"Can he even beat you?" Lora asked back.
"I can duel him using only martial arts, without using divine power," Ei said seriously. Those words were meant for Scaramouche as well.
Scaramouche looked at Ei and finally spoke. "You said it! I'll challenge you!"
"Very well!" Ei nodded.
Whether it was Scaramouche or Ei, their thoughts were actually very simple. A fight could solve a lot of things. Makoto did not object to it either. For this mother and son, fighting really was better than trying to reason things out.
"Candied hawthorn~ Selling candied hawthorn! Fragrant and sweet candied hawthorn~"
Not far away, Zhongyue walked over carrying a candied hawthorn pole. When she saw everyone gathered there, she planted the pole to the side and said, "No wonder there were so many powerful presences over here. You just arrived?"
The latter half of that was directed at Makoto and Ei.
Makoto nodded with a smile. "Yes, we just arrived!"
"Heh, Liyue can now be called the gathering place of Teyvat's highest combat power..." Zhongyue said with a laugh.
Counting Zhongyue, Liyue had gathered five first-generation gods, plus Ei, who could also be considered one herself. That made seven beings at the level of The Seven.
In a way, it was an unusual gathering of The Seven.
The gatherings of the past could never return.
Zhongyue took a few sticks of candied hawthorn from her pole and handed them out. "Come on, don't be shy. I made all of these myself. Lora bought the ingredients yesterday, so I guarantee they're fresh. Honest goods for young and old alike!"
Yae Miko looked at Zhongyue in confusion. Zhongyue had a disguise on, and with Miko's strength, she could not see through it. But seeing how familiar Zhongyue seemed with the other gods, she could not help asking curiously, "And who might this young lady be? She seems to have quite an unusual identity..."
"Pfft..."
Lora could not hold back and laughed.
Zhongyue's hand froze while she was holding the candied hawthorn. She looked up at Yae Miko, tilted her head, and repeated the way Yae Miko had addressed her. "young lady?"
"Hm? Is there a problem?" Yae Miko still had not caught on and had no idea where the real issue was.
"No problem!" Lora shook her head.
Zhongli nodded along with Lora's words and said to Yae Miko in an unhurried tone, "From the perspective of common sense, there is not much of a problem."
Venti added from the side, "Miss Fox, you've got a good eye!"
Nahida said, "Miko's view is like sunlight shining down from the sky. It only falls upon the surface and does not reach deeper."
Watching the four old frauds speak in riddles, Yae Miko turned to Makoto and Ei beside her and asked, "What exactly are they talking about? Was there something wrong with what I called her just now?"
The poor fox still had not figured out the situation. Among everyone present, she and Scaramouche were the youngest, and also the easiest to toy with. For old-timers like these, this was about the only kind of entertainment they had in a situation like this.
Makoto shook her head. "You should ask her yourself."
Herself?
Yae Miko's gaze landed on Zhongyue, and she asked, "May I ask whether there was a problem with how I addressed you just now?"
"Aren't you a fox? How are you still this dumb?" Zhongyue asked back.
"Uh..." Yae Miko blinked.
Zhongyue stuck the candied hawthorn she had originally meant to give Yae Miko back onto the pole, then said to her, "You're really embarrassing the fox spirits. Forget it. You're a young fox, so I understand."
Yae Miko: "...?"
Wait... What?
Zhongyue continued, "Standing before you now is the Supreme Geo Dragon Sovereign, who experienced the Archon War alongside Morax—Azhdaha, the Geo Dragon Sovereign!"
"Huh?" Yae Miko froze where she stood.
The legendary Azhdaha, the Geo Dragon Sovereign, looked like this?
"Hey! What's with that look!" Zhongyue frowned and shouted when she saw Yae Miko's expression.
Scaramouche, standing at the back of the group, said slowly, "Are you sure you want to keep standing here and talking about this? If this conversation continues, all of your identities are going to be exposed one by one."
"Let's go. We'll talk once we're back," Lora said to them.
After returning from the harbor to Xianyun's house, Lora explained the situation clearly to the poor Guuji Yae. Only then did Yae Miko finally understand everything.
She felt that she should not stay there for the time being, so she quickly excused herself, left Xianyun's house, and went to find Ganyu.
Zhongyue watched Yae Miko flee in defeat and asked, "Is she scared?"
"It's rare to see Miko like that," Ei said seriously.
"That's normal. Aside from you and me, Miko knows almost nothing about the other gods, let alone Azhdaha. The fact that she managed to stay and listen until the end before leaving is already quite something," Makoto said, not finding it strange.
A five-hundred-year-old fox was still far too young.
When Lumine and Paimon returned, they saw everyone gathered around the stove, brewing tea. They could not help being a little surprised. "Makoto, Ei! You arrived so quickly! If we'd known, we would've gone to the harbor to welcome you!"
"It's not as though we arrived with great fanfare. What welcome would there be?" Makoto laughed and motioned for Lumine to come sit down.
Lora asked, "How did it go? What did Ping'er say?"
"Madame Ping said, let the past remain in the past. Always dwelling on what's gone by isn't a good thing," Paimon answered in Ping'er's tone.
"In that case, Mr. Dvorak's wish is going to fall through. He basically came all this way for nothing," Venti said with a smile.
Lumine shook her head and replied, "Not exactly for nothing. Paimon and I ran into him and Xinyan on the way back. It seems the two of them are planning to hold a concert called Iridescent Tour: Lantern Rite Gala during Lantern Rite. They're currently discussing the details with the Liyue Qixing!"
Zhongli nodded. "Being able to find the next goal is indeed a good thing."
"A concert... Can I participate?" Venti immediately grew interested and looked at Lumine curiously.
"You'll have to ask Mr. Dvorak and Xinyan about that. But with your skill, Venti, I don't think there should be any problem with you participating in a concert," Paimon said.
"Of course! After all, I'm the best bard in the world!" Venti made up his mind, stood up, and said, "All right! I'm off to find Mr. Dvorak. See you!"
Paimon watched him leave like a gust of wind and murmured, "Venti is really eager..."
Lora said, "He probably has his eye on the concert payment. Speaking of which, does this concert even pay?"
Lumine thought for a moment, then said, "It might, but probably not much."
"Then it's fine. As long as there's something, that's enough. He's broke beyond saving," Lora said with a nod.