Villain Simulator, Ch 434-438

Lucas looked at the two plain boiled eggs in front of him, a subtle expression appearing on his face.

Well then, just boiling eggs counts as cooking?

If you could make a bowl of instant noodles, you'd probably dare to apply as head chef at the Liuli Pavilion.

But soon, Lucas realized that these two eggs seemed a little familiar. Suddenly, he came to a realization and said, "Wait a minute, these eggs—aren't they the same kind Shenhe gave me last time?"

That's right. These two eggs were none other than the "work" of Cloud Retainer.

Cloud Retainer had also discovered that egg-laying wasn't entirely without pattern, but rather influenced by her own mental state.

Last night, she had been "forced" to listen to an entire night of bridal chamber concertos. Early this morning, she had felt something strange in her body, and when she lifted the covers, there were already two more eggs underneath. As for the exact reason, perhaps she knew it deep down, but she didn't want to admit it.

"That's right," Cloud Retainer nodded and said, "Go on, eat them."

Although Lucas didn't know what kind of animal the eggs came from, he clearly remembered how delicious they had tasted. So without holding back, he peeled one while asking, "These precious eggs must be hard to come by, right?"

"Yes… yes," Cloud Retainer nodded and said, "It takes quite a bit of effort every time."

After all, compared to regular chicken eggs, these ones were noticeably larger.

"Since they're so precious…" Lucas handed one of them to Cloud Retainer and said, "There are two anyway. Why don't you have one too?"

"No, there's no need," Cloud Retainer waved her hand and said, "I… don't really like eating eggs."

Especially her own eggs. Although it was technically a different matter altogether, eating her own eggs still gave her a feeling like a woman eating her own period pancakes…

"Then I won't be polite," perhaps due to the exhaustion and hunger after a long night, Lucas began devouring the egg eagerly. While eating, he praised, "Even though it's just the simplest boiled egg, no matter how many times I eat it, I never seem to get tired of it."

"Is that so?" For some reason, upon hearing Lucas say that, Cloud Retainer felt a strange sense of satisfaction deep in her heart and smiled, "Don't worry, you'll get to eat them often in the future."

Lucas tilted his head and asked, "Don't tell me you're not planning to return to Mt. Aozang?"

"What?" Cloud Retainer narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Are you trying to drive me away?"

"No… no way!" Lucas quickly shook his head. "I'm just worried that staying in Liyue Harbor too long might affect your cultivation."

"Nonsense. At our level of cultivation, we already follow the path of acting as our heart desires. Whether in a solitary mountain or a bustling city, they are all places for cultivation," Cloud Retainer said with some pride. "Besides, if Ganyu and Shenhe have children in the future, I can help take care of them. Considering how outstanding they are, I have great confidence in my educational skills."

Hearing this, Lucas couldn't help but feel speechless.

Ganyu's many honors were likely earned through her own hard work.

As for Shenhe… while she was indeed powerful, she had no shortage of issues in other areas.

Just thinking about his own future children possibly being raised into stoic-faced Shenhe clones gave Lucas an inexplicable sense of dread.

"Say, judging by the look on your face just now…" Cloud Retainer frowned slightly. "You weren't thinking of something terribly rude, were you?"

"Ding-dong!"

At that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang from outside. Lucas quickly stood up and said, "Sounds like someone's here. I'll go answer the door!"

With that, he hurried off like the wind, afraid Cloud Retainer might press further.

...

A few minutes earlier, near the Ganyu residence, an unusual pair had appeared—a blonde girl in a white dress, accompanied by a silver-haired little girl floating in midair.

That's right. They were Lumine and Paimon.

After arriving in Liyue Harbor with Lucas, Lumine had temporarily parted ways with him to continue her search for her brother, leaving only contact information behind.

During this time—while the Tianshu election was in full swing—Lumine and Paimon had continued searching for clues about her brother, but ultimately, they found nothing.

The most important clue Lumine currently had was that her brother's whereabouts might be related to the "gods" of Teyvat. But the god of Liyue, the Geo Archon, was even harder to find. So, they had decided to try their luck in another nation.

