Mm… looks like that left quite a psychological scar.
Lora looked at Xiao sincerely and bowed in apology.
"I'm truly sorry. During the Lantern Rite, I was too busy enjoying myself and may not have paid attention to how you all felt."
The moment Lora bowed, Xiao stepped back to avoid it. His composure nearly broke. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice tight. "You… must you really go this far?"
"Ah—sorry. I really did mean to apologize," Lora said quickly, scratching her head in embarrassment. "I guess I picked up the habit of bowing in Fontaine." When she thanked Neuvillette, she'd always offered a slight bow—after all, she was the one in the wrong. He had worked conscientiously for five hundred years; the courtesy was deserved.
"I've delivered the message. I still have other areas to patrol, so I'll take my leave now." Xiao clasped his hands toward Lora in a swift salute, then vanished from the scene almost as if fleeing.
Watching him disappear in an instant, Lora sighed. "Sigh… the trauma really runs deep. I'll make it up to him at the next Lantern Rite."
She then led Hélie toward Liyue Harbor.
The moment they crossed into the harbor district, a massive explosion erupted right in front of them. A violent shockwave followed, thick smoke billowing into the air. Fortunately, there were few pedestrians nearby, and no one was hurt.
The Millelith rushed to the scene at once and apprehended the culprits.
When Lora saw who those culprits were, she fell silent, unsure what to say.
"What a coincidence, Zhongyue… Xianyun…"
Yes—these two "terrorists" caught red-handed by the Millelith were none other than Zhongyue and Xianyun.
"Huh? Lora, what a coincidence!"
Zhongyue spotted her and cheerfully greeted her, casually slipping past the Millelith cordon and jogging straight over. As she moved, the surrounding Millelith immediately tightened their formation, encircling Lora as well.
Lora glanced around, then looked toward the enormous crater nearby—deep enough to fit Zhongli lying down inside. She asked calmly, "Are you… digging a grave for Zhongli? I know he'd want to be buried in Liyue even if he died, but this isn't exactly the right way to do it. Besides, he's not dead yet. You could at least wait until then before you start digging…"
"You've misunderstood!" Zhongyue protested at once. "Xianyun and I are researching a weapon with tremendous power—one that ordinary people can use!"
"A weapon ordinary people can use? With tremendous power?" Lora paused, then turned her gaze to Xianyun.
Xianyun pushed up her glasses and nodded. "That's right. Th-this one has indeed been researching such a weapon together with Zhongyue. As you can see, our research has reached a critical stage. The power is… basically controllable…"
"Basically… controllable?" Lora's eyes drifted back to the crater and the Millelith stationed around it.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Hélie and pulled her back a step, then addressed the nearby Millelith. "Hello. I don't know these two. Please make sure to arrest them properly."
"No resistance. Come with us!" the Millelith ordered as they surrounded Zhongyue and Xianyun. "We'll report this incident to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and await further instructions!"
"Huh? Huh?" Zhongyue stared at Lora in disbelief. "How could you—"
Lora pulled Hélie back several more steps, watching as the two were escorted away by the Millelith.
There was no need to worry about their safety—one was a dragon, the other an adeptal bird, both ancient beings who had lived for thousands of years.
Ningguang was well aware of their identities as well. This incident would at least serve as a warning: don't casually test weapons capable of killing people inside Liyue Harbor.
As they headed toward the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hélie spoke in a hushed voice. "Lady Lora, those two just now… they felt very special. Their aura was similar to that green-haired, short boy we saw earlier—but without that scary feeling he had."
"Short boy…"
Lora nearly burst out laughing at Hélie's nickname for Xiao. She ruffled Hélie's hair and said, "Remember this, Hélie. His name is Xiao. Next time you see him, just call him Xiao. And most importantly—never mention his height."
Hélie looked up at her and nodded seriously. "Mm! I understand!"
When they arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Lora asked the young woman at the entrance about Zhongli's whereabouts.
Upon learning that he wasn't there—again—she found that, somehow, this felt completely normal…
She and Hélie wandered over to the Yun-Han Opera Troupe. As expected, Zhongli was there listening to an opera performance. Shenhe was there as well, though she was seated far away from Zhongli, looking… somewhat uneasy.
Uh…
It seemed that aside from Xianyun, both Xiao and Shenhe had their fair share of psychological shadows too.
Really, very sorry about that.
But it truly had been a lot of fun.
When a segment of the performance ended, Lora brought Hélie over and sat down in front of Zhongli. The moment Hélie sensed Zhongli's presence, she instinctively moved to shield Lora.
Lora reacted instantly, grabbing her before she could launch any sort of preemptive attack.
"You're back," Zhongli said calmly, pouring her a cup of tea.
"How long have they been gone?"
Lora asked.
"The day after my letter was sent, they departed for Inazuma," Zhongli replied after a brief calculation. "By now, they should have arrived several days ago."
"They've already been there that long?" Lora murmured, considering her plans. "Then I should be heading out soon as well."
Zhongli reminded her, "Lora, the one in Inazuma is not like me, nor like that drunken poet. After Baal's passing, she sealed herself away for five hundred years and cut off contact with us entirely. Convincing her to cooperate may prove… difficult."
"I know. Don't worry—I have my own plan," Lora said with a nod. She wasn't someone who acted without knowing her limits. Besides, the Gnosis wasn't even on Beelzebub's person, so there was no need to face that Musou no Hitotachi head-on.
In any case, it still wouldn't kill her. Easy enough.
"Very well. If you need my help, just let me know," Zhongli said, nodding.
"With your command over the Oceanids, messages from Inazuma should reach you quickly. Though she has summoned thunderstorms to seal off the outer seas, that shouldn't pose much of a problem for you."