In Liyue Harbor.
The four little ones were chasing each other and playing in the streets, having a great time.
Today was the day before the Lantern Rite Festival, and the festive atmosphere was strong in the air. Every household was adorned with lanterns and decorations, and happy smiles lit up everyone's faces.
This year, Ningguang had spent a fortune decorating the streets with Lantern Rite ornaments, making the entire area feel incredibly festive.
While running around, the four little ones arrived at a morning market. The market was packed with people, many of whom were enjoying breakfast.
The delicious aroma of food in the air made the four little ones dash into the market to buy some breakfast.
In the morning market.
Tartaglia and La Signora were also there, enjoying breakfast. They had their subordinates bring over a whole table full of delicious dishes.
Tartaglia took a bite of a meat bun.
"Not gonna lie, these buns in Liyue are really good—way better than the bread we have in Snezhnaya."
La Signora shot him a look. You're from Snezhnaya! How can you praise another country over your own?
"The breakfast here in Liyue is… alright, I guess."
Tartaglia chuckled in response.
"Maybe check how much you've eaten before saying that."
La Signora glanced at the empty plates stacked beside her and the untouched Snezhnayan bread nearby.
"Fine, eating doesn't mean I have to agree with you. Hurry up and eat—we still have work to do."
Tartaglia was puzzled.
"Work? What work?"
La Signora replied:
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is coming to Liyue Harbor today. We're going to welcome her."
Tartaglia stared at her in disbelief.
"Seriously? How come I didn't know about this?"
La Signora said:
"Of course you didn't know. She contacted me. Now eat up—we're heading to the harbor after this."
Tartaglia stopped bickering and focused on his food.
Meanwhile, the four little ones each bought two big meat buns and a cup of soy milk before walking out of the market.
They munched on their buns while strolling through the streets.
Suddenly, Klee spotted Qiqi standing still in the distance, seemingly zoning out.
Klee stared curiously at Qiqi, thinking her outfit looked a bit strange.
Curious, Klee walked up.
"Hi! I'm Klee. What's your name?"
After a few seconds, Qiqi slowly turned her head and replied dully:
"Qiqi. Qiqi's name is... Qiqi."
Klee looked enlightened.
"Nice to meet you, Qiqi! What are you doing here?"
Qiqi looked up at the sky and thought for a moment before speaking slowly:
"Qiqi is... waiting for... Yaoyao... to make... sky lanterns."
Klee perked up.
"Sky lanterns? That sounds fun!"
Qiqi paused for a moment, then answered:
"Fun... I think?"
Klee beamed.
"Qiqi, can I come with you?"
Qiqi thought for a bit.
"Ask Yaoyao."
Klee tilted her head, curious.
"Yaoyao? Who's that?"
As soon as she finished her question, a girl with a bun hairstyle and a bamboo basket on her back came walking over.
"Qiqi, I'm here~"
Qiqi looked at her and pointed.
"That's Yaoyao."
Yaoyao jogged up and smiled at Klee.
"Hi there! I'm Yaoyao. Nice to meet you~ What's your name?"
Klee replied cheerfully:
"I'm Klee! So you're Yaoyao! Can I come with you to make sky lanterns?"
Yaoyao agreed right away.
"Sure~ Come on! I'll take you to find the materials we need."
Klee nodded but held up a finger.
"Wait a sec, Yaoyao—Klee has a few more friends~"
She then shouted to Hook, Bailu, and Diona, who were watching a ring-toss game at a nearby stall:
"Bailu~ Hook~ Dioooona! Come here! We're gonna make sky lanterns!"
The three of them ran over to Klee.
After the six little ones introduced themselves, Hook curiously asked:
"Yaoyao, what's a sky lantern?"
Yaoyao explained:
"A sky lantern is a kind of lantern that can fly up into the sky. Every year during the Lantern Rite, we release them and make wishes for peace and safety."
Hook's eyes lit up.
"Ohhh~ Hook wants to release one!"
Yaoyao nodded with a smile.
"Alright, let's go. First, we need to gather materials to make the lanterns.
To make a lantern fly high, we need good bamboo. Let's head outside the city to find some!"
Klee grabbed Qiqi's hand and shouted joyfully:
"Yay! Klee gets to make sky lanterns with new friends~"
Then she took off running with Qiqi in tow.