The nations closest to Liyue were Sumeru and Inazuma. According to what they'd heard at the harbor, Inazuma was currently preparing for the Tenryou Commission's grand tournament. If they participated, they might have a chance to meet the Electro Archon.

However, Inazuma was still under the Sakoku Decree, meaning ordinary ships couldn't reach it. The only way to enter Inazuma was with the Crux Fleet led by Beidou.

Lumine sought out Captain Beidou in hopes of getting help, but of course, the answer was a firm no.

"Unless you can get a departure permit from the Liyue Qixing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, or Yuehai Pavilion, my ship won't be going anywhere."

So, with a "worth a shot" attitude, Lumine and Paimon visited various officials—but met rejection at every turn.

"This is ridiculous! Why is it so hard just to find someone?" Paimon crossed her arms, looking annoyed. "Tianquan Ningguang only sees people by appointment, Yuheng Keqing is always away, and as for the Tianshu… they say one hasn't even been chosen yet!"

"There's nothing we can do. We're strangers here. People with the status of the Qixing wouldn't meet us so easily," Lumine didn't complain, but her expression was clearly uneasy. "I wonder if this emissary of the Qixing, Ganyu, will be willing to see us…"

"I heard that Ganyu's status is even higher than the Qixing. Asking her for help might be even harder…" Paimon shook her head and said, "Besides, when you're asking someone for a favor, it's rude to come empty-handed, right?"

"I've heard that Lady Ganyu is fair and incorruptible. Bringing gifts might actually backfire," Lumine glanced at Paimon. "Besides, if we really want to bring something, it's not like we don't have anything…"

"Wait—what's with that look?" A few black lines dropped down Paimon's face. "You're not thinking of giving me away as a gift, are you?"

"Well, rare and exotic creatures can count as gifts, right?" Lumine nodded. "Besides, even if I give you away, you can just fly back later, right?"

"You… you're heartless!" Paimon puffed out her cheeks in anger. "Is a companion something you can just give away like that?"

"All right, all right, I was just teasing you," Lumine smiled slightly and said, "But Ganyu is one of the Qixing of Liyue. There must be a lot of delicious food at her home. If you became a pet in her house, I bet you'd get to eat good stuff every day…"

"Lumine! I think… maybe we can reconsider the idea of me being a gift!" Paimon suddenly changed her attitude and said, "For the sake of my best partner, I could just barely sacrifice myself!"

"Wipe your drool first, then we'll talk…" Lumine shook her head helplessly, then looked around and said, "But where exactly is Lady Ganyu's residence?"

"Excuse me," just then, a gentle voice came from behind the two, "If I didn't mishear, are the two of you perhaps here to visit Ganyu?"

Lumine and Paimon turned to look, only to see a tall, black-haired beauty who had appeared behind them at some unknown point.

However, the woman was dressed in a long robe and carried a birdcage in her hand. Her entire demeanor exuded the air of a retired official, which was quite at odds with her appearance.

Though Lumine's strength had not fully recovered, her combat experience remained intact. For someone to silently appear behind her without her noticing—they must be no ordinary person.

However, Paimon showed no concern at all and mumbled, "Wow, what a beautiful lady."

"Thank you for the compliment," the woman nodded slightly and said, "I am Zhongli. I have a long-standing connection with Ganyu. I happened to overhear your conversation just now and thought I'd ask."

"I'm Paimon, and she's Lumine. We're travelers from Mondstadt," Paimon introduced them cheerfully without any hesitation. "So you know Ganyu? Perfect! Could you tell us where her residence is?"

"Her residence?" Zhongli looked at their feet and said, "Strictly speaking, where you're standing right now is already part of Ganyu's estate."

"Eh?" Paimon was startled. "Then… does this count as trespassing? Wait, no! Paimon's not touching the ground, so it shouldn't count, right?"

Saying that, Paimon flew two circles around Lumine, as if trying to prove her point.

