"So, what's my favorite landlord been up to these days? Anything exciting?"
The stars above glitters as it usually does in this dream realm of ours, as the two of us sit at a rather comfortable cushioned chair, focusing on the game that's been going on for who knows how many rounds.
"We went exploring and stuff. Fighting bad guys, looting treasures, getting recognition. You know, the usual."
"Just another Monday morning, huh?"
"At this point, it might as well be."
Taking stock of the cards in my hand, I couldn't help but be frustrated. A Katheryne card, the blacksmith guy, and the face of Timaeus smiling stares back at me. Not a single draw, talent card, or god forbid the omni dice conversion that is our lord and savior Paimon.
Believing in the heart of the cards is a fucking lie.
The board state is even worse though. With only Collei left alive with both Keqing and Fischl out for the count, there's practically no chance for me to win against a slew of summons and the upcoming swirling reaction from this bullshit Maguu Kenki shenanigans.
At this point, the conversation is just a way for me to delay the inevitable loss. Again.
"We're on our way to Liyue though, so that's something."
"Ah, yes, the Land of Contracts." Kamiyama remarked as he let out a laugh. Whether it's directed at a certain nostalgic memory regarding Liyue, or just him enjoying the misery that is my current situation, who knows really. "It's that point in history then, for the supposed slaughter of the God of Stone."
"Yep."
"Tell me, Yuu." My dearest twin suddenly drops his cards face down, his attention away from the game and focuses his gaze on me. "With all that knowledge stored in your admittedly horrendous memory bank, what do you plan to do regarding the upcoming conflict?"
"Nothing concrete so far, but I have some ideas."
The details of what transpires during this particular timeframe escapes me, but there are several instances where it's burned into memory. Even then, that's not really much of help since all that amounts to is the meeting with Childe, doing errands for the CEO of Geo, some talks with the adepti or whatever, before finally culminating into the easiest, least annoying weekly boss fight.
Perhaps saying 'nothing concrete' is severely downplaying how much I have no idea where to even begin with this whole thing.
"Do tell."
"For starters, I decided that it'll be in everyone's interest that we do not run away when the Exuvia falls from the sky."
"Ah, I find that quite strange." He replied, tapping his finger against the table as he let out a hum. "They're by all means innocent. And yet, in the heat of the moment, they decided that running and making themselves look suspect is a wonderful idea."
"I know, right?"
Though I don't quite remember if there's a reason or not, the fact that it happened at all still baffles me.
"Any other bright ideas?"
"Not really, no." As I answered the question, I heard a snickering sound coming from his direction.
"I thought you said you had some ideas?"
"Look, you know how bad my memory is, I can't exactly plan around something I don't have the full details of. It's been more than a year, alright? Give me a break." I said, feeling a bit annoyed at the thought of him finding some kind of amusement out of this whole thing. "Besides, why the sudden curiosity anyway? It's not like you'll help me or anything."
"I will, just not in the way you're hoping." Kamiyama replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I just want to know what to expect in case something out of hand happens, and I ended up needing to bust your sorry self out of whatever situation you put yourself in."
"Gee, thanks for the encouragement."
"Always happy to be of use, Yuu."
He's reminding me of how annoying I can be and I don't like it.
"Anyways," having enough of the conversation, he picks up the cards from the table, reminding me of the ongoing match we're having, "quit stalling for time. Either concede, or end the turn, it's the same thing either way."
"Fuck you and your Maguu Kenki deck."
"Maybe you should try something else for a change? I know how much you love playing Aggravate deck but come on."
"The other alternative would be the Yoimiya one, or the meme Ganyu deck I've made. One that's boring for me to play, and the other that requires insane luck of the draw and dice rolls. Both of which I seem to be lacking for this entire session."
"But it'll be fun."
"It's only fun when I win."
After racking my brain some more, and still coming to the conclusion that losing is inevitable, I chose to concede.
"There you go. Wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I swear," in the face of his mocking smile, I threw the cards in my hand at his face, "there's absolutely no way you did not rig the game somehow."
"I'm hurt, Yuu." He said with a condescending tone as he clutched at his chest in a vain attempt to gain some sort of sympathy. "Cheating? Me? I'll never do something like that!"
"Someone really ought to punch you in the face."
With a wave of his hand, the messy cards placed on the table disappeared into a neat stack, while the drinks slowly began to refill as if turning back the time.
Grabbing the now filled Signature Mix, I took a sip out of the straw he provided, sighing as the cold drink soothed my rather parched throat.
"I'm honestly quite surprised." From the other end of the table, Kamiyama, who was busy shuffling the deck, suddenly remarked. "Knowing the person that you were, I would've thought you'd choose to do nothing."
Not giving me a chance to ask what he meant, he continued. "After all, even without any interference on your part, the farce that's happening in Liyue would've solved itself. It's not like Morax would let his precious harbor be destroyed."
"True. But at this point, it's kind of impossible to not get myself involved, no?"
