At the Liyue branch, no one needed card appraisals for the moment, so Lu Heng teleported directly to Fontaine's capital.
He had just arrived at the shop and hadn't even started appraising cards for anyone when his phone buzzed with a message.
He picked it up and looked.
[Navia]: Partner! Did you rest well last night?
Huh?
Lu Heng suddenly realized.
So much had happened, yet only one night and a small part of the morning had passed?
Lu Heng typed a reply.
[Lu Heng]: I rested fine. It's almost ten o'clock—did you just wake up, or have you been up for a while?
Navia replied instantly: I stayed up late last night, so I just got up!
[Lu Heng]: Why did you stay up so late?
[Navia]: Because I was writing something!
Close call!
Navia, still in her pajamas and slightly groggy, patted her chest in relief.
She had almost blurted out the name of her secret plan—Operation: Win Over My Partner—to Lu Heng!
Was that something she could just say?!
Luckily, her brain caught up in time, and she quickly deleted the words she was typing, sending a different message instead.
[Lu Heng]: Work? Try not to overwork yourself. Learn to take care of yourself—leave what you can for the next day. After all, you're the boss. Don't exhaust yourself. Balancing work and rest is the right way.
Hmm?
Navia stared at Lu Heng's message for a while.
She had felt warmth when others cared for her before.
But when Lu Heng sent her a concerned message, it stirred up a whole different emotion!
"Alright!"
"So I really do like my partner!" Now she was absolutely certain.
She giggled to herself for a moment, typing a reply to Lu Heng, when suddenly, her door was knocked.
"Young Mistress, are you awake?"
"Males? I'm up. What's the matter?" Navia called out.
"Young Mistress, news came from Poisson earlier this morning. There are some matters that require your attention." Males' voice came through the door. "I've already sent the details to your phone."
Navia checked her phone—sure enough.
Males had sent her a file. She opened it, and Navia clenched her fists, slamming them lightly on the bed.
"Damn it!"
She had been planning to ask her partner if he had time to hang out!
And now, of all times, Poisson had to throw a wrench in her plans!
Navia gritted her teeth, the joy from earlier completely evaporated.
Her entire aura screamed, "Don't mess with me right now."
As she typed a message to Lu Heng, she quickly changed clothes.
[Navia]: I was going to ask if you had time to go out, but Poisson just had to cause trouble at the worst possible moment! (Angry)
Poisson had some issues?
Since the Cyber Divination hadn't given any warnings, it definitely wasn't related to the Primordial Seawater.
Lu Heng sighed regretfully before replying.
[Lu Heng]: Since you just woke up, remember to eat first. After that, focus on handling the matter—after all, you're the boss of the Spina di Rosula. Solving things smoothly and boosting your reputation is what's important. As for me, I'm free most of the time. We can plan for another day!
[Navia]: Got it!
Once he confirmed Navia was busy, Lu Heng looked up at the eager Fontaine citizen in front of him. "Sorry for the wait."
"No, no!" The man shook his head.
Being able to exchange Mora for powerful cards was worth any wait—even ten days or half a month wouldn't be an issue!
Not only did he not feel disrespected, but he also thought Lu Heng was incredibly professional!
As long as he wasn't swamped, he'd prioritize appraising cards for others first.
Wasn't that the epitome of professionalism?
"Truly the great and generous Mr. Lu!"
Lu Heng was taken aback.
Why was this guy looking at him with such fervor?
He handed the card back and stayed silent.
He really did have quite a few devout followers!
Why, you ask?
Well, reasons like:
*"Bless me, Boss Lu, let me get a purple in a 10-pull!"*
"A single card can change my destiny. I'll build a statue of Boss Lu and worship it at home!"
There were countless reasons why Lu Heng could practically become a deity overnight if he wanted.
"Boss Lu, I feel like you're even more handsome in person than in photos!"
If you're going to say things like that, then I have to bless you with a gold in your next 10-pull.
Lu Heng smiled. "Well, maybe I'm just not photogenic?"
