Chapter 20

However, Ei did not follow and sit down, but chose to stand behind, fulfilling the duty of an Ei-musha.

Makoto had persuaded her many times, but Ei never listened, so she had to let her be.

In Ei’s rigid thinking, only the Seven Archons could sit in the main seat; what kind of ability did she, a mere Ei-musha, have to sit in the same position.

Even if the other six gods didn't care, she couldn't break the rules herself.

However...

When she saw Luo Li being pulled by Barbatos to sit beside the Anemo Archon’s main seat, she didn't open her mouth to reprimand him.

Luo Li was calm and composed, facing the curious or puzzled gazes of the the Liyue Qixing, without any guilt for being late, instead reaching out to the Geo Archon as a matter of course.

"Morax, where is my wine cup?"

Having known each other for over two thousand years, he was naturally not that polite in his speech.

The Geo Archon didn't care about the tone, flicking a gorgeous and solemn wine goblet over.

Luo Li caught it lightly and filled the cup with amber-colored wine.

Immediately, the fragrance of a hundred flowers hit his nose, making one have an endless aftertaste.

Drinking a sip casually, he commented: "This wine matches the wine vessel; it can barely be considered suitable."

Don't look at it as just a small cup; it was a wine goblet sculpted by the Geo Archon from immovable mountain rock, containing the nectar enjoyed by the supreme.

According to the Archon’s habit, the selected black rock should be indestructible, and the crystal must be transparent and exquisite.

During this period, many materials were consumed, and in the end, the Geo Archon took a jagged rock from the thousand-foot ridge, using a jade stele as the frame and a precious mountain peak as the core, carving it into a wine vessel.

There were only eight such cups in total.

Named 【Craggy Rock Sculpted Goblet】

It was no wonder; this thing was one of the top-tier artifacts.

If Luo Li remembered correctly, it came from the "Archaic Petra" set.

PS: Seeking flowers! Seeking evaluation tickets! Seeking comments!

After the initial excitement, Venti, who was sitting to the side, saw that Luo Li showed no signs of remorse and deliberately provoked him.

"Regardless of the reason, coming so late, shouldn't you apologize to everyone? I don't mind, but the others..."

Luo Li tilted his head to look at Venti, the first person he had met, who was hesitating to speak, and pondered for a moment.

He knew exactly what this guy was thinking.

It was nothing more than wanting to take the opportunity to extort a few jars of good wine from him.

They had known each other for over two thousand years, yet he was still putting on an act.

Remaining calm on the surface, Luo Li echoed and affirmed, "That's true. How about I punish myself with three cups first?"

The other members of the Seven Archons watched the scene with the eyes of people waiting for a good show, wanting to see how the two would clash.

"Ahem, no need for punishment. Rather than a penalty, it's more like a reward," Venti muttered softly.

Judging others by himself, he would be overjoyed if he could drink more.

Luo Li asked in surprise, "Then what do you suggest?"

"It's simple. A few jars of the Celestial Drunkenness you let everyone taste last time will do."

Venti opened his mouth wide, leaving Luo Li speechless.

Good grief, are you robbing me?

This item is said to make even immortals drunk after a single sip.

Even after signing in over two thousand times, he had only obtained about ten jars; it was incredibly precious.

The previous few gatherings of the Seven Archons had already consumed more than half, and now there were fewer than five jars left. If he couldn't sign them in later, they would be completely extinct.

Just as he was about to blurt out that he had none, he noticed the gazes cast from around him gradually changing.

Not to mention Morax, who also loved fine wine and tea, even the Hydro Archon and Dendro Archon, who didn't care for drinking, held hints of anticipation upon hearing the name "Celestial Drunkenness."

"..."

Sighing, Luo Li resigned himself to his fate, reached out, and produced three jars of Celestial Drunkenness from his system space.

"Forget it, I'll bleed for it once today. There won't be any left after this."

Venti was just one step away from praising, "The boss is generous."

The reason Luo Li was so generous was purely because he thought this was likely the last gathering of the Seven Archons.

After the war that destroyed Khaenri'ah, how many of those present would remain?

Once this thought crossed his mind, the feeling of heartache subsided quite a bit, replaced by a touch of melancholy.

