"Shenhe? Why are you here?" Lucian asked.
"Working," Shenhe replied calmly as she cleaned up the melon seed shells around Lucian's area.
The scene gave Lucian a strong sense of déjà vu—it felt like when his mom would clean up after he and his friends finished playing.
Luckily, he had been eating neatly, so cleaning up was easy.
"Working is good. It'll help you integrate into society," Lucian said in support.
But if you asked whether Lucian had ever held a proper job himself, the answer was no.
At twenty-one, just as he was about to graduate from university, he got isekai'd. After arriving in this world, the closest thing to a job he had was being Hu Tao's playmate.
Later, he went to Fontaine, got "sponsored" by a wealthy lady, and earned income by writing novels. He had never seriously worked a day in his life.
Work? Work was out of the question.
Shenhe nodded in agreement. Her senior sister had also told her that working would help her understand human society faster.
Lucian was still a little worried—could Shenhe really handle this kind of service job?
He wanted to stay and see how she adapted, but just then, someone quietly approached him.
It was Yun Jin. She had removed her stage makeup and was dressed in ordinary servant attire, her long purple hair cascading naturally.
She hadn't intended to draw attention, and with Shenhe drawing everyone's gaze, no one noticed Yun Jin coming over to find Lucian.
The reason Yun Jin had Shenhe clean the tables was precisely because her ethereal, otherworldly demeanor would attract attention—creating a sense of contrast.
Lucian was surprised. He hadn't expected Yun Jin to personally invite him. He thought that even if she wanted to see him, she'd send someone else to extend the invitation.
This was Lucian underestimating his own influence.
With Rex Lapis's death, the people of Liyue had fully come to believe in the Prophet's power.
Now, it wasn't that he had difficulty meeting others—it was that others had difficulty meeting him.
Hadn't he noticed that even Ningguang personally invited him instead of sending someone else?
Even if Lucian wasn't Rex Lapis, his identity as the Prophet was enough to earn the respect of the Liyue Qixing.
"Mr. Lucian, might I invite you to a private room for a conversation? Yun Jin requests your audience," Yun Jin said.
Lucian never refused free hospitality. He turned to Tartaglia and said:
"Ducky, you head back first. I'll catch up with you next time."
"..." Tartaglia was speechless.
Ducky? Is that me?
Wait, that's not the point. The point is—what exactly do you take me for? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?
Partner, I consider you a partner!
But no matter how dissatisfied Tartaglia was, he had no choice but to listen to Lucian.
There was no helping it—Lucian currently held critical intel. Whether he liked it or not, he had to comply. It wasn't like he could just admit defeat to Signora and ask for her help, right?
Between two evils, Tartaglia chose the lesser one and decided to obey Lucian.
After Tartaglia left, Lucian followed Yun Jin to a private room at the back of the teahouse.
As soon as he entered, Lucian saw a short figure grinning widely at him.
Venti, that old rascal, still hadn't returned to Mondstadt. Earlier, he'd even been caught by Zhongli and questioned for a bit.
Zhongli had also asked him why he was still in Liyue.
Venti replied that the show wasn't over yet—what kind of audience leaves halfway through?
"This is a highly skilled bard, proficient in all kinds of music," Yun Jin introduced.
She had invited Venti to discuss musical compositions with him.
When it came to instruments, Venti could truly be called a "master of all."
"Hehe, no need for introductions, Miss Yun. Mr. Lucian and I are old friends," Venti said with a laugh.
To avoid being recognized, Venti had even changed into Liyue-style clothing.
It had to be said—the disguise worked well. At the very least, the people of Liyue wouldn't easily recognize him as the Anemo Archon.
Yun Jin nodded, inwardly impressed. This bard really is something—even the Prophet knows him.
Lucian was puzzled. The Rite of Descension was long over, and even the Rite of Parting was about to conclude. Why haven't you gone back to Mondstadt yet?
Don't forget—you're a stowaway Anemo Archon! Even the Hydro Archon, who came through proper diplomatic channels, has already left.
"Why are you still in Liyue?" Lucian asked.
"Because there's still a good show left to watch here," Venti replied matter-of-factly.
To Yun Jin, his words might have sounded like he was referring to her opera.
But Lucian knew—this old trickster was definitely staying because he knew something big was still about to happen in Liyue.
"You're the real Prophet," Lucian muttered.
"Ehe."
Yun Jin blinked her ruby-like eyes, not quite understanding their conversation.
"Miss Yun, what did you want to see me about?" Lucian decided to drop the topic of Venti.
"Just 'Yun Jin' is fine," she replied politely.
"I invited you here because I recently learned something from Miss Shenhe."
Yun Jin explained that when Shenhe came to apply for the job, she had asked, "Do you perform The Divine Damsel of Devastation?"
That in itself wasn't a strange question—but the oddity lay in Shenhe's background.
Ganyu had previously informed Yun Jin that Shenhe had grown up in the mountains and knew very little about human society. She hoped they could be patient with her at work.
So here was the question: How did someone who knew next to nothing about the human world—not even basic common sense—know about The Divine Damsel of Devastation?
Curious, Yun Jin asked Shenhe about it.
Shenhe told her that her junior brother had mentioned it to her, saying it was a story related to her, so she wanted to learn more.
Then, Yun Jin asked about Shenhe's junior brother's identity—and it turned out to be none other than the famed Prophet.
From there, Yun Jin had Shenhe draw everyone's attention while she discreetly invited Lucian over.
"Mr. Lucian, I'd like to know—what exactly is the connection between The Divine Damsel of Devastation and Miss Shenhe?"
Yun Jin had already guessed part of it. "Is Miss Shenhe the little girl from the story?"
She could deduce the connection but not the full truth, which was why she wanted to ask Lucian.
She hadn't asked Shenhe directly to avoid dredging up unpleasant memories for her.
Now, Lucian understood why Yun Jin had sought him out.
I may be the Prophet, but I don't have much to do with Yun Jin's operas. If she wanted to cater to a fan, she should've gone to Zhongli instead—he's here all the time. At the very least, he's an SVIP, right?
"You guessed right—Shenhe is the little girl from the story."
"However, the real events differ somewhat from the tale."
"Operas involve interpretation and dramatization, so discrepancies from reality are inevitable," Yun Jin said.
"But if the subject dislikes it, I can rewrite it."
Lucian shook his head. "No need for that."
"Actually, I'll just go get Shenhe. This is something the person involved should explain herself."
Shenhe herself quite liked The Divine Damsel of Devastation, so in the end, the opera remained unchanged—Yun Jin simply added a new segment to it.
"I'll go get her! I'll go!" Venti, ever eager to hear a story, volunteered enthusiastically.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Yun Jin: About Lucian's Singing
"Mr. Lucian's singing? …The songs he composes are quite good—very imaginative and creative."