"Oh! They really didn't hold back when it comes to hospitality, huh?" Paimon exclaimed the moment the staff within the pavilion left the room, staring at the snacks and drinks laid out on the table. "Looks like the Knights of Favonius can learn a thing or two from the Liyue Qixing!"
"Is that the main takeaway that you got, Paimon?" Lumine giggled as she stretched her bare leg across the sofa, her hands busy playing with the large lotus-shaped hat that I brought out. "Instead of their remarkable work ethic, their quick response to a sudden crisis, or something along those lines?"
"As far as our little guide is concerned, things like this are the most important." I replied, motioning towards the steadily decreasing food on the table. "Then again, we've been waiting for quite some time, so I suppose it is important to consider how well they treat their guests."
Drumming my fingers against Lumine's thigh, I floated over a piece of cracker and brought it to her mouth, to which she consumed without hesitation.
Observing her expression for a bit and seeing nothing strange happen, I brought another one over for myself. Thankfully, it seems, Yelan's preference for all things spicy has yet to infect the entirety of the Qixing. What a marvelous discovery, it was.
"Are you sure we'll be okay?" Xinyan nervously asked. "Are you absolutely sure we're not in trouble?"
"Relax, Xinyan." Lumine drawled as she began raising herself off the soft cushions she laid herself in before putting my hat on, playing with the feathered accessory dangling off of it. "You've seen for yourself how they have treated us so far. Surely you don't think they'll be particularly nice to us if we are a suspect, do you?"
"Well yes, but… what if it's all an act? You know, playing nice to get our guard down and all that?"
"I highly doubt it." Lumine waved away her concern nonchalantly. "As far as the Liyue Qixing is concerned, we're a valuable asset that they could utilize, especially for a time like this. And that's not an exaggeration either. There's a reason we've been going around catching criminals for a week, you know?"
"I know, I know. It's just… what if they found out about that night? I'm just scared that everything you guys did would go to waste. And Jin… I wouldn't want her to be stuck hiding again." Xinyan lowered her head, twiddling her thumb as she answered dispiritedly.
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that." I suddenly cut in. "Everything's under control."
"What do you mean?" Xinyan asked, her head raised so suddenly it was a miracle she didn't get whiplash.
"Exactly what I mean. See, I had the unfortunate luck of running into an agent of the ministry that wanted to have a chat, and things just happened. After a long talk, we managed to come to an agreement of sorts, so we are legally in the clear right now." I explained, before shrugging my shoulders. "Why do you think I spent the better half of the day outside in the first place?"
Hearing that the problem she's been fretting over for the good part of the evening was already solved, Xinyan's mouth turned agape in clear disbelief.
"Wait, really?"
"Mmhm."
"So does that mean that they don't know what happened?"
"Oh, she knows exactly what happened that night. Possibly down to the details too, if she's as competent as I expect her to be."
"I thought you said we're in the clear!"
"We are. Calm down and let me explain, would you?"
And once she stopped looking like she might grab me by the collar, I did explain. The meeting in Wanmin, the subsequent talk in the teahouse, everything. The other two were listening closely too, I noticed. Now that I think about it, I never ended up explaining what happened.
Then again, I was too tired to do anything other than writing an instruction to Yun Jin to head out and hand over the evidence. Even after I woke up, me and Lumine ended up fooling around a bit too long that there was no time to explain.
'Oh well. Better late than never, right?'
"I see." Xinyan finally said, her body sagging in relief. "Thank the archons…."
I had to really hold myself back from making a snarky remark about how he's 'dead', but thankfully I still had enough self control to not open my mouth.
"See? You worry too much, Xinyan." Lumine stood up, moving towards the sofa Xinyan occupied and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Not that it's a bad thing, but we already have a major cynic in the group and I'd rather you not be like him."
"It never hurts to have another one of us willing to be careful." I said, taking a sip of the drink the staff provided. A perfectly normal tea. How lovely. "Though I do admit having all those thoughts running constantly in your head is not a fun experience."
"Yeah, no thanks." Xinyan replied, leaning into Lumine's hold. "I'll stick with being the musician of the group."
"Probably for the best." Lumine added before letting out a sigh. "It would be nice to have some music to accompany this dreadful waiting."
"Ugh, I know right?" Xinyan groaned. "If I knew it would be like this, I would've asked you to bring my guitar along, leader."
"Can't be helped. It's not like we knew something like this would happen."
Mmhm. Yeah, totally. Not a single soul could've seen this coming from a mile away.
