The sun was dipping below the horizon when Lumine flashed into existence next to the waypoint atop the southern peak of Mr. Tianheng. Zhongli was mildly disappointed to note that she was once again wearing her customary garb rather than the fetching hanfu she'd donned for their last get-together. Only mildly, however; there was no denying that her otherworldly clothing suited her well.

Zhongli lifted a hand in greeting, and Lumine smiled warmly, trotting up to him to embrace him in a warm hug. The gesture was unexpected, but Zhongli returned one of his own. It was different from the comforting embrace that capped their previous date; it wasn't as emotionally intense. It was also far briefer, as Lumine released him after only a few seconds.

"It's good to see you again!" Lumine greeted. "I look forward to what you've prepared for me! I have to admit, I wasn't expecting our date to be so late in the evening." Then, slyly, "Trying to weasel out of paying for dinner?"

"I assure you, that was not the intention," Zhongli responded dryly. Her words did, however, remind him that he had, indeed, forgotten his wallet at home. Again. No matter; they would not need Mora this evening. Probably. "Paimon isn't with you tonight?"

"I left her in Xiangling's care. I doubt she's even noticed I'm gone," Lumine giggled. "It's just the two of us, tonight! I'm likely to get an earful from her later, though."

"Come," Zhongli beckoned. He led his companion to the cliff's edge. He sat cross-legged on the grass, and bade Lumine to follow his example.

Below them spread Liyue Harbor in all its majesty. As the sky darkened lights began to flicker into existence among the streets and houses of the city. Soon, the city was fully lit, a tapestry of glittering lights as majestic as the stars above. Zhongli inhaled the cool evening air and gazed lovingly at the civilization he'd spent so many years nurturing.

The cool evening breeze teased their hair as the two sat in silence, observing the city below. That silence was eventually broken. "So… um… what am I looking for, exactly?"

…Huh. "The city," Zhongli gestured broadly. "It is most lovely at night. Do you not agree?"

"Oh! Right!" Lumine chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, yes. It's… um… very pretty."

The former Archon found himself growing uncharacteristically annoyed. Liyue Harbor was more than just "pretty". It was nothing short of a miracle, having withstood the test of time and even the wrath of the gods themselves. "…pretty," Zhongli repeated, flatly.

Clearly aware that she was not providing the enthusiasm Zhongli was hoping for, Lumine stammered, "Well, it's just… I've been up here so many times. There's a great place to mine Noctilucous Jade over there on the other peak!" Lumine tried to smile reassuringly, but the attempt was less than convincing. "I mean the city was impressive at first, really! I've just… seen it so many times now." She brightened. "Oh, but the Lantern Festival! That really took my breath away! Seriously!"

Zhongli sighed, his irritation fading. Lumine clearly had meant no offense. It stung somewhat that she took his masterwork for granted so, but she was hardly the first to do so. Many in the city itself failed to appreciate its history. He felt hands on his arm, and turned his head to see Lumine looking up at him with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry," she said. "I realize that this means a lot to you."

"There is nothing to apologize for," Zhongli reassured her. "I confess that I'd hoped it would impress you, as well, but in truth this vista was intended for Guizhong."

Lumine looked embarrassed. "Ah, right. That is what I asked for. So she would have been impressed?"

"Liyue Harbor," Zhongli intoned. "Its history dates back more than three thousand years. It predates the Archon War, and survived it. It is now the oldest intact settlement on all of Teyvat. When war ravaged the homeland of Guizhong's people, many of them found shelter here. Their descendants survive to this day."

Zhongli sighed, closing his eyes. "I suppose that I was what I wish most that I could show her. That her efforts had not been in vain. That the people she loved live on, and are safe and happy."

"Hmm…" Lumine responded, turning her gaze once more on the city below. After a moment, "Yes, I think you're right. She would have loved to see this. Loved it very much." She turned her head to face Zhongli once more, and was wearing a brilliant smile, even as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Here," Zhongli offered, proffering a handkerchief.

Lumine accepted it with confusion, "What is this for…? Oh." She touched her face. "I'm crying. Actually, I suppose these are Guizhong's tears." She smiled again, a bit wistfully. "They're happy tears, though, I'm sure of it."

