Longhua held an oil-paper umbrella to shield herself from the sun as she walked through the streets of Liyue, accompanied by the person and the mascot who had been following her earlier. They chatted as they strolled.
"So, you're saying you've been a secluded adeptus since five thousand years ago? Wow, that's amazing! You must be incredibly powerful!"
"Age doesn't necessarily equate to strength. There's not much correlation between the two."
"But I think those who are older are usually very powerful. Like the other adepti in Liyue—they've all lived for thousands of years, and each one is incredibly strong."
At this point, Lumine chimed in: "Think about Venti."
"...…" Paimon immediately shut her mouth.
Longhua slightly tilted her umbrella back and looked up at the sun, speaking nonchalantly: "Adepti have methods of achieving longevity, so living for a long time is normal. It's not a reliable way to judge an adeptus's strength... although, generally speaking, those who live long are indeed quite powerful."
After saying this, she shifted to another topic: "Could you tell me about the current state of Teyvat? I've been secluded for too long and am quite unfamiliar with the world now."
"Sure, sure! Leave it to me!"
Paimon then proceeded to share their experiences in Mondstadt and Liyue (of course, omitting the identities of Venti and Zhongli) and also provided some basic information about the seven nations.
However, after listening to Paimon's stories, Longhua nodded and said with understanding: "I see. It seems even the hardest stone can be worn down by time. It's to be expected."
After making this seemingly all-knowing remark, she stopped walking, looked ahead, and slightly closed her eyes.
"Ah, isn't that Zhongli?"
Yes, it was Zhongli.
In the direction the trio (?) were heading, Zhongli approached and also stopped, his gaze fixed on Longhua.
Their eyes met, and then both stepped forward.
"Should I say it's been a while? Or should I say, nice to meet you?"
"In terms of meeting face-to-face, this is indeed the first time. But in reality, we're old acquaintances."
Zhongli spoke first, and Longhua replied calmly.
Zhongli smiled—a rare occurrence. "If you had been willing to come out of seclusion earlier, I wouldn't have had to envy Focalors so much."
Longhua didn't respond to this comment, as there was really nothing to say.
So, she simply bid farewell: "Now that we've met, consider this my greeting to you, the local authority. With that, I'll take my leave."
"Mm, farewell."
Zhongli didn't try to stop her.
Running into the Mountain and Sea Fairy today was unexpected, and he needed some time to think about it.
Longhua then turned to Lumine and Paimon, also choosing to say goodbye.
"Thank you both for accompanying me today. Here's a gift for you."
Longhua took out gifts and handed them to Paimon and Lumine.
Naturally, what she could offer were some beautiful stones.
"I hope you don't find them too humble."
After saying this, Longhua walked past Zhongli and left the scene.
As the dialogue ended, the next quest appeared, and the gifts Longhua had given were displayed on the screen.
As for the quest to "Talk to Zhongli," Axue didn't feel like dealing with it right now. Her eyes were glued to the gifts Longhua had given, and she sat motionless.
After a long while, she softly said: "Mom, are you accepting daughters? How about me?"
[1600 Primogems]
Looking at this gift, the chat exploded.
「Master Longhua, I bow to you!」
「Why are you still standing? Kneel and kowtow to Master Longhua!」
「May Master Longhua reign for eternity and unite the martial world!」
「Welcome, Master Longhua, out of seclusion! I support you overthrowing Morax and taking the Geo Archon's seat!」
「Sorry, Mr. Zhongli, it's not that you're not handsome—it's just that you're broke!」
「My mom asked why I was kneeling while watching the stream. I told her it's because my other mom gave too much.」
It's no wonder the chat went wild. Even for a big streamer like Axue, who isn't short on money, spending your own money on Primogems can't compare to being gifted them.
A full 1600 Primogems! Given all at once!
A ten-pull might not mean much to whales, but seeing 1600 Primogems—anyone who sees it understands the feeling!
This isn't the kind of ten-pull you get from daily logins. This is playing the game, completing a quest, and then BAM—1600 Primogems are suddenly thrown in your face!
When has miHoYo ever been this generous!?
"Tell me, how can I not pull for her? How can I not? She literally threw Primogems in my face—how can I not pull?"
Hearing Axue's words, the chat erupted in agreement.
「Pull, pull like your life depends on it. She gave me 1600, so I'll spend 16,000 to pull for her.」
「Strength? Who cares about strength? Just based on how beautiful she is and how much she respects us, if I don't pull, I'm not human!」
「Even if she buffs the enemies, I'm pulling for her!」
「Pull what? Her banner isn't even out yet.」
「Wait, miHoYo, are you serious? Why aren't you releasing her banner now? What are you waiting for?」
「Exactly! Are there any miHoYo employees lurking? Let me remind you—release the banner now while the hype is high, or you'll miss out on profits!」
「Agreed. My enthusiasm only lasts a week.」
「Agreed. My enthusiasm only lasts a day.」
「Agreed. My enthusiasm only lasts a minute, so hurry up and release it!!!!」
Players can be very simple—treat me well, and I'll treat you well.
Especially in a character-driven RPG like Genshin Impact, the interaction between players and characters, with the player as the protagonist, is incredibly important.
And now, Longhua's character has directly grasped the essence—throwing Primogems at players.
Of course, this kind of marketing tactic can't be used often. It can't be done for every character, because overuse would make it meaningless, and something valuable would gradually lose its worth.
But if this tactic is used for just one character—a character who gives you a ten-pull upon meeting her and then continues to shower you with jaw-dropping amounts of Primogems in every quest related to her—then she's your real mom!
A simple, blunt, yet extremely effective method, and it immediately produced results.
Paired with her stunning character design, even before the PV Reporting to Lady Furina—The Mountain and Sea Fairy was released, Longhua's popularity was already skyrocketing.
Why? She's too beautiful, and on top of that, she gives too much.