I, the Geo Archon Morax with 2.1 Billion Mora, Have Joined a Chat Group [212]

“…It’s nothing.”

The traveler cast her gaze around the courtyard, not focusing on Zhongli’s face.

After a moment, she delicately picked up a piece of cake, placed it in her mouth, and slowly chewed.

Without needing Zhongli’s reminder, she naturally reached for a cup of tea and took a sip.

Soon after, her expression revealed unmistakable satisfaction. A faint flush crept onto her cheeks, and beads of warm sweat gathered on her forehead.

The droplets pooled together before sliding down her face, tracing the elegant line of her collarbone before disappearing into the barely-there valley below.

“Ahhh~~”

The traveler let out a long, satisfied sigh. “Delicious.”

Seeing her expression, Paimon—who had just barely recovered—couldn’t resist picking up another piece. She crunched down without hesitation.

One bite at a time, the two of them quickly polished off the plate of pastries in front of Zhongli.

Zhongli chuckled and shook his head. “If you like them, you can ask Xiangling at Wanmin Restaurant to make more. You’ve helped her so much—she certainly wouldn’t refuse.”

Before the traveler could respond, Paimon was already grumbling.

“Mr. Zhongli, you know about the Lantern Rite from a while back, right?”

“Of course. As the grandest festival in Liyue, how could I not?” Zhongli smiled. “This year’s sky lanterns were as dazzling as the stars, and I imagine that was largely thanks to you, Traveler.”

“Ha! Don’t even get me started,” Paimon scoffed, putting on an exaggeratedly wise and world-weary expression. “I’m telling you, without our Lumine, this year’s Lantern Rite wouldn’t have even happened!”

“Remember how we complained to you about all those weird commissions in Mondstadt and Liyue? Well, we never told you about the Lantern Rite commissions.”

Paimon took a dramatic sip of tea before continuing her rant.

“We made over three hundred sky lanterns, Zhongli! Three hundred! I’d say at least one-tenth of all the lanterns in Liyue Harbor were made by us!”

“And that’s not even counting all the running around we had to do! They’d hand us a map and send us all over the place—climbing mountains, diving into the sea—and in the end, they’d give us, what? Ten, twenty thousand Mora? That’s nothing! If Traveler weren’t such a kind person, no one would’ve bothered!”

“But the absolute worst was that commission about protecting a supply balloon from Hilichurls. That balloon had to be defective! Otherwise, why would it fall apart the moment we touched it? We’ve done these missions before, and that has never happened!”

“That merchant was totally trying to scam us, wasn’t he?!”

“Mr. Zhongli—no, Rex Lapis! Tell me, are all Liyue merchants this stingy?! Compared to Mondstadt, everything in Liyue just feels like endless fetch quests and errands!”

Faced with this tirade, the former Geo Archon merely smiled. He waited until Paimon had said her piece before replying with a simple sentence:

“Liyue is a nation of merchants.”

“… …”

With just those words, Paimon’s rant was completely shut down.

“As merchants, their priority is naturally to get the most work done for the least amount of money. To them, Traveler, you are an ideal hire—strong in combat, skilled, and thorough in your work. Why wouldn’t they take full advantage of that?” Zhongli spoke half in jest, half in earnest. “Contracts, at their core, are meant to be fair.”

“Fairness means receiving compensation equal to what you contribute. But over the long years, the people of Liyue Harbor have nearly forgotten this balance.”

“Traveler, allow me to offer you some advice. In the future, you should be selective about which commissions you accept. Let the merchants of Liyue Harbor understand that your efforts outweigh the rewards they offer—and that you are not obligated to comply.”

“…Understood.” The traveler nodded slightly.

Paimon, on the other hand, pouted. “Yeah, right. Lumine is just too softhearted. If you tell her not to help someone, it’d be like punishing her! I honestly don’t know how she puts up with all these weird commissions. If it were me, I’d have given up long ago—besides, we have plenty of Mora for now!”

“Hehe~”

The traveler chuckled sheepishly and scratched her cheek.

Seeing this, Zhongli said no more. He knew that this traveler had her own code of conduct—one that never wavered. She had never been lost, and she certainly didn’t need his guidance.

“…Actually, the real reason I came here today,”

After a brief silence, the traveler finally spoke of her purpose.

“…is about Dragonspine.” She smiled. “I’m ready.”

“Hmm, I still have a few preparations to make on my end,” Zhongli mused. “How about this—Traveler, return the day after tomorrow. I will accompany you to Dragonspine then.”

“That works.” The traveler nodded.

“Then we’ll see you in two days!” Paimon floated beside Zhongli, smugly patting his shoulder. “You better protect me and Lumine, okay? But hey, for the former Rex Lapis, that should be a piece of cake.”

“Naturally. You may rest assured.”

With the main topic settled, they continued chatting idly for a while before Paimon and the traveler finally took their leave.

...

Once the courtyard returned to its usual tranquility, Zhongli sat in silent thought for a moment before opening his chat group system.

A golden notification glowed on the interface.

[You have unlocked new chat group privileges. You may now create a new chat group.]

[Please select your preferred mode for the new chat group:]

1. Manual Invite Mode – You may manually add individuals to the chat group. (Only users whose coordinates you possess may be invited.)
2. Random Invite Mode – You may randomly recruit individuals from one of the seventeen Void Civilizations covered by the chat group system, based on your set conditions.

[Note: The new chat group will be equipped with standard functions, including the chat group marketplace and healing features, identical to the existing system.]

[VIP Privileges for Super Users:]
A. Upon entering the chat group, all members will be automatically @-tagged to announce your arrival.
B. Your username will be displayed in golden flame text.
C. Upon leaving, all members will be automatically @-tagged again to acknowledge your departure.

Zhongli stared at the message for a long moment.

Then, without hesitation, he silently closed the notification window.

He would never use this feature.

That level of attention was simply not worth the trouble.

---

T/N: hehe lmao an @ everyone feature everytime you log in and log off... thats fucked up

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