"Be that as it may," Zhongli said with a half-smile, "I must admit that I feel myself challenged by your poor response to my choice of location. Surely, Rex Lapis, Archon of Liyue should be able to come up with something capable of stealing the breath of even the vaunted Traveler?" He stood, then, and offered Lumine his hand.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that," Lumine answered coyly, accepting his grasp and pulling herself to her feet as well. She brushed off her dress. "I have seen a great many things in my travels. Do you really think you can impress me, o mighty Archon?"

"Our destination is Qingxu Pool. What I plan to show you has never been beheld by mortal eyes…"


A day's travel was conveniently shortened to an hour's by way of Lumine's teleportation. Qingxu Pool was one of the most breathtaking vistas in Liyue all on its own, with shimmering waterfalls, craggy stone columns, and the remnants of ancient buildings, once shrines devoted to the worship of the Geo Archon. Now, they were homes to a belligerent tribe of Hillichurls, but that was neither here nor there – not even the furious gestures or hostile cries of the creatures as they skirted their territory could detract from the majesty of the secluded valley.

This was not, however, what Zhongli planned to show his companion. Her eyes took in the sights with only mild interest. While he could not say for certain, Zhongli suspected the Traveler had been to this area before. Months ago, he'd sensed the activation of the Geo sigils which powered the decayed mechanisms of the temples, and it was most likely the doing of the woman beside him. She truly was a traveler; there were likely few corners of his nation that she had not explored.

That said, he was certain that their destination was one exception.

"We are here," Zhongli said, as the two of them ducked under a stone overhang. The cliff wall before them was blank and unadorned, and Lumine offered her companion a quizzical expression.

Zhongli touched the cliff face, and a Geo symbol shined briefly against the stone. The wall split in two, and slid apart, revealing a dusty passage beyond.

"Oh, come on. That's just not fair," Lumine snorted indignantly. Her fists were on her hips, and her expression was stormy. "There wasn't even the slightest hint that the cave was there! How was I supposed to find that?"

"Keeping this place hidden was the intent, my friend," Zhongli answered, wryly. "Did you think that every lost temple or hidden treasure would be adorned with a convenient puzzle to solve?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Lumine answered, defiantly. "It's worked for me up until now!"

"This place is a special case," Zhongli sighed, tracing his fingers along the walls as they walked. "This place, I wished to keep hidden. Forever, if possible. Close as it is to the Chasm, I've little doubt that the miners would have found their way to it in time, but when I sealed it away it was my hope to protect it from the ravages of time. Foolish, of course; time erodes all things, and there is no escaping its touch. But such was my desire when I sealed it away, all those years ago."

The tunnel was unlit, and soon the only dim lighting was that provided by the soft yellow glow of the former Archon's false Vision and the gems adorning the Traveler's clothes, currently glowing the same shade. He moved confidently, however, and judging by her unhesitant stride, Lumine seemed to trust his guidance.

After a few minutes, the two of them emerged into a large cavern, its dimensions hidden by the darkness. "Come," Zhongli beckoned. He guided Lumine to an outcropping, which in the dim glow seemed to be an outgrowth of crystal, smooth, unfaceted, and tapering to a sharp point, almost like a fang. It was slightly taller than Lumine was.

"What is it?" Lumine asked, cautiously regarding the unusual formation.

"Give it your power," Zhongli urged.

Hesitantly, Lumine touched the crystal and applied a surge of Geo energy. The crystal began to hum, a deep, sonorous tone, rich and clear. It glowed, as well, bright amber in color, and illuminating a larger portion of the cave. In the new light, other crystal outcrops could be seen, some jutting from the floor as the first had, others from the walls and ceiling. They came in different sizes.

Lumine took her hand away, and the glow and sound both faded. She moved to another crystal, and repeated the action. Once again, the stone lit up with both light and sound, though the sound was a new pitch, a bit higher than the first. "This is neat!" Lumine breathed, moving on to another crystal. A new tone, higher still.

"Observe," Zhongli suggested. Lumine drew away from the latest crystal, and watched her companion.

With a gesture, Zhongli summoned a stone stele, typical of the ones he used in combat, next to the first crystal. The stele began to resonate with Geo power, lighting up the crystal – which also began to resonate. The crystal nearest the first lit up as well, and the effect passed from crystal to crystal until the entire cavern was glowing with the bright light of more than a hundred, each with its own musical pitch. Rather than a discordant cacophony, though, the tones intermingled harmoniously, the musical sound profound and powerful.