In any case, now that Xinyan's worries were no more, her previously nervous self was nowhere to be seen as she started to enjoy the current situation as best as she could. Conversation began to fill the room once more, occasionally broken by the staff visiting and replacing the empty glass and plate like clockwork.
A part of me feels bad that they had to do so more often than I thought normal – courtesy of the best guide in all of Teyvat – but the sun has practically disappeared and whoever we were supposed to meet hasn't arrived yet, so it evens out nicely I suppose.
And the moment the ones stepping inside the room were not a pair of uniformed staff, we all knew that the wait was finally over.
"I apologize for making you wait, especially after inviting all of you here so suddenly."
Calmly making their way towards us, Ningguang was the first to speak, politely greeting us before she turned apologetic at her tardiness. Following close behind is Yelan, standing just a step behind acting as her bodyguard.
While the others were looking closer at the new arrivals, they too were doing the same thing, Yelan more so than Ningguang. And as her eyes scanned between us four, she stopped when her eyes met mine.
Suddenly, without Ningguang realizing, she smiled and discreetly waved her hand in my direction. As if that's not enough, she added a little wink at the end, too.
Unfortunately for me, the one I would hope to not notice did notice. And I was once again reminded just how deceptively strong Lumine really is. A massive boon for us, no doubt. Not so much when I'm the target though.
"I would hope you have a good reason for all this?" I asked, driving my thoughts away from the numbness of my right arm.
"Of course. But before that, let me properly introduce myself." The white haired Tianquan nodded as she stood tall, her presence demanding the attention of others present. "I am the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
___________________________________
There's something quite different about the way Ningguang conducts herself compared to the Acting Grand Master back in Mondstadt.
The best way I could describe it would be that she lacks the desperation that Jean has, a product of a little something that has been gnawing at the back of her mind ever since Dvalin started its reign of terror.
Granted, the circumstances differ wildly, so it's not really fair for me to say these things about her. And while Liyue's current situation could be said to be a lot more dire, what with their god being assassinated by someone they have no idea of, it's also not something that has been festering for weeks on end.
This was just the beginning for them, and the full repercussions of Morax's supposed death have yet to come.
'I wonder… what would happen if the Traveler's presence were to be removed from the equation?'
Would she, the embodiment of serenity that she is as she sat across from us, calmly sipping her own tea as pleasantries began to flow from her mouth with clear confidence written across her face, still be able to act like she's in control once everything went to shit?
Would she, the most resourceful woman in the recent history of Liyue, currently expressing what she wanted from this little meeting of ours, be able to handle the wrath of the adepti and the machinations of two Fatui Harbingers?
Would she, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, patiently waiting for an answer as she directed her scarlet eyes towards us, be able to handle the devastation brought by a slumbering god deep beneath the sea even as things around her continue to spiral out of control?
Such a fascinating thought, really.
Fascinating, yet ultimately meaningless.
Even then, against the boredom brought by equally meaningless small talks, it more than serves its purpose.
A distraction. Something to keep my nonexistent brain from falling asleep.
"Jueyun Karst, huh?" I hummed, making a show of being deep in thought. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Miss Ningguang, but I'm pretty sure people aren't allowed to venture too deep into the mountains over there, no?"
"That is indeed the case." She nodded, her simple gesture as graceful as can be. "However, considering the dire circumstances Liyue found itself in, it's in the nation's best interest to prevent any internal conflict from brewing, hence the trip."
"And you couldn't be bothered to send your own people because…?"
"Because after what happened today during the Rite of Descension, we are the last ones the adepti would want to see. After all, for the murder to have happened during the ceremony that we hosted, they would see it as gross negligence on our part."
"I see. I suppose that would be the case, huh? Sucks to be part of the Qixing this time of the year, really." I couldn't help but mumble those thoughts, before focusing back on the matter at hand. "So let me get this straight: you want us to escort your secretary to Jueyun Karst to meet with a certain adeptus, correct?"
"In essence, yes."
"And what happens after?"
"That depends on their reaction." Ningguang hands her pipe to Yelan, which she accepts nonchalantly, before sitting a bit straighter. "If everything goes well, then she would be enough to convince the adeptus to not make any rash decisions."
"Things rarely ever goes so well in my experience."
"Which is why you'll be accompanying her."
"And how are we supposed to reason with an adepti?"
"Adepti are bound by their contract towards Rex Lapis, honorary knight." Ningguang explained. "You could try to appeal to that notion, towards their sense of responsibility. Or if that fails, then perhaps you yourself could initiate a contract with them."
"A contract, huh?"
That is certainly an interesting option, though I'm not sure it's an option we could even utilize in the first place. I don't think we have anything to offer that would be worth their while.
