"How does it work? It's huge!" Paimon stared at the decrepit turret.

Roxas nudged her with a smirk. "That's what she said."

Ignoring Roxas's immature joke, Zhongli analyzed the turret. "It is...inoperable at the moment. I suppose repairs wouldn't hurt. After millennia of wear and tear, even Adepti contraptions can only last for so long. Worry not, however. I recall that there were spare parts put in place in the event of the Guizhong Ballista suffering damage in battle. We shall make use of those parts for the time being. If we can retrieve those parts from where they are stored, we may be able to repair the Ballista. One just needs to understand the basics of how it works, is all."

"Do you?" asked Roxas.

"...I have a smattering of knowledge, yes."

Roxas got to work with Paimon in tow.

"Now, if Paimon were a supply post with spare parts for an Adepti-made turret...where would Paimon be?"

"Right in here, apparently." Roxas found the spare parts with ease, alongside a manual for repairing the Ballista.

"There, it is done." Zhongli wiped his forehead. "The Guizhong Ballista is more...intricately designed than I anticipated."

"So how do we turn it on?" asked Paimon.

"You don't," replied Zhongli. "It is autonomous, but can be operated manually as well. Here, it even has a scope."

Roxas looked through. "Ooh, nice! Hey, Paimon, how much do ya wanna bet I can snipe some birds outta the sky?"

Paimon sighed. "Just look for the Cocogoat so we can get this done. We can snipe birds later."

"Hmm..." Roxas panned the scope around the area. "Nothing...nothing...still nothing...what the hell!? Where's the Cocogoat!?"

Someone cleared their throat. Roxas quickly panned the Ballista to find a bunch of angry-looking bandits approaching.

"Oi, punks!" called their leader. "Oh, ya fixed the turret...to do what, exactly!?"

"Not a turret," Zhongli corrected. "A Guizhong Ballista. Also, kindly state your name before asking a question. It's just good manners."

The leader laughed. "You blind, old man? You're lookin' at the leader of Liyue's Treasure Hoarders! This place is supposed to be full of valuables, but you can't get anywhere near it without this thing gettin' angry and tryin' to kill you! It almost got one of my guys! A few of us risked our lives to put it down - and we did - but the moment we turn our backs, you go and repair it!? Next thing you'll be repairing is your faces! And that's if you get outta this alive!"

"Vandalizing the legacy of an Adeptus for selfish gain." Zhongli sighed. "Disgraceful. It is not we who require reprimanding, but you. Roxas, if you would?"

BGM: Rowdy Rumble - Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix

Roxas cracked his knuckles. "I'll show 'em who they're dealing with."

He jumped down and summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Hah!" one of the Treasure Hoarders charged with a hammer. "Key-boy thinks he can take us!?"

Roxas made quick work of the arrogant hammer man.

"You idiot!" the leader shouted at his fallen subordinate. "Don't you know about Keyblade Wielders? You don't mess with 'em! Men, retreat!"

Before the Treasure Hoarders could leave, a wall of Geo pillars closed them in. Zhongli stood firm. "Running is the folly of a coward," he rebuked. "Roxas, do what it is you do best."

"You got it!"

A large Treasure Hoarder bore down on Roxas's crossed Keyblades with a shovel. "Not so tough now, are ya, mister Keyblade Wielder?"

"I've got plenty of tricks," Roxas retorted. "Ever seen this one?"

He pushed the Treasure Hoarder back and launched him into the air with a strike from Oathkeeper. Roxas leaped up to meet him, plummeting back down with an overhead strike to the Treasure Hoarder's body.

Another Treasure Hoarder attempted to use elemental potions against his key-bearing opponent.

"Two can play that game!" Roxas summoned a tornado of Aeroga, sending a volley of Pyro concoctions back at their creator. The bottles exploded like a bunch of Molotov cocktails.

The Treasure Hoarders wielded ordinary weapons. In their largely superior numbers, they certainly were a challenge, but Roxas's dual Keyblades could make quick work of them.

End BGM

"Yeah, eat it, punks!" Roxas jeered as the rest of the Treasure Hoarders ran away. "How's it feel!?"

"Troubling ourselves over this rabble is hardly worth the time," Zhongli gently chided. "We should focus on our contract with Qiqi."

"Well, we got the Guizhong Ballista working, but no Cocogoat," Paimon mentioned. "Nothing but some regular old animals."

