northernbook Chapter 121 Mei: Why is my body moving involuntarily?
Chapter 121 Mei: Why is my body moving involuntarily?
Just as Zhongli was leading Kiana to the location of the seal of the Dragon King Ruotu, Mei was being taken to Yujingtai by Ganyu.
Upon arriving at Ningguang's office, Ganyu led Mei to her seat and then followed behind Ningguang. When the Kamisato siblings saw Mei's arrival, they both stood up and bowed to her.
"Greetings, General."
Yes, this is the method that Yae no Miko came up with. Since she herself did not want to go on a long trip, and Kage had returned to Isshin no Sou to begin the eternal reforms, Kujo Sara was also extremely busy because she had just re-established peaceful relations with Umijima Island.
So why not just put Mei, who looks almost exactly like Kage, on the stage and have her impersonate the Thunder General? Kage won't mind anyway, and the one talking to the Liyue Seven Stars is Ayato Kamisato, so Mei can just sit there.
Even though I didn't want to agree, I somehow ended up agreeing without really understanding why, perhaps due to the influence of my memories. There was no way around it; having already agreed, there was no reason to back out.
After sighing to herself, Mei began to act out the image of the Thunder General in the eyes of outsiders, based on the image of Shadow and the General she remembered.
"Oh my, I never expected Mei to be the Thunder General. What good luck I've had today, Kurumi? I have to take this opportunity to promote our Rebirth Hall's business."
As she spoke, Kurumi disregarded the setting and began enthusiastically promoting the Wanshoudo business to Mei, hoping that Mei would agree to her request to open a Wanshoudo branch in Inazuma. Unable to resist Kurumi's enthusiasm, Mei could only look to Ayato Kamisato for help.
Perhaps seeing that it wasn't working, Kurumi turned her attention to Ayaka Kamisato. Looking at Kurumi's eager eyes, which seemed to want to devour her, Ayaka Kamisato involuntarily took a step back.
In the end, Ningguang interrupted Hu Tao's sales pitch and called Qianyanjun to invite Hu Tao away.
"I'm sorry to have startled you, General. Hu Tao lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandfather. Because she personally arranged her grandfather's funeral, her concept of life and death is somewhat different from that of ordinary people. This has led to her current state. Please don't blame her, General."
"In addition, I have already reserved a table at Xinyuexuan to host a welcome banquet. I hope you will all do me the honor of joining me afterwards."
“Miss Ningguang is too kind. Miss Hu Tao may be a bit ‘enthusiastic,’ but that’s a good sign of her energy. As for the welcome banquet… let’s discuss that after we’ve settled on the next steps.”
Thus began the meeting concerning the future relationship between Liyue and Inazuma. During the meeting, Ningguang and Ayato Kamisato argued back and forth without backing down, while Ganyu stood silently behind Ningguang, taking notes on the contents of the meeting.
Mei looked at the meeting in front of her, where she couldn't get a word in edgewise, and felt a little bored. She looked down at the dessert on her seat and started to stare blankly.
Perhaps noticing Mei's actions, Gan Yu looked up at the dazed Mei before resuming her meeting notes. Mei, sensing Gan Yu's gaze, instantly snapped out of her reverie.
According to Yae no Miko's account, Gan Yu is a hybrid of human and Liyue's mythical beast, the Kirin. As a demigod, she has served as the secretary of the Liyue Seven Stars for thousands of years, having signed a contract with the Geo Archon. She also knows two Thunder Generals, and the sweets on this table were likely prepared by Gan Yu.
Since Gan Yu knows Zhen and Ying, she probably also knows that Ying likes sweets, so it seems she can't just keep spacing out until the end.
Thinking of this, Mei glanced at the dessert on her seat and secretly swallowed. Judging from its color and aroma, it must be delicious. Since it was prepared for her, eating a little bit shouldn't be a problem, right?
Thinking this, Mei reached for the sweets on the table, a glistening tear appearing at the corner of her mouth.
I just wanted to taste it so I could figure out how it's made and then make it for Kiana and Kage. It wasn't because I wanted to eat it myself! Absolutely not!
With that thought in mind, Mei grabbed a sweet and stuffed it into her mouth the next second.
Delicious! Mei's eyes widened as she looked at the sweets on the table, her eyes sparkling with joy. Mei reached for the sweets again…
Gan Yu, who had been secretly observing Mei's reaction, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the scene. Ever since she heard that General Raiden was also coming, she had urgently ordered someone to make a dessert and place it there.
Gan Yu initially thought that Master Ying was not used to Liyue's sweets, and she immediately felt annoyed. She should have had someone prepare sweets for Inazuma! However, when she saw Mei happily eating the sweets, Gan Yu realized that it wasn't that Master Ying was not used to Liyue's sweets at all, but that he was just pretending to be reserved!
Unfortunately, Master Ying was still the same as before, unable to resist sweets. After hesitating for a moment, she did as she thought and started eating as if nothing was wrong.
On the other side, Ningguang was also secretly observing Mei. After all, on the surface, it was the Kamisato siblings who were having a meeting with her, but in reality, everyone knew that the one who would make the final decision was still the Raiden General who sat there ignoring everyone else and eating sweets.
Seeing Mei enjoying her meal so much, and remembering Gan Yu's suggestion to her before the meeting, Ning Guang secretly asked Bai Wen to go to Xin Yue Xuan to temporarily change the menu.
After doing all this, Ningguang turned her attention back to Ayato Kamisato in front of her.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhongli brought Kiana to the foot of the Dragon Tree. There, the hole dug by the miners under the control of the evil Ruotu remained, and traces of a seal could be faintly seen.
"One last time, Ms. Kiana, are you sure your companion is inside this seal?"
Kiana reaffirmed through her connection with Bella, "I'm absolutely certain she's inside!"
"I understand. Please step back a little, Miss Kiana, and I will release the seal immediately."
With Kiana as a witness, Zhongli reached out and touched the runes on the seal. Accompanied by a bright white light, the two were teleported inside the seal.
Once Kiana's eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Bella sitting there chatting happily with a strange man. When the man saw Zhongli among the people who came, he happily stood up and walked towards Zhongli, but was then blocked by a light barrier.
The man crashed headfirst into it, then clutched his forehead and crouched down. Seeing the Dragon King Ruotu so humiliated, Zhongli sighed almost imperceptibly.
"Rodha, it's been a long time."