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After three calm and uneventful days passed, inside the Palais Mermonia.
The main reason Shao Yun appeared here was to apply for the Palais Mermonia to dispatch personnel from the Marechaussee Phantom to help search the apartment he had previously lived in, just in case the Confrerie of Cabriere had really left behind something like a bomb.
As the saying goes, professional matters should be handled by professionals.
Trow could be seen carefully reviewing the application form that Shao Yun had submitted, ensuring that all procedures were accurate and in order.
After everything had been thoroughly checked, a friendly smile appeared on Trow's face as she said warmly, "Sir, there are no issues with your application."
"According to standard procedure, the relevant matters will be properly handled within the next three working days."
She then paused slightly before adding, "However, during this period, please be sure not to enter the apartment on your own, just in case there really are safety hazards such as explosive traps like the ones you're worried about."
Shao Yun responded politely, "Thank you."
After saying that, he gave Trow a courteous nod.
Seeing this, Trow also smiled and nodded lightly in return, continuing, "No need to be so polite, this is what we're supposed to do. I wish you a pleasant life, and if you feel my performance this time was satisfactory, please give me a five-star rating."
As soon as she finished speaking, she handed an evaluation form to Shao Yun.
Shao Yun took the form and quickly scanned through the contents.
In the end, he checked the five-star option, handed the form back to Trow, and replied, "Alright, no problem."
...
Just as Shao Yun was passing by Neuvillette's office door, the tightly closed door was suddenly pushed open forcefully from the inside.
Immediately after, a figure strode out briskly. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Yelan.
As she walked out, she politely bade farewell to Neuvillette inside the office, saying, "I have fully felt your sincerity. May the friendship between Liyue and Fontaine endure for ages."
When Shao Yun saw Yelan emerge from Neuvillette's office, a trace of surprise appeared on his face as he blurted out, "Yelan?"
Yelan, who had just closed the door, heard the familiar voice and paused, quickly turning around.
When she clearly saw that it was indeed Shao Yun, a meaningful glint flashed through her alluring eyes, and she curled her lips into a smile as she greeted him.
"Oh? So, it's Mr. Shao Yun. Ever since we parted ways at The Chasm, it really has been quite a while since we last met…"
Shao Yun raised a hand to rub his chin, muttering softly, "Yelan? I didn't expect to run into you here. Could it be that the special envoy Liyue sent this time is…"
Before he could finish speaking, Yelan nodded decisively, lightly placing her right hand over her chest as she said calmly, "That's right. It is indeed me."
Hearing this, Shao Yun couldn't help but carefully look Yelan over once again after such a long time apart.
He sized her up from head to toe and joked with a smile, "I was thinking that the special envoy Liyue sent to Fontaine would either be someone gentle and meticulous like Miss Ganyu."
"Or someone sharp and decisive like Keqing; at the very least, it should've been someone bold and commanding like Captain Beidou."
When Yelan heard Shao Yun include Beidou among the candidates for Liyue's envoy to Fontaine while completely forgetting about her, a faint, hard-to-notice sense of disappointment surfaced on her face.
With a hint of reproach in her tone, she said, "And yet you didn't consider me at all… that really makes me feel just a little bit disappointed… after all, I explored The Chasm together with you."
Seeing this, Shao Yun hurriedly raised both hands, extending his index and middle fingers as he scratched the air awkwardly a few times, explaining with a somewhat strange expression.
"It's because you give me the feeling that you would absolutely never leave Liyue, you know—the kind of woman who lives in the shadows."
Hearing him describe her like that, Yelan put on a sorrowful, aggrieved expression on the surface and let out a soft sigh before saying, "Sigh… could it be that, in your eyes, I'm that kind of dark and gloomy woman?"
Shao Yun, however, looked completely unconcerned. He casually crossed his arms over his chest and replied nonchalantly, "Don't misunderstand. What I meant was just your habits and movements, not your personality."
"To be honest, I'd rather spend my energy guessing what Paimon wants to eat tonight than trying to figure out your personality…"
Hearing this, Yelan could only shake her head helplessly.
Then, changing the subject, she suddenly asked, "Alright, let's drop it. Speaking of which, more than two months ago during the Lantern Rite, Lumine and Paimon both came to participate—so why didn't you show up?"
Seeing that the same question had been brought up again, Shao Yun patiently explained once more.
"Because I needed to deal with something very important. Important enough that I had to take it seriously."