Lumine hesitated slightly but still asked, "Miss Zhongli, could you please tell us where the front entrance is?"

Though she wasn't familiar with this woman, she didn't seem like a bad person—at most, just a warm-hearted passerby.

"Go straight ahead, take the first right, then the next left. Walk about 130 steps and you'll be there," Zhongli answered without hesitation.

"Whoa, that's so precise!" Paimon exclaimed. "Are you super familiar with Liyue or something?"

"By general reasoning," Zhongli stroked her chin, "I suppose you could say that."

"Then… could you tell us where Mor—" Paimon suddenly caught herself and corrected her words, "Where the Geo Archon is?"

Although among the Seven Archons, the Geo Archon's "official name" was Morax, the people of Liyue held their god in such high regard that they usually addressed him as the Geo Lord. Calling him "Morax" directly felt a bit disrespectful.

"The Geo Lord?" Zhongli didn't seem to mind and calmly replied, "Far away in the heavens, yet right before your eyes."

Lumine's heart skipped a beat. She looked around—aside from Zhongli, there was no one else nearby.

Unexpectedly, Paimon said proudly, "I get it! You mean, even though the Geo Archon is a god, he's always watching over Liyue's people, so he's everywhere, right?"

So that's what it meant?

Lumine was suddenly enlightened. She didn't expect Paimon to think further ahead than she did.

"That's not wrong," Zhongli nodded. "By the way, if you're here to attend Ganyu's wedding, I'm afraid you're a step too late. The banquet ended yesterday."

"Wedding?" Lumine and Paimon looked at each other in astonishment. It was a bombshell neither of them could digest right away.

Seeing their confused faces, Zhongli added, "Seems I was mistaken. Please pretend you didn't hear anything about Ganyu's wedding. Farewell."

As Zhongli walked away, Paimon finally snapped out of it and said, "I think… we accidentally learned something huge."

"Shhh! When we see Lady Ganyu, we mustn't say a word," Lumine quickly covered Paimon's mouth. "It's better if we know as little as possible about the private affairs of the Adepti."

Paimon hurriedly nodded. She wiped her mouth with her hand and made a gesture as if zipping her lips shut.

Following Zhongli's directions, they soon found the main entrance of the estate. After hesitating for a moment, Lumine finally pressed the doorbell.

"Who do you think will open the door?" Paimon asked curiously. "Maybe a trustworthy old butler or something?"

"We should worry more about whether anyone will open the door at all," Lumine said with a nervous heart. "This might be our last hope."

"No, it's not!" Paimon quickly corrected her. "We can still go find Lucas, right? He's amazing—he'll definitely have a way to help us!"

"If possible, I'd still rather not trouble him…" Lumine bit her lip. "Lucas has already helped us so much…"

Then, with a "click," the door suddenly opened, and the face that appeared before them was one they knew all too well.

"You?"

"You?"

"You?"

All three spoke in unison.

"It really is you!" Paimon flew around Lucas twice, then even sniffed him. "Yup, it's Lucas!"

"What are you, a sniffer dog?" Lucas couldn't help but retort. "But seriously, why are you two here?"

"W-We want to set sail for Inazuma to look for clues about my brother, but Captain Beidou said we need permission from Liyue's authorities. So… we came to ask Lady Ganyu," Lumine explained before turning the question around. "But… why are you here?"

"Me?" Lucas tilted his head and said, "I've been helping out here at Ganyu's place recently."

The fact that Lucas had married Ganyu was known only to the various Adepti families in Liyue Harbor. Although he hadn't deliberately hidden it, since Lumine hadn't asked in detail, there was no need for him to explain. After all, with knowledge of the plot in mind, he knew that to Lumine, she was only a passerby in Liyue Harbor.

"I see…" Paimon said casually, "I thought you were… mmph!"

Before she could finish, Lumine had already covered her mouth, whispering in her ear, "Did you forget? We're not supposed to speak about that!"

Only then did Paimon realize and quickly nodded.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked in confusion. "What did you think I was?"

