The Snezhnayan Candidate I: Between Freedom and Contracts

by Biozardeer00

As Aether prepares to travel to Liyue in order to find his dear sister, an encounter with the Harbinger Signora left him spellbound and slowly turning into her servant. With the Abyss Order on the rise and the Fatui carrying out the will of the Tsaritsa, will Aether successfully resist the spell or submit entirely during the search? Aether x Harem. Numerous OCs are involved. AU.

8. Snow and Stone

Disclaimer, I don't own Genshin Impact while Mihoyo does, I only own my OCs and my ideas. Reviews, suggestions, and critiques are welcome but flames are to be extinguished.

Author's note: With Eula being an actual character now with the Lawrence Clan officially leaving the realm of background and manga lore, I'm going to say that I didn't think back then that they'd do it several chapters ago. At least it'll fit quite nicely with what I have planned for her when my story reaches her introduction.

Chapter 8: Snow and Stone

Six hours ago, past midnight at Liyue Harbor.

"Sir, need you personally see to such a routine matter?"

"Relax, I… have other matters to attend to as well."

"Hehe, excellent. Even if one day we can't continue business here, we can make it far away with this since the Qixing would pay a hefty sum to get their hands on it." Were the words of a particularly shady teahouse owner to a hostess within the darkness of the closed establishment's second floor, a lone bright lantern being the only source of light in the room that gave them silhouettes that moved on the wall.

"But Master, what about…the debt?" Her answer was hushed and fearful while holding onto a talisman that still had a small amount of adeptal energy within it, as if afraid that someone could be listening to their conversation despite their precautions of having it after business hours and with all the bamboo shutters pulled down to keep the outside from seeing them as well as locking all the doors. A hint of fear appeared on the bespectacled man's face and before he can give a reply about the predicament, a smooth voice spoke out from one of the shadow-filled corners of the teahouse.

"Oh yes, I'm here to collect that." The girl stopped her examination of the ancient object, dropping it in the process in her panicked state before rushing for a spare lantern while the owner felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. Feeling cold sweat as an idea of the intruder's identity popped up in his terror-filled mind when he saw a shining glint of blue that barely allowed him to see a glimpse of its source, he spoke out in a shaky voice. "Who's there?!"

"Quick, guards! Protect the Master!"

Tap

Tap

Tap

"No matter what it is you owe, you can't run from your debt." The hostess fumbled with the lantern in her hands before she eventually managed to get it lit and shine a light towards the direction of the voice. The apparent debt collector idly tapped his knee as he grew bored of waiting for the busy pair to finally notice his presence, he only opened his eyes when the light fully exposed his location. This particular teahouse owner certainly isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"F-Fatui?! Hmph… You can't just barge into a private residence! Guards! Show him how we treat unwelcome guests at Yanshang Teahouse!" Giving himself a burst of false bravado, the teahouse owner pointed an accusing finger at the young man who looked unimpressed with a gloved hand holding the side of his head which hardly moved when the sounds of heavy footsteps can be heard from downstairs and the Fatui Pyro Agent beside him who simply let his master handle everything as he said he would.

Two burly mercenaries with cudgels in hand barged into the room and charged towards the two Fatui, ready to fight for their paycheck. The orange-haired debt collector got up to end the battle swiftly, finding his foes unworthy for him to toy around with using his shoddy skill with a bow.

"Huh, not much for adversaries. Well, I could always use a bit of exercise." Two sabers created out of hardened hydro materialized in his grip before he assumed an offensive stance with his deep blue vision attached to his belt and moved forwards to swing his blades. The red banner that he wore as a cape gained a watery wisp effect as it blows like how it would in strong winds.

'Little more than lowly thugs fighting for mora. Maybe I should ask those Mystics for a sparring session."

One slash for each neck was all it took to kill them both before the killer walked in a relaxed pace towards the teahouse owner who looked at his guards in shock as they fell over dead almost immediately after failing to even land a single blow, he paid good money for this?! Those were his last thoughts the bespectacled man had as the dead-eyed warrior in front of him ripped open his throat with a crossed slash.

The hostess stared blankly at the one-sided massacre in front of her before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, the Agent known as Javert grabbed the lantern that she was holding to keep the fire within it from spreading and setting the entire teahouse ablaze. The blades disappeared with a quick movement of the debt collector's hands and then he picked up the small talisman that laid on the floor during the whole bloody ordeal.

"Shall I dispose of the girl to leave no witnesses?" Javert offered as he revealed a sacrificial knife that glinted coldly in the light, the blade approached the hostess's throat only for it to be pulled back when he was told not to kill her.

"No need, let her serve as a warning for the next owner to settle their debts in a timely manner."

"I never would have thought that an ordinary person had a Sigil of Permission in their possession. It's been years since anyone from the harbor city has seen one of these…" Javert followed his master that headed the Fatui Debt Collection division out of the corpse-filled room and into the hallway where he closed the door behind him only to get reprimanded in return when he noticed that his subordinate did not start rummaging through the dead owner's belongings.

"Your job is debt collection, yet you failed to check what other valuables he possessed that you might collect?" The hydro-wielding warrior narrowed his eyes when he glanced towards the Agent's direction who lowered his head in shame as he stood at attention with his arms behind his back. His focus soon returned to the talisman that levitated slightly above his open hand after he poured slight traces of elemental energy into it to see if it has some power left.

"Apologies, a dereliction of my duty. Let me rectify it immediately."

"Enough, let's go." Not like anything he owned could equal the value of a Sigil of Permission in the first place, now he has a talisman to turn in to the Northland Bank to have its worth compared to the debt that would be attached to the next owner of the Yanshang Teahouse if the amount is found lacking. Afterward, he'd deliver it to a Qixing acquaintance of his that has been collecting Sigils for a Rite to ask for a diplomatic favor and advance some of his own goals.

"Yes sir." In the eyes of the Fatui Agent Javert, the Eleven Harbingers have always been figures of lofty status to the point that he didn't mind whether they accept or refuse the apology of someone lowly like him. Javert only remembers one other time he was admonished by another Harbinger for his own failings, that time by the one known as Sandrone, back when he was just a new recruit.

