When in high spirits, people often lose track of time.
Before they knew it, night had already fallen.
Furina and the others had made up an excuse about going shopping to leave, giving Lu Heng and Navia some time alone.
At Hotel Debord.
"I'll take you home later," Lu Heng said after a brief pause, setting down his chopsticks. "How about we catch a movie first? That should take us right up to the right time."
Navia was dabbing her lips with a napkin when she heard this. Her fingers tightened around the tissue.
Without meeting Lu Heng's eyes, she murmured softly, "I... I think I won't go home tonight?"
Hmm?
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow.
Not going home tonight?
Where else would she go? The answer was obvious.
A smile tugged at his lips as he stood up. "Then I'll go settle the bill first."
After paying, Lu Heng and Navia—her face flushed—stepped out of the hotel together.
Melus stood not far away, smiling warmly, while Silver stood like a statue beside the driver's seat of the Maybach.
"Young Lady, Mr. Lu," Melus greeted.
"Oh, Melus."
Navia knew he was here to pick her up.
She shook her head, trying to keep her expression neutral. "You don't need to wait for me. Go on ahead."
Melus blinked in surprise before realization dawned.
With a knowing smile, he gave Lu Heng a slight bow. "Mr. Lu, the Young Lady is in your care."
Lu Heng looked at Melus.
For a moment, it felt as though Navia's family elder was entrusting her to him.
Melus wasn't speaking as a mere butler—he was speaking as Navia's guardian.
"Don't worry, I will," Lu Heng nodded.
In the language of domineering romance novels, even if Navia wanted the stars in the sky, Lu Heng would pluck them down for her.
This wasn't just an exaggeration—it was a fact.
If a man couldn't treat his woman well, what kind of man was he?
"I trust you," Melus said with a nod before adding, "Then we'll take our leave."
With that, Silver started the car and drove off into the distance.
Lu Heng and Navia watched the car disappear before walking hand in hand toward the cinema.
In the rearview mirror, Melus watched the couple fade into the distance.
A look of contentment crossed his face. "The Young Lady is starting her own family."
"Mhm," Silver agreed with a sigh. "I used to think someone like the Young Lady would never marry."
"You were just young back then," Melus chuckled. "There must be a next generation. Otherwise, how would the Spina di Rosula be passed down?"
"Guess you're right."
Without an heir of Navia's blood, whose Spina di Rosula would it be?
"Things are good as they are now," Silver smiled. "Mr. Lu is an excellent man. Regardless of anything else, his character alone is beyond reproach."
"Exactly. The Young Lady made the right choice," Melus nodded. "Alright, let's head back early. I'm not as young as I used to be—can't stay up too late these days."
"Old?"
Silver glanced at the streaks of white in Melus's hair.
"If this were before, I might've worried about you. But now? With the equipment giving you another thirty or forty years, you're still young."
"Guess that makes fifty the new thirty," Melus laughed.
"You really are still young. Keep at it—who knows, you might live even longer."
"Maybe you'll even get to hold Mr. Lu and the Young Lady's child one day, keep working as their butler."
Melus couldn't help but imagine it, smiling. "You really won't let me retire, huh?"
"And here I am, still working as a bodyguard. Haven't retired either," Silver shot back.
"You're comparing a young man like yourself to an old man like me…"
Long before the card shops appeared, Fontaine already had the concept of cinema.
Though the technology wasn't as advanced back then, the experience was still enjoyable.
Now, with the support of the Civilization Core, many enterprising merchants had ordered state-of-the-art equipment, making Fontaine's cinemas even more high-tech than those in Lu Heng's original world.
The immersion was unparalleled—it felt like stepping into the film itself.
By the time they left the theater, it was already past ten.
Neither Lu Heng nor Navia could recall much of the movie's plot.
Not because it was bad, but because their attention had been entirely on each other.
The story didn't matter—what mattered was that the shared experience brought them even closer.
Hand in hand, Lu Heng led Navia back to his pocket dimension.
The entire space was empty except for the two of them.
Furina and the others wouldn't be back until at least noon the next day.
"I've prepared some pajamas for you at home," Lu Heng said as he opened the door.
"Oh! Okay!" Navia replied, her voice slightly dazed.
