Chapter 107: Wise: Come and Rescue Me!
The nights in Liyue Harbor usually settled into a deep tranquility, a gentle peace woven from the lapping of waves against the docks and the fading echoes of the marketplace.
Last night, however, had been a stark exception.
Inside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao tossed and turned, her sleep mercilessly shredded. A series of low, penetrating engine roars had torn through the quiet, screaming from far to near, then fading from near to far, only to cycle back again and again. It was a brutal assault on the night's serenity.
Woven between the mechanical howls were a few, highly recognizable shouts, bellowed with pure, unadulterated glee. They sounded something like, "How exhilarating!" and "Faster!"
"Who in the world… in the middle of the night…" Hu Tao grumbled, burying her head in her pillow to muffle the noise.
The commotion was bizarre. Her drowsy mind struggled to make sense of it. Could it be some clueless Treasure Hoarders who had stumbled upon a new type of ruin mechanism? But even if they found something valuable, wouldn't they squirrel it away in secret? Daring to be so ostentatious and disturb the peace right under the nose of the Millelith in Liyue Harbor was practically suicidal.
Even more eye-catching were the occasional streaks of cyan-gold light that flashed across the sky. They were brief but brilliant, like shooting stars arcing over the rooftops. The phenomenon was striking enough that many people who were still awake, or who had been jolted from their sleep, peered out their windows, speculating which adeptus or extraordinary individual was testing a new magical artifact.
Director Hu, however, was far too eager for sleep to bother getting up and watching the light show.
The chaos of the night undoubtedly added a touch of unusual restlessness to the otherwise peaceful harbor.
The next morning, Hu Tao sat in the front hall of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, faint dark circles smudging the skin under her eyes. She was leisurely enjoying her breakfast—a simple bowl of plain congee with a few refreshing side dishes. Around her, other staff members had begun their daily routines of sweeping and tidying, preparing to welcome a new day of business.
It was then that a Millelith soldier, clad in standard-issue armor and wearing a stern expression, stepped through the main entrance.
His presence caused the calm atmosphere in the hall to subtly congeal.
"Director Hu." The soldier cupped his fist and bowed, his voice steady and businesslike. "Apologies for the disturbance. Last night, the Ministry of Civil Affairs apprehended a man in the city. He was driving a strange, high-speed mechanical contraption, moving both on the ground and in the air, all while making a loud noise and severely disturbing the public peace."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "This person claims to be a newly hired employee of your esteemed parlor, named 'Wise.' As this matter concerns the reputation of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, we have come specifically to verify his claim."
Although Wangsheng Funeral Parlor dealt with the affairs of the dead, it held a long and storied history in Liyue Harbor. It operated according to strict rules and was deeply trusted and respected by the populace. Consequently, the Millelith were treating this matter with extreme caution. The receptionist who had first greeted the soldier hadn't dared to make a judgment call, which was why the issue had been brought directly to Hu Tao, the Director herself.
"Wise?" Hu Tao's hand, holding her chopsticks, froze mid-air. Her face was a mask of bewilderment.
Immediately, an image of the man in question surfaced in her mind. Though he'd seemed a bit dazed after being "accidentally injured" by the General's cooking yesterday, he had generally come across as calm and reliable. He had even been wholeheartedly trying to "uphold justice" on her behalf.
'He's Zhongli's friend,' she thought. 'He doesn't seem like the type to go crazy in the middle of the night and disturb the entire city, does he?'
A dreadful thought occurred to her. 'Could it be… the aftermath of that dish from the General was that terrifying? That can't be right. I've never seen a reaction like this before, have I?'
Or had she simply misjudged him? Was Wise not as steady as he appeared?
A flicker of doubt wavered in her mind, but now was not the time to ponder it. Hu Tao quickly set down her bowl and chopsticks, her expression shifting into the composed mask befitting the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Indeed, there is such a person," she confirmed. "He is a friend recommended by our consultant, Mr. Zhongli, and is temporarily staying in the parlor to help out."
Hu Tao stood, her gaze sweeping over to where Zhongli was quietly sipping tea nearby, looking as if the commotion had nothing to do with him at all.
"Consultant, it seems our friend Wise is in a spot of trouble. Come with me to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. We need to bail him out!"
