Chapter 97 [200 PS]

Hands, my hands are going numb... 

The next morning, Jiang Ning woke up completely dazed. 

His head was even aching, with a complete memory blackout. 

Trying to reach out, he discovered that he couldn't feel either of his hands. 

Shocked and wanting to get up quickly, he immediately wore a mask of pain.

His arms had been used as pillows the entire night.

The movies and books were all lies. What nonsense about newlyweds being inseparable, with the girl sleeping on the boy's arm? 

Bullshit. He tried it, and the result was that both hands were completely numb, with every movement feeling like a thousand needles constantly poking him.

Turning his head tremblingly, he found Shenhe on his left and Ganyu on his right.

Both of them were soundly asleep, conveniently using his arms as pillows.

Especially Ganyu, whose horns were poking his arm - truly a unique experience of discomfort.

Fortunately, both were still wearing clothes. Inexplicably, Jiang Ning felt relieved.

But this was immediately followed by a sense of disappointment.

"Senior Sisters, wake up..." 

Jiang Ning couldn't push them awake, so he could only kick them slightly.

Shenhe's long eyelashes fluttered like fans, then she opened her eyes somewhat blankly.

"Morning, junior brother..."

However, Ganyu continued to sleep deeply, unmoved like a mountain, seemingly dreaming of something pleasant. She even smiled foolishly and nestled her head closer.

Jiang Ning took a deep breath, and his arm slowly regained sensation, but became even more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Shenhe noticed Jiang Ning's predicament and actively woke up Ganyu.

"Senior Sister..."

Shenhe spoke softly.

Ganyu moved slightly, opening her eyes in confusion, seeing Jiang Ning's pained expression. Her brain rebooting...

Suddenly understanding what happened, her face turned bright red, and she quickly sat up.

When getting up, she accidentally pressed her elbow on Jiang Ning's arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

...

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I was sleeping deeply!" 

Ganyu, her face crimson, apologized to Jiang Ning. Shenhe helped soothe his uncomfortable arm with her adeptal energy, while Jiang Ning asked, "It's okay, Senior Sister... What exactly happened last night? I can't remember anything."

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Ganyu seriously said, "Jiang Ning, remember this: you must never drink alcohol again..."

"What happened?"

Ganyu explained, "Last night, you accidentally drank some alcohol and collapsed after just one sip. Shenhe's alcohol tolerance isn't great either, so I was the one who carried you both back. I was exhausted from overtime, and for some reason, your scent was very calming, which made me want to sleep, and then..."

They ended up sleeping together.

Hence the awkward morning scene.

"Wait, I specifically checked my own cup..."

Jiang Ning felt something was off.

Ganyu said, "It seems... Venti might have switched your cup."

Jiang Ning fell silent. Fine, very good. What you've done now, you'll pay for in the future.

"My head still feels a bit dizzy..."

Although he had been awake for a while, he still felt foggy.

Ganyu quickly said, "It's probably from the hangover. Hui Xin has already prepared a sobering soup. I'll go get it right away."

After some time, Jiang Ning finally returned to his normal self, and the three disciples began packing their luggage.

They had originally planned to have a celebratory banquet and farewell party last night, and today they would be returning to Liyue.

After preparing everything, they arrived at Mondstadt's gates.

Barbara, Eula, Amber, and of course the floating companion Paimon and the Traveler Lumine were already waiting.

"Where's Jean?" Jiang Ning asked.

Eula responded, "Jean, after a rare moment of relaxation, is already busy again. This morning, she has a pile of documents to process."

"So the advice we gave her wasn't taken at all," Jiang Ning said helplessly.

"Tell me about it. But this isn't my concern," Eula crossed her arms, then her tone became slightly awkward, "Um, s-safe travels."

For this young man who stood up for her in Springvale, helped her in daily life, and considered her a friend, Eula had developed quite a fondness.

Jiang Ning laughed, "Isn't this a 'this grudge I'll remember'?"

"Hey!" Eula immediately puffed up her cheeks.

But she soon laughed as well.

This was their friendly banter.

Amber looked confused, feeling like her close friend might have done something behind her back.

"When the Lantern Rite comes, if you're free, come visit Liyue. I'll be your full-time guide," Jiang Ning told Eula, then turned to Amber, "Amber, I heard your grandfather is from Liyue. You're welcome to visit too."

"Yes, definitely," Amber nodded vigorously.

"Barbara, remember, when you have time, come find me. We're friends, right?" 

Barbara immediately said, "If it weren't for the work I need to hand over, I'd definitely go to Liyue to relax..."

"Hm? The usually diligent Barbara wants to relax in Liyue?" 

Amber was vigilant... well, vigilant on behalf of Eula.

Barbara's gaze wavered. She couldn't exactly say that her image of Barbatos had been completely shattered.

In any case, whatever happens to Barbara later is uncertain, but right now, she wanted to forget everything and take a break for a while.

Going to Liyue with Jiang Ning seemed like an excellent choice. So Barbara had been handing over her work, preparing to take a vacation.

Seeing Barbara's guilty expression, Amber misunderstood and felt a sudden worry.

Oh no, the first rival for Eula in Mondstadt has appeared!

And it's a formidable opponent! Barbara, the most popular idol in Mondstadt!

Amber hesitated, glancing at her friend, thinking: it should be... fine, right?

"Oh, by the way, Lisa asked me to tell you that if you have the chance, remember to come have afternoon tea," Eula said.

"Yes, yes, next time for sure... next time for sure..." 

