Somewhere in Liyue Harbor
Two short figures were casually strolling through the streets, looking for all the world like a pair of children. If not for their somewhat distinctive attire, probably no one would have paid them any mind.
Xiao and Bonanus weren't deliberately hiding their aura. If you couldn't even go shopping without hiding your presence, what was even the point?
Besides, a date was a date—it wasn't like they were thieves. Why skulk around?
Compared to daytime, when people had gathered around them like they were animals at a zoo, the crowds at night were much sparser. Folks would only stop at a distance and cast curious glances their way.
There was a reason no one was swarming them. Just a short while ago, news had suddenly spread throughout all of Liyue Harbor.
Even the public notice boards were plastered with messages. The gist of it was:
"Today, three adepti have arrived in Liyue Harbor to experience the lively Lantern Rite festival. Kindly refrain from disturbing them. Anyone found harassing them will be dealt with according to regulations concerning public disturbance."
Nobody knew who had posted these notices, but one had to admit—whoever it was worked fast and got things done efficiently.
Though it was a relief not to be mobbed, Bonanus still felt somewhat uneasy. Not because of the curious glances, but because of the people following them.
Perhaps sensing Bonanus's discomfort, Xiao furrowed his brow slightly and asked with concern,
"Do you want me to drive them off?"
Hearing this, Bonanus first shook her head, then said gratefully,
"Alatus, that's so thoughtful of you, but it's better not to."
Bonanus refused without any hesitation. The last thing she wanted was for someone to spin some ridiculous headline out of this, like "Shocking! Liyue Adepti Brutally Assault Innocent Snezhnayan Tourists!"
Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
"Alright. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, I'll take you away immediately." Xiao nodded gently.
There were quite a few people tailing them. Some were from Snezhnaya, wearing their signature fur coats. They looked like they were shopping but were actually there to investigate the two adepti.
The return of two adepti to Liyue had clearly caught them off guard, and they needed to get to the bottom of it.
If these two returning adepti ended up interfering with their plans—well, they could deal with it, but that would be too much trouble. Better to figure things out sooner rather than later.
Apart from the Snezhnayans, there were also people from Liyue itself. But this one seemed to be a high-ranking official—one of the Qixing, no less: Keqing herself.
Keqing had beautiful, pale purple hair. Her twin tails were styled in a way that resembled cat ears, though they weren't actually cat ears.
Keqing's hairstyle was an ancient style known as a "spiral horn bun," and it looked absolutely adorable on her.
Her upper body was dressed in an off-shoulder top and a short skirt, the hem of which fell about a fist's width above her knee—not too short.
Her lower half was clad in black stockings. The purple of her outfit wasn't overly bright, and combined with the dark stockings, the two deeper shades melded together, giving Keqing a very alluring air.
In summary, she was the kind of person you could look at forever, the kind who stirred the imagination.
The upper part of her skirt featured large printed patterns, a mix of light and dark designs—nothing too elaborate.
Her waist, however, was adorned with many layered accessories, stacked one upon another, giving her silhouette a wonderfully defined look.
The skirt itself was made of several layers, and the interplay of colors gave it a distinctly youthful, girlish charm!
There was no denying it—Keqing was one of the most popular "wives" among Genshin Impact players, and for good reason.
....
Keqing was the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. She held little reverence for the gods and often had criticisms for the Rex Lapis. People assumed the divine would dislike someone like her.
But in truth, the divine rather appreciated her kind.
Keqing firmly believed that matters concerning humanity's fate should be decided by humanity itself and that humans could certainly do a better job than the gods.
To prove this point, she worked harder than anyone else.
Though her work efficiency might not match that of a certain half-adeptus, her abilities were still exceptional.
Interestingly, this wielder of a Vision didn't see it as an honor, but as an insult—an insult from the gods themselves.
She saw that purple crystal as having stolen the pride that was rightfully hers. It was a provocation from the divine, as if to say, "I know you hate me, but you still have to rely on the power I've given you."
In an attempt to destroy her Vision, she tried countless methods: burning it in a raging fire for three days and three nights, running it over with a minecart filled with rocks, and even tossing it straight off the Jade Chamber.
Unfortunately for her, the Vision's durability far exceeded her imagination. She tried every method she could think of, and all ended in failure.
Keqing came from a distinguished, noble family—you could call her a proper young lady. Despite never having to worry about food or clothing, she had many concerns.
And what were those concerns? Let's just say most of Keqing's worries revolved around the gods.
After all, she often pondered: if Liyue were to one day be without its gods, where would it go from there?
As the Yuheng of the Qixing, everyone knew she held the gods in low regard. But what nobody knew was that this lady's room was filled with Rex Lapis figurines and miniaturized dragon collectibles...
She might dislike the gods' influence on Liyue, but she had no problem with their appearance... (wink)
....
Back to the matter at hand
This esteemed lady wasn't following the two adepti for any nefarious purpose. She had simply been assigned a task—to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
After all, adepti showing up to experience Lantern Rite was completely unexpected. Who knew if it might cause unnecessary trouble?
And while she was on duty, she might as well stop by a few shops. She'd heard there was a new batch of Rex Lapis figurines out, and she had to go check them out.
"What?! This figurine costs four hundred thousand Mora?!"
In front of a shop selling Rex Lapis merchandise, Keqing stared in shock at the outrageous price tag. Was this shopkeeper a bandit or something?
It had never been this expensive when she'd bought them before. Was this some kind of limited edition?
"Oh, Lady Yuheng, this is our latest limited edition Rex Lapis dragon-form figurine! Its creation involved input from top experts!"
"We consulted these experts to recreate Rex Lapis's most characteristic poses. Just look—doesn't it seem almost alive? Which other shop can offer this level of professionalism?"
The shopkeeper beamed as he spoke. What he said was true enough—whether those "experts" actually knew anything about Rex Lapis was another matter entirely.
"Even so... this price is ridiculous! Can't you make it a bit cheaper?" Keqing tried to haggle. This figurine cost as much as eight Glaze Lilies!
She didn't want to miss out on this latest release, though. The figurine looked amazing, and more importantly, it was a limited edition...
"Lady Yuheng, please don't make things difficult for my humble shop. Figurines aren't easy to make, and I have employees to pay, a family to support..." The shopkeeper put on a troubled expression.
The commotion here had gotten loud enough to briefly catch Bonanus's attention. She glanced over casually, then dismissed it.
She just assumed it was some ordinary otaku girl about to go broke over a figurine.
She had better things to worry about—like this date and their shopping.
"Alatus! Look, someone's selling candied hawthorns over there! Let's go check it out!" Bonanus spotted a vendor loudly hawking his wares in the crowd.
Xiao nodded gently in response. He softly took Bonanus's hand in his and accompanied her as they strolled along.