A pot full of Qingxin tea and a few empty cups saved for one. Zhongli is familiar with the setup on the stone table. The number of cups may change and sometimes a jug of Osmanthus wine would take the place of the pot of tea but there would always be empty cups to match the empty seats around the table. He would pour himself a cup, savouring the scent of his drink before taking a sip of the liquid under the moonlit night. He would remember the days when there were more filled cups than the empty ones that surrounded the ceramic vessel that holds the drink. But now, where are those who would share those memories with him?

Zhongli remembers the first time he heard of the Traveller. Words whispered between passing merchants near the borders that separate Liyue and Mondstadt. The words are lost in the wind but the earth listens. He heard tales of a mysterious stranger swept up by a mighty gale created by one of Barbatos' Four Winds, thrown into the sky only to do battle with them. He heard of the stranger calling himself 'The Traveller', his name unmentioned. But it was only when Barbatos came to him, after talks of the Hero of Mondstadt had started to surface, that he became interested in the Traveller.

Zhongli sat at a stone table under the sea of stars and poured himself a cup of tea. He lifted the porcelain cup, taking in the smell of the tea before lifting it up to take a sip. A squall blew, taking the liquid out of the cup and onto his face. Zhongli sighed as he lowered the cup down to the table. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his face clean of the liquid before folding it and returning it into his pocket. He lifted his head to glare at the smiling culprit.

"Barbatos."

"Morax, it's good to see you again!"

"I wish I could say the same."

"Aw, don't be like that! I will be gone soon at the drop of a hat!" Venti said, smiling as he lowered himself into the seat at the opposite site. His smile was gone a second later however, his face and posture taking a serious turn. "I came with a request."

Zhongli raised his eyebrow in question at Venti and he gestured at him to continue.

"What do you know about the Traveller?"

"Word of him has spread in Liyue but he has yet to tread the ground of the domain."

"So you have heard of him but you do not know him yet," Venti paused while Zhongli poured himself a cup of tea. "Morax, I ask for your protection for him...and if I must bind myself to a contract, then let it be so, as long as it is he you must protect."

Zhongli frowned, the God of Freedom was willing to shackle himself for a single person. "The Traveller must be someone important to you."

"More than he knows."

Zhongli closed his eyes and considered the Anemo Archon's request. A few minutes passed and Zhongli opened his eyes again. "I will protect the Traveller at your request."

"And what is the price I must pay?"

"There is no contract. Therefore, there is no payment required."

"Thank you Morax."

"Call me Zhongli, for that is the name of this body."

"In that case, call me Venti."

"Venti, will you join me for tea?"

"I would love to but...I must return. I cannot stay for long, perhaps another time?"

They bid farewell and Venti left, leaving a fluttering breeze in his place. And Zhongli was left alone, staring at the teacups and wondering about the mysterious Traveller.

Zhongli thinks, as his chest ached at the emptiness of his missing Gnosis, if he had met the Traveller before the Tsaritsa came to him, would he have still agreed to the final contract as the Geo Archon?

The wind howled and the thunder roared but the earth gave no answer.

The first time Zhongli caught word of the Traveller travelling to Liyue, he followed the echoes of the Traveller's footsteps until he came to a stop in front of his Statue of the Seven. Zhongli listened to the Traveller's prayers and he could feel the resolution in the prayers. It was strange however, he could not feel the presence of a Vision but he could feel a source of elemental power nested deep inside the Traveller. Had Venti not granted the Traveller a Vision?

Zhongli sent a drop of power to the Traveller, enough to grant a Vision, only to feel the Geo energy get drawn into the Traveller instead.

"Aether? What's wrong?"

"Something looks different...do you see the white lines?"

"Huh?"

"I...I can see white lines. It wasn't there before. Paimon, what am I looking at?"

"Paimon sees that you're pointing at the wooden beam but Paimon doesn't understand."

"Oh! Edges! I can see edges now!"

Zhongli blinked in surprise. He had not expected the flow of the Geo energy to divert. It was as if the Traveller was the Vision himself. Had Venti known about this? Knowing that rascal, he probably knew.

"Mr. Zhongli, you seem happy."

"I am amused."

