Options

"So your plan is to enter the capital, ensure the safety of your children, and then flee if things go South?"

After enjoying a brief, twenty-minute cuddle session, Ningguang and Paul eventually got around to discussing the reason for his surprise visit to the Strife Zone. She had already received a report from Ganyu, but Ningguang believed it was important to hear things from Paul's point of view. He was, after all, the lynchpin upon which all their futures hinged.

Nodding his head in affirmation, Paul asserted, "Even if I don't think I'm ready to be a father, I don't want to be the type of shitbag who tries to avoid responsibility for his actions. It isn't their fault they were born into this world, so I have an obligation to keep them safe until they figure out a path for themselves..."

Though she smiled approvingly in response to Paul's words, Ningguang felt an atypical urge to roll her eyes. As for the reason, well, it was fairly straightforward...

"Well, if that's the case, you'll be relieved to know that your children aren't in the capital. The Water God, Reida, had enough foresight to deliver them in secrecy. At the present moment, the two of them are living safely within the Notos Estate."

"..."

Since he already knew his kids were staying with his parents, Paul wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Ningguang's words. The reason he was so worried was because it was only a matter of time before they were forced to relocate to the capital. At the very least, that's what he believed due to his upbringing as a Greater Noble...

Seeing the mixed emotions in Paul's expression, the most prominent being frustration, Ningguang quickly realized what must have happened. He had likely jumped to conclusions due to his general contempt for the Nobility, seemingly forgetting he wasn't the only one concerned for the twins' well-being.

"While it would be beneficial to have the twins relocate to the capital, that is a matter for the far future. More specifically, I intended to convince you to nominate your children for the position of-"

Interrupting Ningguang before she could finish, Paul answered, "Princess Ariel's Guardians. Yeah, I already figured that much out on my own. The problem here is that I don't want to use my kids as pawns to increase my power and influence. I get that it's a perfectly normal thing for people in my position, but I honestly couldn't care less about this world's common sense."

"Hmmm...I see..."

Though Paul's words invariably made things more difficult, Ningguang didn't blame or try to convince him to stick with her plan. Having his kids become the Guardians of Ariel might be the most straightforward way of improving relations with the Asura Kingdom, but it was far from their only option. The others were just a little more...aggressive...

"There are three options that are readily available to you. Two require you to place yourself in a relatively precarious position, but they are your best options if you want to ensure the safety of your entire family, not just your children. The first is to follow my original plan, demonstrating your loyalty to the Kingdom by serving as the King's envoy. As for the second..."

Drawing a line over her neck, Ningguang adopted a predatory smile as she added, "The second option is to expose yourself and play the part of a prophet. If you can convince the King you have knowledge of the future while also exhibiting power that presents an active threat to the Kingdom, he will have no choice but to consider your words carefully..."

Adopting a marginally more serious expression, Ningguang explained, "The problem with that method is that entities such as Perugius, Orsted, and Hitogami will begin monitoring your every action. Countless people will try to assassinate you, and, in the worst-case scenario, Orsted may hunt you down for no better reason than removing an unknown variable..."

Furrowing his brows, Paul asked, "And how is that supposed to help me protect my family...?"

Holding up three fingers, Ningguang answered, "Zhongli, Kusanali, and Ei. If you display their power and attest to being the Master of three Greater Elemental Spirits, the First Prince and his Faction will be too afraid of the consequences to take overt action against you or your family. Sure, some will try, but House Notos wouldn't have endured for thousands of years if it was vulnerable against assassins. That just leaves convincing the King you're not a threat, or, more specifically, a threat to his reign..."

Pulling out her pipe, Ningguang allowed Paul a moment to think as she packed it with a substance resembling processed hemp. She had far more potent substances available, but she knew Paul wasn't particularly fond of smoking. He never chastised her for it, but he would always adopt a frown and keep his distance...

Seeing Ningguang packing her long pipe, Paul, unsurprisingly, furrowed his brows. In response, she turned her eyes up at him and said, "Relax. I wasn't going to light it..." in a playful tone.

"Uh-huh..."

Since he knew Ningguang probably had other things going on besides entertaining him, Paul planted a surprise kiss on her lips before asking, "And the third option? I'll do it if I have to, but I'm not really in a hurry to expose myself to those three monsters. I still want to grow a bit stronger before I start walking around like I own the world..."

Though she took a moment to touch her lips, Ningguang eventually went on the state, "I thought you might say that. That's why the third option is to remain here in the Strife Zone. Here, you can spend time with everyone while focusing on expanding your power and influence. Didn't you want to start expanding your Teleportation Network...?"

"Mmm..."

Noticing the conflict in Paul's gaze, a soft chuckle emanated from Ningguang's throat before she leaned her head against his shoulder and asserted, "No matter what you choose, we will continue to support you to the best of our ability. And, who knows? If things go well tonight, we may have even more options to work with..."

Since Paul had already revealed his intentions to do a mass summoning, Ningguang informed him of all the gold she had set aside for him. She had effectively seized control of every operational mine along the 'wings' and 'spine' of the Red Dragon Mountain Range. Few yielded prized resources such as gold, silver, and platinum, but that didn't really matter since Paul had managed to acquire Albedo.

