Defense +15
Energy Recharge +5.2
Fang Xun: "????"
What the hell was this artifact?
Was he short on HP?
Was the system messing with him?
It gave him the skill "Earth Core," which didn't need him to stack HP,
then gave him a feather with nothing but HP stats??
Life really was unpredictable. You never knew what you'd get.
Still,
it wasn't a big deal.
He could draw more Enhancement Talismans later and change all the artifact stats then.
He'd just make do for now.
Having something was better than having nothing.
With tears in his eyes, Fang Xun equipped the feather with all its stats rolled into HP.
After he finished, Fang Xun exited the system interface,
and time, which had been paused, began flowing again.
Ganyu looked at Fang Xun, then asked in confusion, "Mister Fang Xun, you look a little pale. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Just a moment ago, Fang Xun had smiled and told her it was all right. He'd seemed perfectly relaxed,
so how had he suddenly become so troubled?
Fang Xun was a little confused.
Was his gloomy mood really that obvious?
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just worrying about the city of Liyue."
"Worrying?"
Ganyu was even more puzzled by what Fang Xun meant. She blinked her clear, bright eyes in confusion.
"Mister Fang Xun, I think Liyue is very peaceful right now. Could you tell me what you're worried about?"
As Liyue's chief secretary, Ganyu was almost instinctively concerned about the city's development.
"Miss Ganyu, while you were taking your lunch break, the Millelith found some clues. Take a look."
As he spoke, Fang Xun handed the burned piece of paper to Ganyu.
Ganyu took it without thinking.
When she saw the words "break Osial's seal," she froze for a moment, then immediately tensed up.
To Ganyu, who had witnessed the Archon War,
Osial was nothing less than a symbol of disaster.
If Osial were really released, Liyue's peace and stability would be shattered!
Ganyu looked at Fang Xun with complicated feelings.
Was Mister Fang Xun so troubled because he was worried about Osial?
Though he was a foreigner, Mister Fang Xun cared so deeply about Liyue.
That surprised Ganyu,
but more than anything, it filled her with admiration.
Mister Fang Xun truly was a man who cared deeply about others.
Ganyu quickly put the paper away, then raised her head and said solemnly, "Mister Fang Xun, I need to report the Fatui and Osial to the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti right away."
"Let's stop here for today. I-I'll see you next time!"
Ganyu had originally wanted to ask Fang Xun all sorts of questions,
but there was clearly no time for that now.
Finding the Adepti and the Liyue Qixing to explain the situation was more urgent than getting answers to her questions.
They had to stop Osial from being resurrected!
Ganyu hurriedly said goodbye to Fang Xun and left Wangshu Inn.
Ganyu had arrived in a hurry, and she left just as quickly.
Fang Xun wasn't surprised.
After all, Ganyu was Liyue's chief secretary, and she was always busy.
By comparison, Fang Xun seemed like a layabout,
with nothing to do but look after a child.
Fang Xun glanced down at Little Ningguang, who was curled up in his arms.
It was clear that the little girl hadn't had a proper rest in a long time,
so she was sleeping especially soundly.
Fang Xun had even been talking with Ganyu, but he still hadn't woken her.
Just then, Fang Xun noticed that the little girl seemed to be mumbling something. He leaned closer to listen.
"Ningguang... Ningguang's going to earn lots and lots of Mora,"
"enough to fill the sky like stars, so many that no one could ever count them!"
The little girl's childish voice held an earnestness that made Fang Xun laugh.
She was dreaming about earning money. What a little miser!
But he couldn't blame Ningguang for being so fixated on Mora.
She'd lived hand to mouth since she was little. More often than not, she'd barely had enough to eat.
So Fang Xun understood why earning money was her greatest wish.
Ningguang paused in her sleep, then continued, "Then I'll buy a really, really big house that keeps the wind out, and bring Mother to live there."
"That way, Mother won't wake up cold in the middle of the night, and we won't get soaked when it rains."
"And Brother Fang Xun, I'll bring Brother Fang Xun to live in the big house too!"
"Then I'll get to see Brother Fang Xun every morning when I wake up! Hehe..."
The little girl's laughter was sweet and silly, her words full of hope for the future.
Fang Xun couldn't help smiling along with her.
Who would have thought that the dignified, aloof Tianquan Star had been so adorable as a child?
Little Ningguang wanted to buy a new house and bring her mother there.
Fang Xun could understand that.
The mother and daughter were close, and they'd relied on each other all these years.
But Little Ningguang saying she wanted to bring Fang Xun there too caught him off guard.
It showed that Ningguang thought of Fang Xun as family.
And the feeling was mutual.
Fang Xun liked the poor little Ningguang just as much,
and he doted on his little secretary.
He knew Little Ningguang often didn't even have enough to eat.
How could her living conditions be any better?
Since that was the case,
why not buy her a house and improve her family's living conditions?
Thanks to his Talent: What is scattered will return,
Fang Xun would never lose out by buying things for Ningguang. He could even make money from it.
This would be a nice surprise for Little Ningguang.
While she was asleep, he could secretly get a house ready for her.
The look on her face when she woke up would be priceless.
With that, Fang Xun carried the little girl out of Wangshu Inn and headed back to Liyue Harbor.
Since his little guide, Ningguang, was asleep, Fang Xun had no idea where to look for a good neighborhood. He'd have to ask someone else for a recommendation.
Soon, a reliable person came to mind:
Yujin, Ying'er's mother.
Fang Xun had learned from the Millelith that they'd only managed to arrive in time, before the Treasure Hoarders could make a move, thanks to Yujin.
Yujin had worried that something might happen to Fang Xun and the others, so she'd contacted the Millelith.
It was clear that Yujin, that beautiful, mature woman, was a good person aside from her habit of making suggestive jokes.
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