Bailu raised a hand and shouted:
"Quick! Let's go after them—charge!"
She and Hook dashed off behind Klee.
Diona and Yaoyao followed close behind, with Yaoyao calling out:
"Slow down! Be careful not to fall~"
The six little ones ran off toward the outskirts of the city, with Rios following at a steady pace to keep them safe.
Meanwhile, with Stelle, Hu Tao, March 7th, Lumine, Amber, and Seele—
They were having breakfast at a teahouse near the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, led by Hu Tao.
Stelle took a bite of steamed egg and asked:
"Hu Tao, where are we going after this?"
Hu Tao replied:
"I'll take you to Wangshu Inn to hang out for a bit."
Lumine asked:
"Wangshu Inn? What's fun there? Last time I came from Mondstadt, you were waiting for me there, but it didn't seem like there was much to do."
Hu Tao smiled mysteriously.
"Ah, but you don't know~ I found a ruin nearby recently. Let's go check it out—there are usually lots of treasure chests in those!"
Everyone's eyes lit up at the word "treasure chests."
March 7th said excitedly:
"Now I'm awake! Let's eat quickly and go explore!"
Hu Tao nodded and added:
"After we're done exploring the ruin, it should be about evening.
Ningguang prepared a treasure ship and said she's inviting us to come aboard and have fun. I'll take you all there tonight."
Amber looked intrigued.
"What kind of treasure ship?"
Hu Tao thought for a moment.
"It's a big, fancy ship made for entertainment. The guest advisor said it's really fun. You'll see tonight."
Eula said:
"Then let's eat up and go!"
They all started eating faster, eager to begin their adventure.
Meanwhile, on a cruise ship—
Jing Yuan, Welt, Ye Yun, Zhongli, and Huaiyan were sitting on a ship, sipping tea, playing chess, and chatting.
Jing Yuan lounged by the railing, admiring the beautiful ocean view.
"The last time I came here, the weather wasn't nearly this good."
Zhongli thought of Osial upon hearing this.
"Last time, there was a god wreaking havoc. Naturally, the scenery wasn't pleasant."
Honestly, Zhongli suddenly felt a bit curious about how Osial was doing in the Luofu prison.
Meanwhile, in Luofu Prison—
Osial lay in his cell like a salted fish. Compared to being sealed by Zhongli, this was much better—no worries about food or drink, and he even got an hour of outdoor time every day.
***
Third floor of the Wangsheng Hall Internet Café Building, Calestia's exclusive e-sports room.
Calestia was happily finishing a round of Audition Online—she had just won another match.
She took off her headset, stretched lazily, and lay back in her gaming chair, gazing at the bustling street below.
The street was lively, and it was Calestia's first time seeing such a festive scene.
"This Lantern Rite Festival in Liyue is really something," she murmured.
Nahida, who was nearby, overheard and said:
"The Lantern Rite is the most important festival of the year in Liyue. Almost everyone returns home to reunite with their families and celebrate the new year together."
Calestia nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked:
"Oh right, Nahida, can you check where those guys are?"
Nahida responded:
"You mean the other gods?"
Calestia nodded.
"Yeah, didn't I tell them yesterday to come to Liyue for the festival? Have they arrived yet?"
Nahida used her divine power to sense their presence.
"The Cryo Archon and Electro Archon are about to reach Liyue Harbor. Lady Furina and a companion have arrived at Qingce Village and should reach Liyue Harbor tonight."
Calestia nodded in satisfaction.
"That's good. Nahida, shall we all have dinner together tonight?"
Nahida shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Didn't you promise Ningguang this morning that you'd have dinner on the Jade Chamber?"
Calestia paused, then remembered.
"Oh right, I almost forgot. Then let the others have fun for now—we'll all meet at the Jade Chamber tonight."
Nahida agreed and contacted the Cryo Archon, Ei, and Furina through divine communication.
Just then, the door opened, and Silver Wolf walked in.
"I'm here, Calestia."
Calestia was delighted to see her.
"Silver Wolf! You're finally here! Come on, log in, log in!"
Liyue Harbor Port.
Coincidentally, Ei and Yae Miko had just disembarked when they spotted the Cryo Archon and her companions nearby.
