and an Abyss Mage, a passing woodcutter would see him.
Fortunately, at the time his whole body had been shrouded in black aura, so his true form had not been recognized.
The Millelith looked at the scene. There was not a trace of blood, yet it was full of shattered stone and signs of battle. They all frowned.
One soldier said, "Captain, has that monster already left?"
"Looks like it," the captain of this Millelith squad nodded.
The captain pondered. "But a creature shrouded entirely in black aura has never appeared in Liyue before."
"Captain, could that monster be the culprit behind the missing miners?"
Suddenly, one of the soldiers thought of this.
Recently, many miners in Liyue had been disappearing one after another. The Millelith had intensified their investigations, but found nothing.
The surrounding soldiers looked at each other, seeming to find the idea plausible.
But the captain shook his head. "Unlikely. This place is far too distant from the mines. And just now, another disappearance happened at the mining site."
"If it were nearby, maybe. But the distance is too great."
The soldier frowned. "Then does that mean there are two unknown monsters wandering around Liyue?"
The captain smiled and said optimistically, "Not necessarily a monster. After all, there were quite a few Hilichurls and Abyss Mages roaming here earlier, and now there's nothing. Perhaps some adeptus is cultivating in seclusion here."
Such things were not uncommon in Liyue. In fact, they were rather common.
The soldier said helplessly, "If that's really the case, that would be best."
The captain continued, "In any case, report this matter first."
"Yes!"
The Millelith responded in unison.
At this time, Junze had no idea that he had first been mistaken for a monster, then for an adeptus.
Yujing Terrace, Yuehai Pavilion
When Junze teleported back, whether by coincidence or not, it happened at the exact moment Ganyu looked up.
Junze immediately raised his little shovel and waved it toward Ganyu, revealing an innocent smile.
If there had been time, he would even have smeared a bit of dirt on his face.
Truly a born actor.
Seeing the "lively" Junze, Ganyu smiled faintly, nodded, and returned to her work.
It was already close to noon. She had to complete as much as possible so she could squeeze out more time to accompany Junze.
The contract to protect Liyue was a contract.
The contract to care for Junze was also a contract.
She absolutely could not neglect one for the other.
Because of what happened yesterday, Ganyu had been seriously reflecting.
Seeing Ganyu immersed in work again, Junze let out a long breath. "Good thing I got back in time."
If Ganyu had discovered he was missing, he would not even know how to explain it.
On the mountain behind Yuehai Pavilion, Shenhe narrowed her eyes slightly.
She stared fixedly at Junze. "He? How did he come out? It doesn't resemble any adeptal art at all. Could it be something Taotie are born with?"
Shenhe developed a trace of curiosity toward Junze.
But because she carried a task from Cloud Retainer, she did not intend to interfere in Ganyu and Junze's affairs for now.
Junze, freshly fed, continued fiddling with his earlier planting technique.
He planned to use those Qingxin seeds to grow a large patch of Qingxin that would make his master crave them. He absolutely could not slack off.
Junze used some auxiliary methods to help the flowers in the planter absorb nutrients better.
However, for the Skill: Planting technique to manifest on vegetation, it still required time. It could not display results immediately like painting could.
So if Junze wanted his master to feel proud of him in this regard, it would still take a few days.
Just like that, noon arrived.
Ganyu stepped out of the office, holding her slightly hungry stomach, thinking: If I'm already hungry, Ze must be starving too.
Yes.
Ganyu had already assumed Junze was very hungry.
Completely unaware that her disciple had already gone out and eaten his fill.
She looked at Junze, still fiddling with something in the flowerbed, and could not help but sigh. "Such an obedient child."
While she worked, he played by himself, never disturbing her or making her worry.
Even if he was hungry, he did not say it.
"My disciple is so well-behaved and considerate," Ganyu said with a mixture of heartache and pride.
Meanwhile, Junze, still focused on his agricultural pursuits, was suddenly interrupted by the system's voice.
[Autonomous Task: Current completion progress 10%]
"???"
Junze was full of confusion. Had he done anything that would make his master proud?
The flowers he was fiddling with had not shown any visible changes yet.
Could it be that she had discovered he went out to subdue monsters?
No way!
Junze grew nervous. Had he been caught the very first day he slipped out behind Ganyu's back?
Just as he was feeling uneasy, a pair of hands suddenly reached from behind and picked him up.
Junze was so startled he almost swung his shovel at the person behind him.
But when that familiar light fragrance, that milky scent, drifted into his nose, he realized it was his master.
Junze, in his babyish voice, complained, "Master~"
"Sorry, I startled you," Ganyu said apologetically, her ahoge drooping slightly in dejection.
Whenever his master was like this, any tiny dissatisfaction in Junze's heart vanished completely.
"No! I'm dirty. I'll dirty Master," he said.
"I see!"
Hearing this, Ganyu's tone lifted, and her ahoge sprang upright again.
"It's fine. As long as it's Ze, it doesn't matter even if you get me dirty."
Uh…
Ganyu's words, honestly, sounded a bit strange to Junze.
Of course, Ganyu definitely had no other meaning. She was only talking about dirtying clothes.