Hu Tao: Ronova, You're Perfect for Our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!

"Asura is actually still alive!"

Xiao was unable to reveal the truth because of Mo Fan's earlier warning, but before he could speak, Bonanus, the water Yaksha, spoke up and startled every Yaksha present.

"Little sister, what are you saying!?" Indarias, the fire Yaksha, looked astonished as she spoke in disbelief. "I know you've never come to terms with his death all these years, but even so, we saw Asura frozen to death with our own eyes back then..."

"That's true."

Menogias, the geo Yaksha, who had barely made his presence known until now, nodded as well.

Bonanus, however, spoke with a determined expression. "No, this isn't like before, when I believed he was alive purely out of stubbornness. This time, I have solid proof!"

"Proof?"

Even Bosacius, the electro Yaksha, couldn't help looking over, curious what proof Bonanus had that Asura Yaksha was still alive.

Bonanus didn't keep them in suspense. "When Miss Ganyu came over earlier, Rex Lapis appeared to stop her from doing anything rash. He told us that Asura hadn't died, but had been reincarnated."

"Reincarnated?"

The other Yakshas were shocked by Bonanus's words, while Xiao finally understood Mo Fan's situation, a look of realization appearing on his face.

As for the other Yakshas, even if they didn't believe anyone else, they would certainly believe Rex Lapis.

All the Yakshas present were excited, eager to find their beloved Asura at once.

"Ahem, well, I don't think Asura necessarily wants us disturbing his life." Seeing how enthusiastic everyone was, Xiao couldn't help speaking up. "After all, if he wanted to see us, he would have come to greet us right away..."

"Not necessarily." Bonanus rejected Xiao's words on the spot. "He might have lost his memories for some reason, or he might be under some kind of restriction that keeps him from seeing us! We should take the initiative and help Asura remember everything about his past!"

"I agree with little sister!"

Indarias immediately nodded in agreement with Bonanus.

Bosacius and Menogias pondered for a few seconds before voicing their agreement as well, hoping to find Asura Yaksha's reincarnation.

For a moment, only Xiao, who knew the truth, had grievances he couldn't voice.

He wanted to help Asura keep his identity hidden, but he had no way to stop his brothers and sisters from acting on impulse.

Left with no choice, he could only keep quiet and hope Mo Fan would take care of himself and keep others from discovering his identity.

Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Ronova arrived at this place that symbolized death. Sensing the aura of departed souls in the air, she felt a vague, inexplicable sense of familiarity and reassurance.

Though she hadn't even started working here yet, she already felt it was the most suitable workplace for her.

"May I ask who you are?"

As Ronova was reflecting on this, the young undertaker at the entrance noticed her and couldn't help asking.

"I'm here for an interview."

Ronova promptly produced the help-wanted notice in her hand.

The young undertaker immediately nodded and led her into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's reception room.

"Oh? A newcomer already! Looks like today really is a good day!"

Before long, the owner of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor came out from inside.

Ronova had expected the owner to be an older, middle-aged person, or at the very least an experienced adult.

But to her utter surprise, the person who appeared before her was a black-haired girl who looked like she wasn't even an adult yet.

The girl had a cute face and wore her hair in twin tails. She was dressed in black and wore a black round hat adorned with a red plum blossom branch.

Upon seeing Ronova, the girl immediately introduced herself. "Hello! I'm Hu Tao, the seventy-seventh director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu as in nonsense, and Tao as in peach blossom!"

"H-hello, my name is Ronova."

Having never met anyone so lively before, and given that this girl would most likely be her future boss, Ronova couldn't help looking a little nervous and embarrassed.

Hu Tao, however, seemed not to notice her demeanor at all. She smiled and took her hand. "Miss Ronova, you seem to be a foreigner."

"Is it inconvenient for a foreigner to do funeral work here in Liyue?"

"No, not at all. Why would you think that?"

Seeing how unsure of herself Ronova looked, Hu Tao immediately shook her head. "Liyue is an international metropolis. Lots of foreigners come here as tourists, especially since that Asura Yaksha video came out recently. It had a huge crowd of foreigners scrambling to book passage to Liyue! At a time like this, a foreign tourist might run into trouble and have to have their funeral here in Liyue. That's when you'd come in, Miss Ronova."

"That... seems to make sense?"

Although something about Hu Tao's string of words struck Ronova as odd, she really couldn't find a flaw in her logic.

She then asked, "Would I need to smile while I'm working? I hardly ever smile."

Actually, I can't smile at all...

Ronova mocked herself inwardly.

"You don't need to smile." Hu Tao responded immediately. "Death is an extremely solemn and sacred matter. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor might be in the service industry, but do you think the people who come to us would want us laughing away while we held a funeral?"

"I suppose they wouldn't?"

"Exactly. That's why you're actually a great fit for us, Miss Ronova. Being seen off by a serious, meticulous beauty like you would bring even the dead heartfelt relief."

"I... relief?"

Hu Tao's words nearly left Ronova dumbfounded on the spot.

She had spent more than ten thousand years ferrying the dead, but it had never occurred to her that she, a God of Death, could bring people relief.

But in any case, since Hu Tao, the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, thought she was suited to the profession, Ronova naturally wasn't about to give up this hard-won job opportunity.

"I look forward to working with you, Director Hu Tao."

"And I with you, Miss Ronova."

Hu Tao beamed as she patted Ronova on the shoulder, seemingly quite pleased with her new employee.

Just as the two began discussing the work ahead and arranging the specific hours, the doors of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor suddenly opened from outside.

"Director Hu, I'm back."

A man with black hair and golden eyes, dressed in a distinctive suit, walked slowly into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

"Ah, Consultant Zhongli, you're here. Perfect timing. Let me introduce the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's new recruit." Smiling, Hu Tao pulled Ronova over to Zhongli and introduced her. "Ta-da! This is our new employee, Miss Ronova. You can tell at a glance that she's perfect for our line of work, right?"

"This..."

At Hu Tao's words, the consultant named Zhongli froze on the spot.

When he saw Ronova, his pupils trembled, and he wore a dumbfounded expression that seemed to say, "Who am I? Where am I? How did a Ruler of Death end up becoming my new coworker?"

Ronova also recognized the consultant's true identity at once and blurted out, "Geo Archon, why are you working as a consultant in a place like this?"

"..."

For a moment, the air throughout the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor fell deathly still.