Present time, City of Shengdi.

"They're handing out Visions, where did the Liyue Qixing get their hands on so many of them?"

"I've heard that they've requisitioned them from executed criminals, antique stores, and deceased civilians so the Yaoguang can hand them out to their youth." Freezing in his tracks after snapping out of his greed induced state after a slight chill came over him, Aether walked back to where he stood to watch the Rite of Prosperity and saw that the only woman of the four had moved further back to do just that, those that are still children all the way to their young twenties had formed lines to take turns touching each crystal orb-like gem within a luxurious chest in the hopes that they would get lucky and trigger a reaction in front of the Qixing.

'I wonder if that Vision that Fatui sto-took from Jean is in there.' Aether thought as his mind snapped to a memory of Jean getting molested by the Cicin Mage to make her drop her guard after he thought of them confiscating the Pyro vision from the executed criminal for this very reason, he blushed and shook his head. As unruly the act was, it wasn't entirely unpleasant for him to look. No, bad Aether! It was just a cheap tactic that the Fatui used to make Jean drop her guard.

"Hey, maybe I'd get lucky and get a vision if I got down there."

"Good luck on that, you're going to need it. Looks like lots of them failed already." Aether slapped himself at the idea of himself in the Cicin Mage's position and drew strange looks, he scampered away from the foreign area with a look of embarrassment and followed some of the tourists from Fontaine down the long winding wooden path into the main plaza that was blocked by bamboo fencing during the Rite which was only opened after it was over, he noticed that it sank into a small opening within the wood platform. It was still packed but now there was enough room for others to maneuver around the citizens.

He heard cheering and praises as people started to resonate with the dormant Visions, Aether tried to peek at the fortunate but there were too many people blocking the way so he chose to look for the Kaiyang at where he last saw him head a while ago. The Traveller saw some youthful individuals being carried around the crowd in celebration for the momentous boon, less loud were the sounds of disappointment of those that failed to get their own Vision.

'Is this how people get their Visions, with raucous applause and cheers of their friends and families?' Aether thought as he continued on his search, the sea of citizenry and civilians of distant settlements took some time for him to move around and he managed to spot him talking to the same Major that spoke to him and Xinyan near the city gates.

"Congratulations on your new vision, Major Dian. I expect great things from you in the future."

"Thank you, milord. I promise to serve with distinction as one of the god's chosen." Dian said with respect, he didn't expect to resonate with the same exact Vision that was confiscated from that murderous fiend, the Infernal Lion that plagued Minlin for many years. He'd make doubly sure that he won't follow in his predecessor's footsteps. This is what Aether saw as the Millelith held the small red crystal gem in his hand before turning to accept the Traveller's praise.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to escort the pilgrims on their last day in Liyue." Aether opened his mouth to ask him about his words only for the Qixing to call out for him during his approach. Fumbling for the message that he materialized in his hands, the Kaiyang's face lit up with happiness before it disappeared.

"Follow me into the inner city, keep the letter to yourself until then. As the old Liyue saying goes: "The walls have ears." That is all the man had to say as he looked around as if expecting undesired eyes to be watching his current actions like a hawk, Aether had no idea why he had to act so cautiously in the heart of his own city surrounded by his own people but kept quiet in the walk towards a large gate guarded by two Hekatolith that stood at attention at his presence.

Wordlessly, they tapped the ground with their Lithic spears and the large gate opened for their lord. They didn't question Aether's presence and only gave him a curious glance through their yaksha-styled helmets before continuing to watch the Vision giving process with interest. Within the inner city, the only people he saw around were either affiliated with the local ministries or Fatui. Foundries and smithies churned out more specialized weaponry for the Kaiyang's army at a constant rate with the Northlanders maintaining a presence in each one to observe the process.

One building took his attention as the sounds of several explosions and gunfire rang out. There were entire lines of Millelith arquebusiers and slingers using their ranged weapons on captive Churls, bullets, and bombs slaughtered the helpless tribal creatures that are either bound to wooden posts or let loose from their metallic cages with their weapons tauntingly left in between the two sides. The abyss aligned creatures squealed like animals as they were mowed down by the troops who did so with relish as they were recruited from commoners who had their lands trampled by the creatures for years on end, churl limbs were split apart by explosives as Pyroslingers clapped with approval from the sidelines as the trainees that they taught, open fired on actual targets in an accurate manner.

"This is…"

"Terrifying? Awe-inspiring? Perhaps, but this is nothing compared to the capabilities of Snezhnaya's gunners or Inazuma's legendary arquebus corps. We are simply catching up after decades of military stagnation." Aether was speechless, their training regimen was quite brutal compared to what he saw of the Knights of Favonius that used training dummies or partners using non-lethal weapons. It's as if they're expecting to fight in a war instead of minor domestic skirmishes.

He had a feeling that the Kaiyang is trying to impress him enough to get him to do something for him after the letter is given, when the killing was done the floor beneath the corpses sunk into the ground to what he thinks is an underground area where it was changed with new prisoners that were brought up to suffer the same fate.

"I guess that this quite the use for the Hilichurls that are pretty much everywhere…"

"Indeed it is, if we can't clear them out quick enough before more of them appear then we'll just turn them into battle fodder." The Kaiyang said in a matter-of-fact tone, he didn't know how entire camps get repopulated after their inhabitants were culled in a matter of weeks but it no longer mattered to him. Whatever dark sorcery or breeding methods that the Abyss Order used to replenish their ranks of ensorcelled tribal thralls were of no concern to him at the moment as he had more pressing matters.

"Are you preparing for a war?" Aether asked, hoping that he didn't just shoot himself in the foot for asking such a question as a stranger.

"Of course, Mond can freely choose to invade us on a drunken whim and Inazuma could break isolation to pillage our fertile lands any day now with or without their Archon's approval." The militaristic Qixing's answer was sarcastic which was plainly obvious to the Traveller who knew that Jean and the Favonians won't do such a thing though he had no idea if Inazuma would as his knowledge of that nation was severely lacking. Aether shuddered at the notion of such a ridiculous future coming to pass, even if he pretended that Jean's dutiful and kind nature did a one-eighty in a blink of an eye so the scenario where she would have the Knights of Favonius invade Liyue could feasibly come to pass.

