Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Columbina did not return with Shenhe, and the reason was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's feet.
Having Padisarah bloom wherever she steps—that potent ability—is the Flower God's clearance. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata didn't know why this ability reappeared in this world with her. Logically, stepping on the ground should only cause translucent flowers and grass to grow (like in the Lesser Lord Kusanali joining animation). Perhaps the records of the Ley Lines or Irminsul were flawed when she was summoned?
But regardless, as long as the issue of flowers growing wherever her feet touch is unresolved, she cannot stroll brazenly into Liyue Harbor.
It can only be said that it's a good thing flowers grow when she steps on the ground and not poisonous Mushrooms, otherwise she'd be crossing over to another set.
As for Columbina, she was purely suffering from a severe case of laziness.
Her Homebody personality kicked in; she didn't really want to run around. The Damselette felt she had crossed the sea from Snezhnaya to Nordkale, nearly getting discovered by the Children of the Frost Moon, and then crossed the sea from Nordkale to Natlan. The subsequent journey was even more exhausting, basically using Spatial Blink the entire way. How tiring!
Since she worked so hard, what's wrong with being a Homebody for a while? It's not like there aren't snacks here.
Shenhe had intended to tell Orion after returning, but Greater Lord Rukkhadevata stopped her.
"Don't tell him. I want to see when he remembers me. It's only a few steps from Liyue Harbor to here. With his speed, couldn't he cover the distance in a few great leaps? Is there something in between preventing him from coming?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is currently not connected to Irminsul, so she doesn't know about the news of Moonlight and the Dragon Clan conveyed by Jean, nor is she aware that Orion didn't dare come over for fear that the Lunar Marrow on him might provoke Azhdaha and cause the plot to collapse.
Columbina: Just kidding, there's Moonlight even if you don't come.
In short, Shenhe didn't do much productive on her visit home; she just recounted many of her experiences to the three of them. Auntie Xianyun was very moved, thinking, 'This child is already better at conversation than I am.'
As the sun passed its hottest point, Shenhe prepared for her return journey.
The Magic Pouch belonged to Orion, so Shenhe intended to take it, but Greater Lord Rukkhadevata confiscated it: "Don't take it. Leave it with me for now; I belong to him anyway. If you leave this with me, maybe he'll remember me faster. He can't possibly have a whole bunch of such useful items, can he?"
Shenhe didn't know.
Thus, Shenhe, feeling lightened, waved goodbye to the three of them and walked down the mountain alone.
Columbina finally looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata: "Tree King, do you know my Moon?"
"Hmm?" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata tilted her head: "What is the surname of your Moon?"
"It should be this Orion." Columbina took out another candy.
Hearing this, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sized up the Damselette, then patted her head: "Don't worry, your appearance is right in his Strike Zone."
Columbina didn't understand what a Strike Zone was, but she noticed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata seemed to understand Orion very well: "Then can you teach me how to get along well with my Moon?"
"Simple!" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata patted her chest, her enormous burdens moving rhythmically: "The moment you see him, pretend to slip and tell him you sprained your ankle. He will definitely squat down to check on you, and then you say: 'Oops, I couldn't stop myself.'"
Watching the interaction between the two, Xianyun poured a cup of tea for each of them: "Tree King, isn't he your companion? Why are you so unconcerned about him... caring about others?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata smiled slightly: "Because I'm also in his Strike Zone~"
Xianyun sighed again: "Was it really wrong to entrust Shenhe to him? Next time, This Immortal will personally test him..."
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Shenhe's pace was rapid, several times that of an ordinary person, giving her the full capability to make a round trip between the Crimson Mansion and the Human Realm in a single day.
She could actually teleport directly from the Cave Dwelling into the Miliastra Wonderland, but for some inexplicable reason, she felt a strange sense of ritual that it was better to enter after returning to Liyue Harbor first.
Just before reaching the small alley where she often refreshed her location, Orion and Paimon happened to walk over from the opposite direction, bickering.
Orion: "This is really great, really great. Going out with you ensures we won't be mistaken for boyfriend and girlfriend."
Paimon: "It would be strange if we were, right? But I think they treat us like relatives, perhaps siblings?"
Orion: "I think it's father and daughter."
Paimon: "Then I want to be your dad."
Afterward, the two also spotted Shenhe. They seemed surprised that they had left separately but were returning together.
Orion waved to Shenhe from afar. After the three met and were about to walk toward a secluded spot, a woman with neatly trimmed short hair stopped them from a teahouse across the street.
"Three esteemed guests, please wait. You are Lord Orion, correct? Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Ningguang's personal secretary, named Baiwen."
"It seems by chance we missed our opportunity to meet today. I am waiting here specifically by the command of Lord Ningguang. Please follow me... Look, these are—"
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"A gift from Tianquan Ningguang??"
Looking at the gift boxes of all sizes before her, Lumine's eyes widened, scanning the gifts like searchlights.
"Paimon already did that exact move a moment ago." Orion felt that Lumine and Paimon were influencing each other in some ways.
Yunli, Clara, and the others also gathered around, all looking at the gifts with curiosity.
Orion clapped his hands: "Don't just stare; open them if you want!"
"Yay!" A group of girls cheered and rushed over, frantically tearing open the gift boxes. It proved that as long as they were girls, they couldn't control the impulse to unbox packages.
On a side note, the lineup of girls today was: Lumine, Clara, Yunli, Mona, and Fischl. Skirk, Shenhe, and Sanzomon sat casually to the side, while Anaconda and the two Griseos, even when they came out, were busy fiddling with small components or studying illustrations.
Unfortunately, the Mondstadt Mature Lady Trio wasn't present, nor were Barbara and Amber. The five of them had relatively high work pressure, and Orion was hoping to help them relax.
He should find time tonight to give them house-to-house massages—community care, in a sense.
If this were Japan, where Declining Birthrate Countermeasures had been enacted, he would probably be going door-to-door there too, Orion thought.
After opening the gifts, the girls were all somewhat shocked. How luxurious! Ningguang had simply stuffed in anything and everything good.
Not only were there valuable items, but she also deliberately included a huge pile of things that would delight young girls.
She even prepared lunchboxes containing various signature dishes from the two major culinary traditions, the Li Cuisine and the Yue Cuisine. When spread across the table, it was truly a feast of mountain beasts, sky geese, land livestock, and sea delicacies—everything imaginable.
Watching the lively girls, Orion scratched his head: "Oh no, I didn't expect the gifts we received to be so nice. Ningguang won't despise what I sent her, will she?"
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"All these numerous items are unheard of and unseen in Teyvat. Compared to them, the gifts I sent seem quite vulgar..."
Looking at the strange objects scattered all over the floor, Ningguang revealed an inscrutable smile.
"Lord Ningguang!"
Baixiao suddenly walked in, nearly stumbling and stepping on some of the gifts, causing a cold sweat to break out on her back.
"What is it? Why are you so flustered?" Ningguang asked, tapping her pipe.
"Y-yes, it's this: Lord Keqing just sent an urgent report saying that many Monsters Shrouded in Black Mist have appeared near the Guili Plains area, which was planned for reconstruction, and more troops need to be dispatched to suppress them!"
"Monsters... shrouded in black mist?" Ningguang raised her orchid finger, gracefully twisting her chin with her jade hand. After a moment of contemplation, she said: "Let her deploy them. I will speak to the other Qixing. Also, if these Monsters Shrouded in Black Mist are truly difficult to handle, tell her not to get stuck on a single point, and try consulting others, such as the Adeptus Families, or perhaps—"
"WangSheng Funeral Parlor."
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