Chapter 358

In mid-December, the Xiao Market of Liyue opened to the public.

Its location was in the harbor district, where there was ample water nearby—convenient in case of fire-related accidents.

A large section of the docks had been specifically partitioned off to serve as the market, and then further divided into smaller stall areas.

Xia Zhi and the others visited the place on the very first night of its opening.

It was absolutely packed with people, lanterns of all shapes and sizes hanging on both sides, lighting the area up as bright as day.

There was a dizzying array of items being sold at the stalls, and the prices? Unbelievably cheap.

Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel like this was the Teyvat version of those crazy end-of-year sales back in his previous world.

Basically, all the stores in the city joined forces for a mega-sale.

In short, although the festival hadn't officially started, the festive vibe was already in full swing throughout the city.

In the past few days, Ningguang had also released a batch of brand-new paper produced through Liyue's latest manufacturing techniques.

The new paper was as white as snow, delicate, and featherlight. In terms of quality alone, it utterly crushed every other paper product on the market—and cost only one-tenth of the usual price.

It took barely two days for the product to become a massive hit.

"Senior Zhu Zi, look! There's still a long line in front of that paper store!"

"Already? Don't tell me they've been lining up since last night…"

"Didn't expect Boss's new paper to be this popular!"

"Well, paper was ridiculously expensive before. Now that something cheap but high-quality is available to everyone, it's no wonder people are a bit... enthusiastic."

"Boss is amazing!"

"Come on, let's stop staring. It's super cold out—we still gotta buy groceries!"

"Okaay!"

After finishing their grocery run and returning to the shop, Zhu Zi and Diona quickly closed the door.

Unlike the chilly outdoors, thanks to Shenhe having drawn several Warmth Talismans and stuck them on the walls, the air inside the shop was nice and toasty.

Both Zhu Zi and Diona let out a warm breath, their faces showing blissful expressions—then saw Qiqi slowly coming downstairs, hugging her herb basket.

"Good morning, Qiqi!"

"Good morning."

"Senior Qiqi, did you spend the entire night mixing medicine again?"

"Mm."

"Any progress with the formula?"

"I've got an idea now."

"Good luck!"

"Mm."

Not long after, Xia Zhi and Shenhe got up as well.

He walked into the kitchen and saw half a pig—which he had asked Zhu Zi and Diona to buy earlier.

Since New Year was approaching, you couldn't celebrate properly without preserved meats and sausages.

With the Outer World Ring, bringing back something as heavy as half a pig was now a breeze for Zhu Zi and Diona, even though they were two girls.

The pig had been freshly butchered that morning—super fresh.

Xia Zhi gave everything a once-over; even the liver and blood were included. So, for breakfast, he whipped up everyone a hot bowl of "Pork Rice Noodles," which earned a round of unanimous praise.

After breakfast, Xia Zhi turned to Xia Ci.

"Cousin, could you write a notice?"

"Huh?"

"We're closing the shop for the day."

"Okay."

In the morning, Xia Zhi salted and cured the meat and made some minor modifications to the kitchen stove—transforming it into a temporary smoker. The whole crew then pitched in to wrap up dumplings and stuff sausages together.

In the afternoon, Xia Ci brought out her stash of Sunset Vermillionite shards, velvet cotton, and lantern paper fiber. Everyone got to work on crafting their own Xiao Lanterns—it was festive and fun.

—

On the dock, a girl was stepping off a trade ship.

The lively bustle before her eyes painted an exciting picture, curiosity and delight shining brightly on her face.

"Ships sail in from every coast, merchants gather like clouds—so this is what that phrase meant? Indeed, seeing it with my own eyes beats hearing it described a hundred times over."

As she snapped photos of the lively scene with her kamera, Baiwen arrived with her retinue.

"Miss Charlotte, thank you for your long journey. Welcome to Liyue Harbor. Lady Ningguang had instructed me to receive you in her stead."

"Eh? And you are…?"

"I'm Baiwen, one of Lady Ningguang's secretaries."