Though she was incapable of turning lead into gold, Albedo's mastery of the 'Art of Khemia' had almost universal applications. With the assistance of people like Zhongli, Kusanali, Yoimiya, and even Qiqi, she had managed to create antibiotics, several types of fertilizer, and some rather terrifying explosives. She had yet to make any progress towards finding a 'solution' to long-term separation from Paul, but the simplest way to deal with that was to prevent him from thinking about them.

Paul wasn't aware of it, but it was his desire/longing to be reunited with certain people that caused them to feel increasingly stressed when they were apart. While it was true their bodies would become unstable if they didn't periodically receive his 'essence,' it wasn't as bad as Kay's situation made it out to be. So long as they didn't overexert themselves, they could persist almost indefinitely so long as they consumed mana-rich foods and liquids. They would simply never feel completely satiated, a condition that invariably led to all kinds of problems.

While tracing her index finger around one of the buttons on Paul's tunic, Ningguang added, "If you manage to attain another one of the Seven, those that have been forced to sit idly these past three years will finally be able to move. I'm personally hoping for Lady Murata, but even Venti would be a tremendous boon if you decide to take Jean with you to the Capital..."

Though they had more Cryo and Hydro allies than Pyro or Anemo allies, Ningguang wasn't in any hurry to have Paul summon the Tsaritsa. Varuna was also widely regarded as a 'justice nut,' so her presence was bound to affect the group's stability. As for Murata and Venti, the former only really cared about fighting, a perfect fit for the Strife Zone, while the latter had a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for heralding revolutions.

With Ningguang bringing up Venti, a 'serious,' contemplative expression appeared on Paul's face as he seriously considered whether she would actually look any different. Before Mihoyo made a statement about it, the entire Genshin community had mistaken Venti as a petite, rather adorable female bard. When it was eventually revealed that she was, in fact, a he, a lot of people were understandably pissed. It didn't help that 'his' Archon outfit had her wearing almost panty-like shorts with absolutely no sign of a bulge...

Seeing Paul with such a serious look on his face, Ningguang decided not to interrupt him. She didn't know what he was thinking about, but it must be something important to him.

When Paul finally came back to his senses, Ningguang elected to reveal, "We have around 138,000 AGC in our coffers, but it's been separated into various caches around the Strife Zone. If you need additional funds, I can only provide you with around 15,000 at the present moment."

Shaking his head, Paul said, "That shouldn't be necessary. I don't know the exact amount, but I still have a metric fuck-ton of gold sitting in the IOF. If I can't acquire at least one Archon with all of that, the system is rigged..."

Though they both felt as though Paul had just jinxed himself, Ningguang managed a supportive smile as she mused, "Then I'll leave it to you. For now, there are a few matters that require my attention. If you could send Ganyu and Kokomi to assist me, that would be a great help. Xingqiu and Yaoyao have done their best to pick up the slack, but Ganyu's thousands of years of experience make her an irreplaceable asset..."

Hearing Ningguang casually refer to Ganyu as an asset, Paul couldn't help furrowing his brows. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, but he didn't like hearing the lovable Qilin being objectified.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Ningguang gave Paul a nudge with her shoulder, saying, "It's a business term. With one apparent exception, no one values Ganyu more than I do. Not in terms of her actual value, but as a friend and confidant. There is a reason she is the only one I allow to see my vulnerable side..."

While it is was true she used to view Ganyu as an extremely convenient relic of the past, living and working together for seven years had a way of breaking down such sentiments. She would never admit it to anyone, not even Paul, but she would often rest her head on Ganyu's smooth, slightly cool thighs after a particularly tiresome day of work.

Paul wasn't the only one who benefitted from Ganyu's calming presence...

Deciding to take Ningguang's words at face value, Paul nodded his head and said, "I'll send them over. After that, I'll probably spend the rest of the day looking around and meeting up with everyone I haven't had the chance to talk to. I know I shouldn't tease her too much, but I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how Gorou is going to react now that she has developed in such an extreme manner..."

"Ah..."

Recalling how Gorou had hidden away for several days following her 'explosive' development, a wry smile developed across Ningguang's face. Gorou had since gotten used to being a buxom and attractive beauty, but it had taken a lot of outside support to get her out of her depressive state.

It didn't help that nearly all their male staff and more than sixty members of the Beast Race had attempted to court her this mating season alone...

"Just try not to stare too much. Gorou gets really self-conscious about the size of her breasts and butt. Also, as enticing as they may be, you should avoid attempting to caress her head or touch her tail. She needs to be the one to make the first move, or she might suffer a mental breakdown..."

Feeling nervous all of a sudden, Paul's smile cramped as he tentatively inquired, "Should I just avoid her then...?

Shaking her head, Ningguang's expression became serious as she said, "You should just be yourself, minus the perversion. Gorou knows what she 'needs' to do, so she will eventually take the initiative so long as you don't view her like a piece of meat. She will doubtlessly be extremely awkward at first, but it shouldn't take her long to open up since you're the type that can't help feeling genuine concern for others..."

"..."

Recalling that Ningguang and the others were effectively able to sense his thoughts through their empathic connection, Paul now had a better understanding of why everyone regarded him as a good person. Even if he presented a casual and easy-going smile on the surface, they had been able to sense the worry and concern hidden beneath his mask of calm...

("Fuck my life...")

...

..

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