"Ah yes, of course." I hummed, keeping my pace with hers as I glanced towards the person in question before turning back towards Lumine. "Does this matter have anything to do with me being friendly with the new girl?"
"Sharp as ever." She responded curtly.
While it's clear to me that Lumine is not a fan of this whole situation, coupled with the fact that she looked like she's just several steps away from doing something out of line, I couldn't help but be amused at her reaction.
The stillness in her ice cold gaze is no joke.
But just like back then with the whole Yelan thing, there's just something about the way she acts that made me want to push her buttons.
As tiring as it can be sometimes, surely I can be forgiven from finding what little fun I can have when it comes to dealing with this otherworldly girl.
"I wasn't aware that being kind towards others is a bad thing, princess."
"There's being kind, and there's going the extra mile, Yuu." She said, as she raised our intertwined hands. "Does this happen to ring any bells?"
"A lot of bells, actually, but I think I know what you're referring to." I said, before shrugging my shoulders. "You don't have to worry about that one, princess. It's simply me lending a helping hand since she seems to need one at the time."
"And was the fact that you continued holding her hand for several minutes after that really necessary?"
"I'll admit I didn't realize that I was still holding onto her. It must've slipped my mind."
"Are you sure it's not because you were enjoying it?"
"Who knows? What do you think, princess?"
In response, Lumine extended her free hand, before suddenly glimmers of golden light began to gather and solidify into a single dull, yet remarkably durable sword as the sunlight glinted off of its sharp edge.
"Duly noted."
She harrumphed, making a show of swinging them towards the ground, cutting several blades of grass unfortunate enough to be in its path.
'That's enough of that for today, I guess.'
"You have every right to be worried, Lumine," once again raising our joined hands, I gently flicked her forehead with my fingers, causing a small yelp of surprise to come out of her mouth, "but I can assure you that the reason I'm going the extra mile, as you put it, is not for the reason that's swimming around in that empty head of yours."
Her cold gaze turned into a glare as she slowly began to rub a particular spot in her forehead. "Yeah? Then please enlighten me, mister know-it-all."
"You saw how she reacts when it comes to others knowing about her not being a human." I began, paying half a mind to the rather uneven terrain of the mountainous area we're on. "Seeing how uncomfortable she was around people and how… disconnected she seems from those around her just brings back old memories, I guess. Do you recall how she looks when talking about Yelan?"
"Yes." Her glare relented a bit as she glanced towards the girl in question, her expression turning rather pensive. "I can imagine how important Yelan is to someone like her, though she strangely didn't seem to be happy about it. Rather, she looks kind of… sad, almost?"
"Bingo." I snapped my fingers in agreement. "And why do you think that's the case?"
Lumine was silent, but I could feel the grip she had begun to loosen as she tapped against the palm of my hand while the gears inside her head began to turn.
"Hmph, so is that how it is, then?" Having finished thinking things over, she turned towards me as she began to speak. "The reason you've gone out of your way for her is because you feel sorry? Because at some point in the past, you've felt the same way? And seeing someone going through the same thing, you just couldn't bring yourself to leave her be?"
"Yes. I think."
Lumine arched an eyebrow at my response. "You think?"
"Look, with the exception of a certain girl that acts like a petulant child," I emphasized the word child as I gave Lumine a not-so-subtle nudge, much to her dismay, "I haven't exactly been 'invested' in anyone for a very long time, alright? Cut me some slack."
"Oh I'll cut something, alright."
"Just… trust me, okay?" I sighed, feeling a headache beginning to form. "Nothing bad is going to happen, and all I'm going to do is simply talk to her every once in a while. And once everything is sorted out, we can all go our own merry way."
Lumine scoffed, with clear disbelief on her face. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"
I took a brief glance towards the half-adeptus walking in front of us.
Realistically speaking, how would someone, who has no sense of belonging amongst the people she surrounded herself with, react when another person, who has a near similar experience, would give her some form of validation towards her situation, causing it to change for the better?
I might be shit at social situations, but even I'm not that ignorant.
"...no."
"Hmph. Well, you're honest about it, so that's something I guess."
"Sorry."
Lumine didn't respond, merely continuing our walk while occasionally glancing towards the subject of our discussion, tapping her fingers against my hand as she looked to be deep in thought.
"Do you promise to not do anything I wouldn't like?"
"I promise I wouldn't intentionally do anything that would hurt you." She raised an eyebrow at my response, though I was quick to clarify. "You don't exactly like this whole situation from the get go, princess, so me saying yes would just be lying to you, don't you think?"
I could hear a sigh coming from her, before her tense body began to relax as she shook her head in exasperation. "You always do have a way with words, don't you?"
"I have quite the experience, I'll have you know." I let out a chuckle in response, feeling my own body mirroring her action.
"Only on the most inconsequential of matters, no doubt."
"My personal finance is anything but inconsequential."
"I think you mean 'our' finance."
"Maybe if you start earning your own Mora, I'd consider putting a different label on it."
The corners of her mouth began to twitch as she tried, and failed, to stifle her laugh. Seeing that Lumine was back to how she always was, I let out a mental sigh of relief.
'Just in case though.'
The lotus hat began to float as I clutched the jagged edges of my mask. Once it properly covered us from the front, I took the mask off and began brushing off Lumine's bang with my free hand before placing a kiss on her forehead.
It was unlike the passionate ones we shared numerous times, though I hoped it would be enough to convey what I wanted it to.
Judging by the mirth in her eyes though, I'd say it did its job.
"My, since when were you this bold?"
"Who knows? Perhaps having been together with a certain someone has an effect on me" I shrugged, putting the mask back on and slowly put my hat back in its usual place. "What do you think, princess?"
"I think it'll be nice if you can be like this more often."
"Might have to think on that one for a bit."
