Ningguang chatted with Xia Zhi for a while before leaving with her wine glass in hand.
The moment she turned away, she restored the composed demeanor of the Tianquan Star, her face donning a polite yet slightly distant smile.
Xia Zhi lowered his head, feeling that Ningguang's life seemed rather exhausting.
It wasn't the physical fatigue that came from working a whole day at the Summer Shop. Instead, Ningguang's weariness came from the relentless mental strain, dealing daily with countless cunning merchants, worrying about Liyue's economic development, political relations, and the ever-present threat of ancient gods.
Hers was a weariness of the heart.
Meanwhile, the guests around Xia Zhi were still sizing him up with peculiar gazes.
Some had recognized him and Shenhe for who they were—the owner of the Summer Shop and the formidable individual who had single-handedly defeated Beisht.
Coupled with the fact that Lady Ningguang had been visiting the Summer Shop almost daily recently, not to mention the fact that Xia Zhi and his companions were seated at the finest tables at this banquet, the way others looked at him gradually gained a subtle, meaningful undertone.
Ningguang's overt display of favoritism earlier was, in fact, a deliberate maneuver to signal a message to everyone present—essentially the entirety of Liyue's upper-class society:
"This is someone under my protection. Be mindful of how you act around him."
Thus, anyone who dared to provoke the Summer Shop in the future would think twice before doing so.
Xia Zhi chuckled lightly, finding it all rather amusing.
"Well then, next time I should reward her with—uh, I mean—massage her for a few more minutes," he thought.
Ningguang made her way through the crowd, eventually returning to the center of the hall to give a speech. It mainly revisited the battle at Guyun Stone Forest, while also envisioning a bright future for Liyue.
It was all just polite formalities, really, with little substance to them. But this segment couldn't be skipped.
Once Ningguang's speech concluded, the banquet entered its free interaction phase.
Surprisingly, the most lively spot at the moment was Diona's bartending station.
A crowd had gathered, all hoping to snag a drink from the little bartender.
The petite cat girl was now basking in her moment of glory.
Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel gratified.
Back at their table, Zhu Zi whispered, "Boss, now that we've finished eating, does this mean the banquet is almost over?"
"Probably," Xia Zhi replied.
Miss Ganyu chimed in, "There's still an auction coming up."
"An auction?"
"Yes, and it's quite a high-end one. There will be some rare items on display."
"In that case, let's stay and check it out. It'll be a good chance to broaden our horizons."
"Boss, are you planning to bid on anything?"
"Probably can't afford anything, but I might bid just for fun."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, her eyes glinting with interest, remarked, "Oh."
Xia Zhi leaned closer to warn her, "Just don't bid randomly, alright?"
Rukkhadevata chuckled and whispered back, "What are you so worried about, Cousin? This is Ningguang's auction. Even if you shout an absurd price, do you think she'd actually take your Mora?"
"She wouldn't, but then I'd owe her a favor."
"And if you owe her a favor, you can repay her with some extra 'massages.'"
"... Cousin, you wouldn't want to spend the night having unsettling dreams, would you?"
"Fine, fine. I'll behave, alright?"
"Do you even have Mora?"
"I don't need Mora. I have knowledge—the kind of economic knowledge Ningguang desires most."
"Alright then, do as you please."
"Hehe."
---
After some time, the auction finally began.
Xia Zhi found the experience quite novel.
The first item up for bidding was a mechanical pocket watch from Fontaine.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was the first to call out, "10,000 Mora."
Silence fell across the room.
No one else followed up with a higher bid—likely out of respect for Ningguang.
"Any other offers?"
"10,000 Mora, going once."
"10,000 Mora, going twice."
"10,000 Mora, going thrice."
"Sold! Congratulations to this lady. The item is now yours."
A beautiful lady delivered the pocket watch to the Greater Lord.
Rukkhadevata fiddled with it briefly before sighing, "No one competed with me. How boring."
The Goddess of Mischief instantly lost interest and refrained from bidding further.
---
Elsewhere, Zhongli withdrew his gaze and took a sip of tea.
Such auctions didn't particularly interest him. He found the drama of his old colleagues far more amusing.
Mountain Shaper glanced at the Geo Archon and tactfully suggested, "The banquet is nearing its end. What do you say we go play?"
Moon Carver nodded in agreement, "Sounds good. I signed up for the tournament, so I could use some more practice."
Zhongli slightly inclined his head. "Very well. I've signed up as well."
"Shall we head over now?"
"Let's go. If we leave early, we can still find seats at the tea house."
"Hmm."
The three placed their teacups down and quietly left.
---
From his God's-eye view, Xia Zhi watched as their figures disappeared into the distance. He lightly tapped his fingers on the table, scanning the rest of the guests in the hall.
Most of them had progress bars stuck at [0%], as Xia Zhi hadn't interacted with them in any way.
However, there was one mature, black-haired woman in a cheongsam whose Silver Progress Bar had increased slightly.
This was because she had drunk a cocktail mixed by Diona.
The liquor in Diona's shaker had been brewed by Xia Zhi, so the cocktail counted as an indirect interaction with him, thus contributing to her progress.
With the banquet nearing its conclusion, Xia Zhi considered how to efficiently claim all the treasure chests represented by those progress bars.
He lowered his head, recalling Shenhe's situation.
Back then, when Shenhe was severely injured, Xia Zhi had used a healing skill to treat her wounds, which caused her progress bar to increase.
Now, looking at this crowd, he realized that single-target healing would be too slow. A group healing skill, though—that would do nicely.
After deliberating for a moment, he confirmed that the Geo Archon was already far away.
Xia Zhi activated the [Hourglass of Time], freezing time across the entire Jade Chamber.
Then, raising his hand, he cast [Healing Rain]. Thanks to the effects of the [Tears of the Goddess], his mana pool permanently expanded.
Countless droplets of radiant rain fell silently, gently nourishing everyone in the hall.
At the same time, Xia Zhi watched as the progress bars of those within his detection range began to steadily climb:
[1%], [2%], [3%]…
The growth rate was a bit slow.
Xia Zhi proceeded to unleash several more group healing spells.
Before long, the system's notifications began to echo in his mind:
"Progress Bar has reached [100%]. Black Iron Treasure Chest obtained."
"Progress Bar has reached [100%]. Black Iron Treasure Chest obtained."
"Progress Bar has reached [100%]. Silver Treasure Chest obtained."
"Progress Bar has reached [100%]. Black Iron Treasure Chest obtained."
…
In his inventory, dozens of Black Iron Treasure Chests and over ten Silver Treasure Chests appeared all at once.
Perfect. Now, not only did he have enough rewards to cover this year's employee bonuses, but even next year's—and the year after that—were secured… assuming no new employees joined the Summer Shop, of course.
----
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