"I… I…" Paimon stammered, "I thought you had switched jobs and were now working under Lady Ganyu."

"Yeah," Lumine added in puzzlement, "Didn't you say before that you were working for the Yuheng?"

"I… I was dispatched here by Lady Keqing," Lucas didn't lie and answered "truthfully": "There was some business to take care of at Lady Ganyu's home yesterday, so I had no choice but to help out."

"Forget it, that's not important!" Paimon quickly shook her head and smiled. "We're here to ask Lady Ganyu for help. Since you know her, doesn't that make everything easier?"

"Paimon!" Lumine tugged at Paimon's sleeve and hesitated slightly. "We don't want to trouble you. Just introducing us is enough."

"It's no trouble, really!" Lucas waved them over and said, "In that case, follow me to the parlor and wait. I'll go call Ganyu."

Lumine and Paimon quickly followed and began whispering between themselves.

"That scared me to death. I thought Ganyu's husband was Lucas," Paimon whispered.

"How could that be?" Lumine smiled faintly. "Brother Lucas is excellent, but their statuses are quite far apart."

"How strange…" Paimon furrowed her brow. "Why do I feel like you just breathed a sigh of relief?"

"T-That's normal," Lumine quickly found an excuse. "With Brother Lucas as a go-between, there's hope that this request might actually work."

"Well, that's true," Paimon didn't think too much of it and said, "But I still wonder what kind of help Lucas is offering at Ganyu's estate. The wedding was yesterday, so things should be settled now."

"It's best not to ask too much about such things," Lumine said softly. "If we upset the Adepti, it could be troublesome. Just follow my cues later and don't speak out of turn."

"Mhm!" Paimon nodded. "My lips are sealed!"

"This is the dining room. It's occasionally used as a reception room too," Lucas said as he led them into the parlor. "Make yourselves comfortable for a bit."

"Okay… grumble~"

As Lumine's voice fell, a rather awkward "grrr" sound came from both of the girls' stomachs.

Immediately, their faces flushed red.

Clearly, they hadn't been as lucky as Lucas. During their time in Liyue Harbor, they had no income and had to take on commissions at the Adventurers' Guild to make ends meet, much of their earnings spent on searching for Lumine's brother.

Although the remaining money was enough to cover meals and lodging, Lumine and Paimon's appetites weren't exactly normal. Even three or four burly men might not match them. So while they hadn't starved, they'd rarely had the chance to feel truly full.

"Seems like it's nearly lunchtime," Lucas, ever thoughtful, pretended not to hear their stomachs and smiled. "Why don't I whip up some lunch? We can eat while we talk."

"Yay!" Paimon clapped her hands. Even Lumine didn't stop her this time. Instead, looking slightly embarrassed, she said, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all." Lucas waved his hand. "I'm the one in charge of meals around here."

With that, he turned and left. Paimon suddenly clapped her hands again and exclaimed, "I get it now!"

Lumine was startled and clutched her chest. "You scared me! What did you realize?"

"Obviously, Lucas's job here," Paimon said proudly. "He must be… Ganyu's private chef!"

"No wonder he said he had to be here to help…" Lumine suddenly understood too. "There's no wedding banquet without a chef, after all."

Naturally, Lucas had no idea that his "true identity" had already been figured out by these two geniuses.

He made his way back to the bridal chamber from last night and found only Ganyu still sleeping soundly on the bed—Shenhe was nowhere to be seen.

Lucas wasn't surprised. From what he knew about Shenhe, she had probably gone out for morning training at the crack of dawn.

"As expected of Shenhe…" Lucas muttered. "After such intense combat last night, she still has the energy to train this morning."

"Mmm…"

Perhaps hearing Lucas's voice, Ganyu slowly woke, rubbing her eyes as she said, "Good morning, Husband…"

"It's not really morning anymore," Lucas tapped the horn on Ganyu's head and said, "The sun's already high in the sky."

"I took the day off today…" Ganyu seemed quite content, squinting her eyes and saying, "Today, I really need to rest. I'm still a bit sore…"

And no wonder.