"Oi lovebirds!"
The unmistakable shout coming from Xinyan broke the rather pleasant atmosphere.
As the two of us looked towards the source of the voice, we saw an impatient looking Xinyan, tapping her feet away at the ground beneath with Paimon having a similar expression. Ganyu, on the other hand, had quite the embarrassed look on her face.
"Quit dragging your feet and keep up, will ya?!"
"Coming!" Lumine replied, snatching my hand as she dragged me forward in a jog in an effort to catch up.
After we caught up, and a word or two from a disgruntled rocker and her fairy companion, we walked a bit further down the path up until it disappeared the moment we reached the edge of the cliff.
Replacing it was a rickety old wooden rope bridge that doesn't look like it met any kind of safety standard, connecting one mountain to another as it sways to and fro the instant the wind started to pick up. Not helping was the fact that the ground below was nowhere to be seen, courtesy of the white fog permeating the area.
"This does not look safe at all."
"There's no need to worry, Mister Yuu, despite its looks, the bridge is quite sturdy." Ganyu stepped forward, taking the first step into the slightly swaying path as she continued explaining. "The Qixing sent someone to inspect the bridge some time ago and they deemed it safe to use."
That somewhat set my mind at ease, though they really could do something about the appearance. Really, anyone in their right mind would take one look at the bridge and nope the fuck out of here.
"Certainly doesn't look like it." Xinyan added, sharing the same sentiment.
"That's because of the abundance of adeptal energy around the mountains." I heard her say, as I cling on to dear life to both the flimsy looking rope and Lumine's hand. "Constant exposure towards it ended up warping the bridge's appearance to what it is today."
"And nothing could be done to change it?"
"We've tried, Paimon, but… well, adeptal energy have all sorts of different effects on different things."
"Couldn't the adepti do something about it then?" Lumine asked, not bothered one bit by all the swaying caused by the treacherous wind. "You know, just to ease the mind of whoever comes by?"
"Because the adepti don't care that much about it, Miss Lumine." Ganyu sighs as she gazes towards a distant mountain. "It's harsh, but the adepti would rather there be as few humans as possible trekking through this place so as not to disturb their peace."
"But you said the Qixing sent someone here, didn't you? Why would they do that if it's not going to be used anyway?"
"Well, that was when the Qixing and the adepti were not as distant as they are now." Having reached what looked to be a stopping point, filled with empty crates and the remains of a fireplace, Ganyu continued leading us forward. "Back then, the adepti were still allowed to govern Liyue directly as part of the Qixing, so there was some thought put into this architecture."
Hearing her explanation, I came to a sudden realization.
Ganyu, having lived for thousands of years as half of an adeptus, would surely have a different sense of scale when it comes to how much time passes.
"Uh… just to make sure, Ganyu," Xinyan had quite the mortified expression right now, as her somewhat confident step took a completely different turn, "how long ago was 'some time ago?'"
"Eh?" The half-adeptus seems surprised, before she stops with a contemplative look on her face. "It was… several hundred years ago… I think? Or was it close to a thousand?"
In the end, the secretary gave up and shook her head before turning towards Xinyan. "In any case it wasn't that long ago, Xinyan, so you don't have to worry."
Her reassurance turned out as well as I thought it did.
In the end, we all silently agreed to not say anything about it.
Though Xinyan did end up positioning herself closer to me.
You know, just in case something happens.
___________________________________
The walk through the expansive sea of clouds was quite the novel experience, if you ignore how scary it all is given that we're walking on possibly centuries old half-decaying bridges whose entire reason that it was still standing in the first place was an invisible, magical aura they call adeptal energy.
And while two people and one small fairy were hanging on to dear life, the other two were quite relaxed throughout our journey. Not surprising I suppose, given that one of them just has that much faith in the power of her kin while the other is simply being herself.
Of course, with the picturesque scenery surrounding us, it was a given that Lumine would pull out the permanently borrowed camera and start taking all sorts of pictures, forever immortalizing the expression of fear painted on the face of a certain musician.
Thank you, Marjorie, for the amazing mask you ripped off of the poor adventurer who found it.
After managing to cross the valley of death, we finally stop at a resting place attached to a different mountain, containing much of the same abandoned items we found on other similar structures, with the exception of a winding staircase leading towards the summit of said mountain.
"Are we finally here?"
"It's just up these stairs, Xinyan."
"Phew, thank the archons." The rockstar let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off her brow. "I think I've had enough bridges for one day."
"You can say that again." I remarked, finally able to relax with the knowledge that solid ground is not far ahead.
"It would be nice if we could go back here every once in a while." Contrary to our rather exhausted mood, Lumine looks positively lively. "Just look at how beautiful these pictures turned out to be!"
Brimming with excitement, she showed off a handful of pictures that she took, giving each one of us a batch to look through.
"Ugh, I really don't like how I looked in some of these." Xinyan's expression soured the moment she saw the results, clearly not a fan of the faces she was making throughout. "On the other hand, you look beautiful in these pictures, Ganyu."
"Eh?" Taken aback by the sudden praise, Ganyu suddenly stopped.
"Yeah. It would be better if you would smile a bit more though, but even without that, you look great! See?" Xinyan took a step towards her before showing off the picture in question. "It's like you're a perfect fit for this scenery!"
In response to her heartfelt words, a bashful smile began to form on Ganyu's face. "Ah… uhm… thanks, Xinyan."
With a bright, toothy smile, Xinyan wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she began to show more of the pictures she has, while Ganyu seemed overwhelmed at how friendly the girl was being.
Though Xinyan didn't seem to notice the brief sadness that flickers in the secretary's eyes.
Once everyone made it up the stairs, we were greeted by a sight that could be called something out of paradise.
