If memory served, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's only consultant was Zhongli.
Ningguang knew of him—a man well‑versed in esoteric knowledge that few others understood. Unfortunately, he was not someone she could easily employ for her own purposes.
"An Astrologist?"
Beside her, Keqing looked intrigued.
Astrologists were rare. Becoming one wasn't easy—let alone one hired as a consultant for the Funeral Parlor. Until now, Zhongli had been the sole exception.
To think the Parlor had recruited another… and one with real skill? That was genuinely impressive. Earning a consultant title there was no simple feat.
"Yes," the Ferrylady confirmed, nodding. "Lady Ningguang, Director Hu brought Miss Mona back just last night and announced her new position. Immediately upon arrival, Miss Mona performed a divination for us—she projected starlight onto a basin of water and read the future instantly. It was quite mysterious."
"Oh?" Ningguang raised an eyebrow. "Starlight projected onto water?"
She had heard of hydromancy, but usually, astrologists observed the sky directly. Projecting stars onto a liquid surface for immediate reading? That was new to her.
"Sounds like she's no ordinary fortune-teller," Keqing remarked with a smile. "We should definitely return tonight to meet this Miss Mona."
"Agreed."
Ningguang nodded. Since Mona wasn't in, they would simply come back later.
With that, the Tianquan and Yuheng departed.
Meanwhile, outside Liyue Harbor.
Cai Zihao sat in a carriage with a group of laborers, rumbling toward the mines.
"Everyone, grab a pickaxe and a basket. If your tool breaks, come out and swap it immediately," a Millelith officer shouted through a megaphone at the entrance.
"I know some of you are new. Listen up: if you want to quit, you can leave anytime. Whatever ore you dig up, we can buy it from you right here for cash, or you can take it back to the city to sell yourself. If you find rare ore, we'll pay a premium—our prices are fair."
"Safety first. Don't overwork yourselves."
"Understood, sir!" the workers chorused.
They filed into the dark tunnels in an orderly line.
"Hey brother, wanna partner up?" a veteran miner sidled up to Cai Zihao, grinning. "You look strong. I know a spot with rich veins—you do the digging, I show the way, and we split the loot. Just give me a small cut."
He could tell from Cai Zihao's display of strength earlier that this guy was a powerhouse.
"No thanks. I'm just here part-time," Cai Zihao rejected him flatly. "I don't do this for a living."
With the Elephant Strength Finger Cots, he had the power of a literal pachyderm. He could smash through rock like paper. Why share profits when he could clear a tunnel by himself? He was only here for half a day anyway.
"Suit yourself," the man sighed, disappointed, and walked away.
Cai Zihao grabbed a pickaxe and ventured deeper. The tunnels echoed with the clink-clink of metal on stone. He walked past others until he found a secluded, empty corner.
He raised the pickaxe and swung.
CLANG!
The rock shattered effortlessly. It felt like digging through tofu. Not even a spark flew—just pure, overwhelming force crushing the stone.
"This feels amazing!" Cai Zihao grinned wildly. He swung again, entering a frenzy of destruction.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Whoa… who is that guy?"
"Is he crazy? He's gonna burn out in five minutes swinging like that."
"Yeah, mining takes pacing…"
Nearby miners stopped to stare. Cai Zihao was swinging like a machine, smashing solid rock into gravel with terrifying ease.
Then came a different sound.
TING!
A sharp, clear ring echoed. A chunk of white metal gleamed in the debris. The pickaxe hadn't even scratched it.
"White Iron!"
"That's a huge chunk!"
"Damn, he struck it rich already?!"
The onlookers gasped. That single piece was worth half a day's wages for them.
"Hehe." Cai Zihao beamed, tossing the heavy ore into his basket like a pebble. He smashed the surrounding rock to clear the vein and kept digging.
Clang-clang-clang…
He ignored the envious stares. With the Finger Cots, mining wasn't work; it was printing money.
Thank you, Shopkeeper. Thank you, Jar Shop.
While Cai Zihao silently praised Felix, back at the shop, Ganyu was opening her fifth jar.
Crash!
Another glass bottle rolled out, filled with tiny blue pills.
"Medicine again?" Ganyu blinked.
"Hehe, Ganyu-sis, maybe your destiny is tied to pills today?" Hu Tao teased. "First the 'First-Time' one, now this?"
"I… I don't know," Ganyu stammered, blushing.
[Slimming Digestion Pills] — Consuming one pill grants a special bodily state for one hour. Any food eaten during this time is instantly digested and erased from existence. No calories absorbed, no weight gained. Eat as much as you want with zero consequences.
"Jackpot."
Felix raised an eyebrow as he read the description.
This was a godsend for anyone who loved food but feared the scale. It allowed the sensation of fullness and the joy of tasting, but magically voided the calories.
For Ganyu, this was basically a divine artifact.
Ganyu adhered to a strict diet: "Drink only spring water, eat only whole grains." Although Qilin were vegetarians, Liyue's cuisine was so advanced that even vegetarian dishes were dangerously tempting.
Living in the city, Ganyu was hyper-conscious of her weight. She constantly battled her appetite—a struggle harder than finding a Flaming Flower in Dragonspine. She barely dared to eat too many Qingxin flowers for fear of gaining an ounce.
After all, during the Archon War thousands of years ago, she had once been so round that she choked a giant monster to death when it tried to swallow her whole.
That embarrassing history was something she never wanted to repeat.
Felix glanced at Ganyu's waist—currently slender enough to wrap an arm around.
"Shopkeeper?"
Noticing his gaze linger on her waist, Ganyu's face turned beet red. Her index fingers tangled together nervously. "W-what does this medicine do?"
Why is he staring at my waist?
"This is a Slimming Digestion Pill," Felix explained, looking back up with a smile. "Take one, and for the next hour, anything you eat vanishes. It's 'digested' into nothingness immediately."
"In other words: you can eat whatever you want without gaining a single gram of weight."
Ganyu's eyes widened.
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