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Chapter Text

Windrise, ever so windswept, idyllic, and calm ... and yet — for a moment — currently polluted by a literally inhuman shriek emanating from the base of Great Tree.

"WHAT?!"

This, of course, is Paimon, which is a ... Paimon, for a lack of a clearer term, expressing her usual range of wild emotions in the face of the Outlander, Aether, and the Bard, Venti.

"Why didn't you tell us of this before, Tone-Deaf?! Well, uhhh... then, b-bye; c'mon Aether, let's hurry up to Liyue!"

Venti merely smiles and shakes his head in amusement, ostensibly used to Paimon's usual antics. Before the pair can leave, though, he speaks up, "Give me another moment, Windborne Outlander."

Aether's eyes widen, as he and Paimon turns back to see a self-satisfied Venti, hesitantly answering, "Uhm, oh, sorry for borrowing your statue's Anemo...?"

"Ah ha ha, that's alright, especially if it's a way for you to make up for your lack of, what was it, 'star-borne powers'?"

"Y-yeah, you can say that, Venti."

"Relax, I shall not pry... so long as a bottle of wine for me, you buy!"

"Stop the rhymes, Tone-Deafy, Paimon's head is hurting! Besides, what were you going to talk about anyway?! You were the one who wanted us to go soon in the first place!"

In response, Venti's eyes light up in remembrance, before said bard-god clears his throat exaggeratedly. However, what the pair of travelers see after the Lord of Anemo opens his eyes is a wisened stare and an equally wise advice, "Aether, as you, and Paimon, set off on your journey again, remember that your experiences will have meaning."

"The creatures of Teyvat, the songs of its people, and the bustling of its cities; the Tsaritsa herself and the Fatui, or any other foes you may encounter, these are all parts of your journey. The destination is not everything, nor whatever prize or treasure at the end. So, keep your eyes open; take in and experience this world around you — experience Teyvat, Outlander Aether."

At a loss for words, and seeing that Paimon is too, Aether merely responds with a surprised nod.

Satisfied with the Traveler's response, and perhaps Paimon's silence as well, the bard's expression and tone shifts as quickly as the winds he lords over, "Great! That checks off my to-do list of today's Anemo Archon admonishments; back to Venti Time! Well, go and run along now, Morax isn't going to wait you two out!"

Looking at each other, the pair of Aether and Paimon is just going to bid the Archon goodbye ... until an idea pops into Paimon's surprisingly sound mind.

"Hey, Tone-Deafy, since you're not even ruling over Mondstadt, why don't you come over with us too?"

"Eh— Huh?!"

"Why did I allow you both to talk me into this again?"

"Wine."

"Oh yeah! But ... until we get to Wangshu Inn, there's no wine anywhere!"

"C'mon, Tone-Deafy, it's not as if you can teleport us off to Wangchu—"

"Wangshu."

"Ah yeah, Wangshu Inn!"

"Hey, now that you mention teleportation..."

A snap of fingers can be heard, and Aether sees the world swirls into itself. He's just about to scream in terror, but not a moment later, he finds himself stumbling at the side of a bridge close to a tree. Of course, the river under said bridge is now the prime target of a ungodly amount of vomit produced by a certain blonde Outlander, but that's hardly of note to anyone except Venti.

Sheepishly, the perpetrator of the instant Dawn Winery-Wangshu Inn teleportation pathway scoots a little further away from Aether and Paimon. "Eh... yeah... I suppose I should've warned you both earlier..."

"YOU CAN'T BE MORE TONE-DEAF EVEN IF YOU TRIED!!!"

"I... can we stop over first, before you do th— BLERGH! Urgh, tha-that teleportation thing again?"

"Now look what you've done!"

"Drat. Look, I'll get the Inn's staff, alright? We can rest a bit here, maybe stay the night?"

Before facing Paimon's wrathful noises once again, Venti quickly manifests himself out of there and on to the outer stairs of Wangshu Inn. With surprising efficiency, he gets Verr Goldet to fetch a staff to aid the teleport-sick Aether—of course by paying in advance for a room with the scant few Mora he has. However, as he's going to check on the room he's ordered, he's stopped by the appearance of a certain adeptus in light green.

"Lord Barbatos, if one may intrude, is there a pressing matter for you to have to come to Liyue?"

The suddenness causes Venti to exclaim in shock, followed by Xiao's apology.

