Hearing Xiao's muttering, several of New Eridu's high-ranking officials looked displeased, clearly unhappy with his tone.
It sounded as if he was looking down on New Eridu...
And then he mentioned events from two thousand years ago—history from the old era two millennia past. How could such things possibly have been preserved until now?
You're just a young man, yet you keep talking about two thousand years as if you'd actually lived through them.
On the side, Keqing watched the expressions of New Eridu's leaders and felt quite helpless.
These people didn't seem to believe in Liyue at all?
Well, it made sense… This place was so remote they hadn't even heard of the nation of Liyue, let alone known of the great power of the Adepti.
After a brief silence, Keqing finally came up with a solution.
"If you're willing, you can come with me to Liyue tomorrow. Once you see it for yourselves, you can decide whether to join Liyue and accept its help."
At her words, the New Eridu officials exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up.
Go to Liyue and see for themselves?
They had already heard the name "Liyue" many times during their talks, but until now, they had no idea how powerful Liyue Harbor really was.
Could it really be as Keqing claimed—far stronger than New Eridu?
After some thought, the leader of the Defense Army slapped the table and agreed decisively.
The president of the Hollow Investigation Association tried to intervene.
But the Defense Army leader cut him off loudly.
"What's there to discuss? Once we reach Liyue, we'll see for ourselves. I don't believe there could be a city stronger than New Eridu when Hollows are everywhere."
Hearing this, the other officials exchanged looks, then all agreed to Keqing's plan.
However, New Eridu still faced many pressing issues. The rebels were plotting in secret, the long-vanished Praise Society had resurfaced, and with so many crises, the director of the Public Security Bureau, the Defense Army's commander, and the head of H.A.N.D. couldn't leave.
After much deliberation, it was decided that Mikhail, president of the Hollow Investigation Association, would accompany Keqing and the others to Liyue to see what kind of world it was.
The Defense Army sent Soldier 11 as their representative...
The Public Security Bureau sent Zhu Yuan and Qingyi...
H.A.N.D. temporarily assigned Tsukishiro Yanagi to join them...
When the negotiations ended and Keqing and Xiao returned to Hare's House, night had already fallen.
As soon as they stepped inside, Paimon flew over eagerly.
"So, Keqing, how did it go? Were the negotiations a success?"
Keqing nodded, then shook her head.
"Only half successful..."
Her plan had been for New Eridu to join Liyue outright.
But because of the huge information gap between them, trust was lacking on both sides. In the end, she had to settle for a compromise.
Once New Eridu's representatives reached Liyue, they would decide whether to join and accept its aid.
Hearing this, Paimon nodded quickly.
"That's actually a pretty good idea. Traveler, what do you think?"
The Traveler also nodded.
"Given the situation, this is the best option. Once they arrive in Liyue, the New Eridu leadership will make the right choice."
Off to the side, Billy and Nekomata, upon learning they could finally see Sam Li's homeland, jumped with excitement.
"Awesome, meow! We've been hearing about Liyue all this time, and now we finally get to see it!"
"Yoo-hoo, Liyue City, here we come—"
"It's not Liyue City, it's Liyue Harbor. Don't get the name wrong."
"Alright, alright—Liyue Harbor it is..."
That night, to celebrate Keqing's successful negotiations and their upcoming journey to Liyue, Nicole decided to splurge again and treated everyone to a feast at a restaurant in Lumina Square.
Paimon's little belly was round and full.
"Traveler, let's get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll be on our way!"
Billy could hardly contain his excitement.
"We're going to Liyue! What should I bring? Guns, gun oil, Starlight Knight posters... and, and..."
Nekomata mumbled to himself, "I wonder if they have mackerel in Liyue. I should bring a few extra, meow~"
Hu Tao chuckled softly.
"You don't need to bring a thing. Liyue Harbor has it all—from birth to burial, everything's taken care of."
The night passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, morning came.
As the warm sun rose above Hollow Zero and lit up the street outside Hare's House, everyone inside—Keqing, Arataki Itto, and the others—woke from their dreams.
As usual, Anby was up earliest. By the time the others rose, he had already bought back a pile of hamburgers for breakfast.
After eating, Keqing borrowed Nicole's phone and contacted the New Eridu authorities again.
They waited a while inside Hare's House.
Soon, the sound of engines rumbled outside.
When they stepped out, they saw that the once-empty street in front of Hare's House was now filled with seven or eight vehicles.
There were explosion-proof trucks from the Defense Force, modified patrol cars from the Public Security Bureau, and supply-laden freight trucks...
Seven or eight vehicles in total—enough to form a proper convoy.
At the same time, the representatives emerged: Mikhail of the Hollow Investigation Association, Tsukishiro Yanagi of H.A.N.D., Zhu Yuan and Qingyi of the Public Security Bureau, Soldier 11 of the Defense Force, along with others from various organizations.
Keqing frowned in confusion.
"Miss Tsukishiro Yanagi, what's all this?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi answered seriously.
"New Eridu is very far from Liyue. To get there, we must cross the vast outer ring, where all kinds of dangers may arise. This convoy will ensure we reach Liyue City as quickly as possible."
Only then did Keqing understand.
So they still thought she and the others had crossed the endless outer ring to get here.
She shook her head slowly.
"These vehicles won't be necessary. They'd only make things more troublesome."
Even she had no idea how long it would take to drive across the outer ring to reach Liyue—and she didn't want to find out.
Tsukishiro Yanagi was stunned.
"But... without the vehicles, how will we get to Liyue? We can't exactly walk across the outer ring, can we?"
Keqing smiled faintly.
"I have a faster way. Just have the cars take us as far as the Federer District."