A short while later, Yi Chen ran back to Yuehai Pavilion and quickly greeted Ganyu—who was still agonizing over how to naturally give half of her breakfast bun to him.
"Ganyu! I'm heading out with Lady Keqing to handle something!"
Before Ganyu could respond, he vanished like a gust of wind.
Ganyu stared at the bun in her hands—the one she had carefully split into two equal halves with perfectly even filling—then looked at the now-empty doorway.
Silently, she put the bun back together again and took small, complicated bites by herself.
Meanwhile, Keqing and Yi Chen walked side by side toward the Fatui outpost.
Keqing, still pondering Yi Chen's daily, unwavering confessions, couldn't help but turn her head slightly.
"Yi Chen… honestly, I'm curious. Why did you suddenly decide to confess to me?"
"We barely had any interaction before."
Yi Chen immediately produced his standard answer.
"To express my admiration."
Keqing laughed and shook her head.
"Hehehe… what a strange reason. You don't even really know me, do you?"
"That's where you're wrong!"
Yi Chen stopped walking and looked at her seriously, as if stating a remarkable virtue.
"I do know you! I know you don't revere the adepti!"
Keqing's smile froze slightly.
This wasn't a secret in Liyue—but hearing it said so bluntly, and with what sounded almost like praise, was a first.
"Oh?" she asked calmly.
"Then what do you think about that?"
She was genuinely curious how this Mondstadt outsider would judge her so-called "heresy."
"What do I think?"
Yi Chen tilted his head, genuinely thinking.
He looked up at the vast sky above Liyue Harbor, his gaze growing distant.
"I think… the people of Liyue are a little too lazy."
Keqing's pupils shrank slightly, but she didn't interrupt.
Yi Chen continued, gesturing toward the bustling streets.
"From what I've learned, Liyue's commerce is actually kind of… unhealthy."
"Every year, investment trends and industry booms depend almost entirely on whatever casual comment or personal preference Rex Lapis happens to reveal."
"If the Geo Archon likes antiques, the antique market explodes.
If he comments on a type of tea, its price skyrockets overnight."
"Other than the Qixing still trying to plan and guide things, most merchants—and even ordinary people—have basically given up independent thinking. They just chase the shadow of the gods."
"But that can't continue forever."
Yi Chen turned back to Keqing.
"What if—just hypothetically—one day Rex Lapis gets tired? Or stops giving guidance?"
"What would Liyue do then, after becoming so used to relying on divine instruction?"
"So I think your so-called 'disrespect toward the adepti'—or rather, refusing blind faith, insisting on human governance, and believing Liyue should control its own fate—"
"Is actually very forward-thinking. It's planning ahead."
Keqing froze completely.
She had imagined many possible answers—Mondstadt's free-spirited values, flattery, even provocation.
But this?
This hit directly at the core of her beliefs—the very ideas she'd struggled to push forward against resistance.
She stared at Yi Chen's youthful face, realizing for the first time that beneath his "straightforward" and "absurd" exterior lay a clear mind and sharp insight.
A quiet shock—like finding a kindred spirit—spread through her chest.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, genuine amusement and appreciation in her voice.
"…I never expected the person who understands my 'disrespect' the most would be someone from Mondstadt."
"So my 'admiration' is genuine too," Yi Chen added, instantly switching back to his cheerful grin.
For some reason, after hearing his sharp analysis, his usual unserious demeanor no longer felt annoying.
Even his daily, blunt "I like you" sounded… oddly sincere.
Keqing curved her lips slightly but didn't pursue the topic.
"Come on. We have work to do."
They soon arrived at the Fatui outpost.
The area's atmosphere clashed sharply with Liyue's architecture—cold, rigid, distinctly Snezhnayan.
Debt collectors lurked near the entrance.
But the most eye-catching sight was the man leaning heavily on an ornate cane at the gate—
Orange hair still wild, but his face pale as paper. Bandages wrapped around his body, his Harbinger coat hanging loosely.
Childe—Tartaglia.
Yi Chen's eyes went wide, mouth hanging open.
"Childe?! You're not dead?!"
Childe's smile froze.
A vein throbbed at his temple as his grip tightened on the cane.
He nearly threw it at Yi Chen's purely curious face.
This guy is doing it on purpose, right?!
Grinding his teeth, he forced out a dangerously twisted smile.
"Thanks. To. You. I'm. Still. Alive."
Beside them, Keqing struggled to maintain her composure, coughing lightly to hide a twitching smile.
Yi Chen nodded sincerely.
"Oh good, good. I was worried if I'd killed you, Snezhnaya might get mad."
Childe: "..."
He suddenly felt like dying—or killing someone.
Seeing the situation spiral, Keqing stepped in.
"Lord Childe, it's admirable that you're still handling affairs despite your injuries."
Her words were impeccably polite—but carried a subtle edge.
"We're here to ask about your recent troop movements. Liyue hopes to maintain peace and avoid misunderstandings."
Childe took a deep breath, tearing his murderous gaze away from Yi Chen and pasting on his diplomatic smile.
"Ah, Lady Yuheng. Just routine personnel rotation and recovery."
He glanced pointedly at Yi Chen.
"After all, one of our key members was injured during a 'friendly spar.' We needed extra manpower. Nothing that threatens Liyue's order."
Yi Chen muttered from behind:
"You attacked first and still lost…"
Everyone heard it.
Childe: (Killing intent intensifies.)
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