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There were many things that money can buy. Material goods and information were just some of the things Ningguang regularly does trade in. A little mora here and there and there was almost nothing that she could not get her hands on. However, even with her fame, fortune, and the power she held in Liyue, there were things she desired that mora could not get for her. Love, companionship, just to name a few. Trust was something that was hard to broker with mora, it was something that she had to build from the ground up just like the fame and fortune she had endured hardships over the years to attain.
Beidou had been a strange companion she never knew she wanted. She cared not for Ningguang’s authority even if she respected her the same way she did in return. The pirate would appear at the Jade Chamber at the oddest of times to eat away and drink merrily while regaling the tales of her latest adventure.
She would never show it but she enjoyed the stories Beidou told her, even if she strode in through the front doors to the Jade Chamber at two in the morning.
When the Traveller appeared, the image so different from the rumours of them, Ningguang was intrigued. She wanted to keep the Traveller close, not only because she knew they would become an important figure in the future, but also to hear the stories that money could not buy.
She had been right about the Traveller’s importance of course. They saved Liyue when they had every right to walk away. They helped her rebuild the Jade Chamber even when they could have ignored it. They freed Inazuma and through that, brought more trade and commerce to Liyue. Were they aware that she now owed them a debt for the things they had done or did they know but chose not to act upon it?
(Trust is not so easily bought with mora.)
The days went on and in a blink of an eye, her birthday had arrived once more.
Last year, she had taken a stroll out the city, to enjoy the sights and to have time for herself. However, this year, she wanted something more personal, more selfish. She wanted the things that fame and fortune would not get her. She wanted the company of the people she trusted, just to chat, to listen, to be Ningguang and not the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing.
She penned a few letters of invitation, one to Beidou, and one to the Traveller. Perhaps one more to… well, they might be occupied at the moment.
It seems the weather tonight will be excellent, and admiring Liyue’s scenery at night never gets old. Come visit me, I’m sure we’ll have a fruitful chat.
Interesting things you’ve seen and heard on your adventures… I’ll be waiting to hear the stories you have to tell.