Mu Yang simply glanced at Lumine twice.
And he made sure his gaze conveyed a message.
Something to pique her interest.
After that, he didn't look back again.
Leaving only an inscrutable silhouette behind him.
Honestly, this kind of performance was pretty exhausting.
The system chattered nonstop.
"Holy crap, Host, what's going on with you? Why do you turn into such a B—KING when you're in character?"
"You're not usually like this!"
"And that sword move just now was so cool—whoosh, whoosh! How'd you even come up with that?"
Mu Yang: "Want to know?"
"Yes!"
Mu Yang: "The Soldier King," "The Son-in-Law Who Fell from Grace," "The Domineering CEO Falls for Me"—go read those. Now stop bothering me."
The system actually shut up this time.
Mu Yang's gaze left Lumine slightly puzzled.
"Does he know me?"
But then she reconsidered.
She'd been awake for a while now.
Most of that time had been spent wandering the wilderness.
Aside from Paimon, she hadn't spoken to anyone else.
———
Meanwhile, the Earth livestream exploded.
Mu Yang and Lumine brushed past each other.
That look in his eyes was indescribable.
Yet he didn't say a word.
He just walked away.
Guinaifen couldn't take it anymore.
She wanted to interact with Mu Yang.
Too bad this was a cutscene.
[Damn, Mu Yang's gaze just killed me. Absolutely lethal.]
[Why does Mu Yang look at the MC like that? It's so weird.]
[Totally a secret crush. Wow, mom, he's secretly in love with me!]
[Mu Yang x Lumine is canon. I've swallowed the key.]
[Shipping everything just keeps me well-nourished.]
Then Guinaifen dropped a bombshell:
"That gaze—four parts mockery, three parts confusion, two parts indifference, and one part nonchalance."
[LMAO, the classic pie chart.]
[Liyue's domineering CEO chasing his Mondstadt wife—why am I dreaming this?]
Back in Teyvat, Jean saw the group return safely.
She stepped forward to greet them outside the Goethe Grand Hotel.
The dark clouds in the sky had vanished.
Jean knew they'd completed their mission.
Her expression softened slightly.
Paimon asked with concern, "Miss Jean, are you okay?"
Jean reflexively replied, "I'm fine."
Amber, who had just passed by Mu Yang, recalled yesterday's events.
"Acting Grand Master, were you guys really talking about slaying a dragon earlier?"
Lumine reacted, "Slaying a dragon?"
"Mhm."
Amber then recounted her encounter with Mu Yang the day before.
Though Amber's narration lacked visuals,
Players were treated to a flashback.
In the scene,
After a brief exchange with Amber,
Mu Yang drew his sword.
"Payment for service, elimination of trouble—dragon slaying."
The Cryo Vision's glow and the Sword Intent effects,
Coupled with that classic tryhard-cool line,
Sent Guinaifen into a swoon.
[LMAO, did the scriptwriter major in archaeology or something?]
[Dvalin: Master, what exactly is your job?]
[He's like those ruthless assassins from wuxia novels. So much flavor.]
[Strong and silent—love, love, LOVE.]
[Gives off major Gu Long protagonist vibes.]
[Nah, Gu Long's protagonists might be OP, but they usually have some quirks. I'm scared.]
[Bro, judging by his art, I thought he'd be a soft puppy. Turns out he's a wolf.]
[More like a Tibetan Mastiff.]
"Hold up, chat, how can you compare Mu Yang to a dog?"
[Yeah, yeah!]
Guinaifen continued,
"If he's a dog, then what am I? I'M his dog!"
A flood of [?] filled the screen as the chat went ballistic.
[You're unbeatable, streamer.]
"Little Gui keeps it 100% real, yo."
———
Back in Teyvat,
After hearing Amber's account,
Paimon was the first to lose it.
"He says it so casually—this guy's way too full of himself!"
Lumine didn't see it that way.
Judging by Mu Yang's earlier display,
He absolutely had the right to be arrogant.
That sword strike was absurdly fast.
She couldn't even tell when he'd drawn his blade.
If he'd wanted to kill someone,
Even Jean might not have been able to stop him.
Lumine shared what she'd seen at Starfell Lake.
She mentioned how Mu Yang had been tracking something like a hunter.
"Now it makes sense—was he tracking Dvalin?!"
Kaeya lowered his head in thought.
"That guy's strength is unfathomable. Last night, I tried tailing him, but he noticed me the moment I got close."
Paimon teased, "Maybe you're just weak, Kaeya?"
Kaeya smirked.
"The moment you two followed Amber into the city, you were under my surveillance. Did you notice?"
Lumine shook her head—she really hadn't.
Kaeya added, "I ordered the Knights to keep a close watch on that little inn, monitoring his every move."
"But from what you've described, he easily slipped past surveillance and went to Starfell Lake to track Dvalin..."
He shrugged helplessly.
The opponent was too strong—no chance of winning.
Paimon sighed.
"Thank goodness that guy left. If he'd stayed in the city and fought the Stormterror, Mondstadt would've been in big trouble!"
[Kinda looking forward to that, ngl.]
[Same, but no way miHoYo would do that. How would the MC progress the story then?]
[Stormterror's in the sky—how's Mu Yang supposed to fight that?]
[Did you not see his lightfoot technique? Just step on his own feet and fly up, lol.]
Jean agreed with Paimon.
"A battle in the city would've been disastrous. Thankfully, by the Anemo Archon's grace, they didn't cross paths here."
Lumine still had doubts about Mu Yang's motives.
"If it's just about Mora, that feels like a stretch."
Jean admitted she didn't understand either.
But since he'd said he'd only act if she paid him,
There was no need to worry for now.
They could even treat Mu Yang as a last-resort contingency.
If all else failed, they could send him to deal with Dvalin.
Lumine: "Why did he say he wouldn't act against Dvalin unless you paid him? Wouldn't he just move in secret?"
Jean: "About that—Mu Yang said he's from Chenyu Vale."
"That region falls under Liyue, and Liyue is the Nation of Contracts. They place great importance on agreements."
"Perhaps he has some grudge against Dvalin, but out of respect for Mondstadt, he's demanding Mora as a formality."
"That way, with a contract in place, he can act without hesitation."
"Of course, this is just my personal speculation."
Lumine filed away another piece of knowledge.
Liyue—the Nation of Contracts.
Jean steered the conversation away from Mu Yang.
"Let's set that aside for now. Did you find anything else during your trip?"
Lumine said there was something she wanted Jean to see.
Jean stopped her.
The streets had too many ears.
They'd discuss it back at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.