"A-Apologies, one did not mean to surpris—"

The Anemo Archon turns and sighs out loud, "Oh, it's you, Xiao. Just, please, not too loud nor too sudden, I, ehhh, have people I am accompanying here..."

"It is most unusual for you to come with others. Pray tell, who are these to have caught your keen eye, Lord Barbatos?"

"There's no breaking you of that 'Lord Barbatos' routine, is there?"

Xiao merely shifts his eyes, but Venti chooses to ignore him and continues instead. "Oh, never mind that, but on the topic of these fellows... they're both nice ... people, really, and are, ahhh, visiting outlanders that asked me to be their ... let's say 'guide' to this year's Liyue Rite of Descent?"

"Oh, yes, Dijun' Descension is soon approaching... one understands; if these two have earned your erstwhile trust, then they are surely of good character; one will not pry further. Farewell, Lord Barbatos."

The yaksha proceeds to vanish in a turquoisie flash, whilst the Anemo Archon he'd left mutters something along the lines of preferring the name Venti, as Aether walks up the Wangshu Inn's stairs,  aided by Paimon and one of the Inn's staff.

"There goes all my Mora, then..."

The battle against Dvalin and the sudden attack by La Signora, coupled with the teleportation-sickness, has rendered Aether for a bedrest. For this, Venti has gotten his comeuppance in the form of a naggy Paimon, but soon, she finds herself without anything to do while Aether rests for the night. Checking the Traveler's condition once again, she proceeds to exit their shared room quietly to move to the plaza of Wangshu Inn, where she can hear Venti attempting to woo Mora out of the wallets of the people visiting Wangshu.

As for Venti himself, he knows just as well that he can't expect Aether to pay for his own sick rest, and attempts (with surprising success) to earn whatever Mora he can before the night slumbers too deeply. A dozen or so songs and ballads later, he's able to gather enough for the room's fare, and more. Of course, his first instinct is to ask a passerby for the nearest vendor of alcoholic drinks.

"So, just close to the Dihua Geo Statue of the Seven?"

"Yes, Mr. Bard. Though, while I dislike said wine he peddles, it may be more to your taste."

"My taste?"

"Yes. Hulu, the vendor, he seems to be selling rebranded dandelion wine from Dawn. He's always claiming it to be made in Liyue, but any experienced, ah, connoisseur of wine would know of the taste of dandelion wine..."

"That's great! Thank you, my good man, I'll get going now!"

A few dozen footsteps later, however, Paimon is there to block the Bard's beeline towards this Hulu person.

"Uh, anything I can help with?"

"Where are you going, Tone-Deafy?! Are you going to leave Aether alone, after all that?"

"Oh no, I'm just trying to buy a bottle of supposedly local wine, is all!"

"Always drunk, huh... Wait, 'supposedly'?"

"Yeah, 'supposedly'! I heard that this guy sells rebranded Dawn Winery wine, which is the best, of course, so that's why I'm going."

The God of Freedom grows wary and weary when He sees Paimon's thinking expression.

"Uhm, no ... Don't tell me that you mean..."

"YES! We should extort the guy!"

The God is silent for a while, but then the duo laughed out loud in tandem, past grievances forgotten in favour of whatever grievance they are about to enact upon a poor, unwitting, and untrustworthy, merchant.

"Paimon, what do you think of Venti's plan?" Aether asks while sightseeing, for once, afforded by the cart he's on with Paimon, and the crates of wine the deviously devilish duo bought off Hulu. Venti was able to hire a cart to Liyue Harbour with whatever Mora he has, and so the cart prods along the widening road as the Guili Plains shifts into a village, situated on a high ground overlooking the Sea of Clouds and Liyue Harbour. The Anemo Archon himself is not with them though, for he has taken off to haggle with Diluc Ragnvindr on a deal to smooth over their plans for the newly seized wine, but only after he and Paimon explains to a befuddled Aether on their scheme this morning: that they posed as Dawn Winery's employees to coerce Hulu into selling all his wine very cheaply.

"Paimon thinks if Master Diluc agrees, we'll get lots of Mora!"

"Ever pragmatic of you, huh? I just feel bad for the merchant you two swindled..."

"Hey, cheating a cheater is fair in Paimon's Paimonictionary!"

"I guess..."

Not a moment too soon, the cart stops for a while, before said bard in green opens the door, hops in, and greets the two, "I'm back!"

