Lumine, true to her innate worker's spirit, mastered the craft in no time.
Hands on her hips, she declared, "I feel like I could start working here already. Room and board included!"
Lumine's little scheme was plain as day.
Fresh from her Dragonspine adventure, she just wanted a break.
And if she could hang out with Mu Yang, even better.
"So, what do you say, Mu Yang?" Lumine pressed, seeing he hadn't responded.
"No way," Mu Yang refused.
This caught Lumine off guard. Was her skill not up to par?
But Paimon and the others seemed satisfied with her work—what was the deal?
Had he grown tired of her and moved on to someone new?
That must be it. There was a new face in the shop.
He was probably bored of her by now.
Lumine felt a pang of grievance, her emotions in turmoil.
"Just room and board won't do. I'll pay you a salary too."
For Lumine's unreasonable request, Mu Yang naturally couldn't agree.
Room and board alone? No way—she deserved at least a bit of pay.
Exploiting workers was not something he could stomach.
If his resident legal advisor ever dragged him to court over it, the drama in jail would be quite the spectacle.
Eula, eavesdropping while sipping her drink, choked.
"Cough, cough… Can't you fix that habit of pausing mid-sentence?"
["I'd be panicking too. No work, no Primogems for pulls!"]
["Clocking out just to clock back in at Teyvat."]
["Loyalty!"]
Lumine's mood flipped from sorrow to joy. "So, you're saying you agree?"
Mu Yang nodded. "I'd be happy to have you stay and help out."
Paimon chimed in, "It's like a new travel experience. How great is that?"
Lumine pulled her from the sidelines to the bar counter.
"Paimon's gotta work too, right? Or do you plan to eat and drink for free every day?"
"Ugh—can't I?"
Lumine squished Paimon's cheeks. "Of course not. Mu Yang and I will make drinks; you handle deliveries."
"Fine, fine, but I want snacks!" Paimon floated over to Mu Yang.
"That's okay, right, Mu Yang?"
Mu Yang agreed on the spot.
And just like that, he secured Teyvat's strongest worker duo.
Not bad at all.
"I'll make you some ice cream right now."
"Ice cream?"
Mu Yang stepped into the workroom and quickly returned with the treats.
"[Cryo Slime Ice Cream], for Paimon and little Klee."
"Thank you, Big Brother Mu Yang!"
"Hehe, Mu Yang's full of ideas." Paimon admired the cup.
The ice-blue ice cream had a cute Cryo Slime drawn on the cup.
The texture was cool and refreshing, like diving into the sea for a thrilling adventure.
Klee loved it, kicking her little feet happily as she ate.
Mu Yang reminded her, "The weather's getting chilly now, so just one serving, okay?"
Klee nodded obediently.
Paimon nodded reluctantly…
Guinaifen watched the storyline unfold.
"It feels like Mu Yang gets so gentle when he's around kids."
["Who wouldn't love an adorable daughter like that?"]
["Classic tough exterior, warm interior. Mu Yang's totally different with friends versus enemies."]
["I get it—warm him up! Come to my bed, I've got three blankets to wrap him in!"]
["You little…"]
["So Lumine's the Pyro Archon? Hot enough, no wonder Mu Yang's so nice to her."]
["Nah, Lumine's not that hot."]
"Can you guys talk about something the streamer can actually respond to?"
["I see the streamer's playing with fire too—pretty hot (tongue-out red bean)."]
["The streamer's the type to bite a lighter!"]
Hearing the door open, Lumine perked up.
She was an employee now, after all. "Welcome!"
She glanced at the door. "Venti?"
"Well, well, what a coincidence! You guys are here too?" Venti plopped into a seat with practiced ease.
Paimon teased, "Look at Venti, moving like he owns the place. Definitely not his first time here, huh?"
Venti launched into his verbal flair.
"Don't give me those looks, guys. Mu Yang and I are kindred spirits who met too late!"
"With such a bosom buddy, how could I not come support him?"
Eula, knowing the full story, exposed the booze-loving bard on the spot.
"You're just here for the 'friends get free drinks during the opening' deal, aren't you?"
"Ehe~"
Lumine's ears perked up. "Friends get free drinks?!"
No way. Mu Yang should know Venti's true identity.
Back in Mondstadt, he'd mentioned the green poet had important clues.
If he knew Venti was the Anemo Archon, he'd also know he could drink a thousand cups without falling.
The cider in this shop was in danger!
Mu Yang seemed to sense her concern and whispered, "It's fine. He drinks for a few hours each day and leaves. It's not that expensive."
["Insane, calculating by the hour?!"]
["Thought he'd just down a dozen cups or so."]
["Lmao, Venti's just milking Mu Yang dry!"]
Lumine was utterly speechless.
Fine, that must be Mu Yang's view on money.
She stepped out and asked Venti what he wanted.
Venti gave a sly smile. "A new face, huh? Let me try your skills then. I'll have a [Blessing of the Anemo Archon]."
He was definitely doing this on purpose. Absolutely.
Lumine returned to the bar counter, and the players finally entered the event tutorial.
It was pretty straightforward.
Choose a cup, select ingredients based on Mu Yang's recipe list,
mix and stir, pick a garnish, and done.
The annoying part was the customers repeating their requests from the sidelines…
Venti sipped Lumine's creation, clearly pleased.
"Not bad, not bad! It's on par with Mu Yang's technique. Are you a genius or something?"
Smug Lumine put her hands on her hips. "You're only realizing that now?"
At the bar counter, Amber chatted with Mu Yang about fun places to visit in Liyue Harbor.
Though Amber's grandfather was from Liyue, she hadn't spent much time in the harbor herself.
With Mu Yang and Lumine tied up, Amber and the others would have to explore on their own.
Since Mu Yang had invited them, he wasn't unprepared.
For Eula's arrival, he'd already notified Yanfei.
As for what came next, Yanfei knew what to do.
Eula was her savior, so if she came to Liyue Harbor without a proper host, it would be unacceptable.
The legal advisor pushed aside her work to personally act as their guide.
Watching their retreating figures, Mu Yang silently thought,
Three Pyro girls now—who's going to trigger the Melt reaction?
Just as the Melt team left, an all-Electro team arrived.
"Welcome!" Lumine turned and froze at the sight before her.
"The Shogun's here too?!"
Bodyguard Kujou Sara stepped forward, holding out a hand to stop Lumine from approaching.
"You've got the wrong person. The one standing before you is the shrine maiden, the older sister of the Palace Overseer—Yae Ei."
"She is absolutely not the esteemed Almighty Narukami Ogosho."
Lumine: (⊙o⊙)…