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The pavilion was filled with fairy wind, but the elemental power was mixed. The woman named Liu Yun pushed her red-framed glasses and immediately noticed that the main seat of today's party was not under the emperor's butt.
The blue-haired Mondstadt man had secretly taken the most important seat in the pavilion. With her as the center, a circle of women who clearly had their own thoughts occupied almost all the opportunities to talk to her. Except for Zhongli, no other man present could touch the table.
The envoy of winter, the guy named Tartaglia, curled up his legs on the bench, looking at the "barbaric" and unacceptable scene created by the women. He didn't know where to start and sighed repeatedly.
"…It's not that I don't want to help you, brother. It's just that your woman is too hardworking."
"…Lawrence, how are you recovering?"
Liu Yun heard the young master's mumbling, but did not pay too much attention to him. Instead, he asked directly the only person present who had been to another world and returned safely.
"Long time no see, Master Liuyun, I'm fine now."
Although Eula was not particular about respecting elders, she knew that Liuyun's demeanor was exactly the same as when she had rushed to Kong's side. So she put aside the thought of greeting him and pushed the letter sent by the system to the center of the table, then looked around.
Liu Yun's two apprentices left work early and even took more than two days off to come to Wangshu. This was unprecedented for them, which shows how determined they were to get the "quota".
Shen He was fine, he just needed to tell Master Mao, but Gan Yu... if she left Liyue for more than a week, she would be at risk of paralysis. She always took work seriously, so she weighed it this time and easily came to the conclusion that she had to let the secretaries suffer...
Then it was Yun Jin. She turned down two plays and sneaked out with Xin Yan on the pretext of going out to collect material - yes, they sneaked out, but the large bags and even spare clothes they carried with them showed that they were well prepared for a long journey. If you didn't know better, you would think that the agency owed them money.
Ye Lan changed her habit of hiding in the dark and stood behind Youla. She had secretly glanced at the letter many times, as if she wanted to find a sentence in it that hinted that Sora had assigned her to help. But unfortunately, the tone of the letter was somewhat ambiguous, and the decision-making power was obviously not in anyone's hands.
She exchanged glances with Ningguang again, and exchanged glances with Beidou several times before finally coming to a pessimistic conclusion.
"Although I really want to go, even Yuheng and Tianquan are here... Is it still my turn?"
Yan Fei had already known what was going on before they started discussing it. She crossed her arms in frustration and said, "…Look at it from a positive perspective. Even if I have to wait in line for a hundred years, it will be my turn… Yeah, I won't compete with the other girls for this opportunity."
The sour smell spread everywhere, and the hostility was also faintly evident. In addition, there was another person who tried to call for off-field assistance in a more important way:
"Good guest..."
"Master, I can't use my status to open a backdoor for you... This is a matter of principle."
Zhongli felt his scalp tingling as he looked at Hu Tao who was trying to beg him for a vote.
Why did you go? Liyue can be without anyone, but you can’t be “missing” for too long.
"Well, stingy." Walnut pouted.
"I'm not being petty, Hall Master. There are many things that even Prince Yan can't make clear judgments about, especially when it comes to relationships between men and women, ahem."
"But I'm an adult now? Look, Xiangling is here—"
"You also said that you have just come of age. If you want to ensure that Sora does not have to worry about taking care of the children, you should try to hire someone who is both old and skilled enough to go."
Zhongli took a sip of tea to calm himself down, and then saw Yaoyao and Aping flash by.
It was probably Ping who was comforting her apprentice, but she seemed to want Xiangling to show her face intentionally and did not stop Xiangling from squeezing into the inner circle.
In fact, he already had two candidates in mind - but Liu Yun's "uneasy" look just by looking at his eyebrows really made him feel a little confused.
Old friends will only express such rich emotions when talking about their loved ones, and their preference for someone will be fully displayed.
In comparison, for some reason Ping was much calmer. It might be because of her "non-competitive" mentality that she couldn't bring herself to debate with the younger generation.