Opening a jar of eighteen-year-old daughter's wine was one thing.

Opening a jar of daughter's wine aged over three thousand six hundred years? That was something else entirely.

"I'll make some nourishing dishes today," Lucas said. "By the way, there are two guests here to see you."

"Guests?" Ganyu asked, a bit confused. "Who are they?"

Though her status was high, she didn't have many friends. Most of her work was handled at Yuehai Pavilion.

As for those who wanted to bribe or curry favor, Ganyu never met with them.

"They're two friends I met while handling business in Mondstadt. They helped me out quite a bit," Lucas said, putting in a good word for Lumine. "One of them has been searching for her brother and wants to go to Inazuma, so they came here…"

"That… won't be easy," Ganyu was now a little more awake. "Still, I'll meet them first. Since they're your friends, even if it's a difficult request, I'll try to see what I can do."

That statement was modest.

In Liyue Harbor, if even Ganyu couldn't get something done, there probably weren't many who could.

"In that case, I'll go to the kitchen and make you some Clear Mind Soup," Lucas said with a smile. "And I'll grill a few skewers of kidney meat for myself to recover."

Upon hearing that, Ganyu's face flushed red again, and she said coyly, "You… you still want to replenish yourself? I can barely handle it already."

"Don't you still have that junior of yours to deal with?" Lucas chuckled. "Besides, you've only just started and have no experience. Once you gain more, with your strength, I'm afraid I'll be the one who can't keep up."

Ganyu reached out her hands toward Lucas and said, "I want to sleep a little more. Help me get dressed."

Though she seemed delicate, she was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. It had been a long time since she acted spoiled like this. The last time she did so was with Cloud Retainer, but in a flash, that had already been several thousand years ago.

Lucas smiled helplessly and picked up the clothes to help Ganyu get dressed.

Of course, Ganyu's clothing was rather troublesome to put on even for herself, let alone for someone else. When Lucas got "hands-on," he naturally ended up groping her quite a bit, making Ganyu burst into giggles.

As his fingers brushed past certain places, she couldn't help but bite her lip.

If there weren't guests waiting in the parlor, Lucas probably would've gone for a round of morning training just like Shenhe.

Of course, in the bedroom.

After a round of playful teasing, Lucas finally helped Ganyu get dressed.

"I'm so hungry…" Ganyu rubbed her slightly soft belly, even though it was still flat. "Can we go eat something first?"

"You really leave me no choice…" Lucas said with a doting smile. "I'll make a few small dishes to hold you over, then cook lunch."

"Mhm!"

...

But Ganyu wasn't the only one hungry—Lumine and Paimon had already eaten up all the snacks in the parlor meant for entertaining guests.

Those snacks were good for appeasing the taste buds, but they didn't fill the stomach.

"Why isn't lunch here yet…" Paimon shook her head. "No, why isn't Brother Lucas here yet?"

"It is taking a bit too long," Lumine said with a puzzled look. "He was just going to call someone—it shouldn't take this long."

"How about this," Paimon whispered, "I'll go out and take a look."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Lumine hesitated. "This is someone else's residence. Walking around freely might be impolite."

"It's fine, I'll fly—flying doesn't count as walking," Paimon consoled herself. "If I get caught, I'll just say… I was looking for the bathroom."

"What?!" Lumine suddenly looked surprised.

"What… what kind of expression is that?" Paimon asked suspiciously.

"I just didn't know…" Lumine glanced Paimon up and down. "That you even needed to use the bathroom."

"How rude!" Paimon's cheeks puffed up with anger. "Of course I do!"

With that, the little one flew off without looking back.

"Let's just hope… she doesn't get caught…" Lumine silently prayed in her heart.

However, the moment she stepped outside, Paimon—who had been so confident—immediately lost some of her momentum.

This estate was simply too big!

Trying to find someone in such a huge place… the difficulty could easily be imagined.

