Chapter 532

"Ying, why did you give him all the flyers? Doesn't that mean we can't compete with that Hu Tao guy?"

Although Paimon was happy that his work was over, he hadn't forgotten his promise to Hu Tao.

Ying turned her head, stared at her expressionlessly, and said coolly:

"If you're happy, you can wait here. I saw someone I know, so I'll go first."

"Hey! Wait for me, traveler!"

Paimon hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he didn't dare to leave his weak and pitiful self alone in an unfamiliar place, so he flew after it.

Half an hour later, Hu Tao rushed back, clutching the flyers.

Then all that could be seen was an empty platform and a bustling street.

The cheerful smile on her face vanished instantly, though it was replaced by an even more enthusiastic smile:

"Fine! Fine! Fine! You dare to try and play tricks on me, the head of this hall? You outsiders, I'll remember you two!"

At this moment, the two travelers had already entered Wanmintang and walked to a table where everyone looked incredibly good.

Ying, expressionless, tapped someone's shoulder and handed them the few remaining flyers:

"Zephyr Delivery, have you heard of it?"

"Huh? Your business has expanded to Liyue?"

"Yeah, we've just started promoting it, isn't that surprising? Also, why didn't you say you were coming too, Wendy!?"

An angry, merciless iron hand landed squarely on Wendy's little head.

"Well, I didn't say I wasn't coming..."

The goddess timidly shrank her neck.

Ying stared blankly at Wendy sitting at the dining table, then let go of her hand, rolled her eyes, and said:

"If you had told me you were coming earlier, would I have needed to bring that talisman or think about when to see Him? You could have just introduced me, wouldn't that have been enough?"

"Haha, isn't this just to let you enjoy the journey?"

Wendy rubbed her hands together, a forced smile on her face.

Ying rolled her eyes again, but didn't hold it against her. Don't let Wendy's status as a god fool you; in Teyvat, gods don't seem to be anything special. In conversations, they hesitate to speak on about one out of every three topics. This time, there's probably some secret involved, right?

Ying forgave her, her gaze sweeping over the other three people at the table before pulling Wendy aside to whisper something in her ear:

"Wendy, who are they?"

"Ahem! They are the Demon God of Liyue. Although Morax is not among them, they are all respectable seniors who play a crucial role in Liyue. You should show them some respect."

"Understand!"

Ying turned around, tidied her hair, took out the antiperspirant and fragrance spray invented by Boss An, and sprayed it on herself and Paimon a few times.

Then, with a dignified and graceful smile, she turned around:

"It's an honor to meet you all. I am Ying, a traveler who has traversed Mondstadt and aspires to traverse the Abyss! This is my pet Paimon! And this is a business introduction for Zephyr Delivery, please take a look."

"Hey! Who are you calling a pet?! And this is a special coupon from Zephyr Delivery: half price on your first order, and 30% off after six months. Since you know Wendy, don't be shy, please accept it!"

Despite their differences, the best team members kept their business separate from their conflicts, handing brochures and coupons to Maria and her two companions one by one—"Demon God, a big client! We have to seize this opportunity!"

After delivering the items, the two even gave each other a high five.

Maria and the other two, holding the items, looked at each other for a moment, then smiled.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello, hello, you can just call me Achen ~~"

"Hello... you guys."

The group shook hands in turn.

Then Bright and Paimon pulled Wendy aside again and whispered to her.

"They're all strangely good-looking."

"Ying, why are you only focusing on these superficial things? The important thing is who's treating? The dishes all look delicious. Can we sit down and eat together?"

"I heard there's some sucker named Dada Duck who's covering all the expenses, so no problem. Let's go together!"

"Okay!" ×2

So two more sets of bowls and chopsticks were added to the table.

Midway through the meal, an unexpected person appeared with a forced, insincere smile.

"Oh my, aren't these the two friends from out of town who I made an appointment with for the flyer competition? What a coincidence!"

"Gah!?"

"She agreed to it. I never said that, so it has nothing to do with me."

Ying solemnly distanced herself from the situation. Then she Paimon, placed him in Hu Tao's hands, and continued eating with her head down.

Hu Tao, carrying Paimon, slowly approached, her smile growing increasingly benevolent.

Paimon stared wide-eyed in terror as he continued stuffing chicken legs into his mouth. Trembling as he was, eating as he was—wasn't it just plain stupid or adorable?

Then Hu Tao put Paimon down.

"Haha! That's true, but to stand me up like that, you two are quite a rare breed. And since you know Sister Marlenia and the others, let's just say we became friends after this little misunderstanding. Let me introduce myself again, I am Hu Tao, the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor!"

