Early the next morning, Qiu Nian and Zhongli returned to Liyue Harbor.
Instead of heading straight back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, they went to a restaurant first. After finishing their meal, the two of them finally made their way back.
Reaching the entrance, Qiu Nian pushed the door open and walked in, with Zhongli following closely behind.
Inside, only Hu Tao and the young funeral attendant girl were present. The other attendants had already gone out to work.
Hu Tao sat upright at her desk, holding a pen as she wrote something. The window was open, and the gentle spring breeze drifted in, lightly stirring her hair.
"Oh? My two consultants are back!"
Seeing them enter, Hu Tao put down her pen, stood up, and greeted them with a bright smile.
"And why is the Director in such high spirits?" Zhongli asked, raising a hand slightly.
"You two did a great deed, of course I'm happy!"
Hu Tao placed her hands on her hips and grinned.
"Mr. Qiu Nian, Mr. Zhongli, you probably don't know yet—yesterday evening, those missing Millelith soldiers, the miners, and their families all came here."
"They brought Mora, gifts, and endless praise—for you two and for me. I was absolutely delighted!"
The young attendant explained with a cheerful smile.
"Not bad, not bad."
"But next time, don't run off that far again."
"And if you must, at least hire some adventurers to go with you. Your safety comes first."
Hu Tao nodded, then reminded them seriously.
"Rest assured, Director."
"With that renowned Traveler accompanying us, there was no danger to speak of."
Qiu Nian chuckled lightly.
"The Traveler… I heard about them from Lao Dai of Huishan Hall."
"Don't tell me it's the one I'm thinking of?"
"What a coincidence."
Hu Tao tapped her chin, slightly surprised.
"It's Lumine and Paimon—the same ones who helped Xiangling find Guoba during the Lantern Rite."
Qiu Nian explained.
"I knew it!"
"They helped me out at Wuwang Hill before too—so they count as my friends."
"And yes, that Traveler is truly impressive."
Hu Tao nodded with a smile.
"Well then…"
"Since my two consultants are back, you both should take a proper rest."
"I'm giving you three days off."
"You've been busy for several days—so do whatever you like during this time."
Hu Tao stepped forward and spoke with a grin.
"Thank you, Director."
Zhongli inclined his head slightly.
"No need to be so polite!"
"Oh right—next door, there are gifts from the Millelith, the miners, and their families."
"Some Mora, some items—go take a look yourselves."
Hu Tao pointed toward the adjacent room.
Qiu Nian and Zhongli entered.
Inside were five large chests and several gift boxes placed neatly on the ground.
Qiu Nian swept over them with his divine sense, quickly assessing their value.
Roughly over ten million Mora, along with various trinkets—some rare ores, likely gifts from the miners.
"…These gifts…"
"There should be a share for the Traveler."
Zhongli said thoughtfully, hand on his chin.
"Give her half."
"She'll be heading to Inazuma soon—she'll need it."
Qiu Nian replied with a faint smile.
With three days off granted, the two exchanged a few more words with Hu Tao before leaving the parlor, strolling through the streets of Liyue.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon encountered Madame Ping and Yanfei at Yujing Terrace, and began gathering materials to craft the Serenitea Pot.
Time passed quickly.
Before they knew it, more than a month had gone by.
The weather grew warmer, and summer arrived.
On this particular day, after fulfilling his duties as a consultant, Qiu Nian went to a mountaintop in Jueyun Karst.
Standing there, he basked in the warm summer breeze, gazing out over the sea of clouds.
As his popularity and power gradually returned, his strength had now reached fifteen.
At this point, in the entire world of Teyvat—
there were almost no beings left who could threaten him.
Meanwhile, in the parallel Blue Planet, Version 1.6's PV had been released.
Its title:
"Midsummer Island Adventure!"
The video was filled with comments from players wishing for Klee.
Jean and Barbara also received summer outfits, brimming with youthful energy.
Toward the end of the PV, there was also a character demo for Kaedehara Kazuha.
But even then, a portion of the comments still demanded that Qiu Nian be added to the banner.
Others asked for another round of Guixu's Blessing.
It was clear just how popular Qiu Nian had become as a story character not yet released into the gacha pool.
After the update, countless players flooded into the new content.
Xuehua, of course, was no exception.
Sitting in her livestream, she was cosplaying as Barbara.
Upon logging in, she was surprised to find that Venti's voice lines had been updated.
Among them was his line about Qiu Nian:
"You're asking about Qiu Nian? Haha, well—since he's the old man's friend, that makes him my friend too."
"The last time we met at Windrise, we drank and talked for quite a while."
"To have a friend like that—even if it means drinking all the wine buried at Windrise—it's worth it."
"Oh, and you know what? He said next time he comes, he'll bring some fine wine brewed by the Adepti of Jueyun Karst. I can't wait!"
After listening to Venti's voice line, Xuehua's pretty, youthful face took on the same mischievous expression as Lumine.
Absolutely no useful information at all—just wine.
Classic drunk bard.
[All you think about is drinking, huh?]
[Can you give us something useful for once? It's all about wine (facepalm)]
[Fits his character perfectly, hahaha]
Xuehua sighed.
After filling out the usual survey—once again requesting that Qiu Nian be added to the banner—
she began playing through the "Midsummer Island Adventure" event.
Meanwhile, across the parallel Blue Planet, on platforms like Bilibili and beyond, Qiu Nian's popularity continued to surge thanks to Zhongli's story quest.
A wave of high-quality fan creations emerged.
Among them—
an animated piece titled:
"We Shall Meet Again Someday."
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