Jiang Ning thought to himself that since they were returning to Liyue, he wouldn't see her for a while, and who knew when the next time would be.

"You're not coming with us to Liyue?" 

Jiang Ning looked at Lumine, who had been silent, and Paimon, who was wrestling with some mushroom rolls.

No wonder Paimon hadn't spoken - her mouth was completely full.

"We'll go another time. We feel like we've only explored a small part of Mondstadt and want to visit places like Dragonspine and the Stormterror Lair. We'll come find you during the next Rite of Descension," Paimon said after swallowing her food.

"You'll be waiting quite a while," Jiang Ning remarked.

In the game, visiting a new place might take just one version, but Mondstadt is so vast. They couldn't just explore the nearby areas and call it a day.

Moreover, commission tasks would take time. In reality, exploring one country in a year would already be considered fast.

But based on this timeline, it should be around the Liyue storyline. Jiang Ning was looking forward to it.

"Hehe, we'll explore Mondstadt thoroughly and earn some Mora for the road!" Paimon said.

"And when we reach Liyue, you must host us properly!" Paimon added.

Lumine looked embarrassed: "Paimon, that's not how you ask to be hosted!"

"It's fine, we're friends, aren't we?" Jiang Ning was unconcerned. "When you come to Liyue, I'll treat you to the most luxurious hotel and the best Liyue cuisine!"

"We've made a deal... no, I can't listen anymore. If we continue, I'll want to go to Liyue right now!" Paimon looked distressed.

"Haha," Jiang Ning laughed at Paimon's reaction.

"I'll definitely come find you," Lumine's gaze was full of reluctance.

"I'll be waiting," Jiang Ning replied.

"Alright, it's getting late. We should head out. See you next time," Ganyu looked at Lumine and the Mondstadt women, suddenly becoming vigilant.

Each of them seemed to want to steal her... junior brother. She must be cautious.

"Take care on the road!"

"Goodbye!"

...

"Without realizing it, we've been in Mondstadt for about a month. I wonder how many tasks have accumulated at the Jade Chamber," Hui Xin sat in the carriage, looking worried.

"Don't worry, Ningguang has already systematically distributed your work. You just need to handle the handover when you return," Ganyu said with a smile.

"Is that so? That's wonderful," Hui Xin looked delighted.

However, Ganyu's expression suddenly stiffened.

"What's wrong, Senior Ganyu?" Jiang Ning was curious.

Ganyu looked like a child who had done something wrong, mumbling, "That, well... because I sensed your danger and rushed over, I didn't inform anyone about my work these past few days..."

Jiang Ning thought about Ganyu's workload and felt something was wrong.

"Can you teleport back, Senior?"

"There's no coordinate there..." 

Ganyu looked frustrated.

The Rite of Descension was essentially a small anchor point. Now that she had come over, there was temporarily no anchor point in Liyue.

So she came on a one-way ticket and couldn't go back.

"Alright... when we return, I'll help you complete the work..." 

Jiang Ning felt a headache coming on. They would be working overtime after returning.

Too bad Dvalin's wings were injured. Otherwise, he might have experienced the thrill of dragon riding.

At least he wanted Dvalin to fly him to the Stone Gate.

...

At this moment, the Jade Chamber in Liyue Harbor was different from its usual calm and composed atmosphere.

Today, the Jade Chamber seemed somewhat panicked.

Ningguang's three secretaries - Bai Wen, Bai Shi, and Bai Xiao - were all present.

Their hair was messy, their clothes looked unwashed for days, and they had heavy dark circles under their eyes.

Their expressions were numb, with a hint of despair.

Ganyu's sudden disappearance was known to Keqing.

She immediately dispatched people to search.

The Jade Chamber and various Liyue administrative offices turned everything upside down.

They couldn't find her anywhere.

Finally, they had no choice. Given Ganyu's sensitive position, they could only seek help from Madame Ping of the.

Madame Ping sensed the remaining adeptal energy and discovered the trace of the Teapot Spirit.

She immediately understood that something must have happened with Jiang Ning, otherwise Ganyu wouldn't have left without explanation.

As for whether Jiang Ning was in trouble... with Ganyu there, clearly not.

Moreover, if something had happened, Ganyu would have immediately used adeptal magic to inform the Cloud Retainer. Given that old friend's temperament...

She would probably rush to Liyue Harbor to interrogate the Qixing, and might even personally intervene.

Now everything was calm, obviously nothing had happened.

After being informed, Keqing and Ningguang finally felt relieved.

Many of Ganyu's tasks involved Liyue's confidential matters, but her work couldn't be left undone. So Ningguang had to dispatch her most trusted and capable three secretaries.

The result was that even these battle-hardened secretaries were overwhelmed by Ganyu's workload.

But fortunately, they heard that the dragon disaster in Mondstadt had been resolved, and Ganyu was probably on her way back.

They just needed to hold on for two or three more days.

"Miss Bai Wen, here are today's documents..." an employee entered with a stack of paperwork.

"Ah? It's already... morning?! We hadn't finished yesterday's work, and now today's is here?!" 

Bai Wen looked desperate. Bai Xiao directly fainted with her eyes rolled back.

As for Bai Shi... she sniffled.

She really wanted to cry.

"Ningguang said these tasks can wait. You can rest for half a day..." 

"Long live Ningguang!" 

They couldn't help but burst into tears.

----

If you find any errors or inconsistencies please let me know, I am trying my best to improve my translations.

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