"How did it go, Tone-Deaf Bard? Is Master Diluc angry, or..."

"About a third of the wine hasn't been rebranded, and he asks 40% from the profits off these. For the rest, he asks 10% only, so we can split up the profits equally!"

"Oooh, Paimon likes the sound of that!"

"What about the permits?"

"Here you go!"

Taking the slip of paper from Venti's outstretched hand, Aether can see the emblem of the Dawn Winery and what seems to be Diluc's signature. Being an outlander, he's not exactly proficient in Teyvat's writing system, and passes off the paper to Paimon for her to peruse herself.

"Oh, so you're now a temporary reseller for the Winery, then, Venti?"

"Yup! This way, we can sell these crates to a local merchant, instead of setting up shop ourselves."

"Oh right, Paimon remembers!" She turns to the blond Outlander, and explains, "since Liyue is the land of Rex Lapis, the God of Contracts, the markets of Liyue are highly competitive and permits are hard to get. This'll make things easier for sure!"

Just before Aether can ask further, however, the cart stops. A knock can be heard, and the driver muffled voice calls out that they've arrived. The trio opens the door and steps out of the cart, finding themselves on the edge of a hill, upon which Aether and Paimon feast their eyes on the manifestation of Teyvat's splendour and wealth: Liyue Harbour, where the people haggle and the ships dock, coming to and fro from all corners of Teyvat. Somewhat feeling their amazement second-hand, Venti speaks out to the duo:

"Aether, Paimon, let me introduce you to Rex Lapis' Liyue Harbour!"

Chapter Text

Liyue Harbour is something else. True, as a dimension hopper, Teyvat is not the first world I have visited with Lumine, but this majestic port of commerce upon the sea outstrips the few cities we have made landfall in the few dozens of worlds we have come across. Yes, there's nothing quite like this, though I have heard a local of another world speak of a certain 'Pearl of the Orient'...

Well, never mind that, for I and Paimon and Venti soon hop back to the cart for the descent towards Liyue Harbour's Northern Gate. Surprisingly helpful, the bard in green speaks of the gate being the Harbour's main entrance, and I can see why: a small plaza with a pool, and a few armed guards — the Millelith, explains Paimon, with their earthen coloured uniforms and elegant spears — where we got off with our few belongings and around a few dozen crates of wine Paimon and Venti had 'bought' on the cheap.

To none of our surprise, the Millelith has to go about with some background checks, for the famed Rite of Descent of Rex Lapis is merely a day away. I hand over the papers that Jean had been so gracious to provide me and Paimon with to Venti, while we — or to be precise Paimon, who still amazes me with her capacity for haggling — arranged to rent a simple cart for our wine. Fortunately, we do so with enough haste, packing in the crates just as our 'Bard-chon', as Paimon puts it, finishes the matter with the Millelith.

"Alright, we're set!"

"Any troubles?" I inquire.

"No, not particularly, just that they have not gone across your title of 'Honourary Knight' for a while. The Church's documents helped, though, so no worries."

"What about Paimon?"

"Uh, well, I took the liberty of clarifying that you're some kind of Mondstadt's sentient beast?"

Unsurprisingly, our wandering bard immediately gets an earful from Paimon, but I've been with her long enough to know there's really no other way with her on this. Still, her nagging doesn't trouble us too much as we go around the city, starting from the wharfs of the Feiyun Slope area.

Feiyun Slope, as it turns out, can be said as the well-to-do business district of the city, according to Venti: from its Northern Wharf where large passenger ships dock, then the merchants' area spreading out alongside the wharfs, and on to the Feiyun Boulevard with its high-rise buildings, restaurants, and, of course, high-end businesses. Paimon suggests something about going to Slope's Guesthouse just off the entrance, but when Venti tells of the price tag, I can't help but laugh along upok seeing Paimon's pale face.

The bard claims that he's going to try and settle a deal with one of the merchants here, so both Paimon and I go off to find something to eat just along the wharfs. Settling down on a bench of one of the many street-food stalls, we order a few sticks of Grilled Tiger Fish from the vendor, before Paimon, thankfully after emptying her mouth, asks, "So, Aether, what do you think of Liyue Harbour?"

I weigh about on whether I should give comparisons with the meagre amount of cities I've seen in the past, and gives in. "Stunning, really. Easily the largest one I've seen throughout my travels."