The casualties would be enormous because of the explosives and firearms alone and images of Fatui forces assisting to decimate the Favonians appeared in his head, it felt realistic and he could almost hear the sounds of battle and screams of the dying echoing in his ears and the idea of his friends perishing to sheer numbers was equally awful. The Kaiyang saw the chilled and fearful look on Aether's face, believing that he decided to humor him as the whole thing was absurd.

"It's merely a jest but if war does come to this land. I, we will be ready for it." The Traveller didn't doubt it and he didn't want to find out if Mond armor can withstand a volley of bullets. A name was inscribed on the building's entrance, the Engineer's Guild of Liyue. Aether wondered of its relation to the Adventurer's Guild if it had any as he saw engineers dismantling and rebuilding siege weaponry on the opposite side of the guild building.

"Now, the letter if you please."

"Huh, oh right." Aether replied absentmindedly as his attention was taken by the sight of cannons being wheeled to where the gunners are to test it, recalling a conversation that he overheard the night before about the sinking of Crux ships. The Qixing grabbed the letter that was still in his hand after it appeared, one minute of reading later and it was immediately crumpled up before being burnt to ash by ordering a fire-wielding thaumaturge to do it for him.

'Surely, he wouldn't test his own weapons on local folk heroes unless the Fatui no… Maybe some of the engineers sold it to smugglers…' If either the merchant or mage turned to see Aether's face, they'd notice that he's trying to make sense of it all while looking at a raging Mitachurl getting released from its metal cage to reach for its axe on the ground in front of it. Roaring at the sight of its lesser brethren's bloody remains, it charged the soldiers who simply fired at its knees which was enough for it to fall over and grab the axe that it managed to reach.

Instead of kneeling for the gunners behind them to fire a volley of rifle fire, they simply let the artillery bombard the large Churl to smithereens and light the area around it aflame. Aether's mind went towards Klee and her precious Dodoco doing the same to a certain Mister Fluffball as well as her mother's destructive actions through what he read in the Teyvat Travel Guide, he shook his head and turned away to wait for the Kaiyang until a woman with indigo hair styled in a bob cut dressed in the garbs of a Fatui bureaucrat similar to the secretaries of Liyue approach him in time for the parchment to burn to ash.

"A gift for you from Lord Pantalone, he sent it with full confidence that you'd get another one of the Qixing on board in short order."

"Did he now? Well, make sure you give him my thanks, High Administrator Svetlana. Ah, this must be one of those trinkets the Elite and privileged few within the Fatui has in their possession." The Kaiyang said with an impressed voice, opening the small gift box to see a small round gem that is deep brown in color within the jaws of a serpentine dragon made out of gold embedded on a glove. He knew exactly what it is, a mighty Delusion that few outside of the Fatui would even be able to get their hands on that has its own side effects of that ranged from exhaustion to death.

"Will he be able to attend the negotiations later to update the terms of the contract between Liyue and Snezhnaya?

"I'm afraid not, he's a very busy man. The owner of the Northland Bank and I will attend to represent his interests."

"Hmmm…Unfortunate." The Kaiyang already had an idea of who he would give the Delusion to and will make sure that he will know all the risks involved, Svetlana however was inwardly smirking at how things turned out under her lord's leadership. It was a stroke of genius using diplomacy to have the Liyueans fight for them in political and economic battlefields with an open hand instead of a closed fist with a hidden dagger like Master Dottore's methods within the Land of Contracts before he took over the local Fatui operations. Abducting children and forcefully conscripting the unwilling had terrible effects on international relations.

'Master Dottore should just stay in Sumeru with his experiments and let Lord Pantalone do everything else, Master Childe however…' The leader of Liyue's Fatui branch mused about the Harbingers as the Qixing closed the box. Aether believed that it was a Vision within the box and saw the merchant in a new light as he didn't bother trying to see if it would resonate with him and simply gave it to the thaumaturge with the orders to deliver it to the Lapis General. Yelling can be heard from what looks like a warehouse which got everyone's attention.

"This man is a traitor, my liege. He tried to bomb the foundries when the workers were occupied with the rite, if they had arrived any minute later. These buildings would be rubble, casualties would be plentiful and it'll incur millions in repair costs." A secretary affiliated with the Ministry of Military Affairs stated as two Millelith dragged in another soldier who looked terrible and covered with dust after attempting to flee his pursuers into the warehouses. His lamellar armor was poorly worn and his scrawny build indicated that it was not his profession.

"So what's your goal here, saboteur? Mindless destruction perhaps, got a kick out of fortunes being spent to repair the damages or even the death of the faithful?"

"The Fatui Harbingers paid me to destroy your industrial capacity." Upon those words being uttered, the Kaiyang snorted and took an arquebus from one of the soldiers that came with the small elemental explosives collected by vision wielders among them using their elemental sight placed in crates. He took one good look at the bombs that were clearly Snezhnayan in nature before smashing the butt of the firearm into the nose of the disguised soldier, breaking it in the process.

"You think I was born yesterday? They invested a vast sum of mora into all this and if there's one thing I know about sir Pantalone is that he hates his wealth going to waste!" The angered merchant shouted, beating the saboteur over and over with the bloody rifle that managed to remain undamaged. "You must be from that underground network of rats scurrying around from Snezhnaya to the rest of Teyvat."

"I-fweh work alone, you damned tyrant!" Spitting out a tooth out of his mouth, the bloody and black-eyed saboteur spat in the merchant's face which earned him a punch from a Hekatolith that was among the troops that attempted to corner the disguised soldier within the building.

"Take him away, I want to interrogate him myself. Svetlana, escort the Traveller to my office and you, Captain. Tell the blacksmith that I have need of his tools." Aether was wide-eyed as the woman led him to the Ministry of Military Affairs as the figure of the Kaiyang disappeared into the warehouse with several soldiers as the bloody-faced man ranted and raved like a madman while a lone Millelith rushed to the blacksmiths.

