Drop some powerstones plzzzz
.....
Keqing took a deep breath and forced herself to stay composed.
"Alright, it's time for you to head to the Jade Chamber. Be sure to be on time~ After all, appointments to see Ningguang are already booked out till next year."
"In fact, you didn't need to come all the way to Mt. Tianheng. You could've just returned to Liyue Harbor and gone to Yuehai Pavilion to find the Guide, then give them the code phrase."
"The code is—'Hello, do you sell the moon here?' The Guide will ask, 'Yes, how many would you like?' and you just have to say, 'That's confidential.'"
"Well then, I look forward to our next meeting~"
With that, Keqing quickly turned and left in a rush.
Paimon scratched her head.
"Mm… even though this Yuheng doesn't seem to revere the Adepti, I think she's really cool and straightforward."
Lumine silently watched Keqing's figure fade into the distance, sighing inwardly.
Shajin! Look what you've caused!!!
At that exact moment, far away—
Achoo!
Shajin: "Who's cursing me?!"
…
After a long trek, the two finally arrived at Yuehai Pavilion in Liyue Harbor.
They gave the code phrase to the Guide just as Keqing had instructed and successfully boarded the Jade Chamber.
As they stepped onto the floating palace, both Paimon and Lumine let out a deep breath of relief.
"We finally made it, Traveler!"
Paimon said excitedly.
"Yeah! We did it, Paimon!"
Lumine raised her hands and cheered.
However, Baishi—who had come to receive them—couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth at their antics.
Still, she maintained her professionalism and led them forward.
The three of them stopped in front of a room.
Baishi bowed respectfully.
"This is Lady Ningguang's chamber. I shall take my leave."
…
Inside the Jade Chamber.
A woman with long silver hair, dressed in a golden qipao, her ruby-red eyes gleaming, sat at a desk reviewing documents.
Upon noticing their arrival, she gently set her papers aside.
"I've been expecting you, one who returned from Jueyun Karst."
Paimon leaned in and whispered in Lumine's ear.
"Lumine, this Tianquan, Ningguang has an intense aura…"
But Lumine's gaze had already drifted to the golden Mora hanging from Ningguang's waist—an unmistakable sign.
Her lips twitched uncontrollably, and she sighed in her heart.
Shajin, of course this is your doing!!!
Achoo!
Shajin: "What the…? I spent years in Snezhnaya without catching a cold, and now I sneeze the moment I return to Liyue?! What is this nonsense?!"
Paimon peeked down through a nearby window.
"Whoa—this is so high up!"
Ningguang walked over to stand beside them.
"Hehe, this palace floats above all mountains. From here, one can clearly see all of Liyue Harbor."
"Back when someone helped me and I first entered the world of commerce, I began saving up to build this place."
"After becoming Tianquan, I hired master artisans to keep expanding it."
"At first, it was just one room. Now, it's large enough to blot out the silver moon above Liyue."
"I believe that one day… its shadow will stretch across all seven nations."
Paimon nodded.
"Then why did you name it Jade Chamber?"
Ningguang seemed momentarily lost in thought, as though remembering that night when she had shared her ideals with someone.
But she quickly composed herself, forcing a bitter smile.
"Because I once made a promise—that the Tianquan would bring countless blessings to the people of Liyue. The name Jade Chamber was the most fitting."
"But that person… ah, never mind."
Lumine and Paimon tactfully didn't press the matter, though both already had an idea who she meant.
Ningguang personally poured a cup of tea for each of them.
"Few outsiders have the privilege to step foot in the Jade Chamber, but the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius has spoken highly of you in her letters."
"So from the day you arrived in Liyue, I began deploying informants…
Lumine took a sip of tea, curious to see where this was going.
"Eventually, when you headed to Wangshu Inn, we got a general idea of your movements."
Paimon gasped.
"Don't tell me the owner of Wangshu Inn is one of yours?!"
Ningguang shook her head. "No."
Paimon let out a relieved sigh.
"I knew it~"
"The entire Wangshu Inn is mine~"
"What!?"
Lumine shot Ningguang a wary look.
"You weren't spying on us from up here, were you?"
Ningguang chuckled.
"Haha… such a long distance—it'd be difficult to spy from here."
"With enough ears and eyes, anything is possible. I've taken a great interest in you two, after all. It's only natural to keep watch."
"But let's set that aside for now~"
She poured herself a cup of tea.
"You've had many dealings with the Adepti—it's only natural that you wouldn't trust us."
"This meeting is to clear up some misunderstandings."
"You've… heard of the Archon War, haven't you?"
Lumine nodded. Shajin had mentioned bits and pieces before.
"There were many gods once. And there was a long, brutal war—only ending two thousand years ago. During that time, the land was bathed in blood and ruin."
"In the end, only seven victors remained."
"From the corpses of the fallen, they founded nations and cities. Thus began the era of the Seven Archons."
She pointed out the window.
"See Guyun Stone Forest? That's not a natural formation—it was created during the war when the Geo Archon hurled down a colossal spear of stone."
"Beneath it lies one of his defeated foes—an ancient god who failed to claim a seat among the Seven."
"Even gods can perish. And among the Seven, there have already been replacements over these two thousand years."
"The death of the Geo Archon is a calamity Liyue can scarcely imagine, but the system of the Seven won't collapse."
"A new Archon will eventually take Morax's place. But even so, will the people of Liyue ever forget him? The bond between mortals and the Adepti will surely change."
"Even in the new era, we—the Liyue Qixing—are still the children of the Geo Archon. To be accused of raising arms against our own god… do you think we could ever bear that sin?"
But Lumine still had doubts.
"Then why did you hide the body of Morax?"
Ningguang replied calmly.
"That day on Yujing Terrace, it all happened too suddenly—I was unprepared. You saw it for yourself."
"Our enemies had long since embedded themselves in Liyue Harbor. Without swift action, we would've been overrun."
"Hiding the Archon's body was necessary. It allowed me to shift from overt to covert operations, to fight in stillness."
Paimon asked, "So who exactly are these 'enemies' you keep mentioning?"
Ningguang didn't answer directly.
Instead, she turned to Lumine.
"Traveler, what do you think?"
_
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