When Yelan heard that Shao Yun missed the Lantern Rite due to being held up by something, she immediately felt relieved and said thankfully, "Oh, so that's how it was. I was worried that something might have happened to you…"
As usual, a slightly teasing smile appeared at the corner of Shao Yun's mouth as he joked back, "Haha, put a hundred and twenty hearts at ease! Even if one day you get sent off by Hu Tao first, I'll definitely still be living just fine!"
Hearing this, Yelan shot him an annoyed glare, helplessly raising a hand to rub her forehead as she sighed, "Honestly, what kind of things are you even saying… though I suppose it really does suit your usual speaking style."
After Yelan lowered the hand covering her forehead, her expression became slightly unnatural as she asked somewhat abruptly, "Um… if you have some free time in the future, could you make a trip back to Liyue?"
Shao Yun was quite surprised by Yelan's sudden invitation and asked in confusion, "Huh? Why ask that all of a sudden? Did something special happen over in Liyue?"
Yelan's eyes darted around as she thought for a moment before answering, "Well, you know Liyue's situation is rather complicated."
"Especially the relationship between Lady Ningguang and the Adepti—it's a bit delicate. And you happen to be a key figure who can play a mediating role."
"If you could go back and show your face, move around a bit, it would probably greatly ease those trivial conflicts and strange differences between them."
The moment he heard that he was being asked to go and keep the peace, Shao Yun quickly declined tactfully, "That's really unfortunate! I'm currently on vacation in Fontaine… so I probably can't spare the time to help with that."
As he spoke, he gently shook his head, seeming genuinely apologetic about not being able to help.
Hearing this, a trace of helplessness appeared on Yelan's face. She let out a light sigh and said, "Sigh, alright then. In that case, it looks like the extra task Lady Ningguang gave me is going to fail…"
Shao Yun had originally thought that would be the end of it, but he hadn't expected to hear Yelan mention the words "extra task."
"Oh? Extra task?"
Seeing this, Yelan stopped holding back and straightforwardly explained the additional task Ningguang had entrusted to her, recounting everything to Shao Yun.
"Lady Ningguang said that if there's a chance, she'd like to invite you to visit the Jade Chamber. At that time, you can sample some premium tea from Qiaoying Village and have a simple chat with her."
Of course, the tea-drinking and chatting part was added by Yelan herself—Ningguang had only said to invite Shao Yun over, but Yelan figured it would probably be something like that.
After listening to Yelan's explanation, Shao Yun commented with a bored expression, "Just drinking tea and chatting? That sounds pretty boring."
Seeing that Shao Yun found tea and conversation dull, Yelan shrugged helplessly and asked back, "Then what were you hoping for? Were you expecting Lady Ningguang to be as bold as Captain Beidou, drinking heavily with you and chatting away?"
At that moment, the system mechanically popped up a long-unseen mission prompt.
[Hidden Quest]
[You can use the "item" your brother-in-law gave you to go to Liyue and meet Ningguang.]
[Please note that using that "item" will leave behind Abyssal aura. Use it with caution.]
Looking at the hidden quest prompt, Shao Yun muttered helplessly to himself, "I'm supposed to be on vacation with Lumine, so I probably won't have much time. But then again… who knows."
...
While chatting, Shao Yun and Yelan eventually left the Palais Mermonia.
Yelan surveyed the surroundings, then turned to Shao Yun beside her and asked, "So, do you know where Yanfei is living now? Mr. Neuvillette told me she seems to be staying at a place called the Spina di Rosula…"
Shao Yun nodded slightly and replied, "Oh, Yanfei is staying at the Spina di Rosula base in Fleuve Cendre. The Spina di Rosula is a civilian organization."
"If you want to see Yanfei, you'll probably need to communicate with the Spina di Rosula personnel first, after all, you're a 'stranger.'"
"But then again, I probably don't need to teach you how to negotiate with people, do I?"
When Yelan heard that it was the Spina di Rosula base in Fleuve Cendre, she nodded thoughtfully and said, "Oh, Fleuve Cendre, is it? I understand…"
However, at that moment, Yelan's lively eyes suddenly spun, and a sly smile appeared on her face.
"In that case, could you accompany me to find Yanfei?"
Hearing that Yelan wanted him to accompany her to Fleuve Cendre to find Yanfei, Shao Yun immediately teased, "What, do you think you're like a child such as Qiqi or Yaoyao, who needs an adult by their side whenever they go out?"
"But from what I know, Qiqi can go up the mountains alone to gather herbs, and Yaoyao can also go out by herself."
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