"YOUR CONTRACT IS A FARCE AND WHEN THE REST OF LIYUE HEARS OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE WICKED FATUI, YOUR CAREER WILL BE OVER! THE QIXING OF OLD WOULD BE ROLLING IN THEIR GRAVES, REX LAPIS AND THE ADEPTI WILL-AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!" Svetlana felt cold thrills as she almost danced while leading the blond foreigner into the direction of the largest building in the area, it was so refreshing to see a merchant be so willing to do the dirty work himself instead of shying away to let his own lackeys do it for him. Aether dumbly stared at the open door which was soon shut and enchanted with spells to keep the noise within from spilling out. He felt that he'll get nightmares about this moment and turned his head to forget the whole thing as soon as possible.

Led through a series of rooms and hallways after entering the halls of the Ministry of Military Affairs that governed Shengdi and the regions of Lisha as well as Minlin to the north. Aether was left inside the office all alone, if there was anything he could call the Liyuean room. It would be rustic as it was far simpler in appearance than most of the buildings outside, he knew that it would still cost a lot but the colors were less shiny and golden than some of the lands of some of the worlds he had traveled through with Lumine.

"I'll just wait here for a bit…" Aether told himself as he sat in one of the chairs facing the wall to the front, to pass the time he looked around to see bookshelves filled with books of geology, military tactics, and biographies of old Kaiyangs that were more plentiful than those of the other six Liyue Qixing. He figured that the merchant's responsibilities included Mining and the Military, the Traveller wondered what would the other six specialize in as he focused himself to pondering it to completely move on from the brutality.

"Gah!" Aether yelled in surprise as he was admiring the custom-made rifle hung on the wall in front of him only for the Kaiyang that owned the room to appear out of a shadowy portal in front of him. The merchant's clothes and hands were stained with dry blood which Aether eyed with apprehension, he simply apologised for the wait which in truth wasn't that long.

"While your aid in delivering the important message deserves ample compensation. It's not the only reason I wanted you to come here. To put it briefly, I want you to act in our interests to convince the Tianquan and the Mondsadters to allow the Fatui join and lead the Anti-Abyss Order task force that is to be created later today."

"What? No!" Aether blurted out, a part of him actually considered doing it for mora and other kinds of compensation but he managed to ignore it as it's not right. The Kaiyang wasn't fazed by the rejection as he heard of the heroics of the Hero of Mondstadt within the City of Freedom which would logically mean that he would prefer to side with them.

"Very well, then at least keep out of any official negotiations and let things run their course." He thought of it this time as he felt himself become more materialistic as the conversation went on, surely Jean and the Tianquan could prevail in the battle of words. Yes, he had faith in Jean. This was what he repeated in his own head over and over before finally opening his mouth.

"I agree on one condition. I want an entire armor set with the same properties of the Prototype Aegis with both elemental absorption and high durability."

"Done." Aether was about to clench his fist to reveal the shield but nearly fell off the chair when he immediately accepted, he thought that he would've stopped to consider the request as it would mean moving a part of the Fatui inventory to a stranger before remembering that such Prototypes were forged within Blackcliff Forge and locations similar to it, the Aegis may have Snezhnayan roots but its presence with the Prototype weapon batches would suggest that they have shared the secrets of its creation with Blackcliff.

"Fu Jin, right on time." Aether turned his head as a shadowy portal appeared right behind him, the Pyro Mystic that made the contract with him appeared without his mask. The Qixing pushed his papers and other objects on the table aside so the Mystic can take a seat beside the Traveller and place a luxurious chest on the desk. "As promised within the contract, one million and five hundred thousand mora paid in full."

Aether wordlessly got up as a sudden cold chill filled his body with sheer greed, a maddened look appeared in his eyes as he laid his sight upon the most mora he had ever seen in his life. Cryo markings appeared on his body which surprised the Kaiyang and Pyro Mystic, the former looked amused as it seemed he just stumbled upon a secret Fatui project and the latter a desire to send a letter to Snezhnaya to ask for further instructions.

'It's the number of La Signora.' Fu Jin knew what the number, snowflake and emblem thanks to his Fatui Elite training meant while the last two were utterly alien to him as he was no astrologist. He figured that it's related to the Fair Lady and the Cryo Archon in some way. They both watched as the Traveller store the mora as if he was a Treasure Hoarder before the markings disappeared when the chest was emptied entirely.

"It's time." The Kaiyang said excitedly when a part of the table lit up, there was a spell placed on it by a Mystic to show him exactly what's happening within any area of the city if he was preoccupied. An image appeared above the table which displayed what is currently happening in the front of the Grand Temple of Rex Lapis, seeing Aether's curiosity at the sound of chanting the Pyro Mystic performed a spell known as Mystic Art: Boundless Sight of his own to create another to show them both.

"People of Liyue, we have a heathen in our midst." He recognized the woman standing in front of the statue of the Geo Archon in his dragon form outside the majestic building, she had an ancient book of laws in her hands which she held high to show the excited crowd that was smaller than those that filled the plaza. It was the Yaoguang and she had two Mystics garbed in different shades of green flanking her.

"His crime is great and terrible, to try and break a contract that is the most sacred that can be made by mortals. A contract between sovereign nations by attempting to turn us against one another through slaughter and sabotage." Jeers can be heard from the crowd as a man in rags was dragged through the gate to the inner city and into the vicinity of the temple.

"His punishment will be death via the Wrath of the Rock invented by Rex Lapis himself as stated within this ancient book, The Comprehensive Compendium of Liyue Law that was written by the Tianquan of ages past." Her voice was magnified by the Elites who had their brethren hand out rocks to the crowd, the man that was still internally injured while the rest of his body was filled with scars and healed wounds from the torture the Kaiyang did to him to spill what he knew of the network was dragged towards the temple in chains. The man tried to protect himself as the rocks were thrown at him but the chains ensured that every pebble hit its mark despite his attempts.

