Lumine and Paimon brought the captured men to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The staff member on duty looked surprised to see Lumine arrive with prisoners, then hurried over. "Tabibito-sama, thank you for helping the Millelith catch these people."
"No need," Lumine said. "I just helped where I could. But why are there so many people in the Ministry today?"
She didn't dwell on his thanks, but when she glanced inside, she noticed quite a few people standing around. They whispered to one another, like they were waiting for someone.
At the mention of it, the staff member's headache practically showed on his face. He forced a bitter smile. "They're all waiting for Keqing-sama. A lot of what she's been doing in her paperwork lately has been really effective, but there are still parts they don't understand. So they all rushed over here to ask. The problem is… Keqing-sama isn't in the Ministry right now."
"Huh? Keqing-san is one of the Liyue Qixing, right?" Paimon blinked. "Shouldn't she be here at a time like this? And, um… we've got something we need to hand over to her."
Paimon couldn't help bringing it up. When they caught those people on Mt. Tianheng, Lumine had gotten a talisman, and it was still with them.
The staff member froze for a moment, then his expression turned even more awkward. "We really don't know where Keqing-sama went. After her husband took her out this morning, she hasn't come back. Normally she stays here to handle affairs, unless she has urgent business and goes elsewhere to inspect something, but this time…"
That caught Lumine off guard. She'd heard plenty since arriving in Liyue—Keqing's name carried too much weight here. The wedding had drawn everyone's attention. Even Lumine had been curious about what kind of man had married Keqing.
"Paimon, if that's the case, let's head back for now," Lumine said.
"Wait—weren't you saying you have something important to give Keqing-san?" the staff member asked, hesitating. "You could leave it with the Ministry. I can pass it on to her for you."
"No." Lumine shook her head. "That thing is dangerous. If you handle it wrong, you could blow up the entire Ministry. I'll keep it to be safe. Don't worry—I'll come by again tonight. I'll hand it to Keqing-san then."
Thinking about that talisman, Lumine's brow tightened. At first she hadn't known what it was, but once she understood, she realized just how risky it could be. She couldn't casually hand it over to an office worker—if something went wrong, it would be a disaster.
The staff member exchanged looks with the others. Considering this was Mondstadt's Honorary Knight standing in front of him, he didn't argue. He simply escorted Lumine and Paimon out of the Ministry.
As soon as he turned back, the murmurs hit him again. He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Keqing-sama… when are you coming back…?"
…
The news reached Ningguang's ears almost immediately.
"Ningguang-sama, a lot of people went to the Ministry today," Baiwen reported at her side. "They said they needed to meet Keqing, but… Keqing-sama still hasn't returned. Ningguang-sama?"
Baiwen's voice trailed when she saw Ningguang staring at a document without blinking, and she quietly called out again.
Ningguang heard her, but only lifted a hand to silence her.
The document in her hands had come from the Ministry. It was a proposed plan regarding how to handle injuries among the Millelith—packed with details. The more Ningguang read, the more unbelievable it seemed.
She could tell the approach was genuinely good. If it could be implemented, it would bring real benefits to a great many Millelith soldiers. The problem was that the page space was limited, so the document couldn't include everything.
"This proposal is bold," Ningguang murmured, "but it isn't impossible. There's no way Keqing wrote this. Who's been helping her handle these files?"
After staring at it for a long moment, a name surfaced.
Ningguang looked up at Baiwen. "Did Ryou start working at the Ministry of Civil Affairs?"
"Yes, Ningguang-sama," Baiwen answered. "He started today."
Realization crossed Ningguang's face. She spoke softly, almost to herself. "Then I'll need to see him again. Come on—we're going to the Ministry now."
Note: Chapters up to 20 are available on my Patreon FOR FREE. I'll keep working on this fanfic as long as it's getting enough support to justify continuing.
[End of chapter]
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