"Huh? Where is he?"
When the ferrylady walked out carrying breakfast, she was stunned.
Where was Lao Meng?
"Uncle Meng! Uncle Meng!"
She called out, but there was no response.
"Stop yelling. Lao Meng went out. The Director and Miss Mona went out too."
Outside the parlor, another Wangsheng employee walked in, yawning. "I saw Lao Meng leave just as I was coming in. I guess he won't be back for breakfast."
"Well, nothing we can do about that. He's not eating at home."
The ferrylady sighed helplessly. "Then let's eat."
...
Liyue Harbor.
It was bustling as always.
Huge crowds gathered, surrounding the area. People kept pouring in from all directions.
"Whoa, it's magnificent! Is that the Steam Battleship? It's so domineering."
"Haha, yes! Quick, line up! We can go on board for a tour! It's going to be awesome."
"I skipped breakfast just to run over here. Finally, it's my turn."
"The sign says the morning batch allows over a thousand people. There are only a few hundred ahead of me. I can make the first batch!"
"Actually, the first batch went up last night. But still, this ship is spectacular."
"Strange. Wasn't The Alcor docked next to it last night? Where did The Alcor go?"
"I don't know, but who cares? With the Steam Battleship here, why would I want to see The Alcor?"
...
The people in line stared excitedly at the steel titan docked at the harbor—the ruler of the seas, the Steam Battleship!
They had seen it when they arrived, and now they waited eagerly for their turn to board.
"Sigh. I should have gone to sleep earlier last night."
On the deck of the Steam Battleship, Sea Drake yawned, looking listlessly at the queue. "I didn't sleep a wink. Spent the whole night exploring the ship."
"Same here."
Another crew member sighed. "I was too excited to sleep. And honestly, even if I wanted to, the sleeping quarters were too luxurious. I was afraid to close my eyes. I've never stayed in a room that fancy in Liyue, let alone on a ship."
"Tell me about it. I've never slept in a bed that soft. But I'm okay, not too tired. I'll sleep after my shift this afternoon."
"I spent all night memorizing the manual. Now I have a headache just looking at those buttons. If I have to press them later, I might mess up. My brain is scrambled."
"Hehe, if you don't want to press buttons, let me do it. We can swap jobs."
"Not a chance. Thanks."
...
The crew of the Crux Fleet chatted among themselves.
Many had dark circles under their eyes from a sleepless night of excitement and exploration.
Fortunately, they were used to staying up late, and their current task was just maintaining order.
No one would dare cause trouble on Beidou's ship. That would be a death wish.
"By the way, where is the Captain?"
Suddenly, someone noticed their leader was missing. "Is Captain Beidou still sleeping?"
"No, she just left. Huixing and Qianyan went with her. They probably went to get breakfast."
"What? Miss Huixing went too? Jealous. I wanted to go eat with them."
"Didn't Wang Ming buy breakfast for us? You just wanted to tag along with the ladies. I see right through you."
...
While the crew gossiped, they watched the Liyue residents board the ship.
Every visitor gasped in amazement as they stepped onto the steel deck.
Meanwhile, at Yujing Terrace.
Ganyu stood overlooking Liyue Harbor, her blue ponytail swaying gently in the breeze. Her cowlick twitched as she gazed at the Steam Battleship.
"It is indeed magnificent. People at Yujing Terrace complain about the Crux Fleet, but in my view, Captain Beidou's contributions to Liyue far exceed what those gossip-mongers can imagine."
"Lady Ningguang asked me to open jars at the shop. But when I walked past just now, the door was still closed. The shopkeeper must not be awake yet."
"I wonder what kind of person he is. Why sell these jars in Liyue? Lady Ningguang said he is very young."
"Hmm."
Ganyu recalled her conversation with the Tianquan the previous night.
She was curious about the mysterious shopkeeper.
The current prosperity of Liyue and the establishment of the Liyue Bank were inextricably linked to him. Even Ningguang spoke of him with gratitude.
And the Yuheng, Keqing, held him in high regard as well.
Ganyu really wanted to meet him.
Her cowlick twitched again.
Her curiosity about Felix grew stronger.
...
At Wanmin Restaurant.
Xiangling looked up from her cooking and stared at Hu Tao in shock. "Hu Tao? Why are you here so early? Don't you usually sleep until noon or later?"
Hu Tao rarely appeared in the morning.
Especially for breakfast.
For normal people, eating breakfast was routine. For Hu Tao, it was an anomaly.
"You are slandering this Director!"
Hu Tao reached out and pinched Xiangling's cheek. "Can't I eat breakfast? Not just today—from now on, I will come here for breakfast every day."
"Eh?"
Xiangling ignored the pinching, her jaw dropping.
Did the sun rise from the west?
Hu Tao eating breakfast daily?
"I'll just have something simple today. Instant noodles will do."
Hu Tao turned to Mona while continuing to squish Xiangling's face. "Mona, what do you want?"
"Same as Director Hu."
Mona smiled.
"Hey! That hurts, Hu Tao!"
Xiangling slapped Hu Tao's hand away. "Do you want noodles or not?"
Hu Tao always did this. She loved pinching cheeks.
"Hehe."
Hu Tao didn't mind. It was their way of playing.
She and Mona sat down.
In less than two minutes, Xiangling served two steaming bowls of instant noodles.
"Looks delicious."
Mona gulped, smelling the rich aroma. "And so fast."
She had barely sat down. The efficiency was shocking.
And she had never seen these noodles before.
"Mhm. These are 'Instant Noodles'. Very convenient. Just soak them and eat."
Hu Tao explained, picking up her chopsticks.
Mona was amazed.
Noodles that were instant? That would have been perfect for her old lifestyle.
Incredible.
"Right?"
Seeing Mona's shock, Hu Tao grinned. "Eat up! Once we're full, I'm heading to the Jar Shop. Are you coming?"
"Um, I need to visit The Steambird office."
Mona adjusted her hat. "I need to ask about submission guidelines, payment rates, and how to submit articles. That's my income source now. I haven't been there yet."
"Okay then."
Hu Tao nodded.
The two girls slurped their noodles.
Time flew by.
After eating, Hu Tao ordered a takeout portion, plus some steamed buns and soy milk. She skipped out of Wanmin Restaurant happily.
"Xiangling, thank you!"
Mona thanked the chef as she left. "I'm going now. If you ever want a divination, come find me! I'll do it for free!"
"Okay!"
Xiangling's eyes lit up.
She was fascinated by astrology. A free reading would definitely come in handy.
...
"He's still not up."
When Hu Tao arrived at the Jar Shop, the door was shut tight. Felix was still sleeping.
"Good morning, Director Hu."
Two respectful voices greeted her.
Wenqi and Doyle, the Millelith guards, approached from the street.
They paused when they saw Hu Tao waiting at the door.
Why was Director Hu here?
She wasn't usually an early bird.
Despite their confusion, they greeted her.
"You guys come here this early?"
Hu Tao looked surprised. "Your job is so relaxed. No need to be here so early, right?"
"We usually arrive around this time," Wenqi explained. "The shopkeeper usually wakes up now, so we bring him breakfast on our way to work."
"I see."
Hu Tao nodded. "You don't need to bring it anymore. From now on, this Director will bring the shopkeeper's breakfast."
Wenqi: "????"
Doyle: "????"
The two guards exchanged baffled glances.
No way.
Someone is competing for this job?
Is Director Hu that bored?
Running here early in the morning just to deliver food?
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