Since Zhongli was unwilling to say, Shen Luolun didn't press him.
As long as he stayed in Liyue Harbor, he would remain under the Geo Sovereign's protection anyway.
He felt incredibly safe!
It didn't matter whether he asked or not.
After all, Liyue's patriarch spoiled his children more than anyone.
Hehe.
Seeing that he had stopped asking questions and returned to sipping his tea at leisure, Zhongli nodded inwardly.
The boy had a good temperament and remained calm in the face of danger.
Though a little lazy, he was exceptionally talented. All in all, he was a promising young man worth cultivating.
Our great Liyue has been running a little short of new talent in recent years. That won't do.
Liyue is governed by its people. It needs more talented people.
This young Shen Luolun looks quite promising to me.
Brimming with talent and easy to fool, he has the potential to be a top-tier workhorse!
Zhongli considered asking Xianyun to push him harder, or perhaps pretending to be a mysterious old master and teaching him some unparalleled secret art himself.
What if he dies in a future war?
Talent-and material-isn't easy to find.
What kind of horrifying thing is that to say?
If Shen Luolun could read minds, he would surely have clutched his head and stared at Zhongli in horror.
Where did my dear Liyue patriarch go?
What happened to spoiling your children?
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
After the subject of the Skyfrost Nail came to an end, Shen Luolun asked Zhongli how Lumine had been lately.
"They met with the Tsaritsa in Snezhnaya and came into conflict with the Sovereign of Death."
Shen Luolun exclaimed in surprise:
"The Sovereign of Death? The Sovereign of Death among the four Sovereigns?"
Zhongli nodded.
Whoa.
Has Lumine gotten that badass?
She even dared to fight the Sovereign of Death.
"Did anything happen to them?"
Shen Luolun was a little worried.
The four gods of life, death, time, and space stood at the very pinnacle, above the Seven.
Although he had great faith in Lumine's strength, the thought that she had escaped the Sovereign of Death unscathed still seemed incredible.
Zhongli reassured Shen Luolun.
"The Traveler is unharmed. She joined forces with those in Snezhnaya and successfully defeated the Sovereign of Death."
"Snezhnaya has now cast off the shadow of the curse of death."
"However, after that great battle, Skyfrost Nails appeared in the skies above the nations. I imagine they were the Sovereign of Death's final handiwork."
Zhongli kept it brief.
But those few words contained an explosive amount of information!
It took Shen Luolun quite a while to digest it.
He couldn't help exclaiming:
"They actually defeated the Sovereign of Death."
"Buddy Lumine, just how many steps ahead of me are you?"
"As expected of the dear friend I've acknowledged! Hahaha."
"Oh, right, they should know about the phenomenon too, shouldn't they? Have they made any preparations?"
"Mm. The Traveler came to the Chasm two days ago to investigate the phenomenon."
"By now, she should have gone to other nations to continue her investigation."
I see.
Shen Luolun couldn't help giving Lumine a thumbs-up.
Reliable!
She even knows to clean up the aftermath!
"Hey, now that they've defeated the Sovereign of Death, could she bear a grudge and come back?"
Shen Luolun said worriedly:
"If a god who wields the authority of death hides in the shadows and sets an ambush, the harm she could cause would be impossible to predict."
Death was the sneakiest thing of all.
It could take your life without a sound.
Shen Luolun felt certain that the Sovereign of Death would return after her defeat, and that they had to remain on guard against her revenge at all times.
Zhongli, however, wore an unusual expression.
Shen Luolun noticed.
"Consultant Zhongli, if you have something to say, please speak freely."
Zhongli tapped the table with his fingertips and said:
"If you're worried about the Sovereign of Death, there's no need."
"As far as I know, her authority was reclaimed by Celestia, and her whereabouts have been unknown since that battle."
"For the time being, she poses no threat."
"That happened too?!" Shen Luolun was so shocked he nearly stood up.
Holy shit!
The Sovereign of Death's authority was reclaimed?!
How did they do it?
That's fucking awesome!
No wonder Lumine and the others managed to defeat the Sovereign of Death. So that's what happened!
Just how many exciting things happened in between?!
Wow, now I'm curious. I want to know everything.
