Ningguang's three personal secretaries — Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao — were in a panic today.
Lady Ningguang hadn't shown up for work in the morning. When they went to her temporary residence, she wasn't there either.
Missing alongside her was the Yuheng, Lady Keqing.
Yujing Terrace fell into brief chaos.
Fortunately, Ganyu arrived in time and reassured everyone that Ningguang and Keqing had urgent matters to handle personally and would return in the afternoon.
When the two finally appeared later that day, both looked slightly unnatural upon seeing Ganyu handling affairs in their place.
Lu Lin treated them equally — he never played favorites — but no matter what, Ganyu was his first woman. Combined with her long lifespan and mature temperament, the others subconsciously viewed her differently.
Not as a formal "first wife" — such a concept didn't exist in Teyvat — and Ganyu herself never acted superior.
Still, she naturally occupied a respected position among them.
"You both look refreshed. Rough night?" Ganyu teased gently in the office, smiling warmly without the slightest hint of displeasure.
She herself had once been late to work for similar reasons. She understood.
And from Hu Tao and Xiangling, she had heard that Lu Lin had grown even stronger recently.
As for their relationships, Ganyu had already sensed the shift during the crisis in Liyue. She had even guessed that Ningguang was the third person to possess the [Heart Link] trait.
After the initial awkwardness faded, the three women quickly returned to their usual smooth cooperation.
Tartaglia's Trail
"Still no sign of Tartaglia?" Ningguang asked, flipping through reports with a frown.
"After all, he's a Fatui Harbinger. If he truly wants to hide, it won't be easy to find him. But we may have a lead." Ganyu handed over fresh intelligence.
"Qingxu Pool shows signs of Fatui activity?"
Keqing leaned in.
"That's close to The Chasm. We previously cooperated with the Fatui on exploration there. Now that diplomatic ties are severed, perhaps he retreated in that direction."
"We should send someone to investigate," Ningguang murmured.
"But Tartaglia is powerful. We must choose carefully. Ordinary personnel would be no match."
"I'll go," Lu Lin said, stepping into the office.
He was indeed the best candidate.
After orchestrating the defeat of Osial and Baqiu behind the scenes, he had deliberately avoided involving himself in Liyue's politics.
Now that the crisis had passed, he had returned to idleness.
Sending him to pursue Tartaglia made sense.
And none of the women objected. If they missed him, they could always meet in the Serenitea Pot.
The decision was made.
After speaking briefly with Ganyu about Cloud Retainer's relocation, Lu Lin left Yujing Terrace.
System Trigger
The mission wasn't solely for Liyue's sake.
It had triggered a system task.
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Capture Tartaglia]
Mission Objective:
Tartaglia colluded with a god to overthrow Liyue. After failing, he fled. Capture him before he escapes Liyue and bring him to trial.
Rewards:
1,000,000 Mora
500 Points
100 EXP
Random Resident Trait
Since it was a system task, Lu Lin had to ensure success.
Defeating Tartaglia was one thing.
Capturing him alive was another.
That required help.
Strong help.
And he already knew who.
If he was the most idle person in Liyue Harbor, the second most idle were Lumine and Paimon.
Lumine was powerful. She had defeated Tartaglia before.
She was the ideal partner.
Wanmin Restaurant
Paimon and Lumine walked out, patting their stomachs.
"So full!" Paimon sighed happily.
"Paimon… bad news," Lumine said gravely. "We're out of money."
"WHAT?! How?!"
"We've eaten at Wanmin Restaurant, Third-Round Knockout, Xinyue Pavilion, Liuli Pavilion… If not for the leftover Mora Lu Lin gave during the Rite preparations, we couldn't even afford today's meal."
Paimon panicked mid-air.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"I only realized while paying…"
"So what now? Adventurers' Guild commissions?"
"That's our only option."
"No need."
Lu Lin's clear voice sounded behind them.
"I have a commission right now. Interested?"
"Ah! Stop appearing out of nowhere!" Paimon exclaimed. "What commission?"
Lu Lin briefly explained.
Lumine hesitated.
Ever since he had treated her injuries — unintentionally sending her into overwhelming sensations twice — her feelings toward him had grown complicated.
She knew he hadn't meant anything improper.
Still, she couldn't look at him without remembering.
Embarrassment prickled at her skin.
Traveling with him for days to capture Tartaglia?
Too awkward.
"This is a great commission! We'll take it—" Paimon began, only to have her mouth covered.
"We'll… consider it," Lumine said stiffly.
Lu Lin smiled and raised two fingers.
"Two million Mora. And all travel expenses covered."
Paimon turned toward Lumine, eyes sparkling wildly.
"Deal!" Lumine declared at last.
He was offering too much.
Two million Mora would last them a very long time.
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