"Where is Fengyi now?"
Beidou stood up, clenched her fists, determined to persuade Fengyi.
"Don't worry, I've already sent Baishi to invite him. He should be back soon."
Ningguang smiled slightly at Beidou, who had completely taken the bait, and signaled her to be patient.
"Lady Ningguang, Mr. Fengyi has arrived!"
Speak of Fengyi, and Fengyi appears.
As soon as Ningguang finished speaking, she heard Baishi's announcement from outside the door.
"Beidou, wait a moment. I need to have a private word with Fengyi..."
Ningguang strode forward, pulled Fengyi aside, and whispered her plan into his ear.
"Fengyi, I'm sorry for using your gift to me as bait without your consent..."
Ningguang said apologetically, stroking Fengyi's face.
"Since I've already given you the Gnosis, you don't need to worry about my opinion on how you dispose of it. Besides, you're doing this for my own good, so I couldn't be happier! I must reward you properly later!"
"Mhm~"
Hearing Fengyi say this, Ningguang finally felt completely at ease.
The thought of the reward Fengyi mentioned brought a faint blush to Ningguang's face, though her eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Follow my lead later!"
After winking at Fengyi, Ningguang brought him to stand before Beidou.
"You must be the traveler who has journeyed through Teyvat, Mr. Fengyi, the one Lady Ningguang mentioned? I've heard much about you and am honored to finally meet you. My name is Beidou, captain of the Crux Fleet. It's a pleasure to meet you..."
Beidou looked at the young man walking side-by-side with Ningguang, a look of surprise in her eyes.
She hadn't expected the man who had captured Ningguang, a wealthy woman, to be so young.
"Captain Beidou, I've long admired your reputation. Even before I set foot in this land, I heard the legendary tales of your battles against sea monsters. To meet you today, you truly live up to your name!"
Flattery, Fengyi thought he was quite good at it.
"Hahaha, you've got a good spirit, kid. And please, don't call me Captain Beidou. Just call me Big Sister. From now on, I've got your back when you're out at sea!"
Beidou found Fengyi interesting and understood why he could win over Ningguang.
"To be honest, Big Sister Beidou, I've returned to Liyue from Mondstadt specifically to make preparations for my journey to Inazuma in half a year..."
Since Ningguang had paved the way for him, Fengyi got straight to the point and informed Beidou of his intentions.
"Inazuma? Hiss~ How should I put it? When I returned from Seirai Island, I noticed a rather significant thunderstorm had formed near Inazuma. In half a year, this storm will likely grow even larger. Other fleets would surely refuse to take you there, but my ship, the Dead Star, isn't afraid. You can find me in half a year!"
Beidou, after a moment's thought, agreed to Fengyi's request.
After all, she also had something she needed Fengyi's help with.
"Thank you so much, Big Sister Beidou! I'll treat you to drinks another day!"
Fengyi was surprised by how smoothly things went, his well-prepared speech rendered useless.
"Since I've helped you, Fengyi, will you help me too?"
Beidou grinned at Fengyi. With her promise made, surely he wouldn't refuse her wager with Ningguang?
This was the wisdom of a captain!
She wasn't just good at drinking, sailing, and fighting; she was also sharp when it came to strategy.
"You tell me..."
Fengyi asked, feigning ignorance.
Ningguang had already told him everything about her wager with Beidou.
"I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I really like that silver Gnosis you gave Ningguang. I know my request might be a bit much, but I'd still like to shamelessly ask you to agree to my wager with Ningguang. Please rest assured, no matter what, I won't let Ningguang suffer any losses.
If I win, the silver Gnosis will be temporarily lent to me, and I'll also help Ningguang with 20 free voyages as compensation. If I lose, I'll help Ningguang with 50 free voyages. What do you think of such stakes, Fengyi?"
Beidou was direct and honest about her desires.
"The Gnosis was a gift to Ningguang. I have no objections to whatever Ningguang decides to do with it!"
Fengyi, following the plan he'd discussed with Ningguang, agreed to Beidou's request and returned the initiative to Ningguang.
"That's wonderful! Ningguang, Fengyi has agreed. What do you say? Dice or Pai Gow?"
Beidou excitedly slammed the table and took out the gambling tools she had prepared.
Regardless of which game Ningguang chose, she was confident of victory.
"I choose 'Event Chess'!"
Ningguang said calmly.
But to Beidou, it was like a bolt from the blue.
"You wicked woman, just say you don't want to gamble! Using such tactics is truly despicable. Fengyi, you be the judge..."
Beidou was utterly frustrated. She had no confidence in 'Event Chess' and was sure to lose.
This was because 'Event Chess' was invented by Ningguang to pass the time. The board not only replicated the terrain of Liyue Harbor to scale but also included merchants, teahouses, shops, inns, and various other establishments. It also came with dice of various types, including six-sided, ten-sided, and twelve-sided ones.
Players used dice to determine their piece's movement. Landing on different locations would trigger various events.
The winner of the game was determined by the number of chips the player had at the end.
The rules of this game were so complex and convoluted that no one had ever managed to win a single game against Ningguang.
Beidou felt that Ningguang presenting this game was blatant cheating, and she would absolutely not gamble on such a sure-loss game.
"Oh dear, you misunderstand me. You didn't specify how we should gamble, so I've chosen a method where I have a higher chance of winning. Is that wrong?"
Ningguang stated that she was simply using the existing rules to reasonably avoid her disadvantage, not cheating.
Beidou: You don't just have a "higher chance," you have an astronomically high chance!
"Fengyi, you be the judge!"
Beidou glared at Ningguang, admitting that she couldn't compete with Ningguang when it came to studying rules.
"Um, this tea is quite good... Ningguang, perhaps you could choose a different method?"
Fengyi, who had intended to stay out of it, suddenly noticed Ningguang wink at him. He immediately understood and changed his tune, advising her.
One played the good cop, the other the bad cop.
A perfectly harmonious couple.
Ningguang wanted to play the villain so that Beidou would owe Fengyi a favor.
"Since Fengyi is putting in a good word for you, I'll reluctantly change the method out of consideration for Fengyi..."