Shen Luolun couldn't help looking at a certain Geo Archon with a hint of reproach.
Only telling me half the story. You've really got some nerve, buddy Zhong.
If I get the chance someday, I really need to get you under control.
"Ahem, Consultant Zhongli, did anything else major happen in between? Could you tell me about it in detail?"
"Hmm... The Traveler should be back in a few days. As someone who experienced it firsthand, she knows more details than I do. I only heard it secondhand. When the time comes, the Traveler will naturally give you a satisfactory answer."
Short and to the point.
If you want to know more, go ask someone else. That's all I know.
After all, I'm just an ordinary consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. How could I know so many secrets? It was all hearsay.
So thought a certain Zhong, utterly unaware that he had exposed his identity right from the start.
"All right, all right."
Shen Luolun smacked his lips.
Fine, don't tell me. What's the big deal? I'll ask Lumine. She'll be back in a few days anyway.
Come to think of it, why is Lumine coming back?
Surely she hasn't run out of money and set her sights on my little stash?
"Bravo!"
"Mr. Yun! Mr. Yun!"
"You can do it!"
"The Yun-Han Opera Troupe is the best in the world!"
The sudden eruption of noise drew both their gazes.
On the wide, raised stage, Yun Jin made her entrance in full makeup, dressed in a seven-colored qilin costume and carrying a Cloud-Piercer spear.
Her eyes were bright, her teeth white, and every glance she cast seemed radiant.
Anyone who saw her couldn't help but praise her: what an incomparably beautiful lady.
Yun Jin lifted a fair wrist and made a graceful circling gesture. Then she turned at the waist and took a series of dainty steps. Before the gongs and drums could urge her on, her clear voice rang out-
"Ladies and gentlemen~ please listen to my song~"
One line in that operatic voice, and the whole hall fell silent!
After the performance ended, countless people were left wanting more.
They were still lost in the beautiful imaginings of the goddess's dance.
Shen Luolun pulled out one tissue after another to wipe away his tears.
That was so fucking beautiful!
Can Liyue opera really be this beautiful?
It moved me to tears.
Damn it, I'm coming again next time.
Zhongli said nothing, but judging by his expression, he was clearly quite satisfied as well.
After Yun Jin's performance, the Yun-Han Opera Troupe began clearing the venue.
"Consultant Zhongli, the performance is over, so I'll be going. I have something to attend to."
Having composed himself, Shen Luolun returned to his usual carefree manner and rose to take his leave.
Sister Yuan'er was still waiting for him.
But Zhongli coughed and asked, his expression somewhat unnatural:
"Young friend Shen, do you have any Mora on you?"
"Hm?"
Shen Luolun froze.
Zhongli continued:
"I left in a hurry today and seem to have forgotten my money."
"So..."
So Young Master Shen is footing the bill tonight, is that it?
Realizing what was going on, Shen Luolun couldn't help laughing.
He had actually forgotten that Zhongli was broke.
After all, three gods together couldn't scrape together a single Mora.
No wonder Zhongli had been so generous as to invite him to share a table.
As it turned out, he was the one paying.
But Shen Luolun was in a great mood today, so he waved a hand grandly.
"No problem. This one's on me."
"Waiter, the bill."
The waiter, who had long been waiting nearby, beamed and handed over the bill.
"Sir, that comes to 1,730,600 Mora. We'll round it down for you, so 1,730,000 Mora will do."
"How much?"
Shen Luolun nearly spat a mouthful of salt soda at him.
1,730,000 Mora?!
How is that possible?!
He seized the waiter by the collar.
"You think I'm easy to fool?"
"I only had a few cups of tea, and you want 1,730,000 Mora? Since when did Heyu Teahouse become a black shop? Why don't you just rob the Northland Bank? Believe it or not, I'll report you to the authorities!"
The waiter pulled a long face.
"The few cups of tea you drank certainly weren't worth that much, but this guest drank nearly half of our shop's treasured tea collection today."
What?!
Half the treasured tea collection?!
Shen Luolun hurriedly looked toward Zhongli, but it was too late.
At some unknown point, Zhongli had already left his seat empty.
All that remained was an empty teacup.
"Holy shit!"
Master Shen suddenly realized that capital seemed to have set him up.