"Ooh, Paimon also likes it very much! It's so glittery even in the day, and Bardy says that it looks even better in the night!"

"We'll get to it tonight, then."

Stomach filled, we take a couple of Grilled Tiger Fish for Venti as we retrace our steps closer to the Harbour's entrance. Being unfamiliar to the Harbour, we spend a good deal of time poking about before said Bard finds us first, with a large Mora pouch and a half-empty cart.

"Heeey!"

"Hey to you too, Bardy!"

"'Bardy'?"

"P-Paimon thinks that Tone-Deafy is too long of a nickname!"

"O...kay, uh, sure. Anywho, I sold the Dawn Winery-labeled ones already, and at a 100% margin too!"

"That's ... a lot. So how much did you get?"

"Hmm, I spent about a hundred thousand Mora to buy all of these yesterday..."

As it turns out, Venti is quite persuasive, netting us a gross profit of about one and a half million Mora — 600 thousand from these to Diluc as agreed — from a Snezhnayan merchant who's previously selling nothing but now has ten crates of Dawn Winery's dandelion wine to his name. Good news, all in all, and it makes the cart all the more lighter too as we trudge along the Boulevard to Chihu Rock, bypassing the entrance to Yujing Terrace.

Yujing Terrace, says Venti, is more in line with Feiyun Slope, if much richer, with conglomerates and companies and banks setting up there. The Qixing, as in the Eight Trades that collectively run the daily government of Liyue, also has its main office there. Unfortunately, the area is being sterilised by the Millelith in preparation for the Rite of Descent, hence the current destination of Chihu Rock.

Chihu Rock, while smaller in terms of its trade value when compared to Yujing Terrace or even Feiyun Slope, is in reality the beating heart of Liyue Harbour. An expanse of crowded alleys and small busineses, littered with numerous stalls and vendors, these are all spread over from just past the Middle Bridge, to the Chihu Plaza close to the Southern Entrance of Liyue Harbour, and even to the Southern Wharfs and the adjacent District of Civil Affairs; I can hardly disagree that it's truly what makes Liyue Harbour unique.

Our first order of business, for now, is to look for the Liyue Branch of the Adventurer's Guild, since the map should be very helpful for me and Paimon. Tracing a straight line from the Middle Bridge, and avoiding collisions with rickshaws, carts, and the occasional Cargo Carriers, we soon end up somewhat expectedly meeting with a familiar face.

"Katheryne?"

"Welcome to the Liyue branch of the Adventurer's Guild. Ad astra abyssosque!"

Venti seems to know more than he lets on, which is probably why he's suppressing his laughs. On the other hand, while both I and Paimon had been briefed on the fact that the Liyue branch has its own Katheryne, this is still very much bizarre, to say the least. Fortunately, I do remember that Mondstadt's Katheryne has given us a sealed letter a week or so ago, addressed to the Liyue branch's Katheryne. I promptly take it out, as I attempt to suppress my own laugh upon seeing Paimon's confused face, and instead hand over the letter to Katheryne.

"Uh, Katheryne, I believe this is for you..."

"A letter? For me? Oh... So, you're an Adventurer from Mondstadt, then?"

Before I can answer, Paimon snaps out of her confusion and answered in my stead. "Uh, uhm, y-yes!"

"Eh, a dandelion? Why is there a dandelion in the envelope? Adventurer, did you place a Dandelion in this envelope to try and prove you are from Mondstadt?"

And now even Venti's confused, as I and Paimon look at each other. "We... we didn't. This is a sealed letter, Katheryne, though we did receive it a week or so ago... Maybe it's from Mondstadt branch's Katheryne?"

"Ah, that makes sense, but still, why did she put a Dandelion in with the letter? Very odd... A Dandelion isn't much use to an Adventurer, now, is it?"

"Paimon presumes so...?"

"Not that it really matters, since this letter from the Mondstadt Aventurers' Guild says that you are a highly experienced Adventurer, A-Ae... Aether, right?"

"Right."

"Hm, if that's true, I'm sure you are ready to take on Commissions from the Liyue Adventurers' Guild: a whole new world of wild adventure awaits you, Adventurer Aether and Companion, uhhh..."

"Paimon's Paimon!'

"Ah, yeah, Companion Paimon. Well, ad astra abyssosque, Aether, Paimon!"