"Ningguang—as in the Tianquan Star of the Liyue Qixing?"

"That's correct."

Charlotte blinked in confusion.

"…But I came here alone on a solo assignment—how did you know I was arriving today?"

"Lady Ningguang's intelligence network is unparalleled. Nothing escapes her eyes and ears. This time, she wishes to invite you to Yujing Terrace to discuss some potential collaboration."

"But this is my first-ever visit to Liyue!"

"Lady Ningguang has long admired the reporter from The Steambird whose pen cuts sharp and true—your exclusives always prioritize fact behind the flash. She values that greatly. She's also aware that your exposé on a certain monopoly ruffled feathers and got you reassigned to cover the Lantern Rite in Liyue."

"...She doesn't know my Chief Editor, does she?"

"If you have questions, you can ask Lady Ningguang yourself. This isn't the place for talk—it's too crowded and freezing. Please come with us."

Charlotte hesitated a moment, glanced at the Millelith behind Baiwen, then nodded.

"Alright."

—

Later that night, when Ningguang visited the shop, she brought someone along in addition to her usual assistant Baishi—an unfamiliar face.

The newcomer was a young girl dressed in typical Fontaine-style attire.

She had short, shoulder-length pink hair—neat and crisp.

Her eyes sparkled like aquamarine glaze, large and bright. A single round monocle adorned her left eye, lending her an intellectual flair.

She wore white gloves and cradled a dainty little Kamera in her hands. Strapped to her right thigh was an Cryo Vision, secured with a leg ring.

"Wow? It's so warm in here!"

The girl couldn't help exclaiming the second she stepped in, basking in the warm air and glancing around excitedly.

Xia Zhi took a single glance—yes, the pink-haired girl had a Silver Tier Progress Bar hanging over her head.

Progress: [0%].

"Miss Ningguang, who might this be?"

"Mr. Xia, this is Miss Charlotte from Fontaine. She's a reporter from The Steambird, here on assignment to report on Liyue's Lantern Rite."

"The Steambird?"

"It's quite an influential newspaper agency headquartered in Fontaine. I just finished discussing a collaboration with Miss Charlotte—she mentioned wanting to visit your shop, so I brought her along."

"I see…"

Xia Zhi turned to face the girl and smiled warmly.

"Welcome to our humble establishment, Miss Charlotte."

Charlotte beamed back at him cheerfully.

"Pleasure to meet you for the first time, Boss Xia!"

"Please, have a seat… Shenhe, could you brew us some tea?"

"Yes, Boss."

Charlotte had a slightly bubbly personality—she smiled as she took a seat at the table.

"Miss Charlotte, this is your first time visiting Liyue?"

"Yup!"

"Then I must ask—how did you find out about my little shop?"

"I heard about it from some Travelers. They'd toured Liyue before and couldn't stop gushing about your Rainbow Juice after returning to Fontaine. I even interviewed a few of them for a feature in our paper. There was another article too—it was called 'Sinthe of Liyue.' Got quite the reaction."

"'Sinthe'?"

"'Sinthe is a popular Fontaine drink. It looks like juice, but it's actually a stimulant that creates euphoric hallucinations. People get addicted—it's ruined lives…"

"...?"

Yup. This is what journalism's like: half rumor, half chaos.

Xia Zhi shook his head.

"Miss Charlotte, please rest assured. The Rainbow Juice sold at this shop is 100% natural, made from fresh fruit. No illegal additives. No hallucinations."

"Oh!"

"If you'd like, I can prepare a glass for you right now so you can judge it for yourself."

"Yes, please!"

Xia Zhi stood, fetched some clean glasses, and mixed up three cups of Rainbow Juice—one for Charlotte, two for Ningguang and her assistant.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Charlotte took the glass and first examined the rainbow liquid inside closely.

"So pretty!"

Then she whipped out her Kamera and started taking shots from every angle.

The girls all watched her with mixed expressions.

Only after taking enough photos did Charlotte raise the cup, inhale the aroma, and take a sip.

She immediately fell quiet.

