socalfunplaces Chapter 1023 Barbara takes advantage of differences
Chapter 1023 Barbara takes advantage of differences
Two days later, early morning, Liyue Harbor.
The sunlight has passed through the clouds and shone on the glazed tiles with flying eaves and upturned corners of the Qun Yu Pavilion, reflecting a dazzling luster.
Barbara did not go to the Jade Pavilion immediately after she reshaped the god in her heart by standing on the inverted statue.
She wandered around Liyue, learning about the local customs and habits, laying a solid foundation for establishing her own belief system in the gods.
At dawn that day, Barbara changed into a clean white dress, took out Captain Qin's handwritten letter, pretended to have "just arrived in Liyue Harbor", and slowly walked up the Floating Stone Platform of the Qun Yu Pavilion.
Because of Captain Qin's letter, Qianyanjun didn't ask any more questions, but took her to Ningguang's office hall as a routine matter.
Barbara immediately handed her sister's handwritten letter to Ningguang.
Ningguang, who was sitting behind the desk, looked at the letter she handed over. As her fingertips ran across the letter paper, there was a smile of understanding in her eyes.
The content of the letter was not complicated, it was nothing more than a request from Captain Qin.
The general meaning is that my sister Barbara is visiting Liyue, and I hope Miss Ningguang will, for the sake of the friendship between Mondstadt and Liyue, do a little hospitality and receive her."
Barbara sat on a wooden chair on the left side of the hall, her hands neatly placed on her knees, looking at Ningguang with a seemingly indifferent expression.
But in her heart, she was always thinking about what the devil had told her, how to spread faith and how to make the people of Liyue believe in the gods in her hearts.
Ningguang carefully checked the authenticity of the letter.
It was indeed the dark watermark used exclusively by the Knights of Favonius, and Captain Jean's signature and the Knights' seal at the end of the letter were exactly the same as those she had received in the past.
After confirming that everything was correct, she gently placed the letter on the table, a standard polite smile appeared on her face, and she said in a gentle yet graceful tone:
"Hello, Miss Barbara."
"I fully understand the meaning of Captain Qin's letter. I welcome you to Liyue to relax and unwind. Please rest assured that I will make proper arrangements for your accommodation and meals, ensuring they are to your liking."
Barbara sat in the chair. Seeing that everything was correct, she remained calm and nodded slightly in response, "Then I'll trouble you for the next few days, Miss Ningguang."
"What are you talking about?" Ningguang was still smiling, tapping the table lightly with her fingertips, and there was a sense of intimacy in her tone.
"Liyue and Mondstadt have always been friendly nations. Over the years, trade routes and mutual visits for celebrations have never ceased, and our relationship has always been close."
"Besides, your sister, Captain Qin, and I have been exchanging letters privately. So, we have a pretty good personal relationship."
Ever since she decided to reshape the god in her heart, Barbara's feelings towards Jean have become increasingly conflicting.
But Barbara had to suppress the discomfort and forced a slightly stiff smile.
"Really? My sister... is doing well in Mondstadt."
Ningguang gently picked up the handwritten letter between her right index and middle fingers and continued the conversation.
"I saw Captain Qin said in her letter that Miss Barbara came to Liyue this time to relax and travel?"
"Do you have any general plans? For example, any tourist attractions you'd like to visit, or any special Liyue activities you'd like to experience?"
Barbara blinked. Of course, she couldn't say that she came to your Liyue to find a god to reshape and spread the "esoteric religion".
If I really acted like a fool, I might not even be able to get out of the Qun Yu Pavilion.
When I first mentioned "travel", it was just a pretext to fool my sister Qin and cover up myself.
So she immediately concealed her innocent and naive look, like a girl who was traveling far away for the first time, curious about everything.
"I don't have any specific plans. I just want to wander around and experience more of Liyue's customs and culture."
"After all, Mondstadt and Liyue are so different, I want to take a closer look at every bit of them. So, is there something wrong with that?"
As she said this, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, fearing that Ningguang would hear a flaw in her tone.
But on second thought, no matter how smart Ningguang is, she can't guess that I have the intention of "spreading the secret religion". Could it be that she can read minds?
