17th of the 2nd Cycle

Built into the mountainside was the third district of Liyue Harbour, Yujing Terrace.

Far away from the bustling harbour and lively lower districts, Yujing Terrace rises along Mount Tianheng, carved out from the mountainside into what was essentially a colossal balcony overlooking the entire city.

It was colder up here, where the chill mountain air was only amplified by the winds - quieter too, for there were little commercial areas in the Terrace. No, here was where all the greatest enterprises of Liyue were headquartered, along with government institutions. Because in Liyue, trade and government are so intertwined that it was impossible to tell one from the other.

In fact, the leaders of the Republic, the Liyue Qixing, were chosen from the wealthiest, most influential, and most powerful merchants and business leaders from within the commerce and trade sectors. As a result, every election was as cutthroat as they come - with proxy gang wars in the streets, violent lobbying from powerful businesses, backdoor deals, assassinations, and of course, vicious politics.

Everything the Qixing does, it was to further their own influence, enrich their own businesses - because as it goes; what was best for them was the best for the Republic as a whole. Every facet of Liyuean society was meant to churn out as much money as possible, to ensure every sector was as efficient as possible to make as much money as possible. Money was the law in the Republic.

And that wasn't even just a saying, it was a literal truth.

Aether stared up at one of the halls of the Eight Trades - the eight largest commerce institutions under the Liyue Qixing. The result of Qixing elections were largely decided by who the leaders of the Eight Trades decide to vote for, because they can sway thousands of ordinary citizens from their word alone. Problem was, the Qixing weren't barred from becoming the leader of a Trade.

The building Aether stood before was the Heji Hall, the personal institution of the Lady Tianquan - overseeing all matters involving the law of Liyue, and the judicial capital of the Republic. Indeed, even the law has been commercialised - and most certainly, the Lady Tianquan has used this power to ensure she never gets voted out of office, and to ensure she always comes out on top of any legal argument.

Turning away, Aether continued down the avenue towards the Yiyan Temple - which was the greatest place of worship for devouts of the Geo Archon. Much like the Favonius Cathedral in Mondstadt, Yiyan Temple was a place of pilgrimage and worship, drawing thousands upon thousands a year. The entire structure was half-sunk into the mountain face, with tall, smooth stone walls - the hallmark of Carnelian Sorcery.

Along the way, he noticed more of the Eight Trades - including the Huishan, Shenglu, and Yinyuan Halls, as well as the Wangshan Hall. All of them were commercial headquarters, yet also government institutions.

Then there was the towering Yuehai Pavilion, a massive pagoda-like structure that rose like a mountain peak of its own. In there, all seven of the Qixing worked their trade, held meetings, and governed Liyue. Or at least, that was the official purpose. In truth, the Qixing had many enemies - hundreds of rivals who crave their position and would do anything to take it for themselves, even assassination. As such, the Qixing rarely even show their faces, preferring to work in the shadows in secret locations.

The only time when the Pavilion was in use would be during solstice meetings, where it was compulsory for all members of the Qixing to attend. Of the seven, only the Lady Tianquan and Lady Yuheng were public figures - for they were also Vision Bearers, and thus there were few who dare cross them.

Aether crossed under another paifang to enter the plaza in front of the Yiyan Temple, were a massive Geo-carved table was placed in the middle off, filled to the brim with succulent foods and offerings - a veritable feast - along with a huge bronze censer worked in the depiction of a pagoda.

There, he found Mona already waiting - though Xingqiu and Hu Tao were nowhere to be seen - and she seemed to be deep in thought, hand on her chin, staring contemplatively at the offerings. She was not alone, thousands had gathered to witness the Rite - all of them merchants and traders, hailing from every corner of Teyvat. Because what Rex Lapis says here would affect Liyue's economy for the coming year, and Liyue's economy would affect the entire continent.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his back - and swivelled around to see Xingqiu and Hu Tao behind him.

"Just in time, huh?"

"Just in…" Aether trailed off when he saw all the exits being blocked by Millelith - surrounding the entire plaza.

"Is this normal?" he asked.

"Of course!" Hu Tao exclaimed, "Look at that crowd, hundreds of assassins could be in there, and the Lady Tianquan's head is going to be right in front of them!"

Xingqiu sighed in exasperation, palming his face, "Don't… don't put like that, can you?"

"I don't see how that will help prevent an assassination, though."

Hu Tao snorted, "Of course it won't, but the assassin will be caught - and that's what matters. How many Qixing do you think have died officiating the Rite?"

"I haven't a clue - perhaps half a dozen?"

"Close," she smiled mischievously, "Two score and six."

