Keqing froze, tilting her head as she stared at Jiang Xuan in shock.
“Jiang Xuan, what did you say?”
Jiang Xuan chuckled, reaching out to pinch her cat-ear-like hair buns.
“I said… I’ll go to Liyue Harbor with you!”
“That’s wonderful!!!”
3.
Recruiting Ganyu and Keqing, Heading Straight to the MC World
In front of The Chasm.
Ganyu stood on a slight rise, gazing into the distance at the bustling activity across The Chasm.
Beads of sweat glinted on her pretty face, and she looked visibly exhausted.
Withdrawing her Elemental Sight, Ganyu quietly exhaled a breath of relief.
“This should hold for another three months… After that, once the Rite of Descension ends and Lady Ningguang and the others have time…”
“Mm… we can come back to reinforce the seal again then!”
Ganyu stifled a yawn, trying her best not to fall asleep where she stood.
This past week had been filled with endless complications: matters concerning Northland Bank, preparations for the Rite of Descension, trouble with the Abyss Order…
She had been running around nonstop, unable to get a good night’s sleep for an entire week.
Given her physique, it wouldn’t physically harm her, but she still got sleepy like anyone else.
“No, no!” Ganyu suddenly shuddered and shook her head vigorously.
“I can’t rest yet! Work… there’s still work to finish. I need to take minutes for the Qixing meeting this afternoon…”
“Just… hold on a little longer!”
Pulling a Qingxin flower from her Vision’s storage space, Ganyu winced slightly as she chewed and swallowed it bit by bit.
Rumors circulated throughout Liyue Harbor that Ganyu loved eating Qingxin, even claiming that “the qilin eats only fine grains and drinks only sweet dew.”
In reality, having lived in Liyue Harbor for nearly a millennium and served as secretary to the Qixing for almost as long, Ganyu considered her human nature to far outweigh her adeptal side.
She didn’t necessarily dislike the food humans enjoyed.
The only reason she ate Qingxin was to maintain her figure and stay awake.
Besides, Qingxin was a medicinal herb—how good could it possibly taste?
“Secretary Ganyu!”
Keqing’s call rang out from the distance, and in the next instant, a flash of purple lightning deposited her right next to Ganyu.
Glancing sideways at Ganyu, Keqing said helplessly, “Secretary Ganyu, eating Qingxin to stay awake again?”
Ganyu gave a gentle smile and murmured softly, “Mm…”
“While I admire your dedication to your work, forcing yourself to stay awake like this is bad for your health.”
Speaking with the voice of experience, Keqing advised earnestly, “Back when I was trying to gather soil samples across Guili Plains as quickly as possible, I forced myself to stay awake for a whole week too.”
“I ended up falling sick and couldn’t work for two full days. In the end, the losses outweighed the gains.”
“So taking proper rest to keep your mind sharp is equally important.”
Ganyu giggled behind her hand, her spirits somewhat lifted by the Qingxin.
“Thank you for your concern, Lady Keqing. However, my constitution is unique, so going a week without sleep won’t affect my work.”
“Lady Keqing, did you go see Jiang Xuan? How is he?”
Keqing opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, Jiang Xuan appeared silently beside Ganyu.
“I’m doing great, though Ganyu seems to be in rather rough shape.”
Jiang Xuan smiled at Ganyu and reminded her, “In my homeland, there’s an old saying: ‘Health is the capital of revolution.’ If your body breaks down, won’t the work at Yuehai Pavilion grind to a halt?”
“Even if it’s for Liyue’s sake, you need to take good care of yourself, Ganyu.”
Ganyu was startled by Jiang Xuan’s speed and gasped in disbelief, “Jiang Xuan, just now you…”
“Just got lucky with a bump in strength.”
Not wanting to overexplain the source of his power, Jiang Xuan brushed it off casually.
Keqing, however, was quite excited.
“Jiang Xuan finally obtained a Vision, and it’s Pyro, which has incredible offensive capabilities!”
Ganyu beamed with joy as well.
“Really? That’s wonderful! Now you’ll be able to protect yourself when you’re out in the wild, Jiang Xuan.”
Jiang Xuan was deeply warmed by Ganyu’s reaction.
Learning that he had gained power, the little qilin’s very first thought was that he could now keep himself safe.
Coming to Teyvat was well worth it just to have made friends like her.
“Wait… where is your Vision, Jiang Xuan?”
Ganyu looked Jiang Xuan up and down, failing to find a Vision anywhere on him, and asked curiously.
Jiang Xuan’s face twitched awkwardly, unsure how to explain.
“That’s right, Jiang Xuan! I felt like something was off—where is your Vision?” Keqing realized in hindsight, staring at him.
Jiang Xuan paused briefly before mumbling vaguely, “Something like that… I kept it tucked under my clothes. There’s no need to hang it out in the open, right?”
“There’s no strict rule saying you must,” Ganyu smiled gently and said softly.
“Though wearing your Vision openly acts as a deterrent and keeps petty bandits from bothering you while traveling.”
Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“No need for that. If petty thieves don’t bother me, how am I supposed to earn Mora?”
At his words, Keqing and Ganyu shared a knowing smile, not taking it too seriously.
Treasure Hoarders getting robbed after trying to mug someone happened all the time, and no one in Liyue shed tears for them.
It was a well-known unwritten rule for making quick cash.
“Let’s save the chatter for later. Secretary Ganyu, how is the seal reinforcement coming along?” Keqing wiped the smile from her face, returning to her usual professional demeanor.
Ganyu nodded and answered softly, “It’s secure now. It should last about three months. Once the Rite of Descension is over, we can just come back and reinforce it again.”
Hearing this, Keqing breathed a sigh of relief and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I wasted time at Jiang Xuan’s place and left you to finish it all by yourself…”
“It’s fine, it wasn’t much trouble at all,” Ganyu waved her hand and murmured gently.
“Is there anything else we need to do? I still have documents to organize back at Yuehai Pavilion.”
Keqing nodded thoughtfully and mused, “I originally intended to have the Millelith here at The Chasm clear out another wave of monsters, especially since Jiang Xuan was just attacked nearby. But on our way over…”
Before Keqing could finish, Ganyu grew anxious.
Turning around, she looked Jiang Xuan up and down worriedly.
“Jiang Xuan, you were attacked by monsters? Are you injured? Why don’t you come back with us to Liyue Harbor so a doctor can check on you!”
Jiang Xuan burst out laughing helplessly, deeply moved by Ganyu’s concern.