"Ying, please give me your guidance."

"I...I am Paimon."

In short, we had a delicious and lively meal.

"Speaking of which, today is a ceremony to invite immortals, how come you still have the mind to hand out flyers on the street?"

"I was planning to participate, but now that I have the pass, it doesn't matter. But Hu Tao, aren't you a local? Why are you so calm? I heard that people in Liyue worship the Vago Rock King, just like people in Mondstadt worship the God of Wind."

"Because I'm a local, I've seen this kind of scene many times and I'm used to it—this must be what they call 'tourist attractions that locals don't go to,' right? If you're interested, we can walk there slowly after we finish eating, and we'll still make it."

The group chatted as they walked toward Yujingtai.

To be honest, Anqi Faction was quite curious about what the scene would be like. An annual public display of divine power, and one that had been effective for millennia, sounded very relevant to her.

Hu Tao is a good guide.

Her quirky personality and way of speaking make all sorts of Liyue stories humorous and vivid, making people laugh frequently.

Thanks to her love of showing off, everyone arrived at the scene of the summoning ceremony with almost no sense of distance.

It's said that "locals don't like to come," but Liyue Harbor itself has a considerable population, and just a portion of them coming is enough to fill the plaza to capacity. Add to that the Liyue people who come from other towns to worship, plus the foreigners who come to pay homage to the gods—in reality, the scene is absolutely packed with people and incredibly noisy.

Hu Tao, Firefly, and Paimon looked around curiously, trying to find a prime spot with a clear view of the ceremony. Arriving at the last minute, they knew it would be difficult to find one.

Maria, the other two, and Wendy were all taken aback.

To be precise, several groups of people at the scene were simultaneously astonished.

The Electro Archon sisters, who were properly placed in the central area because of the official trip, the Hydro Archon sisters from Fontaine, and the little girl and her imaginary little girl mother from Sumeru —they were all basically stunned.

When they were at a distance, it was fine. Everyone was good at concealing their presence, and no one would use a wide-range sensory ability on Morax's territory, so they were completely unaware of each other's existence.

But even at such close range, with so many of them, it's impossible not to notice.

Is Morax planning a Seven Archons Feast? I haven't received any notification.

Most gods share this idea.

However, with the important ceremony about to begin, out of respect for the Geo Archon, no one would do anything unnecessary at this time.

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

Soon, the wealthy and imposing white-haired, red-eyed Tianquan Star formed a hand seal and poured a gemstone rich in rock Elemental Power into the large bronze cauldron in the center.

The bronze cauldron, connected to the Ley Line, is also a precious celestial artifact. Once activated, it unleashes an extremely powerful Elemental Power. A golden torrent shot into the sky, stirring up the wind and clouds, and swirling up thick, dark clouds that blotted out the sun. At the same time, an indescribable, immense pressure slowly descended from above.

The pressure wasn't harmful, but it suppressed people's whispers and various distracting thoughts, leaving only a solemn and devout atmosphere in the originally noisy scene.

"Boom!"

The dark clouds transformed into a massive vortex, resembling a black hole that devours everything.

The golden, magnificent dragon's body moved through the clouds, appearing and disappearing, mysterious and sacred, causing the mortals who looked up to it to hold their breath and reveal expressions of fervor.

"It wasn't that bad last year..."

Only Hu Tao muttered something to herself.

Of course, she didn't understand. Morax guessed that Barbatos would be there, and more importantly, the Salt King, the Dust King, and the Salt God and his wife would definitely be watching. If this wasn't done in a grand and spectacular way, they would be talking about it openly and secretly for centuries to come!

After circling several times in the clouds, the divine dragon finally descended in its majestic and sacred form. Its enormous body coiled around the tall building built against the mountain, and its massive golden head faced the Ningguang of Tianquan Star and the crowd present.

"I..."

Morax was about to speak when he suddenly stopped.

He saw Raiden Makoto waving with a grin behind Ningguang, Kaguya bowing slightly, and Raiden Ei Shin nodding expressionlessly in acknowledgment.

Scanning the edge again, as expected, he saw Salt King and his two companions standing leisurely outside the crowd, smiling and greeting him—and then, unexpectedly, Wendy, also staring at him with starry-eyed admiration.

Along the edges in other directions, the grass god and two Hydro Archon all nodded to him with polite smiles.

Barbatos was the only exception; he wasn't even there.

"..."

The dragon fell silent for a long time. Its enormous eyes revealed no emotion to onlookers, but they certainly showed a look of confusion.

Is Barbatos planning to reopen the Seven Archons' Feast? Why haven't I received any notification?