Time slipped away, and in a blink of an eye, it was already past noon!
As Luo Chen stepped out of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his eyes.
It had to be said that Zhongli did indeed know quite a few secrets about Sumeru, but they were completely different from what he wanted to know.
Whether it was the whereabouts of the Great Tree King or the legends about the Dendro Archon, even Zhongli couldn’t provide accurate answers.
The only thing Luo Chen confirmed was that, just like in the simulation, the current Dendro Archon of Sumeru was Lesser Lord Kusanali, who was found by the sages five hundred years ago.
She is under the jurisdiction of the Akademiya, which is the ruling power of the land of wisdom.
It sounded like the historical trajectory was exactly the same as before the simulation.
This reminded him of a phrase.
The destinies of the people of Teyvat are all reflected in the stars above.
“Tsk, is fate something that cannot be changed?”
But that wasn’t right either. At least, he had destroyed the catastrophe at the end of the God Era with the Holy Lance, and he had also changed the timeline where the Dendro Archon had perished.
“Or, is it that the arrival of the Descender can change the established destiny?”
Luo Chen was a little confused about this quantum world within an eggshell, and he didn’t want to think too much about it for now.
No matter what, he would be able to possess the power to dispel all illusions after he fully digested the God Template in a month.
Until then, he would just have to wait patiently for a while.
Suppressing the restlessness with his millennia-old mind, Luo Chen looked up at the sun in the sky.
“Tsk, I should finish today’s work first, otherwise that girl will find another excuse to nag at me.”
After muttering to himself, Luo Chen, alone, went towards the center of Feiyun Slope from the empty city walls, preparing to go to the Heyu Tea House as invited.
Boss Fan Er Ye had made an appointment earlier to meet him at the tea house at noon today, asking him for a favor.
This was also part of his duty as a guest retainer of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
In Liyue, you might not know about “Liuli Pavilion” or “XinYue Xuan”, but the reputation of Heyu Tea House is known to almost everyone.
The reason for this is mainly due to the boss’s skillful management.
First, the tea server who tells stories at the tea house is exceptional.
In this era, there isn't much entertainment, so being able to hear carefully crafted stories is considered a luxury.
Second, Liyue’s famous opera troupe, “Yunhan Society,” is based here. Yun Jin, the current leader and pillar of Yunhan Society, sometimes comes here to perform on stage.
It’s the star effect. Over time, naturally, a lot of loyal fans are attracted.
Everyone wants to hear Yun Jin’s opera, but they can’t satisfy their desire often, so they diligently discuss it with their fellow enthusiasts at the tea house, gradually forming a community.
In this way, it’s not surprising for someone to go from being a passerby to a regular customer.
To put it exaggeratedly, out of ten regulars, nine are fans of Yun Jin.
Today, I don’t know if it’s good luck or what, but when Luo Chen arrived at the Heyu Tea House, all the seats were full.
He didn’t need to ask to know what was going on.
It was obvious that Yun Jin was going to perform today, which was rare.
Inside the house, Fan Er Ye, who was greeting the full house of guests, had a beaming smile on his face. He was both boasting about Yun Jin’s amazing new opera to the regular customers and subtly highlighting his own contribution.
He had used a lot of words to persuade Yun Jin to come here today.
His demeanor, moving effortlessly among the guests, was like a fish in water, a perfect social butterfly.
As expected of someone who could boost the tea house’s business, he would have been a top agent if he had gone into the entertainment industry.
At this time, a wealthy businessman sitting in the front row, wearing silk and satin, couldn’t help but ask eagerly.
“Second Master, Yun Jin’s new opera, give us some spoilers, to satisfy our curiosity.”
“Hey, I can’t tell you that. If Yun Jin finds out, she’ll be unhappy, and you won’t be able to hear the opera.”
Without hesitation, Fan Er Ye, who was playing mysterious and keeping the guests in suspense, broke their expectations of knowing about the new opera. He kept his eyes on everything and his ears open, feeling a little anxious in his heart.
“Why isn’t he here yet? It was supposed to be this time.”
As soon as he finished muttering to himself, Fan Er Ye, who looked towards the door, saw something that made his eyes light up.
“Oh! He’s finally here!”
Ignoring the regular customers, he immediately walked quickly towards the door of the tea house, greeting him with a bright smile on his face.
“Mr. Luo Chen, you’re finally here. If you were any later, I was going to send someone to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to get you.”
There was no hint of anger in his tone, but rather more teasing.
Luo Chen looked around, taking in the surroundings, before saying calmly, “It’s not even half an hour before the agreed time, I wouldn’t say I’m late.”
“Not late! Not late!”
Now that he was here, Fan Er Ye didn’t have any more demands. He quickly denied it.
Besides, this guy’s status in Liyue was quite high, he didn’t dare to offend him.
“Come with me, Sir. It’s crowded and noisy here, let’s talk over there.”
Fan Er Ye’s attitude was sincere and good, and he immediately led Luo Chen to a place in the back of the tea house.
This was the closest place to the stage, you could see the stage clearly, which translates to at least VIP inner stage audience.
Because of this, the people sitting here were either rich or noble, and there were fewer people compared to the main hall.
Privilege, as long as humanity exists, it exists in every world, it’s probably a theorem.
“Boss Fan, I don’t know what you called me over for.”
As they were talking, Luo Chen noticed that there were some significant changes in the tea house compared to before.
First of all, the old stage that had been there for over ten years was finally renovated, the beams that had been battered by time were all replaced.
The performers who were placing props were walking back and forth on it. The wooden boards finally didn’t creak anymore.
“Huh? Boss Fan, you’ve made a fortune? You’ve actually replaced all the stage boards.”
“Well, that’s not the case. It’s just that I recently resolved a knot in my heart. What that golden-haired traveler said was right, the old stage did affect listening to the opera, the regular customers have complained a lot about it, so I decided to replace it during these few days. I gritted my teeth and did it.”
He explained it briefly, and Fan Er Ye’s eyes were full of relief.
Everyone has stories that they keep locked away, so Luo Chen didn’t pry any further, just nodded to show his understanding.
“Speaking of which, this has something to do with you, Sir.”
“Me?”
“Old man, I thought that since the stage was already replaced, it was a new beginning. I might as well replace the faded plaque at the entrance too. It’s just that I couldn’t find anyone suitable to write on it. That’s why…”
He paused, and Fan Er Ye seemed a little embarrassed and didn’t continue.
Now, Luo Chen roughly understood.
It turned out he was asking for calligraphy.
That’s right, his calligraphy is worth its weight in gold, to put it bluntly, it’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s a carrier of art.
People in Liyue are proud to have a piece of his calligraphy, Fan Er Ye wanting a plaque that can be passed down is perfectly normal.
Seeing Fan Er Ye’s hopeful and pleading look, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.
To be honest, he didn’t want to agree so easily.
Anything is more valuable if it’s rare. The more calligraphy is circulated, the less valuable it becomes.
Even people with higher status than Fan Er Ye have asked him, like the big boss of Feiyun Commerce Guild, who also spent a lot of money and favors to get a piece of his calligraphy.
Just Fan Er Ye isn’t enough for him to sell face for.
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