"WRATH OF THE ROCK! WRATH OF THE ROCK!" The citizenry yelled as they hurled more and more as if Rex Lapis Himself commanded them to, the Anemo Mystic ensured that he survived the hail of stones by constantly healing him. Opening his mouth to question the sanity of everyone present, a rock was thrown at his forehead. Stumbling at the blow which also made his vision darken, he knew he should've died by now but the constant healing made sure that he'll barely feel a thing even if his body did.

"The Kaiyang is a tyrant, don't you all see?" He croaked out, his voice unable to be heard in the middle of all the yelling. The saboteur didn't have the energy to scream back, he wasted it all during the torture trying to resist every bash and every cut the merchant did to him using the tools of a blacksmith. He could remember it all clearly even now, the Qixing ensuring that no soldier or present Fatui touched him to get the information he desired.

"R-Rex Lapis, wouldn't have wanted this..." This time, only the female Mystic heard him which she replied by declaring that the punishment is intended by the Geo Archon for scum like him. Blood oozed from his wounds that were reopened by the rocks, they closed up thanks to the magic only for it to be torn open again as the rocks were thrown now were jagged. Has the entire city gone insane?

"It'll soon be over, heretic." The Mystic stated with a soft tone, she had no sympathy for him. She had been told that he tried to break an important contract and lay waste to the city, rather it excited her as she recalled tales of demon worshippers being treated like this by her ancestors after the Archon Wars. She's merely following in the footsteps of those that served directly under Rex Lapis. She yanked on the chain while continuing to heal him. They were nearly there.

A bald man with a brown mustache awaited them at the foot of the stairs leading up to the temple, unlike the other Mystics that wore robes. This one was shirtless and wore only long pants that matched his element. The saboteur was yanked forward by the chain towards the zealous martial artist who simply held hardened his stance before punching him in the face. He closed his eyes as he felt the fist smash into his face, his nose was already broken but the blow broke his jaw and crack his skull.

"URGH!" It felt worse than the rocks, he could feel more of his teeth fall out of his mouth as he coughed up blood. His vision was hazy and all he could make out in front of him was the tattoo of Rex Lapis seemingly roar at him, he didn't deserve it on his stony complexion. Morax wouldn't agree to any of this.

'Dying to a deranged tyrant and a host of fanatics, not what I expected after signing up to fight the Fatui and giving up my inheritance to my younger brother. At least all this suffering will be over…' His only regret is that he failed to resist the Fatui's lapdog until the end and gave up the names of his collaborators as well as everything else he knew of the underground movement. He can only hope that they continue where he failed and finally oust the Northlanders from Liyue someday.

"This is the end, contract breaker. Zhe!" A massive boulder arose from the ground beneath his feet, taking the Geo Mystic upwards high into the air before it moved slightly forwards. With a loud yell, he stomped his left foot onto the top of the boulder. It dropped like a meteor, from a height reaching the top of the temple.

"So this is old Liyuean justice." Said a young man with a short, choppy orange hair and dull blue eyes that had a red Fatui mask pulled off to one side of his head. He observed from within the cheering crowd, several Fatui were with him that had come from the embassy to see what all the commotion was about. Childe had refused the rocks offered to him and made sure his comrades did the same, no sense partaking in a tradition that isn't his own.

Truth be told he didn't expect much, from his time in Liyue Harbour all he saw that was done to punish wrongdoers were fines, property confiscation, and imprisonment at most which mattered less and less to those higher up in society. His respect grew for the locals here, Snezhnayan law was quite harsh but it protected those that abide by it all the same just like in this region.

"Is this what happens if you break a contract?" Aether gaped at the sight of the martial artist turned Mystic standing above where the saboteur had been moments before, his body was crushed into a bloody pulp and buried underground. The image vanished shortly after and the Kaiyang looked extremely proud of himself for reinstating the Wrath of the Rock execution within Western Liyue. He hoped that this would be a more common sight as he already had a plan to hunt down every single member of the archon forsaken group one region at a time, starting from those that hid within his city.

'Now we have an enemy to rally against, just like the demons and those that were deluded into worshipping them were for my ancestors after the Archon Wars.' The Kaiyang grinned inwardly, truthfully he didn't think much of them as before the attempted sabotage the network was practically little more than rumors and tall tales in Liyue's underground. Now he can take classify them as rebels to be caught and dealt with, he doubted that the attempts would end here since the saboteur has told him that they want the Fatui gone whatever means necessary and that they were getting desperate in their impatience.

"You'll be notified of the day, you'll have to return to have your measurements taken." Aether looked at himself and recalled how the Fatui are usually either wider or taller than he is. The Traveller excused himself and moved to leave the office and look for Xinyan. The Pyro Mystic was deep in thought as he wondered if he should keep the cryo markings to himself until the Harbinger gave him instructions ask the other Mystics for their suggestions of how he should proceed.

'I'm going to have to double no- triple think about any contracts I make in Liyue.' Retracing his steps through the same rooms and hallways he passed to reach the Qixing's office, Aether noticed that some of the Fatui bureaucrats that assist the secretaries looked alike and had odd keyholes on the collars at the back. He thought nothing of it and regarded it as mere fashion and coincidental resemblances.

The Ministry was busy, surprisingly so early in the morning. Its exterior even more so as the prior events that just happened were quickly pushed aside to fulfill the day-to-day duties at a normal pace. There were glances of curiosity at his exotic looks and clothing but nothing less than polite was uttered in his direction.

'Is that man blind?' Aether asked as a Mystic garbed in purple guided an elderly woman with pale eyes to a large building that faced the gate that led to the Temple District, he was quite patient as the blind civilian moved slowly. Passer byes moved aside for them in order for them to have a clear path to the Hall of Mysticism. Aether tailed the pair and he wasn't discreet as he wasn't planning to be.

"Is it the time of the month again, Xenjiao?"

"Yes it is, madam."

"Goodness, let me try and remember everything."

"Take as much time as you need, we have all day." The Mystic said gently, helping her sit on the wooden chair as he materialized a sketchbook and a pencil. He ignored Aether's presence as he moved to approach and have a closer look, seeing that it isn't a private affair as Fatuus were approaching to observe their actions.

