On a dark summer night, the breeze blew; the purple cat-eared girl's face was stormy.
She didn't know what "Ca-ching" meant, but from Ningguang's teasing tone, she could tell it wasn't good.
"Ningguang, what's that supposed to mean?"
After a day's work, before Ke-Master could sip tea, she was teased by her colleague—she was very annoyed.
The key was… even when Ningguang teased her before, she'd never given her a nickname.
What's this now?
"Ca-ching"? It sounded awful.
Ningguang chuckled. "Hehe… if you don't like 'Ca-ching,' 'Damage queen' works too."
Keqing: "???"
What in the world was "Damage queen"?
Even worse.
The purple cat-eared girl gripping her sword grew even more upset.
Sure enough, she and this woman just didn't get along.
Even though they'd worked well during the Osial incident and Keqing admired Ningguang's decisiveness, this woman was still… still annoying.
"Don't look at me like that. I just got back from Blue Star. That's what the players there call you."
Seeing the Yuheng's agitated look, Ningguang's smile brightened.
Watching this proud lady lose her cool was amusing.
"Blue Star? Players?" Keqing frowned. "You went to Blue Star?!"
She knew about Blue Star—Ken was the prophet from there and could freely travel to Teyvat.
But what were "players"? She didn't understand.
And when had Ningguang gone? She hadn't even been there yet. Keqing felt a little sour.
"Mm… you'll know when you get there." Ningguang couldn't be bothered to explain, merely smiling lazily. "But Blue Star is quite nice. Ken over there has a different charm. Has our Keqing prepared to marry into Blue Star?"
After visiting, Ningguang was even more interested in "marriage alliances."
If she could gain Ken's aid, it would be more than strength—an entire world's vast knowledge as backing.
"Hmph. Not your business. And why should I be the one to marry?" Keqing pictured Ken and felt a ripple, but her mouth stayed tough.
Ningguang beamed. "Because our Lady Yuheng is terribly charming. Mr. Ken did say all chips added together weren't worth one of you."
Watching Keqing simmer made Ningguang feel pleased, though a bit envious.
She enjoyed seeing her straightforward, tsundere colleague stomp around. Keqing was fun like that.
As for Keqing's charm, Ningguang had to admit it was strong.
An heiress of a famous Liyue house, well-trained from childhood, a true lady.
Yet despite being a lady, Keqing did everything herself, without airs—a model youth.
That lovely, youthful face bloomed like a flower.
Her figure wasn't voluptuous, but delightfully perky.
Combined with her usual cat-eared look and black stockings—a wordless attraction for men of both Liyue and Blue Star.
"Hmph. You bring this up more than I do. You seem keener to marry Ken. Why not you, Lady Tianquan? It'd be more fitting."
Keqing's heart fluttered, but she refused to back down.
She didn't know Ken's true thoughts, so she wouldn't agree lightly, nor lose the upper hand to Ningguang.
Ningguang smiled: "The Yuheng is right. I do have that in mind—just thinking how to persuade Mr. Ken. Say… should I emulate mortals and seduce him with beauty? Will he take the bait?"
"You!!" Keqing was exasperated.
Indeed, she hated arguing with Ningguang most. This woman's skin and tongue were both first-rate.
Right now, Keqing felt like punching cotton.
And… and Ningguang even said such shameless things about seducing Ken. The audacity!
"Suit yourself!"
Keqing took a deep breath and turned away.
Rather than bicker, better to go home and rest.
But about Ningguang getting to Blue Star, Keqing felt sour. She hadn't gone yet—why hadn't Ken invited her?
Realizing this, Keqing broke into a cold sweat, realizing that, without noticing, she already cared so much about Ken.
"Heavens…"
She patted her chest, steadying herself.
In fact, when she first dealt with Ken, she found him refined but had no other thoughts—she'd simply stopped into the Specialty Store on a whim.
Later dealings didn't spark anything special either.
Though Ken was handsome, Keqing's mind was all about work.
Until they met outside Liyue, and he teased her—even making her meow.
That bad, mischievous feeling made her see him differently for the first time.
Still, it wasn't strong then.
It became strong when Ningguang visited Ken at night and Ken said he wanted to marry her.
She knew he was spouting nonsense, not serious.
But with Ningguang's constant teasing, even the Adepti assumed she was Ken's beloved, looking at her kindly—that strange feeling made Keqing's heart sweet.
Add to that Ken's unrivaled bearing in defeating Osial and resolving the crisis—
A gentleman standing aloft who didn't seize credit, giving it to them instead—made Keqing truly moved.
Born to a famous family, excellent and diligent, she had very high standards.
And Ken—like a gentlemanly wind, powerful, and a little wicked—after the Osial battle had become her hero.
"Ningguang. Don't think you'll beat me to it."
Keqing was brave; she would do what she thought right.
Now that she felt something for Ken, she decided to face it. She might act tsundere to cover it before him, but she knew she was moved.
Thinking this,
Keqing gripped her sword, eyes brave.
…
Night was quiet in Liyue; in a tranquil house, lights glowed.
This was Ganyu's home. After 3,700 years of work, Mora was the least of her concerns—houses were trivial.
She simply seldom came home due to work.
"Mm…"
Soaking in a tub filled with warm, petal-strewn water, Ganyu's slender fingers lifted floating petals.
Her ample breasts, swollen and heavy with the essence she needed to extract, bobbed gently on the surface, their soft, slime-like texture glistening under the steam.