Xia Zhi asked, "Well, Miss Charlotte? Your thoughts?"

"…It's incredible. I've never tasted juice so delicious in my life."

"Any discomfort?"

"None at all."

Charlotte took another sip, eyes glazed in bliss.

"Now you believe our juice is nothing like Fontaine's 'Sinthe'?"

"Absolutely!"

"I hope you'll help clarify certain... misguided coverage when you return."

"Boss Xia, never fear! I, Charlotte, report the facts and nothing but the facts!"

"Glad to hear it."

While sipping juice, Charlotte became curious about the half-finished Xiao Lanterns on the table.

"You're making lanterns?"

"Xiao Lanterns—we release them during the Lantern Rite."

"Oh, that sounds so fun! Can I take pictures?"

"Of course."

"Thank you!"

Over time, the chatting grew warmer and more natural.

Eventually, Xia Zhi stood to prepare dinner and invited Charlotte to stay and eat.

She accepted without hesitation.

Once the food was served, Charlotte's eyes sparkled at the sight of the colorful spread.

"May I… take pictures?"

"Go ahead."

Click click click—she went wild again.

"Sorry to make everyone wait."

"No worries, let's eat!"

"Mm!"

And… well, let's just say Charlotte ended up happily overeating.

And Xia Zhi...? He scored a Silver Treasure Chest drop from her.

"Boss Xia, you made all this food? That must've taken a ton of work."

"It's nothing."

"By the way, Boss Xia, why do you always wear sunglasses? Aren't those from Fontaine? I thought they're not see-through... can you even see wearing them?"

"Oh, that? No issue—I can't see to begin with."

"…?!"

Charlotte froze.

"You're… blind?"

"Yup."

"But the food…"

"I made it myself. No need to be so surprised."

"Ah... that's… really something."

"It's fine—I cook every day anyway. Today I just added a few extra dishes."

"You cook every day? Aren't you the owner?"

"That I am."

"Then why don't you just hire someone—"

Ningguang smiled faintly. "Where in Teyvat would you find someone who cooks as well as Mr. Xia?"

Charlotte: "…Touché."

Ningguang stood and turned to Xia Zhi.

"Mr. Xia, sorry to trouble you again."

"No trouble at all."

Charlotte watched curiously as the two of them disappeared into the back room.

Moments later, strange noises began to echo from within.

…?

Wait, what?

Charlotte's eyes flew wide open.

What's going on!?

She looked nervously around—but everyone else seemed utterly unfazed.

Huh???

Is… Liyue's culture more open than Fontaine's!?

Even Tianquan Star… plays this wild behind closed doors!?

Wait... wait, this is huge!

No—this can't be reported!!

If I even breathe a word, not even my chief editor could protect me…

Swallowing nervously, Charlotte forced herself to act natural and laugh along.

Eventually, the sounds from the back stopped.

Charlotte let out a tiny sigh of relief.

Then she watched as Ningguang's secretary entered the back room too, cheeks slightly flushed.

More strange noises ensued.

You all sure know how to have a good time.

Boss Xia's stamina too… seriously impressive…

Finally, all fell quiet.

Xia Zhi stepped out, face composed, clothes untouched—like absolutely nothing happened.

Charlotte blinked.

That… That was impossible.

Xia Zhi sat back at the table, smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about disappearing earlier, Miss Charlotte."

"No, no problem at all!"

"Lady Ningguang's job is taxing. She visits me to unwind."

"Completely understandable!"

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes! I swear I won't say a single word!"

"…Huh?"

"It's true! You did nothing! I saw nothing, heard nothing!"

"…Miss Charlotte, I think you might've misunderstood."

"Yes! I misunderstood everything!"

"I was just giving Miss Ningguang and Miss Baishi an essential oil massage."

"Right! Just a massage! Wait—massaaage?!"

"Yes."

"But this is a juice shop!?"

"It's also a massage centre."

"Huh—what!?"

Charlotte stared at Xia Zhi's straight face,

And fell completely silent.

---

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