With only three days left until the Rite of Descension, Ryan, having nothing to do, visited Bubu Pharmacy again.
He still had a portion of coconut milk that Hu Tao had given him. He had originally intended to give it to Ganyu, but after discovering how much Qiqi truly loved coconut milk, he had a new idea.
That was to exchange it with Qiqi.
"...Yes, Qiqi, I want to trade for a little bit of your hair."
Ryan secretly glanced inside Bubu Pharmacy and, seeing Baizhu and Changsheng looking over, decided to abandon the idea of exchanging for Qiqi's saliva.
"Hmm..."
Qiqi looked at the coconut milk in Ryan's hand, swallowed, and then raised her hand to grasp the hair on one side of her temple.
Qiqi is a zombie, and a zombie's body does not develop, so her hair does not continue to grow after being cut short. Because of this, she had maintained asymmetrical hair at her temples for the past few days.
However, it was only a slight difference in length.
"Big brother, Qiqi, exchange, cut here."
Qiqi, holding the slightly longer hair at her temple, said to Ryan with a somewhat expectant look on her face.
"Alright, I promise not to cut too much."
Having received Qiqi's consent, Ryan immediately pulled out a golden pair of scissors, carefully cut off Qiqi's hair, and tidied it up.
Then, under Qiqi's expectant gaze, Ryan handed her the coconut milk.
"Oh... coconut milk... huh?"
Qiqi took the coconut milk but quickly looked confused, pressing the coconut milk bottle against her face.
"Not, cold..."
Qiqi then showed a somewhat disappointed expression.
Zombies have no taste, so Qiqi liked drinking coconut milk for its texture and its cool, refreshing feeling.
However, Ryan's coconut milk was bought by Hu Tao yesterday and was no longer cold.
"You want it cold, huh? That's simple, Qiqi, you have a Cryo Vision."
Hearing Qiqi's disappointed words, Ryan understood that she wanted cold coconut milk. He then raised his hand and poked the Cryo Vision on Qiqi's hat.
Although a Vision is an external magical organ, it does not necessarily need to be in contact with the human body; it can be used as long as it is close enough.
"Oh... that's right, thank you, Qiqi forgot."
Reminded by Ryan, Qiqi suddenly understood. After thanking Ryan, she cupped the bottle of coconut milk in both hands. Wisps of cold air emanated from her chubby little hands, leaving a bit of frost on the coconut milk bottle.
"Cold..."
Then, Qiqi happily held the coconut milk and began to drink it... After exchanging coconut milk for Qiqi's hair, Ryan returned to await the arrival of the Rite of Descension.
Over the next few days, he first went around the big and small mountains surrounding Liyue Harbor, freely collecting materials from monsters.
After all, once the Rite of Descension was over, if he could obtain materials from Lord Rex Lapis, he would need to continue refining elixirs and would require more materials for auxiliary refining.
In addition, Ryan also took the opportunity to pick various medicinal flowers and herbs, such as Flaming Flowers, Violetgrass, and so on. He exchanged them at Bubu Pharmacy for another ten to twenty thousand Mora, just in case he ran out of money.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day of the Rite of Descension.
"Rite of Descension, Rite of Descension..."
On the morning of this day, Ryan casually ate a dozen steamed buns to fill his stomach a little, then eagerly left Wangshu Inn, intending to head to Yujing Terrace.
"Hello, excuse me, where do I need to go to watch the Rite of Descension?"
Just as Ryan was rushing to Yujing Terrace, a girl's voice suddenly sounded from beside him.
Ryan turned his head in confusion and saw a small white-haired girl floating in the air.
At first glance, the girl's eyes seemed blue, but upon closer inspection, one would find that her eyes resembled a starry sky, matching the pattern on the inside of her cape.
And this little girl was very petite, even smaller than Qiqi, just floating in mid-air.
Behind this girl was a golden-haired foreign Damselette wearing a floral hair ornament.
"Wow..."
Looking at the small white-haired girl floating in the air, Ryan's golden eyes gradually opened and lit up.