After a time, the stele vanished, and the cave dimmed once more. Zhongli observed his companion, and was gratified to see her staring blankly, jaw slightly ajar and a bit of drool dripping down to her chin. "So, what did you think?"

The query managed to shake the girl out of her reverie. She blinked and wiped away the drool as she composed herself. "O-okay, I'll admit it," she admitted, shakily. "That was pretty incredible. And yes, I've never seen anything quite like it. You win, no contest. What was that? I could feel the music in my bones!"

Zhongli touched a crystal, fondly. "I trust you remember Azhdaha." At Lumine's nod, "As poorly as the years have treated him, he was once young. He was such a precious child; full of energy and eager to please. And so endlessly creative… This cavern is his work, a gift which he presented to me in happier, more peaceful times. It is one of my most treasured belongings, and one I took care to protect when war overtook the land. I enjoy coming here, every few centuries, to reminisce. Aside from Guizhong, you are the only one I've ever brought here."

"I'm honored," Lumine replied, and Zhongli could detect no mischief or sarcasm in her voice. She was clearly and honestly moved, and the thought pleased him greatly.

"It's a shame, though," his companion said, caressing a spire. Its hum and illumination brightened the chamber once again as she brought it to life.

"A shame?" Zhongli asked.

"Only three people have seen this now. It's so beautiful."

"Surely you understand my reluctance," Zhongli responded guardedly, immediately understanding the gist of Lumine's words. "It is very unlikely that this place would still exist today, were it better known."

"Perhaps. But you said yourself that its days are numbered," Lumine argued. "The Chasm is closed to miners, for now, but it'll reopen eventually. What then?"

Zhongli was silent.

"How about this: I can think of at least one more pair of eyes that should see this place…"


"This. Is. AWESOME!"

Any fatigue and irritation Xinyan may have harbored at the fact that she'd been roused from her slumber in the middle of the night by the Traveler and her odd choice of companion had completely faded as the resonating tones of the crystal chamber faded away. Paimon, who had indeed been more than a little cross with Lumine for abandoning her, was wide-eyed and silent.

"How did you find this place?" Xinyan asked, eagerly. "I've never heard a sound like this! It's incredible!"

"Zhongli's full of little surprises like this," Lumine replied, almost smugly, as she embraced Zhongli's arm.

"That so?" the pigtailed rock-'n'-roller replied, eyeing the tall man appraisingly. "Gotta admit, I heard from Hu Tao that the two of you were an item, and I didn't believe a word of it. If he's been showin' you things like this, though I reckon I can get behind it!"

Xinyan strode purposely toward a crystal spire. "I wanna give this a try!" she announced, reaching out to grasp the crystal.

"I don't think-" Zhongli began – but his voice trailed off as crystal under Xinyan's hands began to glow a brilliant crimson shade. Once again, a beautiful tone filled the room, but different. Rather than deep and sonorous, this sound was tinny, and at least an octave higher in pitch. Zhongli's eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. Azhdaha was by his nature able to absorb the power of other elements, and it seemed that this creation could, as well.

"So cool!" Xinyan chirped happily as she danced from crystal to crystal, lighting them up and playing with the tones. The sounds came randomly, at first, but soon she was playing a melody. She unslung her hodgepodge of an instrument and began to strum it, the bright tones intermingling with the crystals' in a brilliant harmony. Eventually, she struck final, powerful chord and posed with her back arched and head thrown back, eyes closed as the fading sounds washed over her.

"I never even dreamed there could be a place like this," the rock artist whispered audibly. She snapped straight and opened her eyes. "Ya gotta tell me," she asked Zhongli eagerly. "What does Cryo sound like? Dendro? I wanna know what this place is capable of!"

"I do not know," Zhongli admitted. "Prior to your performance just now, I had no idea the crystals could channel any power but Geo."

"Well, that won't do. That won't do at all!" Xinyan insisted. "I reckon I can rope Chongyun and Xingqiu into lendin' a hand."

"Oh, oh, Lumine can do Anemo!" Paimon said excitedly. "Electro and Dendro, though…"

"Leave it to me," Lumine promised.


"You did the right thing in bringing me here, Traveler," the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing nodded decisively. "It's not, strictly speaking, my department, but preservation of national treasures is one of the responsibilities of the Qixing – and there's no doubt in my mind that this place qualifies." Keqing placed a reverent hand on one of the crystals. "It's a miracle that this place has gone untouched for so long… how long did you say, Zhongli?"

