Authoress note: Happy birthday, Noelle. As you can already see, my short story (mostly) will have Zhongli popping out here and there. Lol, all right. I main him so yeah.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Hoyoverse
Warning: Possible grammar errors.
Valberry Picking
'Oh, no. Oh, no.' That was the only thing crossed her mind. She was just going out of the city to collect valberries when she saw a man on the trail toward whispering woods. While the knights usually cleared the area through patrolling, sometimes hillichurls could be found roaming around the area. The problem this time, it was not hillichurls who showed up on that trail but a mitachurl. The man seemed to notice that mitachurl, but he didn't run nor hide. Noelle couldn't take a risk as she shouted. "Watch out." She yelled as she run toward the place. The man seemed unfazed and only gave her a glance but that mitachurl roared in anger. The axe was raised, second later it was slashed down toward him.
Fearing worst outcome from the encounter, she run as fast as she could toward them while summoning greatsword. That gentleman calmly made a side step, avoiding the axe that came down toward him. Mitachurl growled angrier as it slashed end up on the ground, it pulled out once more for another slash, this time the man didn't seem to move at all as Noelle made it in time to block the attack.
"Sir, please step aside and hide."
"Hmm, very well." He walked several steps outside the perimeter but didn't do anything except watching. The maid of Favonius, grunted when another slashed came toward her. She quickly summoned her protective armor to blast it off and attacked as hard as she could. The mitachurl however roared once again and swing his weapon like a tornado. Her shield shattered quickly but she managed to dash out of its way. When it slowed, she finally mustered her geo power and slashed to put an end of the fight. The mitachurl groaned in pain as it felt down and disappeared into dust. A mask and horn had just dropped from it. She let out a sigh of relief.
"You do it quite well, young lass." The man walked toward her as if the fight was not just occurred.
"Sir, next time. Please, when you see something like this, avoid it or at least run for it." She said but the man had just chuckled.
"I will remember that." His amber eyes looked at her with a hint of amuse and pride.
"Sir, I'm not joking." She said, she felt like her advise was not taken seriously.
"So do I, young lass." The man must be from another region outside Mondstadt. She remembered seeing this type of clothes before. Oh yes, when she was traveling with Lumine to Liyue city.
"What are you doing around here, sir."
"Ah, I am going to pick berries, my… friend sometimes come to my place. One time, he came bearing this sweet fruits. A disip… I mean a daughter of mine find it to her liking."
"Oh, you mean vallberries?"
"Indeed." He nodded.
"I'm going to pick it too. We can go together, sir. I know the area where we can pick quite a lot of it"
"Splendid. Ah, where is my manner. I am Zhongli."
"Oh, I'm Noelle. A maid of Favonius."
"Hm? Not a knight?" He asked in curiosity.
"Not yet, but I will be one day." She somewhat embarrassed with it.
"Oh, you will, Noelle. You have the power to be one."
"Really?" She looked excited.
"Yes." He chuckled. Both of them walked further into whispering woods and toward the direction of Cider Lake.
…
Noelle found out in fascination. This gentleman had vast knowledge in history and he could retell those stories as if he was there to experience those events. At first, she was just asking if he was from Liyue, which he was indeed. She told him that she was once went there to do some training with a traveler and found in fascinating that Liyue city was as busy as Mondstadt, if not busier and grander.
The man let out a faint smile before he told her a story that it was after all a city that was built by both adepti and mortals for 3700 years. She was curious about adepti and Mr. Zhongli began to do a storytelling about a certain adeptus with the name of Alatus. She was horrified with the tragedy that the young Alatus had as soon as the story moved further.
"I never thought a God would do something like that." She said as they walked back from valberry picking toward the city.
"There are gods who against civilization. Those who don't, will guide and watch over us."
"Just like our God, Barbatos."
"Indeed, though I think he went too far and drop all the responsibility too quickly." He let out a soundless snort.
"But he still watches and blesses us, the last incident with Dragon of the East was purified with the help of our god too." She said quickly in defend of her God.
"Ah, I heard the story from someone I know."
"What will you do with this valberries? It is best eaten raw but if you going to transport it to Liyue, it may bruise or become too ripe to eat."
"Hmm, that a challenge to tackle. Do you have someone that can help solving this matter?"
"Maybe… Sir Albedo can find a way to retain its form. Please come with me, Mr." She leaded him out from Whispering Woods.
…
Luck was by their side as they found the person immediately. Albedo had just crossed the bridge. "Sir Albedo." Noelle waved to catch his attention. The young knight seemed lost in thought. He was murmuring, looking at his patch while walking. The girl quickly ran toward him, leaving Zhongli who calmly followed. "Sir Albedo." She stood in front of him.
As boots come into his line of view, he stopped and looked up. "Oh, is you Noelle." He said, putting his note and pen back into his undercoat. The chain on his coat clinking as he moved.
"Can you help Mr. Zhongli."
"Who?"
"This man." She said as soon as the other geo user near them.
"Hello, I'm Albedo, chief alchemist of Favonius Knight." The shorter lad politely nodded.
"Ah, an alchemy." His amber eyes were checking Albedo intensely. The chief blinked before taking one step back. He felt somewhat threaten by those eyes. His right hand unconsciously trailed up, touching the diamond shape on his neck lightly. 'Did he ever hear that voice?'
