"..."
Guess?
As if she could.
Xianyun fell silent, unable to figure out what to say.
"Come on. Let's go back to Liyue Harbor. Shuyu and Yuandai both came to see you. If you don't go back, they'll be disappointed." Lora wrapped an arm around Xianyun's shoulders and pushed her toward the entrance of the cave residence.
Xianyun asked in confusion, "Why did they come? Didn't I tell Shuyu to go home and keep Yuandai company?"
"Are you stupid? It's Lantern Rite. You're their master. How could they not come visit you?" Lora looked at Xianyun with the kind of deep concern usually reserved for someone's intelligence.
"...You scared me so badly my brain stopped working!" Xianyun grumbled.
Only after Lora and Xianyun had both walked outside did Jiehu cautiously step out. Watching their figures fade into the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully relax, Lora's voice drifted over from ahead.
"Mountain Shaper, remember to bring Moon Carver back to Liyue Harbor for the festival."
Jiehu: "..."
Great.
Now he was doomed.
As Lora brought Xianyun down the mountain toward Liyue Harbor, they happened to run into Lumine and Paimon, who were returning from Yilong Wharf. Beside them was a young man dressed in black and red.
It had to be Gaming.
"Yo! Isn't that Auntie Xianyun? What a coincidence, bumping into you here!" When Gaming saw Xianyun walking with Lora, he smiled and waved in greeting.
"Hm? It's Gaming." Xianyun also smiled back.
"Huh? Why are Lora and Xianyun here?" Paimon was a little surprised. Then she looked at Gaming and asked, "Gaming, you know Xianyun?"
"Of course I know Auntie Xianyun. Back when I was escorting cargo, I used to run into her out in the wild all the time. But after Auntie Xianyun moved to Liyue Harbor, it's gotten pretty hard to see her. Guess I'm lucky today!" Gaming explained to Paimon with a smile.
"Oh, and who's this friend?" He then looked at Lora beside Xianyun.
Before anyone else could introduce her, Lora smiled and walked over to Gaming, reaching out to shake his hand. "Well, well. Young hero Gaming. I've heard your name around Liyue for quite some time. Now that I meet you, I see your reputation is well deserved. You have my respect."
"Uh..." Gaming stared in shock at Lora, who had suddenly stepped forward with a smile, and seemed completely caught off guard.
"I'm Lora, a traveler from Fontaine. I'm friends with Lumine and the others, so just call me Lora," she continued.
Gaming blinked and looked at Lumine and Paimon beside him.
Paimon helplessly spread her hands, and Lumine shook her head at him.
Gaming turned back to Lora. After a moment of silence, he said, "Miss Lora, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gaming, from Yilong Wharf. I work as a transport guard in Liyue now, and I perform Wushou Dance on the side."
"Wushou Dance? Wonderful!" Lora's eyes lit up. "Would you be interested in touring Fontaine? Listen, I know some people at the Opera Epiclese. I could get you a performance slot there. Interested?"
Paimon whispered to Lumine, "Hey... isn't Lora being a little too enthusiastic?"
"All right, Lora, stop teasing the child." Xianyun sounded rather helpless. She stepped forward and said to Gaming, "Gaming, this is Fontaine's Hydro Archon. Don't listen to her nonsense. You can't trust half of what comes out of her mouth."
Lora immediately protested, "I object! Can you point out a single lie in anything I just said? Am I not a traveler from Fontaine? Am I not friends with Lumine? Do I not know people at the Opera Epiclese?"
Xianyun: "..."
Lumine and Paimon were both struggling not to laugh.
But Gaming simply burst out laughing and said to Lora, "Haha, so Miss Lora has such an impressive background. Then I'm truly honored to become your friend."
"Huh? You're not surprised?" Paimon looked at him in surprise.
Gaming shook his head. "Of course I'm surprised. You're a god, after all. But anyone who's friends with all of you and Auntie Xianyun has to be someone special. I was already prepared for Miss Lora to have a remarkable identity."
Lora gave him a thumbs-up. "You've got guts."
"Hehe..." Gaming scratched his head and smiled honestly. "As for performing Wushou Dance at the Opera Epiclese, I'll think about it."
"Great. I'll look forward to your answer. I'm sure the people of Fontaine will love your Wushou Dance," Lora said with a smile. Then she looked at Lumine and Paimon and asked, "By the way, did you see Focalors?"
"Focalors? No, we didn't. Is she at Yilong Wharf?" Paimon shook her head and looked at Lora blankly.
Lora shook her head. "She went to Chenyu Vale to buy tea for Neuvillette. Yilong Wharf is in Chenyu Vale too, and there's plenty of tea around there, so I thought she might have gone that way. You didn't run into her?"
"No. Even if she did go there, Chenyu Vale is huge. How would we just happen to run into her?" Paimon said helplessly.
"Who is this Focalors? Maybe I can help look for her," Gaming said to Lora.
"Oh, she's my daughter. But there's no need to look. She isn't lost." Lora explained Focalors's identity to him, reassuring him that while the child might not look very smart, she really was not missing.
"Your daughter..." Gaming looked at Lora in surprise, then seemed to think of something and sighed. "It seems Miss Lora has a very good relationship with her daughter."
"It's pretty good." Lora nodded.
She noticed the brief change in Gaming's mood, but she had no way of knowing why just yet.
"By the way, are Auntie Xianyun and Miss Lora heading to Liyue Harbor too?" Gaming quickly stopped dwelling on his own thoughts.
Lora nodded. "Yes. Want to go together?"
"Sure! Let's go together." Gaming nodded with a smile.
Gaming walked ahead, while the others followed behind him toward Liyue Harbor.
Lora quietly asked, "Hey, does Gaming have some conflict with his family? When he heard about my relationship with Focalors just now, his mood seemed a little off."
"All I know is that the child does have some small conflicts with his family," Xianyun answered in a low voice. "As for the rest, I'm not too clear."
Lumine glanced at Paimon. Paimon flew over to the two of them and lowered her voice, giving them a quick explanation of Gaming's situation.
After hearing Paimon's explanation, Xianyun said in surprise, "So that was going on?"