As the Traveller moved through Liyue, Zhongli listened to every rumor related to him. There were not many for the Traveller had yet to garner attention from the denizens of Liyue but there were still a few. Most of the rumors spoke of a kind blonde young man accompanied by a tiny fairy, seeking his sibling and is willing to lend a hand to help with any request. But a few doubted the Traveller's true intentions. Was he truly seeking a missing sibling or did he come here under the orders of the godless city of Mondstadt?

Zhongli listened as the Fatui continued to prepare for the final test.

"The final preparations will be done soon. You will uphold your end of the deal right?"

"Rest assured, I will not break the contract with the Tsaritsa."

Liyue may be unfamiliar with the Traveller but it seems that the same had not applied to the Fatui.

"The Traveller? Oh, him. We have met. Once. I wonder if he'll scream again if we meet."

The Fatui were very familiar with the Traveller even though they were not as active as they used to be in Mondstadt. When the Abyss Order had shown their heads in Mondstadt, the Fatui were there to ensure that their plans would not come to fruition. After all, not even the Tsaritsa would want humanity to die out. So when the Traveller came out of nowhere and had destroyed the Abyss Order's plans to the point that they were forced to withdraw, the Fatui branch in Mondstadt paid very close attention to the Hero of Mondstadt. Any scrap of information on the mysterious Traveller was collected, no matter how small the information may be. It also did not help that the Traveller had taken to fighting the Fatui whenever he met them.

The Fatui were also very 'willing' to share whatever information they had on the Traveller with Zhongli. It helped that the Cryo Archon specifically ordered them to comply with every single one of his requests.

According to the Fatui, the Traveller was an unknown entity, in that they are not sure if he is the second coming of Barbatos. He has clashed with the Fatui working outside of Mondstadt many times but has not attacked the ones inside Mondstadt.

As the Traveller neared Liyue Harbour, he had already gotten himself into many battles against Treasure Hoarders and Hilichurls. And in a few of those, there were almost fatal blows. 'Almost' in that every time a fatal blow was about to land upon the Traveller, a Geo shield would appear to protect him from the attack without fail.

"Paimon didn't know that you could create Geo shields!"

"It's not me! Why would I want to create something that would block out my elemental sight? I can't see through it!"

Zhongli believes that he is doing a great job at protecting the Traveller.

Zhongli remembers the first time he had seen the Traveller. The Traveller had finally reached Liyue Harbour, but Zhongli had been too busy with the preparations for his 'untimely demise'. As such, he had completely missed the Traveller setting foot into Liyue Harbour and had not seen him in the crowd who gathered to watch the summoning ritual. He did, however, notice the Traveller right after he dropped his empty former vessel on top of the ritual table.

In terms of giving first impressions as a Geo Archon, Zhongli admits that it could have been better.

Unfortunately, Zhongli was unable to approach the Traveller as the Millelith had reacted quickly and started closing off the exits. He kept his sights on the Traveller as the latter snuck past the soldiers who were busy questioning everyone on the scene with his fairy leading the way. He only took his eyes off the Traveller when a soldier approached him to ask for his recount of the event.

By the time the Millelith had reopened all the exits, the Traveller was long gone.

The first time Zhongli had officially met the Traveller in person, the Fatui Harbinger he had interacted with a few times had requested 'a meeting to introduce him to an interesting traveller who needs help to enter a heavily guarded place in Liyue because they need to get to Rex Lapis vessel'. Zhongli readily agreed to the meeting (but showed disapproval to the words used for the invitation) and left Childe to handle the preparations.

They met at Liuli Pavilion for lunch where Zhongli introduced himself as a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

The Traveller stood at the hallway, his mouth gaping open as he stared at Zhongli. Paimon appeared from behind and nudged the Traveller forward, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Zhongli, you're familiar with the history of the Geo Achon right?"

"Indeed I am."

"Have there ever been a case of two Geo Archons?"

"No. The Geo Archon had been one of the original seven Archons of Teyvat. He was never replaced since the Archon War. In any case, there can only be one Archon to control each element."

"Then has the Geo Archon been replaced yet?"

"As far as I know, there has been no news of a new Geo Archon to claim the place of the previous one. By all accounts, the killer of Rex Lapis may lay claim to the seat of power left behind by the Geo Archon. But so far, none have stepped up to do so."

