Chapter 2: Terra Inter Columnis
Captain Beidou stood on the steep rocky mountainside. Above her was the overcast gray sky of a Liyue autumn dawn. Below her was the rippling ocean, stretching as far as the eye could see and even further, all the way to Inazuma and beyond. It was on her way back from a trade (a very profitable one, at that) when she stopped at Guyun Stone Forest: a series of islands with "stone spears" thrown by Rex Lapis. Or whatever. She didn't care much for those stories. To her, Guyun was a bunch of craggy mountains in the ocean which would tear her ship's keel apart if she was any lesser of a captain or navigator.
Guyun was always her favorite place to stop. It was quiet, a good place for her crew to rest and recover after sailing for days, but it also proved a good challenge if you knew where to look. Various slimes and hilichurls had made their camps on the sandbars. There was a strange cube-shaped thing Liyue's residents called a Geo Hypostasis. That was a tough one to beat. It sent her adrenaline spiking every time she fought it. Occasionally, she could find a Fatui mage investigating the abandoned ruins of the islands. However, what wasn't normal was seeing an entire ship belonging to the same organization.
The fleet was unmistakable. She could recognize that damn symbol anywhere. The four eyes arranged into a cross surrounded by those weird-looking spikes. While she hadn't been present for the battle at Liyue Harbor with Osial, she had heard from her traveler friend that the Fatui were behind it. Specifically, two of the Harbingers. She hadn't had many pleasant encounters with them herself. She still remembered the time five of her crew died at their hands. They were horrible human beings, if she could even think of them as that.
That was why she wore a scowl as she watched them move around on their ship, like little ants. Ready to be squished. They hadn't seen her. Yet. The Crux was anchored behind the largest mountain of the stone forest. Soon, though, they would undoubtedly be snooping around the islands, looking for new trouble to get into.
Guyun was supposedly also Osial's grave. Beidou silently cursed them if they were here to revive the ancient god yet again. That was why she had sent her best scout out on a rowboat to Liyue Harbor. The city needed to be warned. Despite her disagreements with the Tianquan, Ningguang, it was her responsibility to alert her. For now, the rest of the Crux's crew was on strict orders to remain onboard. They moaned and groaned about not being able to stretch their legs on land, but Beidou silenced them with a glare. None would dare disrespect Captain Beidou.
That being said, there was one exception. She brought one of her newest members, and faithful advisor, with her. Kaedehara Kazuha. Inazuma native, but more loyal to her than his homeland. He was an expert swordsman and a vision holder. She could admit he was perhaps as strong as her, if not more, a compliment that didn't often cross her mind. If the Fatui agents spotted her, he would help. She knew that.
"I have never had the chance to duel with the Fatui," Kazuha said. "I would like to test out my skills, perhaps, if they find us. It's been quite a while since I've fought."
"Believe me, it's better to not pick a bone with these guys when they're all together," Beidou said. "As much as they deserve an ass-kicking, I'm not even gonna jump in and fight."
"An enemy that has the potential to intimidate even Captain Beidou?" There was less mockery in Kazuha's voice, and more wonder. "Interesting. My initial judgement may be wrong, but I don't sense much of a threat from them."
"Ha! Yeah, 'cause they're just the lackeys. I bet most of them don't even have visions. You kill enough of them though, and you bring out their leader. Could be a stronger agent or a Harbinger, who knows. I don't wanna risk the Harbinger, though. Better to be careful after the Osial incident."
"A Harbinger… Osial… Ah, yes, that's what Lumine told us of, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, in that case, may the Anemo Archon bless the winds so we may return to Liyue Harbor swiftly."
"Blessings or not, we're getting back. Even if I have to take down their ship."
Kazuha hummed a song as they climbed down from their post.
By the time they had crossed the bridge into Liyue Harbor, the three girls and two companions longed for a comfortable bed and rest. Lumine's eyes threatened to stay closed every time she blinked. They were heavy from watching both the road in front of her and behind her. Paimon drifted near her shoulder. Even though she hadn't walked a step, she felt the same as Lumine. Xiangling looked about ready to make Guoba carry her the rest of the way home. If he was any larger, he would have already had the chef on his back. Yanfei appeared to be the only one who had gotten any sleep. In reality, though, she hadn't slept for even a second.
