Once the initial excitement died down, Barbatos—sitting beside Lori—noticed he showed absolutely no remorse for arriving late.
The Anemo Archon deliberately provoked him:
"No matter the reason, coming this late… shouldn't you make it up to everyone?
I don't mind, of course, but the others might—"
Lori turned his head and looked at the wind god, who trailed off dramatically.
After two thousand years of friendship, he knew exactly what this guy was thinking.
Obviously, Barbatos was trying to use this chance to extort several jars of good wine.
Still pretending to think it over, Lori replied seriously:
"You're right. In that case... why don't I punish myself with three cups first?"
All the Archons watched them with interest—
Everyone wanted to see how this battle of wits would unfold.
Barbatos coughed.
"Ah—no need for punishment. In fact, rather than calling it punishment… think of it as a reward."
He muttered softly to himself.
Knowing him, being made to drink wine was the opposite of suffering.
Lori raised a brow.
"Oh? Then what do you propose?"
"Simple—just bring out a few jars of that Celestial Immortal Drunk you let us try last time."
He opened his mouth wide, as if it were the easiest request in the world.
Lori was speechless.
Good lord, you call this robbery or extortion?
Celestial Immortal Drunk—said to intoxicate even immortals with a sip—was ridiculously rare.
Even after more than two thousand sign-ins, Lori had only obtained about a dozen jars.
Half had already been consumed in previous Archon gatherings.
Only five jars remained.
If the system didn't grant more... they'd go extinct.
He was about to refuse—
Until he noticed the subtle shift in everyone's eyes.
Not only Morax, who loved delicacies…
Even the Hydro Archon and Dendro Archon—who rarely drank—looked quietly expectant.
"..."
Lori sighed, helpless.
With a resigned flick of his hand, he summoned three jars of Celestial Immortal Drunk from his system space.
"Fine… I'll bleed dry just this once. After today, that's it."
Barbatos nearly shouted, "Boss, you're amazing!"
Lori only agreed so readily because—
This might be the last Seven Archons' gathering.
After Khaenri'ah's destruction,
how many of the gods present here would still remain?
At that thought, the pain of wasting rare wine faded—only melancholy lingered.
Barbatos hugged one jar immediately, ignoring the annoyed scolding from the others.
Who cared if they yelled?
For a jar of Celestial Immortal Drunk, it was worth it a thousand times over.
Lori expected this reaction, so he simply ignored the wind god and poured wine for everyone—Archons, Adepti, and even the Qixing.
As host, Morax raised his cup first.
"Thank you all for coming from afar. I offer the first toast."
All the Archons raised their cups.
Unlike the cold relationships of the future, the Seven Archons of this era were close—
openly chatting, laughing, and sharing stories without restraint.
Morax drained his cup in one swallow.
A faint dizziness rose immediately—he couldn't help but praise:
"A fine wine indeed."
The Pyro Archon laughed heartily.
"I'll admit it—I've been jealous of that Celestial Immortal Drunk for ages, but I was too embarrassed to ask. Thanks to Barbatos, I finally get another taste of the 'floating beyond the clouds' sensation Liyue speaks of."
Soon, the entire gathering was immersed in food, wine, and lively conversation.
No one cared about the earlier tardiness.
And when it came to food—
none in the world surpassed Liyue.
When the chatter reached its peak, a girl standing behind Morax finally couldn't help stepping forward—
walking quickly toward Lori.
"T-teacher…"
Lori and Barbatos had just been reminiscing when a soft, delicate voice sounded from behind.
He turned—
And saw a beautiful, nervous girl with her hands hidden behind her back.
Barbatos immediately understood and patted Lori's shoulder.
"I'll go challenge Morax to a drinking contest.
Won't disturb your little reunion."
Leaving Lori and the girl alone, the wind god vanished into the crowd.
Lori finally faced her fully.
Blue hair smooth as silk, warm jade-like qilin horns, and shy lavender eyes that darted nervously—
Ganyu was already blushing.
She wore a white form-fitting qipao lined with gold, a large golden bell at her collar, and a big butterfly knot accentuated by her long hair.
Bare shoulders like flawless white jade, contrasting sharply with alluring black stockings—
she was breathtaking.
Her wide embroidered sleeves floated like immortal clouds, and at her waist hung a red knot inlaid with her cryo Vision.
She was… stunning.
"Cloud Retainer's fashion sense… truly unmatched."
Lori felt deeply satisfied with his past decision to entrust Ganyu to her.
Looking at the girl who had grown so much, he finally beckoned.
"Come. Let me have a good look at you."
Before his words even finished, Ganyu hurried forward and knelt gracefully before him.
"Even after a hundred years, you're still this shy?"
Lori examined his first disciple carefully—without the slightest impurity in his gaze.
After a moment, he commented:
"You look thinner."
Ganyu gave a soft "mm."
She had lived on morning dew and qingxin flowers for many years—
never daring to slack in the slightest.
All to present her best self to her teacher.
Considering her natural love for food, this self-control took unimaginable effort.
Feeling her teacher's gaze lingering on her, Ganyu grew shyer—yet secretly delighted.
She raised her moist, longing eyes to meet his for just a brief moment—
then quickly lowered them again.
Lori sighed.
"I heard you've been serving as secretary to the Qixing for over a thousand years.
With this kind of attitude, how do you even manage your work?"
"That's—that's not true. I'm only like this in front of Teacher…"
Ganyu muttered, voice barely above a whisper.
Normally, she was calm, composed, polite, flawless.
Aside from needing her afternoon naps, she was almost perfect.
A thousand years had passed—
Qixing came and went like flowing water,
but the "iron" constant of Ganyu remained.
She was irreplaceable.
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