At this moment—
Outside Liyue Harbor.
A warm sea breeze gently brushed past, like a lover's caress.
Yet within this tender touch, Keqing found herself mired in confusion.
Because the contradiction was this—
Keqing also believed that she herself was right.
If one day the Geo Archon were to step down, then the portion of responsibility belonging to the Archon would have to be shouldered by the Qixing. Efficiency had to increase. Her high-pressure working style could not simply stop.
And yet—
Contracts, as Liyue's fundamental law, could not be violated either.
Was there truly no way to reconcile the two?
This question arose in Keqing's heart.
Unconsciously, she turned her gaze toward Bai Ge—the one who had pointed this problem out to her.
"Then… how should I make up for this?"
Keqing asked sincerely.
"Simple."
Seeing that Keqing admitted her mistake immediately and asked for a solution without hesitation, Bai Ge's impression of her improved noticeably.
At this moment, Keqing finally separated herself—in Bai Ge's eyes—from the image of his former bosses.
He let out a deep sigh.
A 12+ world really was full of good people.
Someone as selfish as himself actually felt out of place among them.
Since that was the case, he might as well give her a hint.
"Pay more."
Bai Ge stated the ultimate truth of this world:
"As long as the money's right, even gods can be smashed to pieces."
"Pay enough overtime—no one will refuse Mora."
"Giving proper compensation for all labor—equal exchange—that's the oldest and most down-to-earth contract there is."
He said calmly.
"So that's it!"
Hearing this, Keqing suddenly saw the light.
So the solution had been this simple all along!
No one around her ever lasted more than three months.
But if she paid three times, four times—even five times the salary—
Who would be willing to give up such a position?
In that instant, Keqing finally understood the gap between herself and Ningguang.
In Keqing's eyes, Ningguang—who treated Liyue like a grand marketplace—seemed to lack a certain purity.
But compared to herself, perhaps it was precisely because Ningguang came from the bottom that she truly understood the most fundamental truth of the world:
Where people gather, profit follows.
As someone born into wealth, Keqing had overlooked this.
Yet she now realized—
This was the truth of the world.
"Thank you, Bai Ge. Truly—thank you for telling me all this."
Keqing expressed her gratitude earnestly.
As she spoke, she bent forward and gave Bai Ge a deep, respectful bow.
Faced with Keqing's bow, Bai Ge accepted it quite naturally.
"Well, it's nothing. I just happened to point it out," he said with a smile.
"No, no. As the ancients said—'To hear the truth in the morning, one may die content in the evening.'
Hearing you today was worth ten years of reading. This is only right!"
Keqing replied with utmost sincerity.
"Uh… hahaha, sure, if you say so!"
Looking at her, Bai Ge couldn't help but turn his head slightly aside.
Being treated with such solemn respect by a beautiful girl was… honestly a bit too much for him.
Once again, he marveled at how everyone in this 12+ world was so damn decent.
Why was he, a seasoned wage slave, the one feeling embarrassed here?
Weren't people always saying Keqing was just a tickle-damage character?
Could it be that this was a top-tier Keqing?
Bai Ge distracted himself with these random thoughts.
But before he could relax for long, seeing the seriousness on Keqing's face, a bad premonition suddenly crept into his heart.
He didn't know that at this moment, Keqing's suspicions had already solidified.
Bai Ge was definitely the disciple of some Adeptus.
These insights—this way of thinking—were almost certainly the lofty perspective of the illuminated!
"So please—tell me more, Bai Ge."
"I want to hear even more of your methods."
Keqing made her request earnestly.
As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Bai Ge's sleeve.
Then, as if realizing that grabbing a sleeve wasn't secure enough—
She directly hooked her arm around his!
The girl's body pressed close.
White, cloud-patterned "slimes" pushed up against him.
Shocking softness and a pleasant feminine fragrance enveloped Bai Ge.
"Hiss—!"
Faced with Keqing's sudden, enthusiastic advance, Bai Ge sucked in a sharp breath.
Ah… this…
He took back what he'd said earlier.
It wasn't that he wasn't into Keqing's type—
But when a genuine beautiful girl pressed up like this, his DNA was bound to react. That was instinct, hard-coded into biology.
Still—
Even if his DNA stirred, Bai Ge had no intention of surrendering.
What a joke.
Did she think a bit of temptation would make him yield?
If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass.
If you won't even give the grass and only want the horse to run—
That's impossible.
Bai Ge hardened his resolve.
If he said nine-to-five with no overtime, then nine-to-five with no overtime it would be.
What's more, once he started talking about these things, it would never end.
"Tomorrow. We'll talk tomorrow. I'm off work—I've got things to do."
As he spoke, once they were close enough to Liyue—and once he was sure that nothing like Keqing running into Electro Slimes would happen again—
Under Keqing's resentful gaze, Bai Ge freed his arm.
With a few quick leaps, he disappeared from her sight.
What Bai Ge didn't see, however—
Was that after he left, the resentment in Keqing's eyes transformed into confidence and determination.
"Hmph. Just wait, Bai Ge."
"Sooner or later, you'll spill everything."
"Bit by bit. Drop by drop."
The Yuheng Star's resolve was set!