Slowly, he walked towards Yujing Terrace with the three children. Many people were heading in the same direction, as it was essentially the only way.
The Rite of Descension was a distinctive and grand festival in Liyue, attracting merchants and devout believers alike.
Every year, the Geo Archon would bestow divine pronouncements, predicting the harvest and other crucial details for the year. Merchants would then use this information to strategize.
As for the devout believers, they simply wished to witness the physical manifestation of the Geo Archon. Regardless of their reasons, this festival was of immense importance to Liyue.
"So many people! Is it this lively today? Lu Ze, what does that Geo Archon look like?"
Xilin, with her purple hair, curiously asked Lu Ze. Beings called gods, were they all incredibly strong?
"You'll know in a moment. Stay close to me, or Xilin might get lost."
Hearing this, Xilin nodded vigorously, happily taking his left hand. Suddenly, a figure in ice blue caught her eye. A little girl was hopping about like a zombie.
"It's Qiqi! Can Lilia be friends with her, Lu Ze?"
Lilia, with her blue hair, had seen Qiqi's PV not too long ago and felt immense sympathy for her situation, which brought back some old memories.
It wasn't strange for Qiqi to be around here, as Bubu Pharmacy was nearby. What was strange was that her adoptive guardian, Baizhu, had been missing for some time.
This forced those who had been contemplating taking action to lower their weapons and patiently await Baizhu's return. If he wanted to lie low, let him. His shop, his people, his Qiqi were all here; he would surely come back.
"Then let's go together."
As they approached, Qiqi looked up, her pink pupils showing a hint of confusion. Who was this person? What was he doing here?
"Hello, Qiqi! My name is Lilia, and I want to… be friends with you!"
This statement stunned Qiqi. She stood frozen, the yellow talismans fluttering in the wind, revealing her entire face. For a moment, a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
"Qiqi… didn't hear… wrong? Someone… wants to be… friends with Qiqi…!"
Qiqi didn't have many friends. The only one she remembered vividly was a fiery red-haired girl, who always wanted to bury her. Her yearning for life made Qiqi clearly remember that face.
Besides her, there was her adoptive guardian, Baizhu. Although he had his own motives and often used her for experiments, they were never too extreme, so Qiqi didn't mind.
And then there was an adult who always watched her from afar, as if with regret or perhaps longing; the emotion was unknown.
"Yes, be friends!"
Looking at Lilia's smile, Qiqi's heart felt a little sore for some reason, but the feeling didn't last long.
"Is… it okay? Qiqi's… memory… is bad, I easily… forget you… Even if… it's like this, you still… want to be… my… friend?"
Qiqi hoped the other person would say yes, but her instinct told her that in her current state, she didn't deserve friends. How could a normal person accept friends they repeatedly forgot?
"Of course, I'm willing. If you forget, we'll get to know each other again. If you forget again, we'll get to know each other again. That's not a problem."
In that instant, Qiqi felt as if the little girl before her was an angel, bringing warmth to her heart.
"And me too! I also want to be Qiqi's friend. You won't refuse me, will you?"
Xilin cheerfully approached. Bella also emerged from behind, saying,
"The Queen's friends are my friends. Qiqi! I also want to be your friend."
Having made so many friends at once, Qiqi's little eyes lit up with excitement. She quickly took out the notebook from her pocket and slowly wrote.
The 19th, clear. Today Qiqi made three friends, very happy. Don't know what to say. But, Qiqi will definitely try hard to remember. Must not disappoint friends.
"Mm! Then… we are… good… friends."
Thus, the procession to witness the Rite of Descension gained another member. The five of them walked up the nearby stairs to the upper platform. Yujing Terrace was not far, and it was already crowded.
"So many people… Qiqi, can I ask the Archon… if my… illness… can be cured?"
Her pink pupils looked up at the sky with innocent expectation. However, realistically, no one at the scene could answer such a question. Even if asked, how could a zombie be cured? It was irreversible. Perhaps even the Geo Archon would be helpless.
"Alright, let's go. I remember Ms. Ningguang reserved a spot for me. Let's go take a look."
The five of them arrived at a spectator area reserved for people of status. Ordinary people couldn't sit here; it was mostly for official personnel.
Looking around, Ningguang wasn't there, which made things difficult, as Lu Ze didn't know anyone present and didn't know where his seat was.
Looking back, Ningguang was standing in the center of Yujing Terrace, looking solemnly at the sky, silently waiting for the auspicious hour.
"You must be Mr. Lu Ze, right? My name is Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. If you're looking for your seat, I know where it is. But you must be the manager of the Honkai Impact 3rd experience store, right?"
Hearing the voice, Lu Ze turned around with some confusion and immediately saw a beautiful figure. Purple long hair, two bun-like pigtails, a long skirt, and alluring long legs, though somewhat concealed by black stockings.
"I am Lu Ze, hello, Ms. Keqing. Shall we sit down and talk first?"
Keqing nodded and led the way to an empty seat, then patted the adjacent one, indicating it was his.
Ningguang, in the center, happened to see this. Her merchant's intuition sensed that an important person might be poached. It seemed she would need to have a good chat later.
"Mm… Let's continue our previous conversation. I am indeed the manager of the Honkai Impact 3rd experience store. It's not a secret, so it's fine to tell you."
Keqing's face showed an expression of "as expected." Although she hadn't paid much attention to such news, given Ningguang's regard for him, she could guess something.