"Whoa, I guess Borya isn't talking rubbish after all." Whistled a Pyroslinger, he leaned against the wall while he saw the Mystic flipped through pages of many drawings. The sketches of ancient demons and evil spirits filled the book, Aether was amazed at the drawings that looked real even though the beings were monstrous. Humans that were mutated into gaining sharp teeth and claws as well as all matter of other extra limbs, Regisvines that looked vicious with teeth growing on their vines and eyes within their corollas.

'At least Razor is not here to see this.' Aether stared at the latest sketch which was a four-eyed wolf that had grown demonic features such as thorn-like fur and spikes on its tail. There were others such as bony vishaps and contorted ghosts that had screaming faces around its body, he was amazed that any human could stand against such creatures.

"You going to scare kids with those or something?"

"Not just them, but anyone with a faithful soul. Many in Liyue may have forgotten the horrors that the ancient exorcists fought alongside the Adepti and the Yakshas that were plentiful but not here, the people must never forget their sacrifice and stay ever vigilant."

"Sounds just like a bunch of superstition and scary stories to me, I have never seen any of those things during my months of recon here with my squad."

"True demons and evil spirits are long gone, the most you'll see now is a bunch of angry wildlife and harmless ghosts." The Skirmisher snorted in disbelief and asked if any of the spooky demons have certain limbs, Aether wondered if the soldier's looking for a fight as the Mystic turned his head to see the Pyroslinger make crude hand gestures of a rather phallic nature. Aether was ready to head for cover at any sign of violence as the other Fatui nearby chuckled.

'Enjoy your restless nights filled with nightmares.' Xenjiao thought with a disgusted face, noting that he should ask around for his identity later and pay a visit to the barracks at night. He saw fit that the Mystic Arts that he learned from Exorcism-based spells that in turn were taught to their first users by the Adepti be used to punish those that take such things lightly even if it may seem petty.

"Could I take a look around the building?" The Electro Mystic waved him off and shooed him in as the old woman started to describe the demons she saw in her dreams, thinking him little more than a curious tourist with connections that'll soon leave as soon as the others wanted him to. All he said to him was to not bother anyone busy or touch anything he shouldn't. The smell of incense was strong as well as the sounds of prayer, religious decorations filled every inch of the walls and floors.

The Church back in Mondstadt was many times bigger than this but the location wasn't the temple of the local deity in the first place. A white-haired man garbed in bright clothes spoke to another Mystic deeper within the building, it was one of the Qixing, it sounded like he's inquiring about the opinion of the domestic Fatui Elite group as a whole about the Liyue Qixing. The Elite happily obliged, believing it to be a test of loyalty and faith as he had his Liyuean comrades draw names on seven papers to place on a table with several objects gathered from around the Hall of Mysticism.

"Flowers for the Yaoguang, mora for the Tianquan, meat for the Tianshu, wheat for the Tianji, mud for the Tianxuan, jade for the Kaiyang, and daggers stabbed into the Yuheng." The Tianji masked his true thoughts behind a mask of smiles. The Tianxuan and Yuheng seemed rather unpopular, the former held a monopoly over all legal forms of gambling and prostitution in Liyue after the Tianquan put forward her law reforms within the Pearl Galley while acting as a less than upstanding citizen that at least worshipped the Lord of Geo.

'Perhaps I'll give Keqing another warning to leave the west alone.' The Yuheng on the other hand was quite vocal about her heterodoxy and is the most well-known adamant skeptic of the modern age, her actions where she has tried to destroy her Vision countless times like the time she left it in a huge fire for three days and three nights, run over it with a minecart full of rocks, and even hurled it from the heights of the Jade Chamber became infamous throughout Liyue's more pious territories.

"Hmph. Let's be real here, but does Morax really know everything?" He still could remember those words that she uttered that caused quite an uproar especially with a family with a proud lineage that many thought she had become a disgrace to. Her radical actions have seen stellar results yes, but they have also attracted murmurings of opprobrium among those truly devoted to Rex Lapis. The Tianji's eyes looked around the area where the Mystics waited for his words with bowed heads, they were the exemplars of such belief which he had respected as many nowadays only desired to accumulate wealth for wealth's sake.

"Rex Lapis has watched over Liyue for a millennium. But what about the next millennium? What about the next ten, or the next hundred millennia? How long are we expecting this status quo to last?" This was one of her famed speeches that she recited at the last year's Rite of Descension, the Tianji could still remember how Rex Lapis Himself burst into hearty laughter before reciting the year's policies with a smile.

"Your choice of objects for each of the seven Qixing is quite unique. Please do continue to judge us and remind us if we stray from the path, do not fear any retaliation, and simply reveal your true thoughts." His words were chosen deliberately to not show whether he's happy or disappointed, he did not retain his position and thrive by doing business in Liyue by openly supporting a side. The Tianshu was quite similar to him in his neutral stances but he preferred softer policies than not.

"Such diligence is quite appreciated especially before the year's Rite of Descension." He praised as he turned to face the circle of Mystics currently creating new Sigils of Permission. A crystalline container far smaller than the ones that were filled with energy by the Adepti laid at the center of them, blank talismans by the dozens were placed on piles in front of each Mystic. They were hard at work, using blessed ink to replicate the symbols that were on the genuine articles in front of them before infusing them in the energy to get them ready for future uses.

"Thank you for your kind words, lord Tianji." He noticed the changing glances of a peculiar tourist with exotic blonde hair in between both sights, the Tianji thought little of it as it was normal for special guests to be allowed in the inner city either by the Qixing or the Fatui. Such accurate replicas that contained adeptal energies were a result of joint research between Liyue and Snezhnaya, he approved of it greatly as the few true sigils that Rex Lapis himself blessed for use by mortals during the Archon Wars to channel divine power became even rarer sights with further diminishing energies within as years passed.

