Not wanting to be the one to shatter a child's fantasy, Paimon passed the task to the Traveler.
Lumine didn't refuse: "Qiqi, coconut milk doesn't come from a 'Cocogoat.' Coconut milk comes from coconut trees."
Qiqi scratched her head, looking puzzled.
Paimon: "It seems Qiqi is lost in thought."
Lumine: "We probably shouldn't disturb her. A child grows in moments like this."
A soft chuckle sounded, and a green-haired man with a snake coiled around his neck walked over. "Haha, what a meaningful life lesson. Thank you for looking after my Qiqi."
Zhongli: "And you are?"
The newcomer introduced himself: "My apologies, my apologies. I am the proprietor here. My name is Baizhu."
Paimon: "So the owner here isn't Qiqi, but a weird guy wearing herbs around his neck?"
The white 'herb' around his neck spoke: "Pitiful, truly pitiful. Qiqi is simple enough, but there are actually even more gullible fools than her."
Paimon recoiled in shock: "Ah! That herb... that snake talked!"
Lumine remained calm: "This is Liyue. Nothing should be too surprising."
The white snake continued: "Hmph. I didn't intend to speak. Regular customers are one thing, but new ones tend to get quite startled. But if I stayed silent any longer, you might have mistaken me for one of those dried snake specimens in the drawers."
[Klee: A talking snake! So amazing, so amazing!]
[Yae Miko: Merely a special creature. We had countless similar youkai in Inazuma in the past.]
[Paimon: What about now?]
[Yae Miko: Little Paimon, the one sending this message right now is one of Inazuma's greatest youkai.]
[Paimon: Yae Miko is a youkai?!]
[Yae Miko: That's right. Bigger and more powerful than that snake. Could gobble up a little Paimon in one bite.]
[Paimon: Aaaaaah!]
[Paimon: Lumine, let's not go to Inazuma. Inazuma's youkai eat people!]
[Kuki Shinobu: Lady Yae's favorite is actually fried tofu. She was just joking.]
"Ha ha ha." Baizhu introduced, "This is Changsheng. She means no harm. So, apart from humoring Qiqi, what brings you all here today?"
Zhongli: "Might I ask if your esteemed establishment carries Eternal Incense?"
Baizhu nodded: "Oh, Eternal Incense? Of course, of course."
Paimon breathed a sigh of relief: "Great, great! At least our efforts weren't entirely in vain."
Baizhu: "Three million Mora. Top quality."
Lumine: "Three million? You might as well rob the Golden House!"
Paimon: "But right now, the Golden House is requisitioned by the Qixing. Probably harder to rob than usual."
Zhongli thought for a moment: "Hmm. Three million... at first glance, it doesn't sound like much. But generally speaking, it is indeed somewhat troublesome."
Paimon also shrugged, nonchalantly saying: "There's no way we can afford that much Mora. Mr. Zhongli is even less likely to have it."
Zhongli nodded: "Indeed."
Lumine: "How brutally honest."
[Venti: Generally speaking, Zhongli is indeed poor, hahaha!]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, Venti is also poor.]
[Paimon: Generally speaking, how does he even survive on his own?]
[Lumine: Generally speaking, the Northland Bank pays.]
[Furina: Hahahaha, I'm dying! Generally speaking, 'generally speaking' is indeed hilarious.]
Paimon looked to Lumine for help, "What do we do? Do we have to ask Childe for help again?"
---
Twenty Minutes Later
"Hahahaha!" Childe laughed uproariously. "Coconut trees? Cocogoat? Too funny! You guys actually got fooled by something like that."
Paimon: "Stop gloating!"
Childe's laughter still wouldn't subside, "Ah, I'm laughing so hard tears are coming out. Alright, to thank you for making me this happy, I'll solve all your problems."
Saying this, Childe looked at the proprietor, "You must be Proprietor Baizhu, right? I am the Fatui Harbinger, Childe. If you don't mind, we can collaborate more in the future. If Bubu Pharmacy ever has needs, the Fatui can help establish a rapid supply channel for... coconut milk."
Changsheng interjected, "Hmm? I've long heard the Fatui try to win over allies, but is Bubu Pharmacy something coconut milk can buy?"
Hearing 'coconut milk,' Qiqi reacted strongly, pleading with Mr. Baizhu. "Qiqi... coconut milk... want to drink..."
Baizhu looked at Qiqi dotingly and agreed to Childe's proposal, "Alright, alright. Then thank you, Mr. Childe. May we have pleasant cooperation in the future. Let's discount the Eternal Incense for you... 2.99 million Mora."
