When he heard the system's prompt, Xia Zhi didn't rush to open the treasure chest, but continued massaging earnestly.
Only after completing the entire massage routine did he stop.
"How do you feel now, Miss Ganyu?"
"...My body feels so comfortable... Is Mr. Xia finished?"
"Yes, since this wasn't a full body massage, it didn't take too long. Miss Ganyu, your body might feel a bit weak - that's normal. You can rest here for a while."
"Okay..." Ganyu responded in a soft voice.
"Then I'll go take a bath."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Xia."
After hearing Xia Zhi's footsteps fade away, Ganyu finally lifted her head from her arms and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, it was over. Thinking back to the strange sounds she couldn't help making earlier, she blushed with embarrassment.
In all her years of life, this was the first time she realized how enjoyable a massage could be.
According to Mr. Xia, what she just experienced wasn't even a complete massage service. She wondered how a full body massage would feel, though she feared her reactions might be even more embarrassing...
She also wondered how many Mora a complete service would cost...
Ganyu took a gentle breath. The faint aromatherapy scent in the air was pleasant, making her feel calm and clear-headed.
To think Mr. Xia made this himself...
Mr. Xia truly is an exceptional person.
It's such a pity that his eyes can't see...
Thinking of this, Ganyu couldn't help but sigh again.
Madame Ping sat in a chair, waiting for a moment before a tall, proud lady emerged from behind a golden screen.
She had platinum blonde hair tied up with a black and gold hairpin, splitting at the back and falling to her calves. Crimson tassels hung down her forehead, matching her scarlet eyes, and she wore a white collar around her neck.
Her arms were covered in black sleeves and golden finger coverings, with wide, flowing sleeves.
She wore an elegant qipao in gold, white, and black, with a tail-like hem and golden phoenix patterns at the collar.
Her long legs were exposed, with a red tattoo on her left leg. A deep golden fan-shaped ornament hung at her waist, with a Geo Vision dangling as a pendant.
"What brings Madame Ping here so late at night?"
"I heard the Qixing are planning to let Ganyu step down?"
"Let Secretary Ganyu step down? I've never heard of such a thing. Where did Madame Ping hear this?"
"If even the Tianquan Ningguang doesn't know about it, then this must be just a misunderstanding."
Madame Ping smiled and briefly explained Ganyu's situation.
Ningguang shook her head and explained with some helplessness: "This must be a misunderstanding. Secretary Ganyu's work is too important and too complex for ordinary people to handle. During the few days she was away, many documents were delayed at the secretary's office with no one to process them promptly, causing many official procedures to stall. That's why I had to send my three secretaries to temporarily take over those duties..."
"I see."
"My three secretaries have complained to me multiple times. When they first learned they would be covering for Miss Ganyu, and three of them together at that, they thought it would just be a change of work environment. They didn't expect that Miss Ganyu's daily workload alone far exceeded what the three of them could handle. They've been working overtime every night to keep up with official business, and they're almost exhausted. Now everyone is hoping for Secretary Ganyu to return soon, how could they want her to leave..."
"Although Ganyu is very capable and diligent, it's not advisable for the Qixing to place all official matters on her shoulders alone. After all, governance cannot rely solely on individual strength."
"Madame Ping is right. I'm also considering changing Liyue's administrative system, but Secretary Ganyu has been in this position for thousands of years, and no one knows these matters better than her. We'll need her to work hard for a while longer."
"I'll go find Ganyu tomorrow and tell her the truth about this matter."
"Thank you, Madame Ping."
"The day after tomorrow is the Fleeting Colors in Flight festival. It would be good to let Ganyu rest well these two days, and she can return to work after adjusting her mood, how about that?"
"That's fine, Secretary Ganyu deserves a good rest after delivering all those letters."
Madame Ping nodded and added one more thing.
"A new shop called Summer Store has recently opened in Feiyun Slope. The owner is a friend of mine, and while his background is somewhat mysterious, he bears no ill will toward Liyue. You need not pay him too much attention."
Ningguang paused briefly, then smiled in agreement: "I understand."
"Then I'll take my leave."
"Take care, Madame Ping."
Watching Madame Ping's figure disappear at the doorway, Ningguang's eyes flickered slightly as she murmured to herself.
"Summer Store, is it..."
--
Xia Zhi finished his bath and returned to his room upstairs.
Sitting at the desk, he lit some incense and called up the system interface to open his inventory.
Inside lay a golden treasure chest.
This was the reward he had obtained from Miss Ganyu tonight.
He had to admit that "massage," as a form of physical contact interaction, was quite efficient at filling the progress bar. Otherwise, Xia Zhi would have had to consider wearing the [Hat of Secrecy] to sneak into Miss Ganyu's room tonight to grind some more progress.
Xia Zhi selected the chest and opened it.
A long, thin red thread appeared before his eyes.
[Thread of Fate]
Quality: Golden
Type: Contract Item
Property: Love Binding
Effect: Can be used on opposite sex with "Love" or higher affection level to form a life-and-death contract.
Hidden Effect: Both parties in the contract gain +5% to all attributes.
This was a new type of item that Xia Zhi had never obtained before.
A contract item.
Xia Zhi looked at it thoughtfully.
The "life-and-death" contract described in the effect - could it mean that even if the other party died, they would transform into a ghost lady form and remain by his side?
For two people deeply in love, being able to stay together forever would indeed make this a very useful contract.
As for its hidden effect of +5% to all attributes for both parties, Xia Zhi felt this boost was extremely powerful.
Although his current attribute values weren't very high, even just considering the +5% to Charm and Luck alone would be very useful for his future progress grinding and chest opening.
Unfortunately, Xia Zhi couldn't use this golden item for now.
He decided to store it away and wait until he found a suitable contract partner in the future.
Xia Zhi put the [Thread of Fate] back in his inventory and used the [Blazing Incense Burner] to craft several portions of [Joy Incense].
After completing his daily tasks, he went to bed, hugging the [Dream Pillow] as he entered the dream world.
---
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