When they reached the office, Ningguang didn't hear a thing.
She opened the door and stepped inside. No strange smell. The desk and chairs were neatly in place.
She looked around, frowning. "They're not here… but how do two people just vanish?"
"No idea," Yelan said, shaking her head.
Behind them, Ganyu finally let out the breath she'd been holding.
Thank goodness they didn't find Ryou and Keqing. If they had… it would've been a disaster.
Still, Ganyu had a pretty good guess where Ryou went.
The pocket world.
He'd dragged her into it from her own office before—then proceeded to bully her so thoroughly she still couldn't think about it without her face heating up.
"Ganyu," Yelan said, suddenly remembering something. "What's the situation with La Signora?"
"La Signora's locked up," Ganyu explained to Ningguang and Yelan. "Cloud Retainer sealed her powers. She can't break out."
Then Ganyu turned toward the door. "I should head back. Cloud Retainer probably went home already. I need to ask what exactly happened just now."
"Cloud Retainer lives with you?" Ningguang asked, surprised.
Ganyu nodded. "Mm."
"She came to Liyue Harbor because of the gods sealed around Guyun Stone Forest," Ganyu said after a moment. "I just didn't expect things to accelerate this much, so… I need to ask."
"Alright," Ningguang said. "Thank you."
Ningguang led the others out, but the disappearance still gnawed at her.
Two living, breathing people didn't just evaporate.
Outside Yujing Terrace, she turned to Yelan. "Yelan, trouble you to dig deeper. People don't vanish into thin air."
"Understood," Yelan said, and left immediately.
Watching her go, Ningguang felt a little more at ease.
If Yelan took this seriously, she'd find something. If Ryou and Keqing were truly in trouble, that would be a nightmare.
…
The next morning, the Ministry of Civil Affairs staff began filing in.
Everyone already knew about what happened the night before. The city had practically exploded with gossip—every street and alley was buzzing.
"Huixin, did you hear?" a woman asked, sitting beside her. "Ryou-sama caught La Signora last night!"
"Mm." Huixin nodded.
A man in front of them leaned back and joined in. "They say La Signora is one of the Fatui Harbingers—absurdly strong. And yet Ryou-sama still took her down."
"You lot don't know anything," the man went on, clearly enjoying himself. "Ryou-sama already caught her once before."
"Back then, La Signora stole a bunch of those 'Sigils of Permission' and fought her way out. The old Ministry of Civil Affairs got wrecked."
He lowered his voice dramatically. "It was horrifying. I heard dozens of people died!"
A chubby middle-aged man walked over with tea and sat down beside him. "That part's true. I know about it too."
He shook his head. "La Signora's terrifying. I heard the Harbingers were granted power by the gods. Depths you can't even measure."
Then he grinned. "And she still got caught by Ryou-sama twice."
"Ryou-sama is incredible," Huixin murmured, genuinely shaken.
She was Uncle Tian's daughter. She'd also worked at Yujing Terrace before, so she understood the Fatui far better than most.
That was exactly why this stunned her.
The Fatui Harbingers weren't just "strong." They were monsters.
Once, Huixin had asked Ganyu out of curiosity. Ganyu had told her bluntly that a Harbinger was several times stronger than a Vision holder—power on par with a god.
Huixin hadn't forgotten that.
Now, thinking about everything Ryou had done… she couldn't even process it properly. The gap felt unreal.
Her eyes drifted to the cup of tea on her desk, and her mood turned complicated.
She'd had a chance, once. She could've married Ryou.
If her father had pushed a little harder… then Ryou would've been her husband.
A man that strong.
And yet… she'd missed it.
A woman beside her chuckled. "What's wrong, Huixin? Thinking about Ryou-sama?"
A few others laughed with her.
"Don't be shy," the first woman said, grinning. "Honestly? We all like Ryou-sama. He's handsome, he's capable, and he's terrifyingly strong."
She sighed. "I'm jealous of Keqing-sama."
"Tell me about it," someone else said. "Remember when Keqing-sama didn't show up to the ministry for seven straight days?"
She wiggled her brows. "With a husband like that, how could anyone not be jealous?"
Another woman snorted. "Mine's useless."
She dropped her voice, shameless. "Even when he's doing the deed, I have to talk him through it from the side. He used to at least manage ten minutes or so."
"Lately?" she sighed. "Not even that."
"But isn't yours young?" another woman asked, sounding honestly confused. "Twenty-four, right?"
