Even so, Venti had already put away his smile. His expression turned serious as he kept watch over everything around Lora.
As pink and blue streams of water surged from the spring, they cheered and swam around Lora. Callirhoe had returned to her Oceanid form, fluttering through the air around her.
Just as she had once created the people of Fontaine, Lora used the Primordial Sea's waters to shape Callirhoe's body and create her blood.
When Callirhoe opened her eyes again, she immediately sensed the state of her body.
This human body was now truly hers. She no longer had to expend her own power to maintain it. In fact, it seemed she no longer possessed the power of an Oceanid at all.
Lora looked at Callirhoe and said softly, "Although I have turned you into a human, you will eventually return to your Oceanid form. You will die as humans do, return to the Court of Fontaine, and return to the Fountain of Lucine. But... everything will end in a trial. After that, you will become a true human completely."
"Thank you, Lady Egeria," Callirhoe said, bowing deeply to her.
"Live well," Lora said with a smile. "As you said, at the very least, the two of you have this moment."
In the name of the Hydro Archon, she blessed the rest of their lives.
May they remain by each other's side, and may time pass gently for them.
Only after the poetry festival ended did Zhongli appear before Lora and Venti again. He sighed and said, "It is finally over. Such a grand event should have been a joyous occasion, but their enthusiasm was indeed rather difficult to handle."
"Zhongli." Lora called his name, gazing at the person before her as she said softly, "Thank you for the surprise you and Venti prepared for me. I liked it very much."
"I am glad you did. May this journey leave you with no regrets." Zhongli nodded slightly, speaking to her in his ever-steady voice.
"Don't worry. I don't have many regrets left." Lora patted Zhongli on the shoulder.
"Venti and I are both aware of what you did in the Sumeru Desert. You gave part of your power to the Traveler's blood relative. Will that affect your plans from here on?" Zhongli looked at Lora and asked.
"There will definitely be some impact, but not much. Don't worry, I value my little life quite a lot." Lora smiled as she answered.
Zhongli continued, "When I temporarily served as Chief Justice in Fontaine, I sensed it myself. The calamity hidden beneath Fontaine is indeed not something ordinary mortal strength can resolve. I have already asked some adepti to head to Fontaine first."
"You only said you would help me. Why did even they go?" Lora was a little surprised when she heard this. Back then, Zhongli had only said that he would help, so how had even the adepti gotten involved now?
No wonder she had not seen Xiao and the others here.
"I did not force them. I merely told them about Fontaine's predicament, and they asked to go themselves," Zhongli explained. "It seems you are very important to them as well."
"If I get the chance in the future, I really will have to thank them properly." Lora sighed, then asked, "Who went?"
"Xianyun, Zhongyue, and Xiao. Jiehu and Houzhang remained here to temporarily take over Xiao's duties," Zhongli explained.
After all, when it came to combat, aside from Zhongyue, Xiao was more skilled than the others. He was also the most suitable person to handle sudden incidents.
"Thank you." That was all Lora could say to Zhongli.
"Since your rebirth, you have rarely been this courteous with us. How rare." Zhongli smiled when he heard her thanks.
Lora knew he was saying it so she would not feel too much pressure, so she did not say anything more.
Beside them, Venti sighed and shook his head. "Oh dear, what a pity I don't have many people under me. I can only have Dvalin take a turn around Fontaine. As expected, Rex Lapis truly has no shortage of manpower with such a vast household."
"There you go again." Lora looked at Venti helplessly.
"But speaking of which, do you know what's happening in Inazuma?" Venti asked Lora.
"Inazuma? What happened in Inazuma?" Lora grew curious when she heard him bring it up.
Venti said, "Those two sisters pinned Scaramouche and that little fox down in Tenshukaku and made the two of them handle all of Inazuma's affairs, big and small. Then they took the Shogun to Fontaine. Judging by the time, they should have arrived by now."
"That really is just like you. Your information is always so good." Lora laughed. Among The Seven, if anyone was the best-informed, it had to be Venti. Even she, who had Oceanid informants spread throughout the continent's water systems, could not compare to him.
"Counting the time, once Lumine and the others finish their adventure in Sumeru, they can set off for Fontaine."
"Could that Traveler and her companions be indispensable figures in Fontaine's prophecy?" Zhongli asked with some curiosity.
Lora nodded. "Yes. Some things still need them to push them forward."
"In that case, I will go to Sumeru with you. Once the Traveler's adventure is over, we can head straight to Fontaine," Zhongli said in a calm voice after hearing Lora's explanation.
"So I'll get to see Chaya?" Lora's eyes lit up at Zhongli's words.
"Who's Chaya?" Venti asked curiously.
Zhongli fell silent. Only then did he realize he seemed to have said that too soon.
"Let me tell you, Chaya is..." Lora immediately perked up and leaned closer, whispering something to Venti.
The more Venti listened, the more interested he became. He looked at Zhongli in surprise and said, "I never would've guessed. The old man is actually... how do they say it in Liyue again? Ah, right—quite the romantic. Changing forms just like that. Excellent!"
"It is something I promised, so naturally I will keep my word," Zhongli said solemnly, straightening his expression.
"Well then, in that case, we'll have to trouble the old man to show us Miss Chaya's charm," Venti said with a grin.
This guy was clearly the type who loved watching the excitement grow.
Zhongli sighed helplessly, but since he had already said it, he had to follow through.
Under Lora and Venti's eager gazes, a layer of golden light enveloped Zhongli. His figure grew slightly shorter. When the light faded, the composed gentleman was gone, and the elegant Miss Chaya stood before the two gods who lived for fun.
"Oh my, she really is beautiful..." Venti said in surprise. He circled Chaya once and said, "Old man... no, I can't call you old man now. Miss Chaya's bearing is the finest I've ever seen among the people of Liyue. Even Tianquan Ningguang cannot compare."