There was a giant pond in the middle of the summit, decorated with numerous lotus flowers blooming at the center of its pad. From the depths of the water, several rocks jutted out, the top of which formed into a swirling pattern, seemingly scattered all around the ponds yet its uniform distance from one another formed into a makeshift path towards the center.
A stone table was erected on a lone island in the middle, located beneath one of many giant bonsai-like trees. I could barely make out the shape of what looks to be empty plates and cups, it's condition seems to be quite pristine still.
To the left, with a more prominent path leading to it made out of the same swirling rock, was a stone steps leading up into a cave, the entrance of which was surrounded by a faint yellowish aura.
'So that's what an adeptal energy looks like when they're concentrated enough, huh?'
"Whoa! It's so beautiful!" Paimon exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder as she flew close to the edge of the pond, looking down towards the face mirrored on the clear waters. "Do all adeptus live in a place like this?"
"Not really. This particular mountain, Mt. Aocang, is a place where the followers of Rex Lapis occasionally gathers." Ganyu pointed towards the stone table as she continued leading the way forward. "Cloud Retainer used to tell me stories about how she and Guizhong would spend days and nights discussing their latest invention while Rex Lapis listened in from the side."
"Guizhong? Who's that? Is she also an adeptus?" Floating right next to the skipping Xinyan, Paimon posed the question towards Ganyu.
"No, she was the Lord of Dust that assisted Rex Lapis during the Archon War."
"Was?"
"She perished in battle a long time ago."
"Oh." Paimon paused, surprised at the answer before her expression turned apologetic. "Uhm… sorry about that."
"It's fine, I was little more than a child back then, so I'm not too familiar with her. Cloud Retainer, on the other hand…." Ganyu stopped at one of the empty seats, one with an empty bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of it, gazing at the words inscribed at the base of the chair as she gently ran her hand through the smooth stone table. "She was always reluctant to talk about her, even now."
Her gaze moved to another chair, one sandwiched in between the empty bowl and a similarly empty wine jar, the mood around her suddenly becoming somber. "And… with Rex Lapis murdered, I'm afraid Cloud Retainer would be the only one left to fill these empty seats.
"Memories of thousands of years, the moments they shared with one another, would end up being nothing more than a painful reminder of how it once was."
Everyone else gathered around the table, not saying a word as the half-adeptus continued to absentmindedly stare at the carved stone, lost in her own thoughts.
Eventually though, Ganyu raised her head. Noticing the somewhat tense atmosphere, she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Ah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bring the mood down for everyone else."
"No worries." I spoke with assurance.
Ganyu smiled, taking a deep breath as she gazed one last time towards the words etched into the rocks. "Please wait here for a bit, I will be heading inside to announce our presence. It shouldn't take too long."
With that, Ganyu stepped into the uneven path behind her, walking up the stone steps straight inside the cave. The sound of stone grinding against stone began to resound from the inside, shortly followed by a low bang like a door being slammed shut.
I looked around the area for a place to rest, before finally settling on a particularly large root that was sticking out of the ground right by the pond.
The moment I sat down, Xinyan followed suit, sitting close to me as she pulled out her guitar. And while Paimon was still enchanted by the paradise-like quality of Cloud Retainer's home, Lumine crouched by the side of the stone chairs, taking a closer look at the inscribed letters.
"What does it say, leader?" Xinyan asked as she began to play her music, a more serene tune unlike the blaring rock she was playing before.
Lumine let out a hum, pulling out her notebook as she began to scribble down her interpretation, starting from the seat with the wine jar, to the ones with the bowl, before finally stopping at the seat with nothing in front of it.
"'Here sits Retainer', 'Here sits Guizhong', and 'Here sits Rex.'" She answered, scratching her temple with the white feather of her quill. "Huh, I thought it would be something more, but isn't this just a seat indicator or something?"
"I think that in itself is quite valuable, princess. I imagine some academics would be frothing at the mouth to even have the chance to glimpse at something as simple as this."
"Yeah well it's not wrong for me to expect something a lot less mundane now, is it?" Lumine threw her things into oblivion, staring at the seat while deep in thought before finally shrugging her shoulders. "Eh, whatever. Guess you can't expect much from a place where the adepti and their god hangs out."
"Not every historical site we come across is going to be full of treasures, you know?"
"It sure would be nice though." Xinyan remarked, as Paimon flew over towards her and began to sit on her shoulders as per usual much to Xinyan's delight. "Makes it that much more exciting of an experience, don't you think?"
"That's true." I nodded. "Besides, an influx of several hundred thousand Mora wouldn't hurt."
"Is Mora all you can think about in that head of yours, Yunyun?" Xinyan asked, sounding exasperated. "Mora this, Mora that; one of these days you'll come to realize that Mora could never buy you happiness."
"It's not my fault that a lot of things we need cost Mora, Xinyan." I replied, leaning against the tree bark as I basked in the sunlight streaming through the gaps between the leaves. "Also, I might not be able to buy happiness, but I sure as hell can buy things that make me happy. Even if I end up miserable, at least I'd be crying my eyes out inside the comfort of a lavish mansion instead of a dank and empty alleyway."
My response was met with a kick in the leg.
"There's just no winning against you, I swear." Xinyan sighed.
"That's why I'm the mouthpiece of the group while you remain the musician."
"And I'll happily take that position, thank you very much."
Suddenly, that same grinding sound began to resound once again, followed by the same banging sound and the clicking of heels as the figure of Ganyu emerged from the cave ahead of us.
"How was it?" Lumine asked.
"Uhm…."
Her troubled expression was enough of an indication as to how well the conversation must've gone.
"She gave her permission, but…."
"But?"
Ganyu contemplated what to say next, but in the end she simply shook her head and beckoned for us to come. "For now, let's make our way inside, Cloud Retainer would explain the rest."