Chapter Text

The Rite of Descension has always been a fixture in a Liyuean's calendar: an annual event where Rex Lapis graces His subjects in Liyue by descending to the mortal realm, providing His divine wisdom through a smattering of predictions for the economy, commerce, and finance of Liyue, and in doing so guiding all of Liyue and its numerous inhabitants with them. Through time, the details of the Liyuean reception to Morax's annual descent changes ever so slightly, but this year's rite agenda has been noted to be no different from the last, mainly because the Tianquan of the Qixing is once again at the helm. Though, if you ask the trio of travelers making their way to Yujing Terrace, it really isn't: for this year's rite attendees will soon be including an Anemo Archon, an interdimensional hopper named Aether, and a ... Paimon? Regardless of said Paimon's true Paimoniality, they are still making their way up...

"Sheesh, why is the stairs to Yujing Terrace so high and so long, Paimon is tired already!"

Venti, always in the mood to rile said Paimon up, merely answers, "And just how are you tired? You're floating, Paimon."

Knowing the two is inevitably going to start a verbal sparring match for the twentieth-something time, Aether tunes the sounds of his companion and the bard. 'It really is beautiful,' Aether thinks, looking down from the flight of stone stairs to the Lower Yujing Plaza, to the man-made pools dotted with lotus plants, with paths criss-crossing said pools to and from wherever people may go. Shifting his gaze to the Northern Wharf, he spots a few passenger vessels arriving, no doubt full of people, be them natives to Liyue or otherwise, all gathered to witness the yearly descent of the Lord of Geo, the God of Contracts, the Rex Lapis: Morax.

His sightseeing will have to come to an end, however, as the trio arrive on the Main Yujing Plaza ... reminding him that the bickering pair has yet to settle down, forcing him to reprimand them with a, "Hey, shut it, before the Millelith gets all of us thrown out!"

Thankfully the two comply, and they line up to the processing booths in order to be admitted.

After a long while of queuing, including two rounds of the usual Venti-Paimon Daily Debate Sessions, as Aether has come to nickname them, they finally arrive to he multitude of processing booths for admittance to the annual Rite of Descension, whereupon a Qixing official greets them with a, "Good afternoon, may I see your papers?"

Taking out the identification papers for himself and Paimon (gracefully prepared by the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt) from the satchel Aether has with him, he hands them to the official, who starts perusing them first when she sees Venti patting his clothes to remember where he puts his papers. Fortunately, it does not take him a long time to pull his hat off, to retrieve his papers, and to hand them to the still-busy official.

"Mondstadters, the three of you, I see..."

Before Paimon can say anything about her being Paimon and all that, Venti buts in, "Yes, yes, apologies for the hold-up earlier..."

Jotting down their information into the registration books and temporary admittance cards, the official gives a slight smile and asks, "First time?"

This time, Paimon makes it first, answering with a couple of yes-es and, "Liyue Harbour is so huge too, and the food's good!"

The official takes the answer in stride, and follows Venti to chuckle along as the former stamps their cards, approving them for entry, while Aether could only face-palm. The Qixing official then hands them their papers first, before giving them their cards, explaining that, "Even so, your papers are all in order in terms of entry requirement, which is not something I can say for a lot of non-Liyuens."

"Really?" asks Aether, sharing a glance of mild confusion with Paimon, only to notice a knowing wink from their bard-in-green.

"Yeah, which is why not a lot of you are going in; either they get the necessary clearance from their national consulates here and pay extra fee for the incomplete papers, or ... they can't go. Sorry, but this is the Land of Contracts, after all."

"Huh..."

"Anyhow, these are your cards; please keep them safe, because we'll be checking them during entry and also whenever you exit. If you fail to bring them when exiting, the fine is 100,000 Mora, so please hold on to them."

At the amount, Paimon shrieks, "One hundred thous-" before she's quickly muffled by the Traveler's swift hands, thankfully attracting minimal attention as Venti apologises to the others around them.

"Sorry, that's non-negotiable. Either way, please enjoy the Rite, and may Rex Lapis' blessings follow you."

Still muffling the protesting Paimon, Aether and Venti quickly thank the official, dragging Paimon along to the admittance queue.

"-scam, that's way too much-" is all Paimon could say before Venti's hand replaces Aether's in muffling the floaty being.

"Will you be quiet? Otherwise, we aren't getting in!"

