Long overdue thanks to a series of bad lucks and injuries. I pulled my neck muscle and is still recovering as of the time of publishing this chapter.
It is 25,852 words long and I've been trying to refine it when I was injured. In turn, I am burned out on this particular chapter. Forgive me for that matter if it maybe shows. I'm also aware that an overly long chapter can become too boring. Hopefully I can cut down the length for future ones that are long.
Anyway, this is almost like a crossover... Enjoy. Will be swapping Aether and Lumine for later Genshin Impact chapters (if I get to it) since we are watching different realities.
EDIT: Improved some of the reactions. Thank you for pointing the lacklustered reactions to me! Hopefully my edits helped address the issue.
Genshin Impact - A New Star Approaches, Finale
"So, where's the 'temporary' guest you were mentioning?" Yang asks the Hosts as they prepare things behind the scenes.
"He shall arrive when the time is right. He does not hail from Remnant, but Teyvat."
Oobleck looks slightly interested at the prospect of meeting somebody from another world. "Really? I suppose we'll be the first on Remnant to meet one from another world. Truly history in the making, although it'll probably never be recognized."
"Indeed. If I may ask…" Ozpin stops himself and reframes his question. "You appear to have some interest in the world that we will be viewing. Why is that?"
The Hosts always seem to be detached; speaking oddly in unison and never showing themselves. The world they showed also received similar treatment, something akin to disinterest like they've already seen it many, many times before. But when they spoke of Teyvat, the tone is, albeit faintly, different than usual.
"The Archon War has drawn the attention of beings beyond the world in which it occurred such as the likes of us."
"You were involved in their wars?"
"It would be fair to describe it as such. However, we were more spectators than participants."
"What made it… Interesting? The Archon War." Asks Blake, "Compared to what we've seen so far. If you can see through different dimensions, realities, and time?"
"We are afraid that is something not so easily answered."
"Well, something tells me we're in for a very long ride." Qrow reclines in his chair, flask full to the brim and sealed shut. "Just a gut feeling."
"And you would be correct. This will be a rather long viewing."
"Heh, called it."
The screen flickers to life in a wondrous display of ethereal color that shifts between all primary colors that represent seven elements of Teyvat, then to a brilliant blinding white.
"So, it begins…"
The land of Liyue was basked in the bright sun that reigns high above the white clouds in the light blue sky of the afternoon. The brightly colored grass gleamed wondrously with the crystal-clear river that dazzles underneath the sun's rays, streaming peacefully along the light sand and gray stones. The land of Liyue spans across the horizons, presenting its mountainous and sparse terrains to one particular individual. One particular Traveler.
A young girl with bright blond hair, slim body build, golden-yellow eyes and fair skin stands on a cliff overlooking the river and the grassy terrains that border with it. The scarf of her decorated white sleeveless dress flutters in the cool breeze, swaying alongside the greenery.
"This looks… Peaceful. And beautiful." Velvet comments, surprised by the lush greenery and clear water.
Yatsuhashi nods in agreement, "The mountains remind me of ones in Mistral."
"This land belongs to the nation of Liyue. It is like Mistral. Yet similar and different."
With one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, she surveys the area where she's supposed to meet up with Zhongli, the Funeral Parlor Consultant. She manages to make out a familiar tall figure in the distance standing underneath the shade of a nearby small tree.
"Who are we watching?" Jaune asks.
"Her name is Lumine."
"I like her dress." Coco eyes Lumine's outfit from head to toe. "There's something otherworldly about it."
She did not know that Lumine isn't a native to Teyvat. It wouldn't have mattered since she won't be able to tell the difference between a native of Teyvat and those from other realms.
"Hup!" She leaps off the cliff and unfurls her wind glider; a celestial blue-colored wing of varying shades extends outward, catching the winds, keeping her afloat.
Blake blinks, "Wings?"
"Air gliders. Devices created to glide in the wind."
Lumine relish the cool breeze that flows through her hair, taking the heat of the sun's ray to the winds. Guiding herself through a few tree branches and a bush, Lumine withdrew her wind glider and lands softly onto the grassy ground, and begins lightly jogs across the grass to meet with the tall individual dressed neatly in an elegant beige dress shirt with pieces of amber gemstone and all sorts of decorations adorning his clothing.
"Hello, handsome." Yang purrs and immediately regrets doing so when her father, mother, and uncle all gave her 'that' look.
Zhongli appeared to be in deep thoughts before noticing Lumine's presence as she drew near and turns to greet her.
"Right on time. I myself only arrived moments ago. Did you enjoy your visit to the Jade Chamber?" His professional stoic tone matched well with his professionalism and intelligence. Along with a face that conveys deep wisdom, if one was insightful enough.
A child-like girl materializes in a passing showcase of constellational brilliance besides Lumine. She is dressed ethereally in mostly all white with a night-blue cape flecked with stars dazzling in the wind. Her dark purple hairpin and floating rose-gold crown that levitates just above her head like a halo gleams in the sun like stars of her own.
"It was so biiig. And preetty. And expensive!" The little floating white-haired girl practically squeals and excitedly waves her hand around, floating up several meters up before quickly levitating down below Lumine's height. "Paimon's never seen such a fancy-schmancy place before!"
Weiss and Yang both squeal and held their hands together. They always had a soft spot for adorable things. "She's so adorable! Who is she?!"
"That is Paimon. Lumine's traveling companion."
"But what is she?" Blake asks.
"Elf, spirit, fairy… There are many broad denotations to place on those like her."
He nods with a stoic expression, but there's a very faint small smile underneath Zhongli's stony expression.
"Indeed. It's second to none in all of Liyue. Then you met with Ningguang, I trust? What did you talk about with her?"
"She's super-rich and so generous. Paimon thinks she's very friendly!"
"Business people are always 'friendly' when it suits their interests." Lumine lightly retorts her floating traveling companion. Paimon turns her head slightly towards Lumine and shakes her head.
"Don't I know it." Weiss sighs, having met a lot of those kinds of people in her life. It's amazing how deceptive people can be, especially when conducting business.
"Yeah, her take on Ningguang is quite different from Paimon's. She thinks that even the tactless Yuheng is more trustworthy than her."
"Oh, so you also met with Keqing, then?" Zhongli puts one hand on his waist with a curious expression. "What did she have to say?"
"We're kinda out of the loop here." Said Marrow.
"You shall see the greater context soon."
Paimon repeats the exact words the young lady said to them. "She said, 'The time of the adepti has long passed. If even the Liyue Qixing don't want to face that truth, then what future is there for Liyue?'"
Zhongli let out a bark of laughter.
"Haha, no respect for the divine. Indeed, contrary to the ever-bold Keqing, Ningguang is more of a businesswoman at heart, though they are both members of the Qixing. Although she's friendly, there's no way of clearly discerning her true intentions."
"Ningguang is highly ambitious." Lumine bluntly said.
She simply didn't like her. The ambition Ningguang has felt like it's never-ending. A never-ending greed. And, Ningguang has been an inconvenience when the sudden death of the Archon of Geo occurred during the Rite of Descension.
"This sounds like business and politics mixed together…" Robyn correctly speculates, which is an awful thing in her opinion seeing the state of Mantle.
"Liyue is a land governor by the Liyue Qixing." The Hosts explains, "They are merchants and business leaders who specialize within the commerce and trade sectors."
"Their government is run by business owners?" Winter couldn't believe her ears. A government that's run by those who wish to make a profit doesn't sound like a great government at all. The number of conflicts of interest… Winter cannot imagine. And she shudders to imagine if her horrid father manages to be elected onto Atlas Council…
Oobleck on the other hand finds the concept extraordinarily interesting and wrote it down. Even though there's corporate lobbying by businesses to influence the councils of each kingdom, it's probably nothing like the sort Liyue has.
"In the land of Liyue, commerce and trade are heavily regulated and the rules enforced. Deceptive and dishonest practices are rooted out by the Qixing to ensure the nation's integrity."
Roman found the concept of 'honest business leaders' hilarious, but remain silent.
Zhongli crosses his arms, head tilting down slightly to gaze at the soft grass around him.
"Yes, she has only relied on herself to rise to her current position. No ordinary person could ever achieve that. It's said that she's the one behind the constant expansion of the Jade Chamber it's the second most important thing to her. Even if she ever gave up the position of the Tianquan, she would never give up the Jade Chamber."
"Materialistic, I see." Ozpin lightly chides.
"That is to be expected." Said Glynda.
"The Jade Chamber is only second?" Paimon said with surprise. She rubs her chin with her little right hand. "What's the most important thing to her then?"
"Why, Mora, of course."
Lumine rolls her eyes, "No surprises there."
Weiss decided to take an educated guess, "Mora is their currency, presume?"
"You are correct."
No surprises for certain.
"All Ningguang talked about was the Fatui this and the Fatui that... She said that after Rex Lapis was murdered, the Fatui have constantly been trying to sink their fingers into Liyue and that they aren't to be trusted."
Zhongli merely shrugs at that. "That is how the Fatui have always been. It doesn't surprise me in the least."
"The Fatui is a diplomatic organization from the Zapolyarny Palace of Snezhnaya; another nation." The Hosts explains, "They are widely feared and despised by all other nations due to their deceitful and conniving reputation, and are not above utilizing violence to get what they want."
Maria raises an eyebrow, "That's called diplomacy? Sounds like normal haggling to me."
"And now they are trying to reproduce the Sigil of Permission." The blond Traveler said quietly, boring a serious expression.
The consultant pauses briefly. His amber-colored eyes narrowing in deep thought before reverting to his stoic demeanor.
"... No matter what they may be planning, you must be careful when dealing with the Fatui. Always be on your guard."
Knowing that they wouldn't be going anywhere speculating what the Fatui are up to, Paimon decided to quickly steer the conversation to the task at hand. Gathering materials for the Rite of Parting for the deceased Geo Archon, Rex Lapis.
"So, is there anything we need to get for the Rite of Parting in Dihua Marsh?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. Today we'll be gathering wild Glaze Lilies."
"Rite of Parting… Sounds like a funeral ceremony." Said Oscar.
"It is indeed a funeral ceremony."
Oscar winces, "A-ah. I see… It must be someone important. I mean, it sounds like it's for someone important."
Paimon frowns slightly, head tipping sideway. The light blue beautiful flower that is a Glaze Lily can be found in gardens and even the far-out villages where they're plentiful. Why are they out here in the marshes looking for something that can be easily bought or picked in establish settlements?
"Glaze Lilies? But why did we come all the way out here? Doesn't the garden in Yujing Terrace have some? Even Qingce Village has Glaze Lilies... Oh right, Paimon remembers that Madame Ping is always tending to flowers, maybe we could ask her!"
"Professor Peach would love to hear and see botanical specimens." Glynda offhandedly commented.
Zhongli shakes his head.
"No, those lilies have all been gardened by people. They won't do at all. Dihua Marsh used to be full of Glaze Lilies. It is a sort of joyful flower that listens to human song. Before the Archon War, Dihua Marsh was all dry land and fertile soil. But the war caused landslides and the land was flooded, turning it into the marsh you see now. Nearly all the Glaze Lilies were wiped out."
His amber eyes scour through the marshes as if he was reminiscing about something. It was brief enough for Paimon and Lumine to miss it.
"Sounds like a fierce battle if such a thing occurred." Pyrrha said somberly, "But it looks like life goes on."
Ozpin sagely nods. He's witnessed countless wars back on Remnant and it always surprises him how life always finds a way back. For better… Or for worse.
"Of course," Zhongli continues, "there are some kinds of flowers that have been preserved and gardened by people in the city. But very few people know that Glaze Lilies may still be found in the wild. Wild Glaze Lilies have the strongest fragrance. If we want to follow the true tradition of the Rite of Parting, we must grind up the wild lilies and place the powder in the censer of Everlasting Incense. But I'll need your assistance in gathering these flowers."
Glaze lilies is an extremely ancient flower, said to have once been a common sight in Liyue. It transforms the memories of the land into its fragrance during florescence. Legend has it that the flower will open at the sound of pure, beautiful music and that there was once one who loved this flower more than any other. Now, however, the sight of a Glaze Lily in full bloom out in the wild is a rare one indeed.
"You mean you need me to pick them?" Lumine asks with one eyebrow raised.
"No. I need you to sing to them. Singing to the flowers will make them more fragrant."
"Say whaaat?" Nora drawls.
"It's true!" Penny chimed in, "Research shows that talking to a plant yields better growth! Though they are somewhat uncertain for the cause."
Glynda muses a bit, "I believe Professor Peach mentioned something similar about that as well."
"Uh... so how good is your singing, Lumine?" Paimon asks, turning to her companion.
"I can hold a tune."
"Really?" Paimon's expression says everything; doubting Lumine's abilities on this particular matter. "Why doesn't Paimon believe you..."
Lumine looks offended by that, fixing her floating companion an unamused look while Paimon shrugs.
Most of the students laugh at the dynamics between Lumine and Paimon, while a smaller portion cooed how adorable Paimon is.
"We'll only know once she starts singing." Zhongli uncrosses his arms and motions them to follow him, having spotted a few wild Glaze Lilies a distance away from their current location.
They followed the consultant towards the river banks quickly and silently. There they finally spotted three wild Glaze Lilies arranged in a triangular formation.
The adults all found the flower arrangement to be a bit unnatural. Too perfect for it to be the work of nature.
"It's time to sing! Whenever you're ready!" Paimon clapped her hands excitedly and cheers Lumine on.
Lumine clears her throat with one hand and begins to sing a tune she heard back at Mondstadt. " ... ... ... ... "
The ground begins to rumble around the three Glaze Lilies.
"Is… That suppose to happen?" Oscar meekly asks. His question is answered almost immediately.
"Wh—What happened...!?"
Paimon floats back with a worried expression while Lumine and Zhongli summoned their weapons immediately. Three Cryo Whopperflowers erupted from the ground, having been awaken by the Traveler's singing. The light blue Whopperflowers towers over Lumine and rivaling Zhongli in height and they did not look happy.
"Whoa, those are some stupid, yet mean-looking plants!" Sun exclaims.
Nora playfully grips Ren's hand, "Renny, I am paranoid. What if the dandelions near our dorm are actually giant evil plant monsters?!"
The floral creatures attacked them with sharp leaves and thorny vines. Their Cryo affinity freezing the area around them with each chilling attack.
"Ice? They can control the… No, it seems that they have some sort of natural ability to produce ice." Winter analytically deduces after observing a few of the Cryo Whopperflower's attacks.
Lumine dodged two of the Cryo Whopperflowers thorns that shot out from the ground and closed in on one of them. She parries its large sharp leaf with her sword and slashes the at the plant monster with grace, delivering a finishing blow across its large bulbous head that sent the entire Whopperflower flying into the water, motionless.
Velvet snaps a photo with her camera, seeing an opportunity to expand her arsenal of holographic weapons and combat forms.
"She's good with the sword…" Jaune wished he could perform the same swordplay as Lumine.
"You'll get there." His partner reassures him, "I know you will."
Paimon floats above all the fighting to avoid getting in the way. That doesn't stop her from making some slight witty remarks. "These flowers are jumping... They look really angry! Is it...? Because you sang a song from Mondstadt that they don't understand here in Liyue?"
"Hut!" Zhongli jabs his spear multiple times at his opponent, inflicting non-fatal wounds to the Whopperflower. It staggers back and twists its body tightly to burrow into the ground to avoid his next attack that struck the ground.
He narrows his eyes, predicting where the Whopperflower would appear next, and kicked his spear from the ground, sending flying towards the emerging Whopperflower. The gleaming metal spearhead embedded itself into the Whopperflower's head but somehow didn't kill it. Zhongli moved swiftly, grabbing the shaft of his spear, tearing it out from the Whopperflower, and finished it off with a simple thrust of his weapon.
"That was cool. How he predicted where it would show up and kicked his spear there." Said Neptune.
Pyrrha nods, "He seems to have mastered the spear."
"One with great experience as well," Ozpin adds in. There's something about the way Zhongli wields the spear that speaks volumes of his combat experience.
Nearby, Lumine had the last Whopperflower sweep up in a water spout, having unleashed her Elemental Burst: Gust Surge upon it and near a large pool of water. The large spiraling water spout drowned and shred the Whopperflower before dissipating, flinging the plant monster into the ground.
"Whoa. What sort of powers do they possess to be able to do that?" Coco asks.
