Chapter 58: Ye Has Principles!

In the Jade Chamber, Ningguang was hosting an important guest.

"Shanhai Jing... the Mountain and Sea Fairy..."

Ningguang couldn't help but fall into deep thought as she looked at the blue-haired girl before her.

Just moments ago, this girl had flown up to the Jade Chamber on a sword.

"My apologies for the intrusion, but given my lowly status and lack of connections, I had no choice but to resort to such rudeness."

"I am Xuanqing, a disciple of the Xuanlong Gate of Shanhai Jing. I have come on the orders of our sect master, the Mountain and Sea Fairy, to discuss an important matter with the Liyue Qixing."

With just a few words, she got straight to the point and mentioned a title that the Qixing couldn't ignore.

Although the guards didn't know who the Mountain and Sea Fairy was, anything related to adepti was far beyond their authority to handle. So, while remaining vigilant, the Millelith guards immediately reported the matter to Ningguang.

And Ningguang... when she heard the words "Shanhai Jing" and "Mountain and Sea Fairy," she couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise.

In Liyue's most ancient myths and legends, long before Liyue was established—or even before the concept of the seven nations of Teyvat was formally defined—the Mountain and Sea Fairy, an adeptus (and god), had already existed.

Her existence was as ancient as the Geo Archon himself.

However, in the surviving myths, records of the Mountain and Sea Fairy were extremely scarce. The most notable story was that five thousand years ago, to fulfill the people's desire for a stable life, the Mountain and Sea Fairy created an immortal island out of thin air above the sea. She then led the humans who sought her protection to this island and never appeared in the mortal world again.

The island was named Shanhai Jing, and the Mountain and Sea Fairy's godly name was Sidhe, the god of Abundance.

But this was ultimately just a myth, and a rather obscure one at that. After all, to the people of Liyue, the idea of an adeptus who could rival the Geo Archon seemed too far-fetched to be true. So, whether this myth was real or not was something no one could say for sure.

However, now someone claiming to be from Shanhai Jing had arrived, and her demeanor was extraordinary, clearly not an ordinary person. This made Ningguang feel cautious.

After all, it was highly unlikely that someone would lie about such a thing.

"I have long heard of the Mountain and Sea Fairy's name, but may I ask why the Fairy has sent an envoy here?"

"Our sect master wishes to open the gates of Shanhai Jing, dispel the hidden immortal array, and bring Shanhai Jing into the world. Therefore, she has sent me to discuss with the Liyue Qixing the matter of bringing Shanhai Jing under Liyue's jurisdiction."

"Truly... Shanhai Jing has been hidden from the world for five thousand years. May I ask why the Mountain and Sea Fairy has suddenly decided to do this?"

Could it be that she thinks the Geo Archon has passed away and wants to take control of Liyue, becoming its new god?

Ningguang couldn't help but entertain this thought.

But upon further reflection, that shouldn't be possible, right?

The Geo Archon isn't actually dead, so the divine throne couldn't be inherited by the Mountain and Sea Fairy. And without inheriting the divine throne, even if the Mountain and Sea Fairy believed the Geo Archon had passed away, shouldn't she be wary of who had inherited the throne instead?

Unable to make sense of it, Ningguang could only focus and wait for the other party's response to judge its authenticity.

Xuanqing was also straightforward: "Recently, our sect master suddenly expressed a desire to leave seclusion and see the world, which is why she came to Liyue Harbor today. After witnessing the prosperity of Liyue Harbor, our sect master remarked—"

"Shanhai Jing exists to protect the people, and the Xuanlong Gate exists to educate all beings. Neither exists to serve as a prison. The people should be free to pursue better lives, healthier bodies, and longer lifespans."

"—Our sect master is compassionate and puts the people first, which is why she has conceived this idea."

Ningguang nodded. "I see."

That made sense and was understandable.

According to the myths, the Mountain and Sea Fairy was indeed a benevolent god who cared for the people.

So, while Ningguang didn't fully believe it, she also didn't completely dismiss it.

"This matter is not something I can decide alone. I will convene the Qixing and inform the adepti of Liyue to discuss it. Please wait for a few days."

"There's no need to call me 'Fairy.' Just call me Xuanqing."

With that, the day's conversation came to an end.

Although there was no way they could outright reject Shanhai Jing, Ningguang wanted to first consult the adepti to understand what kind of god the Mountain and Sea Fairy truly was.

Adepti live immortal lives, and among them, there might be those who belonged to the same era as the Mountain and Sea Fairy... In any case, the adepti would surely know more about her than Ningguang did.

Moreover, the adepti might know where the Geo Archon was now and could contact him to inform him of the current situation.

Ahem, although Ningguang felt a little awkward inside—after all, she had just declared that Liyue was now an era of human rule, and here she was wanting to rely on the Geo Archon again—but... this situation was something that would be hard to resolve without the Geo Archon!

At the very least, she needed to ask for the Geo Archon's opinion and see what his stance was on this Mountain and Sea Fairy!

Therefore, after personally arranging accommodations for Xuanqing, Ningguang immediately convened the Qixing and sent someone to find the Traveler, hoping the Traveler would accept a commission to seek out the adepti once more.

And of course, on Earth, players who received this quest were excitedly rushing through the story.

By this point, many players had already figured out that the day Shanhai Jing opened would be the day the sect master entered the gacha pool.

Although speeding through the quests wouldn't speed up miHoYo's update schedule, participating in this quest gave players a greater sense of involvement.

For the sake of getting the sect master into the gacha pool, they would do whatever it takes!

As for the players' enthusiasm, Ye... oh no, Longhua couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

"Should I give Lumine (the players) a few more quests to make them feel more involved?"

Longhua lay on a recliner, her legs crossed, idly running her fingers along her snow-white thigh as she thought.

Oh, sorry, that was just a subconscious action. After all, her thighs felt really nice.

Longhua snapped out of it, feeling slightly embarrassed as she withdrew her hand.

—Well, Ye still had some dignity.

Although this was his alt account, in a sense, it was still him. So, even if he were to... comfort himself, no one could really say anything. But... the alt account had its own will and wasn't just a doll for the bed. Since he had set it up this way and created it like this, Ye felt he couldn't go too far.

Ye was indeed someone with strong desires, but he also had his own principles—at least for now. What happened in the past was in the past, so let's not bring it up.

Therefore, Ye quickly restrained himself and fully immersed himself in Longhua's identity once more.

"Alright, let's release two quests."