The group halted their slow steps as they reached the bottom of the staircase rising into the majestic city.
Xiangling let out an audible yawn. "So…" She stretched, pulling her arms over her head. "What was the point in waking me up all of a sudden and running away? Since you guys wouldn't tell me until we got back."
Lumine and Yanfei shared a glance. "Lumine thought she heard something. I didn't hear it, but I figured it would be smarter to leave," Yanfei said.
"At first, the voice just said my name," Lumine said. "But then, it yelled at me to wake up. It sounded dangerous, I guess." She ducked her head sheepishly. Maybe it was nothing to be so freaked out over. Now, standing in the middle of the bustling docks and market, the previous night could be laughed off. Her fear dissipated into the energy of the life around her.
"Really?" Paimon said. "What if… it was a ghost?" She squealed.
"It could have been! I've seen ghosts around before. Like at Wangshu Inn or in the mountains to the east of it. Oh, I know! We should ask Hu Tao. She's an expert on ghosts and creepy things. Or we could ask Chongyun!"
"Ghosts?" Yanfei repeated. "I really don't think so. Their existence is debatable, anyways. I've never seen a ghost in all my travels, and no book I've ever read has confirmed their existence. Those that do are sketchy, at best. It's most likely your imagination, Xiangling."
"Says the half-adeptus," Xiangling muttered just loud enough for Lumine to hear.
"Regardless, I have business I need to attend to. You both should go home and get some rest. Especially you, Lumine. Maybe we can travel again sometime soon." With a wave and a smile, Yanfei was gone.
"I swear! She thinks I'm dumb half the time!" Xiangling growled. "She thinks that just because she's a law expert or whatever that she's sooooo much smarter than the rest of us."
"Don't get angry, Xiangling," Paimon said. "Yanfei didn't mean to offend you. Besides, she's just trying to help. Paimon was probably wrong about it being a ghost."
The remaining four shivered. The day seemed to grow colder.
"I guess." Xiangling shrugged. She yawned again. "I think I'm gonna head home too. You're invited over for food later. I've gotta do something with all this slime. You two are the perfect people to test out my new recipe! It'll be on me."
"Ehe… Thanks, Xiangling. Maybe we'll stop by," Paimon said.
"See you later!" Xiangling suddenly recovered a bout of energy as she ran up the stairs. Guoba whined, then followed after, albeit much more slowly.
Lumine and Paimon were left alone. Goosebumps traveled up Lumine's arms. Alone. She shivered again. She was still on edge, although she didn't know why.
"What now?" Paimon asked. "Paimon's pretty tired. Maybe we should just rest and then get something to eat later. But if you wanted to eat now, Paimon wouldn't complain."
"You can head back. I need to find someone first," Lumine said.
No one could have guessed that Xiangling, head chef of Wanmin Restaurant, had not slept very well the night before. She was hurrying around with her usual boundless energy. She dashed between taking orders, cooking on her stove, chopping ingredients, and adding her "special touches" to customers' dishes. Well, that last one she kept a secret. Her pouch of slime was out of view of the hungry eyes of her customers. Xiangling breathed in the scents of her cooking - sweet and spicy smells - and felt refreshed. Even Guoba seemed more lively than he had before.
The customers never ended, so Xiangling was thankful for her energy. She didn't have help today, either, since her father was away in Qingce village. He said he wanted to get some special ingredients from the farmers there. She didn't mind. More experience for her. One day, she would need to work on her own, when her father became old.
She was pleasantly surprised when two of her friends took seats on the stools of her restaurant.
"Chongyun! Xingqiu! What can I get for you?" She asked. She was balancing two plates on each of her arms. It was a wonder she didn't drop them as she balanced on one foot, the other kicking a piece of wood into the fire beneath her stove.
"Hello, Xiangling," Xingqiu said. "I'll have the crystal shrimp, please."
"I'll just have shaved ice," Chongyun said.