"Wait a minute… what's that smell…" Suddenly, Paimon twitched her nose and muttered, "Smells amazing! It's coming from over there!"

Finding people might be tough for Paimon, but when it came to food, her nose was like a bloodhound's.

Before long, she followed the scent and found the kitchen. The little one cautiously floated over and clung to the doorframe, ready to peek inside and see what delicious food was being made.

But what she saw next shocked her for a hundred years.

Lucas was actually passionately kissing a curvy blue-haired woman!

Not only that, he was kissing while holding a spatula in one hand, managing both at once!

There was no need to guess—of course it was Lucas and Ganyu.

After a while, the two finally parted. Lucas sighed and said, "Ganyu, isn't it a little wrong for us to sneak a taste behind her back like this?"

"As long as she doesn't find out, it's fine," Ganyu replied softly. "Besides, she's always focused on cultivation. She won't care."

The "her" they referred to was naturally Shenhe. But for Paimon, who was outside the window, there was no way to distinguish "she" based on pronunciation.

Given the strength of the two inside, there was no way they wouldn't notice someone so close. But because Paimon was flying, her sound was minimal, and the two were too "focused" to notice that there was a third "person" outside the window.

That is, if Paimon could even be counted as human.

Witnessing such a shocking scene, Paimon forgot all about looking for food and hurriedly flew back along the original path, barging into the parlor.

Seeing her panicked expression, Lumine quickly asked, "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's… it's even more unbelievable than seeing a ghost!" Paimon's face was flushed red. "I… I saw Brother Lucas and Ganyu… being intimate in the kitchen!"

"What?" Lumine was stunned. "Are you sure it was Lady Ganyu? We haven't even met her yet, right?"

"I… I heard Brother Lucas call her by name!" Paimon said with conviction. "And she had horns on her head—just like the descriptions of Ganyu in the stories!"

"But didn't that woman named Zhongli say earlier that Lady Ganyu just got married yesterday?" Lumine said, completely at a loss. "So… are they having a secret aff—"

"Affair?" Paimon filled in the words Lumine didn't dare say.

"Shhh!" Lumine quickly covered Paimon's mouth. "Until we figure out the truth, don't make reckless guesses! And if what you say is true, then we absolutely can't tell anyone about this!"

Given Ganyu's status, if she learned that Lumine and Paimon had discovered this "scandal," there was a chance they could be silenced.

Just as the two were growing nervous, the door to the parlor suddenly opened, and a tall, sweat-soaked silver-haired girl stepped in, squinting at them.

"I thought I heard someone talking in here. Who are you?"

"We… we're here to visit Lady Ganyu!" Lumine quickly explained. "We've been here the whole time—we never left!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Paimon added. "I didn't go to the kitchen at all—mmph!"

Realizing she had misspoken, the little one quickly covered her own mouth.

"Guests, huh?" The girl said flatly. "No need to be nervous. I'm Ganyu's junior. Just call me Shenhe."

Why did a junior suddenly show up too?

Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance, perfectly in sync. They instantly understood each other—say nothing!

Seeing their strange expressions, Shenhe couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Why do you two look… sneaky?"

She always spoke bluntly, and unexpectedly hit right on their guilty conscience. Just as Lumine and Paimon were getting increasingly nervous, the parlor door opened once again.

And this time, it was Ganyu who walked in!

There was still a faint blush on her cheeks, but when she saw the two guests, she smiled and said, "You two must be the little visitors who came to see me, right?"

Lumine and Paimon dared not say much and could only nod in unison.

If she hadn't heard it from Paimon herself, Lumine would never have believed that such a graceful and elegant woman could be involved in such disgraceful things… with the household cook.

But thinking about how Lucas did indeed have an extraordinary charm, Lumine felt it was perhaps a little more understandable.

"Senior sister, you're up really early," Shenhe narrowed her eyes and asked, "Where's your husband?"

As soon as Ganyu heard that, her face turned even redder, and she stammered, "I… I don't know. He… he went out early this morning."

She was extremely shy and naturally wouldn't tell Shenhe that she had just had an intimate moment with Lucas in the kitchen.

