"Did you hear? Lady Ningguang actually gave the Jade Chamber away!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Lady Ningguang's still living there herself—how could she possibly give it away?"
Rumors about the Jade Chamber were spreading wildly through Liyue Harbor.
That floating palace was the pride of Liyue, a symbol of prosperity itself— no one could believe Ningguang would hand it to anyone.
Still… something had been off about her lately.
She'd been spending an awful lot of time with Su Ran— so much, in fact, that she'd even started living with him up there.
If her old acquaintances hadn't known her character so well, they might have thought she'd defected to his side entirely.
And lately, her behavior had only gotten stranger.
She was even dabbling in the ore business.
Why? Because Su Ran had been talking about building a space station, and promised to make her its future station chief.
So, of course, she'd begun gathering minerals in bulk— hoping Su Ran could find some use for them.
"Why not just use floatstone directly?"
To her, "space station" simply meant "something that floats."
Naturally, she thought of the same levitating stones that held up the Jade Chamber.
As for the "anti-gravity engine" Su Ran had mentioned…
she didn't understand a word of it— but that didn't stop her from thinking it sounded marvelous.
Su Ran picked up a chunk of floatstone, turned it in his hand— and crushed it into powder between his fingers.
Ningguang's eyes widened.
So that's what he meant—it was too fragile.
Though really, who besides him had the strength to do that bare-handed?
"Teyvat's got plenty of minerals," Su Ran said, brushing the dust away, "and some with rather curious energy properties.
But none of them have the hardness I'm looking for."
Maybe he was being picky— the station would have a protective barrier anyway— but still, tougher material meant fewer repairs.
"I heard there've been a lot of meteorite fragments falling near Dragonspine lately," Ningguang suggested.
"Shall I have people collect them for you?"
If Liyue's ores weren't good enough, why not try extraterrestrial ones?
Su Ran chuckled. "Since they're from space, why should I go digging for scraps? I'll just ask someone out there to send me better ones."
But "meteorites," huh…
His eyes slid sideways— to where the Raiden Shogun was quietly snacking nearby.
Ever since Su Ran had moved into the Jade Chamber, Ei had practically attached herself to him,
hardly ever leaving his side.
More clingy than a shadow—literally.
"Ei, I've got a mission for you."
The Shogun paused mid-bite and looked up at him.
"I have a hunch another Fatui Harbinger's been hanging around Dragonspine," he said.
"Go there and give him a good beating."
"…"
"…"
Both Ei and Ningguang stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"That's a Harbinger," Ei reminded him patiently.
"I know."
Of course he knew.
If it weren't a Harbinger, he wouldn't be sending her.
"If you don't want to work for Snezhnaya anymore," Ei sighed, "just say the word. I can make you a general."
Ningguang nodded in quiet agreement.
If Su Ran wanted to quit being a Harbinger, he could simply say so— no need to pick fights as an excuse.
"But this one's… special," Su Ran said, his grin widening.
If not for that, he wouldn't bother.
A son meeting his estranged "mother"—how could he pass that up?
Especially when that "son" had an attitude.
And Su Ran hated cocky kids.
"Special how?"
Ei's curiosity was piqued.
For Su Ran to call a Harbinger "special" was rare.
"He calls himself Scaramouche."
Ningguang frowned slightly, trying to recall the name.
She'd heard bits and pieces— but nothing particularly remarkable.
A middle-ranked Harbinger, dangerous, sure— but not exactly unique.
"Who?"
Ei blinked, genuinely confused.
She only knew three Harbingers personally— the three she'd met recently.
"Scaramouche" meant nothing to her.
Then again, she had been shut inside her Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years.
Back then, the Fatui didn't even exist yet—
Pierro hadn't even founded them.
"Kunikuzushi," Su Ran said softly.
Ei's eyes widened, the name cutting straight through her composure.
She remembered.
The puppet she had once created— and cast aside.
"Kunikuzushi… he became a Harbinger?"
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make sense of it.
That abandoned puppet, joining the Fatui and rising to the ranks of their elite?
Unthinkable.
Ningguang immediately put the pieces together.
So that's what made him special.
This Scaramouche was connected to the Electro Archon herself.
The Fatui really were full of surprises.
"So," Ei asked quietly, "you want me to kill him?"
A trace of guilt flickered in her eyes.
But if it was Su Ran's command, she would obey— and at least make it painless.
"No, no," Su Ran waved his hands.
"Killing him would ruin the fun.
Just beat him up—hard.
The more it hurts, the better."
That, apparently, was the entire mission.
Ei sighed softly, almost relieved.
"Understood. I'll return soon."
Setting down her half-eaten pastry, she turned and strode out.
The room fell quiet again— back to just Su Ran and Ningguang.
But their calm didn't last long.
Ningguang's secretary, Baiwen, stepped in with a knock.
"Lady Ningguang, Miss Keqing requests an audience."
To Baiwen, the sight was still hard to swallow.
Her once-magnificent mistress, now living as a guest in her own palace— working for the very man who'd been given it.
She couldn't help but bristle with resentment.
Yet what could she do?
If even Lady Ningguang accepted it, a secretary like her had no say at all.
Ningguang turned toward Su Ran.
"She's here for you, not me. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Keqing was lovely, sure, but as wild as a stray cat.
And Su Ran had more important things to handle than chasing after kittens.
"Let her in," he said.
Baiwen nodded and slipped out— returning moments later with Keqing in tow.
The young Yuheng stepped through the doorway— and immediately froze.
There sat Ningguang, serene as ever.
And across the room— Su Ran, tinkering with some enormous machine.
They're really living together?!
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