That thought flashed through the Millelith soldier's mind in an instant.
He cupped his fists and bowed.
"Understood. We'll continue to keep an eye on the matter. If anything unusual happens, we'll report it at once!"
Ganyu nodded slightly, indicating he could withdraw.
The Millelith soldier saluted again, then turned and left, footsteps quickly fading as he returned to his patrol post.
Left alone, Ganyu lowered her gaze to the photograph on her desk and let out a quiet sigh.
Liyue had always been a land that valued order.
Now, out of nowhere, a mysterious snow lion was roaming the streets.
It was only a matter of time before that drew even more attention.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop as she turned to look out the window.
"Yuheng…" she murmured softly, eyes distant.
Her mind was already made up.
Once she finished the stack of paperwork in front of her, she would go find Keqing personally.
At that same time—
Yun-Han Opera Troupe.
Warm sunlight filtered through carved wooden lattice windows, washing over polished wooden tables.
The hall was filled with a soft scent of tea and the hum of voices. The atmosphere was lively—almost boiling over.
The moment Paimon followed Zhongli toward the building, she froze mid-air.
Because Yun-Han was already packed.
The neighboring Heyu Tea House was also completely full.
Tea drinkers crowded every table, and the entrance to Yun-Han was choked with people. Even the doorway was ringed with Liyue locals waiting to get closer.
Compared to yesterday, the scene today was several times more intense.
"Waaah! Why are there so many people?!" Paimon yelped.
She hovered in place, staring at the packed tea house and the sea of people like she'd just stumbled into a festival.
Yesterday Yun-Han had been busy—but at least there had been room to breathe.
Today? It looked like even standing space was rare.
And Heyu Tea House next door was crammed to the brim too.
Paimon patted Ying's arm in disbelief.
"Okay, I get Yun-Han being full—but even Heyu is full? Do Liyue people love tea this much? This is ridiculous!"
Zhongli, as always, walked with calm, unhurried steps, and gave a faint smile.
"Today, Miss Yun is performing."
His voice was as smooth as warm jade.
"They are all here for her."
"Miss Yun?" Paimon blinked, then remembered. "Oh! The opera master you mentioned yesterday? She's that popular?"
Zhongli nodded.
"Indeed. Liyuean opera carries the history and culture of this land. And Miss Yun is one of its foremost representatives."
"Whenever she goes on stage, it is always a full house."
Paimon looked around again.
Faces were filled with anticipation. Some people chatted quietly. Others simply sipped tea and waited, clearly used to scenes like this.
"I didn't know she was this famous…" Paimon muttered.
Then something occurred to her and she tugged on Zhongli's sleeve.
"Wait, wait—if Yun-Han is this full, is there even anywhere left for us to sit?"
"There is," Zhongli replied.
He didn't slow down, simply bypassed the crowded entrance of Heyu Tea House and walked straight toward the stairs leading up to the second floor of Yun-Han.
The troupe members had already spotted him.
As soon as Zhongli appeared, they quickly came forward with respectful smiles, leading them to a choice table—excellent view of the stage, a little distance from the densest crowd, and clearly reserved for certain special guests.
"Someone who can walk in with the Funeral Parlour's consultant…"
"Who is that traveler…?"
"And look—he's got that snow lion with him! It's just lying there so quietly… it doesn't look like a wild beast at all!"
People nearby quickly noticed Kairo's group.
Especially the lion at his side.
The snow-white fur glowed softly in the light streaming in from the windows. The lion lay calmly beside their table, head lifted, eyes half-lidded—no hint of aggression, yet it radiated a quiet nobility.
"Liyue's got lions like that?" someone muttered. "I've never seen that kind of beast here…"
"I'm telling you, that has to be some kind of adeptus beast."
"But it's so well-behaved… And its owner is sitting right next to Mister Zhongli from Wangsheng… Who is that guy?"
Curiosity rippled outward. More and more gazes were drawn toward Kairo.
Before anyone could speculate further, however, a clear voice rang out from the stage.
"Thank you all for your patience."
Soft strings sounded, and the main curtain slowly drew aside.
A slender figure stepped gracefully into the center of the stage.
Her every step was light and steady.
Her dark-violet opera robes swayed elegantly around her legs as she moved.
Cloud-like patterns were embroidered delicately along the cloth.
Her headpiece, adorned with bright tassels and colored silk balls, framed a face with neatly-cut bangs and deep crimson eyes.
Her features were refined; her bearing, poised and dignified.
There was a classical grace in every motion, the sort of presence that made people instinctively straighten a little in their seats.
"She's so pretty…" Paimon breathed.