"There are individuals in the Teyvat that can control the seven elements. Cryo, Dendro, Pyro, Hydro, Anemo, Electro, and Geo. Ice, Nature, Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth respectively."
"That sounds awesome." Nora gasps at the prospect of being able to control lightning. "Imagine how powerful I will be with lightning at my fingertips!"
"The power to control the elements. How interesting." Cinder smiles. Once she has her hands on the other half of the Fall Maiden's power, she too can have mastery over the elements and more.
With the last of the Whopperflower dispatched, Lumine and Zhongli dematerialize their weapons in sparkling light.
Ruby sighs longingly, "I wish we can do that with our weapons."
"Those weren't Glaze Lilies! Glaze Lilies wouldn't hit people!" Paimon angrily stomps her feet in the air and puts both hands on her waist.
Weiss and Yang aww'd, "Oh, that's so adorable…"
"Those flowers put up quite a fight..." Lumine remarks. She had to unleash her elemental powers on the last one as it put up one of the most difficult fights.
"This little monster is known as a 'Whopperflower.'" Zhongli crouch down to get a better look at one of the Whopperflowers, feeling their petals. "Hmm... Strange. These petals look interesting." He said with great interest, "The Glaze Lilies used as a disguise were buried with the Whopperflower for too long. The result seems to have surprisingly potent medicinal value. Let's collect what we can of these petals."
"Whopper can refer to an unusually large object, or it could mean a gross or blatant lie." Penny helpful defines the word whopper.
"A fitting name considering both their size and mimicry abilities." Said Clover.
"Hah! Now, imagine a Grimm that can do that as well!" Elm laughs boisterously at the concept, joined by no other than the Grimm Studies Professor Port.
"Well, that's nice and all, but will those petals be useful for the Rite of Parting?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Paimon groans and crosses her arm to pout, "Ugh, that's so lame..."
"Excuse me..." A young girl with long blue hair and red horns atop her head approaches them. "Are you searching for Glaze Lilies?"
Blake was curious if there was anything like the faunus in this world. "Are those horns real?"
"They are. You will know more very soon."
"Oh, hey! It's... What's her face... Ah, Paimon can't remember..."
"Greetings, Ganyu."
"Hello, traveler." Ganyu returns Lumine's greeting with a small smile. "I'm surprised you still remember my name. Ah! That reminds me, how was your visit to the Jade Chamber?"
"Well, it sure would've been better if you'd told us how to get up there!" Paimon bluntly said.
Ganyu's eyes widen, "Didn't I tell you the way!? Surely, I did!"
"Nope, we found the way on our own!"
"It isn't a secret, so perhaps you just assumed we knew?" Lumine puts out, having no hard feelings about the long-forgotten matter.
"Oh, I see." Ganyu looks down on the ground with a sad expression and puts one hand on her head. Uh-oh, I guess I really did forget to tell them…
"Like how Ruby forgets to give us direction to the shops and leaves us in the dust." Just because they have scrolls to locate shops doesn't mean they know exactly which one Ruby is talking about. Ruby took offense to that and playfully swipes at Yang who leans back to avoid it, chortling.
"Huh, something seems a little off about Ganyu..." Paimon said her thoughts out loud. "She's acting different from the first time we met... Where's her serious attitude now?"
"Ah, well, I met you at that time as an emissary of the Tianquan. But now, I am simply out on a stroll to see the flowers."
Yatsuhashi nods, "Nothing like a nice walk to enjoy life and clear one's mind."
"Yeah… We don't have many botanical gardens or recreational parks these days." Vale has a handful of those in the city, but other than that there's not much recreational space left without expanding their city borders into Grimm-infested lands.
"You came all the way out here to see the flowers? Why not just enjoy the gardens of the city?"
Ganyu sadly sighs and glances up at the sky.
"Yujing Terrace is where Rex Lapis parted from this world. If I strolled through those lonely gardens now, I wouldn't be able to bear it. Whenever my duties take me near Yujing Terrace these days, I draw the windows to block my view of the gardens."
"Hm, it sounds the funeral ceremony is for someone named Rex Lapis." Cinder said to herself.
"Oh... Sorry, we shouldn't have brought it up." Paimon apologizes with a regretful look.
"No, it's quite alright." She somberly puts a hand over her heart. "I just haven't processed my emotions yet. When the Archon War came to its end two thousand years ago, the first iteration of The Seven would gather in Liyue and drink with Rex Lapis. But five of those original seven had already passed before Rex Lapis — it's truly a changing of the guard."
"Seven Divine seats for seven Archons. Each Archon often tends their own nations as did Liyue and their Archon of Geo, Rex Lapis." The Hosts explains, "Eternal the Archons may seem, but they are not immortal."
Lumine listens intently. If all five original Archeon passed away before Rex Lapis, and with his passing…
"So, that means..."
"Yes. Now that the spirit of Rex Lapis has returned to the heavens, only Barbatos of Mondstadt remains of the first Seven. The other five, including Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, are no longer the same friends from two thousand years ago."
"A war between gods that ended two thousand years ago… Its impact can be seen till this day," Ozpin mutters to himself, finding the scenario very relatable. "Old friends and allies passing by…"
Zhongli patiently stands nearby, cupping his chin while listening to Ganyu's ramblings with interest.
"Of the current Seven Archons, the youngest is Sumeru's God of Dendro. He is merely five hundred years old, whereas Rex Lapis was more than six thousand years old at the time of his passing. This means that Liyue had been under Rex Lapis' rule from the moment it was first founded 3,700 years ago. The city has never had to bid farewell to its deity..."
"Such a long history!" Oobleck exclaims, "And to think they can live such a staggering number of years! Think of how much obscure ancient history knowledge they possess!"
"I can't imagine living for six thousand years." Harriet said with slight awe, "Is there even anything you can do after a few thousand?"
"Perhaps a substantial amount if one were to try to keep up with changing times." With his mission to reunite humanity, there's never a single day where Ozpin can truly rest.
"So, what do you think of this 'farewell'?" Zhongli asks.
"Huh?" Ganyu was taken aback by the consultant's sudden question. "This... This is a little sudden, I..." She breathes out and opens her eyes with a sorrowful expression. "As a mortal, I've never dared to imagine a Liyue without Rex Lapis. But as an Adeptus... I think I will eventually come to grips with reality. Since Rex Lapis has passed, the time of Liyue's contract with the gods and adepti has now reached its end."
"I feel like there's much profound meaning that's going over our heads." Ren can't help but find their manner of speech and outlook very intriguing. So much so that he resorted to writing some of it down. "And… We all have our own ways of grieving."
Paimon blinks, "Huh? Did you just say, 'as an Adeptus'?"
"The adepti are a group of both magical beings and gods alike. They are bound by contract to protect Liyue from demons and gods who possess malicious intention."
Ozpin thought back to the spirits of the four relics like Jinn. He wonders if the adepti are even alike in any way.
"Yes, I... I am a mix of human and Qilin. Adeptus blood flows through my veins. I fought for Rex Lapis and the city of Liyue during the Archon War. After the war ended, I signed a contract with Rex Lapis and took the position as secretary for the Qixing. I've continued those duties to this very day."
"So, you're half Qilin? That explains the horns!" Lumine glances at the red horns atop Ganyu's head. She thought they were accessories.
"Wait. How long was the Archon War again?" Jaune asks.
"It supposedly ended two thousand years ago," Vine answers, eyes slightly widening. "If she fought in that war, then she's over two thousand years old."
"And still young. I wonder what's her secret." Maria taps her chin, "Oh wait, it has something to do with being half Qilin?"
"That is correct. Qilins are very long-lived beings."
"Well... Uh, let's save that conversation for another day. You say that you are here looking for Glaze Lilies? I also know where wild Glaze Lilies can be found." She faintly smiles as she produces a Glaze Lilly in her hand. "See, I've just picked one myself. Here, you may have it if you wish."
"We dare not refuse it." Zhongli respectfully receives the flower, gently storing it away.
"Oh, so did you sing a song before you picked the lily?" Paimon asks with childlike curiosity.
She nods, "Indeed, I did. I know this tradition well. In fact, I sang a local Liyue ballad to it."
"I see!" Oobleck wrote it down into his notes, "Singing to a flower before picking it is a tradition. Interesting, very interesting."
"Wow, so you really know your stuff too! Thanks, Ganyu!"
"No, it is you who I should be thanking. If not for this chance meeting, I never thought that I would be able to contribute to the upcoming farewell for our ancient lord." While she hasn't fully processed her emotions at the passing of Rex Lapis, she now has something to ponder on and hopefully move on. "If you would excuse me, I should return to my work now. Good luck."
"Sounds like a workaholic." Qrow remarks.
"Better than an alcoholic." Winter shots back.
"And that just about does it." Zhongli cups his chin like he so often does, "Our preparations for the Rite of Parting are mostly finished. Given the ease of picking Glaze Lilies, I think this was a fitting end to our tasks, in more ways than one."
"Zhongli, you seem suited to working in agricultural development." Lumine remarks.
"He does sound like someone who'll be good at the job." It seems to Oscar that Zhongli is multitalented in several fields, including combat and traditional medicines. He wished he could be like Zhongli, a capable agriculturalist, fighter, healer… Well, maybe not a healer.
"Yeah, Paimon can already imagine him starting a business in Liyue."
Zhongli chuckles, eyes twinkling with fulfillment. "Hah, I've had enough ventures in my life already. Beginning a new undertaking is always difficult at first and requires no small amount of effort. And once business is at full steam, the stress of it all only wears away at you over time. So, you must be careful to take the time to step back and reexamine yourself. If left unchecked, the wear and tear on your heart may go well past mending."
"Wow! See, Zhongli sounds like he's already seen it all!" Paimon brightly exclaims, "Alright, I think it's about time we head back to Liyue Harbor now."
"Another wisdom imparted for those who hear it." Vine recites an old saying to himself, "He appears to well-educated and wise beyond his years."
Roman made a so-so gesture with his hand, "Ehh..."
Still, even the thief won't question Zhongli's fighting abilities. Years of experience have taught him to distinguish the more dangerous people he should avoid if he can. Like Cinder.
/-/
Liyue Harbor is the prosperous port city where a thousand ships drop anchor. Under the aegis of countless contracts and regulations, innumerable goods change hands and grace the seven nations with their presence.
Here live those merchants who have made it. Here, the residents are prosperous and carefree. Here, the lights are bright and never go out. The ever-pulsating heart of Liyue Harbor pumps lifeblood into its veins. The lively city scene here is the source of Liyue Harbor's limitless vitality. Far from the bustling harbor, the Yujing Terrace rises along with Mt. Tianheng. Here, the Qixing and the leaders of many enterprises tirelessly drive Liyue's prosperity and stability.
The ocean blue waters sway in tranquility in rhythm to the greenery that populates the rocky cliffs and hills that Liyue Harbor was built on. Green tile eastern hip-and-gable roof provides protection from the weather on all houses and architectures.
"What a lovely city port." Penny compliments, "It has many architectural designs one would find in Mistral."
Oobleck furiously wrote a description of Liyue Harbor down into his notes. "As expected of a nation built on trade. A well-established trading port to transfer goods between nations through the sea."
While the city is normally bustling, the air surrounding Liyue this time is different.
Tense. Uncertain, Fear…
Paimon, Lumine, and Zhongli knew something was wrong from the distance. The crowd around the city gate is full of Fatui and Millelith, the military and policing force of Liyue.
"Huh, what happened? The city gate is swarming with Millelith and... The Fatui?" Paimon frowns as they walk down the stone steps, floating in Paimon's case.
"This atmosphere is highly abnormal." Zhongli calmly notes, "It seems as though something big has happened. We should ask around a little, just to be safe."
"Looks like something interesting is happening," Mercury said with a smirk. He was wondering when it'll get to the good part.
Coco is digging their outfit of choice. "I'm guessing the Fatui are those guys in masks and stylish clothing and the other is the city guards?"
"Correct. The one is masks are the Fatui. Those wielding the weapons and in uniform are the Millelith. They serve as the police and military force of Liyue."
One of the Fatui with slick back blond hair notices them and approaches Zhongli.
His gold accent dark gray mask hides the eyes, making it difficult for any of them to discern his intention. The dark-colored overcoat sports a fur-laced hood with a palette of red and yellow complimenting his Fatui uniform. The most notable feature is the Fatui's four-pointed flower symbol embedded near the upper right of his jacket.
The Fatui named Felix politely greeted the consultant.
"Ah, you're the consultant to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor — Mr. Zhongli, I presume? The Millelith are watching our every move now. These are desperate times; we mustn't act rashly."
"This guy actually works for a funeral parlor?" Read Neo's sign. She flips it to the other side. "Does he bury the bodies of those he killed?"
"There's more to what the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor does. Aside from handling funeral rites, they also deal with spiritual matters."
Jaune gulps, "You mean... Ghosts?"
"It will be revealed some other time."
Zhongli narrows his eyes and crossed his arms. "Desperate times?"
"The adepti of Jueyun Karst are finally on the move."
"Do they intend to exercise force?"
"Most likely. I've heard that some members of the Qixing have already gone to meet them... Well, I say 'meet,' but it's more like they're attempting to stall the adepti outside the city. However, both sides were quite obstinate, and hit an impasse."
"... It seems inevitable, given the current situation."
"The adepti do not acknowledge the Qixing, they only acknowledge the contracts of the Geo Archon. If the two sides come to blows, Liyue Harbor will be in no position to stop them." Felix said with the shake of his head.
"Surely the Liyue Qixing are not the sort to give in so easily?"
"Hmph. Their bone-headedness is known throughout the lands. Yet it's because of that obstinacy that mortals and adepti are now on the verge of conflict."
"And what now? How is it that the Fatui have come under fire?" If the conflict is between the Qixing and the adepti, then why is the Fatui dragged into the crossfire?
Felix lifts his head back and sighs.
"Ugh... that's all Ningguang's doing... She proclaimed that 'in these tumultuous times, the Millelith must rein in the actions of the Fatui.' Only now do they want to start keeping tabs on us? Huh! That's the Qixing for you! Anyway, Mr. Zhongli, you're one of Childe's close associates. Please understand that your actions will reflect on us. Don't let anyone catch you off-guard."
Paimon and Lumine shared a worried look, "It looks like things are about to boil over in Liyue Harbor..."
"That's a lot to take in." Yang massages her head, "What's happening? Aren't these adepti, Millelith, and Qixing whatever all protecting their country or something? Why are they at each other's throat?"
"You are correct. All three seek the betterment and prosperity of Liyue. However, they differ in their approach. As such, the adepti and mortals are currently at a standoff in deciding how the future of Liyue will be."
Qrow shoots Ironwood a small glare, "Doesn't that sound familiar?"
The differences of approach are very much like the current relationship between Ironwood and Ozpin. Ironwood likes to approach things upfront and forceful while Ozpin prefers to do it subtlety.
"Is there anything can we do?"
"Do you intend to use your neutral identity as an intermediary between both sides? Or, will you use your sword to turn the balance?" Zhongli wisely asks her. "Neither path is an easy one..."
"Playing meditator is never easy." Clover would know. His track record as a Specialists is already impressive enough.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Zhongli." Felix quickly interrupts to bring more troublesome news. "We've heard that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has also been caught up in all this. They're currently squaring off with the authorities at the gates."
Zhongli instinctively cups his chin before dropping his arms with a silent sigh.
"Things are taking a turn for the worse... I'm afraid I must leave now to handle things back at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I hope that Director Hu has been able to keep things under control for the moment. Consider your next course of action carefully, Traveler. If you're trying to prevent an explosion, it may be wisest to look for the fuse first."
With those parting words, Zhongli hastily left for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"He certainly gives a lot of wise metaphors. Or is it an analogy?" Regardless, Ren enjoys these kinds of things. The profoundness Zhongli gives is something worthy to note.
Nora boops him on the nose, "At this rate, you'll become a philosopher. No, wait! Warrior philosopher!"
Paimon floats closer to Lumine with a tired expression, "Phew... Having connections with the Fatui seems to be quite the double-edged sword. So, what did Zhongli mean by looking for the 'fuse'?"
Lumine silently ponders for a moment before scowling, "You know, Mr. More-Money-Than-Sense."
The Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, Childe, definitely has a hand in whatever scheme the Fatui are planning.