"Yep." Finishing his shuffling, he threw card after card towards me and his own side of the table. Instead of Genius Invokation however, it seems he resorted to a regular card game this time around. "With all those 'hunts' your group has been doing, the Liyue Qixing has set their eyes on you. And considering Liyue's current situation, they would surely invite you to have a nice chat."
"That much is expected. Especially after the assassination happened."
"Without a doubt."
Picking up the cards from the table, I noticed the severe lack of face cards. Out of the seven cards in hand, only one of them is a king, while the other are numbers. Most of them are of the spades suit too.
'What the hell? He's practically screaming 'I'm cheating' into my face!'
"Well, at this point, all I can say is best of luck to you."
"Not even a nugget of wisdom for yours truly?"
"No can do, Yuu." He replied, as a smirk threatens to crack out of his otherwise expressionless visage. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I will not intervene whatsoever in this life of yours, with one exception."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Though I was hoping he would share some details of what's going to happen in detail given he undoubtedly already read my memories, it seems he's quite adamant on this point. Reassuring, though a bit annoying in this particular instance. "Thanks for nothing, Kamiyama."
"You're very welcome, Yuu."
Reaching over towards the stacks of cards in the middle, I flipped the topmost card face first into the table.
'Ace of Spades, huh. What are the odds?'
___________________________________
The past week has been quite hectic to say the least.
Since we're practically on the edges of Liyue most of the time, treasure hoarders are not exactly hard to find. The good old tactic of hiding your vision works wonders, especially since the group has more women than men, which apparently means that we're easy pickings according to those criminals.
Moths to a flame, the lot of them.
Aside from that, we've pretty much explored every ruin on the eastern side of Liyue. And, just like the first one, they have practically been turned into a treasure hoarders base with how many there are hiding in each and every one of them.
Turning them in by large groups seems to bewilder all those present within the Millelith outpost we visited, though as the days pass, that seems to no longer be the case. It's easy to infer that word regarding our escapades has spread far and wide within their ranks.
Right now, having stayed the entire night in the ruin just south of the Chasm's entrance, we're currently on our way to Liyue, following the stone bridge we pass by heading east as Xinyan leads the way.
The closer we got to the harbor, the more crowded the road became. And just like the ones we encountered not far from Wangshu Inn, there is another checkpoint with a watchtower standing in the middle of it, surrounded by half-destroyed buildings of what seems to be a small abandoned village.
What's different this time, however, would be the fact that the whole customs process thing was much faster than before. They still check our luggage and whatnot, but the questioning part was skipped altogether. Even Xinyan was included in this.
"Looks like we're quite famous now, huh?" Paimon remarked at the situation, as she sat on Xinyan's shoulder while holding onto her tied up buns. Something she's taken a liking to for the past week.
"Hard not to be, when we're responsible for the arrest of god knows how many treasure hoarders at this point. What do you think, princess?" Lumine, who was walking in between me and Xinyan, perks up at my question. "You reckon this is enough for now?"
"It should be fine." She replied. "Now that we're finished, let's just enjoy ourselves in Liyue. We should have a few days free, right Xinyan?"
"Yup." To her left, Xinyan, who was holding Paimon's tiny hand, had a slight spring in her step, causing the white fairy on her shoulders to bounce up and down, eliciting a giggle out of her. "We're five days away from the ceremony, so we have plenty of time."
"As for what to do… any suggestions, Xinyan?"
"Plenty. I have a place in mind already."
"What is it? Paimon's curious now!"
"That's a surprise, Paimon. But don't worry, you're definitely going to enjoy it."
"Oh! Paimon can't wait!"
Walking up the incline, the four of us passed by the giant natural stone arch, the top of which is covered by thick vines, before continuing to follow the path.
Slowly, as we passed by two giant statues, the dirt road turned into a stone path leading all the way to an open area filled with all kinds of people, alongside multiple carriages stopping by the wayside as workers slowly unload their cargo.
To the right side, among the many houses built, are lines upon lines of people leading towards a single, much larger house with a man standing behind an open window, serving as what looks to be a counter.
"Business is booming I see."
"Is that like an inn or something?"
"Sort of." With the way towards the bridge blocked by a large crowd, the three of us hold each other's hand as we navigate through them. Paimon, on the other hand, hardened the grip her tiny hands had around the hair buns. "See those houses next to the larger one? The people basically rented the entire thing, so it's more popular for families and large groups. If even they are this crowded, then I'm afraid the other inns are probably already full."
"I was hoping we'd get lucky, but I guess this was inevitable, huh?"
"Ah, don't you worry about that." Xinyan said, reassuring the somewhat disappointed Lumine. "I know a place where you can stay."
"You do?"
"Yep. Just follow me." With a slight tug, Xinyan led the two of us forward down the wooden bridge guarded by multiple Millelith soldiers. "Sorry Paimon, but we'll take a detour first, okay?"