It was one of a number of secrets made privy to him after he agreed to side with the Kaiyang and his pro-Fatui ambitions, he knew that the mining groups working directly under the Qixing implemented Snezhnayan technologies such as drills and geo charges to increase efficiency many times over and felt intrigued to see how it would improve harvest and fishing yields after they were given a Liyuean makeover.

'The stimulation of the local ley lines by the Adepti have already yielded more high-quality crops in a few years since the Rite of Prosperity became an annual custom than the whole nation has harvested in decades and if new technologies were combined with local spells and methods…'

Aether could feel that he was forgetting about something, he spent some time thinking about it before remembering that he was supposed to meet Xinyan after his business with the Kaiyang. A part of him wanted to check more of the hall but the other part won out with some difficulty, he gave the Qixing he recognized from the rite with a bowed head of respect before leaving.

Retracing his steps back to the Foreign District through the main plaza that now had one of the Yaoguang's personal aides take over in ceremonial garbs, the number of those that resonated with Visions had increased since last time but he still could see the line waiting for their turn still nigh endless from where he's standing. He didn't want to think how long the woman would have to stand to go through everyone as he doubted he could last as long-standing at a single place before keeling over due to exhaustion.

"Yo Aether!" Xinyan called out enthusiastically when she sighted her new friend leaving the gate to the main plaza, she was just finishing her Bamboo Shoot Soup that a merchant treated her to for attracting more attention to the area at a time where not many customers would show up. The rock star took her time tasting the meat and ham that she made sure to be extra slow as she wasn't sure how long Aether would take with his business.

"Xinyan, ready to return to Liyue Harbor?" Aether said with a smile at seeing her enjoy herself after going through quite the experience from last night and the grisly sights a while back. He looked around to see if he can see Kristoff but was slightly disappointed to see that he's nowhere to be seen. Xinyan licked her lips as she still could feel the strong flavor, oily and meaty just like how she liked 'em which were similar to the meals she usually had at the harbor city dockyard.

The number of civilians in the city that did not live there had mostly decreased, leaving the young that still had hopes of resonating with a dormant Vision. Aether and Xinyan had an easier time finding their way to the city gate without having to take side paths to avoid the crowds that were plentiful before the Rite. Millelith were escorting groups of villagers and townspeople back to their homes northwards in case of monster attacks.

"Now I see why they got those ballistae up there." Xinyan stared at the corpses of several Mitachurls skewered by bolts that were a part of a raiding party that tried their luck assaulting the city at dawn, neither them nor the Hilichurls managed to even touch the mighty walls. Millelith prodded the dead Churls with spears to check if any managed to survive the hail of arrows and ballista bolts. They had wooden cages wheeled around just in case, Xinyan looked away when one tried to scamper off from a pile of dead only for a soldier to trip it with his spear before another shoved it into one of the cages.

She did not want to find out what they would do to them, moving quickly towards the village on their side of Mount Tianheng. Aether managed to keep up with her as they happened to a commotion at what used to be a boarded-up town. They approached the agitated townspeople who were kept at bay by Millelith and Fatui Skirmishers.

"Let us through, Sergeant." Stated an old man barely able to restrain his temper, he was at the head of the commotion in front of a weeping woman consoled by her husband as their children cried openly. Xinyan and Aether tried to move around to see the reason as insults were thrown around. It was a Sumeran thief that split from the bandit gang they saw being apprehended before.

"Is that a crystal statue?" A small statue of Rex Lapis was shattered on the ground amongst other valuables, crops, and household objects that spilled out of a dropped sack in his attempt to flee before being discovered by the townspeople, a towering Anemoboxer Vanguard gripped the arm of the thief who struggled to escape from the imposing Skirmisher. He was sweating as a lone green eye stared back at him as he felt cold dread, he had already regret getting greedy instead of making a run for it when he saw his gang get arrested while he was hiding within the farm warehouse.

"My family saved up enough mora through two winters to buy that antique, can we at least claim justice with our own hands?" The grandpa stated in a pleading tone as the Millelith looked as if he's actually considering letting the townspeople through and let them do to the thief however they pleased. Xinyan had a bad feeling about the whole thing and took several steps back, Aether instead moved through the small gaps of the civilians until he was face to face to a Fatui Electrohammer who stared him down.

"We're so close to the harbor city, we'll be punished if the Ministry of Civil Affairs hears about this." A footsoldier said to the Sergeant, looking around to make sure that none of their civil servants is around to witness the act. He knew that things were handled differently in the regions of Lisha and Minlin compared to the rest of Liyue, punishments were old-fashioned and meted out by the locals instead of being left to the harbor authorities in the capital. In the end, it was not him who made the decision as the Fatui waited to see what he would do.

"A poor choice. Nekulturny bastard, now it is self-defense" The thief managed to calm down long enough to remember he had a dagger hidden on his person which he tried to pull out and stab the Anemoboxer in the only area he could see that was exposed which is his chin. The Skirmisher simply raised his other hand to let it fail to pierce his elemental anemo gauntlet before swatting it aside. The razor-edged dagger clattered uselessly against the dirt before the hand grabbed the horrified thief's throat and raise him into the air for all to see.

"HUAGKKK!"

"Here is your justice, people of Lisha." The Vanguard held the thief as high as he could, the Sumeran flailed his arms in a fruitless attempt to free his neck from the iron grip as his face paled with each passing second. Finally, the Skirmisher crushed the thief's windpipe when he decided that the townspeople had enough of his suffering.

CRACK

"Thank you honorable Fatui, my family is in your debt. Let us deal with his profane corpse, the ministry won't learn of this." The Anemoboxer wanted to say that defending himself doesn't warrant a debt but the idea of a bunch of civilians figuring out a way to pay him back through non-monetary means intrigued him. With him being newly deployed to Liyue from Snezhnaya, he didn't expect much from the locals but their desire to make those that disrespect their Archon regret it was quite admirable. If a statuette of the Tsaritsa was stolen and broken, heads will roll.

"About the crystal statuette, I'm sure the Northland Bank would be willing to cover the costs of its replacement as a sign of goodwill." The eyes of the parents widened as the old man nearly collapsed out of shock, thanking the Skirmisher profusely. He promised to remember the deed for the rest of his life and doubly make sure his family makes up for it.