"Ooh, Paimon gets it! If there's anyone that wants to see the whole city turned upside down, it's definitely him." She haughtily put her hands on her waist, looking angry though it comes off more as pouting. "He must be waiting for the moment when no one is watching to do something really bad! But, where could we find him now?" Paimon scans the crowd of Fatui and Millelith for Childe, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where would he go at a time like this?"
Lumine can think of only one place Childe would go. After understanding the Fatui's objective: Taking the Gnosis that is the source of an Archon's divine power, she deduced there's one place where Childe would be heading.
"There's only one place he would go."
The place where they're currently keeping Rex Lapis's body.
"It seems like they already have a person of interest in mind." Said Glynda.
"Indeed. It would seem a confrontation is inevitable." Ozpin wipes his mug with a cloth and sets it down into the cupholder. "That is if my intuition is correct."
Paimon has some questions to ask Lumine about what she meant by that but figured it's best to go along and see what she meant. Wherever Lumine is heading, Paimon doesn't need to stick around while Lumine makes her way to their destination. So, Paimon drifts to the sky and disappears in a flash of starry constellation.
"Where did she go?" Blake asks.
"One of Paimon's abilities allows her to disappear without a trace. She remains close to Lumine and will show herself when she so wishes."
"She really is like an elusive fairy, huh?" Yang gently elbows Blake. "Something from a fairy tale."
She caught her biological mother narrowing her eyes at that, confirming some of Yang's suspicion.
Lumine dashes through the towering city gate, footsteps pattering on the wooden planks of the bridge. Her body glows faintly, her unique abilities resonating with the Teleport Waypoints that are constructed throughout the lands of Teyvat.
And in a flash of light, Lumine disappears from the bridge.
Elsewhere in Liyue Harbor, a Teleport Waypoint turn bright blue, sending streams of glowing light particles out like fireflies. Those light particles quickly reform and solidified into Lumine, who continues her run through the city's center, sprinting over another wooden bridge towards the Golden House.
Ruby's eyes sparkle and shine, "Whoooa. She can teleport!"
"Those devices are teleporters?" Just by the Teleport Waypoint's appearance alone, even Ironwood knows that it's not something they can replicate. A different world means different technology. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Can we make something like those?"
"These devices are not something Remnant's technology can replicate, for even the natives of Teyvat knows not of its capabilities. Only the Traveler understands its function."
"And where did these devices come from?" Oobleck asks.
"That has yet to be seen."
Oobleck nods and fixes his glasses, "I see. I see."
When she arrives at the front gates of the establishment, Lumine frowns at the fact that there is no Millelith around to stand guard in one of the most important places in the world.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
Quick to her feet and alerted, the blond Traveler sprints across the stone bridge. Her reflection on the clear manmade pond below glisters brightly. But unbeknownst to her, the clouds have become plentiful, and the skies are slowly darkening.
Qrow breathes out, "An ominous sign."
Liyue will soon meet its crisis.
Lumine slowed as she reaches the large brown door with elaborated golden accents and symbols drawn on it. Hesitating for a moment, she gathers herself and pushes through the doorway, entering the Golden House.
The Golden House is sparse and elegant with simple designs. It is as if the entire room is laced with gold, hence why it is called the Golden House. Two oriental lanterns glow brightly upon a wide stairway that dips down to a massive octagon platform that's connected to three more similar stairways.
Underneath the stairs and platforms are piles of sparklingly Mora, a currency that's used throughout all of Teyvat.
"That's Mora? Their currency?" Emerald asks the Hosts.
"It is."
Emerald, Roman, and Neo eyed the currency half-greedily. If only they had such fortuitous opportunity back at Remnant.
Seeing all the Mora in the room, Paimon instantly reappears beside Lumine with eyes that sparkle in unison with the Mora.
"Wow... This is the Golden House? It looked impressive enough from the outside... But who would've guessed that it was even fancier on the inside... and so full of Mora! This is where all of Teyvat's Mora is minted, right? In that case, maybe they won't notice if a few Mora go missing..."
Paimon rubs her hands together greedily with a mischievous face.
Neo is starting to like Paimon. "She'll make a good thief. With her magical disappearing act, she'll take and leave just like that."
Lumine sighs at her traveling companion's greedy nature. "If it were that easy, this place would have been emptied long ago."
"Ooh, so it's a trap. Tricky, tricky... Good thing Paimon's got you here! But even if we can't take any, we can still have a closer look, right? Or better yet, take a nap on top of a mountain of Mora! It's like a dream come true!"
"Can't do that with Lien." Roman jokingly shakes his head, "You'll risk getting papercuts even with aura. Hah!"
Lumine smiles at that but understands that there are more important matters to take care of.
"We'd better check on the Exuvia first."
"Oh, right! Back to business." She looks around the Golden House, "It's quiet... Too quiet. Surely someone's gotta be guarding something as important as the Exuvia." She finally spotted something out of the ordinary. Someone lying flat on the ground with their weapons still loosely in their hand. "Huh!? Lumine, look! What happened here?"
The Traveler tenses up, "The Millelith..."
Maria was unimpressed with the amount of security in place. "Not much of a sound security for a place like this."
"Their forces might be stretched thin if the conversation from earlier is anything to go by." Said Pietro.
"Uh-oh, Paimon smells trouble! Quick! We have to go make sure that the Exuvia is alright."
The Exuvia, the corpse of Rex Lapis is a giant serpent-like dragon with a dark amber mane and glowing antlers. It floats silently on top of a golden pedestal, kept afloat by some mythical device.
"What is that thing?"
"That is the Exuvia," A flicker of golden amber lights up the theater, and a familiar figure lands softly onto the carpet. He adjusted his tie and continues, "the dragon corpse of Rex Lapis himself."
Everyone blinks at the sudden new guest that has just arrived.
"You're…!"
"I am Zhongli." The handsome, elegant man greets them with a bow. "Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Though I'm sure you're well aware of that, it is a pleasure to meet you all."
"Our greetings to you. Welcome in our domain." The Hosts welcomed the consultant, "It has begun."
Zhongli constructs a throne made out of Geo and rests himself upon it. "You have my sincerest gratitude."
"You've already fulfilled your task as guides, so why do you still linger here? Haven't you already seen enough trouble for today?"
A male's voice calls out from behind them, forcing Lumine and Paimon to turn and confront the interloper.
"Huh? Who's there?" Paimon calls out.
A young man with short, choppy orange hair and dull blue eyes slowly walks up the steps. He wears a red Fatui mask pulled off to one side of his head and a beaded earring with a red crystal on his left ear. He sports a grey jacket with dark red and light grey details, grey pants, and black boots and gloves. His jacket is open on one side to reveal a belt, which his Hydro Vision is attached to, and a red scarf that loops over his shoulders.
The one who they've been looking for: Childe, better known as Tartaglia. The Eleventh Fatui Harbinger.
"This the guy they've been looking for?" Coco visually inspects Childe's clothes, "His outfit isn't all that bad. Showing off some skin there. I like it."
"Seeing how they are in the Golden House; I believe they did indeed find the 'fuse' that I was referring to." Said Zhongli, "The one you see before you is Childe, the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger. One of the strongest members within the Fatui."
"If you were Fatui, I imagine that you would be entitled to a generous reward from the Tsaritsa herself." Childe continues with mock sadness. "But now, you're nothing but dross — and you're in my way."
Lumine fixed him with a flat glare, remaining defiant and ready in case he tries to attack. "Looks like I was just in time, then."
"Hah! Although I'm deeply grateful to you that I was able to effortlessly find this secret location... Don't you think that trying to stop me now would just be a wasted effort? Stopping the Mora mints, hiding away the Exuvia... Hahaha, the Qixing are really pulling out all the stops this time..."
"So, you've been planning to take the Gnosis from inside the Exuvia all along!?" Paimon gasps.
Childe snorts, "As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, it's my duty to see the will of the Tsaritsa fulfilled. She will get that which she desires."
"Tsaritsa? Gnosis?" Ruby frowns, not understanding the meaning of the word.
"The Tsaritsa is the current Cryo Archon who rules over Snezhnaya." Zhongli answers, "The Eleven Fatui Harbingers answers only to her. As for the Gnosis, it's the source of an Archon's great power."
"Ooooh…"
Ready to draw her weapon at a second notice, the Traveler steps forward with a determined expression.
"I won't allow you to get near the Exuvia."
"Hah! I'm not asking for your blessing, and there's nothing you can do to stop me anyway. The time for discussion and diplomacy has already passed. I mean, if it were up to me, I would have skipped that stage to begin with... But I'm willing to do as the Tsaritsa deems fit. Either way — we now come to my favorite part. A simple pleasure, and one that I am oh-so-delighted to be sharing with you..." He gently closes his eyes, "The battle."
"Battle? So, you're the type that goes looking for trouble, huh?" Paimon haughtily retorts.
"Haha, you could say that. When Signora offended the deities outside the Cathedral in Mondstadt, she swiftly left the scene once her mission was accomplished. Instead of confronting you directly, she chose to rely on the snow and ice to make her escape. She wouldn't want the Knights to come running towards the sound of battle, now, would she? When she faces a worthy opponent, she will prioritize her mission, weigh the outcomes, and consider the consequences of her actions... But as for me, the greatest pleasure of being a Harbinger lies in crossing blades with strong opponents."
"So, he'd already loss his Gnosis?" Zhongli quietly mutters to himself, not one bit surprised that his Anemo colleague had his Gnosis taken. The Anemo Archon, Barbatos has always been the weakest of the seven. Knowing him, the drunkard is probably still living out his carefree life and drinking all the wine he could get his little hands on.
Paimon presses her lips tightly, eyebrows furrowing, indicating her determination and irritation.
"We won't let what happened in Mondstadt ever happen again!"
A flash of amusement crossed Childe's face.
"Oh? So, you intend to fight me? Good. I won't kill you, Traveler. I'll just play along — to feel the thrill of battle! Besides, you could never defeat me. Not even in your wildest dreams. But hey, try to relish the fight anyway. Because if you ask me... Without that, what else is there?"
"I could never defeat you!?" Lumine repeats in an indignant tone, "You're completely delusional."
He leans his head back and laughs.
"Ahahahaha! Fighting talk, I love it! Now, let's see you live up to it."
Velvet takes out her camera, ready to capture each motion of their fight.
Mercury puts his legs down and leans forward with slight interest, "This will be a good fight."
"Yes. This would certainly be interesting." Zhongli is curious about what Lumine is capable of. Perhaps now would be a good time to gauge her true abilities.
Both combatants leaped off the outer walkways and onto the center platform of the Golden House; a makeshift arena. Childe lands directly on the center of the Golden House's symbol while Lumine simply lands a few steps away from the stairway.
Paimon remains floating high in the air, trying her best to avoid getting in-between them.
"This chance is hard to come by, so show me all you've got. So, very few ever get the chance to square off with a Fatui Harbinger. So, come now, amuse me... and don't you dare disappoint."
Halfway through his dialogue, Lumine lunges at him with her blade drawn. Childe's smile widens as he produces a bow made entirely of water and fires a rapid torrent of water arrows at her, forcing her to quickly dive sideways to avoid it.
He can control and weaponized water? Neptune wonders if he can do something similar with his water-related semblance. However, he'll first need to get over his fear of water if he wishes to hone it.
Lumine leans low and balances herself with one hand on the floor, pushing herself off to resume her attack. Streams of arrows zip past her face, none of them slowing her down as she swings her blade at Childe.
"Passible levels." He dully remarks, forming a blue barrier around him that absorbs her attack.
Powerful winds begin to form on Lumine's left hand which she brought it forth against his water barrier, breaking it and blasting Childe back. He skitters back and drops down to one knee, pointing his bow into the sky and fires several shots into the air. Condensed water jets into the air and falls upon Lumine like massive water missiles, dissuading her from continuing her assault.
She leaps left and right, zigzagging across the platform, but it wasn't enough for her to escape one of the falling arrows blast radius that hurls her towards Childe.
Childe twirls his water weapon and slashes at her figure, nearly ending the fight there if it weren't for Lumine's quick reflexes parrying his blades. She kicks him sharply on the shins, giving her a brief window to unleash a vicious, yet graceful storm of blades that Childe was unable to deal with.
"Ugh! Oof!"
Yang cheers, "Nice counterattack!"
"He's not being serious." Raven said bluntly, "Yet…"
Tai nods in agreement with his former wife. The Fatui Harbinger appears to be restraining himself as of now.
Lumine relentlessly attack Childe, giving him no chance to retaliate as he staggers back with each contact of her blade. Despite this, he remains standing on his two feet without a single sign of faltering anytime soon.
"Hyah!" Lumine roars, unleashing a powerful slash at Childe.
But it never made contact. Activating his Hydro Vision, Childe disappears in a blue blur, avoiding the attack.
"He's fast!" Oscar exclaims.
Qrow nods, "Starting to show some of his cards."
Lumine blinks and instinctively turns around to find Childe standing casually near the opposite end of the platform with a smug expression, pointing at her in a taunting manner. Childe remains impassive as Lumine draws close, refusing to attack despite having countless opportunities to do so until the last second.
"You're wide open!"
He struck at that moment, firing six consecutive shots at her. Lumine manages to avoid three, blocking two with her sword, with the last shot striking her on the arm.
Lumine tumbles back, quickly regaining her footing. She grits her teeth and performs a side slash to cleanse her weapon. The two stare down one another before charging, their weapons grating against the other. The power of Anemo and Hydro reacting in a swirl of spiraling rainfall as Lumine dances against the tune of Childe's combat form. Her elegant and refined blade work against his sleek and powerful rapture.
Childe's water bow has broken down to form two blades, blasting his target with a burst of pressurized water. His attack was nullified by a force that could only be described as a hurricane, shredding his powerful elemental attack like paper.
Cinder found herself admiring both combatants' abilities, almost envying it. Their creative and combinative use of their elemental powers and weapons proficiency is something noteworthy. Perhaps she can seek out that rabbit faunus named Velvet…
"Not bad, not bad." He praises, parrying Lumine's sword with his water blades. "But… You should do it like this!"
The air around him glows bright blue and exploded outward, launching Lumine several meters back.
Yang winces, "Getting wet hair in a fight is an awful feeling."
Lumine clutches her head from the impact and rolls back to her feet. She saw Childe reverting his weapon back to its bow form and charging up for several powerful attacks.
"Tch!" She sprints to the side to throw off his aim, well prepared to dive out of danger should she be unable to avoid his attacks.
"A clear shot!"
He let loose his ultimate attack, summoning a massive water humpback whale from his bow that leaps high into the sky before crashing down in a spectacular tsunami. The watery explosion shook the entire platform, nearly sweeping Lumine off her feet.
"Whaaaale!" Nora hollers.
"Just what are his limitations?" Weiss quizzically asks, "His abilities are so versatile and powerful."
"The limitations are of oneself. After all, it is befitting of his title as Fatui Harbinger, does it not?" Zhongli replies, calmly enjoying his warm brew tea while keeping a sharp eye on the situation. "However... They've yet to fully commit themselves to this fight."
Steadfast, and determined, she slides across the slippery wet floor towards Childe who welcomed her move with a spin of his water blades and Hydro shield.
"Go with the wind!" She roars along with the raging wind, bringing forth her Elemental Burst: Gust Surge.
Childe grunts as he tried to move, but was pulled in towards the greenish tornado that's spinning violently towards him. He threw his arms up, calling upon his Hydro Vision to construct a barrier that barely halted the raging storm, shattering within seconds. Childe found himself spinning helplessly within the whirlwind, cut on all sides by its sharp wind blades.
"Caught in the tempest," Blake remarks.
Yang punches the air, "Their fighting sure kicked up a storm. Really makes me want to go all out as well."
The wind swiftly died down, dropping Childe to the ground.
"Raagh!" Lumine's blade became warps into a streak of silver that pierces through the air, hitting Childe square in the chest.
"Agh!"
The impact nearly hurls him off the platform if it weren't for his quick recovery; the soles of his boots hitting the floor to give enough friction to stop him from sliding off. He clutches his chest and gazes up, finding Lumine nearly upon him.
Time slows briefly for Childe as he smiles.
He flits out of Lumine's reach, leaving afterimages as he returns to the center of the platform.
"Not bad, not bad. Not bad! You've learned a trick or two." Childe can't help but praise her. Since she's this adamant about winning this fight, he should be too. Swirls of water begin to form around him, encompassing him completely. "I guess I should have taken you seriously."
