"Mr. Yu Jin, please sit." Yu Jin followed Zhongli to a table near the front, where there were still some empty seats.
"Coming early allows for good seating," Zhongli said to Yu Jin before taking a seat first.
Seeing this, Yu Jin no longer stood on ceremony and sat down directly. He watched Zhongli calmly sip tea and listen to the storyteller, and couldn't help but think of Venti.
Venti was always unserious, singing everywhere and scrounging for drinks. This one, on the other hand, appeared much more proper, but still seemed to dislike managing affairs, didn't he?
Didn't they say Lord Rex Lapis was busy with a myriad of tasks every day? How could he have the leisure to listen to stories and wander around?
Speaking of which, among the Seven Archons he had met, it seemed only the Raiden Shogun truly deserved the title of "Archon."
But why did she also create a puppet? Unconsciously, Yu Jin's thoughts drifted off again.
"Mr. Yu Jin—"
"Just call me Yu Jin, no need to be so polite with me."
"Then I shall take the liberty of addressing you by name." Zhongli's hand, holding the teacup, paused, then he offered another polite remark.
"It's not that I'm saying it, but are all you guys like this?" Yu Jin looked at Zhongli and asked curiously.
Zhongli's brow twitched upon hearing this. "Oh, could it be that Yu Jin, you have met others?"
Yu Jin nodded and said with a smile, "I've met the ones from Mondstadt and Inazuma. The fellow from Mondstadt is just as unreliable as you. He's probably busy singing somewhere to earn some Mora for drinks right now."
Then he thought of the Raiden Shogun from Inazuma and said with a slight wince, "As for the one from Inazuma, I had a fight with her. It was really messed up; I hadn't planned on fighting, just sparring, but she was the one who got agitated first."
Upon hearing Yu Jin's words, even with Zhongli's composure, he couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed the injury the Heavenly Principles sustained five hundred years ago was truly severe, as it didn't even notice such a fellow running around.
But which God was he from? Zhongli pondered in his mind but found he had no impression of Yu Jin whatsoever.
"erode?" Zhongli smiled. Thousands of years were enough to change too much; it wasn't impossible for a once renowned God to become the way he was now.
"What?" Yu Jin heard Zhongli mumble a few words and asked.
"Nothing, it's just, you've met the one from Mondstadt?" Zhongli didn't elaborate but instead asked Yu Jin for news of Barbatos.
He hadn't heard news of his earliest colleague for a long time, and now Yu Jin said he had become active again, which made him somewhat pleased.
"Yes, he's called Venti now. Being a bard, he's incredibly carefree." Remembering Venti's daily life as a street wanderer, Yu Jin couldn't help but complain.
He's too lazy! Not like him, who is either completing commissions or on his way to complete commissions every day.
"Incredibly carefree? That truly suits his nature." Zhongli also smiled upon hearing Yu Jin's words.
[Since Mondstadt can allow Barbatos to be so carefree even without a God, I'm sure my Liyue won't disappoint me either!] Zhongli rubbed his teacup, his conviction in his idea growing stronger.
"Hey! Do you know why that one in Inazuma implemented the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree?" Yu Jin leaned in close to Zhongli's ear and whispered.
Seeming to feel that this was too brief, he added, "Never mind the war over there, but even landing on the island costs a whopping 4 million Mora. They're clearly not making it easy for me!"
Watching the agitated Yu Jin, Zhongli suddenly felt that the state of this fellow before him seemed to be exactly what he was pursuing.
To shed burdens, to reveal one's true self, that was all.
"Is that so? I don't know much about Inazuma, but she is a stubborn fellow. If it's truly as you say, I'm afraid she's been a bit too rigid these past few years." Zhongli sighed a little upon hearing Yu Jin's words.
"Rigid? A good beating will fix it." Yu Jin waved his fist. His 'personality correction punch' was always effective.
This amused Zhongli. "Hahaha, Yu Jin, are you that confident in yourself? Her blade is renowned, even I've heard of it often."
"Lack of experience, lack of experience." Yu Jin mysteriously waved his hand, unwilling to say more.