The four of us looked at each other, before simply shrugging our shoulders and stood up and began following a step behind the half-adeptus.
Once we were in front of the entrance, which had the same appearance as an entrance to a domain normally would, the door started to open by itself, exposing the dark void that led to the adeptus' abode.
The sight of a black nothingness caused Xinyan to hesitate a bit, though with a slight nudge and encouragement from Lumine, she swallowed her fear and followed right after Ganyu stepped in with Paimon at her side.
"What are the odds that things would go favorably for us?"
"The same odds as me convincing Paimon to go into a strict diet."
"So… zero?"
"Slightly above zero." I said, briefly recalling the backup plan I've cooked up. "I'd like to leave a bit of leeway for things to go positively, but I'm not really holding my breath."
"And yet you don't seem too concerned about it."
The image of a certain god comes to mind. Working at a funeral parlor as he occasionally enjoyed a cup of osmanthus wine, living amongst the mortals as he took on a youthful visage to hide those rickety old bones of his.
The backup of all backups, should things go absolutely off the rails.
"Nope. Not at all."
___________________________________
Domains are such a fascinating place, really.
A place not quite connected to the outside world accessible through temple-like doors scattered all over Teyvat, with each domain having their own unique structure and mystery for any adventurers brave enough to explore.
Or for those of us endgame players with nothing better to do, a place we visit four times a day in order to get that perfect artifact roll, only to have the double crit stat piece that you spent six months grinding for become utter trash as the number 127 laughed mockingly at you as it sits next to the letters 'DEF.'
Oh how the game loves to take the piss at its players.
Thankfully for my heart, this is not one of those arenas with a giant withering tree at the end.
The moment the ripples in space subside and light returns into my eyes, I found myself standing on a platform made out of a giant floating rock. Two lanterns indicated the way forward, a path of rocks sewed together with large vines, as its glow gave light into the rather dark space illuminated only by a single moon.
[*whistle* An adepti's house sure is something else, huh?]
The familiar voice of Kamiyama suddenly resounded inside my head, as I felt the severed connection between us formed once again so suddenly like a switch has been flipped.
'A bunch of wasted space, really.' I remarked, taking in the sight of the clouds above and the rocks floating just below it. 'I mean, just look at how big this place is. You'd think they'd put some more thought into the interior of this place after living for thousands of years.'
[You are the last person I want to hear talking about interior decoration.]
'It's called having taste, Kamiyama.'
[If the depressing colors inside our house are what you call 'taste' then I'd rather not have one.]
'Monochrome is hardly a depressing choice of colors.'
[Compared to the vibrant Sumerian decor? It very much is.]
I scoffed, before focusing my attention to the outside world. Everyone seemed to be marveling at the sudden change of scenery while we continued following Ganyu's lead.
Once we reached the center of the next platform, Ganyu suddenly stopped. Before any of us can ask what's wrong however, a voice began to reverberate across the entire space.
"So these are the guests you mention, then?"
"Yes, Cloud Retainer." Ganyu answered, bowing her head a little.
The adepti thoughtfully hum, the ethereal quality within her voice rang pleasantly within my ears. "One has to admit, it's quite unlike you to be bringing other people along with you when you visit this one, Ganyu. Perhaps you have finally found the answer you're seeking for?"
Ganyu shook her head in denial.
"I see. That's quite unfortunate." Cloud Retainer sighed sadly, muttering something inaudible before she turned to address us. "One usually does not allow mortals to so casually disrupt the tranquility of this mountain, travelers, but since Ganyu has vouched for you personally, then this one shall grant you an opportunity.
"Prove yourself worthy of my audience. Find your way towards mine abode."
With that declaration, the voice faded into nothingness. Simultaneously, I could feel a slight rumble from the floor as a mechanism began to pop through the ground, bearing a red mark in the shape of a fire.
Right across the gap, numerous other floating rocks experienced the same thing, before a bridge began to form out of nothingness, connecting some of the rocks together, each of which emerged from inside the rocks themselves.
"Ugh… more bridges? Seriously?" Xinyan let out a groan, her body visibly shivered as she looked down towards the clouds below.
"And one of these again, too." I said, walking closer towards the elemental monument, feeling its rough texture as I tapped my finger against it. "Looks like you got your work cut out for you, Xinyan."
"Just like before, huh?"
"Mmhm."
Xinyan curled her lips, before moving away from the edge towards the monument. "Couldn't you just carry us all the way to the end?"
"I could."
I did think about it. After all, all Cloud Retainer said was to 'make our way to her abode' and not a word about how we got there in the first place. Clearly, the mechanism was very telling on how we should go about it, but really, there's nothing stopping me from just skipping everything.
"However, I'd say we're better off playing nice and go about it the 'correct' way."
Once she was close enough, she snapped her fingers, creating a small ball of fire that she flicked forward, lighting the entire monument as it lit up with a red light.
"Hmm… I guess. There's no telling how she'll react when we don't play by her rules, huh?"
"Yep. Better safe than sorry."
As soon as the monument was triggered, the platform across from us suddenly rotated, causing the bridge connected to it to dissipate into nothingness.
Once it finished moving, the bridge started to form once again, slowly making its way towards our platform as it inserted itself into a slot located right at the edge.
"It really is like last time." Xinyan mumbled, before giving me a nudge. "Looks like I'll be picking at that brain of yours again, Yunyun."
I grunted in response, before turning around and beckoned for the others to follow.
Walking through an unstable-looking rope bridge through a massive fall is bad enough, but when the bridge is transparent, with only several ancient inscriptions blocking the view, it really ups the ante.
"Can't wait to get out of this place already."
"Don't be such a baby." Lumine said, not minding the fact that I was practically crushing her hand. "There's not that many platforms around, so I'm sure it wouldn't take more than a few tries."
