I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Traveler and Zhongli (3)

The young traveler strode up to the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth.

The official she had met before was standing at the door, greeting guests.

The official in charge of etiquette was slightly surprised to see her arrive. She took two steps forward and asked, "Miss Traveler, is there anything I can help you with?"

"We've come to find Zhongli!" Paimon's speech was certainly much faster than the Traveler's slow pace.

"Mr. Zhongli?" The female ceremonial officer greeted her with a standard smile. "Yes, may I ask what business you have with him?"

"This is a big deal! A really big deal!!"

Paimon's expression was quite exaggerated: "This is a major event concerning the entire Liyue Harbor, no, even the entire Liyue!!"

"Okay, we've got a detailed understanding of it." The ceremonial maid's standard smile remained unchanged. "Please wait a moment, I'll pass it on to Mr. Zhongli."

"Ah."

The young traveler nodded gently.

Then, the young lady in charge of etiquette entered the room and returned a few minutes later: "Mr. Zhongli invites Miss Traveler to come in."

Following the young female attendant, the traveler soon arrived at the main hall of the Hall of Rebirth.

Wearing traditional Liyue attire, the handsome and tall Zhongli was leisurely sipping tea at the table, just as he always did.

His gaze fell upon the arrival of the young traveler, he nodded slightly, and then said, "Please sit down."

The young traveler naturally sat down opposite him.

The young lady served tea to the traveler and Paimon before leaving the living room.

"Please speak." Zhongli put down his teacup and spoke softly, "What is it you want to say? Paimon just said that this is a major event that will affect the entire Liyue, so I would like to hear about it as soon as possible."

"Hmm." The traveler girl then recounted to Paimon her journey to find the immortals and the events that occurred along the way, as well as the final decision made by the immortals.

After hearing these words, Zhongli remained silent for several seconds.

He then nodded: "Little Paimon is right, this is indeed a major event that could affect the entire Liyue. However, it will be difficult for you to meet Gan Yu without the Liyue Seven Stars' knowledge."

"Ok??"

The young traveler looked up at Zhongli with some surprise.

Zhongli took a leisurely sip of tea: "After the passing of the Geo Archon, in order to avoid chaos in Liyue Harbor, the Liyue Seven Stars began to take back the power that the Archon once controlled. As the Seven Stars' secretary, Gan Yu has been extremely busy lately. It's basically impossible to meet with her alone."

"unless...."

"Stop keeping me in suspense!! Tell me already, tell me already!" Paimon urged.

Zhongli shook his head: "So far, I know of two ways to meet Gan Yu. One is to wait. I can arrange a meeting with Gan Yu for you, Traveler, but the time is uncertain. It could be tomorrow, or it could be a week or two later."

"The second option is to not look for Gan Yu, but instead take you directly to see the Emperor's corpse, how about that?"

"Ok??"

The traveler girl was suddenly stunned.

"Is it possible?" Paimon also looked surprised. She flew over to Zhongli's side, looked into his eyes, and asked with some doubt, "Shouldn't this be something that the Seven Stars of Liyue would risk their lives to protect?"

“Of course.” Zhongli smiled faintly. “It’s actually very simple. If you just keep an eye on Liyue Harbor ever since the Emperor was killed, you can see where the guards are the tightest.”

"Um???"

The traveler looked up, slightly surprised.

"You can even deduce this?!" Little Paimon seemed about to jump up: "However, what you said, Mr. Zhongli, is actually quite possible. Since it's something valuable, it must require heavy guard. Although it's supposed to be secret, it definitely can't be hidden from someone with ulterior motives."

"But there's one problem: with so many guards, how are we supposed to find the Emperor's corpse? Should we sneak in, or... fight our way in?"

Paimon made a fist-throwing gesture, as if he were about to knock down some nameless entity in front of him.

"Hmm... sneaking in is possible. The success rate is about 20%."

Zhongli surprisingly began to analyze seriously: "As for fighting your way in and out, well... perhaps you, Traveler, and Paimon..."

Zhongli paused here for a moment: "Neither you nor Paimon? Neither of you can do it. At least both of you need to be immortals. Only with this level of martial prowess can you fight your way in and come out unharmed."

"Hehe, okay, just kidding." Paimon scratched the back of his head and chuckled foolishly.

"Then what is your suggestion, Mr. Zhongli?" The traveler girl was more practical than Paimon.

“Before I offer my suggestions, let me first explain why Liyue is a nation of contracts.” Zhongli casually took out a document and handed it to the Traveler.

"In Liyue, merchants place great importance on contracts. But in reality, it's not about valuing the contracts themselves, but about valuing fairness."

"The Geo Archon decided that Liyue should be founded on a contract. His purpose was to let everyone know that fairness is the most important thing in the world and in this country. Therefore, when he selected the seven stars of Liyue to govern, he would first look at whether the things they did were fair."

"I can't really speak for the Seven Stars I'm not very familiar with. But at least the Seven Stars of Liyue that I am familiar with all value fairness very much."

“Ningguang once walked barefoot from one end of Liyue Harbor to the other to sell a single bouquet of flowers, without stopping for a moment.”