They talked over lunch and Zhongli took the opportunity to observe the Traveller with his own eyes.

The earth listens but it can never paint an accurate picture.

As Zhongli broke down the details of the contract, he watched as the Traveller's companion piled a mountain of food onto the Traveller's plate while the latter was busy listening to him. Childe interjected into the conversation once in a while, to offer his opinion on a few matters. The Traveller ate slowly, picking up his food with his fingers and putting them in his mouth.

"Are you unfamiliar with using chopsticks? Perhaps I can teach you how to use them. Otherwise, I can request for other utensils you can use."

"Oh, no! It's okay, you don't have to do that. I prefer if I can feel my food first."

A contract was forged over lunch. In exchange for assisting him with the last rites of his former vessel, Zhongli will allow the Traveller to get close to the body of Rex Lapis.

Zhongli wonders, after Aether left, seething at his broken trust, if he had introduced himself as the Geo Archon the Traveller had been looking for, would he have continued to trust him?

Would he have understood why he did this?

(He would find out much later from Venti that the Traveller had already known what he was so it would not have mattered in the end.)

After they left Liuli Pavilion, the Traveller and his companion followed closely behind Zhongli as he strolled down the streets of Liyue. The Traveller listened to Zhongli with rapt attention while his companion watched the path ahead of him. At times, Paimon would push the Traveller to make him move to the side to avoid walking into people. It was strange, why would his companion need to do that if the Traveller was already looking ahead?

The behaviour reminded him of a goddess he had met long before the Archon War. A goddess with but a handful of worshippers. She was blind but had a beautiful voice. She loved to sing, charming both mortals and adepti alike. She also had a sparrow who sat on her shoulder. Wherever the goddess went, the sparrow would follow. When the goddess sang, the sparrow would sing with her. And when the goddess had to walk through a crowd of mortals and divine beings, the sparrow would chirp to tell her of any obstacles in her path, allowing her to weave past them with ease. Unfortunately, she had died early on in the Archon War, slain by a goddess jealous of her beautiful voice.

However, so long as the Traveller remains in Liyue, no harm shall ever befall him. Zhongli can guarantee that at least.

Preparing for the Rite of Parting had brought the Traveller, his companion and Zhongli to various places in Liyue. And at every part, Zhongli would always give in to the temptation of parting his wisdom on each task. And for each time Zhongli spoke, the Traveller would give his full attention to him. His companion would complain about how long-winded it was but the Traveller would always listen to him and at times, ask questions. But for the most part, the Traveller was quiet.

(The Traveller had a lot of things to say when Zhongli attempted to buy everything.)

Unfortunately, the short time they had spent together was reaching its end. It had been so long since Zhongli had enjoyed his time with another person. Perhaps, when he is no longer bound by the duties of an Archon, he could accompany the Traveller in his journey.

Zhongli invited the Traveller and his companion for a treat, the latter showing surprise at his generosity.

"Are you inviting me out on a date?" the Traveller had joked.

"Why not?" Zhongli answered in amusement. "Would you like to join me on this date?"

He laughed when the Traveller sputtered in response.

They listened to a tale weaved by a storyteller as they ate at Third-Round Knockout. The Traveller listened with rapt attention, even shushing Paimon when she talked in the middle of the storytelling. When Ganyu showed up to present an invitation to the Jade Chamber to the Traveller, Zhongli used a little of his power to blend himself into the background. He had met Ganyu a handful of times but he doubted that she had seen this vessel's form before. Still, he did not want to risk her recognising him.

After Ganyu had left, the Traveller and his companion bid Zhongli farewell. Zhongli sat at the empty table and looked down upon the empty dishes and half-filled cups of tea. He took a sip of his tea, saddened by the fact that this fleeting moment would end soon.

The next time Zhongli met the Traveller, the Traveller arrived at the meeting spot deep in thought and being guided around obstacles by his companion. He snapped out of it however, when his companion shouted Zhongli's name.

"Did you enjoy your visit to the Jade Chamber?"

"It was so biiig. And preetty. And expensive. Paimon's never seen such a fancy-schmancy place before!"