'Unless….'
"Will the adepti even allow us to enter?" With her hand raised, Xinyan suddenly chimed in. "Even if we wanted to bring along this secretary of yours, which is probably too dangerous for her considering she's a member of the Qixing, if an adeptus stops us, there's not much we can do, right?"
"Don't worry, they will let you through. And there's no need to worry about the secretary's safety, Miss Xinyan." Ningguang replied, her posture relaxed as she inhaled her pipe. "Even if she is part of the Qixing, the adepti would not be inclined to harm one of their own."
And for the second time today, Xinyan was surprised beyond belief
"There's an adeptus working with the Qixing? Xinyan asked, her expression one of bewilderment.
"It's a little known fact, but yes, there is."
With a wave of Ningguang's hand, Yelan, who was standing still behind her, started walking towards the cleared table and placed down a picture of a girl with ocean blue hair and a pair of curved horns covered in red markings.
Unlike the one that was wailing in despair at the death of her god, she was smiling happily as she held a bouquet of flowers consisting solely of Qingxin.
"Wait…." Xinyan took the photo from the table, bringing it closer towards her face as she closely scrutinized the image. "Isn't this Ganyu? The one that always eats vegetables everytime she goes out to eat?"
"Ara, have you met her before?"
"I've seen her once or twice whenever I get the chance to go to Wanmin." Xinyan handed the picture to Lumine, who inspected the picture curiously. "It's hard not to remember her with those ornamental heirlooms she seems to wear everyday."
Or how obvious it is she tries to hold herself back whenever she sees the people around her eating meat, she continued, not loud enough to be heard by the two across from us.
"Hold on." Then, as if in realization, her head snapped towards Ningguang. "If she's an adeptus, then does that mean that the horns on her head–"
"Are not ornamental hairpieces but are instead a genuine horn? Why yes, yes they are." Ningguang let out an amused giggle at Xinyan's reaction. "Surprising, isn't it? Despite her occasional airheadedness, the fact that she manages to convince people that her horns are mere accessories never fails to amuse me."
While Xinyan was still reeling from the totally-not-obvious revelation, Lumine scooted over closer to me.
"You know," she began, holding the picture in front of me as the two of us plus the curious Paimon hanging over my head looked at the mysterious cocogoat, "I would've thought that by this point, someone would be overcome with the urge to try and pry it off of her just to see if she's telling the truth. I know I would."
"Of course you would."
"Wouldn't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If I can get away scot-free? Hell yes I would."
With a proud smile, she began patting my shoulder. "See? I knew you'd understand."
"Paimon doesn't get it." The white fairy suddenly said, shifting her tiny body slightly as I felt the weight settling on my head. "Isn't it obvious that it's a real horn? Why do people believe her so easily like that?"
"It all depends on what the reason she gave them, Paimon." Lumine replied. "Generally speaking, as long as you make the reason to be something personal or something private that it would be rude for people to continue asking, you'll shut them up real quick."
"Really? So if white mask is pestered by people about his real face, he can just say that he's covering an ugly scar or something and they'll just stop?"
"Basically." She shrugs, before waving the picture on her hand. "As for this Ganyu… it helps that she's a beautiful girl, too. That alone is more than enough to discourage people from questioning a lot of things. Though it doesn't really stop very persistent people, it seems that Liyue has none of those. Not towards her, at least."
"And yet there's one right next to me."
"Me? Pestering her? I would never."
Before she could say anything more, Ningguang suddenly audibly cleared her throat, catching our attention once again.
"So what do you think, honorary knights? Would you be willing to help us? Of course, should you accept, you would be well rewarded for your work."
Though accepting was the obvious answer, I nonetheless look towards the others. Lumine, on her part, nodded enthusiastically. Xinyan, on the other hand, merely shrugs her shoulders and says something along the lines of 'I'm fine with whatever.'
As for Paimon? Well, I'm sure she wouldn't really decline if it means she gets to eat good by the end of the day.
With our decisions made, I focused my attention back towards Ningguang.
"Before we accept…."
Though we probably could talk about compensation at a later date, I would rather get this out of the way now. Admittedly, I would be more excited about this if not for the fact that I'm talking to Ningguang of all people.
"...why don't we discuss our payment in further detail?"
Hearing my answer, I could feel Ningguang's gaze sharpens as her smile turned predatory. "But of course. It would be remiss of me if I failed to properly repay you for your work."
I can already tell this is not going to be a fun experience.
"Let's talk specifics then, shall we?"
The things I do for more Mora.