"It really feels like after Qiu Nian showed up, Xiao suddenly became a completely different person."
Paimon whispered quietly to Lumine.
Lumine nodded in agreement.
After a moment of silence, Xiao looked at Qiu Nian and spoke.
"May I ask what brings you here, Lord Qiu Nian?"
"Oh, nothing in particular."
"I was simply taking a walk and ended up here."
Qiu Nian replied calmly.
"And Rex Lapis?"
"Did he not come with you?"
Xiao asked, noticing Qiu Nian's relaxed demeanor.
"Morax isn't strolling with me today."
"He went to Jueyun Karst to visit the Adepti."
Qiu Nian spoke as casually as if discussing everyday matters.
The livestream chat reacted immediately.
[So Rex Lapis went to see the Adepti.]
[Then why didn't Qiu Nian go?]
[If he went, you wouldn't see him during Lantern Rite, would you?]
[Fair point.]
Hearing Qiu Nian's answer, Xiao fell silent again.
He simply didn't know what else to say.
"So what were you just talking about?"
Seeing Xiao avert his gaze awkwardly, Qiu Nian turned toward Lumine and Paimon.
The two exchanged glances and gestured for him to follow.
Qiu Nian followed them into the inn.
Inside stood two other people.
One was Huai'an, the manager of Wangshu Inn.
The other was Verr Goldet, the inn's owner—and Huai'an's wife.
"It's because Xiao doesn't want to go watch the Lantern Rite."
"But we really want him to go."
"That's basically the situation."
Lumine explained.
"Qiu Nian, could you try persuading him?"
Paimon asked expectantly.
"Persuade him…"
"That may be difficult."
"My understanding of Adeptus Xiao may not even be as deep as yours."
Qiu Nian replied helplessly.
The chat immediately agreed.
[That's actually true.]
[This should be their first time meeting.]
[Right. Qiu Nian left Liyue three thousand years ago, and Xiao hadn't appeared yet.]
"Then what should we do…"
Lumine rubbed her forehead in frustration.
At that moment, Verr Goldet spoke.
"Mr. Qiu Nian."
She nodded politely.
They had already greeted each other earlier.
Qiu Nian nodded back.
"What's with the troubled expressions?"
"Didn't you just accomplish something big with Xiao?"
Verr Goldet asked curiously.
"It caused quite a stir."
"We even heard about it here."
Huai'an added with a smile.
"What big thing?"
Qiu Nian asked Lumine and Paimon curiously.
"It's not really that big."
"We just dealt with some Treasure Hoarders that were threatening Liyue."
Lumine shook her head.
"But the Lantern Rite is almost over again this year…"
"And he still hasn't gone to see it."
"I know this must have been troublesome for you."
"I worry about Xiao, but we're not particularly close to him."
"So I asked you two to invite him."
"I didn't expect the result to be the same."
Verr Goldet lowered her head slightly with a complicated expression.
Huai'an sighed.
"Honestly…"
"I've never seen that Adeptus attend the Lantern Rite."
Then he crossed his arms and added jokingly:
"If you ask me, it'd probably be easier to bring the Lantern Rite here than to get him to go there."
The chat exploded with laughter.
[Why does it feel like parents worrying about their child?]
[Even though Xiao is basically their ancestor.]
Meanwhile, Paimon was seriously considering the idea.
"Bring the Lantern Rite here…"
"That might actually work!"
She suddenly brightened.
"Good idea."
Lumine smiled.
"If Xiao won't go to the Lantern Rite…"
"Then we'll bring the Lantern Rite to him!"
Paimon declared proudly.
Huai'an looked doubtful.
"That was just a joke…"
"How would we even bring it here?"
"Well…"
"When we explored the festival earlier, we learned how to make Xiao Lanterns."
"And we found a stall selling special snacks."
"There are delicious foods, beautiful lanterns, and…"
"Stories of heroes from the past."
"And even some of his old friends."
"Isn't that basically everything the Lantern Rite is about?"
Paimon explained.
"That… actually makes sense."
Verr Goldet nodded slowly.
"But where should we set it up?"
Huai'an thought for a moment.
"If that's the plan, we'll need a spacious spot."
"And we'll have to set up a stall."
"Hmm… there might be enough room beneath the inn."
"Let's go take a look."
"I think I know what kind of stall you're imagining."
He said while heading downstairs.
"Let's follow him."
Qiu Nian said, walking behind Huai'an.
Lumine and Paimon quickly followed.
After searching outside the inn for a while, they found a quiet area.
Huai'an immediately began building the small stall Lumine and Paimon had described.
While watching him work, Qiu Nian spoke quietly.
"Xiao is not human."
"So it's difficult for him to understand human emotions."
"Over the long years, he has always walked alone."
"Keeping his contract…"
"And silently protecting Liyue Harbor."
Paimon glanced at him suspiciously.
"Didn't you just say you didn't understand him as well as we do?"
Qiu Nian laughed.
"That's true."
"I don't know him personally."
"But I know his past very well."
He explained.
Lumine looked confused.
"What's the difference?"
"Of course there's a difference."
Qiu Nian nodded.
"So what exactly is the difference?"
Even Xuehua on the stream looked puzzled.
The chat instantly started joking.
[There's a big difference.]
[One is understanding someone after meeting them.]
[The other is understanding them without ever meeting them.]
[Listening to you is like listening to you.]
During this conversation, Huai'an had already finished building a rather nice little stall.
Several Xiao Lanterns hung from the top.
The warm light illuminated the quiet space beautifully.
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