Aether and Ganyu sat together on a cliff in Mt. Aocang, from where they could see the entire scenery of Jueyun Karst.
Aether had been to Mt. Aocang so many times, but he had never really taken a good look at the scenery here. Now, looking down from above, he realized that this place truly deserved to be called a geomantic treasure land, chosen by the Adepti.
Whether it was the clouds or the mountains, they were worthy of the words 'geomantic treasure land'.
"So, Miss Aether still wants to persuade me to go back...?" Ganyu lowered her head, her fingers intertwined, her voice soft.
"Yes, Baiwen and the others also told me that your usual work is difficult for even the three of them combined to complete."
Aether nodded. His voice sounded no different than usual, but if Ganyu were to look up, she would probably notice that Aether's state was very off.
Unfortunately, Ganyu was currently in a strange emotional state, not daring to look up at Aether, and also not paying much attention to the faint buzzing sounds coming from Aether's body.
"Baiwen and the others have just taken over. Once they get familiar with it, it won't be like this," Ganyu shook her head, still feeling a bit lost.
"But Baiwen and the others are still Ningguang's secretaries, so it's impossible for them to spare the energy to do your work, and... Ugh!" Aether pursed his lips, his brows slightly furrowed.
He didn't know if Cloud Retainer had increased the intensity just now, but Aether almost couldn't hold back from making a strange sound.
"Miss Aether?" Ganyu was a little confused. She cautiously looked up at Aether.
Aether's face was flushed, and there seemed to be a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was enduring something.
"Miss Aether, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ganyu, lacking knowledge in that area, didn't immediately think of anything strange regarding Aether's condition.
"N-Nothing, I, uh... I mean, it's highly unlikely to cultivate someone who can handle the work of a Qixing secretary like you in the short term." Aether shook his head, pulled himself together, and tried to make himself look as normal as possible.
"If you feel lost, why don't you come back to Liyue Harbor with me and see what others think?"
"What others think..."
"Yes, whether it's the Qixing or the people of Liyue, see what they think of you. I don't think anyone would be willing to let you go."
Aether had heard a lot about Ganyu from Ningguang before, although most of it was just interesting anecdotes about Ganyu personally.
But from these stories, it could also be seen that Ganyu was very popular among the people of Liyue.
If Ganyu was truly determined not to continue this job, it would definitely be a great loss for Liyue Harbor.
"Hmm..." Ganyu lowered her head again and began to think.
Aether didn't interrupt, intending to let her think it over herself.
Of course, even if he wanted to say something more, he wouldn't dare to.
What if he couldn't control himself and made a strange sound in front of Ganyu?
Although he had long entertained the idea of taking Ganyu for himself, he didn't want to leave a bad impression on her.
"I understand, I'll go back and see." Ganyu finally nodded, seemingly having taken Aether's words to heart.
"That's good." Aether nodded, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
"However, I'd like to stay in Mt. Aocang for a few more days. It's been a long time since I came back to accompany True Monarch. Although she doesn't say it, she actually dislikes loneliness very much," Ganyu added.
"Oh, that--cough, don't worry, Cloud Retainer is already planning to move to Liyue Harbor. It should be in the next few days. It'll be good if you two come together then."
"Eh?! True Monarch is planning to move to Liyue Harbor??" Ganyu's eyes widened, looking very surprised by Cloud Retainer's decision.
"Why would True Monarch suddenly have such an idea?"
"I-It should be because Shenhe has already settled in Liyue Harbor, so..." Aether shifted his gaze, looking elsewhere.
What he said was, of course, one of the reasons, but the main reason, he couldn't tell Ganyu right now.
Later, Ganyu should slowly understand, right?
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Having resolved Ganyu's matter, Aether was the first to leave Mt. Aocang.
After all, he had an appointment tonight and couldn't stay here long.
However, thinking of that matter, Aether still felt a bit regretful.
He was sure that Xiangling's nutritious meal had some issues; otherwise, he wouldn't have said something like, "Wash yourselves clean and wait for me tonight" to those three.
But after coming to Mt. Aocang, Cloud Retainer even specially made him an enhanced version of the Adeptal toy, and the effects Aether had experienced were almost completely calmed down.
And tonight, he still had to fight three people at once... Just thinking about it made him shiver.
"Remember the thing this immortal gave you; you can only take it off at night," Cloud Retainer said, after observing Aether's condition and nodding.
She was seeing Aether off with Ganyu at the summit of Mt. Aocang.
"Y-Yes, I know..." Aether replied, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Cloud Retainer kept saying that this thing was good for his body. Aether's biggest feeling was that he slept better, but other than that, he didn't feel much else.
But Cloud Retainer still insisted that he wear it, so Aether could only silently endure it.
Anyway, if he just kept at it, he would eventually get used to it.
When this thing became useless to him, he would put it on someone else... Aether glanced at Cloud Retainer, a fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
At this stage, he was always inexplicably drawn into the other party's rhythm, and coupled with her ability to always pull out strange things to aid in combat, Aether's win rate was not high.
But one day, Aether would definitely return the favor in kind.
Let this Adeptus also experience this taste...
"Hmm? Are you perhaps thinking of something extraordinary?" Cloud Retainer smiled slightly, reaching out to touch Aether's head.
Aether's body instantly stiffened.
"W-what, no, I was just thinking about what to have for dinner when I get back," Aether said with an awkward smile.
"Meat, of course, right?" Cloud Retainer withdrew her hand, her words seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.
"Y-yeah..." Aether ran his hand through his hair, his gaze flickering.
Ganyu watched the interaction between her master and Aether with a puzzled expression. To be honest, she completely failed to understand their conversation.
And what exactly did Master give Aether that he had to keep on him all the time...?
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