Cross through Teyvat, and you'll become stronger by taking the hits!

After returning to Liyue Harbor from Guyun Pavilion, Keqing immediately went to Qunyu Pavilion and shared the information she had gathered with Ningguang, one of the seven stars of Liyue.

However, to her surprise, Gan Yu was also there.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Gan Yu had discovered that a merchant ship that was supposed to arrive at the port recently had lost contact, and according to the survivors, it seemed to have been attacked by some kind of sea monster.

"Pu Zhe?"

After listening to Gan Yu's description of the sea beast's appearance, Ke Qing suddenly realized something.

The last follower of that vortex demon is recorded in some ancient books, which Keqing has also read.

The most crucial thing is that the bacha did not completely disappear. Before Inazuma closed its borders, ships traveling on the distant seas occasionally witnessed its existence.

However, no ships were ever attacked.

"If your information is accurate, the seal beneath Lonely Cloud Pavilion has indeed weakened, allowing the power of the Vortex Demon God to leak out, and its followers have begun to become active."

Having heard the information from Gan Yu and Ke Qing, the elegant white-haired woman opposite them, dressed in a yellow and white cheongsam and with her hair tied up with a hairpin, nodded solemnly and spoke of this possibility.

This person is Ningguang, the Tianquan star among the seven stars of Liyue.

"The ceremony to invite the immortals will be held in three days. At that time, I will have to trouble Ningguang to report this matter to the Emperor."

Gan Yu thought Ning Guang's words were very likely and reminded her of this.

The Emperor is elusive and rarely seen; the only appropriate way to contact him is through the ritual of summoning immortals. Other methods should only be used as a last resort.

This year's ceremony to invite the immortals was presided over by Ningguang.

"That's natural, but we should still take precautions beforehand. The matter of the demon god should not be taken lightly."

"Keqing, do you have any ideas?"

Ningguang nodded slightly, then looked at Keqing.

"I'm not sure. I can't confirm the specifics of the seal at the moment. Taking any rash action would inevitably cause panic."

Ke Qing crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

The seal of Guyun Pavilion is at the bottom of the sea. She could not confirm the situation of the seal by climbing up Guyun Pavilion, nor could she rashly dive into the deep sea. She could only judge the situation by the residual aura.

"Given the current situation, no one can guarantee whether the sea will erupt again tonight. We need to send the Thousand Rock Army to the docks tonight as a precaution."

"We'll discuss the rest later, and try to handle it before the invocation ceremony, so as not to disappoint the Emperor..."

……

That night, inside the Hall of Rebirth.

Hu Tao's expression was solemn and dignified, unlike her usual mischievous self. She held an urn covered with a white sheet in both hands with great care.

She slowly walked up to Lu Li, reached out her hand, and handed the urn to Lu Li, who had a "grief" expression on his face.

"Alas, the book is gone and cannot be brought back to life. Family members, please accept our grief and take care of yourselves."

Hu Tao gently patted Lu Li's shoulder to comfort him.

"Um……"

Lu Li held the urn in his arms, using one hand to wipe away the tears he had deliberately induced with onions.

And so, the funeral that Lu Li had specially prepared for this book, "One Hundred Ways to Speak in a Relationship," came to an end.

"Is this Liyue's funeral culture? It's completely different from Winter Solstice."

After the discovery ceremony ended, Columbia, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, finally stepped forward.

Having lived for five hundred years, she had naturally witnessed many births, aging, illnesses, and deaths, but in the past she had only paid attention to the grief of the families and had little impression of the funeral process.

"Well, I guess so, but this isn't the normal specification. The normal specification is much more troublesome."

Lu Li smoothed out the white cloth covering the urn and nodded after hearing her words.

"You can have the highest specification if you want, but as for the Mora, well, you know what I mean~"

After completing the ceremony, Hu Tao returned to her usual self, leaning over and playfully rubbing her fingers together.

"You little money-grubber, I've never heard Grandpa Hu mention that he could hold a funeral for a book."

Seeing her like this, Lu Li reached out and pinched her cheek hard.

He was just giving it a try, but Hu Tao actually agreed, even though she was the only one in charge.

"You're asking for it!"

"Besides, what's the big deal? There are plenty of wealthy families who are willing to hold a funeral for their deceased pets that is just as grand as when a person dies. It doesn't bother anyone else, so why should I, the master, refuse?"

"However, quite a few people in the hall don't like it, and I, the hall master, don't force it, so I haven't accepted it. But as for you, I can handle it all by myself."

Hu Tao immediately slapped Lu Li's hand away and said confidently, but in the end she could only shrug.

Although everyone in the funeral parlor listens to her, she won't force things in this kind of situation. There are quite a few people in the parlor who hold traditional views and can't accept things like holding a funeral for a pet.

"Oh, I see... So that means if I had paid more money, I wouldn't have been able to hold a funeral for my book?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Li understood the point.

"Of course! You're only just finding out?"

"Hehe, Columbia, let's go get something to eat. I recently learned how to make pastries, would you like to try some?"

Hu Tao covered her mouth and chuckled as she spoke, then leaned over, took Columbia's arm, and left.

She often took the initiative to chat with Columbia these past two days, and Columbia had obviously never been in contact with such an enthusiastic person before. At first, she was a little overwhelmed, but later she found that Walnut liked to cook delicious food for her to try, and the two became familiar with each other.

"Okay, I'm actually a little hungry."

Columbia, whose arm was being linked with hers, responded.

Lu Li looked at the urn in his arms and decided to take some time to scatter the ashes into the sea.

Now that this book is gone, Columbia will probably gradually forget its contents...

"It's so late at night, eating too many sweet things can cause cavities, so why don't I eat some for you too?"

After putting the urn back in his room, Lu Li sat down next to Columbia, who was quietly waiting for Hu Tao to finish making pastries at the dining table.

……

With only three days left before the summoning ceremony, Lu Li continued to help Columbia familiarize herself with Liyue.

During this time, he also paid attention to the reactions of the Liyue Septim, noticed that there were many more Thousand Rock Army soldiers at the dock, and that Thousand Rock Army soldiers took turns on duty at night, and notified the fishermen to fix their boats every day.

This aligns with Lu Li's plan. Once the "Emperor's Murder" incident occurs during the Immortal Summoning Ceremony, the Seven Stars of Liyue will naturally consider whether the Demon God under Guyun Pavilion will take the opportunity to cause trouble.

In addition, Lu Li met Gan Yu again. She brought news that the ship Lu Li mentioned had indeed lost contact and was still being searched for. Furthermore, no other survivors had been found besides Lu Li.

Lu Li wasn't surprised, since the actual location of the shipwreck was in the waters of Mondstadt. Even if there were other survivors, they would probably have drifted to Mondstadt and landed like him.

Three days passed quickly, and the day for the ritual of inviting the immortals finally arrived.

Although he knew that Ying and Paimon would definitely come to Liyue Harbor today, Lu Li was not in a hurry to go find them.

Compared to them...

"Little Pigeon, today is the Summoning Ceremony, let's go take a look, maybe we can see the Rock God today."

After breakfast, Lu Li approached Columbia, who was learning how to make tea, and made a suggestion.

Although Lu Li often took her out to play to keep her from getting bored, there was really nothing to do back in the Rebirth Hall, so she found some things that interested her to do.

Once, I saw Zhongli making tea, so I asked him for advice and started learning how to make tea.

She remembered that Lu Li liked to drink tea.

"Hmm?"

"But I've already met the Geo Archon, it's Zhong... Huh?"

Upon hearing Lu Li's words, Columbia looked slightly puzzled, but before she could finish speaking, Lu Li quickly covered her mouth.

……