"Grr…" Lumine glares at Childe and readies her blade, already formulating her next move.
"Hmm… It seems he'll be using his Delusion now. I've always been curious to see her treasures at work." Zhongli has heard of these mysterious devices known as Delusions, but never saw their usage in actual combat. Now, he'll have the opportunity to witness it in action.
"Delusions…?" Said Pyrrha.
Zhongli's eyes flicked upward, silently and briefly conversing with the Hosts before returning his attention to Pyrrha.
"In my world, there are individuals who are recognized by the gods and are bestowed gifts called Vision. Those who are blessed gain the abilities to control the elements corresponding with their Vision." Zhongli thoroughly explains, "However, the Tsaritsa has found a way to artificially grant Vision with these devices known as Delusions."
"Interesting." Cinder said to herself. It reminds her of the Aesir Project viewing.
Childe disperses the water barrier around him, revealing that his entire attire has changed to purple. His Fatui mask is drawn down over his face, and his body is now crackling with purple electricity. He has decided to use his Delusion that grants him his Electro abilities.
"Wardrobes changed at a moment's notice." Coco sighs, "I wish we have something like that."
"Good! No wonder Signora was so wary of you. Well, that just means I can go all out!" Lightning snaps and crackles in his hand, forming a spear made entirely out of Electro. "Brace yourselves, this is about to get tough... Now, show me what you can do against the might of a Harbinger."
Purple lightning webs and dances with each motion of Childe's Electro spear dragging through the air. Arcs of purple sparked and crackled around Lumine, fast as lightning. Childe's blistering speed and electrical bursts gave Lumine barely any room to maneuver. His wide swings were near-instantaneous, impossible to avoid without taking Electro damage.
"Fast like lightning," Harriet commented. "But it doesn't look like he can keep up the speed."
"I'd imagine it's taxing on his body." From what Zhongli knows, Delusions gives wielders greater power than those with Vision. However, that power comes at a dangerous price which can be fatal to the user.
"Something else catch your eye?" He taunts, flickering around Lumine like a bolt of lightning, blazing through her defenses with ease.
Lumine let out a painful hiss, arms burning and twitching from the jolt of electricity coursing through her body. Her heart felt like it was in disarray from her nerves being fried, but she refuses to falter. She has fought against opponents far stronger than Childe, from Dvalin to the Unknown God. Lumine will not be stopped by the likes of Childe. She will reunite with her brother no matter the obstacle!
Anemo swirls around her sword and palm amidst the lightning storm, pulling every single elemental particle around her to will. Childe blurs behind her and slashes at the empty space where Lumine was holding her ground.
A shadow fell over him, bringing him to launch a bolt of lightning to the air that's quickly dispersed by Lumine's Anemo infused blade. Cold steel, infused with the power of the wind slit through Childe's stance while she gracefully somersaulted over him. Her dexterity and prowess with the sword whorl into an onslaught that rivals Childe in terms of speed that sent him reeling back.
"She adapts very quickly." Tai is impressed with Lumine's skill, instincts, and fighting spirit.
"She has too," Raven said bluntly.
Lumine stand firm and brought up her palm, unleashing a fierce rippling wind that consumed everything in front of her.
"Wind blade!"
She released the buildup, discharging the tempest at Childe that gnashed at the Electro barrier he managed to put up at the last second.
"The price of a single slip!" He detonates the barrier and rushes towards Lumine, dual Electro blades crackling in his palms.
Their weapons reacted violently with one another, scattering elemental particles throughout the Golden House. Electro, Hydro, and Anemo swirl together in the vicious clash between Lumine and Childe as their weapons sent showers of elemental sparks to the floor. Neither combatant appeared to have a true upper hand against their opponent, locked into an epic duel so vicious that it created a miniature thunderstorm and hurricane around them.
While most were awestruck by the amount of power each combatant is capable of, Ozpin quietly observes the fight with diligence and thought to himself: It's almost like a fight between maidens.
Lumine breathing has steadied, allowing her to remain hyper-focus on Childe's lightning attacks. His entire body was enhanced by his Vision and Delusion, granting him speed and power that very few can match. Each attack was but a blur, generating many glowing purple afterimages that messed with Lumine's eyesight.
Yet for all his speed and strength, Lumine relented.
And Childe cannot let this go on.
"I'll crush you!" Purple markings begin to appear around Lumine as Childe disengaged, lifting his Electro spear to the air. It trembles violently in his hand, glowing very brightly until it exploded into a pillar of lightning that engulfs his entire body.
Lumine's eyes widen and lunge to the side just as a massive lightning bolt struck the ground where she stood. Hot blast waves ripples through her hair and clothes. The force was strong enough to knock the sword out of her hand, sending Lumine and her weapon tumbling.
"Yow! What a shocker!" Yang yelps, "And I did not mean for that to be a pun."
"Grrgh…!" She painfully pushes herself off the ground and remains kneeling while Childe strolls triumphantly towards her.
"Looks like it's his win." Vernal said unsympathetically, "Well, his chances are winning are pretty solid right now."
Raven shrugs. "Who knows. The desperate will always find a way to turn things around…"
Lumine kept her glare on Childe as he twirls his weapon and fused it together to form a polearm. Near her side, Paimon panicky floats around Lumine, completely helpless in doing anything to help Lumine fight off Childe.
"Not bad. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive." He compliments, playfully performing a few spinning tricks with his elemental weapon. "But, that's about as far as you'll get."
He drew his spear back and lunges at Lumine.
Lumine immediately got to her feet and summons a condensed orb of Anemo with his palm, blocking Childe's attack. The Electro polearm slowly pierces through the Anemo orb, causing Lumine to gas. She slides her left leg back, ripping the marble floor apart as she reinforces her Anemo orb with two hands. The torn flooring beneath begins to crystalize in an amber color as Lumine calls upon the Geo element, sprouting numerous glowing amber crystals beneath her feet that shot up towards Childe.
"Hmmm." Zhongli hums thoughtfully. He always knew that Lumine was different than everyone else. For one, she did not possess any Vision or a Delusion but can manipulate the elements like any Vision holder.
An elemental reaction resulted in an explosion that spews dust everywhere.
Paimon found herself flailing wildly in the air as she was hurled back by the explosion alongside Lumine who skillfully maneuvers herself in the air to land safely.
"Did she get him?" Oscar meekly asks.
"… No. She didn't." Zhongli replies, causing Oscar to gulp.
When the dust settles, however, Childe is nowhere to be found... Only his Electro polearm remained in the crater along with large shards of crystalizing Geo.
"Haha… Didn't think you had that card hidden up your sleeve..."
Childe reveals himself to be already in front of the Exuvia, no worse for wear. He has no intention of continuing the fight despite enjoying it. He's here to complete his objective, no matter the cost.
"You were just playing us to get close to the Exuvia!" Paimon angrily stomps her feet in the air.
"Objective first. Everything else second." Said Elm.
"Oh, quiet down. Stop acting like some wide-eyed recruit. You've seen this world. You of all people should know..." His hands glower with Electro power and reach into the Exuvia, "This should have been expected! Well then, I'll be taking Morax's Gnosis now!" He rips something out of Morax's corpse but somehow comes out empty-handed. "... Huh?"
Zhongli's eyes twinkle with amusement. "It would appear that the Gnosis is not within the Exuvia."
Childe remains frozen briefly before chuckling darkly. His body lit up with webs of electricity as his mood immediately went sour.
"Hahaha... I see. Well, this is most unexpected. You... You beat me to it, didn't you?"
Zwei felt the sudden malice emanating from Childe and yelps, covering his eyes with his paws.
"Uh… T-there, there." Oscar strokes the corgi's head. "Th-that's not a good sign."
Yang nods gravely. The only time Zwei gets scared is when something frighteningly unfamiliar, or something/someone very dangerous appears.
"It's a very bad sign."
Lumine and Paimon duck as Childe hurtled over their heads like lightning, slamming the ground with untold force.
Childe slowly floats into the air; his Hydro Vision and Electro Delusion begin fusing with each other. His entire body begins to encase itself in armor, starting from the legs to the arms, then his entire torso and head. His face is suddenly covered over by a scaly mask with a large single blue eye at the center, glimmering with unstable Electro power.
With a mighty roar, Childe blasts the ceiling for a massive purple laser beam from his mask; shockwaves pushing them back a great distance. The bright beam of light faded and Childe descends to the ground in his newly armored form, looking very inhuman.
He is Tartaglia - Childe - The Eleventh of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers.
And he has had enough of being tricked and humiliated.
Velvet lowers her camera numbly, "He… Transformed?"
"That mask is creepy looking…" It gives Jaune the shivers just by looking at it.
"So, a Delusion is also capable of such feats…" Zhongli mutters to himself. "Intriguing…"
"Not bad!" His voice has become deep, raspy, and distorted underneath the mask. Childe recalls his Electro polearm to his hand, morphing the weapon into a more powerful version of itself. "But this is going to cost you!"
Childe smashes the floor, shattering it with sheer power.
"Aaaah!" Paimon screams as she and the Traveler fall through, bouncing against the shattered platform.
Lumine hit the floor hard while Paimon fell into a pile of debris, both of them seemed to be fine despite taking a considerable fall.
"Oh no! Paimon!" Weiss and Yang cry out.
Paimon was the first to recover, pulling herself loose from the debris and floating over to see if Lumine was alright. The blond girl slowly picked herself up and turns to face Childe, seeing a descending purple star shining brightly in the thick dust. Faint webs of lightning accompany the glowing purple star, exploding outward to clear the battlefield of any clouds of dust and debris.
Lumine manages to retain her ground, her eyebrows lowered and pulled closer together, eyelids narrowing in defiance and determination. She kicks up her sword and grabs it with one hand, slashing the air to remove any particles on it.
"This will be the deciding round to see who will emerge victoriously." Said Mercury, "Wonder who's going to win."
"You got to the Gnosis ahead of me, didn't you!?" Childe angrily lashes out with his blade, sending out a salvo sharp water-like blade. "Did you simply move faster? Or... Did you leak the information regarding the Golden House to me on purpose? No matter. Hand the Gnosis over. Now. Don't make me take it from you."
"That anger will work against him if he doesn't pull himself together." Qrow stoically remarks, knowing full well how emotions can easily blind a person in battle.
"W—We didn't take it!"
Paimon protests, but Childe was too worked up to listen to the floating spirit. His entire body blinks out of existence and remerged to the far right of Lumine, striking the ground, causing geysers of pressurized water to erupt from the ground. Sprays of water drizzle down on Lumine as she skips past the exploding pillars of water, utilizing her Geo and Anemo powers to lessen Childe's Hydro and Electro attacks.
"Drop!"
A massive stone cage with amber-colored crystals suddenly appears over Childe, crashing down onto his head, shattering shards infused with Electro everywhere. Childe didn't even flinch and shakes off the pieces of stone stuck to his clothes and armor, striking back in retaliation.
"Talk about being hard-headed," Yang said in mild jest.
Lumine slides under Childe's attack and sweeps up the crystalized shades with the power of Anemo, breaking them down to form a protective Electro shield around herself, and jumps onto the broken boulder that was created from her Geo, keeping ground to the floating Childe. Her sword sang sharply as it grates against his electrifying spear, sliding over the spearhead towards his head.
Before it even makes contact, Childe formed another blade with his left and scores a hit with it on Lumine's ribs with enough force to push her away. However, the Electro shield that Lumine placed up fully blocked his attack, leaving her unharmed.
"That would have hurt a lot if she didn't have that barrier around her," Jaune noted to himself.
Pyrrha sports a rather worrying expression on her face, "I wonder if they even have anything like aura…"
"Nowhere to run!"
He summons four consecutive thunderbolts at Lumine, bright flashes of electricity searing the marble floor.
"I can easily tank all the lightning bolts!" Nora boasted, "Easy fight!"
Still, her Electro shield held despite getting hit twice, being extremely effective against elements of the same typing. Realizing this, Childe blinks far away from Lumine, reappearing with a water bow in hand.
"Die here." He draws it upward, pure water glowing brightly at the tip of his arrow…
"But not that." Quite frankly, Ren doesn't want Nora tanking anything.
"You don't know that." Ren gives her his neutral look of 'don't try it' to his partner, making her relent on the matter so that she won't try it in the future. "Okay, maybe I can't."
And releases it. Condensed beams of water shot up high into the sky and out of the Golden House, splitting apart in the darkening skies overhead into glowing blue fragments.
Lumine sucks in her breath and sprints towards the center just as the water-filled warheads made landfall, sweeping the entire platform like a crashing tsunami that shatters her Electro barrier.
"Ugh…" Lumine swiftly rolls to her feet to avoid Childe blinking in with blistering dual slash that sent electrical statics everywhere.
She ducks and weaves around Childe's floating frame and wide-reaching attacks, parrying and counterattacking with each opportunity, blade dancing through his guard and vaulting over to strike at his back. Childe grunts and sweeps his spear back, missing Lumine by a hair thread, but forcing a retreat.
The audience watches the fierce fighting in silence. Awestruck, respect, or curiosity was the commonality of their emotions as they watch the fighting rage on.
No time to breathe or think. Raven thought to herself. Move, or die. Commendable.
Lumine continues to step back as her opponent relentlessly attacked her, slashing, cross-slashing several times before finishing the combo by throwing his polearm into a sharp spin. The purple, spinning weapon smashed into Lumine's sword, sending hot sparks everywhere as it drives her back. Her feet were planted firmly onto the ground, tearing the smooth floor apart and forming crystalize rocks that supported her footing.
She gritted her teeth and doubles down, surprised when Childe's polearm suddenly flew back into his hand, violently trembling with power.
Childe's entire body pulse with Electro, coursing through his armor and polearm, his voice rumbling, "Don't move."
He flew up into the air like an ascending purple star and angles his polearm at Lumine, intending to finish this once and for now.
"He looks like he's about to burst with all the lightning flying out," Sun commented. His monkey tail was swishing around nervously, engrossed with the fight.
Zhongli grimly nods, "Yes, I would imagine so seeing how his body might not be able to handle the amount of power he's accumulating."
Ozpin furrows his brows, "Then this will be the moment of truth."
"Indeed, it shall."
Lumine lowers her sword and takes a deep breath, raising her leg that's glowing with the Geo element. She slams her foot onto the ground, causing a ring of crystalized Geo to erupt from the ground at the same time Childe thundered down.
Massive clouds of elemental dust shrouded the ground, blocking Paimon's view of the. Paimon floats back and forth anxiously above the chaos, squinting hard to see if there's any sign of them.
Oscar tightens his grip on his armrest, "Are they…?"
Then. In the middle of it all, a gleam of amber and green light exploded outward, dispelling the dust clouds around them. Lumine emerges victorious, her sword whipping up a frenzy of a storm that shattered Childe's armor, causing his powers to short-circuit.
"You're a cut… Above…" His entire armor flickers between blue, purple, and yellow, before breaking apart. Childe fell to his knees panting and clutching his ribs in pain while Lumine stands over him, remaining on guard.
Ruby threw her hands up and cheers. "She did it!"
"A hard-earned victory," Clover said smiling.
"The battle may be won, but the war has just begun." Zhongli solemnly paraphrases an ancient proverb he once heard. "I'm afraid this is far from over."
Qrow grunts, "Always one problem after another."
"Look! Childe's back to normal again." Paimon obviously pointed out as she floats down.
"Ugh, well then... time to cool off." His breathing has become laborious, making it difficult to speak. "It seems the burden of the Foul Legacy Transformation was too great for my body. I lacked the opportunity to think this through... And now that I consider the matter more carefully, you never had any chance of beating me to the Gnosis." Childe mentally kicked himself for letting his stress get the better of him, "You had no connection to the Gnosis, no matter where it had been taken."
Paimon crosses her arm, clearly irritated. "That's right! We tried to tell you we didn't take it!"
"This Gnosis… It can turn someone into an Archon? A god?" Cinder asks.
It was Zhongli who answered. "To my knowledge, yes. However, it seems that there's more to it seeing how mortals are unable to become Archons."
"I see."
Childe slowly pushes himself off the floor, recovering from the taxing transformation. He may be able to stand and talk normally, but he certainly will not be able to fight seriously for a while. His options are limited with his combat capabilities hamper by the backlash.
