In the haystack, Little Shenhe and Little Li Mo stared blankly at Ganyu, unsure what to do. They were almost certain that the beautiful woman before them was Lady Ganyu, the one they had been searching for.
But they had searched all over Tianheng Mountain, all over Liyue Harbor, and found nothing. And now they had found her in a haystack? Both children looked at Ganyu with strange expressions. They could not understand why such an important figure in Liyue would spend the night sleeping in a haystack instead of returning home.
Had Lady Ganyu been attacked? Had she gotten drunk? They could only guess, not daring to voice their thoughts. Still, finding Lady Ganyu in a haystack was an unexpected blessing.
Little Shenhe cautiously asked, "Are you Lady Ganyu?"
She had never met Ganyu before. She had only heard about her red horns from others.
Hearing the child's question, Ganyu, just awakened, felt a little embarrassed. And a little worried. She had been caught sleeping in a haystack by these two children. They wouldn't spread the news, would they? If everyone in Liyue Harbor found out, it would be mortifying. She would never be able to sleep in a haystack again.
Ganyu smiled at Little Shenhe. "Yes, I am Ganyu. Do you need something from me?"
Though she had lived for thousands of years, met all kinds of people, and held a high position, Ganyu always smiled warmly at everyone.
When Little Shenhe and Little Li Mo confirmed that this was indeed Lady Ganyu, their faces lit up with joy. Excitedly, they pulled out the commission paper and handed it to Ganyu.
"Lady Ganyu, this is the commission to find you. Please take a look."
Little Shenhe gave Ganyu the paper.
Ganyu looked at it in confusion. A commission? What commission?
She read the paper. It was indeed a commission—to find Ganyu, the secretary of the Liyue Qixing. At the bottom, the reward was listed: 10,000 Mora, to be paid by Ganyu upon being found. There was also the seal of Tianquan Ningguang and her signature.
Ganyu strongly suspected that Ningguang had posted this commission on purpose, knowing full well about Ganyu's tendency to fall asleep anywhere, just to embarrass her. She was very displeased with Ningguang for this.
But since it was an official commission under the name of the Tianquan, even Ganyu could not ignore it. She reached into her clothes and took out 10,000 Mora, handing it to Little Shenhe.
"Little one, here is your reward."
Ganyu was curious. How had these two children known she was sleeping in the haystack? Had Ningguang tipped them off? Hmph. When she returned to the city, she would have to confront Ningguang about this.
Little Shenhe carefully took the 10,000 Mora, overjoyed. To Ganyu, 10,000 Mora was like a single hair shed by a qilin—utterly insignificant. But to Little Shenhe, it was a fortune. It could buy so many things.
"Li Mo, look! 10,000 Mora! We really earned 10,000 Mora!"
Compared to ordinary odd jobs—washing dishes at Wanmin Restaurant or serving tea at a teahouse, where working all day earned at most a few hundred Mora—this was a huge sum.
Having delivered the commission paper to Ganyu, their task was complete. They climbed out of the haystack and were about to leave when Ganyu, also emerging from the haystack, stopped them.
Before the two children, Ganyu, who had lived for thousands of years, hesitated. She seemed to be struggling to say something.
Little Shenhe looked at her curiously. "Lady Ganyu, is there something else?"
Little Li Mo looked up. "Are you giving us another commission, Lady Ganyu?"
At the word "commission," both children's eyes lit up. A new commission meant more reward money.
Ganyu bit her lip, hesitating. "I do have a commission for you."
Little Shenhe quickly asked, "What is it?"
Ganyu looked a little embarrassed. "Promise me first."
Little Li Mo said, "Shouldn't you tell us what it is first?"
Little Shenhe said, "I trust Sister Ganyu. Alright, we promise. Whatever it is, we'll accept it."
Having just earned 10,000 Mora, Little Shenhe was in high spirits and readily agreed. Whatever trouble Ganyu had, she would help solve it.
Seeing the children agree, Ganyu finally spoke. "Actually, it's very simple. When you return to Liyue Harbor, please don't tell anyone about what happened today. Don't let anyone know that I spent the whole day sleeping in a haystack."
Whenever she talked about sleeping in haystacks or falling asleep in the grass, Ganyu felt very self-conscious. She was terrified of anyone finding out. But she could not help it—when the urge to sleep came, she would fall asleep, and once asleep, it was nearly impossible to wake her. It was an instinct of the qilin race, something she could not change.
Hearing this, Little Shenhe and Little Li Mo exchanged surprised looks. The commission Lady Ganyu was giving them was simply to keep a secret? Not to tell anyone what had happened today?
That was too simple! Was that even a commission?
Little Shenhe said earnestly, "Lady Ganyu, don't worry. Even without a commission, we wouldn't tell anyone what happened today."
But Ganyu insisted, "No, it has to be a commission."
She thought for a moment, then said seriously, "The commission is this: for the rest of your lives, you must never tell anyone what happened today. As for the reward… how much Mora do you want?"
As the secretary of the Liyue Qixing, Ganyu held a position of great power. She had never lacked Mora. In her eyes, 10,000 Mora and a million Mora were no different.