Thud, thud, thud~
Just as dawn broke, the sound of something being hauled echoed from downstairs. This annoyed Su Bai, who was still sleeping, to no end. Even though he knew it was the result of the note he'd written, he still had morning rage—and a very severe case of it at that.
(A/N: Imagine neighbors renovating early in the morning during the holidays; that drill sound driving you insane.)
Downstairs, Childe sat at the table chatting and laughing with Zhongli, while Hu Tao directed Wangsheng's employees and the drafted Fatui agents in moving coffins.
"Say, Childe, why are you Fatui buying so many coffins? And a thousand of them at once. Let me make this clear upfront—if your people die, I'm not providing funeral services."
"Haha, don't worry, Director Hu. I'm just here to buy coffins."
"Some wealthy folks in Snezhnaya really like Liyue items. So I thought I'd buy some coffins here and sell them back home at a premium."
"Opportunities like this are rare. It would be a shame not to make a good profit."
Childe's eyes were clear and his tone sincere, which made Old Meng, the accountant behind Hu Tao, give him an extra look. He had a feeling this Fatui Harbinger wasn't very bright.
Though Hu Tao didn't believe Childe's story, she didn't expose him either. Selling off these dusty coffins to him meant a nice profit—no matter how she looked at it, this deal wasn't a loss.
And since coffins weren't contraband, even if she sold them to Childe, he probably couldn't use them for anything evil. The thick wooden boards might work as shields at best.
"Andrei, give Director Hu the million Mora."
Clearly sensing Hu Tao's distaste for him, Childe didn't force the issue. He wasn't interested in her anyway. The only person in all of Liyue who interested him was Zhongli. As for everyone else, he couldn't be bothered.
"Mr. Zhongli, it's so noisy here. How about we go have breakfast at Xinyue Kiosk?"
"Excellent. My treat."
"Haha, don't worry about it. Feel free to send all your bills to Northland Bank from now on."
Childe waved his hand dismissively, indicating he didn't care about such small amounts. Hu Tao's eyes lit up. So this was why almost no bills had been arriving at Wangsheng lately—Zhongli had found himself a generous sponsor.
"Childe, you're such a good person. When you kick the bucket, I'll make an exception and hold a funeral for you, a Fatui agent. Don't thank me. I also have some boxes here. Say, would you like to take them all?"
Hu Tao pulled out a dusty box, wiped it down briefly, and began enthusiastically pitching its features.
Faced with such enthusiasm, Childe looked to Zhongli for help, hoping he'd say something. He didn't want to buy these unlucky items. But to his surprise, Zhongli showed no intention of stopping Hu Tao, simply watching as she made her sales pitch.
"Ahem, thank you, Director Hu, but I really don't need the boxes. I won't be needing them anytime soon."
Childe finally understood what the intelligence reports meant when they said this Director Hu was silver-tongued. After her spiel, he had almost wanted to order boxes for his descendants. If Wangsheng weren't in the funeral business, with her sales skills, she could sell anything.
Andrei watched Childe and Zhongli walk off chatting and laughing, finding it hard to believe. Lord Childe might be the most normal of the Harbingers, but Andrei had never seen him so warm toward anyone.
"I've never even been to Xinyue Kiosk, yet Lord Childe is taking this outsider there."
Andrei felt a pang of bitterness. But Hu Tao couldn't care less. She immediately directed everyone to start moving the Mora into Wangsheng. One million Mora was no small sum—no room for carelessness.
"Hu Tao, looks like business is good today. How about treating us to a meal?"
"Hey, hey, Su Bai, you slept till just now and still want me to treat you?"
Hu Tao pouted. If she weren't feeling unwell, she would have gone out with Su Bai long ago. Especially after hearing Lumine recount their adventure at breakfast—pretending to be Fatui agents to scam Mora at Northland Bank. Just thinking about it was thrilling.
"Haha, I'm going to wash up. I probably won't be back until after the Rite of Descension. I have some important things to discuss with Xiao."
"Xiao? That adeptus who's about my height?"
Because of Su Bai and Zhongli's connections, Hu Tao had met Xiao before. The first time she saw him, she had enthusiastically pitched Wangsheng's packages. Xiao had listened for a while before saying he was an adeptus and didn't need such things. From that day on, Xiao remembered her.
During his morning routine, Su Bai ran into Mona, who had dark circles under her eyes. She was muttering things like, "Impossible, why did the stars change over twenty times in one night?" and "Has my hydromancy gone wrong?"
So deep in self-doubt, Mona didn't even hear Su Bai greet her. Su Bai was a bit worried about her, but given her profession, he decided not to disturb her. He just asked Hu Tao to keep an eye on her.
"I wonder where little Klee went. With Qiqi around, she should be fine, right?"
Unable to sleep any longer, Su Bai bid Hu Tao farewell and left Wangsheng. Meanwhile, Klee and Qiqi were heading toward Nantianmen, map in hand, obtained from Baizhu.
"Sister Qiqi, is there really a lizard with strange patterns there? Klee has never seen one before."
"It's true. When gathering herbs with Mr. Baizhu, I saw a very large lizard. If Klee wants to find something special, that lizard would be perfect."
Qiqi took out some wheat grains and fed them to the little finch sleeping on her shoulder. Her lifeless eyes sparkled with joy. She hadn't expected Su Bai to actually find a finch that wasn't afraid of her cold aura.
When Klee first brought the finch to her, Qiqi had been worried her cold would hurt it. She could only gaze at it from a distance with longing.
Only after Klee told her the finch wasn't afraid of the cold did Qiqi carefully touch it. Confirming it truly was different, she fed it some of the precious herbs Baizhu had climbed mountains to collect.
The little finch accepted everything—from ten-year-old herbs to hundred-year-old ones—until it couldn't eat another bite.
"Hey, what are you two kids doing here? Don't you know how dangerous this area is?"
"Huh? Sister Qiqi, look! That kid has horns on his head! How amazing!"
"Hah? You little brats, go home. This isn't a place for you. If you run into danger, I'll have to protect you."