The Qixing Secretary · Ganyu! A Reunion After Five Hundred Years!**
Regardless of what others might have been thinking, Keqing led Luo Li to a lounge next to her office.
It seemed she still remembered the words she had spoken vaguely while half-drunk the previous night. The goodwill she had gained did not disappear after a night's sleep.
In fact, after passing the "stranger" stage, while instructing her subordinates to prepare a meal, Keqing continued discussing with Luo Li how an era of human governance could truly be realized.
On this topic, Luo Li and Venti were probably the most qualified to speak.
Both had once acted as hands-off rulers, yet even so, Mondstadt continued to stand strong and had not vanished with the passage of time.
Naturally, Keqing still harbored certain doubts about the actions of that Anemo Archon.
But no matter what, the continued existence of the Seven Nations proved that each of them possessed their own unique philosophy.
After that, Keqing asked Luo Li many questions regarding Liyue's future.
Possessing several thousand years of wisdom and having once governed Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma, the policies and directions Luo Li described caused Keqing's eyes to light up.
Although she often said that the future belonged to humanity—that the people must learn to step away from divine protection and shoulder the city on their own—Keqing herself was also lost when it came to the future.
This nation was simply too vast. Supporting it alone was nearly impossible.
Even someone as capable as her could not be one hundred percent certain that her actions were correct.
The road ahead seemed shrouded in fog. She did not know whether what lay beyond was a broad, prosperous path or a bottomless abyss.
If there were no divine guidance, could the nation truly endure forever?
These were problems that had to be solved.
And yet, when she found herself lost and hesitant, Luo Li appeared at her side by a strange coincidence.
He patiently helped her sort through her thoughts, dispersing the fog before her eyes, making her understand that she was not fighting alone—there were others who shared her ideals.
Everything she thought and believed, the man before her understood completely.
He, too, dared to question the gods and looked forward to humanity forging its own era and future.
Keqing even felt that he was someone fate had arranged to appear by her side.
The only pity was that he seemed to already have a partner—and that person belonged to Mondstadt.
As her subordinates brought in breakfast, Keqing continued asking him about her doubts and problems while they ate.
Time passed like this until the sun was high in the sky, when someone finally came to report:
"Lady Keqing, there will soon be memorials to review. The Secretary will also be arriving to discuss matters regarding the Chasm…"
Only then did Keqing realize she still had work to do. Glancing at the sky and then at Luo Li, who had been accompanying her all this time, she felt a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. You came to Liyue to travel, yet I've taken up so much of your time."
"It's fine. I didn't have a clear destination anyway. Besides, helping others resolve doubts can be enjoyable in itself."
Seeing that Luo Li's words were sincere and not mere politeness, Keqing felt even more apologetic.
After thinking for a moment, she took an invitation from her pocket.
"How about this—as an apology, there will be an opera performance at Heyu Teahouse after noon. I heard that the head of the Yun family troupe will personally perform. Why don't you go and enjoy it?"
"Though this apology is insignificant, since you're in Liyue, I do recommend experiencing its traditional opera."
Luo Li accepted the gold-edged invitation and nodded with interest.
The head of the Yun family troupe—this should be Yun Jin of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, often called Mr. Yun or Boss Yun.
Seeing him accept it, Keqing finally relaxed a little and said, "It's a pity I won't have any free time later, otherwise I could personally guide you around Liyue."
For someone like Keqing, whose footsteps had covered every inch of Liyue in her efforts to survey the land, there was no better guide.
"No problem. There will be plenty of time in the future. No need to rush."
"That's true."
With official matters no longer being discussed, the two fell briefly silent.
Keqing coughed lightly, somewhat reluctant as she prepared to bid him farewell and head to the administrative hall.
At that moment, a voice reported from outside:
"Lady Keqing, the Secretary has arrived outside the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
The Secretary?
Luo Li raised an eyebrow slightly and instinctively looked toward the door.
Could it be… that crying girl?!
Outside the Ministry of Civil Affairs
Walking through the bustling crowd while holding a stack of documents, Ganyu let out a soft sigh.
The longer she lived among humans, the stronger her sense of loneliness became.
This loneliness stemmed from her qilin bloodline—drinking sweet dew by day, resting in the immortal mountains by night.
Yet the human side of her could not sever itself from the prosperity of the mortal world.
Pulled between the two, she felt like an outcast—unable to find a place to belong or a warm home in this vast city.
Perhaps this weariness toward the future also came from the desolation of never seeing her teacher again.
Five hundred years ago, when she learned from the Geo Archon that her teacher had perished in the Abyss, she cried for the first time since growing up in two thousand years. She sat alone at the peak of Mt. Aocang for three days and nights without moving.
They say a mermaid's tears turn into pearls, but few know that a qilin's tears can heal wounds.
Yet wounds of the heart have no cure.
After that, Ganyu retraced every place she had once visited with her teacher, clinging to the vain hope of reclaiming the past.
But the past was gone forever, never to return.
In the end, she was sincerely invited back by that generation of the Qixing.
Without Ganyu, Liyue's affairs simply could not function. They had no choice but to ask her to return to work.
She agreed, but from that moment on, she spoke less and less, becoming quiet and reserved, which worried those around her.
The one reassuring thing was that she devoted almost all her energy to work. Aside from a fixed one-and-a-half-hour lunch break, she was never seen resting.
Perhaps only Ganyu herself knew that only by completely filling her time could she prevent her thoughts from wandering back to those painful memories.
But work always ends eventually. When it did, she would ask herself—
"Merchants gathering like clouds, countless ships arriving, endless goods flowing, voyages across all seas… Is this truly all I wish for?"
Lost in thoughts about herself and Liyue, Ganyu had already reached deep inside the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Beyond this point lay the office of the Yuheng Star.
She was not particularly fond of this member of the Qixing, as the other's attitude toward the Geo Archon was somewhat sharp.
Aside from Luo Li, Ganyu also held deep reverence for the Geo Archon.
But the Geo Archon always said that Keqing was the person Liyue needed most in its current era.
Unable to understand this, Ganyu could only immerse herself in more affairs, hoping to find the answer.