"If that's your attempt at reassuring me, then you can rest easy knowing that you completely and utterly failed."
"Shut up."
As expected, for each platform we ended up on, there's always an elemental monument waiting to be activated, each of which gave a different kind of puzzle to solve. One of them being a rip off of Simon says, while another one had the exact same mechanism like the torch puzzle we solved before.
For whatever reason though, slimes with all sorts of elemental infusion occasionally show up whenever we lit up some of the monuments. They were easily defeated, given how weak they were. It helps that I could simply throw them off the side, though not without a certain blonde complaining about how I ruined her opportunity to stretch her legs.
As we moved ever closer towards the end, I suddenly felt a shift in my weight. Looking towards the culprit, I was greeted with a face mirroring my own, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he walked alongside our group nonchalantly.
'Can I help you?'
[Not really.] Kamiyama drawled, a grin plastered on his face. [I just thought it'd be nice to have a walk sometimes. You know, an actual walk outside instead of that dreadful starry landscape that I've been stuck on.]
'Shouldn't you be inside making sure everything's in order?'
[Everything is in order, that's why I'm out here with you in the first place. Ah, tell your friend to turn that one on.]
I glanced towards the monuments placement, before acquiescing once I was sure it was the correct solution.
'Then double check everything.' The embers of pyro once more flew towards the construct, unlocking the seal preventing us from using the mechanism. 'I really do not want to feel the pain of losing my limb, thank you very much.'
[You know you don't really have to take it off, right? You can simply open it up with your arm still attached and it wouldn't make that much of a difference.]
'It's all about presentation, Kamiyama.' I gave a side glance towards him, subtly trying to reach towards him only to find my hand going right through his body. 'Gotta give the crowd a bit of that wow factor, you know?'
[It's unnecessary, I'm telling you.]
'Look, just leave the execution to me, alright? All you have to do is make sure I didn't end up squirming in pain by the end of it.'
[And I keep telling you that it's all set.] Kamiyama sighed, before shaking his head in an exaggerated manner. [You really ought to have some trust in me, Yuu.]
'Maybe if you're capable of making it so that body maintenance is unnecessary, I would be willing to give you more credit.'
[Perpetual motion is a myth and you know it. It's already a miracle that I was able to make this puppet work at all! Ah, it's that one by the way.]
Once I pointed out the solution to Xinyan, Kamiyama continued his rant.
[Look buddy, I'm an Rtawahist graduate, alright? I spent most of my life studying stars and shit. Not biology like those Amurtas, and certainly not the banned studies of mechanical lifeforms.] He separated himself from me, making his way towards a nearby tree as he leaned against it. [You would be kneeling in gratitude if you knew just how much work I had to do to put this thing together.
[And it's not just the lack of knowledge either.] Kamiyama huffed, still not done with his rant. [I'm breaking all sorts of cardinal sins just by working on this damn thing. Do you know how hard it was for me to evade the Akademiya's eyes and not get hounded by those Matra dogs?]
'Pretty hard, I imagine.' The image of Cyno instantly came to mind, especially when he still had the assistance of the Akasha Terminal. 'But what's this cardinal sins? It's the first I've heard of it.'
[The Six Cardinal Sins made by the sages.] Kamiyama spat with disgust in his eyes. [It's basically a restriction placed on certain subjects we couldn't research so as to 'prevent researchers from being devastated by their own knowledge.' Hmph, what a load of bullshit.]
'Wow, way to disregard your peers' well-being like that.' Assessing the monument's pattern once more, I pointed towards the next one for Xinyan to activate. 'Aren't there quite a lot of them exiled from the Akademiya? You know, those mad scholars in Aaru Village?'
[You're thinking of a different kind of madness, Yuu.] Kamiyama stopped to correct me before he went back screaming his head off. [I mean, I get it, but still! Why should I be limited in what I want to do because a few feeble-minded scholars couldn't take the burden of their own knowledge?!]
I raised an eyebrow at his answer. 'A few?'
Kamiyama paused, before finally relenting. [Okay, so maybe the number has gone past the hundreds based on records, but who gives a shit?! I need my research to be done just like anyone else's!]
'I didn't take you for the mad scientist type. No wonder you ended up being a convicted criminal.'
[I'm a perfectly sane scientist, thank you very much. Also, I'm not a convicted criminal, I was merely suspected of committing a crime, there's a big difference.]
'Uh huh. Huge difference. I'm sure those Matras would be inclined to agree with you.'
The sound of a rotating platform caught my attention as my focus shifted back towards the present.
"That should be the last one!"
Just as Xinyan said, the bridge began to form from the platform across from us, connecting our path directly towards where Cloud Retainer is.
[Aw man, already?] I let out a grunt of surprise at the sudden weight, prompting a worried look from Lumine which I quickly dismissed. [Why can't that adeptus scatter a few more stuff around? It hasn't even been ten minutes since I went out!]
'Well it's a good thing you can now return and make sure everything went flawlessly, huh?'
[And miss the greatest circus act of a lifetime? Hell no!] His complaint was followed with him incessantly tapping against my mask. [I will stay and watch you make a fool of yourself realtime and you can't do anything about it.]
'How I wish I could.'
I mentally sighed, before I walked alongside the rest of the group straight towards the adeptus waiting at the end of the road, with one more person following right next to me. Not that anyone else would notice.
"Sorry for not being much of a help, everyone." Ganyu, who has been relatively silent during the entire time we're inside the domain, suddenly spoke up. "Cloud Retainer made it a point for me to not interfere with her… uhm… test."
"It can't be helped if that's the case, Miss Ganyu. If that's what it takes for us to have an audience with her, then so be it."
It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Cloud Retainer acts this way, now that I think about it. I've grown used to seeing the Traveler acting casually around all the adepti that I forgot how arrogant they initially were.