…
'I need to find it. The truth then one day… one day master will be back.' He believed it with his whole heart. His master wouldn't abandon him. No matter what assignment he got, no matter how difficult, he will finish it. And yet this last assignment had been going for a long time already. Master had not come and never come in those years. He had begun to question his ability or if master was just abandoning him because he couldn't find the answer. No, no matter how many books he read, nothing come up as the truth. The truth of this world.
'Why? Why is this so hard? Master? Did master just leave because I was not good enough?' The emotions that he never knew he got; fear, confusion, hesitation, anger, all the negative feeling he had, come rushing all at once. He was spiraling out of control. He wanted to kill something. His anger took over him.'
'Every journey has its final day. Don't rush.' One voice cut through, it soothed his heart and dispersed his darkened mind. Albedo suddenly came to his sense. He blinked. One golden light pulse faintly in front of him, it began to synchronized with his heart. He looked at it blankly.
'A vision for someone artificial likes him?' He reached for it. The vision felt warm and it calming his heart. He glanced at it for a second before putting it back to the table. He needed to finish the assignment from his master but somehow, he felt lighter now. And one day he will finally find the answer. He just need not to rush it.
…
"Sir Albedo." She called which startled him. Albedo never felt this disconnected and had realized that he had hold his breath and was zoning out. He blinked and cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, how can I help?" He said, reverting his eyes onto Noelle. The Liyue man was muted through as the conversation when Noelle told the story about the encounter and vallberry picking.
"I see, so you need to carry these fruits to Liyue without damaging any of them."
"Correct." Zhongli let out a faint smile. Albedo once again looked directly to those amber eyes. Trying to find if there were malicious intent in them but found nothing.
"I… I will suggest to freeze it within a container or something."
"Hmm, that is a brilliant suggestion, Sir Albedo."
"Please, just Albedo, Mr. Zhongli. I can create some container but I can't help with the freezing." He took his pen and note back and drawn a small container. Big enough to fit the berries but small enough to be carried.
"Oh, don't worry. I can find some cyro user. In fact, one has just come toward us." Zhongli said as Albedo looked back and Noelle reverted her eyes onto the direction of the gate. Indeed, a familiar face from Liyue had just walk out from the gate, the pigeons scattered from the bridge as she bypassed them. One boy was glaring angrily at her but the woman paid no attention as she fixed her eyes toward the group.
"Xiao (小, calling someone younger) Shen. She is..." He paused. "My youngest one. A cryo user. She can freeze all the berries."
"Hm?" Shenhe looked a little confused "Uh, sure I can freeze something."
"Oh, that great. Is she the one who like valberry?" A chuckle could be heard from Zhongli. Albedo was back to drawing his container while carefully listening.
"Ah, no. It's my oldest who like it, though I think Xiao Shen may find a liking if she tries one of this."
"A what?"
"A fruit. This is valberry. It eaten raw but spoil fast and easily bruise. Here try it." Noelle took one of the berries and carefully hand it to her. Shenhe looked at Zhongli weirdly but gave it a bite when he nodded.
"… it is sweet." She said as she took another bite, finding a liking too.
"Here." Albedo had finally created the box and presented it to the man. No one asked how he just pulled out a container out from the paper… assuming it was part of his vision power…
"Ah, thank you. Xiao Shen, can you freeze this." Shenhe traded the half bitten fruit with container and freeze the fruit from Noelle one by one. She carefully put in into the container before shutting the box. "Let me carry it."
"It's ok I can-"
"Give it to me, Xiao Shen, you should finish the fruit first. We are going back today."
"Yes." She once again traded the container and was back to biting the sweet fruit.
"Noelle and Albedo, my utmost gratitude to both of you. If you happen to visit Liyue, come visit Wangsheng to find me." Zhongli took a small polite bow.
"We will, right, Sir Albedo."
"Yes, I guess…"
"See you around." The man turned around and walked to the direction of Springvale. Shenhe gave them a polite nod before joining the man toward Liyue. Noelle bid them goodbye while smiling happily.
"Noelle, he didn't do anything suspicious, right?"
"You mean Mr. Zhongli? Oh, no. In fact, he was in great danger when we met this morning. A Mitachurl was trying to slice him into two."
"Really?" Maybe he just thought too much of it.
"Where are you going, Sir Albedo?"
"… to my place." He murmured, resuming his journey while trying to remember if he had known the man before. But for now, he assumed the man was not someone dangerous.
"Safe trip, Sir Albedo."
End of story
Omake
"What was that all about, Xiansheng…" They both were walking back toward Liyue and was now near a village called Springville.
"What do you mean, Xiao Shen?"
"What were you talking about youngest and oldest?"
"Oh… hmm, I just pretend that I have two daughters, that's all." The word 'daughter' nearly makes her choke on her own saliva.
"You mean me?" 'Is that mean both her and the oldest must be Ganyu jie (姐, translate as older sister or sis) can call him-'
"Maybe I should tell them that you are my nieces instead. You are discipline of Cloud Retainer after all."
"… no, it's all right." She couldn't help but let out a small smile. "… dad…" She whispered.
"Did you say something?"
"Nothing, Xiansheng." Shenhe was humming. Wait until Ganyu jie heard about this. Zhongli himself was clueless on why his companion was suddenly in a good mood.