"Roughly thirty-three hundred years," the former Archon responded.

"Amazing. I won't ask how you know; your track record when it comes to knowledge of Liyue's history is well known. You can rest assured that the Qixing will do everything in our power to ensure that it doesn't suffer the same fate as the ruins at Qiongji." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Overrun by Treasure Horders. Greedy oafs. It's a miracle they haven't unearthed this place yet, but you can bet they suspect something of importance is here, now that I've come. They have eyes everywhere. We'll have to work fast."

She paused, "I'm curious, though… I know why I'm here, but why are these other people?"

Xinyan was descending a rope from the cavern ceiling, having just affixed a cord of some kind to one of the crystals embedded there. The professional exorcist Chongyun was eyeing her warily, while Xingqiu relaxed against another crystal reading a book. Bright-eyed and curious, Yaoyao was ambling among the crystals.

"Well, we might not have been totally honest about why we brought you here," Paimon admitted. Lumine nodded. "Think of it like killing two birds with one stone."

"Two birds?" Keqing queried.

"Here, give this baby a try!" Xinyan shoved an odd device in front of the woman, a keyboard with a myriad of cords extending from the back and leading to various crystals throughout the cavern.

"Is this… an instrument?" Keqing asked, hesitantly. "But I don't know how to play…" She touched a key, and no sound was forthcoming.

"This is a brand-new instrument – NOBODY knows how to play it, yet!" Xinyan replied. "C'mon, give it a whirl! I promise I won't judge! Gotta use your Vision, though!"

With a look of doubt on her face, Keqing touched the key again, this time a faint spark of Electro energy dancing across her finger. Immediately, one of the ceiling crystals began to glow a soft purple and sing, the sound almost like a human voice, but more even and steady than any human could manage. Keqing tried a few more keys, and then several at once, the crystals singing in chorus. "Wow…" she breathed, clearly impressed.

"That's a great sound! It's almost like we got vocals," Xinyan crowed. "Now, mind giving Dendro a try, Yaoyao?" The young girl nodded vigorously, and almost bowled Keqing over in her eagerness to tickle the keys.

Each elemental representative took their turn. Dendro energy produced sounds that began loud and sharp but quickly faded into a soft hum. Anemo's sound was hollow and steady. Hydro was deep and rich, even lower pitched than Geo; the lowest notes could not even be heard as much as felt. The sound of Cryo was bright and reminiscent of wind chimes.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Xinyan was delighted. "I can already feel it starting to come together. Gimme a few days to write a score and we'll be able to put on a show like nothing that's ever been seen in Liyue! In all of Teyvat, even!"

"Put on a show?" Chongyun protested in a soft voice. While his voice was calm and measured, it was clear that he was put off by the suggestion. "I'm afraid I cannot agree to that. My work keeps me far too busy."

"I'm afraid I must concur," Keqing added.

"But think about it!" Paimon urged. "You said yourself that Treasure Horders are gonna be all over the place if we don't act fast! And in Liyue, if you wanna get people to act fast, the best way is to show that there's Mora to be made!"

"Well, I can't deny that," Keqing sighed, closing her eyes. "I will present a report to the Qixing this afternoon, and will include your suggestion."

"Whatever the case, please leave me out of it," Chongyun insisted. "I have nothing against the idea in principle, but there's simply no way that my constitution would be able to handle it." He gestured to Xinyan, "Without any offense intended, her performances are simply too much for me, I'm sorry." The young man quickly bowed, and left the chamber.

Once he'd left, Xingqiu closed his book. "I think it's a great idea, myself. I've played a number of instruments, but I've never played in a concert. I'd love to try. Don't worry about finding another Cryo player; I'll bring Chongyun around to the idea." He bowed, as well, and made his own exit.

"I'll be heading back, as well," Keqing said. "In the meantime, if you're serious about this concert plan you'd best start making preparations. This cavern is large, but there's a limit on how many people can fit inside, for instance. You'll need to take measurements." She paused, and leveled a serious gaze on Xinyan. "I love your music. I really do. Even so, I recommend you also refrain from your usual… exuberance in planning this performance. This cavern is a natural treasure, and it wouldn't do to damage it."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head on that one," Xinyan assured her. "Explosives are off the table, I promise. There's no way I'd put a place like this in danger!"