Paimon planted her hands on her hips indignantly, "What's the difference between three million and 2.99 million?!"
Zhongli pondered, "Hmm. 2.99 million... at first glance, it doesn't sound like much. But generally speaking, it is indeed one million less than three million."
"Well, since the matter is resolved, we should be on our way. Mr. Childe, Proprietor Baizhu, little Qiqi... until we meet again."
After Childe left, he muttered to himself outside Bubu Pharmacy, "What an interesting group. Haven't laughed like that in a long time. Well then, before I arrived, did you, who was already lying in wait, hear anything?"
A figure emerged from behind a stone pillar at the entrance: "Lord Childe, they mentioned the Golden House being used by the Qixing..."
A smile spread across Childe's face, "I see, I see. Ningguang, Qixing... what else could you be hiding in the Golden House besides the Exuvia?"
"My apologies, Lumine. But I did warn you long ago, didn't I? As the old Liyue saying goes, walls have ears."
[Paimon: Didn't expect that to circle back!]
[Lumine: Got played by Childe after all.]
[Ningguang: This is precisely why I've always monitored and suppressed the Fatui. They are unscrupulous and will use any means necessary.]
[Jean: I have experienced this deeply.]
[Ningguang: However, they are, after all, the Cryo Archon's diplomats. Until they take action, I cannot strike first.]
[Paimon: Doesn't that give the Fatui all the advantages?]
[Lumine: It's like letting them make the first move in a game of chess. The Qixing can only try to counter.]
[Childe: We operate in the grey areas by nature.]
---
Yujing Terrace
Zhongli summarized, "Well then, with helpers hired and the Eternal Incense prepared, the Rite of Parting is nearly complete."
Paimon also let out a long sigh: "Whew... finally..."
Zhongli then looked at Lumine: "So, Traveler, what have you gained from this journey to bid farewell to the Geo Archon?"
Lumine: "It feels like a very... peculiar journey."
Zhongli didn't understand: "Peculiar?"
Lumine: "Hard to say if I experienced the life of the wealthy or the struggles of the impoverished."
[Venti: Ehe, really. Wealth and poverty coexist in Zhongli. Clearly having no money, yet demanding only the best of everything. The life of the wealthy, the wallet of the poor.]
[Paimon: Furina also seems to have both wealth and poverty. She saved up 500 years of performance fees, has such a huge sum, yet stays home every day eating macaroni, not even having cake and desserts.]
[Furina: Who says I don't eat them! And macaroni is delicious too, okay? Cake is best when fresh. If you buy too much at once, the fruit on the cake will spoil.]
[Paimon: I get it. Furina is just too lazy to go out...]
[Furina: It's not laziness, it's not! There's just no need, okay?!]
[Venti: Furina and Paimon are at it again.]
"Hahaha." Zhongli used laughter to diffuse the awkwardness of Lumine's answer, "Which one is it? Questions on a journey are always so complex. A traveler's experiences are best savored slowly by the traveler themselves. Oh, right. As compensation for jointly preparing the Rite of Parting..."
"I've decided to treat you! Hmm, rest assured, this time I will remember to bring money."
"Tonight, I will take you to a portside tavern much praised by the common folk."
Paimon: "Portside tavern? The drinking kind?"
Zhongli affirmed: "Precisely. 'Three Wishes, No More' near the docks. I'll be waiting."
---
Time quickly passed to evening. When Lumine arrived, Zhongli was already prepared.
Zhongli: "Hmm, you're here. No need to order; I've already taken care of it. This 'Three Wishes, No More' is not like those taverns in Mondstadt. Here, the tavern keeper would refuse something as uncouth as fruit juice."
Lumine: "So, I can finally be treated to a drink this time?"
Zhongli: "So this time, I ordered you a bowl of glutinous rice balls in sweet fermented rice wine."
Lumine: "Ha. I can't say I didn't foresee this outcome."
Beside their table, a storyteller was reaching the climax of his tale: "If you esteemed guests are willing to listen, I shall continue the tale of Lady Ningguang's Jade Chamber."
Paimon marveled: "There's a storyteller here too? Such a great atmosphere."
Zhongli: "What is praised by the common folk isn't just good wine, but naturally, a good environment too. However, the 'environment' spoken of here is quite different from the criteria used in Teyvat Travel Guides to judge upscale restaurants."
[Ningguang: I look forward to meeting everyone. The Jade Chamber is my pride.]
[Furina: Watching a performance while dining? Could Fontaine integrate opera and restaurants as well?]