She seemed to need guidance for everything now.
Lu Heng's home had a bathtub, so Navia decided to take a relaxing soak.
By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, her entire body was flushed from the heat.
Her golden curls, still damp, clung to her skin.
"My hair's still wet…"
"Not a problem."
Lu Heng waved his hand.
Instantly, her hair dried.
He closed the door behind them.
Then—
Click.
Lights out.
At the top floor of the Palais Mermonia.
Focalors lounged on the sofa in a soft nightgown, a blanket draped over her legs.
Furina leaned against her left shoulder, munching on sunflower seeds while watching a drama on her phone.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata nestled on Focalors' right, her head resting on Focalors' lap as she played Genshin Impact on her phone.
She was meticulous, even completing side quests, so her progress had only just reached the end of Inazuma.
She'd assumed that finishing Inazuma's Archon Quest would unlock Sumeru, but that wasn't the case.
An Interlude Chapter had appeared!
Before this, there had been the "We Will Be Reunited" chapter. Now, there was Interlude Chapter I: The Crane Returns on the Wind.
And coincidentally, the same quest was being played by none other than the Cloud Retainer herself!
At Mt. Aocang.
The Cloud Retainer had taken on her human form, known as Xianyun.
Adjusting her glasses, she glanced at the figure not far away.
Shenhe, with her snow-white hair and ethereal aura, stood like an immortal untouched by mortal concerns.
Calmly, she introduced herbs to Klee.
After helping to heal Azhdaha, Klee had been invited to Mt. Aocang by Xianyun.
As everyone knew, the people of Liyue adored well-behaved, polite children.
And they especially adored children in general.
The Cloud Retainer was particularly fond of Klee and had even crafted some mechanical toys for her.
"Shenhe-jiejie, this doesn't taste good," Klee pouted, her little face scrunching up in distaste.
"Qingxin is indeed bitter," Shenhe replied impassively. "But bitter medicine is often the most effective. It's good for your health."
After a brief pause, she handed Klee a cup of water. "Rinse your mouth."
"Okay~"
With the bitterness gone, the little girl perked up again.
Meanwhile, Xianyun, sitting nearby, fell into deep thought.
Shenhe's fate had been sealed at birth.
In other words, her solitary nature was innate.
Though it had been awakened by external factors, it was fundamentally part of who she was.
Did that count as a negative affliction?
Xianyun thought it probably did.
But if they were to purify it, would there be unforeseen consequences?
Xianyun wasn't sure.
And uncertainty meant she couldn't act recklessly.
"I should consult an expert."
The most knowledgeable person about the cards was undoubtedly Lu Heng.
After some deliberation, Xianyun realized that while she and Lu Heng had met a few times, they weren't particularly close.
But Ganyu was!
Back at Guyun Stone Forest, Lu Heng had gone out of his way to greet Ganyu.
To Xianyun, that meant Ganyu and Lu Heng were on very familiar terms.
Setting aside her game quest, Xianyun opened her chat and sent a message to Ganyu—one of her pinned contacts.
It was already 1 a.m.
The Yuehai Pavilion was still brightly lit.
Ganyu, the rare workaholic blessed by the heavens, was still burning the midnight oil.
Her phone buzzed.
Seeing it was a message from the Cloud Retainer, she immediately checked it.
"Huh?"
"She wants me to contact Mr. Lu?"
Ganyu was surprised.
Upon learning that Xianyun wanted to consult about Shenhe's condition, Ganyu grew serious.
Though she hadn't interacted much with this junior sister, she couldn't ignore the matter.
In the past, Ganyu would've agonized over whether to approach Lu Heng.
He was like a demon luring her into the abyss!
But now, she had already "fallen."
Earlier that afternoon, she'd stepped on a scale.
Sigh.
Her heart sank.
Five pounds heavier!
Five whole pounds!
Did this demon have any idea how devastating those five pounds were to a weight-conscious woman?
For a moment, Ganyu had nearly fainted.
But after staring blankly for a while, she managed to console herself.
Look on the bright side!
Sure, she'd gained five pounds, but she was now accomplishing three times as much work as before!
The cost of a little extra weight was nothing compared to Liyue's rapid progress.