"...Everyone is here. Let's not talk about the rest for now. Kong needs two friends from Liyue, or people who are proficient in Liyue and Central Plains culture to accompany him. We will set off immediately. Our destination is Luofu in the Xianzhou Alliance. That's about it."
Eula had never thought that one day she would be responsible for presiding over a meeting - although this occasion was full of subtle atmosphere in various senses and the goal was a bit utilitarian, it still felt pretty good.
After all, she can stand on the commanding heights of being a "pioneer" and "the first" and point fingers at other women... and soon she will be able to go back and continue to "torture" Kong.
"I'm going!"
Xiangling raised her hand early.
"Ms. Mao, Kong specifically told me not to send you there before ensuring the environment is stable. There are so many people here with more experience, it's best to let them pave the way for you first."
Hearing the still childish voice, Eula put on a serious look as much as possible: "You and Sora will definitely abide by the agreement. I confirmed it after meeting him again this time. He hasn't changed at all. The contract is done. What you need to do is continue to hone yourself and strive to become a reliable person in the eyes of others."
"But I have tried...very hard."
Xiangling showed a somewhat aggrieved look.
She has been training for more than a year and has now completely mastered the use of the Eye of God. Not only that, she has also learned cooking skills from her father and is now ready to go out and "establish her own school".
"...He had discussed with me before and asked me to help pick out a gift and bring it back to you, but because it happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to bring it with me. The fact that he missed you means there's hope, but this time it really can't happen. Please understand."
Eula has interceded for Xiangling many times. What needs to change is not Xiangling, but Kong's mentality.
Perhaps Kong would have to wait until Xiangling became an immortal before he could accept it.
"Hey, Brother Kong, are you thinking about me?"
Hearing that Kongyou was thinking about him, Xiangling's dissatisfaction and grievance were finally relieved a little.
But seeing the change in her expression, every girl who had a guilty conscience, including the male compatriots who were "expelled from the discussion qualification", began to sigh - is this the end of being infected with the Traveler?
“Um, does it have to be from Liyue?”
Seeing Xiangling, who was of similar age, being squeezed out, Nilu at the end of the line also raised her hand weakly.
"In order to reduce misunderstandings and gain recognition from local people, it would be best if our friends from Liyue go. If he has this need, we won't cause him trouble. Don't worry, Miss Nilu, everyone should have a share--" Xinhai comforted the little red-haired boy quite rationally.
"Um, okay."
"I understand Liyue's culture quite well, and we have had a lot of communication. Is it possible..."
Linghua closed her fan.
However, all the women in Liyue glanced at her, as if to say, "It's not easy to limit the birth attributes to reduce the number of competitors, why are you still trying to join in the fun?" and rejected her awkwardly.
"In that case, those who are too old to fight will not be considered for the time being, and those who have too many things to do cannot go either - Ningguang, what's wrong with you?"
At this point, it's time for the classic situation where everyone exposes each other's shortcomings and holds each other back.
Beidou and Ningguang started their normal argument.
"I can find someone to take over the government for a few months."
After all, Ningguang comes from a merchant family, so she lies without blushing or feeling nervous.
"...You're so humorous. This isn't a trip where you can't come back for months. And if you're deported early, you'll never be able to go back again and will be permanently blacklisted by that world."
"So you're willing to let the ship rot in Liyue Harbor for half a year? Who's going to pay the sailors?"
"Well, we can't go without food for half a year..."
Seeing Tian Quan and her best friend behaving like this, Ye Lan thought that she could not rely on her, but fortunately she had a suitable reason and the time to take on some "extra income".
Now, the most important thing is to eliminate dissidents.
Just now, when Tianquan was quarreling, Yuheng had been dragged into it unlucky enough - Keqing was a little dumbfounded listening to Beidou and Ningguang exposing each other's shortcomings... by describing how important the other's work was and how many mouths they had to feed.