[Charlotte: That's an excellent idea, Lady Furina!]
[Furina: Right, investing in such a restaurant would surely be profitable. We wouldn't need to sell tickets then; just raise the food prices a bit. Or raise the ticket prices and offer food for free.]
[Paimon: That's a great idea! Looks like Furina's money is about to increase again. Lumine, should we also invest with Furina? Then we could just sit back and collect money!]
[Furina: Fontaine law stipulates that 'flying objects' cannot invest in Fontaine.]
[Paimon: Since when was that a law?!]
[Furina: Now!]
[Lyney: If you just tie a string around Paimon and hold it in Lumine's hand, Paimon wouldn't be a 'flying object' anymore, but a balloon!]
[Paimon: I am not a balloon!]
---
The scene shifted. Lumine and Zhongli vanished from the screen, replaced by the storyteller. As his voice continued, the perspective gradually pulled upward, and an animation of Ningguang appeared.
"Now, you all know, above our harbor lies that palace amidst the clouds, a residence amid the mist and rosy clouds. What does 'having eyes and ears everywhere' mean? You see, this is what it means. This is the transcendent enterprise established by Lady Ningguang. On a clear, bright day, if you gaze down from the deck outside its gates—my, what a sight! That's the better half of Liyue's scenery laid out before you."
"They say whenever a major affair arises, Lady Ningguang invariably retreats to the Jade Chamber, dismissing all others, taking only three trusted aides. And what is the task of these three? It is to sort intelligence and process materials by her side. One summary after another is posted upon the wall, growing more numerous by the moment. But before that white wall is fully covered, Lady Ningguang will surely have reached her decision. Once the decision is made, she, in her venerable wisdom, will pulverize all the materials—whoosh!—and scatter the paper scraps out the window. Good heavens! Fluttering and drifting, it's like a sudden flurry of shattered snow!"
"And the writing on those paper scraps, in the eyes of every merchant across Liyue, is like ink stains upon fresh snow—glaringly conspicuous!"
"A verse praises thus: 'Drifting, swirling, above the clouds like falling snow-dust. Dense, sparse, each character precious as rare treasure. A thought in motion, rivers and mountains swallowed by her aura. All know, the Tianquan stands supreme!'"
"Now, just think. Though they are mere scraps of paper, the line of thought Lady Ningguang uses for her decisions—how immensely valuable must that be? If you can snatch one or two more scraps, the benefits slipping through Lady Ningguang's fingers will be one or two points more than your competitors'!"
[Dori: Ningguang! This... this is too rich! Rich lady, please take care of me!]
[Zhongli: In terms of wealth, Ningguang is indeed Liyue's foremost merchant.]
[Paimon: Seems she's also the head of the Qixing?]
[Ningguang: The Liyue Qixing each preside over different departments; there is no official hierarchy. The common folk may regard me as first among them, perhaps because I am somewhat more... visible. The Jade Chamber floats above Liyue; every Liyue citizen can see it when they look up.]
[Paimon: I know, I know! Ningguang is like Liyue's biggest celebrity, just like Furina!]
[Keqing: To be precise, she is the idol of all merchants.]
[Paimon: That's still amazing! A palace floating in the sky must be worth a fortune!]
[Furina: So impressive. The Jade Chamber is even larger than the Opéra Épiclèse.]
[Ningguang: Indeed. The Jade Chamber is my life's work. From a small room, expanded bit by bit to its current scale. Rather than my meeting place, it is more like my child.]
[Lumine: Truly beautiful.]
Paimon felt a bit dizzy after listening to the storyteller: Tianquan Ningguang? That name keeps coming up lately. Liyue folks talk about her, the Fatui detest her, she's the one who hid the Exuvia... and we saw her once at the Rite of Descension. I wonder what kind of person she really is.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
"Finally found you. The one who returned from Jueyun Karst."
Paimon looked around: "Who's there?"
Lumine grabbed Paimon, ready to make a quick exit: "Paimon, let's go..."
The unfamiliar voice sounded again. This time, Lumine and Paimon located its source. On the wall nearby stood a girl wearing black stockings.
"Please wait. I am not from the Millelith, nor am I an officer come to apprehend you. But I am indeed an emissary of the Liyue Qixing. My name is Ganyu, secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion. I have come to see you."
Lumine: "Secretary?"
Ganyu explained: "To be precise, my primary duty is as secretary to the Qixing as a whole. My temporary role on this occasion is as a special envoy of Lady Ningguang."
Paimon's jaw dropped: "Wow. Speak of Ningguang, and Ningguang's... envoy appears."