The Cryo Archon approached Ei.
"Long time no see, Baal."
Ei looked confused.
"Didn't we just meet at Celestia?"
The Cryo Archon was momentarily speechless.
"Baal, you haven't changed at all—still so good at conversation."
Ei nodded.
"I think so too."
Yae Miko couldn't stand it anymore—Ei really didn't know how to chat. Just a few lines and the conversation was dead.
"Long time no see, Lady Tsaritsa," Yae Miko greeted the Cryo Archon.
Tsaritsa nodded.
"Yes, it's been a while. The little fox has grown up so much."
Yae Miko smiled.
"Lady Tsaritsa, you're still as beautiful as ever~"
Tsaritsa smiled at the compliment.
"You've become quite the sweet talker."
Yae Miko waved her hand.
"Oh please, I'm just telling the truth."
Tsaritsa looked around.
"You've received the message, right? We're supposed to explore a bit—want to join?"
Yae Miko shook her head.
"I think we'll pass. I want to visit some old friends here in Liyue. See you tonight~"
She took Ei and headed toward Yujing Terrace.
Yae Miko was planning to visit Ganyu—it had been years, and she missed her dearly.
As they walked, Yae Miko suddenly sensed something was off. She looked back—and froze.
"Where's Ei?"
She quickly turned around and found Ei standing by a sugar-coated hawthorn stand.
Ei was holding a skewer of candied hawthorn, eating with deep focus.
Yae Miko facepalmed—who would've thought the usually dignified and cold Electro Archon had such a sweet tooth!
She rushed over and tried to pull Ei away.
"Ei, let's go find Ganyu."
Ei nodded—but didn't move.
Yae Miko frowned.
"What are you standing there for?"
Ei said calmly:
"I haven't paid for the candy yet."
Yae Miko was speechless.
"Can't you pay?"
Ei took another bite.
"I don't have any money. You pay."
Yae Miko rolled her eyes hard.
You're a god and you don't carry money?
She paid for the snack and promptly grabbed Ei's arm to keep her from running off to buy more treats.
Along the way—
Yae Miko was exhausted. There were too many snack stalls, and Ei wanted to try every single one.
Sugar figurines, sugarcane juice, osmanthus cakes, flower pastries…
Yae Miko had no doubt—if she wasn't holding on to her, Ei could probably eat from one end of the street to the other.
At Qingce Village.
Furina and Clorinde disembarked from their boat.
Furina was in an excellent mood. It was the first time in years she'd gone out to travel beyond Fontaine.
Everything around her felt fresh and new.
She spotted a stall selling flower pastries, run by an elderly woman.
The old lady noticed Furina looking and called out:
"Missy, want to try some flower pastries I made myself?"
Furina's eyes lit up. Oh—free samples? Yes please!
"Yes!"
The old woman handed her one.
"Here you go, be careful—it's hot. I just made them. My house is right nearby."
Furina took it and indeed found it a bit hot to the touch.
She blew on it and carefully took a bite. Her eyes lit up.
"Mmm~ This is delicious! It's even better than the ones I've had before! How much are they? I want to buy some."
The old lady smiled.
"Cheap—300 Mora each. How many do you want? I'll pack them for you."
Furina waved grandly.
"I'll take them all!"
But the old lady refused.
"You won't be able to finish that many. They don't keep long—they'll spoil."
Furina replied:
"It's okay—I have a lot of friends. I'll share them."
Hearing this, the old lady agreed to sell her the whole batch.
After paying, Furina sat on a bench with a big bag of pastries.
Not long after—
Clorinde arrived, driving a horse-drawn carriage.
"Lady Furina, I've rented a carriage."
Furina jumped up from the bench.
"Great job! Come try these flower pastries I just bought!"
Clorinde noticed the big bag.
"Lady Furina, why did you buy so many?"
Furina took another bite.
"Because they're yummy! Come on, help me load these onto the carriage—we're heading to Liyue Harbor."
Clorinde easily lifted the bag that had taken Furina both hands to carry.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Furina climbed into the carriage, Clorinde loaded the pastries, and then drove off toward Liyue Harbor.
Along the way, Furina happily nibbled on the flower pastries while admiring the scenic views.