The next morning.
When Xia Zhi woke up, he found the little girl curled up in his arms again, fast asleep.
She really did like sleeping like this.
After getting up, everyone went to a restaurant outside for breakfast.
As promised, Xia Zhi handed a Black Iron Treasure Chest to Xiangling.
Once again, it was Ganyu who opened it.
Inside was a fruit knife, with the effect of restoring some of a fruit's freshness.
Basically, a budget version of the Eternal Spirit Knife.
Xiangling didn't mind the effect at all—in fact, she loved it. Mostly because it looked great, and the slender blade suited a girl's hand perfectly.
Today's competition was archery.
Ganyu, Diona, Amber, and Fischl all signed up.
A millennia-old adeptus, a natural-born hunter with a special bloodline, a seasoned outrider, and… a chuunibyou girl.
It was obvious Fischl was the weakest of the four.
But hey, competitions are about participation.
Someone has to come last—why not her?
In the end, Ganyu took first place again.
There was no helping it. Even without talking about skill or experience, Ganyu's platinum-tier physique alone was enough to crush ordinary people with ease.
On the way, they spotted Venti and the Dragon King drinking together in a tavern.
Xia Zhi remembered Venti's weapon of choice was also the bow, so he asked why he hadn't joined the competition.
Venti simply replied that these kinds of contests were too troublesome, not fun at all—he'd rather spend the time drinking with an old friend.
That was such a Barbatos answer.
At lunch, Xia Zhi gave a Black Iron Treasure Chest to Ganyu.
She opened it to find a small red string charm, with the effect of increasing Luck (1%).
It might sound weak, but because Ganyu's base luck was already so high, the boost was significant.
She tied the string at her waist—it looked good on her too.
Charlotte, meanwhile, was in distress.
She'd joined several events already, but hadn't won a single one.
Without a victory, she couldn't get a chest, and without a chest, she couldn't get her hands on a telescope to modify her Kamera…
As they walked, she muttered, "Is there really no competition out there I could win…?"
Ganyu overheard her and thought to herself that she should keep an eye out for her.
Not two minutes later, a piece of paper came blowing toward her in the wind, landing right in her arms.
Ganyu caught it, glanced at it, and saw it was a contest registration form.
[Prettiest Photo Contest]
Ganyu couldn't help but feel a strange sense of "ask and you shall receive."
She touched the red string charm, walked up to Charlotte, patted her shoulder, and said, "Charlotte, want to try entering this contest?"
"What contest—wait!? There's a contest like that?!"
"According to the description, it seems to be a last-minute addition. Starting today until the end of the Windblume Festival, they'll be collecting photos, then announce the results."
"That's perfect! This is my specialty! I can definitely win this! I'm signing up right now!"
Without another word, Charlotte ran off.
She was clearly thrilled.
Xia Zhen mused, "Charlotte may be a professional journalist with great photography skills, but photos also depend on timing, location, and opportunity. Someone could just snap a random shot and end up winning."
Xia Ci chuckled. "I actually have an idea that might improve her odds."
Everyone looked at her curiously. "What idea?"
Xia Ci pulled out the beautifying mirror she'd gotten earlier.
Chi Yu guessed, "You mean taking a picture of the reflection in the mirror so it looks better?"
Xia Ci shook her head. "Think bolder."
"Bolder?"
"Take the mirror apart and install it in the Kamera as a physical beauty filter. Wouldn't that be way more convenient?"
"Genius!"
"But the Kamera would need a transparent lens for that, right?"
"Which is why we'll have to ask Cloud Retainer to research it."
Cloud Retainer was still a bit distracted, only raising her head when she heard her name. "What?"
Xia Ci tossed the mirror to her. "Here you go."
Cloud Retainer quickly caught it. "Careful, don't break it."
Xia Ci explained, "My first thought wasn't actually to modify Charlotte's Kamera, but to give everyone's phones a camera function. If you can figure out the mirror, we could use it as a lens, and every picture taken would look nicer."
Cloud Retainer finally understood. "A camera function… I can try."
"If you run into trouble, you can ask for help from others—my cousin and I included."
Cloud Retainer instinctively glanced at Xia Zhi, then looked away. "Alright."
---
Amber had lost the archery competition.
She waved goodbye to the others and left the venue with her usual carefree attitude.
Then, she hurried straight to the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
In the hallway, she spotted Noelle mopping the floor and quickly asked, "Noelle, did you see a book about this thick while cleaning yesterday?"
Noelle looked up, thought hard for a moment, then shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't see it."
"What about in the dining hall?"
"Nope."
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Amber walked to Acting Grand Master Jean's office and knocked.
Jean's voice came from inside.
"Come in?"
For some reason, Amber thought her voice sounded a little… off today.
"Master Jean!"
"Amber?"
"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to ask—did you happen to see a book about this thick…?"
"Is it a Liyue cultivation novel?"
"Yes, that's the one!"
"You dropped it on the floor yesterday when you brought me lunch. I put it on that bookshelf over there—you can grab it yourself."
"Oh, great! Thanks, Master Jean!"
"No problem. Just be more careful next time, don't go dropping things."
"Mm-hm! Got it! I'll be off then!"
Amber retrieved the gift Xiangling had given her, feeling that joyful relief of recovering something precious.
She flipped it open as she walked, but then noticed a few pages were creased—as if they'd been read over and over.
But that wasn't her favorite part of the story.
In fact, she'd hardly read that section at all.
So… someone else must have?
But the book had only been misplaced for such a short time.
And it had been left in Jean's office.
Knowing Jean's personality, she was always buried in work—no way she'd have the interest or time to read some foreign fantasy novel.
Then… who could it be?
Amber thought about it for a while, but with no leads, she shook her head and dropped it.
---
That afternoon.
Jean left her office, put on a hat, and walked through the streets until she reached a Liyue bookstore.
She browsed the shelves and, sure enough, found the novel for sale.
Picking up a copy, she went to the counter and asked, "Does this author—'Rainy Night With a Blade But Without Umbrella'—have any other works?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed. "No. Don't bother asking—he only wrote one volume, then disappeared. Last time I went to Liyue to restock, I heard from an editor that the author went traveling, so there won't be updates for now."
"I see. Then I'll take this one."
With the new book in hand, Jean walked out of the shop and let out a slightly disappointed sigh.
"Traveling…"