"Okay, one crystal shrimp, and- Really? Shaved ice? Why even come here if that's all you're gonna order?" Xiangling shot an insulted look at Chongyun.
"He dragged me here," Chongyun said as he pointed at Xingqiu.
"I did not. You wanted to spend time with me. He'll have something spicy," Xingqiu said.
"Alright! One Jueyun chili chicken!" Xiangling handed off her multitude of dishes to patient customers. They all dug in eagerly.
"Chili chicken? No. I can't-" Chongyun was cut off by his friend.
"It's so good though!" Xingqiu said.
Xiangling smiled as the two bickered. They hadn't been friends for too long, but they felt like family to her already. Xingqiu was so funny, with his pranks on Chongyun. He was funny too, but not in the same way. He had a weird quirk of not being able to handle heat. She liked messing with him, but she wasn't totally mean. She opened up a box and pulled out a chunk of ice, shaving thin slices off of it with a knife. She knew how to dilute the spice of the chilis as well. She cared for Chongyun, underneath her teasing.
"So, what have you two been up to?" Xiangling asked. She moved onto the task of slicing chilis.
"Oh, right!" Xingqiu stopped halfway through his next retort to Chongyun. "That's a story we wanted to tell you. We were at Mingyun. The abandoned village near Wangshu." Xingqiu was encouraged to continue by Xiangling. "Chongyun wished to try to see some of the rumored ghosts there. I was tempted to come along to a quiet place to practice my writing. Fog covered the entire village. It was scary, even."
Xiangling lowered her knife. The half-sliced chilis and untouched shrimp laid on the stained wooden table. Her gold eyes slowly moved from her craft to the boys. She was thankful no other customers had shown up since their arrival. Those who still remained were too engrossed in their meals to care about what anyone else was saying.
"I agree. I felt that something was off," Chongyun said.
"Anyways, Chongyun went off to one of the houses while I found a nice cliff to sit on. I barely pulled out my parchment and ink before he came running back. I thought he was a ghost at first." Xingqiu laughed, but the humor within it was light. The boy's face had grown pale.
Chongyun spoke next. "I was in a house on the edge of the village. It was the one that looked the least ruined. I waited there for a bit, but I didn't see any spirits. Then, I heard voices. I looked outside one of the holes in the wall and saw two figures on the cliff above. There was too much fog, so I couldn't tell who they were." Chongyun stopped. He stared down at his pale hands on the wooden surface in front of him. "All of a sudden, one of the people fell to the ground. I knew they were dead. It was a far fall. I went outside to look at the body. It was a Fatui agent."
"Fatui?" Xiangling repeated.
"Yes. I confirmed it," Xingqiu said. "A Fatui agent killed silently. And likely by hydro abilities. I could sense it, I guess. I am the only hydro user I know of in Liyue. Unless Lumine has learned how to. Last time I spoke to her, she did not."
"It couldn't have been her. She was with me all night," Xiangling said. "We were out on an adventure. Oh, that reminds me! Chongyun, do you know if ghosts can talk to people while they're sleeping?"
"Huh?" Chongyun met her eyes. "Why? Did something happen?"
Xiangling ushered them into her kitchen. She hurriedly explained the events of the previous night. No detail was left out. Even the warmth from the fire could not disperse the chill that settled over the three. Their meals had been forgotten.
Yanfei had her feet resting on a small box beneath her desk, on top of which stacks of papers and books sat. Three long documents were laid out separately in the center of the organized mess. One contract for each of her new jobs. One was about a stolen ring (not the first one of those); the second was about a dispute on fair prices of wood and stone; the third was about an alleged assault. All three were fairly simple, and she could reach a decision within the night. The problem was the satisfaction of her customers. They would not like the one night delay caused by her travels.
She sighed and turned her attention to her office's rear window. It overlooked the main road of the more expensive section of Liyue Harbor. She could see the staircase leading to the docks from her wide view. She liked watching the residents and non-residents of the city wander about their business for the day. It was a peek into the lives of others.
It was especially interesting to see suspicious figures. It gave her an idea of who to look out for the next time someone complained of a theft or assault.