'I doubt that it comes with no strings attached.' Aether thought even if a part of him doubts it that it's done out of generosity rather than an act to get in better graces with the Qixing to operate even more freely. The family still wept over the statue's destruction and begged for forgiveness to Rex Lapis for not being careful enough to not let a lowly thief discover its location within their home. The corpse was dragged away into the town to have it disposed of, the dagger was then taken away to be melted down to completely cover up everything that happened.

"I-I think we should return to Liyue Harbour and keep it to ourselves." Xinyan stuttered out, seeing the lifeless body get dragged away by regular civilians instead of the soldiers of either nation that parted split to resume their duties before the interruption. The townspeople returned to their homes and businesses to resume their day-to-day activities as if nothing had happened, Aether's arm was pulled away in the direction of Mount Tianheng by the disturbed musician as she found herself feeling comforted by his presence.

'She truly is soft-hearted' They went through the mountain and passed by the statues of the armored Yakshas, Xinyan stared at the statues and felt conflicted on if she should tattle on the townspeople or keep it to herself. Aether looked at the rockstar with a smile on his face as they slowly reached the west entrance to the city.

"No Millelith guarding the bridge into the harbor city." Aether noted as they walked into the farming village where they met, Xinyan decided that she should write a little something to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. One to let them know about what they just saw and the other to try and have the local Millelith stop haranguing her when she has her night concerts.

"I can go the rest of the way back on my own, thanks Aether. You should come to my next performance, you're going to love the new song I came up with!" Xinyan invited her new friend with a grin on her face, all that fear and nervousness evaporating as they crossed the wooden bridge together. She walked off in the other direction of Chihu Rock with a happy wave, Aether simply waved back and made his way to the Wanmin Restaurant.

"Having fun with your date, cutie? One of the Liyue Qixing's secretaries told me that she saw you sneaking into Lisha with a fiery girl. Am I not pretty enough for you? What would Amber think?" Aether's mouth hung open as a familiar sensation pressed itself against his back, Lisa giggled at his shock and horror as she had managed to sneak up on him after returning from the harbor's alchemy table to do a little practice with her potion crafting skills.

"Lisa I-"

"Now now, I can be persuaded to keep it from reaching our adorable little Outrider's ears. For a little help later of course." Lisa said with a smile, wrapping her arms around the Traveller who nodded dumbly, thank the Geo Archon that that secretary did not spot him making a contract with the Fatui or he'll be in hot water or electrified water in this case.

"Greeting gifts are a staple of Liyue's culture. We need to get one, not to curry favor or anything — just to... respect Liyue's culture!" Paimon said with the smartest voice she can muster as she scarfed down on the Springvale Boar dish that was Brook's specialty, Aether was glad that Xiangling kept to her word despite winning the culinary cook-off and has added the Springvale chef's recipe into the Wanmin Restaurant's menu.

"We're just discussing what we should do before meeting Ningguang the Tianquan. Want one?" Amber said with Grilled Tiger Fish kebab in hand, she occasionally glanced at the busy chef that had made a strong impression on them at Springvale. Xiangling was busy cooking with Guoba and her father Chef Mao to keep up with the number of orders from the surprisingly packed morning. He took the seat that was kept for him with the help of Baron Bunny as Lisa took her place which has her meal waiting for her which was filled by another Baron Bunny.

"So...What should we give to Ningguang when we see her?" Aether asked Paimon who stopped gorging herself long enough to think about it, the fish really was delicious with its salty flavor from its lightly picked and swiftly grilled appearance. The little fairy visibly exerted a great amount of effort in her brainstorming before she snapped her fingers.

"Oh, right! Paimon dreamed of an amazing snack last night — Sugar-Frosted Slime! Paimon has a feeling that it would be perfect for a super-rich person like Ningguang!"

"So, do you have a recipe?"

"Nope! But Paimon's sure that we just need to make it with some boom shaka-laka!" When Aether asked if she had an idea of how to actually make the snack, Paimon just repeated even more confidently that they'll succeed with a certain boom shaka-laka. He wondered what sort of person the Tianquan is as he had seen all but the two of the Liyue Qixing thanks to his trip to Shengdi.

'I think Paimon's idea would be better than whatever else I can come up with.' He could attempt to get his hands on an expensive gift with his newly acquired wealth but the only thing that will accomplish is a number of questions asked of him. His eyes observed the spacious restaurant and the few staff they had running from one place to another in addition to the father-daughter chef pair. Business sure is booming.

"Uh, where's Jean?"

"Jean's still asleep, cutie. No need to worry about her." The Librarian answered the Traveller's questions after she stopped eating her Mint Salad that felt refreshing in its combination of bitterness and spiciness. She told him that Varka sent her here to lead the group for another reason other than working with the Qixing which is to take it easy after he was notified about the Dandelion Knight fainting in her office during his return to Mondstadt. He knew that Jean would refuse any time off he offered her so he gave her a task that is important and less physically taxing.

'That's right, Jean collapsed that time so we had to take over for some time while the others set up a surprise party.' He remembered that incident clearly, everyone was so concerned about their Acting Grand Master and had him take credit for organizing the surprise party. Feeling warm all of a sudden, he recalled that Lisa gave him and Jean a personal one-to-one moment as if it's a situation in a romantic novel.

"Leaving the hustle and bustle of the banquet behind them, the two of them stood there, together in the quiet of the night, while the rest of the world melted away around them..." Were the words of the Librarian, Lisa giggled at the sight of Aether looking quite thoughtful before she finished her salad. She told them that they can make the gift without her as she's still feeling exhausted from yesterday's journey, letting out a yawn to make it more believable before leaving the restaurant after giving the still busy Xiangling a tip.

"Just leave it to us, we'll have the Sugar-Frosted Slime ready for the meeting in the afternoon!"

Author's note: There will be polls to decide the harem members for each nation, some of them are guaranteed a place while others will not be included like the children. It'll mostly decide the sub members of the harem.