Chapter 106: Sending Daiyuan Away, The Director's Instructions
Daiyuan's eyes lit up in an instant. "Can I?" he blurted out, his body already taking an eager step toward the motorcycle.
"Of course." Zhongli nodded, flicking his wrist. The motorcycle key sailed through the air and into Daiyuan's waiting hands. "This vehicle is simple to operate. You've seen me use it, and you were present for Xianyun's instructions. Just take it to an open area for a test run, and you will understand its wonders."
He skillfully cast his line, the primary goal being to send away this old friend who was liable to "say something shocking" at any given moment.
"Good! Excellent!" Daiyuan was overjoyed, all thoughts of a "righteous interrogation" completely vanishing from his mind. His head was now filled with nothing but the thrill of the ride.
He swung a leg over the motorcycle, his movements a bit unpracticed, but the promise of surging power made his blood race. He tried injecting a mere wisp of adeptal energy into its core, and the machine immediately responded with a low, guttural roar, its frame even hovering slightly off the ground.
"Director Hu!" Daiyuan shouted excitedly to Hu Tao, his voice nearly drowned out by the engine's hum. "I'll go try it out first! As for Zhongli, he… uh… you interrogate him well! Make sure he confesses everything! You should try this later, too—this bike is absolutely thrilling!"
Before he could finish, he twisted the throttle. With a deafening whoosh, the motorcycle shot out of the main gate, leaving behind an excited roar, a trail of dust, a string of hearty laughter, and the disarray of tables and chairs knocked askew by the sudden gust of wind.
Hu Tao watched Daiyuan's receding figure, then glanced at the slightly messy hall. Instead of anger, a flicker of amusement danced in her plum blossom eyes.
'How earnest Brother Daiyuan is,'she thought, a small smile playing on her lips.'Even after getting on the bike himself, he didn't forget to tell me to interrogate the consultant! He's really… far too considerate.'
She automatically filtered out the minor chaos on the floor, her mind registering only that this new friend of theirs was simply sparkling with sincerity.
Having sent away the single greatest "unstable factor," Zhongli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to face Hu Tao, who had once again fixed her scrutinizing gaze upon him, and calmly retrieved a few items from within his coat.
"Director…" Zhongli placed the items one by one on the table, his voice a placid sea. "I am aware that this 'disappearance' has caused you worry. As such, I have brought back some local specialties from Natlan as a token of my apology, and also to prove that my words are not false."
Hu Tao's gaze was immediately drawn to the objects on the table.
There was a charmingly rustic cotton camel doll, woven from Natlan's unique and incredibly soft colored yarn. Its shape was round and adorable, and a small feather ornament—a symbol of the Feather Festival—was tied around its neck, imbuing it with the simple charm of Natlan's folk handicrafts.
Next to it lay a colorful, wide-brimmed "Feather Festival" hat. The brim was carefully decorated with the vibrant plumage of Natlan's native birds and carefully woven dried grasses, exuding the powerful atmosphere of a tribal celebration.
Finally, there were several carefully polished raw stones. These were not priceless, top-grade gems, but rather malachite and obsidian unique to Natlan's volcanic region. They bore natural flame-like patterns or the pockmarks of lava bubbles, polished into smooth pendants or left as raw, ornamental blanks. Each one radiated the ruggedness and fiery essence of the land from which it was born.
These things… Hu Tao picked up the soft cotton camel doll and gave it a squeeze. Then, with a curious hum, she placed the slightly oversized Feather Festival hat on her head, its wide brim covering half her face. Finally, she carefully examined the stones, tracing the volcanic imprints with her fingertip.
The style, the material, the craftsmanship—every aspect of these items exuded a strong, untainted, and indigenous Natlan flavor. They were a world away from the exquisitely packaged and expensive "Natlan specialties" she had seen in Liyue Harbor, which were shipped all the way by merchants from Fontaine or Sumeru.
Except for the few raw stones, these felt more like… ordinary trinkets that locals could easily buy, carrying the warmth of daily life. They didn't seem like the kind of goods that merchants would bother transporting across mountains and rivers.
