As Rover and Zhezhi head back towards the Tiger’s Maw Mines, they meet a familiar face
Shilang: “Hey, Zhezhi! Long time no see! You need more pigments already?”
Zhezhi: “N-no, not yet…”
Shilang: “And this must be the Rover! Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you. Didn't realize you and Zhezhi knew each other.”
Rover: “We met during the Moon-Chasing Festival.”
Zhezhi shifts shyly to the side before speaking her mind
Zhezhi: “But I've never had the chance to introduce myself properly…”
Shilang: “Great moment for it! Here's the thing, Rover. I can't say I know Zhezhi very well, but I do know she's got this quirk where her courage tends to crumble right when it's crunchtime. So, when it comes to introducing herself to you, I'd bet money on it she's been mentally rehearsing it for forever before she got the guts to take action.”
Zhezhi tries to defend herself quickly
Zhezhi: “No, it's not like that!”
Shilang reprimands Zhezhi in a enthusiastic and encouraging manner
Shilang: “Zhezhi, you can't keep avoiding things! You've got to take action, or you'll never get what you want! You only live once, right?!”
Visibly confused by the situation, Rover just follows along with Shilang
Rover: “That does make sense.” / “Well, that's a bit too much…”
Zhezhi, eyes filled with determination, turns over to Rover
Zhezhi: “Yes... Mr. Shilang is right. Rover, I've actually been meaning to tell you something.”
With a confident poise, Zhezhi introduces herself to Rover enthusiastically
Zhezhi: ”Hello, my name is Zhezhi. We have met before, but I'd like to make this a formal request. I would really like for us to become friends!”
Rover, with an endearing smile on their face, responds to Zhezhi’s enthusiasm
Rover: “Of course, I'd be happy to.”
Suddenly, a voice cuts through the dreamlike visage
Shilang: “Hello? Zhezhi? Hey, what are you waiting for?”
Stuck in a trance, Zhezhi snaps awake to reality after hearing Shilang’s voice
Once again, Zhezhi musters up some courage and attempts to introduce herself
Zhezhi: “Eh? I... um... Okay! I can do this! Um... Rober…”
Zhezhi realizes her slip and stuns in silence
*”Rober” responds to Zhezhi with a slightly judgemental but endearing smile*
Shilang, experiencing second-hand embarrassment, whispers to himself
Shilang: “That was a pretty obvious slip of the tongue...”
Zhezhi continues through the embarrassing slip and introduces herself once again
Zhezhi: “Ahem! Nice to meet you, my name is Zhezhi. I'm... a painter. I take art commissions and strive to create beautiful paintings. I... I'm not being very articulate... b-but I hope we can be friends!”
After her incredible show of courage, Zhezhi closes her eyes in anticipation of Rover’s answer
Rover: “Hello, I'm Rover.” / “We're already friends.”
Zhezhi, stunned by Rover’s kindness, could only blush and nod in response
Shilang: “Haha, how sweet! I must say, I've never seen Zhezhi this nervous since she first became one of my cherished patrons.”
Catching herself straying from their original objective, Zhezhi circles the conversation back
Zhezhi: “W-wait, Mr. Shilang! We're actually here today to talk about the tale of the Arcane Artist.”
Shilang: “Oh, I know the tale, but I've never come across this mystical maestro myself. If such an artist truly existed, I'd be the first to know, without a doubt!”
Rover: “What makes you say that?”
Shilang: “I supply ore to pigment manufacturers, and sometimes serve as their sales proxy, so most painters in Jinzhou come to my shop to buy pigments.”
Rover: “Anything suspicious about the pigment buyers?”
Shilang: “Hmm... pigments aren't flying off the shelves these days. Just a few regulars, you know?”
Shilang then recalls a recent incident worthy of suspicion
Shilang: “Oh... but those ore buyers from a while back, they seemed a bit suspicious. They bought heaps of leftover ore—the cheapest type—and told me not to let anyone know they got the ore here. People don't usually buy that stuff. Oh wait, Zhezhi, didn't you buy some once? A long time ago, right?”
Shilang: “I remember you saying you couldn't afford the fancy pigments, so you made your own. That stuck with me. So when those guys asked for leftovers, I paid extra attention.”
Zhezhi: “Are you sure you can tell us this? I thought they asked you to keep it a secret…”
Shilang shakes his head in disagreement
Shilang: “Pft, they turned out to be thieves who stole from me during the night! When I found out, I reported the theft to the Patrollers and that was the end of it. Thieves don't deserve my business or respect.”
Rover: “May I have a look at your transaction record?”
Shilang: “Of course. Help yourself.”
*Rover reads through Shilang’s Ore Transaction Record* Shilang’s Ore Transaction Record - Zhezhi’s Story Quest