A few muffled noises escape Venti's hand, growing weaker in volume, before the Anemo Archon withdraws his hand and recoils in disgust when he feels a lick on his palm. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!"

"Ha, serves you right, Tone-Deaf Bard!"

"Paimon, we're going to see a god descend," says Aether, with a dead-pan face, eyes flickering between the smug-looking Paimon and the flailing bard, "And while our friend Venti here has not exactly presented us with what proper divinity looks like, I think Rex Lapis will definitely be."

Paimon rolls her eyes and mutters an insincere apology to Venti, only to have said bard wipe his hand on her baby-like attire. She starts shrieking, but at this point, Aether has had enough. He pinches her mouth shut, followed by Venti's when he tries to mock Paimon. Aether then stares at them and merely says, "Shut," accompanied with a glare to one of them each. The two then nods, and Aether positions himself between them after releasing his grip on their mouths.

After an uneasy wait as they trudge forward closer to the entrance, and a couple of apologies from the previously-bickering duo followed by sighs of acceptance from the blonde Traveler, they finally got the the entrance gate, where their weapons are stored away, cards are checked, and papers are checked again. Finally, finally cleared, (with Paimon grumbling about bureaucracy and Venti, atypically, agreeing, they are admitted into the Inner Yujing Terrace

They enter, and are soon greeted by a throng of men, women, and children, easily a thousand or more, crowding the Terrace, as a few other smaller crowds take up space around the few prayer censers situated on the outer sections of the Terrace. Even so, everyone can see the two Heads of the Qixing in the lower, depressed centre area of the Terrace, alongside a large platform littered with gifts and offering of food, gold, and other valuables truly befitting an offering for the God of Commerce. There is easily a thousand people here, and the Millelith on guard duty seem to be somewhat over-stretched, including the ones guarding the two heads and their attendants, shouting and cautioning everyone to stay back from the central area.

Venti chuckles as they move somewhere a little less crowded. "So, what do you think?"

"Uh... Paimon kinda expects this..."

"But this is still too much?" finishes Aether, somewhat rhetorically.

"Mmhm, this is way too many people... how are we going to get to talk to Rex Lapis..."

Paimon's brow furrows for a while, and then she turns to Venti. "Hey, why can't you get Morax to talk to us? You're friends with him, right?"

The bard merely shrugs, "Eh, Z- Morax does things his own way. If he doesn't, he doesn't, no matter what I say... though, maybe if I can get some Inazuman tea..."

This time, it's Aether turn to ask, "What is Rex Lapis like, anyway?"

Venti doesn't answer, but Aether repeats himself again, nudging Venti, who snaps back from his thinking this time. "Huh...? Rex Lapis? Uh... Mmm... If you ask me, he's what I call a blockhead!"

"A blockhead? Really? Paimon thinks it's just because he's so much more responsible than you, Bard-y!"

"True, true," Venti admits with a shrug, "but his line of thinking can sometimes be ancient. He's thrice my age, after all, but he's still keeping up with the times last time I check..."

At this, Aether frowns, daring to ask, "And ... when was that?"

"Five hundred years ago, of course!"

Chapter Text

The scrambling of the Millelith, the shouts of the Tianquan, the shrieks of Paimon, the desperation of Aether, and the din of the masses upon seeing the Lord of Geo splattered on the massive altar of Yuehai: none of these could hold back Venti's groan of exasperation.

'Really? Faking your death... like this? What is wrong with you, Zhongli?'

The bard's musings can only go for so long without interruption, of course, as panicked citizens run to and fro. The ones who are attempting to exit are faced with the hastily gathered Millelith and their captains, as the Tianquan is forced by her secretaries and attendants to withdraw to the Qixing Secretariat, command over the area breaking down immediately.

Thankfully, Venti, Aether, and Paimon had been a little to the edge of the masses before the commotion erupted, with Aether holding Paimon's cape tightly as the trio struggle against the moving mass of people. Venti knows he should be helping Aether and Paimon, but he has to think fast: Zhongli will not be doing this for no reason, and revealing that the Geo Archon has faked his death would be against what Zhongli has probably planned.

'Absolute blockhead...,' sighs the incognito-Anemo God, 'You owe me a bottle for this.'

With a flick of Venti's finger, a swift, yet soft, current of air splits the trio from the crowd. The bard then grasps Aether, and pulls him, along with Paimon, to a more open space.