"Exactly!" the first woman groaned. "That's why I'm jealous of Keqing-sama."
She waved a hand dramatically. "If my man were half as capable as Ryou-sama, I wouldn't mind staying home every day. Forget seven days—I'd never leave the house."
The women burst into laughter.
Huixin's face went scarlet.
Can you people not say this in front of me? I'm still a virgin!
But she still understood what they meant, and that only made her chest hurt more.
Keqing. Ryou.
That life should've been hers.
And she'd let it slip away.
Regret hit her like a weight.
Right then, Huixin saw Ryou walk out of his office.
He gave her a brief nod, then headed out.
Huixin looked away, bitterness pooling in her stomach.
He didn't belong to her.
He belonged to another woman now.
…
The moment Ryou stepped out of Yujing Terrace, something felt wrong.
The air itself pressed down on him, heavy and stifling—as if danger was rolling toward Liyue Harbor like a tide.
He looked toward Guyun Stone Forest.
A strange fog had swallowed the entire area. He couldn't make out any outline at all. Through the haze, he even spotted several boats sitting motionless on the sea—yet not a single ship dared to move in to help.
The docks had been cleared completely. No merchants. No Millelith guards posted.
Liyue Harbor had lost its usual bustle. The city had gone quiet.
Everything about it screamed that something was coming.
Then Ryou felt it—something overhead, vast enough to blot out the sky.
He looked up.
The Jade Chamber had moved. It now hovered above Liyue Harbor, as if shielding the city from whatever was about to crash down.
"Ryou, what is it?" Ganyu asked, walking up beside him.
"It feels like trouble is right on top of us," Ryou said softly.
His eyes stayed on the city. "Liyue Harbor feels suffocating. Like a storm about to break."
He exhaled. "Everyone's tense. I can feel the fear everywhere."
"They're looking at us," he continued, voice low. "At the Millelith. At the people who can fight."
"They're putting their hope on us to protect their home."
Ganyu fell quiet, then nodded. "Yeah."
Ryou smiled faintly. "But we can protect Liyue Harbor. Right?"
Then he turned and started walking. "I'm going to buy Keqing breakfast. I'll head out first."
"Oh—right," Ganyu replied, nodding along.
Then she froze.
Breakfast?
That meant… Ryou and Keqing didn't go home last night.
They stayed in the office.
After everything that happened.
Ganyu sucked in a breath.
Those two are completely insane.
Instead of returning to her own office, Ganyu went straight to Ryou's.
When she walked in, she saw Keqing at the desk, brewing tea. The scent filled the room. Keqing leaned back in her chair with a book in hand, looking far too relaxed.
"You're back—" Keqing started automatically, then stopped short. "Ganyu? Why are you here?"
Her mind instantly flashed back to the night before—Ryou carrying her out, running into Ganyu and Yanfei.
They definitely noticed something.
Especially Ganyu. The way she'd looked at Keqing had been… strange.
Keqing felt awkward all over again and quickly reached for the teapot to pour Ganyu a cup.
"Keqing," Ganyu said, her ears turning red, "don't you think you two are going too far?"
"You almost got caught by Yanfei last night, and then you came back and you still—"
Her voice trailed off, too embarrassed to finish.
Keqing jolted so hard she splashed tea.
She shoved the cup in front of Ganyu, her face burning. "G-Ganyu… what are you talking about? I don't know what you mean!"
She denied it fast.
As long as she didn't admit it, the loop wasn't closed.
"You're still trying to hide it from me?" Ganyu rolled her eyes.
"I'm not!" Keqing snapped.
"Yesterday, your office floor had a puddle," Ganyu said, then hesitated. "And… I smelled something strange."
She paused, then looked directly at Keqing. "I've never experienced it myself, but…"
Keqing's face flushed so hard it looked like it might drip.
"Stop. Don't say it," Keqing begged.
She jumped up and clapped a hand over Ganyu's mouth. "Please don't tell anyone. If this gets out, I'll never be able to face people again."
The memory of that reckless night sent heat rushing through her all over again.
It's all Ryou's fault. He forced it. That's right—he forced it.
"You… can't you two be more careful?" Ganyu said once Keqing finally let her speak.
Keqing swallowed, then blurted it out in a rush. "I… it's because he forced me!"
"And he's too much," she added, voice dropping. "I can't handle him alone."
She looked at Ganyu, eyes desperate. "Ganyu… we're close. We're good friends."
Then she took a breath and said the unthinkable. "So… will you help me?"
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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