"No, no, I meant the other song—'Rending my form, setting free~ A thunderous roar, a symphony~~'," Paimon sang loudly.
Her voice was so adorable that even the majestic "Ballad of the Water Dragon" sounded like a "Ballad of the Baby Dragon."
"So? Did I sing it well?" Paimon crossed her arms and tilted her head upward, clearly fishing for praise.
"Better than Lucian, but slightly worse than me," Lumine replied, mimicking Paimon's pose.
Lumine only teased Paimon like this—with anyone else, she'd at least pretend to be serious.
"No way! It's way better than Lucian!" Paimon stomped her foot.
Lucian, who had been watching the scene unfold, suddenly sneezed.
"Zhongli, you be the judge! Who sang better, me or Lumine?" Paimon turned to Zhongli.
Zhongli sighed inwardly. I thought leaving the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for a few days would give me some peace…
But it seems the Traveler and Paimon are just as relentless as Director Hu.
And why must I always choose between two options? Feels like déjà vu…
Truthfully, both Lumine and Paimon sang better than Lucian—comparatively, it wasn't even close.
Lucian sneezed again, drawing a "concerned" glance from Tartaglia.
"Comrade, don't tell me you're getting sick and can't fight me!" Tartaglia groaned, rubbing his temples.
Zhongli was equally troubled. The Traveler and Paimon are about the same—how am I supposed to judge this?
Do I really have to pick a winner? Can't I just disqualify both?
"I believe my junior brother sang better," Shenhe interjected, breaking the stalemate.
Her sudden appearance startled Paimon, who immediately flew behind Zhongli, only relaxing when she realized it was someone familiar.
"Oh, it's just Shenhe! You scared me!" Paimon patted her tiny chest.
"But saying Lucian sang better is just lying to yourself!" Paimon argued, hands on her hips.
At best, Lucian's singing could only be described as "not off-key."
Yet Shenhe simply stared at Paimon calmly, making it clear she genuinely meant it.
Shenhe had hardly ever listened to music and had no frame of reference.
Since Lucian at least stayed mostly in tune, to her, his singing sounded quite pleasant.
Though for some reason, my master didn't appreciate his music.
She even said, "Such a good song wasted on you. This adeptus shall invent a singing contraption at once!"
Lucian had suggested the contraption be shaped like a cat or a trumpet flower.
Shenhe didn't understand—what exactly was "wasted"? Wasn't it nice?
"Wow, Shenhe's ears must be broken."
"Traveler, next time, let's take Shenhe to listen to Barbara's singing!"
Lumine nodded solemnly—at this point, she hadn't yet met Yun Jin.
Shenhe was puzzled. My ears are fine—I can hear everything within a ten-mile radius.
If I focus, I can hear even farther. How could they be broken?
"Traveler, Paimon, and Mr. Zhongli—are you looking for Glaze Lilies?" Ganyu approached and asked.
She studied the trio, her gaze lingering on Zhongli, wondering which adeptus he was.
Zhongli remained composed, letting her scrutinize him without a word.
"Ah… it's… Yangu," Lumine said.
Lucian hadn't told her this name—she genuinely couldn't remember Ganyu's real name and just made one up.
"…" Ganyu fell silent for a moment.
"Not even a single character is right…" she sighed.
Why does everyone call me Yangu? Where did this name even come from? Does it really suit me that well?
Fine, maybe I'll just go by Yangu from now on—but 'Ya' should be pronounced 'Gan,' and 'ngu' should be 'Yu,' with the 'n' silent.
"Traveler, my name is Ganyu," she corrected gently.
Lumine scratched her head. Ganyu had introduced herself before—during the meeting with the Qixing, she'd been present.
But Ganyu was so quiet, only greeting them before fading into the background, so Lumine hadn't remembered. The only thing that stuck was the horns on her head—Lumine really wanted to touch them.
"If you're looking for Glaze Lilies, I have one here," Ganyu offered.
She took out a fresh Glaze Lily from her sleeve—one she hadn't nibbled on yet.
The ones with bite marks wouldn't be appropriate as an offering to Rex Lapis.
"Oh! Thank you, Ganyu!" Paimon happily accepted the flower.
Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Ganyu, Shenhe—have you two ever sung before?"
Paimon looked between the two ethereal beauties, curious what kind of songs they'd sing.
Shenhe nodded. "Elder sister sings… very beautifully."
She had to admit—perhaps, maybe, probably—Ganyu sang slightly better than Lucian.
But wasn't it common for an elder sister to surpass her junior? That didn't mean the junior sang badly.
Ganyu smiled warmly, touched that Shenhe enjoyed her singing.
"Huh? Elder sister?" Paimon only now realized Shenhe had one.
They lived together, and Shenhe always called Lucian "junior brother," but she'd never mentioned having an elder sister.
Lumine was also slightly surprised—she hadn't expected the quietest person during the Qixing meeting to have such an extraordinary background.
Back then, Ganyu had barely spoken, and she wouldn't volunteer that she was half-illuminated beast.
Lumine had assumed she was like Diona—just a rare-blooded human.
"So… Ganyu is also an adeptus?" Panyu asked.
"I am a hybrid of human and Qilin—only half-adeptus," Ganyu clarified.
She didn't claim to be a full adeptus, as she felt caught between two worlds: neither fully transcendent like the adepti nor wholly mortal like humans.
Unable to retreat entirely into seclusion like the adepti, yet never fully blending into mortal society.
Truly, the word for it was loneliness.
Shenhe was the same. That was why, when Shenhe decided to step into the mortal world, Ganyu wanted to connect with her more.
"Well, let's talk about something else."
Ganyu changed the subject, continuing:
"By giving you this flower, I've done my part. Thank you."
Only then did Lumine realize—Ganyu is an adeptus. She must have shared many experiences with Rex Lapis.
Now that he's gone, she might seem calm, but she must be grieving inside.
She wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how.
"It is we who should thank you. I'm certain Rex Lapis will feel your sincerity," Zhongli said.
Not just for this Glaze Lily, but for everything you've done for Liyue.
Ganyu nodded, still eyeing Zhongli curiously. Which adeptus's incarnation is he?
Strangely, while other adepti had sensed Rex Lapis's survival, Ganyu—perhaps a bit scatterbrained—hadn't caught on yet.
Technically, with Rex Lapis's "passing," the adepti's contract to protect Liyue had ended.
Strictly speaking, they were no longer obligated to guard the harbor. Yet Ganyu remained as the Qixing's secretary.
Because, as she had told Shenhe—
She loved Liyue Harbor. A place where she felt lonely, yet could still gaze at the stars above and the lanterns below.
Just as her junior sister said—it was "noisy," and she liked that.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline – Ganyu: About Lucian's Singing
"Huh? Uh… As his elder sister, I shouldn't speak ill of him. Let's just say it's better than his fishing skills."