No wonder Keqing dislikes them so much.
"Actually, with the topic of discussion being what it is, I'm actually surprised she's even willing to entertain us. I'd half expect her to simply banish us from this mountain."
"Uhm… about that…."
I turned to look at the secretary, who had a bashful look on her face. "I haven't actually told her about why I came here today…."
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide as they stared at Ganyu dumbfoundedly.
"What do you mean you haven't told her anything?
"When I told Cloud Retainer that I was bringing some people with me, she got a bit too excited." Ganyu looked away from us, trying to avoid the pressure coming from our collective gazes. "She kept going on about me finally bringing friends for a visit that she wouldn't stop to hear what I was saying…."
"Excited? Her?" Lumine asked incredulously. "Sure doesn't sound like it."
"Yeah! She was like, 'Prove yourself worthy of my audience!'" Paimon said in a deeper tone of voice in her attempt to mimic the adeptus. "She sounds like she couldn't be bothered to deal with us, if anything."
"She is excited. In her own way." Ganyu coughed into her hands before correcting her posture. "In any case, I'll be sure to let her know myself as soon as possible, so leave the rest to me."
With that, the conversation ended as we reached the end of the path.
And, after climbing one final set of stairs, we finally arrived at Cloud Retainer's abode.
If you could even call it that.
Admittedly, an open area surrounded by broken stone walls overgrown with thick greenery is hardly what I would call home, but hey, adeptus are illuminated beasts at the end of the day, so who am I to fault them for having a not-so-human taste when it comes to anything.
If there's anything worth noticing in this abode, it would be a large round table at the center of it all surrounded by six seats, both of which are made out of stone.
In front of each seat is a small cup, a large bowl, and a chopstick to go along with it. And with the amount of food prepared, it's practically a feast.
"I take it back, she is indeed very excited about this."
"Clearly."
I took a glance towards Ganyu, who was currently burying her head in her hands as she began muttering something. In contrast to her exasperation, Paimon was positively over the moon if the drool dripping out of her mouth is any indication.
"You have arrived. Good."
The same ethereal voice that greeted us the moment we stepped into her domain was now perched atop a large tree branch that broke through the large stone wall. The adeptus held her aloof gaze at us, with not so much as a twitch of the red marking under her eyes.
"One is most impressed. The path that leads to one's abode is beyond the abilities of the ordinary."
The white crane stretched her wings, showing off her beautiful white-blue plumes, before jumping off of the branch she stood on as she elegantly descended into the ground.
"The one before you is the adeptus, Cloud Retainer." The adeptus switched her gaze towards her kin, extending one of her wings as she beckoned for her to come closer. "Though this one is sure that Ganyu has told you about it already."
Though she looked embarrassed, Ganyu approached her without protest, even as Cloud Retainer's feathers brushed against her horn.
"Indeed she has." I replied as I focused my gaze towards the illuminated beast. "She spoke of how you would discuss your inventions alongside your comrades, and I must say, seeing the mechanisms you've created firsthand is quite impressive."
"You've surmised correctly." Cloud Retainer replied, with a tinge of pride in her voice. "All the mechanisms you've seen within this confined space are of one's creation, alongside numerous other technological accomplishments that even Guizhong and Rex Lapis found to be commendable.
"It would've been nice to have someone to inherit one's passion and knowledge when it comes to mechanics," Cloud Retainer craned her neck, looking directly towards Ganyu before she once again ruffled her hair, "but this little girl has already set her mind to follow Rex Lapis' footsteps."
"Are you disappointed?"
"She has worked tirelessly for thousands of years in order to assure the prosperity of Liyue Harbor, how could one ever be disappointed?"
Despite how red her cheeks are, Ganyu crooned at the praise.
"Besides, with how clumsy Ganyu is, one is worried that she would constantly injure herself when it comes to working with something as delicate as machinery, so perhaps it is for the best."
The half-adeptus' blush turned a deeper shade of red at her remark.
"Cloud Retainer!"
"It's true though, is it not? Even more so when you were still a child."
After continued protest from the embarrassed secretary, Cloud Retainer finally relented as she slowly retracted her wing.
"Hmm… this one merely wants to brighten the atmosphere somewhat." The adeptus sighed, before turning her gaze towards us. "Be that as it may, now that you've rightfully earned your audience, you may each take your seat. This one imagines that this would take a while, considering how rare a visit from Ganyu is."
"Ah yes, about that. I believe Miss Ganyu has something she wants to say before we begin."
"Truly? Then speak, child. What is it that you wish to tell me?"
Having been thrusted into the center of the stage, Ganyu's somewhat relaxed demeanor instantly vanished as she gripped the edges of her sleeves tightly.
"Ganyu? What's the matter?"
The half-adeptus took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself while gathering her courage. Eventually, she gritted her teeth and slowly opened her mouth.
"Rex Lapis… is dead."
The change was immediate.
Despite being at night time, this entire domain was rather warm in terms of temperature. Considering how the outside world is not even midday, the difference was probably something that Cloud Retainer can manipulate. Just goes to show how powerful adeptal energy can be.
The gentle blowing of the winds and the sound the leaves made disappeared without a trace as the domain sunk into complete silence. The already dark skies seem to turn even darker, followed by a noticeable drop in temperature.
"What did you just say?"
Any trace of kindness within the adeptus voice was gone, the somewhat approachable aura was snuffed out. What stood in front of us was no longer the mother figure of the secretary Ganyu, but the powerful adeptus that has served Rex Lapis for thousands of years.
The girls within the group began to gather together, their hands twitching as if ready to swing their weapon at any given time. Paimon was nowhere to be seen, probably already gone into hiding knowing that things can go horrible at any moment.