Such as example A - a foreign-looking man. Young, but walking around with an aura like no one could touch him. Orange-colored hair. Tall. Lighter skin. Dressed in a gray and white suit with what looked like a red scarf or cape. He seemed to be searching for someone, judging by the way he studied the faces of those walking by him. He stopped outside a building. Before he walked in, Yanfei thought she saw a flash of blue on his hip - a vision.
A memory forced its way through the legal information and data clogging her mind. A warning from Granny. Following the Osial crisis, which Yanfei had not taken part in (to her disappointment), Granny told her that if she ever saw an orange-haired man with blue eyes and a red mask, to avoid him like a plague. Granny said that she learned this man was dangerous from Lumine. Could that have been the man she saw? She couldn't see his eyes from this distance, and he wasn't wearing a mask. But something about him was strange.
Yanfei decided her best action would be to report this to Granny. Just in case. It had been a while since she had visited the old adeptus anyway. She rose to her feet, aching again once she put her weight on them. Her customers could wait another few hours. But that was it. Then she had to put her child-like, adventurous side away, and focus on her work.
Yanfei pushed open her office's door and nearly knocked the woman outside to the ground. Her horns gave her away immediately. Ganyu, the half-adeptus, and member of the Qixing. She appeared startled, her multi-colored eyes wide. Yanfei quickly apologized.
"It's alright, Yanfei," Ganyu said. She gently laid a hand on the younger girl's arm. "I shouldn't have hesitated to knock."
"Hesitated? Why?" Yanfei asked. "Are you in need of legal assistance?"
"No, it's nothing like that." Ganyu lowered her hand. She looked to her left. Then her right. The hallway only lit by the setting sun's light was empty. "No one is in your room, right?" Yanfei shook her head. "Good. May I come in?"
Yanfei led the blue-haired woman into her office. It was messy. Had she known that someone as important as the Qixing's secretary would be over, she would have cleaned. Bookshelves were coated in a fine layer of dust. Yellowed pages were torn and left in stacks on the ground, bound by thin cords. Spiderwebs hung in the darker corners. Curtains and rugs had been stained by ink and unwashed for weeks. Someone as busy as Liyue's best legal advisor had little time for cleaning. Thankfully the door to her bedroom was closed.
Ganyu dropped herself onto the faded red couch against one wall. Her body seemed to sag as she did. Yanfei noted the dark circles under her eyes. She quickly apologized for the mess, but Ganyu didn't acknowledge it. She instead pressed a hand to her face. Her eyes took on a blank stare as she gazed at the documents hanging on a bulletin board across from her.
Yanfei spun her office chair around and sat in it. "What do you need from me?"
Ganyu breathed in and out slowly. She moved her gaze to Yanfei. "Lady Ningguang wishes to keep this a private matter. Only myself, Lady Ningguang, and the Yuheng of the Qixing know of this." She reached into a small bag tied to her thigh. "Before I begin, I need you to sign this contract. It just states that you will not tell anyone else of what I am going to tell you."
Yanfei rose and took the document from Ganyu's trembling hand. She swallowed as she read through its contents. In summary, it was a contract binding her to not speaking of the matter (as Ganyu had said). In addition, it stated that she must follow the Qixing's instructions regarding the mysterious matter. Involving outside individuals would constitute imprisonment, or even death. Yanfei blinked. How had she been dragged into whatever this was? Weighing her options, Yanfei picked up her pen and signed the contract in black ink.
"Good. I'm sorry, Yanfei, if this scares you," Ganyu said as she returned the paper to her bag. "Since you're ready, I will begin." Yanfei nodded. "Last night, we received word from Captain Beidou of the Crux that a Fatui ship was spotted near Guyun Stone Forest. Lady Ningguang wishes to avoid another conflict with them. She believes they want to revive Osial again. As such, she wants to build our defenses before our enemies have a chance to attack again. That is where you and I come in. Lady Ningguang wishes to contact the adepti for help yet again. Since we are both half-adepti, she believes we are the best representatives for both Liyue Harbor and the adepti themselves."