When Ningguang heard that Barbara wanted to take a good look at every place, she shook her head slightly, and the friendly smile on her face faded a little.
"Oh... is that so? Miss Barbara, you don't know that you came to Liyue at a very bad time."
"Isn't it the right time?" Barbara's eyes narrowed, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously asked.
"What's wrong? Did something happen in Liyue?"
Ningguang raised her hand and gently stroked her forehead, looking as if she had a headache. She slowly explained:
"On your way to Liyue, when you passed through the stone gate, you should have seen the Thousand Rocks Army standing ready for battle, right?"
When Barbara heard the words "Thousand Rock Army of the Stone Gate", the scene of passing through the Stone Gate a few days ago immediately emerged in her mind.
On both sides of the mountain road stood many Qianyan soldiers wearing armor, holding long spears in their hands and patrolling with serious expressions.
But at that time, it was her first time to travel far away from Mondstadt, and she just thought it was a routine deployment by Liyue to maintain the safety of the trade route, and did not take it to heart at all.
What's more, her mind was full of thoughts about how to find the "Inverted Statue Ruins" marked on the second map, so she had no time to think about the abnormality of the Qianyan Army.
She followed Ningguang's words and nodded in confusion.
"I did see some Thousand Rocks soldiers, and I thought Liyue's security was really well-maintained...
Why, aren't those Thousand Rocks soldiers on a regular patrol?"
Ningguang saw that she was genuinely unaware of the situation, so she kindly explained, "Normally, the Thousand Rocks Army at Shimen would only maintain order and wouldn't be on such a high alert."
"It's mainly because something happened at Wuwangpo in Liyue."
When Barbara heard that something happened in Wuwangpo, she wondered what it had to do with her.
Eh? No, does this mean I can take this opportunity to spread my secret teachings?
Barbara thought about this, glanced around, and smiled happily. She responded, "Oh, I see. But don't worry, I'm not going to any dangerous places..."
Now, Barbara was afraid that Ningguang would send guards to follow her.
If the Thousand Rocks Army were to accompany him, wouldn't the plan to spread the Esoteric Buddhism have to be completely shelved?
In Ningguang's opinion, Barbara is, after all, a young girl who just left Mondstadt. Even if she only stays in Liyue Harbor, what if she meets someone with ulterior motives?
For safety reasons, she still felt that an extra layer of protection would be safer, so she continued to suggest: "How about sending two Thousand Rocks soldiers to follow you?"
"You don't need them to follow you closely. They can protect you from a distance. This way they won't disturb you and they can still handle emergencies."
Barbara didn't want anyone to monitor her actions, so she immediately waved her hand and said, "Really, no need. Besides, I'm planning on exploring Liyue Harbor for the next few days."
"And I heard from my sister that the security in Liyue Harbor is very good, so there will definitely be no problems."
As she spoke, she secretly observed Ningguang's expression, fearing that she would see that her resistance was "hidden behind something else."
Fortunately, Ningguang heard that she would only be active in Liyue Harbor, so there was no need to assign her bodyguards. After all, she still recognized the security of Liyue Harbor.
The streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor are patrolled by the Thousand Winds Army, and even petty theft is rare, so there is really no need to send additional guards.
"Oh, so that's how it is." Ningguang felt relieved and her tone became more relaxed.
"Miss Barbara, rest assured about the safety of Liyue Harbor. If you encounter any problems within the harbor, just find a Thousand Rocks patrol officer and they will help you."
"However, if you're going out into the wild, you'll still need to bring a few Thousand Rocks soldiers with you. This is a great opportunity for me to help you find some guards."
Barbara breathed a sigh of relief and finally gave up the idea of sending guards from Ningguang.
To complete the act, Barbara pretended to be curious and asked a few questions about the specialty shops in Liyue Harbor, making her role as a "tourist" more and more realistic, completely letting Ningguang let down her guard.
……
Just as Ningguang raised her hand to ask her secretary to arrange Barbara's food and accommodation, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
Immediately afterwards, Keqing rushed in, her purple hair still messy from running, her face full of anxiety, and she completely ignored the presence of Barbara, a "foreign guest", in the hall.