"It's okay, Xinyan!"
Once we're past the wooden bridge, we stepped onto the smooth stone-paved road of Liyue Harbor.
The sound of merchants advertising their ware assaulted my ears the moment we entered the busy plaza. With a small pond at its center, numerous people dressed in traditional style chinese clothing walk from stalls to stalls as the customers inspect the displayed goods while some are busy haggling prices to the point of shouting.
To the right, a large building surrounded by a small waterway has a different kind of commotion, as a small stage with a painted background was set on it's outdoor seating area while a scholarly man stood in the middle, gesticulating wildly with a fan in one hand, as he continued telling the stories of ancient past towards the enamored customers.
'Liyue Harbor in the flesh.'
Walking through the crowded plaza, Xinyan led us towards a smaller road to the right, passing by numerous small houses and stalls before eventually stopping in front of a house.
"This is the place!"
In front of us is a medium sized house primarily made out of wood, with a small railing in front of the window that held up several flower pots. With a small tile awning on top, Xinyan walked towards the door with a square frosted window protected by a wooden railing and unlocked it.
"Your house?"
"Yep!" With a twist of her key, it made a clicking sound as she held the door open. "Come on, get inside and make yourselves at home."
Looking towards Lumine and seeing her nod, the two of us no longer hesitated and entered into her house.
Once all of us are inside, Xinyan closes the door and picks Paimon by the waist before holding her close. "My parents aren't going to be home for a while, so we have the house to ourselves."
"Out for work?" I asked, as I looked at the rather old fashioned interior design. Scroll paintings, bamboo trees, multiple porcelains stored within stylized wooden shelves; for someone with a hardcore love for rock, it all seems so mundane.
"You can say that." Noticing my looking around the house, Xinyan cleared her throat. "What? Not what you expected?"
"No. I mean, it's you we're talking about."
"Now that's just rude." She huffs in annoyance. "I'm capable of living like a normal person you know? I can sew, I can grow flowers, and I can cook just fine."
"Yeah, you've proven yourself on the last one."
On the many occasions where we spent the night outdoors, Lumine and Xinyan took turns cooking dinner. I say outdoors, but really, with how many things Lumine had in her inventory, it's less camping and more glamping with how luxurious it all felt. It's like staying in a house, without all the exterior that make up the building.
In any case, her cooking is actually really good. Admittedly, I was quick to judge her by her appearance in this particular case, but even then, her 'rock 'n' roll' spirit', as she put it, goes into her cooking as well given how flavorful her cooking is. In reality, she just hates bland food and it really shows.
"So." Lumine suddenly claps her hand, focusing our attention towards her. "Where will we be staying?"
"There's a guest room upstairs across from mine. Follow me."
Taking off my sandals, I stored it on the nearby shoe rack before stepping onto the smooth wooden floor and followed Xinyan down the hall before walking up the stairs at the end.
Stepping into another corridor, she walks past the carpeted reading area, with tall bookshelves filled to the brim with books, and stopping in front of a room with a wooden door etched with a circular carving.
"Here you go." Opening the door, she walked inside and looked over the tidy room. "Hmm… hasn't been used in a while, but it should be fine."
Unlike the relatively decorated house, this room seems barren in comparison. With just a single bonsai on top of a small circular table, there's one double bed in the center to the left of the door with the windows on the left side, the dark red curtains opened wide as sunlight streams through.
"What do you think?"
"It's more than enough. Thank you, Xinyan."
"No need to thank me, leader." With a hint of red on her cheeks, Xinyan waves away her gratitude. "You've been taking good care of me for a while now, it's the least I can do."
While the two of them conversed, I placed my bag next to the bed and took off my head before lying down on the bed. The feeling of soft sheets brushing against my skin caused a sigh to escape my lips.
Even Paimon, who I thought was with Xinyan, slowly flew over and laid herself next to me.
"What do you think, Paimon?"
"So soft… Paimon suddenly feels sleepy…."
"Tell me about it."
"Oh no you don't." Before I could sink myself deeper, Lumine grabbed both of my hands and pulled me out of the bed before placing the hat I set aside back on my head, while Xinyan grabbed Paimon and gently shook her awake "We're going to spend the rest of the day outside and you're coming with us."
"Have you seen all those people? I feel exhausted just looking at them walking about."
"None of that. Xinyan is going to take us somewhere, and you're going whether you like it or not."
"Ugh."
"Really?!" With a loud shout, Paimon, who looked like she could pass out any moment, seems very energetic right now. "What are we waiting for?! Let's go, let's go!"
"Hahaha, sure thing, Paimon!" Placing Paimon back to the throne that is her shoulder, Xinyan turns her attention towards us. "Come on guys, we're going to our first destination, a must visit for every tourist's first time in Liyue."
"Where to, Xinyan?" Lumine asked.
With how excited Paimon is, there's really only one place I can think of.
"Wanmin Restaurant. The best place to eat in the entire harbor."