"Yes," agreed Zhongli. "And what's more, an Adeptal contraption such as the Guizhong Ballista should have no trouble detecting this...'Adeptibeast.'"

"Which means..."

Roxas sighed. "This was all nothing but a giant waste of time."

"Well, Paimon wouldn't say that," said the faerie. "We repaired the Ballista, didn't we?"

"Indeed," said Zhongli. "And you seem to have given the Treasure Hoarders a valuable lesson: do not trifle with a Keyblade Wielder. In any case, we will return to Bubu Pharmacy and explain to Qiqi that we could not find a Cocogoat."

"Do forgive us for not fulfilling our end of the contract," said Zhongli to Qiqi. "We could not find this 'Cocogoat' of which you spoke."

"Ah...don't worry about it. I am...disappointed, but I can get your medicine," said Qiqi.

Roxas felt bad now. "Hey, Qiqi, why exactly do you want a Cocogoat anyway?"

"Its milk is tasty," she replied. "So tasty...so much tastier than normal goat milk. Only an Adeptibeast could make such tasty milk. I'm sorry...my memory is poor. I cannot remember the name of the milk...so I wrote it down...somewhere...ah, here...'coconut milk.'"

Roxas slapped his palm to his face. "Seriously?"

Zhongli sighed. "I apologize, Roxas. I...hastily agreed to what I thought was an equitable agreement with little miss Qiqi, but perhaps I should've undertaken further due diligence."

"It's okay, you didn't know," said Paimon. "Paimon definitely didn't see it coming."

"Excuse me, everyone..." Qiqi interjected. "Did I...say a bad thing...?"

Paimon turned to Roxas. "Paimon's gonna let you break the little girl's heart."

"Oi, don't pin this on me!" Roxas sighed. "Okay, fine..."

"She took that pretty hard." Roxas sighed again. "And now I feel like the worst person in Teyvat."

A man's voice laughed behind them. "Seems she's learned a valuable lesson today. Ah, thank you for looking after my little Qiqi. She may be like a daughter to me, but even I need to leave her alone sometimes."

"Ah, Doctor Baizhu," said Zhongli.

"Yes, hello, my friend," said Baizhu. He turned to Roxas and Paimon. "And who are your companions?"

"Roxas and Paimon," said Zhongli. "They are outlanders, and they are assisting me in preparing the Rite of Parting."

"I honestly don't know who's more fit to run this place," Roxas mused. "Is it the little zombie girl, or is it the green-haired dude who has a snake around his neck?"

The white snake around Baizhu's neck suddenly came to life.

Paimon gasped. "Ah! It moves!"

The white snake sighed. "I prefer to stay silent, normally, but I must reveal myself to strangers, lest I be mistaken for an escaped ingredient from the medicine cabinet."

Baizhu laughed. "Oh, don't mind Changsheng, she's a little overzealous, is all. Now, as for you three...communal chaos-causing with Qiqi aside, what brings you here?"

"We're looking for Everlasting Incense," replied Roxas. "Mister Zhongli said you had some."

"Ah, yes, of course we do," said Baizhu. "Three million Mora. Top quality, guaranteed."

Roxas gasped. "What're you hassling us for!? Just rob the Golden House and you'll be good to go! Then again, I guess the Qixing hijacked it. Well, you can always rob the Northland Bank. Anything to stick it to the Fatui."

"A sum such as that is certainly hard to come by," Zhongli agreed.

"Guess this is the part where we go crawling back to Childe." Paimon sighed.

BGM: Laughter and Merriment - Kingdom Hearts 2

"Bwahahahahahaha!" a familiar laugh sounded as the ginger in question stepped into the pharmacy, holding his sides. "Cocogoat! Bwahahaha! Ah, man, my sides hurt! I can't believe you fell for that! I tell ya - I haven't laughed like that in years! So...in return, I'll sort out this little mess you've gotten yourselves into." He turned to the green-haired doctor. "You must be Doctor Baizhu. It's an honor. I'm Childe, a Fatui Harbinger. Forgive my audacity here, but I see potential...collaborations we could undertake in the future...say, if Bubu Pharmacy were to be provided a steady, stable, consistent supply of the coconut milk little Qiqi seems to like, I wouldn't mind having the Fatui set up a stable distribution network."

