However, when it came to payment, Morax encountered a problem.
He didn't bring any money.
"..."
Lumine and Paimon had no choice but to look at the funds Young Master had given them, only to find it wasn't enough to cover the cost of these kites.
Ryan also glanced at his qiankun bag; the tens of thousands of Mora he'd earned from selling medicinal herbs twice before were now mostly gone, and even if he took it all out, it would only be enough to buy one kite.
Originally, he wouldn't spend that much, but ever since taking the Qilin Pill, his appetite had greatly increased, and his daily food expenses had risen sharply.
"How about we put the bill on..."
"I'll pay for the kites."
Just as Morax was about to say something, a strange man's voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned their heads and saw a foreign man with orange hair, blue eyes, and a red mask on one side of his head.
"Oh, it's Young Master! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Are you following us?"
Paimon was a bit surprised, while Lumine said it without much politeness.
Although Young Master had helped them, due to her unpleasant experiences in Mondstadt, she still found it hard to trust a Snezhnaya Harbinger.
"..."
Ryan listened to Paimon and Lumine's words, staring at Young Master and pondering.
'From Paimon's address, this person seems to have an important identity. Could he be a wealthy young master?'
'And Paimon's bodyguard is quite wary of him. Could it be...'
Ryan pondered for a moment, roughly understanding the situation.
'This wealthy young master is pursuing Paimon, but he's being blocked by the bodyguard... Oh! He's a love rival!'
Ryan suddenly realized, clenching his right fist and hitting it into his left palm.
Although his own goal was just to trick Paimon away to refine elixirs, he did try his best to make a good impression on her to gain her favor.
"Hmm?"
Young Master was very sensitive to hostility, so he looked at Ryan with some confusion.
We don't even know each other, do we?
"Haha, how could that be? I just happened to be passing by."
However, Young Master didn't pay too much attention to the flash of hostility from Ryan, instead, he explained with a smile; after all, as a Snezhnaya Harbinger, he had encountered inexplicable hostility many times in Liyue Harbor.
'A clumsy excuse. He's clearly following Paimon, appearing at this time... Oh! He's here to show off his wealth!'
Ryan scoffed at Young Master's explanation, having already guessed his motive.
But Ryan looked at his qiankun bag and immediately deflated; they really had no money right now.
He, a dignified immortal ancestor disciple, was actually stumped by Mora. It seemed he needed to find a way to earn some money soon... Ryan secretly decided.
Before, because he was going back to Jueyun Karst after the Rite of Descension, Ryan had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude towards Mora.
But now, to trick Paimon, he needed to find a way to get some Mora.
And so, Young Master helped pay the remaining balance for the kites and gave Lumine and her companions a new money pouch filled with more funds so they could continue preparing for the Rite of Parting.
Next, the Rite of Parting still required some ordinary supplies, such as wood, and also needed to hire workers for transportation and odd jobs.
So, in the next step, Morax took Lumine and her companions to the docks to hire available workers.
Hiring workers was a relatively simple matter and didn't require his help, so Ryan temporarily left, citing an urgent matter, agreeing to meet later at the plaza where the Rite of Parting would be held.
"The fragrant balm that mature elder sisters like... where is Chunxiang Kiln again?"
The reason Ryan left was to take the opportunity to buy the fragrant balm that Lord Rex Lapis liked.
However, he was really unfamiliar with Chihuo Rock and didn't know how to get to Chunxiang Kiln.
Troubled all the way, Ryan unknowingly arrived near Wanmin Restaurant.
"Oh, Xiangling, just believe me. After an elder's burial, according to Liyue tradition, there should be a funeral banquet to entertain the guests who attended the funeral."
"Stop it, I just asked my master, there's no such custom for the Rite of Parting."
"Sigh, alright... It's a pity This Master can't cook personally..."
Outside Wanmin Restaurant, Hu Tao, rejected by Xiangling, looked a bit regretful.
But just as she was feeling regretful, the corner of Hu Tao's eye suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Yo~ Isn't that Ryan? Haven't seen you in days. Did you miss This Master?"
Seeing Ryan walk by, Hu Tao's eyes lit up, and she immediately went up to greet him.
"Oh, it's Director Hu. Yes, of course I did. I thought of you many times today."
Ryan then came to his senses and greeted Hu Tao.
"Eww~ Even if you want to please This Master, Ryan, this is too cheesy~"
Hu Tao first feigned a look of disgust, shrinking her neck, then said with a laugh.
"No, it's because of Mr. Morax. We've been busy preparing for the Rite of Parting together today."
Ryan quickly explained; Morax's status as a Guest Elder for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor reminded Ryan of Director Hu many times.
"Guest Elder? So you two know each other. But about the Rite of Parting... That's right, This Master is the one who asked the Guest Elder to prepare it, you know."
Hu Tao was a bit surprised that Ryan knew Morax, and she was a little proud about the Rite of Parting.
Not to mention the honor of holding the Rite of Parting for the Lord, she was the first person in all of Liyue to think of the Rite of Parting after the Lord's demise.
"Mm-hmm, Mr. Morax seems very reliable... By the way, Director Hu, do you usually use fragrant balm?"
Ryan nodded his head, then halfway through, he suddenly thought of something and curiously asked Hu Tao.
"Fragrant balm? No, I don't. Except for occasions that require careful preparation, This Master generally doesn't use such things. Don't believe me? Smell."
Although she didn't know why Ryan suddenly asked this, Hu Tao still answered affirmatively, extending a hand as she spoke.
"Director Hu, haven't you gone to see Doctor Bai yet? Your fingernails look... critically ill. Coincidentally, I have a pill here that only costs 9,990,000 Mora..."
Of course, Ryan wouldn't actually smell it. Instead, he glanced at Hu Tao's black fingernails and said seriously.
"I told you, This Master calls this nail art."
"But Ryan, why are you suddenly asking about fragrant balm?"
Hu Tao withdrew her hand and interrupted Ryan's sales pitch, then crossed her arms over her chest and asked Ryan suspiciously.
"It's like this, when we were preparing for the Rite of Parting just now..."
Ryan didn't hide anything and explained the whole story to Hu Tao.
"So that's it. Because Lord Rex Lapis likes the fragrant balm of mature elder sisters, you also want to prepare a portion, to make it convenient for you to worship Lord Rex Lapis later?"
After listening to Ryan's explanation, Hu Tao nodded in understanding and confirmed.
"Yes, Director Hu."
Ryan immediately nodded.
Of course, he couldn't tell Hu Tao that he was going to the Golden House to 'touch a corpse' tonight, and he was preparing offerings because he was afraid the Exuvia would reanimate, hoping to appease the Lord below.
"Oh, well, Ryan, since you're an immortal ancestor disciple, you have deep feelings for Lord Rex Lapis."
"And you also helped the Guest Elder prepare for the Rite of Parting. In that case, how about This Master helps you? This Master knows where Sister Ying'er's Chunxiang Kiln is, and I'll take you there now."
Hu Tao nodded, completely understanding Ryan's thoughts, and kindly offered.
Ryan had just said that Ying'er from Chunxiang Kiln helped prepare the fragrant balm for the offerings.
"Great, thank you, Director Hu!"
Ryan's eyes immediately lit up.
"Alright, then follow me."
Hu Tao finished speaking and led Ryan towards Chunxiang Kiln.
Chunxiang Kiln was also in Chihuo Rock, just one street away from Wanmin Restaurant, so the two arrived in a few steps...