"All done~"
Venti clapped his hands, a hint of fatigue on his face, but his smile remained refreshing: "There, that should do it! I guarantee it's even sturdier than when we arrived!"
Paimon finally woke up dizzily from Mr. King's arms, rubbing his eyes: "Mmm... is it time to eat? Paimon feels like he just had a dream... Eh, how did the ship get so new?"
Lumine breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took Paimon from Mr. King, whispering words of comfort.
Mr. King nodded to Venti as a gesture of thanks.
He glanced at Raiden Ei.
The latter had already followed behind him of her own accord, wearing an "I'm ready" expression.
Venti's eyes darted around, and he suddenly raised his hand: "Oh, right, right! I also want to go to Fontaine for a trip, just like Beelzebul! I heard the taverns there are very unique, and the tunes of their poems are different from Mondstadt's~"
Raiden Ei corrected him seriously: "Barbatos, I am not going to play; I am going to learn."
Morax stood in place and sighed softly.
Zhongli wanted to go too.
But Zhongli couldn't leave.
With the defiled God Osial appearing so openly outside Liyue Harbor, and the involvement of the Abyss Order, the Defiled Statue, and Khaenri'ah machinery... all of this meant that Liyue would be anything but peaceful in the days to come.
Snezhnaya would certainly not miss this opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Liyue had to immediately enter a state of full alert, reorganize internally, and consolidate its defenses.
As the "retired" Geo Archon, he had to remain at the center of operations for now.
"A pity,"
Zhongli's tone carried a sincere regret, "that I cannot travel with young friend King to witness the atmosphere of Fontaine."
King said nothing, simply waved at him, and turned to walk toward the gangway.
"Please wait."
Zhongli suddenly spoke, his gaze turning to Ganyu, who was waiting quietly nearby.
"Ganyu."
The half-adeptus Damselette immediately took a step forward: "Please give your orders, Rex Lapis."
"Accompany Mr. King to Fontaine," Zhongli's voice was steady and brook no argument, "to represent Liyue and study Fontaine's laws, governance, and livelihood techniques. Liyue's future needs a new perspective."
Ganyu was slightly taken aback, then solemnly nodded: "Ganyu accepts the command."
King paused, looked back, and raised an eyebrow.
You old geezer.
Did I agree to this?
You're just letting her follow me to Fontaine?
Seeing King's disdainful look, Zhongli's expression remained unchanged. He simply smiled slightly and gestured with his hand.
Ningguang immediately stepped forward, presenting a thick document sealed with gold thread with both hands.
"Mr. King," Zhongli's voice was clear, carrying across the pier, "I have heard of the recent incident at the Fontaine Research Institute and that the reconstruction work will be costly. Liyue and Fontaine have been on friendly terms for generations, and we wish to fulfill our duty as a friendly neighbor."
He paused, speaking each word with the steadiness of a rock:
"Liyue will unconditionally support Fontaine with ten trillion Mora."
As the words fell, the entire pier went silent.
Paimon's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape, even forgetting to swallow his saliva.
Lumine sucked in a cold breath.
Keqing lowered his eyes, but his heart was churning with shock.
This was nearly ten percent of Liyue's national treasury reserves!
Rex Lapis is... Zhongli still looked calm.
This money wasn't Mora he had created out of thin air.
Creating Mora at will to spend would only lead to Teyvat's economic collapse.
These 10 trillion Mora were the wealth accumulated by the people of Liyue, the foundation built by the hard work and trade of countless citizens.
Giving it now was not squandering, but investing.
Investing in Fontaine's future, investing in goodwill with this'strongest man,' and even more so, investing in having a powerful ally after Liyue's rebirth.
King looked at Zhongli for a few seconds.
How can this old geezer be so cool?
He remained silent for a few more seconds, and after finally calming his emotions, he spoke calmly.
"Come aboard, there are empty rooms on the ship."
He left those words and turned to board the ship.
Ganyu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly bowed to Zhongli, and hurried after him. Her blue hair fluttered in the sea breeze.
Venti chuckled and patted Zhongli's shoulder: "An extravagant gesture, old man~ By the way, I left in such a hurry that I didn't bring any money. I wonder if I could..."
Zhongli glanced at him: "Earn your own wine money."
"Ehe~"
...Today's sunlight was so brilliant it was almost blinding.
The pier at Fontaine was completely submerged by a sea of people.
The dark mass of the crowd stretched from the pier all the way to the end of the street, and even the distant hillsides were filled with figures looking out in anticipation.
Unlike the noisy and bustling scene one might imagine, the people today were exceptionally quiet, with countless pairs of eyes fixed tightly on the horizon.
This silent waiting lasted for a long time.
Until, at the blue end where the sea met the sky, a black dot slowly emerged.
The black dot rapidly enlarged, transforming into the sleek and majestic silhouette of a giant steel ship. At the top of the mast, the flag embroidered with the scales and sword flapped loudly in the sea breeze!
"It's the 'justice'! Lord King has returned!!!"
No one knew who shouted first.
Instantly, like cold water poured into boiling oil, the silent embankment exploded!
"Lord King! It's Lord King!"
"Hurrah! Long live the Guardian!"
"The hero has returned!"
A fanatical wave of sound rose to the sky, nearly flipping the pier!
People waved their arms, hats, and even tore off their clothes to cheer.
Countless voices converged into the shouting of a single name.
Tears and smiles bloomed simultaneously on excited faces.
Children were held high on their fathers' shoulders, women stood on their tiptoes, and young people blew loud whistles.
This scene was too exaggerated.
King stood at the front of the bridge of the 'justice', looking down at the boiling, boundless sea of people. He felt his temples begin to throb, and goosebumps crawled uncontrollably up his back.
He had just gone on a business trip; why was it being treated like an emperor returning from an expedition?
Those fanatical gazes made him feel completely out of place.
He really wanted to return to the Opera Epiclese immediately, close the door, and sleep until tomorrow... Just as King was frantically complaining in his mind and wondering if there was any way to slip away unnoticed—
"Wow~! Everyone is so enthusiastic!"
An emerald-green figure swept past him with an extremely light and agile posture.
Venti had somehow already floated to the highest point of the ship's railing.
He took off his hat and gave an elegant bow to the excited crowd below, a bright smile on his face. His voice, carried by the power of the wind, spread joyfully across the pier:
"Friends of Fontaine, good day~! Mondstadt's most popular Bard, Venti, has returned to Fontaine with your great Guardian!"
His appearance and self-introduction instantly attracted a large amount of attention.
"A Bard from Mondstadt?"
"Venti? Who is this little punk?"
"Screw you! You idiot! He came back with Lord King! He's an honored guest of Fontaine, do you want to lose your head?!"
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