"Your show of ability today far surpasses that of Signora's initial assessment of you in Mondstadt. Tell me, how could that be?"
Because I'm gradually restoring my former powers... Lumine thought to herself. She isn't stupid to reveal that to Childe, no matter how vague it is.
"Wait, so she fought the guy while being handicap?" Yang looks impressed by that. "Nice. Wonder what she's like at full power then."
Mercury nods approvingly, "Can fight without crutches. I'll give her my respect on that."
Childe could see that Lumine wasn't going to answer his question and relents. "You already know the answer, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. But if that is a secret you wish to keep, I guess I'll just have to curb my curiosity." He shrugs and admits his defeat on that matter, "The battle has already left me satisfied. Anyone who strives as I do to grow stronger shall be called a friend, even if our friendship can only be shown in battle against one another."
"Pretty sure that's not the normal way to make friends."
"Definitely not a good way to make friends." Weiss shoots her team leader and partner a small glare, making Ruby shrink into her seat.
Port heartily chuckles, "That's how some friendship forms."
"Unfortunately, I must bring this amiable conversation to an end. My quest still beckons. Given the Gnosis wasn't taken by anyone, then we must look once again to the beginning. Perhaps it was never in the Exuvia, to begin with." Childe crosses his arms, sinking deeply into his thoughts for the silver of a moment. "In fact, it might be that the Exuvia was just a diversion of sorts."
Paimon leans forward, eyes wide. "What? So, you mean that..."
"They were tricked?" Jaune throws out.
"Rex Lapis still lives?"
Ruby scratches her head, "Wouldn't a massive giant dragon be hard to miss?"
Zhongli rests his head on his hand and smirks. On the contrary… He is much more elusive than one would imagine.
Childe nods, "Yes, it appears so. Interesting to say the least..." He glances up at the sky and claps, thinly smiling for being tricked by the Geo Archon. "It seems that the guardian deity of the capital of commerce is also well-versed in the little maneuvers beyond the boundaries of contracts. As such, we must now look to our backup plan."
"Backup plan?"
Paimon did not like the sound of that and neither did Lumine.
"Hmmm, nope." Yang shakes her head, "Not liking that one bit."
"I had hoped it would never come to this. I absolutely detest working with those who are weaker than I. The truth is, the world belongs to those of us who desire to become strong. I seldom willingly mingle with any dull and boring weaklings who think otherwise." Exasperatedly putting a hand over his face and shaking his head, "Unfortunately, we cannot be picky about our methods as Fatui Harbingers. Children must all learn to eat their vegetables sometime."
Raven scoffs at Childe's outlook on strength. "Even those lesser than you have their usage."
Much like the Branwen Tribe she led. Everyone there is weaker than her, but they have their usages. Especially Vernal.
"So, what are you planning to do?"
"I will awaken the god that lies dormant beneath Guyun Stone Forest."
Paimon's eyes shot wide open, "A god!?"
"Awakening a god…" Ozpin wonders if the gods of Teyvat are anything like the Two Brothers; God of Darkness and God of Light.
"Osial, Overlord of the Vortex, who was defeated by Morax the Geo Archon in the Archon War, and who has remained pinned beneath the waves by the Geo Archon's stone spears ever since. If such an ancient god were to be unleashed upon Liyue Harbor, defenseless without the protection of its deity... Do you think the cunning Rex Lapis would just stand aloof and watch the ensuing destruction?"
"But... the Archon War ended two thousand years ago! How could an ancient god appear in a world now overseen by The Seven?"
All beings that fought for the Archon seats during the Archon War were slain, sealed, or disappeared thousands of years ago. How was the Fatui going to bring back the long-defeated ones?
Raven sneers and glares at Ozpin, "If it's not dead, then it's not over."
"Simple! I've already prepared the means to awaken it." Childe summons a swarm of Sigils of Permission, which circles around him.
Vernal frowns, "You're going to wake it up with floating papers?"
"No, there's something powerful within those…"
Even in another dimension, Raven can feel faint flows of powerful energy radiating from the Sigils of Permission. She wasn't the only one. Cinder and Ozpin both felt it. An overbearing power that they could never hope to achieve, and that feeling made Cinder in particular very small and envious.
Zhongli shifts in his seat, ignoring the audiences' reactions and focus on the screen, eyes brimming with interest and expectation.
"Hey! Those are Sigils of Permission! Oh, Paimon remembers now! The Fatui have been researching them..."
"You've been trying to duplicate them."
"Indeed. The one that was given to you was just a by-product of our research. With the power of so many Sigils of Permission concentrated in one place, along with that which was bestowed upon me as a Harbinger by our Tsaritsa... Breaking the subduing might of the Geo Archon's spears for a time should be no obstacle. Using the powers of ancient gods in such a situation fails to interest me and is largely against my principles. But knowing that such an action will not only force the Geo Archon to show its hand but you as well... That makes matters a little more intriguing."
Throughout the land of Liyue, the darken skies were suddenly consumed by ominous clouds. Heavy rains begin to fall, blue intra-cloud lightning flashes, massive waterspouts rumbles around the Guyun Stone Forest, the seal that imprisoned the ancient god have been undone.
A titanic shadow lurks through the cold sea, churning the ocean waves restlessly.
Neptune pales and starts sweating, having heard of terrifying creatures that lurk in the deep sea. "Okay, I'm absolutely terrified of going near the ocean now!"
Zwei whimpers and curls up into a ball, feeling Osial's terrifying presence.
The temperature and air within the dimensional theater room felt warm and cool at the same time. Wisps of wind seem to billow out from the screen like it has they were looking out of a window with no glass or screens of any kind. A sense of deep concern spread among the audience, barring Zhongli.
"Hahahahaha! Let's see — will the nation that has lost its deity be swallowed up by an ancient malice once more?" Childe joyously brings both of his hands up with mock wonder as he encompasses himself in a sphere of water and flies through the hole in the roof. "If you wish to drown together with the people of Liyue. You're free to stay and enjoy the show!"
"That was like a water version of my semblance." Ruby absentmindedly said to herself.
Lumine and Paimon quickly chased after him, but by the time they managed to leave the Golden House, he was nowhere in sight. Instead, they were greeted with rainfall and lightning clouds looming over Liyue.
"Huh? He—He's already gone! That guy is fast..." Paimon shared a look with Lumine, unsure where they should go next until the Jade Chamber flies by towards the storm. "Wha—What's going on!?"
As the Jade Chamber positions itself in front of Liyue Harbor, Osial emerges from the depths to confront them.
Made entirely out of pure water, Osial rose forth with its serpent-like body, followed by another and another. Its very presence radiates unspeakable power that hollows the sky above it, ushering bright lights to shine down upon it.
Osial, Overlord of the Vortex has arrived.
Everyone flinches as they felt their souls shiver against the raging aura that Osial emitted as the ancient god emerged. It felt like if they were any weaker, their soul would be thrown into a roaring rapid, carrying them into the deepest part of the ocean and crushed.
"It seems that everyone is much more sensitive to Osial's presence than we anticipated…"
The natives of Remnant visibly relaxed as the pressure begins to fade.
Coco jumps straight up, "The heck was that?! It felt like my soul was about to be ripped out and crushed!"
"It is not unusual for mortals to quake in the face of a god." Zhongli remains well composed, pouring himself a nice cup of warm tea. "After all, Osial is a powerful being."
Jaune shudders to imagine how much destruction a single one of those gods can do. "The Archon War is fought against the likes of that?"
"Yes. For two thousand years, countless gods and magical beings fought against one another for the divine seats. Words cannot describe how much destruction and tragedy that occurred within those thousand years of conflict."
Everyone sat in silence, processing that information. They had severely underestimated just how terrifying Teyvat can be. After collecting themselves, they made themselves comfortable and continue to watch the viewing.
/-/
Despite always floating, Paimon was panting from exhaustion of having to fly around too much.
"Paimon's exhausted... If we hadn't happened to see the Jade Chamber flying over just as we came out of the Golden House, we really wouldn't have known which way to go..." She rubs her chin and muses, "Whew, did we make it in time? Is the Overlord of the Vortex still in the sea? It hasn't destroyed Liyue yet, has it?"
Osial remains where it emerges, cautious and observant. Its five serpent-like heads slowly contemplate its surroundings, looking for its archnemesis, Rex Lapis, and his adepti.
"It's not attacking…" Marrow realizes, "It's being cautious."
"I would imagine being defeated and sealed away would certainly make one cautious." Said Zhongli.
"Does it have five brains since it has five heads?" Nora quietly asks. She is far from her usual loud self.
Zhongli pauses and rubs his chin, "Hmm… I'm afraid that is beyond my area of expertise."
"What... are you doing here?"
Lumine and Paimon turn.
A teenage boy with dark medium-length hair with teal undertones, pale skin, and yellow cat slit eyes gave them a quizzical look. His name is Xiao, the last of the Five Yaksha who were tasked with subduing the demonic spirits that once terrorized Liyue. Despite his youthful appearance his tales have been recorded throughout millennia.
He stands alongside the Qixing, the Millelith, and the rest of the adepti.
"Those are some massive animals." Sun casually remarks.
"They are the adepti." Zhongli corrects him, "A group of powerful beings who are bounded by contract to protect Liyue."
"Oh. Ooooh…" Sun winces and sinks into his seat, "My bad."
Roman snorts, "That's ironic."
"Huh... Hold on! It's the adepti! What are you doing on the Jade Chamber? Paimon thought you were arguing with the Qixing... Is the fighting over?"
The last they heard about the Qixing and the adepti was that they couldn't reach an understanding and were facing off against each other.
The Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang steps forth to answer. She is a tall beautiful woman with fair skin and light red eyes. Her pale hair has been neatly tied together with a black hairpin while her elegant qipao dress is smooth and spotless.
"Pretty woman, pretty dress." Coco compliments, "Got the Mistral traditional feel to it."
"Faced with such a calamity of such magnitude, we have agreed to put our differences aside for now and unit against this common enemy."
Moon Carver, an Adeptus who takes the form of a stag, merely scoffs. "Hmph!"
"Oh, Paimon gets it... So, how do you plan to defend Liyue?" She turns around to glance at Osial who is staring back at them with one of its many heads. "Uhh... just seeing this Overlord of the Vortex guy puts a pit in Paimon's tummy, even from all the way out here."
"You weren't the only one…" Weiss shivers, recalling the awful feeling of Osial's oppressive aura.
"It's not just you. We've got new Millelith recruits who can't even stand at attention without shaking. The force of an ancient god's presence seems to be too much for ordinary people to handle." Said a girl with dark amethyst cat-like eyes and light purple hair walks forward. She is Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. "... Which is why we must stop that monster before it gets any closer to Liyue Harbor!"
Yatsuhashi was impressed with their composure and determination. "They'll fare much better than us. Most of them show no sign of distress."
Fox broke his usual silence, "Yeah…"
"So, the Archon War was fought two thousand years ago against enemies like that thing? Now that's scary..."
"..." Xiao somberly looks down and crosses his arms.
"A miracle their world hasn't turn into a wasteland. No offense, Mr. Zhongli." Said Robyn.
"None taken."
"So, will the power of the Qixing, Millelith, and Adepti gathered here be enough to stop that god?"
"We've already discussed this together, and our conclusion is..." Ningguang pauses briefly, "not necessarily."
Paimon draws back, placing both hands over her mouth. "What!? But all of you are supposed to be the guardians of Liyue. Can't you think of something?"
Oscar clasps his hands tightly together, "Not something anyone would want to hear."
"One certainly could." Answers Cloud Retainer, an Adeptus that takes on the form of a white crane with blue, gold, and black plumage.
"Eh?"
"The Qixing did once research the matter of the Guizhong Ballista when it piqued their fancy. And as fate would have it, one, who did craft the Guizhong Ballista with one's own hands, is here... For what could you mortals ever learn of adepti mechanisms? Yet it would take one but a little tinkering to turn this ballista into an engine of war beyond your wildest thoughts."
Ningguang crosses her arms with a smirk.
"Heh, I suppose this is one blessing from the adepti that we should be thankful for. So be it. We shall use the upgraded Guizhong Ballista to fight off that god. All the adepti here can lend their strength to man it. We haven't a moment to spare. Our battle begins now!"
Geo particles form around Ningguang and blink her into the air. She rapidly makes a series of hand seals, activating the platform around her Jade Chambers, calling forth three Guizhong Ballista that appears in a blinding blue light.
"Whooooa! So cool!" Ruby squeals, her anxiety briefly fading at the appearance of the Guizhong Ballista.
"Will those even be enough to fight off that?" Weiss asks skeptically.
"One must not underestimate a creation of an adepti, even if it was built by mortal hands." Zhongli lightly chides the heiress. "When powered by an Adeptus, a single Guizhong Ballista can do much damage to any being. Including a god."
Three of the adepti; Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper wasted no time, mounting themselves onto the Ballista platform and attack Osial with charged beams of lightning.
The Overlord of the Vortex violently flails in the face of the heavy barrage, roaring in pain with each Ballista bolt vaporing its watery body.
Winter looks impressed by the Guizhong Ballista's effectiveness. "It looks like it's working."
"Remnant would greatly benefit from something like this." Ironwood nods, signaling Penny and Pietro to jot down some notes. They might not be able to create anything powerful like this, but being an innovative kingdom, Atlas will probably find something useful.
Still, the ancient god will not be fell so easily by mere contraptions even if they're enchanted by the adepti. Yet amid Liyue's greatest crisis, Osial is not the only threat that lurks within these lands.
Dark misty portals begin to manifest on the edges of the Jade Chamber's mythical platform. Armed masked soldiers of all kinds pour out of the portal. Fatui Agents, Cicin Mages, and Skirmishers all rush forth with eagerness to execute the wills of the Eleven Harbingers and their Archon.
Elm frowns, "They don't look like reinforcements."
"No, they are not." Said Zhongli.
Paimon gasps and panicky points at the interlopers. "The Fatui! They're attacking the Guizhong Ballista!"
Keqing wasted no time, drawing her sword to meet the Fatui. Lumine followed suit, leaping off the stone pavements and into the platform to confront the Fatui. Xiao and Ganyu also summoned their respective weapons and join them in their endeavor to repel their unwelcome guests.
"The three adepti are manning the Guizhong Ballista. Do not let the Fatui disturb their work!"
"All able Millelith, with me!" Keqing rallies the soldiers with her sword pointing at the sky. Organized scores of Millelith hastily march forth to engage the Fatui in an all-out attack.
Velvet meekly raises her camera to capture every moment of the fight. There'll be a lot of angles to cover and at the same time pay attention to.
"Let's go help too!"
Paimon guides Lumine to the nearest Guizhong Ballista that's manned by Cloud Retainer who merely glances at the Fatui intrusion with scorn. The Adeptus ignores an Electrohammer Vanguard smashing the shielding around the Guizhong Ballista with his hammer and instead kept a steady sight of Lumine arriving to deal with the threat.
Nora gasps, "He has an electric hammer! I want one!"
"You already have one back in Remnant." Ren flatly replies.
"Found your long-lost relative." Marrow said to Elm who doesn't understand the joke. "Never mind…"
"We adepti have not faced a god in several millennia." The adepti comments haughtily, turning her head away to focus on Osial as the Traveler dances around the Fatui with her blade. "Hmph. Let one see what you are made of then. What strength remains within you; one wishes to witness!"
Lumine swings and ducks from the Electrohammer Vanguard's heavy swings. His sturdily-build complemented his Electro-powered war-hammer that sends forth an explosive web of electricity.
"Mmhragh!" The Fatui slams his hammer down, unable to land a single hit on Lumine with his slow attacks. She strikes back with precise blows, gearing for a powerful attack before her danger instincts kick in.
Lumine threw herself back, narrowing avoiding a giant fist that flew by her face.
"Hah! Well met." Another Fatui skirmisher, an Anemoboxer Vanguard viciously grins at her, slamming his Anemo-powered gauntlet together.
"Those look like it'll pack… Quite a punch, eh? Eh?" Yang was promptly ignored, except for her father who gives her a thumbs up.
Ruby on the other hand was engrossed in the number of weapons the Fatui were showing off.
"Tsk." Her allies are contesting the other Ballista and the Jade Chamber, leaving her to fend Cloud Retainer's for the time being. She will need to dispose of the two vanguards quickly or stall them enough for her allies to arrive.
