"Uh... well..."
Lora scratched her head, seeming to think Apep had a point.
"Forget it. I understand how you gods operate." Apep waved a hand, not dwelling on it any further.
"What do you mean, how we gods operate?" Lora tilted her head and looked at her.
"Am I wrong? You gods are used to hiding from the Heavenly Principles, so you do everything in secret. I understand."
Lora scratched her head, even looking a little embarrassed. "Actually, I think of it as a sense of ritual."
"Then gods have very strange rituals." Apep made a blunt remark, then said, "Let's go. To Liyue."
"We're going to Liyue just like that?" Lora was pleasantly surprised and blurted out, "I was still thinking of giving you a gift, but I didn't expect you to agree so quickly. Now I can save myself the trouble!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Hearing that, Apep suddenly smiled. "Then you will regret saying that, Egeria."
"Huh?" Lora froze.
"If you don't give me a gift I'm satisfied with, I won't go."
Lora stood there, stared at her, then suddenly reached out and touched her forehead.
"What are you doing?" Apep asked with a frown.
"Checking if you have a fever." Lora looked at her seriously. "Do you know who I am? Me, Lora, Egeria. I'm broke. Where am I supposed to find a gift that would satisfy you?"
"You can fool those youngsters with that kind of talk, but do you truly think it will work on me?" Apep looked at her as if she were a little fool.
Lora: "..."
After giving her own mouth a quick tap, she asked helplessly, "Then... Lady Apep, what kind of gift do you want?"
"Shouldn't the giver be the one to think about what to give?" Apep said slowly. "If I say it myself, then it will no longer be a gift. It will be something I demanded."
"There is a fundamental difference between the two."
Lora quietly gave her a thumbs-up. "A woman of refined standards. No, wait, a dragon of refined standards."
Then she spread her hands. "But I really don't have anything I can give you. I don't know what you Dragon Sovereigns like either!"
"Aren't you very close to that second-generation Hydro Dragon?" Apep looked at her. "What was his name again? Since you are so close to him, how could you not know what Dragon Sovereigns like?"
Lora clicked her tongue and shook her head, feeling sorry for Neuvillette, who had been reduced to "what was his name again."
Poor guy.
"But as for Neuvillette's tastes..."
She began to think, muttering, "What does he like again... Oh, I remember. Melusines! But I can't give you Melusines either..."
"What are Melusines?" Apep asked with a frown.
Lora gathered a mass of Hydro elemental power and shaped it into the form of a Melusine to show her. "These. A race born from the flesh and blood of Elynas, fused with the powers of Teyvat and the Abyss."
"A life born from contaminated power." Apep frowned. "How could that boy like such creatures?"
"Hmm... how should I put it..." Lora scratched her head. After thinking for a moment, she explained, "Five hundred years ago, didn't I suddenly drop dead? Focalors wrote a letter inviting Neuvillette to Fontaine. When he passed by Elynas, he met the Melusines, and then..."
At that point, she spread her hands, leaving the rest unsaid.
If you know, you know.
Who could possibly understand how a Hydro Dragon's mind worked?
He just really liked those cute little creatures.
Sigh.
Poor Hydro Vishaps.
"Hmph! Dragon Sovereigns truly get worse with each generation. To think they would even start liking lifeforms touched by the Abyss!" Apep snorted coldly, clearly looking down on Neuvillette.
At that very moment, Neuvillette, who was frantically working overtime on government affairs in the Court of Fontaine, suddenly raised his head and frowned, staring ahead in confusion.
Why did it feel like someone was talking about him?
"Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal. Every generation of dragons has its own preferences. It's understandable."
Lora tried to soothe Apep's temper, then continued, "But Melusines really can't be given away. Fontaine's laws state that they have the same rights as humans."
"Even if you gave them to me, I wouldn't want them."
Apep snorted coldly and turned her head away with a hint of arrogance. "Who would want Abyss-tainted lifeforms?"
Lora added, "But they're pretty cute."
Apep glared at her.
Lora immediately said, "All right, all right. I'll think of something else."
Apep was not anxious at all. She calmly watched Lora rack her brains, brows tightly furrowed, then said slowly, "There is no need to rush. There is still some time before this Lantern Rite you mentioned. You can take your time deciding what gift to give me."
After thinking for a moment, Lora suddenly stood on tiptoe, wrapped an arm around Apep's shoulders, pulled her closer, and said, "I'll give you my promise."
"A promise?" Apep's gaze sharpened with curiosity. "What kind of promise?"
"A promise that dragons will no longer be oppressed by the laws of the Heavenly Principles, and that you will be able to live openly, peacefully, and safely on this continent alongside humans and all other lifeforms," Lora said earnestly.
After she finished speaking, Apep fell silent.
Lora also released her and stood in front of her, looking into her eyes as she waited for her decision.
Only after a long while did Apep sigh and slowly say, "If it is you, perhaps you truly can fulfill that promise. As you are now, you have already shown me such hope."
"So? Is this gift acceptable?" Lora asked with a smile.
Apep looked at her, then lowered her head slightly. "Although I revere the Dragon King, if you can accomplish this goal, then in my heart, you will be second only to him."
Lora teased with a smile, "I thought you were going to say I was your god."
Apep straightened up. "I am not like those foolish second-generation dragons."
"Wait!"
Lora suddenly called out to her, then pulled out a recorder from who-knows-where. After fiddling with it for a moment, she said, "Apep, say that again!"