As Aether catches his breath, Paimon is finally able to reorient herself, "I-Is Morax dead?! What are we to do?!"

Schooling his expression to one of shock and fear, Venti catches the gazes of both the floating fairy and the Traveler, and he bites his lips. 'How do I hate lying...'

He shakes his head, "That's ... I... I'm not sure; we're too far to find out." Glancing around and sidestepping around the growing stampede to the Pavilion's exit, Venti grabs on Paimon just in time as another person bumps into her in the panic.

"Venti, we can't stay here!" shouts Aether, following the bard's attempt to get out of the still-growing mass of people, before Venti yanks him forward with a surprisingly strong grip.

"Ready your glider, Aether! We aim for the docks!"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"You too, Paimon, it's now or never!" Venti exclaims again, holding both with one hand each.

"What are you do-AAAAAGH!"

His mastery over the winds unparalleled, Venti launches himself, Aether, and Paimon up into the sky without so much as blowing any other to their knees. A hundred metres, then two, then four, and eight, before Aether loses track as he scrambles for his glider-set in mid-air. On the other hand, Paimon does not fare better, struggling to direct herself as they began to fall and pick-up speed.

"...aaand ... go!"

Hands still gripping the traveling duo tightly, Venti kicks the air below him, upon which the winds answer, currents of controlled air blasting to slow down their fall. In no time, the trio descend safely, though not quite on the docks as Venti announced, but just off and outside the Northern Lighthouse.

Landing on dry sand, both Aether and Paimon flop down as soon as their feet hit the ground.

"Th... That is the s-scariest flying Paimon has ever done!"

While not as scared as the little fairy has been, Aether is still shaken. "I... urgh... don't want to do that again; maybe tell us sooner?"

Venti shakes his head. "No can do. I saw the Millelith who were tending to the TIanquan being ordered to seize suspicious-looking persons and foreigners; the sooner we go, the better."

"Suspicious?" asks Aether, to which Paimon follows up, "Foreigners?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard the Tianquan ordered. Makes sense, as... as Z- Morax looks to have been wounded. and no Liyuen would dare oppose Him."

Aether perks up at hearing the saddened tone of Venti's voice and his darting eyes. Pulling himself up, he puts a hand on Venti's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you say you knew Rex Lapis? Oh, Paimon wishes we could've stayed longer to check... How are you feeling, Venti?"

Pursing his lips tightly, Venti shakes his head once more. "It's okay. Something seems off, but there's no way to tell unless I can meet him."

"Can't you mind-talk to him or anything?"

"That's not how it works, Paimon."

"Venti, if you want to go back and check, you should go. I and Paimon will try getting into the city before the Millelith closes access."

Paimon lays her head on her fist. "Access... Oh no! If Rex Lapis is ... dead, they will surely seal off the city!"

"That's ... a good plan, Aether," Venti replies, hands rummaging into his pouch, handing the duo their papers. "I'm going, then; meet you at the hotel?"

"Be carefu-", but, before Aether can finish his remark, Venti is gone in a streak of green.

To his side, the Traveler can see his companion scratching her head in worry, "Mmm... Paimon is worried for Venti... Paimon hopes he's okay."

"I'm worried too, but we can only be there for him if ... if the worst happens. For now, let's get inside the city first, alright?"

"Okay..."

Unbeknownst to the duo, their entrance to the city, which gone with no hitch as news of Rex Lapis' death has not spread this far down the chain of command, was seen by one Ajax of Morepesok, who had been tracking their movements ever since he saw them soaring above the Harbour. The Harbinger didn't see the bard, however, and so chalked it to him moving ahead.

And so, just as Childe of the Fatui approaches the wary, traveling duo, Zhongli finds himself spilling his tea during his lunch time in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, for he was graced by the appearance of one divine bard in green with eyes ready to swallow the Geo Archon whole.

"Uhm... I can explain," greets Zhongli hesitantly and sheepishly, setting down his teacup as if there had been no spill, making eye contact with the Lord of Anemo.

"You better."

Chapter Text

"You— What?! Why?! Surely you understand the risk—"

"A contract has barred me from disclosing my reasoning, but rest assured that I will step in should neither the Adepti nor the Qixing's leadership of Liyue prove to be unabl—"

"What if it'd been too late, then?! How many lives will have been lost before you intervene?"

