Hearing Ningguang's complaints, Elliot felt a wave of heartache.
He held her tightly, gently stroking her hair.
"It's okay. I'm here. From now on, you can rely on me."
"Elliot... I want to stay in your arms forever..."
Ningguang cried in Elliot's embrace for a long time, as if releasing all the grievances she had bottled up over the years.
Only after she had fallen sound asleep did Elliot carefully carry her to bed and tuck her in.
After tidying up the dishes, he stepped outside, leapt lightly onto the rooftop, and faced the moonlight to begin reciting the Calming Mantra.
The night breeze was cool and refreshing, rustling the shadows of the trees. Soft moonlight bathed the land in a gentle glow.
Not far away, Liyue Harbor bustled with life—crowds moving, carriages passing—lively and full of energy.
Observing Liyue Harbor from this quiet forest away from the city's noise made for an amusing pastime.
In Elliot's senses, the lights of Liyue gradually began to fade.
By deep night, even the last glimmers of light had slowly disappeared.
Around three or four in the morning, Elliot finally returned indoors and went to sleep.
...
Morning.
"Elliot, are we going to buy Mora meat today?" After everything that happened last night, Ningguang was clearly different from before.
Her eyes sparkled with childlike light and innocence.
It seemed she had finally let go of a heavy burden.
With Elliot by her side, she could at last be a little girl who could play and be spoiled.
"Today, there's something more important to do."
If he kept relying on selling Mora meat to earn money, Elliot feared he'd never complete his mission in this lifetime.
That wasn't the right path.
The longer they spent together, the more painful the eventual separation would be.
That's why Elliot always aimed to finish his missions quickly—but at the same time, he needed to help them build a life for themselves after he left.
Both things had to happen in parallel. That was his true responsibility.
"Okay then, I'll listen to you, Elliot." She nodded, smiling happily.
The two of them headed to Liyue Harbor together.
They arrived at a teahouse and ordered a pot of tea and some pastries.
"Elliot, what are we doing today?" Ningguang asked, a little puzzled.
"Observing," Elliot replied with a faint smile.
"Observing...? Observing what?"
"Everyone passing by down there."
After a short wait, their tea and pastries were served.
Elliot calmly and elegantly brewed the tea and said, "Help yourself. Eat while you observe the crowd. That's important too."
"Okay~ Elliot, you're the best." Ningguang clung to his side, acting playful.
"Come on, eat up." Elliot patted her head.
Ningguang picked up a pastry and carefully placed it in her mouth.
Her eyes lit up immediately—she was instantly won over by the taste.
"So sweet~ It's delicious!" she exclaimed with surprise. She hadn't expected something so small to taste this good.
"Elliot, you should try some too." She handed him a piece of the dessert.
Elliot took a bite and savored it thoughtfully.
"Isn't it amazing?" Ningguang looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"Mm, it's really good."
"So sweet, so tasty~" Ningguang ate her pastry with great care, taking tiny bites and savoring each one like it was a rare delicacy.
Seeing her so happy, Elliot took a sip of his light tea.
...
They sat in the teahouse for several hours, quietly observing the crowds. Eventually, Elliot spotted something unusual.
"Ningguang."
"Huh? What is it, Elliot?" she looked up, puzzled by the sudden call.
"Let me show you a magic trick." Elliot smiled with confidence as he stood up.
"Magic...?" she tilted her head in confusion.
"Yep. Just wait here. I'll be right back."
With that, Elliot walked downstairs and stepped into the bustling street.
It was noon, so the crowd was thick, but Elliot had a clear target. He walked straight toward a man and blocked his path.
It looked like he was picking a fight.
The man tried to casually move aside, attempting to pass by, but Elliot stepped forward again and blocked him.
Now the man sensed something was off. He looked up and saw Elliot smiling at him.
"What do you want?" he asked, a bit nervously.
"I just wanted to ask—how does one become a thief?" Elliot replied with a calm smile.
At those words, the man's eyes narrowed sharply. He suddenly lunged forward, trying to ram into Elliot.
But Elliot was ready. He dodged with ease.
The man sprinted away without looking back, clearly not planning to engage.
But a large hand grabbed his collar from behind.
Panicking, the man drew a small knife and slashed at Elliot.
But to someone like Elliot, that was laughable. He calmly caught the blade between two fingers.
The man froze, stunned.
The scene drew the attention of nearby onlookers, who quickly backed away in fear.
Realizing things weren't going his way, the man tried to flee, but Elliot subdued him effortlessly.
He then pulled a wallet from the man's clothing and tossed it aside.
As luck would have it, the wallet's owner had just made her way through the crowd to see what was happening—only for the wallet to fly directly into her hands.
She instinctively caught it and looked from the wallet to the subdued thief, quickly understanding the situation.
"Thank you! Thank you for catching the thief!" she rushed forward to thank him.
Hearing this, the crowd around them finally understood what was going on and began praising Elliot.
Soon, the Millelith arrived and took the thief into custody.
...
With the minor incident resolved, Elliot returned to the teahouse.
As he reached the second floor, Ningguang ran toward him, eyes full of excitement.
"Elliot, you were amazing!!"
"How did you know he was a thief?!"
Elliot smiled and rubbed her head. "If you observe closely, you'll notice these things."
Seeing Ningguang's enthusiasm, Elliot knew he had achieved his goal.
Learning should never be forced. Interest is the best teacher.
Once someone's curious, even if you stop them, they'll find ways to learn on their own.
His goal was to spark Ningguang's curiosity—so he could begin teaching her.
It was different from Eula.
Eula was a genius. She'd understood so much from a young age and was eager to learn. That was natural for her.
Ningguang was more like an ordinary person. To teach someone like her well, he first had to awaken her interest.
"But... why couldn't I tell?" Ningguang asked, still puzzled.
"That's called micro-expressions and body language. Through facial expressions and certain instinctive movements, you can roughly understand a person's state."
"I want to learn! I want to learn! That's so cool!" she exclaimed with excitement.