Though she hated to admit it, condensing the essence felt strange but not painful. Ganyu didn't even dislike it; in fact, a secret part of her craved the sensation.
The annoying part was that her breasts in this enhanced state—became more sensitive with each session. Touching them felt tingly, like being zapped by an Electro Slime. Her fingers trembled as she cupped one breast, feeling its jelly-like give under her palm, the surface warm and yielding, almost alive as it quivered in response.
"Looks like I should eat less Qingxin and Glaze Lilies," she murmured to herself, her voice breathy, knowing those herbs only amplified the production, making her chest fuller and more insistent.
She closed her eyes, turning her hands slowly to the task. With gentle but firm pressure, she began to pump, squeezing from the base toward the tip in slow, deliberate strokes. Her nipples, erect and sensitive, responded immediately—milky streams of pure qilin essence squirting out in rhythmic spurts, thick and creamy, filling the air with a sweet, ethereal scent.
Each pump drew a soft moan from her lips. She alternated between her breasts, massaging and milking them thoroughly, the essence collecting in the waiting bottles at the tub's edge. Her breaths coming faster as the pressure released in waves, leaving her nipples tender and dripping.
After about twenty minutes, two bottles of pure qilin essence were extracted. Ganyu exhaled, cleaned up, and stepped out.
"Huh? Where are the five bottles I stored earlier?"
She opened a small cabinet, intending to store the two bottles, but the cabinet was empty.
Seeing the emptiness, her face grew unpleasant.
She'd been condensing quickly lately—there should have been about five bottles… but now there were none.
This made her wary.
Had someone broken in and stolen her qilin essence?
But while rare, qilin essence was mostly for procreation. For ordinary people, beyond longevity, it had no other effects.
At most, it could enhance a Vision-bearer's Cryo power. Few in Liyue knew she was a qilin.
The key was—
Thinking someone had stolen and drunk her essence made Ganyu blush like an apple. How could that be?!
"Probably just a petty thief… They likely didn't know what it was, so even if they stole it… they wouldn't drink it, right?"
She kept reassuring herself, cast Cryo adeptal arts, and set up barriers.
That way, even Vision bearers couldn't steal from here.
After 3,700 years, Ganyu was very powerful. Even the Adepti of Jueyun Karst would cause a commotion breaking her seal—she would notice.
Stealing essence easily? Impossible.
After finishing, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Thinking her essence might have been drunk made her die of shame.
"Wait… Mr. Ken is a great prophet. Maybe I can ask him to foresee who stole it."
Embarrassing, but better than being in the dark.
She decided to visit Blue Star on the weekend to ask Ken.
Find out who stole her essence.
…
The next morning.
Ken got up early and checked his phone.
June 9th, 6:30 a.m.
"System, stack gacha attempts."
He decided to stack his current 40 pulls with 10x luck. He'd wanted to stack more, but it was Lisa's birthday and he hadn't prepared a gift.
Might as well roll—maybe he'd get something suitable.
If not, he'd buy some Blue Star specialties as a gift. He couldn't just freeload at the party.
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, Host obtained: Mental Restoration Potion x1]
[Perhaps Host obtained 4-star Catalyst: Sacrificial Fragments]
[Congratulations, Host obtained Ganyu-brand Cocogoat Milk x2]
[Congratulations, Host obtained Osmanthus wine x10 jars]
With 10x luck, the results left Ken a bit dazed.
Ganyu-brand coconut milk had been dropping too often lately—almost 100%—making him feel like he was freeloading from Ganyu.
Regularly consuming qilin essence had indeed enhanced his Cryo power.
But thinking it came from Ganyu's body made him feel the system was perverted.
He didn't drink the two bottles immediately—he stored them in the system space to enjoy later.
First, check the other items.
[Mental Restoration Potion: A wondrous restorative that can heal wounded minds… may have special effects for certain worn-down beings.]
[Sacrificial Fragments: A script weathered by ages; its hymns are illegible, cursed by the erosion of Time's wind… but for some, it's an excellent weapon.]
[Osmanthus wine: Wine brewed with adeptal qi; strengthens the body and grants greater stamina.]
Of these, the Mental Restoration Potion was most interesting.
It could restore the mind—could it restore memories lost to erosion?
If so, Teyvat's erosion would no longer be a problem.
But the description was vague—he needed a test subject. A certain behemoth came to mind; trying it on them might be perfect.
If it worked, it would be priceless.
As for Sacrificial Fragments and the Osmanthus wine, they'd make fine gifts for Lisa. That catalyst would suit her well.
Not a five-star, but four-stars were already rare in Teyvat—quite a lavish present.
Rumble—
Ken summoned a Vortex Gate. Before heading to Mondstadt, he returned to Liyue Harbor and released his 100+ Treasure Weasels into the Northland Bank.
Ahem.
He'd gotten several million Mora from the bank over the past few days.
A drop in the bucket for them, but losing money daily was bad.
They would surely beef up security. Ken added Anemo shields to the weasels.
If discovered, the little guys could bolt instantly.
He didn't want to risk the hard-won returns.
After that, he headed to Mondstadt. Compared to bustling Liyue, Mondstadt was picturesque and relaxed.
Lisa knew how to live and cherished ritual in everything.
Her birthday was at Dawn Winery.
When Ken arrived, he found the party wasn't as lively as he'd imagined.
…