"No way, this Hall Master is your boss too! Isn't all the work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor done by me?" Hu Tao retorted to Lucian.
"And Zhongli too—do some work already!"
Lucian, though a guest consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, was currently doing even less work than Zhongli.
Zhongli took a sip of tea. "The Hall Master's orders, I dare not disobey."
I'll get to work after I finish the story, drink my tea, and see off my old friend Venti.
Whether Hu Tao meant it or not, her words genuinely pleased Furina. Hu Tao, you're the best! Furina hugged Hu Tao, sticking out her tongue at Lucian.
[Itto: "Back to business—have you seen a pink lawyer… law something-or-other mage? Anyway, a really knowledgeable person, not too tall, wearing a weird hat."]
[Kuki Shinobu added: "A legal consultant from Liyue named Yanfei. I'm guessing you two might know her."]
Say what you will, Itto's description was spot-on. Yanfei really was like a mage.
His points were "pearls of wisdom," perfectly capturing Yanfei's image.
But besides Yanfei, a short, pink-haired girl with a weird hat could also describe Dori or Charlotte. Luckily, those two weren't from Liyue.
Yae Miko, also pink-haired, was thoroughly enjoying herself. Yanfei was one of the few in Liyue whose "seniority" matched hers as an "Adeptus."
Seeing her amused expression, Lucian wanted to quip, What are you laughing at? You're pink-haired too.
But he held back, fearing Yae Miko would give him a hard time.
The next page featured an illustration, with Lucian drawing a close-up of Paimon.
In the image, Paimon covered her mouth, looking utterly shocked, as if her secret had been exposed.
[Paimon: "Eek…! N-no, haven't seen her! Never met her!"]
Paimon's guilty "Eek" and her exaggerated gestures gave her away completely. Even Itto could tell something was up.
[Itto: "Hmm, looks like you've seen her."]
As expected, a big dummy couldn't fool a slightly less big dummy.
Though Itto seemed foolish, his emotional intelligence wasn't low. He just didn't like thinking about complicated matters.
He had already sensed Paimon's concern, so he explained why they were looking for Yanfei.
Itto told Paimon they weren't here to cause trouble. On the contrary, they were here to help, as Yanfei was his lifesaver.
The readers were baffled. You're from Inazuma—leaving aside why a Liyue lawyer would be your lifesaver, why are you even in the Chasm?
The Chasm in the story hadn't been fully opened to outsiders yet, right? Miners could only work in the shallow layers, so how did an Inazuman like you end up in the deepest part?
Itto explained the reason. After Inazuma's Sakoku Decree was lifted, Kuki Shinobu came to Liyue to pick up her law degree. Itto, worried about her, tagged along.
Then Itto got into a conflict with the Millelith and nearly got arrested. Yanfei bailed him out.
Readers facepalmed. You'd have been better off not coming. Everything was fine until you almost caused a scene.
Was this a test to see if Kuki Shinobu's law degree was legit by deliberately causing trouble?
Or had you gotten tired of Inazuma's jails and wanted to try a new one?
Either way, Itto latched onto Yanfei. He was determined to repay this favor. What? No need? If there's no need, he'd create one to repay her!
See, now Yanfei was in trouble, and Arataki Itto was the trouble himself.
Kuki Shinobu could see it too—her boss was Yanfei's biggest problem right now. So she subtly signaled the Traveler with her eyes to distract Itto.
The Traveler got the hint and pointed Itto in a random direction.
["Yanfei went that way just now."]
Arataki Itto didn't suspect a thing and immediately set off with Kuki Shinobu to find Yanfei.
[Arataki Itto: "My benefactor, wait for your big bro to lend you a hand!"]
Watching Itto shout "I'm here to help" as he left, the Traveler and Paimon exchanged a glance.
With Yanfei, a professional mage, gone, no one would yell about "going to an 8 a.m. shift" or "buying sunflower seeds for a fool" even if they were tricking a dummy.
In fact, Itto wasn't easy to fool. His instincts were sharp, but he wouldn't doubt the Traveler's words because they came from his good friend.
In short, after sending Itto away, the Traveler continued investigating the depths of the Chasm.
Yanfei happened to be investigating something here too. The Traveler shared the good news of diverting Itto.
Yanfei breathed a sigh of relief. Normally, she wouldn't mind making friends with Itto, but she was on official business now and had no time to deal with his clinginess.
[Paimon exclaimed: "What kind of business do you have in a place like this? Don't tell me you're switching careers to become an adventurer?"]
To this idea, readers could only say, "No way."
Liyue's adventurer peers wanted to chime in: Yanfei was Liyue's most famous lawyer. She lacked neither money nor fame.
Switching to adventuring for what? To slog through dangerous, godforsaken places?
Surely no one thought all adventurers made money like the Traveler, right?
Get real. Adventurers were one step away from being called to unclog toilets. What dirty, exhausting job didn't they do?
[Yanfei: "I'm a legal consultant. Occasionally, I have to make long trips like this. I came to the Chasm because of a 'will.'"]
["Executing a will is also part of a legal consultant's job. Of course, cases like this are rare. The Chasm isn't exactly a place you just drop by."]
It turned out Yanfei had discovered a will, seemingly left by a great figure, stating that a treasure had gone missing, and she was here to retrieve it on their behalf.
[???: "Oh? So you knew?"]
A mysterious figure suddenly appeared, drawing everyone's attention. Paimon was particularly startled.
Yanfei, however, was unfazed, as if she had expected this, saying:
["Aha, you're here? I guessed right."]
A few panels showed no face—just a pair of slender, elegant legs. The next panel shifted upward, but still no face, only a captivating back.
Such a stunning back—it'd be a shame not to put a cupping jar on it.
[???: "A great legal consultant coming to the Chasm for business—why would you need my approval?"]
The final large illustration revealed the newcomer's face.
She had the aura of a mature woman, with striking purple eyeshadow and lipstick exuding charm.
Her hairstyle was asymmetrical, longer on one side, matching her slanted bangs—higher on the left, lower on the right.
Most notably, Yelan stood with her arms crossed, subtly accentuating her chest. Keen-eyed readers noticed she was "ambitious" in her aspirations.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Yelan: About Showing My Face
"I don't mind showing my face, but… I won't tell Lucian I don't mind. Hehe, maybe I can use this 'little favor' later."