"What do you think of this Lin Ze?"
"Setting his abilities aside, I mean."
High above Liyue Harbor, atop the Jade Chamber, Ningguang sat gracefully in her luxurious qipao, a long smoking pipe held between her fingers.
A translucent panel hovered before her eyes as well.
She looked toward Keqing and Ganyu, who had arrived early, and posed the question calmly.
The Diary Copy truly was extraordinary.
It had been enough to make both Keqing and Ganyu put aside their work first thing in the morning and come straight to the Jade Chamber to meet her.
It had also kept Ningguang awake all night.
She had arrived early, waiting for the others who possessed the diary to appear.
"Thrown into an unfamiliar place," Keqing said thoughtfully,
"he initially thought about relying on the diary system to get a set of clothes."
"But the moment he realized his own ability could solve the problem, he decisively abandoned the system and chose self-reliance."
"Someone like that—I don't dislike him. In fact, I think rather highly of Lin Ze."
As she spoke, a transparent panel hovered before Keqing as well, its contents something she had already read countless times.
She wasn't sure why Ningguang asked the question, but judging from the diary's tone alone, Keqing didn't find Lin Ze unpleasant.
When faced with trouble, he didn't wallow in self-pity.
He seized opportunities, experimented, and once he realized he could rely on himself, he did so without hesitation.
That alone earned her approval.
"Oh?" Ningguang said, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
"And how do you know that isn't simply an act?"
"He was able to guess that his diary entries would be exposed through these so-called diary copies, wasn't he?"
Her words made Keqing's brow crease faintly.
"So what if he guessed?" Keqing replied.
"We guessed it too—ahem—anyway, we also figured out that the things Ganyu and I lost for no reason yesterday were used as system rewards."
She didn't think it was a big deal.
From the diary's content, it was clear Lin Ze was familiar with the idea of systems. Making that kind of deduction was only natural.
Didn't she and Ganyu reach the same conclusion?
That their stockings had been taken by the diary system and handed over as rewards—
And that the system itself was deeply improper?
"An act…"
Sitting quietly to the side, Ganyu chewed on the deeper meaning behind Ningguang's words, realization slowly dawning on her.
"Are you saying… that Lin Ze might not actually be hiding in the wilderness like his diary suggests?"
"That instead, he may have slipped into a city while we weren't paying attention…"
This wasn't wild speculation.
It was a rational conclusion.
Only after Ningguang's reminder did Ganyu realize something important.
"How did you jump to that conclusion?" Keqing asked, puzzled.
"From the diary alone," Ganyu explained calmly,
"Lin Ze is at least familiar with Teyvat and understands basic common knowledge."
"That means he should also have some awareness of the power structures of each nation."
"Speaking only of Liyue—if Lin Ze truly hid deep in the mountains, once the Millelith mobilized and I contacted the adepti, thoroughly searching Liyue in a short time wouldn't be difficult."
"And that's without involving the gods."
"If the Archons themselves were to act, the speed would only increase."
She paused briefly.
"Of course, this is all based on the assumption that everything in the diary was deliberately written to mislead."
"It's even possible… that the so-called Black Flag power is fake."
Following Ningguang's line of reasoning, Ganyu found herself considering a startling possibility—
That even the Black Flag's power might be a fabrication.
The purpose… unknown.
"Whether it's real or not," Keqing said after a brief silence, meeting Ningguang's gaze directly,
"finding Lin Ze will never be the wrong choice."
"This diary alone is extraordinary. Even without that power, Lin Ze himself is worth investing in."
The Black Flag might be questionable—
But the system's abnormality was unquestionably real.
"And how exactly," Ningguang asked softly, lighting her pipe and taking a slow drag of the specially prepared stimulant tobacco,
"did you determine that Lin Ze is worth investing in?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She had the distinct feeling that Keqing was hiding something.
"Is it because…"
"…the diary updated again?"
Just as Keqing was about to answer, she noticed the change on the panel and stopped.
The next moment, all three of them—almost in perfect sync—flipped to the final page of the diary.
New text had appeared.
[Yesterday, the system rewarded me with Ganyu's and Keqing's black stockings. This confirmed one thing for me.]
[This system is extremely improper.]
That single line answered Ningguang's question completely.
Why did Keqing think Lin Ze was worth investing in?
Because of the system.
"So it really does reward other people's stockings," Ningguang said calmly.
"That is rather improper."
"But how did you notice?"
She wasn't teasing—she was genuinely curious.
They had worked together for years. Ningguang knew Keqing favored black stockings.
As for Ganyu, she wore the same outfit year-round and clearly kept multiple identical sets at home.
But even so…
Was it really that easy to notice a missing pair from one's wardrobe?
A woman's closet was… complicated.
"This system took the ones we were wearing," Keqing replied flatly, lips pursed.
At the same time, she silently revoked her earlier positive evaluation of Lin Ze.
She had just said she thought highly of him—
And he immediately wrote this into the diary?
Now it was over.
Everyone with a diary copy knew that her and Ganyu's stockings had been turned into rewards.
If you knew others would see it, then don't write it down!
[There's no way I can return them. I'd be labeled a creep.]
[Throwing them away doesn't seem right either… what if Keqing and Ganyu can see this?]
[I'll just keep them for now. Maybe one day they'll suddenly descend and demand them back.]
Throw them away, you idiot!
They're just stockings—if they're gone, they're gone!
It was fine when it wasn't mentioned!
Now that you brought it up, I can't stop thinking about it!
Keqing's face visibly darkened as she screamed internally.
Ganyu's expression also became… delicate.
Across from them, Ningguang's amused gaze made both of them extremely uncomfortable.
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