Zhongli placed his teacup down. His golden eyes were as calm and unruffled as a windless sea. He gave a slight nod. "As the Director commands."
However, seeing his placid expression, one got the distinct impression that he was utterly unsurprised that Wise had landed himself in trouble.
The two of them followed the Millelith soldier, walking in silence. They soon arrived at the detention center where the Ministry of Civil Affairs handled such public order incidents.
When they pushed open the door marked "Temporary Custody," the sight that greeted them left both Hu Tao and Zhongli momentarily astonished.
Wise was sitting at a simple wooden table, his head buried in a heaping bowl of white rice, which he was devouring with a furious appetite and immense gusto.
That alone wasn't particularly strange; the people of Liyue considered a healthy appetite a blessing. What was abnormal was the towering stack of empty bowls piled beside him. A rough count revealed well over a dozen.
The young Millelith soldier guarding him stood nearby, his expression numb, his eyes completely Hollow—like a programmed automaton drained of all life.
Whenever Wise put down an empty bowl with a loud "clank," the soldier would mechanically, as if resigned to his fate, scoop another full bowl from the large wooden bucket of rice and push it in front of Wise with a blank stare.
The corners of Hu Tao's and Zhongli's mouths twitched almost imperceptibly.
The moment the young guard saw Hu Tao and Zhongli—especially the distinctive Wangsheng Funeral Parlor emblem on Hu Tao's attire—a powerful desire for survival burst forth in his eyes.
He rushed over, his voice a desperate, tearful whisper. "Director Hu! You're finally here! This… Mr. Wise, he eats too, too much! I… I really can't… And if I don't feed him, he starts shouting 'abuse!' His voice shakes dust from the ceiling!"
His words were a torrent of grievance and accusation. "The supervisor even scolded me, asking, 'Can't the Ministry of Civil Affairs afford to feed one person?' But he's been eating for almost an hour… I… I really can't take it anymore!"
Seeing the state of the poor soldier, Zhongli stepped forward to offer some soothing words and calm his frayed nerves.
Hu Tao, meanwhile, approached the cell. "Wise?" she called out.
Wise, who was still burying his face in his rice, suddenly looked up. The moment he saw Hu Tao, his eyes lit up as if he had just seen his savior.
He immediately slammed his bowl down, dashed to the wooden railings, and gripped them excitedly. Pointing an accusing finger at the Millelith soldier, he began his loud tirade.
"Director Hu! You're finally here! Save me! I honestly didn't know Liyue Harbor now has rules like 'no riding flying vehicles' and 'no talking loudly at night'!"
He spoke at a rapid-fire pace, his voice thick with indignation. "I only rode on the ground for a little while! When I saw there were still people on the road, I was afraid of hitting them, so I immediately flew up into the sky!
"But they still wouldn't let it go! They even chased me with a Guizhong Ballista! It's simply outrageous! I didn't hit anyone, I didn't damage any houses! I was just cruising in the sky, getting familiar with my new ride!"
He very cleverly ignored Zhongli, who stood behind Hu Tao with a placid expression, as if this entire affair was beneath his notice. Wise knew instinctively that reasoning with Zhongli would likely result in a slow, scholarly lecture filled with classical allusions. Approaching the mischievous Director Hu, however, would surely yield immediate results. After all, even Zhongli had to listen to her.
Unfortunately for him, his "righteous" accusation sounded utterly absurd to Hu Tao.
Although she had now heard the term "flying vehicle" twice, the idea of him flying into the sky and being chased by a Guizhong Ballista was still a bit too outlandish. The motorcycle she had glimpsed yesterday was indeed exquisitely crafted; she could believe it was the masterpiece of some genius mechanic, capable of running incredibly fast on the ground, perhaps even managing some low-altitude flight.
But to fly so high you get chased by a Guizhong Ballista? A Guizhong Ballista was a weapon used to fight gods! No matter how fast you were flying, could you possibly be faster than that?
Hu Tao immediately came to a conclusion. The Millelith soldier who reported the incident must have been exaggerating to scare her. After all, how else would she understand the seriousness of the matter if they didn't embellish the details? It was a common tactic.
And as for Wise's words… this was definitely the aftereffect of the General's cooking, still fermenting in his system.
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