"Alright, alright. If Yu Jin, you truly possess such great power, don't forget to call me when the time comes." Zhongli took Yu Jin's words as a joke and didn't take them to heart.
"By the way, are you guys that idle? The one from Mondstadt is wandering around, and you're here listening to plays?" Yu Jin looked at the idle Zhongli and asked curiously.
"Just getting old, not as energetic as those youngsters." Zhongli chuckled self-deprecatingly. Among the Seven Archons, only he and the Anemo Archon were the original ones; the others had all been replaced.
"Old? How old are you?" Yu Jin asked, looking at the handsome Zhongli.
Zhongli took a sip of tea and made a "six" gesture with his hand.
"You're not doing so well. You call this old? I'm already this age. Do I look old to you?" Yu Jin spread his hands, making a "ten" gesture.
"Hahaha, then I must address you as Brother Yu Jin, a good Brother Yu Jin." Zhongli was once again amused by Yu Jin's comical appearance, and uncharacteristically cupped his hands in a salute, also making a joke.
"Hey, hey, hey, forget it, forget it. Just call me by my name." Yu Jin separated Zhongli's hands and scratched his head awkwardly.
Zhongli looked at Yu Jin, who was glancing around, and felt as if he hadn't been this happy in a long time.
He had originally only wanted to see who the capable person Hu Tao had met at Wuwang Hill was, but he hadn't expected to find an old monster, and one he got along with. It was an unexpected gain, he had to say.
Taking a pocket watch from his chest, Zhongli looked at the time. "Yu Jin, do you have a lot of time?"
"Plenty. Is there something you need help with?" Before Zhongli could say anything, Yu Jin added:
"Actually, you can post commissions at the Adventurers' Guild. Just write whatever you want for the Reward. I'll take it when I see your name. It'll boost my performance, so it's a mutual help, right?"
Looking at Zhongli's puzzled expression, Yu Jin stood up, hands on his hips, and declared, "Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild's most popular Adventurer, Yu Jin, that's me!"
Actually, he had self-proclaimed this; the Adventurers' Guild didn't have such a ranking.
But who couldn't package themselves a little? Yu Jin felt this time was very successful; didn't Zhongli even applaud?
"Hahaha, interesting! Then I'll follow your suggestion. In a while, I'll post a commission at the Adventurers' Guild." Zhongli looked at Yu Jin, who had sat back down, and said with a smile.
"Commission name? To make it easier to find." Yu Jin looked at Zhongli and asked curiously. What kind of help would the esteemed Geo Archon need from him?
"Commission name, you ask?" Zhongli stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Hmm... let's call it 'Farewell, the Ancient One'!"
"Farewell, the Ancient One? How unique! I'm sure I'll find it quickly then!" Yu Jin thought the name was really good. Cultured people are just better; even their naming is different.
"Then it's settled. It's getting late; if I don't leave, the Director will start nagging." Zhongli stood up and nodded slightly to Yu Jin.
"See you!"
"See you." Yu Jin watched Zhongli's receding figure, feeling a slight pang of emotion. It seemed Liyue would likely face a major upheaval soon.
When that time came, he would definitely join Zhongli and make a grand spectacle!
Just as Yu Jin was pondering how to shock Liyue, a waiter quietly came up to him.
"Sir, here's the bill." The waiter handed him a slip of paper. Yu Jin didn't even look at it, because he knew his pockets were cleaner than his face.
However, he didn't panic at all. He called out to Yelan in the distance, "Hey! Miss, you've been following me all night. If you like me, now's your chance to increase your friendship!"
Saying this, Yu Jin even waved the bill in his hand.
"Boom!" A '#' symbol seemed to appear above Yelan's head. After following him all night, she was almost certain that Yu Jin had no intention of opposing Liyue.
However, his unreliable personality always brought her "surprises." It was like this at Yanshang Teahouse, and it was like this now.
"Take it!" After throwing a pouch of Mora to Yu Jin, Yelan, like Zhongli, also disappeared from his sight.
Yu Jin weighed the pouch and regretted a little, "Did I miss out on a rich woman?"
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