Childe snorted and left.
Ryou watched him go, but didn't stop him.
Even with every stat boosted to 140%, and even with [Hand] letting him unleash a through-the-mountain shock strike, Ryou still wasn't confident he could take Childe head-on.
"Th-that's so much Mora…" Paimon stared at the crates and whispered to Lumine. "Tabibito, if we pocket just a little… no one would notice, right?"
"Paimon, the Millelith are watching us." Lumine grabbed both of Paimon's hands and lowered her voice even further.
This was not the place to run your mouth. One wrong misunderstanding and they'd end up in a cell.
"Wuwu… I-I was just saying!" Paimon saw the Millelith glance over and immediately shrank back.
Lumine noticed Ryou coming out from inside. Childe, however, was nowhere to be seen—so he really had left.
"Take everyone back to Yujing Terrace. Seal the Northland Bank." Ryou's orders were crisp.
"Yes, Ryou-sama!" The Millelith answered at once.
Once everything was set in motion, Ryou caught Lumine looking at him. He walked over and asked, "Why are you staring like that? Do I seem unfamiliar to you?"
"A little, yeah." Lumine forced a laugh and flicked her eyes toward the Millelith. "In my experience, the Ministry of Civil Affairs is always polite and careful. I've never seen anyone like you kick in the door and drag people out."
"Depends on who you're dealing with." Ryou smiled.
"Um… there's something I want to ask you." Lumine glanced around and kept her voice down. "Can we talk somewhere private?"
"Sure."
They found a quiet room. After Ryou sat down, he poured her a cup of tea.
"Alright," he said. "What do you want to ask?"
"I went to see Zhongli yesterday," Lumine said. "He told me he never arrested my brother."
She didn't touch the tea. She just watched Ryou, eyes steady.
Ryou had always left a strong impression on her. He'd been the one to tell her Zhongli's true identity as Rex Lapis, and he'd helped her more than once in other ways too. Truthfully, she liked him a lot. If he weren't married, she might've even let herself think further.
And then she remembered Keqing's sharp, territorial attitude from before, and a flicker of irritation rose in her chest.
So what if you glare at me like that, Keqing? If you push hard enough, don't blame me for pushing back.
Ryou studied her for a moment, uncertain.
He knew Aether would appear in Liyue, but he remembered it being after the crisis was over. Maybe Aether simply hadn't arrived yet.
He took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and said, "If you're willing to trust me… stay in Liyue for now. Your brother should be somewhere within Liyue's borders, but I can't tell you exactly where."
His voice grew more serious.
"Liyue is going to get dangerous soon. I want you to stay and help."
"Dangerous?" Lumine thought of Childe—and everything she'd been digging into lately. She hesitated. "Is this about Guyun Stone Forest?"
Ryou nodded. "The Fatui want to use the Sigil of Permission to unleash an ancient god and wipe Liyue out. It hasn't happened yet, but the Fatui are getting more and more reckless."
He exhaled once, controlled.
"The negotiations just collapsed. This won't stay contained for long. So… I want you to remain in Liyue."
Then he met her eyes.
"As payment, if we get any information on your brother, I'll tell you immediately."
"Alright." Lumine didn't waver. "I'll do it."
She believed he would keep his word.
"Then we have a deal," Ryou said with a smile.
"Mhm." Lumine nodded.
When they returned to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ryou found Keqing still in her office, flipping through documents. The second she saw him walk in with Lumine, her posture tightened—guarded.
"What are you doing here?" Keqing frowned at Lumine.
"Ryou asked me to help," Lumine explained.
Keqing's tone rubbed her the wrong way. Like I owe you something. Keep staring at me like that and see what happens—maybe I'll take your husband just to spite you.
"Keqing," Ryou said, "you're on good terms with Yelan, right?"
Keqing nodded once. "Mm."
"I want you to take her to see Yelan," Ryou said. "She might know something that helps."
Keqing looked at him, then held her gaze on Lumine for a long moment before finally relenting. "Fine."
She stood. "Come on. I'll take you to Yelan."
"Thanks, Keqing-san." Lumine followed after her.
When they were gone, Ryou let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He took a few sips of tea—
And then the door opened again.
Ganyu stepped in, arms full of paperwork.
"You're here?" Ryou asked.
"Of course." Ganyu closed the door and walked to his side, then leaned in slightly as if sniffing the air. "Mm. So I guessed wrong?"
Ryou understood immediately and rolled his eyes. "What are you imagining? I just got back from the Northland Bank."
"Oh… is that so?" Ganyu sat beside him, turned her head—and suddenly kissed him.
"Mm—" Ryou froze for half a beat.
Ganyu pulled back with a mischievous, almost devilish look, and even winked at him.
Heat surged up Ryou's spine in an instant. He hooked an arm around her back and pulled her close, kissing her again—harder this time, refusing to give her room to breathe.
Ganyu's whole face flushed, burning hot. That intense kiss felt like it could melt ice itself.
When Ryou finally let her go, she punched his chest—light as a feather, more like a playful tap than any real hit.
"Don't think I didn't notice," she muttered, cheeks still red. "Last time, you were staring at my lips with bad intentions. And just now, you kissed me forever, and your hands weren't behaving either…"
Her eyes flicked away, then back.
"If you keep doing that… you don't get to throw me away later. Understand?"
"I've walked right into your trap," Ryou said, tightening his hold. "You're the one who came looking for me."
He paused, voice lowering.
"And… I'm pretty confident about Keqing. But I still need you to help nudge things along."
Ganyu looped her arms around his neck, leaned closer, and spoke softly by his ear.
"Alright," Ryou murmured, stroking her gently.