Hu Tao fell silent.
If Zhongli's previous narration and the motorcycle—which he had conveniently attributed to Xianyun—still felt like a carefully woven lie, then these "local specialties" were different. They smelled of Natlan's soil and were clearly unsuitable for long-distance trade due to their bulk and relatively common value. They were like heavy weights, tipping the scales of her belief toward the conclusion: 'Zhongli really went to Natlan.'
She took off the Feather Festival hat. Most of the suspicion had faded from her small face, replaced by a complex, unavoidable realization.
She looked at Zhongli, her tone softening considerably. "Alright… Consultant, it seems… you really did run off to Natlan to help the Traveler?"
She believed the part about him "traveling to and from Natlan."
But then, her delicate eyebrows furrowed again, her expression filled with a deep confusion that challenged her entire understanding of the man before her.
"But… running off to another world to participate in some Hollow racing competition? This… how is this even possible? And…"
She scrutinized Zhongli from head to toe, her eyes filled with a sense of deep incongruity, as if to say, 'This style clearly doesn't fit you, does it?'
"Consultant, with your temperament… it's a good day if you can sit still, drink tea, listen to opera, and walk your bird. How could you possibly take the initiative to participate in such a noisy, fast-paced racing competition?"
"This is simply… more absurd than the 'Emperor's Mortal Sojourn' tales compiled by the storytellers!"
Her perception of Zhongli's established "persona" had become the last and most solid barrier preventing her from accepting the concept of "otherworldly racing."
Zhongli remained silent.
He looked at Hu Tao's expression, which screamed, 'I understand you went to Natlan to help, but racing? Don't be ridiculous,' and his heart was filled with a mixture of emotions. She simply had no way of knowing how important the minimum one hundred and eighty points from that competition were to an old antique who needed to draw otherworldly cultivation methods to refine his own.
Seeing that Hu Tao had finally accepted the core truth—that he had gone to Natlan to help Lumine—Zhongli decided not to dwell on the "racing motive," lest he make things worse. He went with the flow, guiding the conversation toward topics that would interest her more. "Your words are noted, Director. The trip to Natlan did indeed offer many novel experiences. If you are interested, why not allow me to recount them?"
Zhongli then began to speak of Natlan's unique tribal customs, of the five-hundred-year plan led by the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, of the grandeur of the Holy Fire Arena, and of the impressive performance of the Traveler, Lumine, and Paimon there. He naturally omitted the dangers posed by the Abyss and the Night Kingdom, focusing instead on the wonders of Kachina's soul-returning ritual and the sheer liveliness of the festivities.
Hu Tao listened with rapt attention, and the last trace of doubt on her face was washed away by these vivid and fascinating stories from a foreign land. She was especially captivated when she heard how Paimon had displayed great power in dispelling the Abyss's corruption, and her eyes began to sparkle.
"Little Paimon is that amazing now? Next time we meet, I'll have her 'improve' me, too! Maybe I can finally grow taller!" Whimsical ideas were, as always, Hu Tao's true nature.
After a round of storytelling, Hu Tao was finally content to "let go" of Zhongli.
She hugged the cotton camel doll, the slightly-too-large Feather Festival hat still perched on her head, and waved a dismissive hand. "Alright, alright. Seeing as you brought back so many novelties, and you really did go to help the Traveler, I'll let you off this time! But!"
She held up a single finger, her expression turning serious. "Don't let it happen again! If you dare to disappear on me one more time, this Director will let you taste the luxurious, upgraded version of General Youyou!"
Zhongli readily agreed. "As the Director commands."
Later, back in the solitude of his room, Zhongli recalled the "interrogation" process. The hint of helplessness he had felt gradually melted into a faint smile.
'Though the Director does not believe in matters of other worlds, she is not entirely unreasonable. It's just…'His thoughts drifted to the pile of precious minerals and antiques he had "casually" acquired in Natlan, all waiting to be processed in his Serenitea Pot, and then to the potential future expenses for the group chat…'It seems it would indeed be inadvisable to add any more charges to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's accounts for the time being. However… the Northland Bank probably wouldn't mind, would it?'
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