Ganyu was torn between pain and satisfaction.
At least she'd proven her worth—she wouldn't be forced into retirement!
Now that she'd already "fallen," she no longer feared the demon who'd tempted her.
Scrolling through her contacts, Ganyu spotted a certain eye-catching name.
After a brief hesitation, she decided not to send a message just yet.
She might be awake, but Lu Heng could be asleep.
It wouldn't be right to disturb him at this hour.
"I'll visit the shop tomorrow," she decided.
Making a mental note, she replied to Xianyun before diving back into her work.
The next morning.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly.
A warship cut through the waves, its radar spinning atop the command tower.
"Captain, radar shows no contacts!"
"Captain, sonar data is being processed!"
The early morning aboard the Crux was bustling with activity.
The reason? The Interlude Chapter The Crane Returns on the Wind.
Osial's wife, his last loyal follower—Beisht—was coming for revenge!
And her target? Liyue Harbor.
The moment Beidou learned of this, she was intrigued.
Would Liyue just sit back and wait for Beisht to attack?
If they hadn't known, they'd have had no choice.
But now that they did, staying passive would be downright foolish.
And Beidou was no fool.
As luck would have it, the Crux was only a thousand kilometers from the Sea of Clouds.
Every detection system on the ship was activated.
The warship's scanning range was immense.
And given Beisht's massive size, unless she was hiding in the deepest trenches, the Crux stood a good chance of spotting her.
"Hope my luck holds. I haven't even fired the 406s yet!"
The 406mm main guns were so large a skinny person could practically crawl inside!
Against a god, they might've been little more than an annoyance.
But Beisht was no god!
One solid hit, and if she could still move after that, Beidou would eat her hat.
As mentioned before, the Crux's tech was leagues ahead of ordinary ships.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have resembled an Iowa-class battleship in appearance and firepower while boasting an advanced AI system.
"Captain," the ship's synthesized voice reported, "sonar has detected a possible target."
The central display screen lit up with the findings.
"Anomalous lifeform detected 156 nautical miles northeast of our position, moving slowly toward Guyun Stone Forest."
"Oh?"
Beidou's eyes gleamed.
Anomalous lifeform.
Heading straight for Guyun.
It might as well have been Beisht's calling card.
"Crux, full speed ahead!" Beidou ordered. "Also, relay our course and projected engagement zone to the Yuehai Pavilion. Inform the Qixing!"
Beidou wasn't answerable to the Liyue Qixing.
But she wasn't reckless.
What if the Crux couldn't handle Beisht alone?
Besides, Beisht's appearance wasn't just her problem—it called for reinforcements.
"Understood!"
156 nautical miles translated to roughly 289 kilometers.
At the Crux's speed of 80 km/h, they'd be within firing range by 10:30 a.m.
Inside the command tower.
"So it's really happening…"
Gorou listened as Beidou issued orders.
Through the window, he watched as the massive guns underwent final checks.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through him.
Yae Miko, too, felt the tangible benefits of foreseeing the "future."
Everyone knew how much foreknowledge could change things.
But knowing and experiencing were two different things.
Now, they were living it.
In the original timeline, Beisht had attacked Liyue for revenge.
But now?
Now, the Crux was hunting her down.
This wasn't just talk—this was fate being rewritten before their eyes.
Liyue Harbor.
Yuehai Pavilion.
All seven members of the Qixing were present, with those away attending via video call.
"Beidou's already set sail. There's going to be a fight. What's our stance?" Ningguang opened the discussion.
Tianquan, currently in Mondstadt for military exchanges, cut straight to the point:
"Best to eliminate Osial with zero losses. Settle this historical issue now so future generations won't have to worry about a god breaking free."
Typical military mindset—straight to annihilation.
"I think Osial and Beisht could have some… utility," another voice chimed in. "After all, is a god breaking free even a concern anymore?"
That gave everyone pause.
They exchanged glances before breaking into smiles.
Who was afraid now?
"Shall we negotiate first, then?" Ningguang suggested.
"Negotiate first. If that fails, we fight," Tianquan declared.
Keqing simply smiled without comment.
Without demonstrating strength first, negotiations would be tough.
They'd probably have to fight before any real talks could happen.
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T/N:
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