Then, a beat later, her eyes flew open wider.
"Wait, huh?! Isn't it supposed to be Mister Yun?!"
"Why is she a girl?!"
Her entire expression read: I've been tricked.
Zhongli calmly lifted his teacup, as if this had nothing to do with him, and took a small sip.
"'Mister' is merely an honorific in the opera world," he explained. "A respectful title."
"Though Miss Yun is a woman, her mastery of the art is profound. Addressing her as 'Mister' is a way of honoring her skill."
"Ohhh…" Paimon scratched her cheek. "So that's how it is…"
Before she could complain further, Yun Jin smiled faintly on stage.
Her crimson eyes shimmered with the particular confidence only seasoned performers possessed.
She brought her hands together and bowed gracefully toward the audience.
"Thank you all for coming today," she said.
Her voice was clear and mellow, carrying the melodic cadence of Liyue opera. Just listening to her speak was comfortable.
"Today, I, Yun Jin, will be presenting a new aria. I hope it will be to your liking."
As her last word fell, the music swelled.
Strings, flutes, and percussion joined in; dancers moved lightly at the sides of the stage; and Yun Jin began to sing.
At that very moment, a familiar translucent panel slid into Kairo's vision.
[You've run into the youngest daughter of Carmelo, Duke of the Protectorate, on the streets of Luofu: Guinevere.
You recognize at a glance that this is the street performer Guinaifen—'Guinaifen' being the Xianzhou name given to her by her friend Sushang.]
[Right now, Guinaifen is doing a talent performance for her live audience.]
[You see this and choose to…]
[Option 1: Lavish Praise.
Her skills aren't that amazing, but her fluid motions, mature stage presence, and polished tricks show remarkable training. She's got something there.
(Reward: Sword-Swallowing Spine Technique — gain Guinaifen's full sword-swallowing technique. As long as the sword isn't too big, you can swallow it as a "performance".)]
[Option 2: Spend a Fortune.
Such skill deserves rich reward. A performance that stuns its audience should earn payment to match.
(Reward: Guinaifen's Path Power branch skill — [Fire Swallow], allowing you to swallow flames and gain 100% immunity to fire.)]
[Option 3: Poison-Tongued Critique.
She's good, but still lacking—too many flaws, not enough polish. Honestly, she should just go work in a factory feeding pigs; at least that's another trade learned.
(Reward: Constant-Temperature Crystal Shell — a hot crystal like solidified flame, cut from the remains of a cross-dimensional creature. Though no longer blazing, it still radiates warmth. The outside world is too cold now, but with this stone in your pocket, you can walk very far… searching for cities that may still hold humans.)]
"...Huh?"
Kairo's eyelid twitched.
What is this dumb system doing now?
He lifted his eyes and saw Yun Jin in full costume, singing with poise and grace.
Then he glanced back at the options.
Yun Jin… Guinaifen…
Those two have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Yun Jin was a textbook example of a cultivated, dignified lady of Liyue.
Guinaifen was a hyperactive street performer.
Even just from the way they carried themselves, they were worlds apart.
Kairo stared at the floating system text for a few seconds in speechless silence.
How has this stupid system made it this far without crashing?
He sighed inwardly.
Still… the rewards were tempting.
Especially Option 2.
To swallow fire and become completely immune to flames?
Now that was broken.
Ever since Clara's Destruction-path buff enchantment, Kairo had noticed that any "Path power" rewards the system spat out seemed… enhanced. Upgraded, somehow, from their original versions.
This was no exception.
In normal logic, swallowing fire should either burn you or be strictly limited somehow. But this?
Swallow flames, 100% fire immunity.
If he swallowed that fire, where did it go? Did his body absorb it? Convert it? Delete it?
Either way, as long as it worked, it meant one thing:
Fire stopped being a problem.
With this, even if I go to Natlan later… I could literally jump into a volcano to take a bath.
Very comfy.
He made his decision immediately.
Option 2 it is.
On stage, the performance continued.
The opera melody flowed through the tea house like running water.
Yun Jin's sleeves fluttered as she moved, each step light and precise.
Her lines rose and fell with perfect control, her tone sometimes soaring and powerful like rivers crashing into the sea, sometimes soft and tender like spring wind brushing over the eaves.
Every note seemed to unfold a new landscape—
every phrase carried the weight of Liyue's long history.
The sound of strings and flutes wrapped her voice in rich harmony, lifting it and giving it shape.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
The audience hardly realized how long they'd been sitting there.
Only when the final note faded, Yun Jin closed her folding fan with a gentle snap, and bowed, did the hall truly fall silent.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The air still vibrated with the aftertaste of her song.