"Stay right there." The Electrohammer Vanguard activates his elemental shield, covering himself in a protective layer of Electro energy.
"There's some sort of shield forming around him like an aura." Penny notes, "I believe we already have the technology to create a similar shielding device."
"Let's end this quickly!" He surges forth with a thundering charge, swinging his heavy hammer overhead with all his might.
"Drop!"
A Geo meteorite drops down in front of the skirmisher and took the brunt of the attack, scattering elemental fragments around their feet. Lumine slides back and kick-off the Geo construct, trying to keep a safe distance from any of the vanguards' follow-ups.
"Don't be a killjoy, we only just begun!" The Anemoboxer Vanguard moves at an unbelievable speed, closing the distance instantly. Anemo particles gather into a swirling vortex around his weapon, dragging Lumine into his striking range.
"Ember Celica could use some modification like that…" Some utility modifications to handle wind Dust crystals and Yang's weapon would be showing off some new tricks.
"Really?" Ruby steadily leans closer to her sister, only to be pushed back by Weiss since she was intruding into her personal space.
Although, having Ruby modify her weapon might be risky. "Yes, but I'll be overseeing Ember Celica's modification."
She jerks her body sharply and avoids the attack, using her opponent's powerful gust of Anemo to fly back, but lands unsteadily on her feet.
They wasted not a second to eliminate the threat, charging towards her before she could regain balance. "Let's not waste time!"
Before they could even get close, a light blue sheen of ice smashed into the head of the Electrohammer Vanguard and exploded, short-circuiting his Electro elemental armor. The skirmisher was sent into a daze, stumbling and leaning onto his weapon for support.
"Get it together!" The Anemoboxer Vanguard dashed and formed an Anemo shield to protect his dazed comrade.
Ironwood muses, "He functions like a combat support unit, contrary to his appearance."
"It appears to be a shield made out of… Anemo." Penny's perfect memory recalls all seven types of elements in Teyvat. "A shield made out of compressed wind? I am not certain, but I am fascinated."
Their attacker, Ganyu, notch her Cryo arrows and loose, sending another burst of an icy explosion that held the vanguards down. This was all Lumine need to finish them off, flying in with her sword and undercutting them in one swift motion. Lumine and Ganyu shared a smile together before snapping to attention at a squad of Fatui skirmishers.
"Another problem." A Geochanter Bracer grumbles as he steps out of the portal. He summons his staff and motion his team to attack but found themselves in a fierce blizzard that Ganyu conjured up.
"This is long overdue!" Ganyu leaps into the air, placing her Sacred Cryo Pearl in the dark skies calls forth hails mythical ice shards upon the Fatui.
"She can summon a hailstorm. That's cool." Weiss wonders if she'll ever reach the point where her semblance can be mastered in similar magnitude.
"'Ey! Good one" Yang taps the heiress on the shoulder. "Better than that last one you made in the freeway."
"Quiet, you."
"Agh! Feels cold!"
"What an annoyance." The Geochanter clicks his tongue, blinking around Ganyu's Elemental Burst, and slams his Geo enchanted staff to the ground, constructing a massive Geo barrier to shield them. "Harden up."
"A combat support unit that's essentially a mobile shield generator. I can imagine there are several applicable instances for such a role and device." Said Winter. With current technology, however, creating a shield that large will require generators that are rather bulky and heavy.
Lumine begins rushing towards the Geo barrier, only for Xiao to beat her to it.
"Useless!" He roars, blazing past their defenses with like a raging wind. Dragging elemental particles of the skirmishers' elemental armor into his cycling wind to create a volatile concoction, sending the Fatui reeling and the Geo barrier collapsing.
The air around Xiao whips into a frenzy of ice and wind, sweeping hordes of his enemies off the platform with a furious spin of his spear. Lumine took a brief moment to admire their handiwork before fighting alongside the adepti.
Not a word was spoken between any of them as they continue to fight waves and waves of Fatui, trusting one another to keep the pressure off despite never fighting together before.
"Wooooow. It's a literal blizzard!" Ruby squeaks.
"Their teamwork is pretty good, covering each other weaknesses." Said Tai.
"Besides of the Traveler, Ganyu and Xiao are Adeptus who fought together during the Archon War." Zhongli pauses very briefly, "Or so I'd read in our historical records for that period."
Vine nods, "That would certainly make one familiar with one another."
While the battle to control the platform was undergoing, Osial begins to attack; rearing two of its head to the heavens with a low rumbling roar. The air suddenly felt cold and suffocating, forcing both sides to temporarily cease fighting and witness Osial's oppressive might.
A cool wave-like feeling washes through the dimensional theater room, causing some of the audience to shiver.
Cinder crosses her arms, refusing to show weakness and at the same time keeping the heat in her body. She wished she had her semblance and maiden's power here, but the Hosts provide her what she needed and she will not refuse that.
"A power befitting of a god…" She mumbles.
"What is that!?" Paimon cries out.
Xiao grimaces. His eyes flicker briefly with unpleasant familiarity having help Rex Lapis fight against Osial during the Archon War.
"That is Osial's divine power. I am... very familiar with it. Be careful not to get hit."
"I can still feel its power." Ozpin winces slightly, being more sensitive due to his very soul altered by the God of Light. "What a terrifying strength."
Everyone braces themselves. The adepti manning the Guizhong Ballista fortified their shields immediately as Osial struck back. It felt like the entire ocean was dropped upon them, crushing and washing away the weak. A swath of Fatui and Millelith was wiped away instantly like insects in a tsunami.
Lumine hardly kept herself from washed away, anchoring herself with a Geo construct and diverting the waves around her with gusts of Anemo.
What follows was an eerie quietness as the platform was cleared of the majority of the lesser combatants. The Guizhong Ballista remains intact, still manned by the adepti. Ningguang, Keqing, and the veteran Millelith remained, along with the rest of the adepti like Xiao and Ganyu.
The calm before the storm.
"If it weren't for the robustness of the Jade Chamber and the adepti accompanying it, their defenses would have long been sweep away." Said Zhongli, "Still, they must make haste and eliminate the Fatui least Osial erodes their defenses like a crumbling stone against a powerful wave."
Just when they thought that the Fatui were no more, several portals begin appearing and dropping more Fatui to hamper the defenders.
"They're determined to sabotage their defenses." Port strokes his mustache, "Determine enough to sacrifice themselves, it would seem."
"The Fatui... their attacks are unrelenting!"
"Ha. How daring. Snezhnaya's diplomats will answer for this afterward." Ningguang's eyes flare up with controlled anger. "Every last one."
Fierce fighting spontaneously broke out with the Fatui remaining extremely persistent in their attempts to destroy the Guizhong Ballista. Keqing joins Lumine in fighting off an elite Fatui Agent and his subordinates.
"Getting an assassin vibe off that guy," Mercury said, noting his clothing and weapons. "Dressed like one too."
"That is a Fatui secret agent. They often operate in secrecy and alone, but are able fighters than most of their associates." Zhongli explains.
"Go with the wind!" Lumine unleashes a cascading amount of Anemo that rips through the skirmishers' ranks, cutting down their numbers by a margin.
The Fatui Agent resisted the weathering tornado and shot towards Lumine with his daggers. It was all but a feint, his real target was Keqing who blinks towards his flank.
"No escape!" Blurs of bloody crescent arcs nearly cleaving the purple-haired girl were it not for her quick reflexes.
"Gagh!" Keqing was violently thrown back. Her hand shot out and pressed down onto the floor, putting her skittering to a screeching halt. Lumine was hastily by Keqing's side, preventing the Fatui Agent from getting any closer. "I'll be fine…"
She assures Lumine, gently pushing her away while maintaining her glare on the Fatui Agent. The assassin returns her glare with a dark chuckle, disappearing in a hiss of smoke.
"Damn!" Coco curses, "He's fast, strong, and can become invisible."
"A perfect assassin." Mercury's thoughts drift back to his abusive father and sneers.
Keqing brought her sword up, eyes gleaming brightly. "Nowhere to hide!"
She disappears in a flash of light, filling with streaks of purple lightning, lancing through all nearby enemies including the invisible agent. Keqing reappears at the center of the electrifying sword dance with one final coup de grace, leaving a handful standing including the Fatui Agent whose invisibility was broken.
"Nice." Sun complimented.
Lumine swoops in to deal with the remnants, springing left and right martial finesse. The two fought through the seemingly endless horde of Fatui, with each clash tiring them more and more.
"There's no end to them…" Pyrrha said gravely.
Jaune held the edge of his seat tightly, "How are they going to fight them off and that thing?"
"The ancient god's attacking again!" Paimon frantically flies around, watching the defenders getting worn down. "There are so many Fatui, too! We can't hold—"
A gentle and kind elderly woman steps forth with a reassuring smile on her face. "Hahaha, were you about to say, 'we can't hold them,' children?"
Paimon looks at Madame Ping with a bewildered look. "Huh?"
"What's an old…?" Marrow stops himself when he saw what she was capable of.
"Don't lose heart. Here, take this." Madame Ping's adeptal energies flow into Lumine, causing each of her attacks to release intermittent shockwaves.
Lumine eyes widen briefly at this newfound power, temporary it may be. Faint white light glows around her like a holy veil, circulating throughout her body and weapon. With a few swings, even the strongest and heaviest Fatui was blown away by the sheer strength Madame Ping has bestowed upon her.
"That is Madame Ping." Zhongli smiles at the sudden appearance of the elderly woman. "She is an Adeptus as well."
"You really can't judge a book by its cover." Said Clover, looking impressed.
Maria snorts, "Hah! I'll say."
"This is... adeptal energy!?" Paimon watches the flow of adeptal energies gravitate towards Lumine with awe, "That light from your body... It's like that time in Jueyun Karst... Wow, it's Madame Ping's Shockwave! This granny is really strong!"
Strong indeed. Lumine felt like she could take on the whole world as she decimates entire platoons of Fatui with a fury of blades. Her rampage left countless elemental particles around to which she gathered fuel her strongest attack. With one leg raised, Lumine ruptures the ground with pillars of Geo crystal, dislodging her more resilient opponents off the platform.
"You go girl." Coco cheers, "She's throwing them around like ragdolls now."
Yet she still cannot withstand the might of an ancient god, snapping out of her battle trance by the titanic pressure of Osial's divine might.
"With the blood of the Qilin, I guard you against evil." Ganyu loudly proclaims, her adeptal power reinvigorating her allies. Lumine felt her fatigue and injuries fade as a calming chill course through her body. "Cast your fear of injury by the wayside and fight with all your might. I too did this during the Archon War."
"Huh... So, this is what Ganyu's like in a fight..."
Another destructive wave of water crashed upon the platform like waves against a castle made of sand, but Lumine and her allies withstood the wrath of Osial all thanks to Ganyu's adeptal energy. The Fatui on the other hand was not so lucky, swept away by the tide.
"They were able to endure that thanks to her." Said Pyrrha, "That's quite a powerful ability she has."
Jaune nods, "Having a semblance like that would be pretty helpful."
"… It's attacking again." Fox said quietly.
But the Overlord of the Vortex wasn't finished, streaming hundreds of deadly Hydro orbs upon the Jade Chamber. An aquatic barrage that one cannot so easily avoid.
"My name means 'swiftness.' Take my power, and run as I do."
Lumine felt imbued with Xiao's powers of swiftness; everything around her seemingly slowed and blurred as she moved.
"We're— going— too— faaaaast—!" Squawked Paimon.
"There goes Paimon. I hope she doesn't fly into a wall." It was a slightly amusing thought that crossed Yang's mind.
"Look at them go." Ruby said in awe, "Sooo, fast!"
"You know what they say, kid." Harriet grins, "Quick as the wind!"
Swiftly did Lumine caper through the downpour, letting not a single droplet of water touch her till the hundreds of lethal rainfalls were all spent. The Guizhong Ballista resumes charging its adeptal energy and returns fire; sharp explosions ripples through the Overlord of the Vortex who violently convulse in pain. It lets out an angry bellow, slithering upright to its tallest height.
The Fatui continues to teleport in despite losing a lot of soldiers, desperate to destroy the Guizhong Ballista at any cost. The Qixing and Adeptus had their hands tied in lessening Osial's destructive attacks, and the Millelith numbers are dwindling against the constant wave of Fatui.
"They're senselessly sending in more people." Glynda almost pities the Fatui. She can safely guess that they were only following orders and that disobeying them isn't a good option. "Are they that desperate? To what end are their goals for doing such deeds?"
"What their grand schemes are, I am uncertain. However, the Fatui are loyal soldiers to their very core." Zhongli explains to her, "They will not question whether or not they'll survive. Only the advancement of their nations and mission is all they care about."
Madame Ping calmly assesses the situation, her tranquil eyes drift to the Traveler. Even without their adeptal energy, the elderly woman can see that Lumine possesses a quality few can match. Her fellow Adeptus seems to understand what Madame Ping plans to do and followed her lead. They begin to channel their adeptal energy to Lumine, granting her the strength of an adepti.
"Child, you are strong in body and spirit. Perhaps you can withstand three forms of adeptal energy at once..."
"This will hurt a little... Please bear with us!"
"Once you've adapted, try to use them in battle."
"Oh? It's rare to find one who can handle multiple adeptal energy at once." In truth, Zhongli was not all that surprised. There's more to the Traveler than one would imagine.
Nora claps excitedly. "She's going to be unstoppable!"
By their blessings combined, Lumine found herself wielding all three powers at once; speed, power, and vitality. She wastes no time and met the Fatui onslaught head-on, shattering their front with godlike might. Even the elite Cicin Mages and Fatui Agents were thrown aside like they were nothing.
"Look at her go. A one-woman army." Said Maria.
But even with their Fatui problem dealt with, Osial remains uncontested despite the constant barrage from the Guizhong Ballista, growing stronger with every moment.
"Still, she cannot match the power of Osial alone…" Zhongli said earnestly, feeling the ancient god building strength.
"Exercise caution! I fear that the god's power has reached its peak..." Warns Ganyu.
"In other words, if we hold here, there's nothing worse to come, right?" Keqing asks Ganyu. The adepti was about to respond but was interrupted by two squads of Fatui skirmishers lead by a Fatui Agent. There was no time to talk. Just a battle they have to win.
As the defenders slowly push back the Fatui, the adepti powering the Guizhong Ballista double their efforts to power the device, unleashing volleys of devastating power upon Osial.
"The Fatui's numbers are thinning!"
"Fight on, comrades! Once we've finished this lot off, the adepti will be able to deal with the god in peace!"
Lumine descends upon the last squad of Fatui skirmishers, sending them flying over the platform and into the sea below, leaving only their leader the last one standing. The Fatui Agent took a step back from Lumine, giving Keqing an opening to rush in and finish him off with a single strike.
With the last Fatui dealt with, only Osial remains.
"That's the last of them, I think." Said Blake.
Yang nods, "Now they got to take out the big guy."
"The interlopers are no more. Now we may commit ourselves fully!"
The three Ballista attack Osial in unison, funneling into a massive laser beam that engulfs the Overlord of the Vortex in a fiery explosion.
Nora threw her hands up into the air, "Laser beeeeeam! Explosion!"
"The amount of energy funneled into that attack must be extraordinary!" Penny exclaims. Even her weapon, which can cut armored vehicles cleanly, can't match the same output.
Osial sways dazedly, nearly collapsing back into the sea before gathering itself and roaring furiously to the sky, causing the land before it to tremble.
"Ah! It's working!" Paimon happily cheers, "We just need to keep this up!"
Jaune gulps, "I think they've made it angrier."
Up in the air, Ningguang silently maintains the Geoglyphs while remaining observant of Osial's next move. Her eyes widen slightly as she felt the Overlord of the Vortex gathering power. Three of Osial's heads begin manifesting a substantial amount of concentrated divine energy, merging it together to create an overflowing beam that lit up the land of Liyue like a blue sun.
Ozpin sucks in his breath, feeling the heavy pressure seeping through the dimensional screen. It wasn't just him; besides Zhongli, everyone else was wincing at the terrifying power the ancient god possesses.
They all gasp and stare at the ancient god's ultimate attack.
Divine blue lights streaking towards the Jade Chamber like shooting stars, forcing everyone, including the adepti to evaluate the platform.
The platform cracks underneath the impact of Osial's falling stars, finally shattering the platform and Guizhong Ballista, sending everyone falling to the ocean below.