"Hmm? Why no reaction?"
Noticing that Ryan was frozen, the small white-haired girl extended her hand in confusion and waved it in front of him.
The golden foreign Damselette behind her also tilted her head slightly, looking a bit puzzled.
"I'm fine, beautiful lady, I was just so flattered by you suddenly speaking to me."
Ryan gently raised his hand to support the small palm of the white-haired girl, then replied with a gentle expression.
'What kind of creature is this? I've never seen it before. A Seelie? Even rarer than a zombie. If I could refine her into an elixir, it might produce a four-star elixir...'
'Is this a heaven-sent destiny? Today is the Rite of Descension, after all. Could this be a rare elixir material that Lord Rex Lapis specifically sent to me?'
Holding the small white-haired girl's palm, Ryan thought excitedly.
"Be-beautiful lady? Eh? Is she talking about Paimon!"
Hearing Ryan's address, the small girl named Paimon widened her eyes in shock.
Then Paimon pulled back her hand, turned to look at the golden-haired Damselette behind her, and pointed at Ryan.
"Traveler, look, look, the people of Liyue are so enthusiastic!"
Paimon said excitedly to the golden-haired Damselette.
In Mondstadt, her identity was either emergency food, a mascot, or a magical seafood.
This was the first time someone had called her a lady... Although that title reminded her of some unpleasant experiences.
"What kind of enthusiasm is this..."
The golden-haired Damselette crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the excited Paimon with a speechless expression.
"Beautiful lady, are you and your... hmm... servant? Here to watch the Rite of Descension?"
Ryan looked at the golden-haired Damselette, who seemed rather unremarkable compared to Paimon, and asked Paimon with some uncertainty.
Golden-haired Damselette: "?"
"Not a servant! The Traveler is Paimon's companion. We came together to watch the Rite of Descension. Could you tell us how to get there?"
Hearing Ryan's words, Paimon immediately flew to the golden-haired Damselette's side and explained to Ryan.
"The Rite of Descension, huh? I'm also going to see it. It would be my honor to guide you, beautiful lady."
Ryan's heart stirred, and he immediately made this suggestion to Paimon.
Paimon and the golden-haired Damselette, new to Liyue, were not very familiar with the area. They immediately accepted Ryan's offer.
Ryan led them towards Yujing Terrace, and along the way, he learned the golden-haired Damselette's name, Lumine.
Similarly, the two of them also learned Ryan's name.
"The full name of the Rite of Descension is the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension. Every year, Lord Rex Lapis descends a divine oracle at the Rite of Descension, guiding Liyue's operational direction for the coming year."
"Oh, that's right, last year, the one who respectfully sought the divine oracle was the Yuheng Star of the Liyue Qixing, a cute little cat. This year, it's the Tianquan Star's turn."
Along the way, Ryan told Lumine and Paimon what he knew about the Rite of Descension.
"Little cat...?"
"But there's a divine oracle every year? Lord Rex Lapis is like a parent who arranges everything for their children."
Paimon first scratched her head in confusion, then exclaimed in surprise, while Lumine nodded in agreement.
Ryan also noticed at this point that this Traveler seemed to not talk much... a bit aloof! Could she be a bodyguard?
But it didn't matter; his target was this strange flying creature.
As long as he got familiar with her, he could find an opportunity to refine her into an elixir... Under Ryan's guidance, Lumine and Paimon ascended Yujing Terrace together, passing in front of Yuehai Pavilion and arriving at the plaza in front of Yiyan Hall.
The Rite of Descension was still some time away from starting, but already many onlookers had gathered, including quite a few foreigners like Paimon and Lumine, who had specifically come to witness the ceremony.
"It looks like there's still some time until the Rite of Descension begins. I heard that on the day of the Rite of Descension, offering incense and making wishes are very effective. Traveler and Ryan, do you want to try it together?"
Flying up a bit higher, Paimon looked over the crowd to see Tianquan Star Ningguang waiting in front of the incense burner in the center of the plaza from afar, then suddenly suggested to Ryan and Lumine...