If they closed their eyes, they could almost hear it continuing in their minds.
Then—
Applause exploded.
"Bravo!"
"Wonderful!!"
Thunderous clapping filled the building.
Some people stood up outright, unable to hold back their excitement.
"Yun Mister's opera is still as breathtaking as ever!"
"That aria was absolutely incredible!"
"This isn't just opera—this is the very essence of Liyue's culture!"
"Totally worth lining up early!"
Applause, cheers, and praise rolled through the air like waves.
Every face glowed with admiration.
On stage, Yun Jin smiled gently.
Her eyes were calm, confident. She bowed once more.
"Thank you all for your support."
Just as the noise was beginning to settle into excited conversation—
A heavy clang suddenly rang out.
BANG!
The sound was dense, metallic—impossible to ignore.
The entire tea house fell silent again.
Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the noise:
the tip chest near the front.
There, a bulging money pouch had just been thrown in.
The weight of the Mora inside made the box shudder.
That sound alone told people: this wasn't some small handful of change.
"Whoa…"
"That sounded… heavy."
"Yeah, that's definitely not just a few thousand Mora…"
Someone narrowed their eyes, trying to judge by ear.
"At least… tens of thousands?"
"No, no—"
Another regular, clearly more experienced in hearing money drop, stared at the chest and shook his head.
"I've heard a hundred thousand Mora hit a box before, and it wasn't this loud."
"This one… might be close to a million."
A sharp hiss of breath rippled through the crowd.
"A million Mora?!"
"Who is this guy?!"
"Who just casually drops that kind of money?!"
Be it curiosity or envy, every gaze turned toward the direction the pouch had flown from.
Up on the reserved balcony, at a prime table…
Kairo sat with one hand on his teacup, expression tranquil, as if he'd done nothing more dramatic than toss in a tip of a few coins.
He raised the cup and took a slow sip, utterly ignoring the stunned stares.
Paimon, however, nearly popped out of the air.
"E-ehhh?!"
She spun toward him, eyes as round as plates.
"You threw in a whole bag of Mora like that?!"
Ying was also taken aback.
She lifted her head and looked at Kairo with clear surprise.
"..."
On stage, Yun Jin paused.
Her gaze flicked briefly to the tip chest.
Her Geo-sense swept over the bag with ease.
Inside—
At least a million.
Her eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but she remained composed, every inch the seasoned performer.
She turned toward Kairo's table, brought her hands together, and bowed slightly.
"Many thanks for your generosity, sir."
"Skill like yours deserves a reward," Kairo replied with a soft chuckle.
For him, a million Mora was… nothing special.
This wasn't just "tipping"—this was converting Mora directly into power.
A million Mora in exchange for a fire-swallowing Path skill that granted absolute immunity to fire?
That was a bargain.
Back in Mondstadt, he'd already earned an absurd amount of Mora. He'd barely spent any of it.
And here in Liyue?
If he needed more, he still had his bio-wave scanner. Finding resources, flipping them for Mora… His wealth would only grow.
While he was thinking that, the system chimed again.
[You watched Guinaifen's talent performance and chose to spend a fortune.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained Option 2's reward:
Guinaifen's Path of The Hunt (branch skill) — Fire Swallow.
Once used, you can swallow flames and gain 100% immunity to fire.]
Kairo's lips curved faintly.
Good.
In the tea house around him, however, the mood was only getting louder.
"Did you see that? A million Mora, just like that!"
"Anyone who tosses money like that and sits beside Mister Zhongli… He's got to be some merchant prince or something."
"And that lion by his side… Yeah, no way someone like that is ordinary."
"Honestly, I just wanna know where he came from. Young, rich… Seriously, a million Mora just for a tip? Even Mister Yun's never gotten that kind of money all at once, right?"
"Right. Yun Mister gets a lot of tips, sure—but usually it adds up over a whole show, from everyone. Not from one guy."
"Most people just listen for free, thanks to Yun Mister not setting conditions. We get to hear her even from outside and she never forces anyone to pay."
"Tsk… So this is probably the first time she's gotten something near a million from a single person."
"Well… maybe it's not exactly a million. But at least several hundred thousand, no question…"
Speculation flew through the air.
More and more people secretly tried to memorize Kairo's face.
Yet he sat there as if completely unaffected.
Snow lion curled at his feet, teacup steady in his hand, he simply watched the stage with calm, appreciative eyes.
To him, all the stares, whispers, and gossip were just background noise.
Right now—
He was more interested in seeing how far he could push this newly acquired Fire Swallow in the future.
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