Changsheng spoke up from Baizhu's neck. "Strange...I knew the Fatui liked to infiltrate businesses with alluring deals such as that...but so much fuss over coconut milk?"

Those words seemed to ignite something within the zombie child. "Coconut milk. Baizhu...quick...I want coconut milk."

"Ah...yes, of course," Baizhu said, sounding a little sheepish. "And, thank you, Childe. I look forward to our future collaborations. I can offer a discount on the Everlasting Incense, too. How does about 2,990,000 Mora sound?"

"Do you have the slightest idea how little that helps?" Roxas said, exasperated.

"It certainly is still a large sum," Zhongli agreed, "but it is ten thousand less than three million. And I doubt that the good doctor will be amenable to lowering the price any further. It is acceptable."

Roxas sighed. "Guess we don't have any other choice. We're going back to Yujing Terrace, right?"

Zhongli nodded. "Childe, Doctor Baizhu, little miss Qiqi, see you soon."

BGM: Organization XIII - Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix

"They really fell for that!?" Braig guffawed with a howling laugh.

Childe laughed along. "Yep!" He quickly got serious. "You've been gathering intel, I hope."

"What else would I be doing here?" said Braig.

"Good point," replied Childe. "What did I miss?"

"They said something about the Qixing squatting in the Golden House," Braig informed. "Guess that was Ningguang and her cronies' idea."

"And what else would they be hiding, if not the Exuvia?" Childe added. "And Roxas has no idea you were there, does he?"

"As if!" scoffed Braig. "Guy didn't notice a thing. But could you keep a secret, ginger boy?"

"He definitely doesn't trust me," replied Childe, "but he hasn't got a clue. After all, in Liyue...the walls have ears..."

End BGM

"There, it is done." Zhongli stepped back. "We are closing in on our completion."

"I'm glad," said Roxas. "This whole thing has been...it's been a trip, to say the least. But it's nice to know we're getting close to finishing up."

"Yes, indeed," said Zhongli. "But, Roxas...do you feel you have gained anything from our...exploits so far?"

"Well..." Roxas thought for a moment. "Either Paimon and I are learning the ways of the rich...or experiencing what it's like to be flat broke."

Zhongli laughed. "Ah, which is it, I wonder? The questions that such adventures raise are...ever so complicated. I will allow you to ponder these thoughts yourself. But, for now...seeing as the day is coming to an end, and as we have some time to tear ourselves away from our work...I have decided to reward you by treating you to a meal."

"You mean, you've allowed me to treat you," Roxas quipped.

"Ah, you needn't worry, I have my Mora with me," Zhongli assured him. "And I have a feeling that formal atmospheres such as Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk are...not entirely to your liking, yes?"

Roxas agreed. "Yeah, I'm not a fine dining person."

"Good," said Zhongli. "Then the place at which I made a reservation should suit your taste. Third-Round Knockout is perfect for those looking for a more...informal setting. A great choice if ever you are visiting Liyue with your friends from home and are in search of a traditional Liyueren meal. On that subject...I am curious about these friends of yours."

"I can tell you about them over dinner," Roxas offered.

"That is exactly what I had in mind."

"Have a seat." Zhongli gestured to the seat beside him at the outdoor restaurant. "I have ordered for us."

"What'd you order for me?" Roxas asked.

"Wine-fermented rice balls," replied Zhongli. "I'm afraid I cannot order wine for you, since you seem to be underage."

"Yeah, that's fine." Roxas shrugged. "Even if I was old enough to drink, I wouldn't."

"Oh?" Zhongli looked intrigued. "And what inclined you to make such a decision?"

"I wanna stay sharp," replied Roxas. "Keyblade Wielders may need to fight at any time, so I've gotta stay fully awake and alert just in case something happens."

"A shame, really," sighed Zhongli. "Traditional Liyueren wines are simply immaculate, though your reason for abstinence is very much a respectable one."

"Oh, I'm not saying I'm not gonna not drink anything at all once I'm old enough," said Roxas. "But no getting absolutely hammered."

"That is fair. Now, we should pause our conversation. It looks to me that the storyteller wishes to continue."

Roxas nodded, turning his eyes to the storyteller, a man known as Iron Tongue Tian.

"If it is to your liking, customers," said Iron Tongue Tian, "I shall continue the tale of Lady Ningguang and her Jade Chamber."