"Rex Lapis is dead." Ganyu repeated her words, this time without so much as a stutter. "He was killed during the Rite of Descension."
"Killed…?"
Cloud Retainer fell silent, before her gaze moved towards the horizon.
No one dared to speak a word, not wanting to accidentally aggravate the adeptus in any way. We simply waited for the adeptus to speak.
Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts as she began walking towards us and stopped just a few steps shy from my face, her towering figure cast a shadow upon us, further reducing what little visibility we had.
"You were sent here by the Qixing, weren't you?"
"Yes." I answered simply, trying to ignore the overbearing aura coming from her.
Cloud Retainer raised her head and began walking around us in a circle. "To think that they would let Rex Lapis be assassinated during the Rite of Descension… truly, how much more incompetent can the Qixing be?"
I felt Xinyan's back hitting mine as her hand harshly gripped the back of my robe, trying her best to remain standing in the face of an adeptus' wrath.
"And you two." Cloud Retainer stopped, her eyes squinted as it solely focused on me and Lumine. "Travelers blessed by the wind… outsiders. The gall to send outsiders into the adeptal realm in place of their own… their cowardice fills this one with disgust."
Lumine stood undaunted under the sheer pressure of Cloud Retainer's gaze, her right hand balled into a fist before it relaxed once again.
"To what end? To plead for mercy? Or perhaps they simply wish to throw someone else to the wolves in order to appease us adepti?" A harsh gust of wind blew towards us as the white crane fully extended her wing, her majesty made clear for all to see. "Answer me, outsiders."
"Cloud Retainer–"
"Silence, Ganyu." Her sharp words cut off any attempt to reason. "One might forgive your involvement in this scheme, but that does not mean that one will not be holding the Qixing accountable for the duty they failed to fulfill. Do not interfere."
In the face of her firm stance, Ganyu slowly backed down.
She looked towards us, mouthing a silent apology before lowering her head.
Satisfied with her kin's behaviour, Cloud Retainer once again addressed us. "Answer me, outsiders. What is it that the Qixing hopes to achieve?"
I silently took a deep breath, contemplating my words before I spoke.
"The Qixing wishes for the adepti to not take any hasty action, to hear their side of their story so as to prevent any unwanted conflict."
"A dialogue?" Cloud Retainer scoffed, her voice taking on a derisive tone. "Rex Lapis was murdered in the safety of Liyue Harbor, the safety that the Qixing failed to uphold. And the fact that you were sent here in the first place means that they have yet to catch the culprit.
"What is there to talk about, when the matter is clear as day?"
Before I could answer, Cloud Retainer folded her wings, and began making her way past us.
"It's obvious to this one that further talk would be a waste of everyone's time. This one shall squash Liyue Harbor first, and then convene with the other adepti."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean 'squash Liyue Harbor?!'" In a sudden burst of confidence, Xinyan screamed in disbelief at the adeptus. "You're an adepti aren't you?! You were sworn to protect the city with your life!"
"And protect it this one shall."
"By wiping Liyue off the face of Teyvat?!"
"A matter of such magnitude requires an equal response." Cloud Retainer stopped as she turned towards Xinyan. "This one has protected Liyue Harbor for 37 centuries, child. And in the face of a potential coup by nefarious actors, it's only right that exceptional measures must be taken."
A look of despair began to form on Xinyan's face. "How can you just say things like that…?"
Cloud Retainer didn't reply. She simply gave her a sympathetic look and turned away.
"Wait! Wait! You can't just do that!"
Before Xinyan could run off, I grabbed her shoulder and kept her in place. With the way Cloud Retainer is acting, I'm not risking her accidentally hurting anyone.
"What about the people?! Are you simply going to let them suffer?!"
"This one does not wish for further suffering to occur, hence why this one deems one's action necessary."
"Wha–?! How can you–?!" Xinyan stomped her feet in anger, and seeing that she couldn't get through to the adeptus, she turned towards her other kin. "Ganyu! Please, say something to her!"
"Do not interfere, Ganyu." Cloud Retainer coldly ordered.
Looking between her mother figure and her newfound friend, Ganyu looked conflicted as she could barely stammer a response.
"I… I…."
"Ganyu!" Xinyan continued to plead.
In the end, no matter how much she looked like she wanted to say something, Ganyu chose to remain silent.
Seeing the choice she made, tears began to form on Xinyan's face as she collapsed onto Lumine.
Trying her best to comfort the distraught Xinyan, Lumine gave a harsh glare towards Ganyu, one that she definitely noticed judging by her sudden flinch, before she turned away and focused her attention towards the departing adeptus.
"You destroying Liyue Harbor ran contrary to the contract you signed with Rex Lapis, you do realize that, right?"
Unlike Xinyan, who was full of despair as she pleaded her case, Lumine remained calm, though the underlying anger within her words and the tightly gripped sword in her hand betrayed how she truly felt at the moment.
"It would, should Rex Lapis still be alive. But he's dead now, is he not?" Despite her rather callous words, Cloud Retainer was visibly furious. "The contract this one has with Rex Lapis was nullified the moment he departed from this world. So no, outsider, this one is well within her authority to do so. For the sake of Liyue Harbor."
That ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Motherf–!"
With the last of her composure gone, winds began to gather into Lumine's hand, coating her dull sword in anemo energy. And in the blink of an eye, the sword disappeared from her hand, the only indication of where it was being the sound of wind being cut at high speed.
But just before it could hit its intended target, the sword stopped in midair.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, though she was quick to recover and immediately turned back.
"Yuu!"
"Don't, princess. Just don't."
Lumine's face contorted in fury, her fist slamming hard against the ground. "She's going to destroy Xinyan's home and you want me to do nothing?!"
"Yes." I nodded, much to her surprise. "Now please, stay there and let me handle it."
