"Oh? Then you've come at a perfect time. The Moonchase Festival is coming up soon! This is a traditional Liyue holiday, and I guarantee you'll have an unforgettable memory!"
Hu Tao placed her hands on her slender waist, her large eyes curved into crescent moons, looking very cute.
"Haha, I'm sure I will."
Shiki said with a smile, then left the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with elegant and light steps, crossing the large bridge to reach Chihu Rock.
After activating the Ley Line Anchor Point here, Shiki's figure vanished into the night... "I say, Morax, when did you make a friend from Inazuma?"
Hu Tao had long realized that her consultant was extraordinary. Although he looked young, he had the demeanor of an old man. Given how many Adepti there are in Liyue, he was probably one of them!
Although she didn't know why he chose to be a consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao had no intention of exposing him.
Furthermore, it was undeniable that having Morax, this Old Scholar, as a consultant made her job much easier.
Every funeral was conducted flawlessly, whereas some of the younger staff still needed her supervision.
"She has noble status and is so beautiful. Look at her graceful and elegant posture; she must have undergone systematic training, just like Master Yun."
"Could it be that she is your..."
Director Hu said this with a strange smile appearing on her face. Opportunities to tease an Adeptus don't come often!
Besides, this Adeptus constantly sends bills to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. What's wrong with teasing him a little?
"The Director jests. Strictly speaking, Miss Ryougi should be considered a descendant of an old acquaintance of mine, but we interact as equals."
Morax's tone was very calm, and he wasn't angered by Hu Tao's teasing at all.
Moreover, if one were to nitpick every little thing in life, living would be too exhausting.
Besides, would you care if your own child played a trick on you?
"Hmph, boring, so boring! I, the Director, am going back to sleep! I thought I might hear something interesting..."
Hu Tao mumbled as she returned to her room. Still, it wasn't entirely fruitless; at least she now had a Young Miss friend in Inazuma.
Once the Sakoku Decree ends, she'll go to Inazuma to drum up business!
"One client..."
Today, the skies were clear and cloudless, the moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. Morax stood alone in front of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, lost in thought.
He meaningfully looked in the direction of Inazuma, and finally returned to his room... On the other side, Shiki returned home. Under the clear night sky, a White-haired girl sat quietly beside her.
"You're back?"
"Yes, I just went to Liyue. I found that the gap between Inazuma City and Liyue Harbor is truly huge," Shiki said.
"Ei was wrong, completely wrong. A nation's development cannot remain stagnant; that is not eternity at all."
"Inazuma has only been sealed off for two years, yet the gap with Liyue Harbor is already so vast. What about ten or a hundred years from now? Wouldn't the difference be heaven and earth?"
"There is only one kind of eternal existence in this world, and that is ceaseless change."
"I want to lift Inazuma's isolation and let everything return to normal development."
As an ordinary girl from Celestial Dynasty, she deeply understood the drawbacks of isolationism. A country cannot rely solely on its Archon to maintain appearances!
Moreover, don't forget that the Previous Dendro Archon and the Original Electro Archon both died in Khaenri'ah. Although the official story doesn't explicitly state that the two Archons died at the hands of Khaenri'ah, the possibility is very high.
"Mm, you will definitely achieve it. Whatever Shiki wants to do, I will support you."
Ayaka said this while holding the girl's hand. She had never been to Liyue and didn't know what it looked like.
But seeing the lonely expression on the girl's face, she knew the gap between the two places must be enormous.
"Ayaka..."
"Yes?"
"Do you want to visit Liyue?"
"Of course, I do. I haven't left Inazuma since I grew up."
Ayaka smiled softly, and then she heard the girl say, "Then, how about we go see Liyue tomorrow? It just so happens that the Moonchase Festival is starting soon there."
"Eh?"
"Why 'Eh'?" Shiki looked displeased. "After working for so long, we need to relax a bit."
"The Moonchase Festival sounds great. Although I haven't experienced it, I heard Director Hu say it will give us an unforgettable experience."
"Director Hu?"
"Hu Tao, the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She's two years younger than you and is Liyue's top authority specializing in funeral services."
"Don't look down on Hu Tao just because she's only fifteen this year; she has monopolized all the funeral business in Liyue. She's a genuine Little Rich Woman, though unfortunately, she's stuck with a consultant who constantly sends her bills."
"Speaking of which, she wants to open a branch of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Inazuma. Should we invest in some shares and wait for dividends?"
Ayaka thought about it upon hearing this, then asked a critical question: "We could, but wouldn't that count as stealing money from Lady Yae Guuji?"
"I have a feeling that if Director Hu comes to Inazuma, Lady Guuji will swindle her out of everything."
"..."
As soon as Shiki heard this, the image of the Fox's smile and a sulking Hu Tao popped into her mind.
Well, that certainly is a problem.
If the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor monopolizes the funeral industry in Liyue, then it is the Grand Narukami Shrine in Inazuma.
In Inazuma, if someone in the family passes away, a Shrine Maiden is invited to chant incantations to send the person off, and the funeral is also presided over by a Shrine Maiden.
Since Inazuma doesn't have Buddhism, there naturally won't be any Monks. Speaking of which, does Sumeru have Buddhism?
It should, right? Didn't Yae Miko say before that her Pen Name resembled the style of Sumeru?
Moreover, the posture of Raiden Ei meditating in the Plane of Euthymia also bears traces of Buddhism.
However, officially, Inazuma only has Shintoism; Buddhism doesn't even have a shadow.
But if you think about it, Teyvat is not Earth. Archons exist here. If a religious war broke out, it would be much fiercer than anything on Earth.
Furthermore, the Seven Archons share the responsibility of guiding humanity and would not allow such a thing to happen.
Going back to the topic, Inazuma's funeral business isn't completely monopolized by the Grand Narukami Shrine. There are still many families in the private sector who work as part-time Morticians.
They prepare the deceased's appearance, and then the Shrine Maiden performs a dance and chants incantations to send them off, followed by cremation.
"By Universal Rationality, indeed."
"Although Director Hu is clever, she is still lacking when facing that heart-manipulating Fox," Shiki stated.
"However, in a sense, she certainly gives older people a headache."
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