"But the public property of Liyue Harbor is fair game?" Keqing responded drily. Then she sighed. "I don't want to have this conversation now. There's too much to do, and I need to get started. Yaoyao, let's head back, okay? I'm sure Ganyu will be wondering where you are by now."

"Okay! Bye bye!" the young Dendro user chirped, and dutifully followed the Yuheng.

Once both had departed, Xinyan let out a triumphant yell. "All RIGHT! I'm so psyched! This is gonna be the most epic thing I've ever done, and I'm the kinda gal who likes to do three epic things before breakfast every day!" She grabbed Lumine in an enthusiastic hug, and to Zhongli's surprise pulled him into the embrace, as well. "Thank you both for gettin' this ball rollin'! I promise I'll make this chance worthwhile!" She released the two, and returned to her work attaching cables to the cavern crystals.

"Paimon can't wait to see what Xinyan comes up with!" Paimon said eagerly as the three of them walked along the tunnel leading back to the entrance. Lumine nodded agreement. Then, Paimon frowned and waved a scolding finger. "But just because you and lover boy here found something amazing doesn't mean you're off the hook. You know what Albedo said!"

"It's hard to have a proper date when you're a few yards away giving poor Zhongli the stink-eye," Lumine answered, annoyed. "And I'm fine, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"This Albedo, you mentioned him before," Zhongli prompted. "Did he tell you anything I should be concerned about?"

Paimon gave him a cross look, fists on her hips, "Only that your old girlfriend's personality could mmph umph bmph!"

"There's nothing for you to be concerned about," Lumine insisted, as she pulled Paimon into a less-than-gentle embrace, covering her mouth to stifle her protests. "I'll talk with Paimon about it. In private." She smiled sweetly. "In the meantime, it's my turn to plan our next date. It'll be hard to top this one, but I'm sure I'll think of something nice to do!"

"Oh, and one other thing," Lumine added coming to a stop. She turned to look up into Zhongli's eyes, smiling sweetly. "I had a wonderful time on our date. Do you mind if we end it with a kiss?" She tightened her grip a bit as the captive Paimon's struggles intensified.

While not a hint of it crossed his features, inwardly Zhongli was momentarily wary, remembering the almost animalistic hunger Lumine had displayed during their first kiss. There was none of that there, now. Lumine's expression was placid, with a hint of hope in it.

Much to his own surprise, Zhongli suddenly realized that he did want to kiss the woman before him. It was a desire he'd never experienced before. The reasons why he did now were complex, but possibly foremost among them, he realized that doing so would please her – and he wished very much to show his gratitude toward the woman who had done so much for him, and was doing so much for him, now.

"As you wish," he answered softly, leaning down and tilting Lumine's chin up with the fingers of one hand. His lips encompassed hers, and while he had little experience in the action, he felt the way Lumine's lips moved under his and did his best to match the motion. The feeling was warm and intimate, and he noticed that Lumine did not use her tongue, this time.

After a moment, the two separated, and Lumine sighed, dreamily. "That was nice. It's been a while since I was last kissed." She beamed brightly at Zhongli, once again. "I look forward to next time! Until then!" She waved, and skipped off, leaving Zhongli with his thoughts.

After the Traveler had departed, Zhongli reflected on the experience, the Traveler's warmth still fresh on his lips. Star Chaser. Magma Channeler. Both had, with his blessing, taken mortal mates. At the time, Zhongli could not understand their desire to do so, but had no good reason to oppose the unions.

Illuminated Beasts were exactly that: beasts of the wild who had attained enlightenment, and with that enlightenment came wisdom, immortality, and vast magical power. While one would, on occasion, aid another creature in attaining enlightenment, Illuminated Beasts did not mate or reproduce in the fashion that mortals and animals did. Base and earthly desires were left behind. There was little to be gained in coupling with a wild animal – and to the Illuminated Beasts, humans were little better.

In the time since Star Chaser had given birth to Ganyu, Zhongli's perspective on humans had changed considerably, and for the better. Nonetheless, even as he celebrated with Magma Channeler the birth of his daughter Yanfei, he still wondered how his friend could have come to bond so closely with such an ephemeral being as a human. Even the most admirable of humans he had known had vanished in a blink of an eye as time marched on.