"Keqing is a high-ranking noble. But before she establishes any system, she tries her best to find the loopholes in that system and fix them. Once, in order to create a system for construction workers, she went to a construction site and experienced working there for more than two months. She knew all the hardships that workers might encounter. Only after doing this did she dare to formulate a new policy."

"So, of these two accounts, Traveler Girl, which one do you think is the person involved in the assassination attempt on the Emperor?"

The girl remained seated and motionless, and neither she nor Paimon could figure out what Zhongli was trying to say.

A moment later, looking at the girl's puzzled expression.

Zhongli smiled faintly: "Traveler, what do you think about us going directly to meet Ningguang and asking her to let us examine the remains of the Rock King Emperor?"

"This." Zhongli's thoughts far exceeded the traveler's expectations.

This is the third time today that the traveler has been stunned into place.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Glow of Tianquan Star

Should we go directly to Ningguang and ask her?

This matter made the traveler girl slightly suspicious, after all, the information she received from the immortals was that among the Seven Stars of Liyue, there were mortals who wanted to betray the Emperor.

Therefore, it is important to avoid direct contact with them without protection.

However, Zhongli's suggestion took her by surprise.

However, this suggestion does have some merit.

If it can be confirmed that a particular Liyue septuagenarian would never betray you, then telling her everything would actually be a better solution.

"Hmm..." The traveler hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to make a decision.

After a while, Zhongli had already drunk two cups of tea.

The traveler girl still hadn't made a decision, and Paimon, standing beside her, couldn't offer any useful advice either. When he flew overhead, he really did seem like a third wheel.

Seeing the traveler girl's hesitant expression, Zhongli shook his head slightly.

He reached out and gave it another push.

"Although Gan Yu claims to be the secretary of the Liyue Seven Stars, she usually helps whichever Seven Star is the busiest and needs her the most."

"After the Emperor's death, Ningguang is the one who has gained the most power and is also the busiest among the Seven Stars of Liyue in terms of the power they have acquired."

"So, if you go directly to see Ningguang, you'll probably see Ganyu too. Even if Ningguang has some problems, with Ganyu there, she definitely won't react on the spot."

Zhongli's explanation captivated the traveler.

She looked into Zhongli's eyes and slowly nodded.

"Alright, let's not delay. Let's head to Qunyu Pavilion now."

"Huh??" Paimon asked in surprise, "Go now??"

"Of course, let's go now."

......

"The Jade Pavilion is the most luxurious place that Ningguang, the star of Tianquan in Liyue, created using all her wealth and power."

"It is known as a celestial abode in the clouds and a palace amidst mist and clouds."

"Whenever she needs to make a decision, Tianquan Star Ningguang discusses matters with her confidants in the Qunyu Pavilion. As far as I know, during this period—well... after the death of the Rock King Emperor—she has not come down from the Qunyu Pavilion. It's probably because there are too many things to do and she can't leave. And that half-human, half-immortal Ganyu should be among them as well."

"Let's go to [Moon Sea Pavilion] to find our guide first."

As they walked along the road, Zhongli casually introduced the situation of Qunyu Pavilion and Tianquan Star Ningguang.

Upon arriving at the Moon Sea Pavilion, the guide greeted Zhongli warmly, saying, "It's actually Mr. Zhongli! It's been so long since we last spoke. I never expected that such a wonderful day would bring you here."

"I would like to go with the traveler next to me to the Jade Pavilion to pay my respects to Lord Ningguang of the Heavenly Power Star."

Upon hearing this, the guide's smiling face suddenly froze, and he said with a troubled smile, "Mr. Zhongli, as you know, to enter the Jade Pavilion, you must have Lord Ningguang's secret signal. I have no right to take you up there."

“Hmm…” Zhongli crossed his arms and pondered for a moment: “Indeed, this is also the contract between you and Tianquan Xing Ningguang. It is indeed not good for you to break the contract and bring us up.”

"Okay, I'll change the code."

"Hello, do you sell mooncakes here now?"

The guide paused for a moment, then immediately broke into a smile again: "Yes, how many do you want?"

Zhongli replied, "I cannot disclose the quantity."

“Well done. Mr. Zhongli, I never expected you to have such a set of codes. It really surprises me.” The guide smiled and bowed respectfully. “Well then, since you have answered correctly, I will escort you up.”

A few minutes later, using the mechanism, Zhongli and the traveler arrived at the entrance of the Jade Pavilion.

Looking down, one sees the tranquil and vibrant Liyue Harbor and the magnificent landscape of Liyue.

Seemingly puzzled by their arrival, Tianquan Xing Ningguang emerged from the inner room of Qunyu Pavilion with a puzzled expression, accompanied by her secretary, to greet the visiting guests.

Upon seeing who it was, she showed a slight surprise, but quickly suppressed it.

The mature woman with long, slender, fair legs quickly approached Zhongli and the traveler, and greeted them softly, "I didn't expect it to be Mr. Zhongli and a traveler from another country. Why are you two here at this time? Is there something important you need?"

"It is urgent business, and this is not a suitable place to talk. Please go to the inner room."

Zhongli said it directly.

“Hmm…” Ningguang smiled faintly. “Of course.”

Ningguang and her secretary led the way, and a few minutes later they arrived at the inner room of the Qunyu Pavilion building.