"Didn't you say that about the Favonius Cathedral?" the Traveller asked in a teasing voice.

"But the Jade Chamber is fancier!"

"I'll take your word for it."

In Zhongli's opinion, the Traveller has a nice singing voice. Such a pity that the Whopperflowers do not seem to appreciate it. When he felt Ganyu's footsteps echo in the earth, Zhongli quickly blended his presence into the background. The half-adeptus chatted with the Traveller and his companion, never once noticing Zhongli standing behind the Traveller. After offering the Glaze Lily that they needed to the Traveller, she bid the group farewell before departing.

They returned to Liyue Harbour together, only to find the Millelith and the Fatui fighting a verbal battle at the city gates. The situation between the two factions was tense and it would not be long before the two would clash physically. Though the Traveller would be a good neutral entity to defuse the situation, unfortunately, he is needed elsewhere. The final phase of the test has already begun and it would not be long before an unfortunate event befalls Liyue. Zhongli can do no more but watch as the event unfolds.

But, a hint would not render the contract null and void.

"Consider your next course of action carefully, Traveller. If you're trying to prevent an explosion, it may be wisest to look for the fuse first."

Zhongli stood at the peak of Mount Tianheng and watched as Osial rose from his watery prison to once again wreck havoc upon Liyue. It took every ounce of effort to not summon his stone spear to do battle against the ancient god. Zhongli had to force himself to watch as the Adepti, the Liyue Qixing and the Traveller fought against the god. The waves created by Osial had swept through the waterfront of the harbour, destroying boats and drowning the few denizens who had failed to get away in time. Zhongli watched through all of this, his hands clenching. And yet, it was not yet time for him to step in.

(When he saw the Traveller fall towards his imminent death, that was almost enough for him to step in.)

When Zhongli saw the Jade Chamber plummet from the sky and crash onto Osial, sending him down into the depths of the ocean, he felt nothing. For over six thousand years, Zhongli had served Liyue as the Geo Archon. And on the day that he finally stepped down, he felt nothing. The day that he had finally finished his duties in accordance with the first contract he had forged to the people of Liyue, he felt nothing.

Maybe it was because Liyue has already long grown past the need for his protection, maybe it was because Teyvat has gone past the age of gods.

(Maybe Liyue had stopped needing him after the Archon War had ended and an age of peace arrived upon its shores.)

And in accordance with the final contract he had forged as Morax, the Geo Archon, Zhongli handed over his Gnosis to La Signora.

"The contract is fulfilled. That which thou seeketh is now bestowed unto thee, for my promise is solid as stone."

The other Fatui Harbinger, Childe, was furious. Rage at his comrade for fulfilling the orders of the Tsaritsa before him. Anger at his comrade for using him instead of working with him.

When the Traveller came to Northland Bank seeking his presence, he stopped at the entrance, his breathing became uneasy while his companion tried to get him to move. La Signora laughed and sauntered her way towards the panicking man. The temperature of the room dropped and even Childe was looking worried for the Traveller.

"Oh? So you did remember me? I wonder, will you scream for me again?"

"Come on now, you've already got what you want. Give the guy a break," Childe said as he stepped in front of his comrade.

The Traveller backed into the door while his companion floated in front of him and glared at the Fatui Harbinger.

"Leave Aether alone!"

Though Zhongli was no longer bound by contracts, he still had a request from a friend he must fulfill. And so Zhongli stepped between the Fatui and the Traveller. He raised his spear and pointed it at La Signora.

"The contract with your Archon has already been fulfilled. Leave Harbinger or do you wish to force my hand?"

Once La Signora had left Northland Bank, upset over the interruption but she was still eager to bring the Gnosis back to her master. Zhongli turned to face the Traveller and the Traveller stared at him, his face no longer full of fear but now full of rage.

"You're working with the Fatui. Do you even know what they did? Was it worth it? Was it worth everything?"

Zhongli kept silent as the Traveller demanded answers he was not allowed to give. Childe had backed away from them but also kept the rest of the bank staff away from them.

"Did you even know what they did to Venti?"

The Traveller left with his companion, slamming the doors on the way out while Zhongli was left in silence. Zhongli left shortly afterwards without a single word.

The earth listens but it will not answer.