She walked straight to Ningguang's desk, slammed her hands on it, and said in a hurried tone, "Ningguang! Something happened!"
Ningguang frowned slightly and looked up at Keqing.
Didn't you see I was entertaining guests from Mond? Even if we often disagree on government matters, you should understand the principle of "don't air your dirty laundry in public," right?
She suppressed the slight displeasure in her heart, and remained calm and composed. She asked in a steady voice, "Yuhengxing, why are you so anxious?"
As she spoke, she slightly raised her lips towards Barbara beside her, suggesting that she pay attention to the occasion.
Keqing then noticed Barbara sitting on a chair beside her. She restrained her outward emotions a little, but still didn't beat around the bush and told the whole story at a very fast speed.
"It's about Qingce Manor. The remaining dead energy from Wuwangpo has affected some of the evacuees."
"I've temporarily settled the patients in Qiaoying Manor, but we don't have enough doctors and medicinal materials. Ningguang, I need support, both doctors and medicinal materials, the sooner the better!"
After hearing Keqing's words, Ningguang responded with understanding, "Doctors, medicinal herbs? Okay, I understand. But why don't you organize them yourself? Why bother telling me all this?"
Keqing said sarcastically, "Who says Liyue is Ningguang's private property now? If not you, who else can I turn to?"
The tension in these words was almost overflowing.
Ever since Keqing's last public review, her attitude towards Ningguang has taken a 180-degree turn.
From being both respectful and fearful before, he now would confront Ningguang head-on whenever he got the chance, and would not give in at all.
Although no one in the entire Liyue dares to challenge Ningguang's authority now, she, Keqing, wants to make it clear to her that Liyue is not a place where you, Ningguang, can cover the sky with one hand!
Ningguang listened to Keqing's aggressive words, but she was not annoyed at all.
Anyway, you, Keqing, don't form any clique, so it's useless even if you act sarcastic in front of me every day. There's nothing to worry about.
"Got it. I'll allocate the supplies right away..."
……
The tit-for-tat confrontation between Ningguang and Keqing was all seen by Barbara who was sitting next to them.
Keqing's words were full of sarcasm, and Ningguang's response seemed calm but was filled with consideration. Although the two did not fall out, the rivalry in their eyes could not be hidden.
Barbara's heart moved quietly: It seems that the top management of Liyue is not a monolithic entity. Although Ningguang is in power, there are still people like Keqing who dare to openly "sing against the tide".
Isn't this her chance to spread the "esoteric teachings"?
If they could first gain Keqing's trust, and then use her "difference" with Ningguang to open a gap, the Esoteric Cult would be able to take root in Liyue more smoothly.
Thinking of this, Barbara immediately stood up, put on a warm and sincere smile on her face, and walked forward quickly.
"Ms. Keqing, since the situation is so urgent, I'd like to lend a hand. Perhaps I can be of assistance!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ningguang and Keqing were stunned, and almost at the same time they showed an expression of "surprise".
Barbara is a guest from Mondstadt. Logically, she should just enjoy the reception. Why would she take the initiative to get involved in Liyue's "troubles"?
Ningguang was the first to come to her senses. She coughed lightly and politely declined, "Ms. Barbara, thank you for your kindness."
"But this is an internal Liyue matter involving death energy, and the situation is complicated. We can handle it ourselves, so you don't need to worry about it, or you will be put in danger."
If Barbara makes a mistake in the process, it will be difficult for her to explain to Captain Qin, and it may also affect the relationship between the two countries.
But how could Barbara give up this opportunity so easily?
She immediately put away her previous enthusiasm, replaced it with a "compassionate" expression, her eyes full of the kindness of a doctor, and said sincerely:
"There's a saying in Liyue that a doctor's heart is filled with compassion. Although I'm a prayer priest in Mondstadt, I understand medicine and usually treat injured Mondstadt residents."
"I've also dealt with people harmed by the Abyss Curse, so I'm quite experienced!"
(The physical body is freed from the curse...)