Yanfei stared agape at Ganyu. "I'm a representative? For the adepti?"
"Yes. Lady Ningguang wishes for us to start making preparations tonight."
"Lumine. I heard that you were looking for me."
Lumine jumped despite the calm, deep tone of his voice. She turned and saw the man she was searching for the whole day - Zhongli. Rex Lapis. She still couldn't really acknowledge him in that way. To her, he'd always be her careless guide to Liyue. Careless because he didn't care how much Mora he spent, or who it came from. Understandable, now that she knew his past, but still annoying. It was also annoying that he had given away his gnosis so freely. Especially to the Fatui. She felt disgust engulf her at the mention of their name.
"Hey Zhongli," Paimon said. She hovered to Lumine's side. "Yeah, she wanted to talk to you about something."
The Archon's amber eyes turned onto the traveler. Curiosity sparked through them. She hadn't attempted to contact him since the Rite of Parting.
"I'm sorry for bothering you," Lumine said.
"Not at all," Zhongli said. "In fact, I was going to look for you soon.
Lumine wondered what he meant by that. She could ask later, though. She sighed and turned to look over Liyue Harbor under the late evening sky. She stood in the exact spot she had spoken to Zhongli last, on the stone plaza in the highest area of the city. She pondered her next words as she took in the colors and assortment of smells and sounds the city offered her senses.
"Can you sense anything is wrong?" Lumine finally asked.
Zhongli was silent for a moment. "No. Although my power is limited without my gnosis, I cannot detect anything wrong in Liyue. Do you feel otherwise?"
"Kind of," Lumine said. "I've felt this way since yesterday. I was fighting a hilichurl camp, and some just disappeared. A strange voice spoke to me while I slept. And today, I've felt like someone's been watching me. I feel… afraid, I guess. Like something's not right."
What sounded like a laugh came from Zhongli. Lumine spun around. A slight smile pulled on the corners of his mouth. Lumine and Paimon looked at each other, puzzled.
"I believe I have an answer to all of your worries," Zhongli said. "Come with me." He began walking away. Lumine felt her heart beat a little faster. Paimon reassured her. Still, the feeling of something being wrong stuck with her.
Lumine and Paimon followed their guide past Madame Ping's station, down the stairs, past the pond below Bubu Pharmacy, and to the busy main street of Liyue Harbor. Zhongli led them to a set of familiar dark wooden doors. He placed a hand on its golden handles.
"Wait a minute!" Paimon yelled. Zhongli looked at her, now floating above his hand. "If you're gonna make us pay, then count us out! We've spent enough money on you and your reckless habits already."
"No need to worry. The payment has already been taken care of."
"By who?" Paimon asked, but was ignored. Lumine gave her a shrug. They followed Zhongli into the restaurant - Liuli Pavilion.
They were guided to their seats by a well-dressed man. Lumine sat down uneasily, with Paimon next to her. Her heart was beating even faster. Zhongli sat at the head of the table. Lumine opened her mouth, a barrage of questions waiting to be released, but she was stopped by him raising his hand.
"This is quite nostalgic, is it not?" Zhongli said. He offered a small smile and dropped his hand. "Before you ask anything of me, know that I am nothing but a messenger in this situation. I was asked to bring you here by a mutual friend, let's say. I do not believe either of us are in any danger by doing this. Do you understand?"
Lumine stared at him. Paimon did the same. They both spoke at the same time.
"How do you know he's not a risk?" Lumine asked.
"Who's the mutual friend?" Paimon asked.
"You will have to trust my intuition. I told you I believed nothing was wrong, yes? As to who it is, your traveler friend already knows, it seems." Paimon looked to Lumine with a confused look.
"Tell him I don't want to see him," Lumine said. Her heart raced.
"It's too late for that, now," Zhongli said. "That's why we're here."
With that, he entered from another room, sliding open the doors dividing them. He was the same as when she had last seen him. The same cocky smirk and vain way of holding himself. The same glow to his eyes that screamed danger now that she had had the chance of fighting him.
"Hey, girlie," Childe said.