Up close, she was all softness and supple lines—beautifully shaped, delicate to the touch. She wasn't as lush as her sister, but she fit perfectly in his arms, and every brush of his hand made his thoughts drift in the wrong direction.
"Don't get ideas," Ganyu said, giving him a look. She felt warmer herself, too, and ended up nestling into his chest as she spoke. "Keqing just left with Tabibito. What did you send them to do?"
"They're going to see Yelan," Ryou said. "I want Tabibito to stay and help. The Guyun Stone Forest situation is going to explode soon, so we need to prepare early."
Then he asked, "Has Ningguang made any arrangements?"
"Hey—don't touch." Ganyu caught his hand and huffed. "Now you're showing your true colors."
Her eyes narrowed, but there was no real bite behind it.
"You had me worried for ages before. Now… hmph."
She held his hand down, then continued, "Ningguang has already deployed a lot of people—Millelith units and others. And it looks like she's trying to replicate the Guizhong Ballista's mechanism, make working copies, and use them to shoot down an ancient god."
"Guizhong Ballista?" Ryou wasn't surprised.
"Mhm." Ganyu nodded. "It was built with the knowledge of a god. It can kill even beings like the adepti—gods included. It's been abandoned for years, but Ningguang found it by chance."
She softened a little.
"Don't worry too much. I believe Ningguang can handle it. And we still have several adepti."
She hesitated, then added, "One of them came back to Liyue. Officially it was for Shenhe… but I have a feeling it might be because of what's coming."
Ryou had suspected as much. He held Ganyu close and didn't speak for a moment.
By all accounts, the Archon War shouldn't repeat itself—Zhongli hadn't retired. He was still working diligently in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Osial wouldn't be stupid enough to show up now.
But if a massive blast formed by countless Sigils of Permission shattered the seal…
Then Osial really might return.
"We'll take it one step at a time," Ryou said quietly.
Ganyu finally pulled back a little. "Weren't you going to help me with work?"
"I will." Ryou pinched her cheek, then his gaze drifted upward to her horns. "Can I touch them?"
"N-no!" Ganyu jolted, instantly flustered, trying to squirm away.
"What's wrong?" Ryou asked.
"I… I've never let anyone touch them." Her face turned scorching hot again. "It feels… strange. Especially if it's you."
She wrapped her arms around his waist, voice small.
"Don't. Please?"
"Alright," Ryou said, not pushing further.
He focused on her paperwork instead.
Half an hour later, Ganyu finally left—but the tea did absolutely nothing to cool him down.
And Keqing still hadn't returned.
Ryou drank cup after cup, then muttered under his breath, "My self-control is garbage. A few kisses and I'm already falling apart."
He exhaled, half amused, half helpless.
"Ganyu… you're ruining my peace of mind."
Then his mouth twisted.
"But honestly… if I could endure that and feel nothing, I wouldn't be a man."
He set the cup down and sighed.
[Ding, Eyes entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding, Eyes: Darkened Mode active. Your awareness within 300 meters is enhanced!]
[Ding, Eyes: Darkened Mode active again. Your awareness within 300 meters is enhanced!]
[Ding, Ears entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding, Ears: Darkened Mode active. You can hear every faint sound within 300 meters!]
Ryou's expression turned a little strange.
Still… those effects were genuinely useful.
If he ever got intimate with Ganyu again, at least he'd be able to avoid trouble. Getting caught would be a disaster.
He tried to drink more tea and force the heat down. It barely helped.
So he got up and went to interrogate the prisoners—specifically, the senior disciple and his junior sister from earlier.
"This is outrageous!" the sharp-tongued girl snapped, face burning with anger. "You drag us here and keep us locked up the whole time!"
"Shimei!" Sun Yu hurriedly grabbed her arm.
Ryou's eyes stayed cold. "Do you two even understand where you are?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Names."
"My name is Sun Yu. This is my junior sister, Little Que'er. We were wrong. We know that now." the man said quickly,
His voice tightened with worry.
"We've been missing for days. Our elders must be panicking. Could you please—"
Ryou studied him, then asked, "Do you know Xingqiu?"
"Xingqiu?" Sun Yu shook his head. "No."
Ryou raised a brow. "You don't… yet you're disciples of the Guhua Clan?"
"Yes," Sun Yu answered immediately.
"Then that's strange," Ryou said, eyes narrowing. "Xingqiu is a disciple of your sect. And you've never heard of him?"
Sun Yu looked genuinely confused. He thought hard, then shook his head again. "I… I don't know. But as far as I remember, there's no one like that in our sect."
"Alright. I understand."
Ryou leaned back.
"This wasn't a major incident to begin with. You've been locked up for days—consider it a lesson learned."
His gaze slid to the junior sister.
"But you'd better keep her on a tight leash. If you get dragged in here again, you won't be walking out so easily next time."
"Yes. Thank you." Sun Yu visibly sagged with relief.
Truthfully, Ryou was letting them go because the man's attitude had been decent. If he'd been arrogant, Ryou might not have opened the door at all.
Little Que'er shot Ryou a look, like she wanted to say something, but Sun Yu practically hauled her out by force.
When Ryou returned to his office, he noticed someone else inside.
Huixin.
Of course she was here—she'd always worked at Yujing Terrace, and since the Ministry of Civil Affairs was temporarily operating out of Yujing Terrace, it made sense she'd come by.
"Huixin? What brings you here?" Ryou greeted her with a smile.
"I…" Huixin's breath caught the moment she saw him. Her heart hammered so hard it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
And when she realized he was alone, thoughts she shouldn't have let in started creeping closer—heavier, bolder, impossible to ignore.
By the time she spoke, her whole face had gone red.
"I came to see you," she said softly. "And… there are a few things I wanted to ask you about."
…
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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