Chapter 238

In the end, Zhongli had to accept his fate.

All of this was witnessed by Keqing.

Seeing Zhongli walk out of the Ministry of Education with a depressed expression, Keqing inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction.

Had she awakened some strange trait?

Did she secretly enjoy seeing the Geo Archon at a loss?

No, no, no! It must be an illusion.

After musing for a while, Keqing dismissed the thought.

Instead, she casually walked past and pretended to be passing by, greeting Hu Tao with a serious expression.

Hu Tao, feeling triumphant, was in high spirits.

Seeing Keqing, she immediately suggested having dinner together and invited her to call Takumi and Shen He as well.

Hearing Hu Tao's words, Keqing struggled to suppress her amusement.

Meanwhile, Zhongli became even more disheartened.

She was clearly using his money to buy favor with others!

Outrageous!

Next time, he needed to find something for Hu Tao to do to ensure she wouldn't be around on payday.

Zhongli began seriously considering this.

When Keqing invited him, Takumi was more than happy to accept.

After receiving her call, he arrived with Shen He, and the group headed straight to Xiangling's restaurant.

Just as Takumi and the others started their meal, Lumine and her team finally returned from their expedition.

Their vehicles were loaded with various mechanical parts, all scavenged from the Ruin Guards they had dismantled.

If they had more time and transport capacity, they could have taken even more, but since night had fallen, they decided to return for another run tomorrow.

Even so, the amount they had brought back was substantial, and Lumine's face was filled with excitement.

Dragging their spoils, they headed directly to the Adventurers' Guild to assess the value of their haul.

The members of the Adventurers' Guild were shocked at the sight.

They quickly gathered to inspect the materials.

"Check these and tell us how much they're worth," Lumine instructed, eager to receive payment.

Although they would need to give a portion to Takumi, she was confident they would still make a hefty profit.

The guild staff wasted no time, turning on floodlights to properly assess the parts.

While some were damaged, there were still plenty of valuable components.

They even discovered several intact anti-gravity devices, each worth a staggering 50,000 Mora.

And Lumine had several of them.

This was a huge payday.

Other adventurers gathered to watch, stunned by the sheer quantity of high-value parts.

Had they stumbled upon a Ruin Guard factory?

Lumine and her team left the guild with smiles, having earned a total of 350,000 Mora.

The anti-gravity devices were the most valuable, but many were damaged; otherwise, they could have earned even more.

Still, Lumine was satisfied.

There were still plenty of Ruin Guards left to dismantle tomorrow, and she estimated they could push their earnings past a million Mora.

As the team split the money, they made their way to Diona's tavern to celebrate.

Lumine also remembered she needed to share a portion with Noelle and Takumi.

After all, Takumi had done most of the heavy lifting.

In reality, after distributing Takumi's share, they were left with only a few million Mora.

Lumine sighed.

They would have to do better next time.

It was rumored that the snowy mountains held many buried Ruin Guards, just waiting to be excavated.

Bennett had told her about them, and she had already decided their next expedition would be to the Dragonspine region.

Not only could they find Ruin Guards, but they could also help Xiangling track down the Great Snowboar King.

If they managed to hunt one down, that alone would bring in a hefty profit.

Teyvat was full of money-making opportunities.

In just a couple of months, Lumine could completely pay off her villa and even afford renovations.

At Diona's tavern, they split the money.

However, Noelle refused her share, insisting that Takumi had helped her significantly, and she couldn't accept the money.

Seeing this, Lumine had no choice but to give Noelle's share to Klee, asking her to deliver it to Takumi later.

Klee happily agreed, excited about her own earnings.

Even though she hadn't done much, Lumine had insisted on paying her, as Klee, Diona, and Qiqi had all played a critical role in calling Takumi for backup, ultimately saving their lives.

Thus, each of them received a check for one million Mora.

Lumine was nothing if not generous.

That night, Klee returned to Takumi's manor.

Handing over a check, she beamed and said:

"Brother Takumi!"

"This is from Sister Lumine—it's your share of the earnings!"

"Klee got some too!"

"Klee made money today!"

She excitedly showed him a check for one million Mora, her eyes sparkling.

Takumi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the check.

"That much?"

"Lumine is that generous?"

He was genuinely surprised.

The check showed an amount exceeding 20 million Mora.

Had those guys really made that much in just one run?

And they had given him such a large share?

Was this a joke?

Klee, seeing Takumi's surprise, eagerly explained everything.