The adepti were quick to react, catching those who have fallen: Xiao blinks from one rubble to another, swiftly snatching Lumine out of the sky and blinking away to the Jade Chamber's landing. The rest of the adepti; Cloud Retainer, Mountain Craver, and Mountain Shaper all return to the landing with the Millelith and Qixing in tow.
Zhongli silently compliments the adepti's quick thinking and their charitable act of saving the mortals despite not seeing eye to eye with them. However, it goes without saying that with the Guizhong Ballista destroyed, the adepti and Qixing won't be able to fight equally against Osial.
This made him tense slightly as he leans forward in his seat, clasping his hand.
"Be careful now" Xiao said to Lumine, who continues to support her by slinging her arm over his shoulder.
"The Guizhong Ballista is destroyed..." Cloud Retainer said gravely, "Without its covering fire, retaliation shall be difficult."
"But the Jade Chamber is our last line of defense! We can't give another inch... No matter what..."
"Their last line of defense didn't look like much." Qrow said bluntly, "Now that it's gone, they lost their only fighting chance unless they have another plan."
"... It goes without saying that if they manage to overcome this crisis, any shortcoming would be addressed by the Qixing meticulously," Zhongli replies.
"Aren't you worried?" Robyn asks the man with strained incredulity. "That is your country, right?"
"Yes, it is."
"Then…?"
Zhongli stares intently at the screen, "Let's just say, I have faith that Liyue will find a way to overcome this tribulation."
"I have... another idea," Ningguang said hesitantly. There was grief flickering in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Lady Ningguang?"
Ningguang looks somberly at her Jade Chamber before resolving herself to part with it. She can always rebuild it.
"I'll sacrifice the Jade Chamber" Ningguang sighs and guides the Jade Chamber high into the skies, asking herself, "What is the meaning of this?"
Vernal looks confused, "How is that going to do anything?"
"I can assure you that the Jade Chamber is more than what it seems," Zhongli vaguely explains with a faint tone of urgency. "But they must act quickly before Osial recovers."
Xiao evaluates Ningguang and looks empathetic, "...I understand"
He summons his Yaksha and pours every ounce of his power into the Jade Chamber. Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer, Madame Ping, and Ganyu; every adepti contributed all their remaining strength into this one final attack.
Osial, Overlord of the Vortex watched from below; slowly recovering from the excessive use of its power.
Ningguang turns towards Lumine. "Traveler, lend me a hand." Lumine nods and gathers the adeptal energy into her body, spirit, and sword. "Farewell, old friend... Goodbye for now. Let us meet again in the future."
Lumine then plunges her sword into the Jade Chamber and, towering beams of golden lightning jolts through the structure and its surrounding area. The Jade Chamber slowly rumbles and plummets into Osial like a falling meteor.
"This… Is the moment of truth." Zhongli said as everyone held their breath.
An earthshattering boom shook the sea and land as the Overlord of the Vortex was consumed in a fiery explosion; sparks of bright lights flash and the land was suddenly bathed in a blinding bright light.
"Whooooa!"
Even though they were in another dimension, the energy unleashed could be felt beyond Teyvat. A warm gush of air momentarily brushing against everyone's face.
The screen flickers and fades out before re-establishing its connection with Teyvat.
"This world has its fair share of surprises." The Hosts comments, "Although none of it poses a threat to our guests."
Both Raven and Yang were scowling, fixing their ruffled hair. "Oh, that's reassuring."
"Is… Is it over?" Oscar asks, lowering his arms.
"… Yes." Zhongli replies, smiling to himself.
The Land of Liyue quietly settles. The dark clouds that loom over the land slowly melt away to let rays of sunlight shine through. It is the passing of a storm. In the sky, the adepti carried the Qixing and the Traveler back to the safety of Liyue Harbor.
"Is it... finally over?" Paimon asks.
"The ominous aura of that monster has indeed begun to fade." Moon Carver's voice low, yet clear voice garners everyone's attention. "The effects of the Sigil of Permission last but a short time. It will be some time before the Overlord of the Vortex can make any waves again."
"That thing is not dead?!" Coco chokes, "After all of that?!"
Zhongli shakes his head, "A god cannot be completely destroyed. At least, to my knowledge. Even if a god's physical form is destroyed, their will and power live on."
"Then that means it'll just come back one day." Ruby gasps.
"And until then, Liyue will be ready to face Osial and other greater threats."
Ningguang steps forth to thank the adepti for defending Liyue together with them. "We are indebted to you for your assistance. If the adepti hadn't happened to be here, the future of Liyue Harbor would surely have been in great jeopardy..."
But the adepti will not be so diplomatically appeased.
"Hmph, save your flattery. We didn't just 'happen' to be here... Surely you won't pretend to have forgotten the reason for which we came?"
Weiss rolls her eyes. "Aaand they're squaring off with each other again."
"There's no longer a common threat to unite them." Said Ozpin.
Madame Ping calmly walks in-between them with a gentle smile.
"Come now, there's no need for such harsh words, Cloud Retainer. I've heard that when Ningguang began learning to do business, she had already started setting aside part of her then-limited income in preparation for building the Jade Chamber. At first, it was only the size of a small room. But with continued expansion, it has become the palace that lies before you now."
Though her eyes were hidden, Ningguang can't help but faintly smile at the memories of the Jade Chamber back when it was of humble origins.
Yang rubs her chin, "In other words, it's like Ruby sacrificing her weapon to save an entire town or village?"
"That would be an accurate analogy."
"I… Well…" Ruby stutters and ponders at the thought of sacrificing her weapon to save many lives. She'll painfully miss Crescent Rose if that were to happen, but her weapon can always be rebuilt. "It's... Something I would do. To save others."
"Awww. Come here."
"Yang, no!"
Madame Ping continues.
"It is a testament to Ningguang's entire life, both as a businesswoman and as the backbone of the Liyue Qixing. Seeing the Jade Chamber destroyed in the defense of Liyue means much to her. To me, such cooperation and sacrifice deserves at least some recognition, don't you agree?"
Ningguang gives them a sly smile. "Well, I was really hoping you would say that such sacrifice could at least be used as some leverage in our negotiations."
"… Heh." The elderly adepti chuckles at that. Truly a Qixing, Ningguang is.
"Spoken like a businesswoman." Weiss comments.
"Thank you all for hearing me out." Putting the tips of her fingers together, Ningguang respectfully salutes the adepti to thank them for everything that they've done for Liyue. "We know very well why the adepti came here today... But please forgive us, we cannot yield to your wishes."
Moon Carver turns his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Oh?"
"3,700 years... According to our records, the adepti signed a contract with Rex Lapis to protect Liyue 3,700 years ago." She looks at all the adepti gathered today, "Even to this very day, Liyue and its lands have stood the test of time, immovable as stone, just as it was thousands of years before. This is truly no small feat. But that does not mean that Liyue today is the same city as it was all those years ago."
The skies have cleared with bright rays of sun shining down upon Liyue Harbor and the lands throughout Liyue. A far cry from what once was a land of suffering during the Archon War, Liyue is now a prospering land of wealth and prosperity.
"Curious and fearful to see what it was 3,700 years ago." Said Oobleck, "Many things can change within months. How many things can change in over 3,000 years?"
"Do not merely cast your protective gaze upon the land. Instead, focus your sights on our city and each of the citizens that dwell within it."
Moon Carver walks up to Ningguang's face, staring her down. "Are you questioning our means of protecting Liyue?"
"Hmm..." Mountain Shaper hums in consideration of Ningguang's words but remains silent.
Ozpin hums, "It looks like some are trying to look at it from her perspective."
Zhongli's lips twitch upward. It looks like he doesn't have to worry about the adepti acting too difficult.
"I mean no offense. I simply hope that our new adepti forebearers would see Liyue in a new light."
Cloud Retainer spreads her wings out and scoffs, "Hah, 'forebearers' you say. One doubts you would be fit to be part of such a lineage..."
Sun flinches, "Now that's harsh."
"This morning, Rex Lapis appeared to me in a dream." Ningguang closes her eyes, recalling the dream she had.
"What?"
"In the dream, I yearned to tell him that we Qixing, though mortal, are equally bound to the contract. Each passing generation of the Qixing leaves many things of value to be inherited by the next generation. I also thought to tell him how the past generations of Qixing had strove under his rule to survive in our mortal world, establishing a network of contracts which has since come to be known as 'trade.'"
Zhongli smiles warmly, resting his head in his hand. I already knew.
Ningguang looks down the ground with her hair shading her eyes from the sun. "But I dared not speak. I could only gaze at him in silence until the moment I awoke."
"Aw, Ningguang..."
"That's… Kinda touching and sad." Said Emerald.
Mercury merely grunts and crosses his arms.
"We're all on the same side here..."
"Yet another perspective..." Cloud Retainer sharply turns her attention to Lumine, "What are you trying to say, Outlander?"
Lumine looks up to the crane-like Adeptus with bright clear eyes.
"When there is discord between the guardians and those, they were meant to defend... Harmony becomes very difficult to restore."
Ironwood and Qrow glance at each other, neither of them yielding to the other. It wasn't until Glynda snap her finger did they stand down.
"Same side, remember?" She hisses.
Paimon vigorously nods, "Right, that's something that happened in Mondstadt — it's a story about the Four Winds and the people of the Anemo Archon. The Anemo Archon sought to quell the strife between the two sides because he believed that such conflict would only scar the hearts of both and that nothing good would come of it..."
"This is what we learned in the City of Freedom."
"Each of the Seven Nations has its own scars from the past." Said Keqing.
"Though your point is the very height of simplicity..." Mountain Shaper retorts, "As adepti, we've become a laughingstock, to be chastised thus by an outlander who has lent us such succor."
Glynda huffs, "So, it's a matter of pride then?"
"Having protected Liyue for thousands of years, it would be hard not to feel some sort of pride and attachment." Said Ozpin.
"I suppose you're right…"
"Alright, alright." Madame Ping pacifies her fellow adepti with a wave of her hand, "Didn't Ningguang suggest that we should focus on the city and each of its citizens? I know I already have, so why not see for yourselves?"
On cue, a Millelith Sergeant named Fengyan approaches them.
"I apologize for appearing in full armor. I'm afraid I cannot show the proper courtesies."
"And who are you?" Moon Carver demands.
"I am Fengyan, a sergeant of the Millelith. I have come to extend my thanks to the adepti. I thought this battle would perhaps be my last. But thanks to the aid of the adepti, our forces were not as badly battered as I feared we might be. Although I am a mere mortal soldier, I promise to hold the line and never betray the grace given to us by the illuminated adepti this day."
The adepti quietly listens to the Fengyan's gratitude.
"Be grateful for what is given to you, and for what you have," Yatsuhashi said softly.
Zhongli silently nods and stands up from his seat. He'll be returning to his world very soon to uphold his end of the deal.
A little girl with glasses named Changchang runs up to greet the heroes. "Huh? Why does everyone look so down? Didn't we just beat that big monster?"
"Hahaha! Weren't you frightened, dear?" Madame Ping gently asks the girl, "It was quite the predicament..."
Changchang shakes her head, "I wasn't afraid. All the strong Millelith guards were there, and those powerful heroes with their Visions were there... Everyone was there! When danger is near, everyone always protects me. And the rest of the time, they make fun toys, and tasty snacks, and... and loads of things that make the harbor so pretty!" She bows, "Thanks for protecting Liyue Harbor! Please come visit us for the next Lantern Rite!"
"Aww, so cute." Yang coos.
Raven scoffs, "And naive."
Xiao contemplates Changchang's offer, "Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to participate."
"Huh?"
"Because we are adepti," Xiao said matter-of-factly. They should not mingle with mortals. Especially not when he has so much blood on his hand.
Changchang looks down sadly, "Oh, okay... It must be hard being an Adeptus."
Paimon also shares the same expression as Changchang, "Aww..."
"Don't be such a downer." Weiss chastise.
"Says you." Blake jokingly shot back.
"Hey!"
"You see, this is what Liyue is like today." The adepti gaze onto Liyue Harbor, slowly realizing just how much it has changed over the years. "The country of contracts is grateful to the adepti for their protection. But it is no longer necessary for the city to rely on the adepti's power to solve every little niggling matter. Although their blood is weak, there is still strength to be found in those we call mortals… The time of contracts between gods and Liyue has long since passed. Now is the time of contracts between Liyue and its people."
"Hmm, seeing the port around us now, it is hard not to feel a bit out of place..." Mountain Shaper turns to his female counterpart, "wouldn't you say so, Cloud Retainer?"
"Your line of inquiry is askew. One did not spearhead this expedition to Liyue Harbor..."
Paimon and Lumine smiles.
"Hmm... seems like the adepti have had a change of heart."
"And they're trying to understand things from their perspective."
"The situation has been defused." Penny 'sighs' a relief.
Maria nods, "If I would be much more stubborn if I were in their shoes." The former huntress lets out a snort, "I didn't live for that long to be told off by someone that's hardly a footnote in my life span. Hah!"
"All why the adepti must be commended for being respectful and reasonable." Zhongli smooths out his suit and dismisses his Geo throne.
Oscar blinks, "Are you leaving?"
Zhongli gives the young boy a smile but didn't say anything.
Xiao silently gathers his thoughts and walks away. "Let us return now."
"... Eager to leave, Conqueror of Demons?" Moon Carver calls after him.
"That's an edgy title, but probably well earned." Nora grins and shrugs.
Madame Ping smiles and bids Xiao farewell with a light laugh. "Hehehe..."
"Yes, one understands what the Conqueror of Demons means. The city of Liyue has changed much after our long separation. One fears that by the time one finally grasps the new contracts of Liyue, you humans would have once again changed the place beyond recognition." Mountain Shaper spreads his massive wings and flutters away. "Fair enough. Away we shall, and return whence we came..."
"That must be lonely." Oscar said sadly, "To be unable to keep pace and understand the other before they're gone and replaced by something entirely new…"
"Well, at least they have each other." Ruby points out, "I think?"
The adepti doesn't seem to be all that close with one another, but then again. Ruby doesn't really know them.
"Hmph..." Moon Carver begins to take his leave, pausing to ask them one last question. "Since we adepti have consensus, then one shall persist no further. But how will we ensure that the Liyue Qixing will not simply exploit their power once we depart? In my view, that is still a thing to be guarded against..."
The mythical stag didn't wait to hear their response and left. Ningguang chuckles and kept to herself. That is for the Qixing to worry about.
"Alright, Moon Carver. You needn't worry. It seems to me that this right of supervision is best left to the people of Liyue." Madame Ping assures the Adeptus. She slowly makes her way down the dock with everyone, barring the Traveler and Paimon.
"And with this… The Geo Archon, God of Contracts… Is no longer needed to look after Liyue. And so, there is no need for me to remain above and within the eyes of Liyue." Zhongli looks up and bows to the Hosts, "I thank you for your generous hospitality."
It took the audience a few seconds to register what Zhongli was implying.
"Wait. Are you…?"
"Farewell, our guest."
And with that, Zhongli blinks out of the dimension.
Paimon lets out a sigh of relief, "Whew... Looks like the conflict between humans and adepti was avoided. All's well that ends well, huh?"
"You can say that again..."
"Oh, right! It's nice that we've got peace and all, but we're forgetting one thing! Childe wanted to unleash the god so he could lure Rex Lapis out! But we were able to handle the Overlord of the Vortex on our own... So, Rex Lapis never showed up! Oh, and speaking of that — don't we still need to get to the bottom of that archon's 'death,' too?"
"Paimon doesn't get it... But, isn't the strongest lead we have the adepti-less Rite of Parting that we're organizing? No idea where Zhongli's gone. Let's ask for him at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
There are still several questions left unanswered and the two of them want to get to the bottom of it.
Tai turns to Raven. "Do you think this Rex Lapis never showed up…"
"Because he was watching the entire thing this whole time…" She finishes.
"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Said Ozpin.
They made their way to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, finding a woman standing at the front entrance.
"Is there anything I can do for you two? I'm afraid that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor isn't in the best state to receive guests."
"We've come to see Zhongli. Could you please tell him we're here?"
"Unfortunately, Zhongli isn't here at the moment. It seems he went to Northland Bank."