Although he had witnessed the passing of friends many times and should have been accustomed to it, he still couldn't turn a blind eye to it.

Venti was overjoyed, hugging one of the jars of Celestial Drunkenness immediately, ignoring the angry scolding of the other gods.

Just kidding, what did a little scolding matter? Trading it for a jar of Celestial Drunkenness was a massive profit!

Luo Li had long anticipated his friend's behavior, so he simply ignored it. Carrying the second jar, he poured wine for everyone present in the air, including the adepti and the Liyue the Liyue Qixing.

Morax, as the host, raised his cup first.

"Sorry to trouble everyone for coming. I'll have a cup first."

All the gods agreed.

Unlike the later era where the Seven Archons barely interacted, at this moment, the relationship between the Seven Archons was quite good, and they chatted and laughed without restraint.

After drinking it all in one gulp, Morax felt a slight intoxication hit his head and couldn't help but praise the fine wine.

"To drink the best wine with the most honorable friends—there is no greater joy in life."

The Pyro Archon laughed heartily: "I won't hide it from you all, I've also coveted Celestial Drunkenness for a long time, but I was too embarrassed to ask. Today, thanks to the Anemo Archon's words, I can finally experience what Liyue calls 'floating like an immortal' once again."

As the atmosphere of the banquet grew lively, no one cared about Luo Li and the others arriving late anymore; everyone was busy savoring the fine food and wine.

When it comes to the exquisiteness of food, nothing in the world surpasses Liyue.

Seeing the gods chatting among themselves, the young girl standing behind the Geo Archon finally couldn't hold back, stepped out of the formation, and walked quickly toward the Anemo Archon.

"Ma... Master."

Just as Luo Li and Venti were reminiscing about the past, a soft, glutinous voice unique to a young girl came from behind him.

He turned his head to look and saw a beautiful, graceful young girl with her hands hidden behind her back.

Venti was very perceptive, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I'm going to drink with Morax; I won't disturb your master-disciple reunion."

As the Anemo Archon left, Luo Li looked again at the uneasy girl in front of him.

A pair of qilin horns, warm and smooth as jade, sat amidst her soft blue hair, and a pair of pale purple eyes were shy and timid, moving restlessly from side to side.

She wore a tight-fitting white cheongsam embroidered with gold trim, with a large golden bell hanging at the collar. The large bow on the back of the collar and her long hair, kept specifically for this purpose, set off the girl's exquisite charm.

The split-sleeve design exposed her shoulders, her fair skin like top-quality mutton-fat jade, enough to burn one's eyes, forming a sharp contrast with the highly seductive black silk stockings.

The wide, carved cuffs below were ethereal, and a red Chinese knot inlaid with a Cryo Vision hung at her waist.

Looking at her as a whole, it was impossible to look away.

"Cloud Retainer's aesthetic, I have to say, is unparalleled in the world."

Nodding to himself for the wise decision to entrust Ganyu to Cloud Retainer back then, Luo Li looked at the little girl who had already grown up, and after a long time, beckoned to her.

"Come, let me take a good look at you."

Almost the moment the words fell, Ganyu couldn't wait to come before him and kneel, lowering her head.

"Compared to a hundred years ago, why are you still so easily embarrassed?"

Examining his first disciple without any evil thoughts, Luo Li commented after a long while: "You seem to have lost some weight."

Ganyu gave a soft "Mm."

Because for these years, she had been eating only morning dew and Qingxin flowers, not daring to slack off in the slightest, just to show her best side in front of her Master.

For someone naturally gluttonous to overcome her appetite, heaven knows how much effort she had put in.

Realizing that her Master was examining her carefully, Ganyu felt both shy and happy.

She raised her moist, admiring eyes to meet his for a moment, then quickly lowered her head again.

Luo Li said helplessly, "I heard you've been the secretary for the Liyue the Liyue Qixing for over a thousand years. If this is your attitude, how do you finish your work?"

"That's not it, I only act like this in front of Master."

Ganyu retorted softly.

In her daily life, she was generous and poised, with no flaws in her conduct.

Except for the need for a nap, she was almost perfect.

Over the past thousand years, the saying "the the Liyue Qixing flow like water, but Ganyu is the iron pillar" was no joke. ===== CHAPTER 35 =====