———
Approaching 11 a.m.
Knights of Favonius Headquarters, during a meeting.
Jean sat at the head of the table, with Lisa sipping tea to her right.
Diluc? He didn't show up at all.
Diluc refused to participate in any internal affairs of the Knights.
Part of it was lingering resentment, and part of it was simply not wanting to deal with trivial matters.
Aside from Diluc's absence, Kaeya, Amber, Klee, Eula, and other high-ranking knights were present.
(Mika hadn't returned yet—he came back after the Stormterror incident. Noelle wasn't an official knight, and Barbara, though under the Knights' jurisdiction, was part of the clergy.)
Jean first announced the results of the card draws.
Everyone's faces lit up with excitement.
After all, powerful cards meant strength!
The Knights of Favonius were about to level up!
Then Jean brought up the distribution of the five-star gold cards.
"First, the Banner of the Falcon will be equipped by me."
The Hydro-Resistance Pearl and the life-risking pill card—the former had already been handed to Venti for charging, while the latter was stored in the centralized system.
No one objected.
"As for the last powerful gold card, Lisa and I believe it should go to Eula."
"Huh?"
Eula pointed at herself. "Me?"
Gold cards were rare. Aside from the Banner of the Falcon, Lethal Sword Qi was the strongest.
And Jean wanted to give it to her?
For a moment, the room was filled with mixed reactions.
But no one spoke up.
Five-star gold cards were scarce—they had to be earned through competition or outstanding achievements.
Eula had the merits!
But she was a Lawrence!
Some high-ranking knights, though truly dedicated to protecting Mondstadt, still couldn't fully accept a member of the Lawrence clan.
Plenty of people disliked Eula!
No one spoke, so Eula broke the silence herself. "Are you sure about this?"
"I've already considered it."
Jean knocked on the table and addressed the room.
"Prejudice is like a mountain—hard to move once it's set."
Then her tone shifted.
"But I still hope everyone can try to look past biases and judge a person fairly."
"Before returning, I consulted Lord Barbatos. He had no objections and even spoke highly of Eula."
"I also asked Mr. Lu Heng for his opinion of Eula."
Jean continued, "Judge actions, not words."
"Don't focus on what she says—look at what she does!"
"She has a unique charm and is an outstanding Knight of Favonius!"
"Those were Mr. Lu Heng's exact words."
After Jean finished, Amber raised her hand. "I support the Acting Grand Master's decision."
Lisa smiled and raised her hand without speaking.
One by one, more hands went up.
Eula glanced around.
Unanimous approval!
Did that Mr. Lu really have such influence with just one sentence?
Eula muttered internally, but outwardly, she coughed lightly.
"Tch! We've never even met, and he's already singing my praises? This grudge... I'll remember it!"
Jean smiled.
Amber grinned too—she could tell Eula was actually in a good mood.
"Ahem!"
"Since it's the Acting Grand Master's decision, I'll accept it. I'll use it for good—just watch my actions!"
Eula finished, and Jean led the room in applause.
———
Ten minutes later, the meeting adjourned. They headed to the centralized system for card assignments and equipment upgrades.
On the way to the cafeteria, Eula held the gold card with a hint of melancholy.
"To think it wasn't my own efforts but someone thousands of miles away speaking up for me that..."
Amber, happily clutching several four-star cards, quickly interrupted. "Eula! Think about it—isn't it because of your own hard work that Mr. Lu saw you this way? Isn't that still your own achievement?"
"Oh?"
That made sense.
Him speaking up for her had to have a reason.
With that thought, Eula's mood brightened.
"Well, either way, this grudge... I—"
"You can't settle it. You can't beat him."
"Hmph! Then I'll just keep it in my heart!"
"Keeping it in your heart means no one will know." Amber shook her head. "Why not go thank him in person someday? I hear Mr. Lu is quite nice—he'd probably accept an invitation to dinner, right?"
"Hmm..."
Eula pondered, then nodded. "Alright, it's decided."
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T/N:
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