Paimon rubs her chin, "Doesn't the Northland Bank belong to the Fatui? Last time we saw Zhongli was before we went to the Golden House... Do you think he doesn't know about the attack on Liyue? Visiting the Fatui at a time like this could only mean more trouble! We had better go and make sure that everything is okay."
Harriet raises an eyebrow, "They're still around? After committing what is practically terrorism?"
Ironwood agrees, "It would be smart to remove them immediately."
"Since they're operating a bank in a city that values trade and businesses," Winter huffs with disdain, "I would imagine they have some financial influences."
They hurriedly rush up the stairs, making twists and turns to the upper floors where the Northland Bank is located. Ignoring the Fatui guard that's stationed in front of the bank, they push to enter the bank and were greeted by three individuals.
Two Fatui Harbingers and Zhongli himself.
Emerald nods at Zhongli, "There he is. Hard to believe he was here earlier."
"I wonder what goal he has in all of this." Cinder muse to herself.
"You call this 'cooperation between Harbingers'? Cooperation involves communication, you know..."
"Hehe, don't take it to heart, Childe. Besides, weren't you happy that you got to skip the formalities and bring chaos to the land? I'm sure you must've enjoyed that..." Signora pauses and glances over at Lumine and Paimon. "... Oh, it seems that some of your friends have arrived."
Nora rolls her eyes, "This guy again. Break his legs! And maybe that woman with him too. Seriously…"
"Something tells me she's more of an ice queen than the ice queens we have." Qrow shrugs off Schnee's glare and leans back in his chair with an impish smile.
It took both Paimon and Lumine to process who was in front of them.
"Hey, it's Zhongli and Childe! And..." Paimon points at the woman named Signora. "You! You're also one of the Harbingers..."
"Signora!" Lumine growls and tenses her body, ready to attack should Signora make any moves.
But the masked lady laughs and crosses her arm.
"Haha, it's you two. I believe we've met once before... In the City of Bards, was it? I'm glad you still remember my name." She lowers her arm and mockingly taunts them, "Ah, right. I imagine that it must have been rather hard to forget watching helplessly as something precious was snatched away from your friend."
Lumine takes a step forward, "I still have time to take it back."
Paimon puts her tiny arms out to stop her, "No, don't let her get to you! You've yet to gather the powers of all seven elements, and our last battle at the Golden House was almost more than you could handle... So, it might be best to keep things peaceful this time, seeing that two of the Harbingers are here."
If they were to start a fight, it will not end well. Not to mention it's uncertain where Zhongli fits in all of this, who seems to be working with the Fatui in some capacity.
"They've just fought off an entire army and a god. Well, the girl did for the most part." Marrow pauses, "Picking a fight right now isn't going to end well if she's exhausted and outnumbered."
"Well, if it isn't you two." Childe waves at them, "This is our first time seeing each other since Liyue was nearly wiped off the map. This is certainly a bit... awkward, wouldn't you say?"
Paimon puts on her angry face with both hands at her hips, "Hmph, Paimon knew that we should never have trusted a Fatui Harbinger."
Raven snorts, "You shouldn't trust your enemies either way."
"Aw, now don't say that. Sure, I may have misled you, but I never had anything against you personally... Besides, I thought we were getting along quite well together, didn't you? Except for that little tussle we had at the end... Haha. Nothing personal, we just have... different views, that's all. Of course, you may very well hold this against me, but that's up to you... The real deceivers here are Signora and Zhongli..." He puts a hand over his face and shakes, lamenting at being tricked again. "Curse them for leading me on."
"Signora and Zhongli?" Frowning, Lumine locks eyes with Zhongli who returns it silently.
"The two of them are working together, but for what?" Blake asks herself, "And who is he exactly?"
"All shall be revealed shortly."
"Guess we'll be getting our answers." Said Yang.
"So actually, I think—"
"Stop wasting time, Childe. There'll be plenty of time to chat once I'm through here." Signora looks at Zhongli with cold professionalism. "You remember the agreement, Morax. Now, if you would be so kind... The Gnosis, please."
"Gnosis?"
"What in the world are you talking about!?"
Zhongli remains silent before handing over his Gnosis; an elaborate glowing chess piece. "The contract is fulfilled. That which thou seeketh is now bestowed unto thee, for my promise is solid as stone."
An indescribable power could be felt from the Gnosis, permeating through the dimensional screen and into the theater.
Nora shot up from her seat, "So, he really was Rex Lapis all along!" She pauses, "I can't actually believe there was an actual god here! Ren! Can you believe that?!"
Everyone immediately let out an exclamation of their own the revelation that an actual god has sitting among them. To be this close to something considered unmatched in a mortal's perspective...
"Holy shi-!" Coco caught herself before she accidentally offends some nearby deity, minus the Hosts, with her blasphemous outburst. "I mean holy smokes! Err, holy stones? We were actually talking with a god?! All this time?!"
"This is... Wow." Qrow sucks in his breath and exhales. "We were in the presence of a god, huh? First time for everything..." He glances at Ozpin, who looked somewhat discomposed. "Well, someone is holding up just fine."
Ozpin composes himself and clears his throat, "This is very much of a surprise. I assure you."
"Wait! Why didn't he help them when his country was under attack?" If Pyrrha had the power to save others, she would use it to do so without hesitation. "Didn't he build and govern the country for thousands of years?"
"As stated, all shall be revealed."
Paimon stares at the Gnosis with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the twist.
"Hmph, how sanctimonious..."
Lumine had her own suspicions about Zhongli, so she wasn't entirely surprised by this turn of events. "So, Zhongli is actually Rex Lapis?"
"What! So, you're the Lord of Geo? No, wait!" Paimon shakes her head, "That's an exciting twist and all — but why give the Gnosis to the Fatui!?"
"Yes, why hand over such power to his enemies?" Cinder mumbles to herself. She found it extremely foolish and wasteful to give up such power to someone lesser.
"I do not give it for free. I give it as agreed upon in the contract... for it is a matter solely between the Tsaritsa and I."
"I'm afraid I don't understand..."
"Yeah, you don't think you went a little bit too far with that whole fake death thing!? Everyone was preparing the ceremony for you when splat, this big dragon falls out of the sky and all of Liyue goes into an uproar. Talk about a disaster!"
This means that everything they've been through in Liyue can be blamed on Zhongli, to an extent.
"A god can take on many forms." The Hosts explain before any of them can ask why Rex Lapis or Zhongli looks human while his fake corpse is a freaking dragon. "The false dragon corpse that is one of many forms he has taken."
Signora giggles to herself, "Hehe... Gathering all the forces that had been bubbling behind the scenes, and then stirring them together in a pot that was bound to boil over... That's what he wanted to see, am I right?"
"Wait... what?"
"Kinda obvious since he was here with us watching the entire thing earlier," Weiss mutters under her breath.
Not wanting Signora to twist his intention, Zhongli begins to explain everything.
"Perhaps it's best that I explain. As you know, I've dwelt upon this world for more than six thousand years. I witnessed the founding of Liyue together with the adepti three thousand seven hundred years ago. Even boulders that can withstand whirlpools will erode with the passing of time. I kept convincing myself that cracks had not begun to form and that the end of my time had not yet come."
"So… He's dying?" Ruby tentatively asks.
Ozpin shakes his head, slowly dawning on him what the Geo Archon is trying to say.
The former Geo Archon closes his eyes.
"Until one drizzly day, as I was strolling along the harbor, I heard a merchant tell one of his workers, "You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day. I stood motionless among the crowds, asking myself, 'Have I already finished my duties?'"
A sad and sympathetic look crosses over Paimon's face. "Oh, Zhongli..."
"When you watch over and care for something that can thrive independently as he had, you'll start to wonder if you're even needed anymore," Ozpin said softly. He too, wondered if his role to guide humanity was over. Sadly, it would seem that he is destined to carry out his tasks for a long time. "You would wonder... If you are holding them back. Other time, you would watch something that has come to be... Fall and destroy itself. Then you wonder if you could have stepped in and prevented a tragedy from happening."
The life he had before the man that sat here and now... Could he have prevented the Great War? If not, could he had ended the war early? What about the kingdoms and villages he once resides in from his previous incarnations? Could he had done better, did he held them back, were they ready to move on without him?
Those sitting near Ozpin stare briefly at him, wondering what has gotten into him. Those who knew Ozpin's secrets can't help but feel sympathy for the man, more so than before.
"But as I began to consider relinquishing my divine role, I soon discovered that many reasons still remained to not hastily depart. Was Liyue, the city I had dwelt in for so long, already prepared to enter its next age? I decided that a test was needed in order to reveal the answer. So, I feigned my own death, and gathered the cast of Childe, the adepti, and the Liyue Qixing to play their roles together on the stage that was Liyue."
"So, were you satisfied with the finale?" Lumine asks him.
"Indeed, I was. The Gnosis I had kept for so many years suddenly seemed to have lost its meaning. Which is why I continued to safeguard the Gnosis until now."
"He was testing if they were ready to stand on their own." Tai summarized, "Without his help."
"So, you mean that if the chaos ever reached the point of no return, you would simply appear and use your divine powers to bring Liyue back under control?
"Of course." Signora chimes in, "And it would have been all too easy for him, too. Just as a child quickly matures after losing their parents, so has Liyue matured when faced with the death of its deity..."
Ozpin leans back heavily on his seat, "If you have someone, an individual, who can simply solve any problem with ease; what is there to work with?"
"Okay… Losing parents aside," Yang shoots Ruby a look of concern before continuing, "I can kinda see what she means."
"They'll live a sheltered and weak life if he can simply deal with all their problems with ease." Said Raven.
"I was pleasantly surprised with the finale of the show that you all put on. Why you even deserved an encore." Zhongli smiles softly, "The adepti deserve the greatest applause, considering their years of seclusion... They hardly recognized the city. Yet, faced with such a crisis, they exerted the greatest amount of restraint. Not only did they manage to cooperate with the Qixing, but in the end, they even tried to understand the heart of the people."
He was almost certain that the adepti would be more unyielding, but they've adapted quite quickly. Surely times are truly changing.
"And he got even got the best seat too, even though it wasn't front row," Tai said lightheartedly. "A god, sitting among us. Hah! Wow! Nobody is going to believe this!"
"And hats off to the emissary dispatched by the Cryo Archon to fulfill our contract, Signora. She managed to keep everything she knew in strict confidence, far from the eavesdropping ears of her colleague, Childe, just as I had requested. All the while, I carried on as Zhongli and fulfilled the traditions of Liyue in this mortal form. Thank you for walking that path with me, Traveler. These things were all a part of my script. The only unforeseen plot twist was the conduct of the Liyue Qixing."
Ozpin coolly sips on his hot chocolate, calming his nerves. "How diplomatic."
"It's all politics." Qrow grumbles, taking a swig out of his flask. "All the same, like our Hosts said."
"I had expected them to do no more than the adepti... To come to the defense of Liyue. But when all was said and done... They seized the opportunity to supplant Liyue's divine protectors, and used the subsequent power vacuum left by my death to quickly gain complete control of Liyue."
Paimon recoils, "Huh? That doesn't sound good at all!"
It sounds more like a vicious power grab that would have dire consequences down the line. However, that's not how the former Archon sees it.
Winter grimaces, "That sounds horrible. Imagine having large corporations running a kingdom, it'll be a disaster."
Robyn nods in agreement. The city of Mantle and its population would be exploited by the Atlesian elites.
"Hah... On the contrary, I think it is excellent. I had always feared that it was far too soon for them to take over from me, and it was also that which I longed for the most. As such, this is the best parting gift anyone could have given this god of old."
"Ugh. I don't think I'll understand a god's perspective." Winter sighs and rubs her forehead. "Then again, it's not every day we encounter something out of the usual like a god."
"Hey, what about me?" Childe cries out indignantly, "Doesn't anyone feel the least bit of remorse for deceiving me? You've practically kept me in the dark!"
"Heh, I think that thanks would be more appropriate. You certainly played no small part in all of this... Wreaking havoc and turning the city upside down. The Lord of Geo ought to thank you for your performance if anything." Despite some mockery in her tone, Signora recognizes the part Childe played. "If you hadn't created the pressure of a battle between mortals, adepti, and a god, the lump of coal resting in the hands of the Geo Archon — Liyue — would never have been able to become a dazzling diamond of a city."
Childe scowls at his colleague, "Huh? Just whose side are you on, mocking me like that? Are you itching for a fight?"
"What a condensing tone." Qrow leans towards Winter, "She's contending your icy throne."
Winter didn't rise to the bait and ignores his taunting.
"You've really embarrassed yourself this time." Lumine offhandedly remarks.
"Hey! Haven't you learned the Liyue saying? 'Don't always call it as you see it'!"
"Well then, with the Gnosis in my possession, I have no use for such idle chatter. We should return to Zapolyarny Palace and seek an audience with Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa. Come, Childe."
"Ugh, fine... I'll meet you there later. I'm not sharing a boat with the likes of you."
"Hmph, do as you wish."
"I'm certain the result of putting those two in the same boat is no different than placing Qrow and Winter on an airship." Glynda lets out a weary sigh while Ironwood entertains the thought and chuckles a bit.
Both Qrow and Winter looked at Glynda clearly offended though they didn't dispute it.
Signora and Lumine's eyes met as they passed; one disinterest, the other filled with enmity.
"Now then, is there anything else you wish to ask me?" Zhongli asks the Traveler.
Lumine thought carefully before asking, "I'd like to know what the Cryo Archon offered you."
"Right! As Zhongli always told us, 'a good trade is a fair trade.' Paimon has no idea what could be a good trade for a Gnosis."
"Realistically speaking, there is no such thing."
Nothing would be a good trade for a Gnosis. For one to become an Archon, one must have a Gnosis and only seven of them exist. One for each element. It is the pinnacle of power within the world of Teyvat that nothing, baring Celestia and the beyond, can match.
"Huh?"
"Yeah. I'm certain there's nothing out there you can fairly trade in exchange for something equivalent to godly powers." Nora rambles, "I mean, if you put power; whatever you define it as, above all else. Then –"
Ren puts a hand over her mouth, "Nora. We get it."
"When did she get so theoretical?" Jaune asks Pyrrha, who shrugs back.
"However, I am the God of Contracts. For thousands of years, I have made countless contracts. If the deal was of no benefit, then I certainly would not be inclined to agree to it. My agreement with the Cryo Archon will be the last of my contracts as the Geo Archon — my 'contract to end all contracts.'" Zhongli gives them a knowing smile, "As for the bargaining chip that the Tsaritsa used to balance the scales... Uncover that answer for yourself in your future journeys."
Paimon clutches her head, looking lightheaded. "Paimon... can't... absorb so much information at once..." It quickly went away as she curiously floats around the former Geo Archon. "So, Zhongli, what sort of contract did you sign with the Cryo Archon? Paimon's so curious!"
"... One of the clauses of our contract was not to divulge any of its contents."
"Ugh... You're so petty."
"Awww. Her adorable face makes it hard to resist spilling my secrets and squishing her cheeks." Yang coos, pinching the air.
Weiss also nods in agreement but kept to herself. Just like how she Zwei, Weiss also finds Paimon too adorable to resist.
Ruby groans and turns away from her embarrassing older sister. She caught Oscar smiling at her discomfort. "Yang and I are not related. We look nothing alike. My older sister is adopted."
"What?! Ruby!"
Zhongli merely smiles as Lumine and Paimon begin to leave.
He follows suit but pauses and looks at the screen. His amber eyes flash briefly as he politely nods, ending the viewing.
The screen darkens and the lights return to the room.
"He can see us?" Neptune asks the Hosts. "All this time?"
"To an extent. He was aware of our presence as we made ourselves known to him."
Qrow got up from his seat and stretched, "Will there be any more individuals who can see through entire worlds and into other dimensions?"
"In the future, we will let you know should you so desire. However, there are very few that can see through into our domain without our permission."
"Okay… What are we watching next?" Asked Robyn.
"It's been a while since you all had taken a break from the viewings. Would you desire a temporary recess from the viewings to get to know one another or relax?"
Everyone looked at each other before unanimously agreeing to take a short break.
"Sure." Yang casually shrugs while keeping her gaze on her mother. "It's been a while. I have some things to talk about with others."
Mercury scratches his head, "Eh, why not?"
"Yay!" Nora leaps from her seat, "Come here, farm boy! Your introduction is long overdue!"
NEXT - Intermission
Pardon my grammar. Point out any mistakes if you would be so kind.
