As for what kind of waves the diary's exposed contents might stir up—
Lin Ze didn't spare it a second thought.
At the moment, he was still busy hawking his wares, selling clothes he'd woven from leaves without breaking much of a sweat.
The Black Flag's power was truly absurd.
A conceptual, reality-adjacent, will-based authority that simply didn't bother playing by common sense.
Time passed quietly.
Relying on exceptional quality and prices that were, relatively speaking, quite reasonable, Lin Ze successfully sold off every last piece of clothing he'd made.
It was about time to go meet the Tianquan, Ningguang.
As Lin Ze and Yelan set off, Yelan's subordinates had already sent word ahead to the Jade Chamber that the two of them were on their way.
Ningguang and Keqing, who had been deep in discussion, naturally paused and rose together, heading toward the edge of the Jade Chamber to await Lin Ze's arrival.
"You must be Mr. Lin Ze."
Ningguang spoke the moment Lin Ze and Yelan stepped onto the Jade Chamber.
"I've heard quite a lot about you. Seeing you today, you truly live up to the rumors. I am Ningguang, the Tianquan."
Keqing, standing beside her, also gave a brief introduction.
"I'm Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."
"Lin Ze. It's an honor to meet you both."
Lin Ze cupped his hands and gave a polite bow.
He had descended into Teyvat and arrived in Liyue of all places.
If he wanted a stable life going forward, maintaining good relations with the Liyue Qixing was non-negotiable.
Proper etiquette couldn't be neglected.
Of course, this was about the extent of the etiquette he knew. Anything more elaborate?
He hadn't learned it yet.
He'd just arrived in Liyue—how was he supposed to know all the local customs already?
And he couldn't be bothered to use the Black Flag's power to learn them either.
This would do for now.
Even if he hadn't ascended to godhood, Lin Ze was confident he could still stroll sideways across Teyvat.
He just didn't have ambitions that big.
"Mr. Lin Ze, please follow me. This isn't the right place to talk."
The cupped-hand salute was customary in Liyue, so Ningguang made no comment on it. Her priority was to bring Lin Ze into her office and get straight to the point.
Following Ningguang, Lin Ze soon arrived at her workspace.
At a glance, the room was decorated—but not lavishly so.
Most of what filled the space were tools of administration and—
Stacks upon stacks of documents.
The Tianquan truly lived up to her title as the head of the Qixing.
Her workload was far heavier than the game ever made it look.
Once everyone was seated, Ningguang casually picked up her smoking pipe and took a measured puff. The specially prepared tobacco helped keep her alert, sharpening her thoughts.
As she exhaled, pale smoke curling through the air, Ningguang finally spoke.
"Mr. Lin Ze, I imagine you've already guessed this."
"The three of us present here… are all 'fated ones.'"
When she said fated ones, Ningguang subtly emphasized the words—clearly hinting at something rather than stating it outright.
"So you all have the copies. That's about what I expected."
Lin Ze nodded in understanding, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes as he spoke.
"This diary doesn't really have much else going for it."
His disdain wasn't directed at Ningguang or the others—
It was aimed squarely at the diary system itself.
Just look at other systems out there. Even diary-copy holders couldn't find any way to hint at their existence.
Then look at his diary system.
Not only were the rewards lackluster, but it even allowed others to indirectly reveal their identities to him.
A trash system through and through. Might as well bury it.
The Black Flag was far more reliable.
"To you, perhaps it's nothing special," Ningguang said, shaking her head slightly.
"But to us, it's nothing short of miraculous."
She could clearly see the contempt in Lin Ze's gaze—and she knew it wasn't aimed at them.
"After some testing, I found that this 'fated connection' can even be used as a catalyst—its effects surpass those of a five-star weapon."
"Mr. Lin Ze, judging from the information obtained through this connection, you seem to possess considerable knowledge about Teyvat."
"In certain aspects… you may even know more than we so-called natives."
As she said this, a faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on Ningguang's lips.
Natives.
In Lin Ze's eyes, that was exactly what they were.
It wasn't an insult—but being labeled that way still felt strangely uncomfortable.
"I didn't expect it could be used as a catalyst," Lin Ze admitted, surprised.
"That's new information to me."
From Ningguang's words, the diary copy could actually function as a catalyst?
Lin Ze knew Ningguang herself was a catalyst user. Coming from her, this claim carried serious credibility.
He glanced toward Keqing and Yelan. Both wore faintly surprised expressions.
It seemed they hadn't known this either.
Which made sense.
Keqing wielded a sword. Yelan used a bow. It was natural they wouldn't test something like this.
What Lin Ze didn't realize, however, was that their surprise wasn't about that at all.
Keqing and Yelan had known from day one that the diary copy could function as a catalyst.
What shocked them was something else entirely.
Ningguang wasn't trying to keep Lin Ze guessing.
She wasn't attempting to probe him gradually.
Instead, she had openly revealed—through implication—that they possessed diary copies as well.
This was unprecedented.
With others, they hadn't even been able to hint at it.
Something was off.
Whether it was Ningguang's ability to hint at it—
Or her decision to do so so directly—
In Keqing and Yelan's eyes, both were deeply suspicious.
"What really surprises me," Lin Ze continued, a slight smile curling at his lips,
"is that you chose to reveal your identity through implication."
"I thought you'd take the same approach as Yelan—pretend you knew nothing."
Keqing and Yelan weren't the only ones surprised.
Lin Ze himself was just as intrigued.
Ningguang hadn't even tried to hide it—she had gone straight to the table and laid her cards down.
What was she planning to do next?
He was genuinely curious.
"Even if I hadn't said anything," Ningguang replied calmly, her own smile mirroring his,
"with your ability and intelligence, you would have figured it out sooner or later."
"Rather than waste time testing each other and dancing around suspicions…"
"I'd rather be direct, and let Mr. Lin Ze feel our sincerity."
"A straightforward exchange of information benefits both sides far more."
Lin Ze was mysterious.
The diary system was even more so.
Direct information exchange was far more efficient than mutual speculation.
It saved time.
And more importantly—
It ensured accuracy.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/GojoSatoru7