"That depends on the capability of either, or both of, the Qixing and the Ad—"

"Those are lives, Morax, not Liyue Millenial pieces for you to move to and fro—"

"And do you think I did not consider that? My annual forecasts have ruined countless businesses and enriched countless more; I am well acquainted with risk mitigation and consequences of otherwise, loss and death, and I will handle them as they come."

The Lord of Geo's golden eyes gleam unflinchingly, His Will as solid as amber, staring down and against the furious once-Wisp across from Him.

"This won't go down as you plan it to be."

"The margins of error are yet tolerable, Barbatos."

"Morax, they are not numbers on ledgers."

"And they are not, but how do you propose I stop this? The plans are already set in motion, and back-ups ready to kick in at any time; what do you propose? Shall I dissolve my arrangements with the Tsaritsa, and reveal myself to the people? Would I not lose trust, both among men and adepti alike?"

The Master of Anemo maintains eye contact, not showing His disappointment at Morax's anticipation of His now-abortive plan to uncover the Lord of Geo's deceit to the masses.

"Interfering now will only worsen things. Let this play out as it will. Do you not trust me?"

"... I- Alright," concedes the once-Wisp. "What of Mora?"

The namesake of said currency grunts at this. "I gave it some thought, but the time of Mora is over. Let the governments of men decide; the people should not be reliant on divinely issued artifacts in this day and age, especially not those created through the Throne's... authority," the deity spits out.

"That's one way to put it..." Venti murmurs. "But are you really unable to divulge... anything? I fail to understand why you would deal with the Tsaritsa over this."

"Let me answer with a question: why did you allow the Fair Lady to—"

"Wait, you knew?"

"An educated guess, born out of past knowledge and present assessment... the Seat of the Anemo Archon is nominally empty."

Seems he's largely on board, then. The Bard exhales slightly, and turquoisie orbs disappear behind His eyelids. "I— alright, fine; I can live with that."

"Good to hear. I trust that our present misunderstandings have been cleared," says Zhongli, posture relaxed somewhat. The hard look He's leveled at His fellow deity for the past few minutes persists, though, and now He makes His request, "Please do not interfere, Barbatos; I can not command you to do so, but let Liyue take its first steps, just as you allowed Mondstadt theirs two millenia ago."

"... Fine."

"Paimon thinks he's got things he's hiding!"

"Can't say I disagree, but he's got a point," mumbles Aether, nodding slightly while continuing to eat his Grilled Tiger Fish. Childe's directions are their best lead forward, but something feels off from their interaction, and that is ignoring the fact that Childe was a Fatui Harbinger.

Venti takes another bite from his apple, tosses it in the air, and catches it with a wind current. "You're likely right. I'm sure the Sigil he gave you is not elementally nor magically compromised, but I wonder where he got his hands on one."

"He didn't say..." trails off the Fairy, thinking back to the encounter earlier today, getting nothing to recall. "Yeah, Paimon's got nothing."

"Eh, whatever, but we should be going soon. I'm not too keen on doing this, but bypassing the Qixing through Adeptal endorsement is an effective way to clear suspicions..." Another bite, before Venti continues, "Though I'd hate to witness the political ramifications after."

"Pardon?"

"By doing this, we'd be pitting the Adepti against the Qixing," Venti answers simply.

"Hm... Paimon doesn't get it; how?"

The Bard chuckles as he takes yet another bite. "Within Liyue's politics, the Adepti are above the Qixing in terms of authority. By going to the Adepti first, we're essentially ignoring the Qixing and the bureaucracy they lead, including the Millelith. We — well... you two — would be immune to anything the bureaucracy may attempt, but we'd be hard pressed to get into their good graces when all is said and done."

"That doesn't sound very good."

"It doesn't," admits Venti, his fingers twirling the core of the apple he has finished eating, before sending it flying on a wind current to the garbage can set on the corner of their room. "But that's in the long term. Right now, it's probably the best thing we can do if we don't want the Millelith breathing down our necks all the time... or knocking on the door."

"So what are we waiting for?! Let's go, th-" Paimon urges, right before Venti takes both her and Aether into his arms and swishes the three of them off to Wangshu Inn in a heartbeat.

When three Millelith soldiers burst into their room mere moments later, they will find the skewer of Grilled Tiger Fish Aether has been eating on the floor, half-eaten.