But hearing this, Lumine and Paimon were even more convinced of their suspicions.

Ganyu had actually fooled around with the cook while her husband was out! And that cook was Lucas!

This… this was huge news!

No—it absolutely could not become news. If it really did, not only would their search for Lumine's brother be over, they might already be sealed in a cement barrel and dumped into Liyue Harbor.

"That guy…" Shenhe muttered to herself, then said, "Forget it. I'm going to take a bath."

With that, she didn't even acknowledge the guests and walked straight out the door.

"Please don't mind her," Ganyu said apologetically. "My junior has always had a bad temper. Last time, two petty thugs spoke rudely to her, and she directly dislocated both their arms… But don't worry, she listens to me."

At those words, Lumine and Paimon's faces darkened a few shades.

Was that… a threat? Like, if we say anything, your junior will come break our arms?

"And also…" Ganyu's face reddened slightly. "Regarding my marriage, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell others. Please, I'm counting on you."

Lumine and Paimon instantly nodded like bobbleheads.

If they even hinted at saying no, they might not even make it out of the house today.

"You two look a little tense," Ganyu naturally noticed their stiffness and smiled. "No need to be so formal. Just speak freely. Since you're Lucas' friends, I'll do my best to help with your request."

No doubt—it had to be a lover's bond. She was head over heels for him to be this accommodating.

Though Lumine had her concerns, finding her brother was more important right now. So she got straight to the point: "Actually, I want to go to Inazuma to look for clues about my brother. But to get help from Captain Beidou for a sea voyage, I need a travel permit from Liyue's authorities. That's why I came to find you…"

"I see," Ganyu nodded. "To be honest, that won't be easy. Inazuma is currently under the Sakoku Decree, cutting off most foreign trade. If it's just to send one person… no, two people, it'll consume quite a bit of manpower and resources. The expenses would have to be covered by Liyue's budget."

Indeed, sending a whole ship just to transport two people would seem excessive.

In the game's storyline, Lumine received this treatment only after doing a great service to Liyue. But now, they were just two unknown travelers.

"So, if we have enough money…" Lumine clenched her fists. "There's still room for negotiation, right? Do you know… how much it would cost?"

"A round trip, factoring in labor, time, losses, insurance, and so on…" Ganyu thought for a moment and gave a quick answer. "Roughly… thirty million Mora."

Roughly?

To the two currently penniless girls, that was a downright astronomical figure.

Though with Lumine's skills, working nonstop through commissions at the Adventurers' Guild might allow her to scrape it together in a year or two, her search for her brother couldn't afford that kind of delay. She had no intention of wasting time.

Perhaps seeing Lumine's difficult expression, Ganyu continued, "However, if you're willing to help me with a small task, I can cover both the travel permit and the required costs."

"What kind of task?" Paimon asked curiously. "It's worth thirty million Mora?"

"It's not really a big deal," Ganyu said calmly. "My old… cough, old friend Lucas is planning to go to Inazuma soon. I'd like you two to accompany him and assist as much as possible."

With Lucas's strength, he naturally didn't need the extra help. But it was better than nothing. Ganyu was just going with the flow, hoping to support Lucas however she could. Her duties in Liyue Harbor made it impossible for her to go with him. As for Shenhe… her temper was too unstable and might cause trouble.

Lumine and Paimon quickly understood.

No wonder she agreed so readily—turns out she wanted us to help her lover!

Realizing this, they exchanged knowing looks and said in unison, "We're willing!"

"Good." Ganyu nodded as well. "Let's talk more over lunch. I hope this will be a smooth journey. Also, no need to leave today—you can stay here for the night. If all goes well, we should be able to set out tomorrow."

Lady Ganyu… she's practically an angel!

Not only was she willing to send them to Inazuma, but she also provided free food and lodging.

With that, all thoughts of her "special relationship" with Lucas were nearly forgotten by Lumine and Paimon. They even secretly resolved that no matter what, they would keep this secret safe!