Ignoring her shocked expression, I crouched down towards Xinyan, who was still holding onto Lumine for dear life.
The distraught musician raised her head, her amber eyes made contact with me.
She raised her hand towards me, clearly struggling as she did so, before digging desperately towards my robe. "Please, Yuu… please stop her."
It was surprising honestly, to hear her call me by name for the first time in a while.
"Don't worry," I smiled, not that she could see it, as I carefully wiped the tears on her face, "everything will be just fine. Just hold on to this, alright?"
I took off my hat and placed it in front of her before I stood up and looked towards Lumine, who had visibly calmed down.
"Keep an eye on her, okay?"
"...okay." The blonde sat down, pulling Xinyan into a hug. "Don't do anything stupid, alright?"
"That, I can't promise."
I looked towards the side where the table was. There, sitting on one of the seats watching intently was Kamiyama. Who, as soon as he noticed me, nodded and gave me the all clear.
Feeling much more at ease, I took several steps forward before I called out towards the adeptus.
"Cloud Retainer."
"Save your breath, outsider." She replied curtly, not even bothering to look at me. "No amount of talking will change this one's mind. Liyue is in danger, and one would prefer it if you stop wasting one's time."
"Hmm… nothing I say will ever change your mind?"
"No."
"Even if I were to offer you a contract?"
At the mention of a contract, Cloud Retainer, who was just about to take flight, suddenly stopped.
"Are you perhaps making a fool of this one, outsider?"
"No, not at all." I shook my head, shrugging off the hostility she directed towards me. "I'm quite serious about it, you know? I'm not so ignorant as to not realize how… precious a contract is to the people of this nation. Especially to you adepti."
"Contracts, huh…." The adeptus' wings retracted, slowly moving away from the edge before stopping right in front of me. "Such cruel irony for you to repeatedly appeal to that notion knowing that the God of Contracts was mercilessly slaughtered."
"Yes, well, you're not exactly the paragon of morals now, are you?" I spat, motioning my hand towards the two girls behind me.
"Hmph, you say that you would sign a contract with this one," she continued, ignoring the jab I threw at her, "but really, why would this one ever agree to such a thing? What can this one possibly gain from it?"
"An opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
"Mmhm."
I turned around, making my way back towards the others as I slowly began to unlatch the guards attached to my forearm.
"I happen to have something in my possession that would definitely pique your interest. Doubly so since you seem to have a very vested interest in machines and mechanics in general."
"Do you, now?" Despite her skeptical tone, Cloud Retainer chose to follow me. "You might not realize it, outsider, but this one has seen and made a lot of things. Complicated machinery beyond your mortal comprehension. How could anything you have possibly worth a contract with this one?"
"Because it is something personally created by one of the Seven."
The white crane's eyes widened as the feathers of her body began to ruffle in surprise.
For the first time since we entered this place, Cloud Retainer's aloof demeanor cracked.
"...what did you say?"
"A personal creation of one of the Seven." I chuckled, amused by her shocked expression. "Specifically, a vessel made to contain the most precious of treasures. One given to those who survived the brutality of the Archon War."
The revelation elicited a shocked gasp from the adeptus.
"It can't be… a gnosis?"
"Bingo!"
Applause began to ring out throughout the silent domain, courtesy of yours truly. And to think that she couldn't look any more surprised than she already is, what a sight to behold.
"Specifically, of the electro variety."
I could see it in her eyes already.
"Personally handcrafted by the Raiden Shogun herself." I paused, before continuing in a whisper. "Ah, but don't ask me why she would do that in the first place, alright? It would be no exaggeration to call it a matter of national security, after all."
The heated gaze of someone that holds their passion near and dear to her heart.
"I am offering you the opportunity to study such a precious thing." With a gesture not unlike that of a salesman, I continued my pitch. "And all you have to do in order to obtain such an opportunity, is to agree to several conditions of–"
"Where is it?"
Hook, line, and sinker.
Ah, don't you just love it when things go the way you want them to?
"Impatient, aren't we?" Once I managed to unlock the damned thing, I began to slid the left side of my robe off, exposing my left arm.
"You're promising something with a value you don't seem to comprehend, traveler."
"I disagree with that statement, but do go on."
"Such a precious thing…." Cloud Retainer's eye turned cloudy, her focus seemingly somewhere far away. "Surely you don't expect me to agree to anything if you can't show it to me?"
"But I am though?"
"What do you mean?"
"For someone that boasted about having the acknowledgement of Rex Lapis, you look quite the ignoramus right now."
Before she could protest, I tightly grip my left arm, pressing the indentation that wasn't there before and began to carefully but quickly pull it out.
And just like that, it came off.
As promised, the process turned out to be painless. Though the void of what was supposed to be where my arm was did bring about a slight imbalance to my body, but that's a non-issue.
"I mean, you have been looking at me quite intently for the past several minutes, haven't you?"
This time, I could others gasp along with the adeptus, who looked absolutely floored right now.
With another press of an indentation, the arm slowly opened, exposing the numerous gears connected to one another, alongside several rods made out of unknown material that moved alongside the cover.
"A masterpiece of creation, don't you think?"
"You…."
No longer was she the cold and aloof adeptus that was about to rain judgment upon an entire nation.
"You're not a human…."
Instead, she was more akin to a child granted permission by her parents to buy all the candy she could ever want for the day.
"Quite the astute observation from our dear Cloud Retainer!" The inner salesman within me continued with an exaggerated tone. "I would give you yet another round of applause, but… well, as you can see, it's not quite possible at the moment."
After closing my left arm, I began to wave the thing with my right hand at her to emphasize my point.
"So what do you say, oh mighty illuminated beast?"
I stared directly into her feverish eye, ready to deliver the final nail in the coffin.
"Would you like to sign a contract?"