Now, though... Even before the Traveler's run-in with the Memory of Dust, Zhongli had realized that Lumine was a remarkable individual. Her tenacity, bravery, and cleverness set her apart from other mortals, and Zhongli was proud to consider her a friend. In the past weeks, however, thoughts of her had occupied his mind more and more often. He was deeply moved that she was expending such effort on his behalf. He wanted to know more about her. What experiences had shaped her into the person she was, now? Was there anything he could do to bring more joy into her life?

The last one to occupy his thoughts so completely was Guizhong, he realized. He wondered, briefly, if he would like to have Lumine constantly at his side in the same way Guizhong had been, and the answer was an immediate affirmative. He would gladly forge such a Contract with the Traveler.

That, however, was an impossibility, he admitted to himself as cold reality reasserted itself. Lumine was a Traveler, and her mission would take her to parts of the world he could not follow. Retired or not, Archon or not, Zhongli was nonetheless still Morax, and the Archons of other lands would not take kindly to his uninvited intrusion into their domains.

Further, he needed to remember Lumine's goal in dating him in the first place. It was not thoughts of herself that she wished to put into his head, but those of Guizhong. He needed to remind himself that these were not meant to be dates with Lumine, but simulated dates with Guizhong.

He needed to remind himself… but it was becoming more and more difficult to do so…


Author's Notes:

This was the chapter where writer's block started to kick in! All the previous chapters were done in a few weeks, but this one stretched out over months, and it was months more before I finally began work on the next. Frankly, and somewhat embarrassingly, I was running out of ideas for interesting dates. And I'd only done three, so far! And one of them barely counted (the puzzle-solving date)!

While I consider myself a decently talented writer, I'm not great at outlining an entire work ahead of time. I'll have a few key scenes in mind that I want to write, and then write the rest of the story to connect them together. That connective tissue is often where my hang-ups appear; I just can't figure out how to smoothly get from point A to point B.

Anyway, I was overall satisfied with how this chapter turned out, even if it was a bit long. Really, my biggest concern was that Zhongli might have been falling for Lumine a bit too quickly. I felt I had to make SOME progress in that regard, though, considering that I was already starting to run dry of date ideas!

In regards to Zhongli's reluctance to travel, so far that's held up, in-game. He's been to Mondstadt, but Venti's pretty chill as far as Archons go, and the two seem to be buds, so I figure that's a reasonable exception. I could definitely see the Raiden Shogun as being displeased were he to show up in Inazuma, though – at least at this point in the storyline, when the Sakoku Decree is still in effect and Ei is going full-on isolationist. The other Archons are likewise not the same Archons who stood triumphant at the end of the Archon Wars, and Zhongli may or may not be on friendly terms with them.

Azhdaha's cavern was partly inspired by the Great Stalacpipe Organ in Luray Caverns, a tourist attraction in Virginia in the United States. The organ uses the stalactites in the cavern like the pipes of an organ to play music. It's pretty impressive to hear.

To my knowledge, the Adepti parents of Ganyu and Yanfei have never been named, so I came up with my own names for them.

Bringing Yaoyao into the cast was a bit of a risky move, given that we know very little about her at this point. I kinda went with the assumption that she's going to be an adorable little girl character, much like Klee – but for all I know her personality might be totally different. Given that my only other choices for Dendro were either Baizhu (who, I suspect, would have little interest in performing in a concert) or an original character, I decided to take the plunge. She'll only have a minor role in the story, so hopefully I won't misrepresent her too badly.

I also completed the Archon Quest introduced with Patch 2.7 this week, as well as Yelan's story quest, and both had something interesting that brushed against the canon-safeness of this work. I'd established in a previous Author's Note that I was running under the assumption that Zhongli was keeping his new identity private, even from other Adepti – but lo and behold, Xiao apparently still approached him directly to get permission to search for Bosacius! I suppose that if Zhongli were to make an exception for anyone, it would be Xiao.

As for Yelan's story. I was tickled that it included a reference to "a great treasure hidden by Zhongli in Qingxu Pool". A treasure, which, conveniently, was never actually unearthed over the course of the story quests. I wrote this chapter the better part of a year ago, however, and so obviously never intended Azhdaha's legacy to be the treasure referred to by this quest. With a few mental gymnastics, though, one can imagine that they are one and the same: People witnessed one of Zhongli's trips to visit the cavern, and legends of a treasure arose. In present-day, Fatui took interest, not realizing that the recently unearthed musical cavern WAS that treasure, and so proceeded as planned.

So, I haven't altered this or any other chapter, based on the new info.