Thinking of this, she felt too embarrassed to say that she had to go, as she was in charge of thousands of people, and she fell into a state of low pressure and confusion.
"...Boss Yun?"
Ye Lan immediately turned to Yun Jin. The look in his eyes was so scrutinizing that it made her feel very uncomfortable.
If it takes half a year to start, using opera as an excuse... is a bit too much, but Yun Jin still stepped forward: "I have no problem."
"What a courage. But it's a pity for Yunhan Society——"
"Are you threatening me?" Yun Jin's beautiful eye makeup stood up.
"No, I'm just stating the facts. Without you, Yunhan Society would have declined and become obscure in just three months, not half a year."
"Hmm..." Yun Jin was suddenly speechless.
It is difficult to strike a balance between love and career.
Seeing that the elimination method was reducing the number of possible solutions, Zhongli finally spoke:
"...I have a suggestion - Ah Ping, Liu Yun, would you like to consider it? You are not in important positions, and you have no worldly concerns. You only need to tell your disciples, and they will be able to immediately -"
"Thank you, Emperor, but don't worry about this old woman of mine. Just leave it to Liuyun."
"...That's fine."
Seeing that Ping had no intention of looking for her "old partner" and did not attend the event in the manner of her youth, Zhongli thought that he did not want to irritate Xiangling, so he nodded and looked at a certain crane whose spirits immediately soared.
"Liuyun you--" Zhongli was stunned by the appearance of Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun when he was halfway through his words.
"Since the Emperor has entrusted me with this, I have no choice but to accept it." Liu Yun's glasses were reflecting light wildly, but the corners of his mouth, which were soaked in green, could not help but rise up, more difficult to suppress than Gui Zhongji.
Old bird, you are not obliged to do this at all. Your feathers are trembling with excitement, okay?
Zhenjun Xueyue Zhuyang outside the field turned his head away with a look of disdain - it was a bit embarrassing for his old friend to be unable to restrain himself.
"...There is still one more spot. In that case..."
"Please let me go. I have already taken the New Year leave."
However, before Shen He, who had not expressed his intentions and was emitting an aura of either murderous intent or urgency, and Ye Lan, who was smiling triumphantly, Gan Yu suddenly stepped forward and stood between Eula and Liu Yun:
"It's just right that I'm with Zhenjun."
"...Please let me go, Senior."
"……what."
Seeing Gan Yu and Shen He blocking her way together, Ye Lan realized that she was facing a situation that she had not expected.
"Since the aid must come from someone who has passed the military test, although I, Master, dare not overstep my authority, but Senior, please allow me to discuss with you and decide who is more suitable."
"Shen He, you don't have enough experience--"
Ganyu has always given people the impression that she is dull outside of work, but she is not without a sinister side.
After all, he has lived for so long, so it should be more than enough for him to deal with a younger generation.
"But your work at Yujingtai is more important than mine. Your annual leave, if I remember correctly, is less than a week, right?"
Shen He's eyes, which usually looked creepy and empty but beautiful enough, were now filled with inexplicable desire, and her words were more coherent, which made Liu Yun stunned. Gan Yu pursed her lips and had to look her "junior sister" in the face.
While confronting Ganyu, she unconsciously grabbed the red rope on her wrist, as if the other end was still firmly tied to someone's heart.
"If you admit that the Seven Stars Secretary has more free time than the waiter, just pretend I didn't say anything."
"...Shen He, do you really want to compete with me?"
Solid ice had already formed under Ganyu's feet.
Qilin's good temper was gone, and the arch of the foot of the white-haired fairy with unparalleled strength and power was pressed so hard that her sandals were slightly dug into the ground, and it looked like they were about to start a fight if they had a disagreement.
Feeling the terrifying collision of elemental forces, Ye Lan's brows twitched. She calculated her own fighting power and skills and felt it was a bit awkward to confront these two head-on.