"That's enough of that!" Xingqiu said loudly, "The Millelith are going to hear you!"

"So? They know I'm a funeral director - burying Qixing is my job!" she laughed, "Do you know how much money I make from their deaths?"

"I'm guessing you're here to see if the Lady Tianquan-"

"Of course not," she interrupted, "The Lady Tianquan is a Vision Holder, many have tried in the early days of her business - but now? Not only is she blessed by Rex Lapis, she has also made herself too big to fail."

"Too big to fail?"

Xingqiu nodded solemnly, "It's a saying, here. The Lady Tianquan has her fingers in every pie in the Republic - the moment she's assassinated, her business will collapse, and the entire Republic will enter an economic depression. It's not that no one wants to kill her, it's that no one can."

"That's why this Rite in particular is going to be the largest in years," Hu Tao nodded, "The Lady Tianquan is officiating - what Rex Lapis says today can secure her place in Liyue for the next seven years, or it can break her in a single afternoon."

"What does she hope for, then?"

"I believe…," Xingqiu scratched his chin, "She is hedging her bets on the idea that Rex Lapis would look favourably on her because she is a Geo Vision Bearer. With his support, she will finally be able to abolish the Geo tax."

Aether's mind lit up, because this was information. Information that he needed in order to get into the Lady Tianquan's good graces and earn her sponsorship. He had managed to convince Mona the night before - she had argued that she does not sell her skill out of principle, for the moment she does she will be no better than any streetside fortune teller or diviner - but he managed to convince her that if the Lady Tianquan does sponsor them, she would be able to purchase as much astrological equipment as she so wished.

But first, the Lady Tianquan had to sponsor them - and that meant they had to know what she wanted.

As such, he asked Xingqiu about what he knew of the Lady Tianquan - and learned that abolishing the Geo tax had been her foremost agenda since the moment she took office. It placed an astronomical tax on any Geo-made goods being sold or bought, but that wasn't her agenda - her agenda was in the construction sector.

See, Geo was a special rock - it was made from pure energy, and thus had really no use except looking pretty, storing Geo energy, and construction. Because Geo crystals were basically condensed energy, they were incredibly light and tough, making for perfect bricks. The problem was, Geo couldn't be shaped or formed by anyone other than Geo Vision Bearers - and the Geo crystals formed naturally were too small to be used as bricks.

Since the Lady Tianquan was a Geo Vision Bearer herself, she was essentially the face of all Geo Vision Bearers in the nation - if she manages to abolish the tax, then she can rally the Vision Bearers to build entire cities out of Geo without bankrupting herself a hundred times over. Everyone else knows this, which was why she was fighting against the rest of the Republic to abolish the tax.

Apparently, the last vote to abolish the tax was one to six within the Qixing. Even her allies within the Qixing, such as the Lady Yuheng and Lord Tianshu oppose her in this matter - because allowing the vote to pass would make the Lady Tianquan essentially the undisputed ruler of Liyue.

Currently, the foremost construction method in Liyue was through Carnelian Sorcery. Practitioners of the art - known as earthbenders - manipulate the latent mana within the earth to shape the earth itself, allowing them to create magnificent structures without the need for quarries. The walls of Wangshu and Guili were made this way, as well as most large buildings.

However, Carnelian Sorcery had one weakness - it was terribly ineffective on weak soil. When the walls of Wangshu were first raised, they began to crumble only a year after they were built - the reason being they were made of weak, swampy earth. To rectify this, thousands upon thousands of runes were carved into the walls to harden them - and the reason this isn't a large solution was because unlike in the Union, runecraft was incredibly expensive in the Republic.

As such, quarries were still needed - and conventional ways of construction was still a profitable business.

And all of this could be turned on its head if the Lady Tianquan got her way and made Geo into a viable building material.

So, if they managed to aid the Lady Tianquan in this, she would surely sponsor them - the only problem was how. Aether began to mull it over, but before he could get far - a commotion from the crowd caught his attention.

Looking up, he noticed the Sun reaching its zenith in the Sky.

Then, the stone doors of Yiyan Temple groaned open and the Lady Tianquan strode out with a column of attendants and guards.

"There she is…" Xingqiu murmured, "The Lady Tianquan…"

She was a tall woman, taller than most Liyueans in fact - with fair skin, ruby eyes, and long white hair. Wearing an ostentatious ceremonial dress of white and gold, and with no small amount of glittering gems bedecking her affects, she was the very image of prosperity and power.

The Lady Tianquan craned her head to the Sky, blocking the glare of the Sun with a hand.

"The hour is upon us!" she announced, and a hush fell over the entire crowd.

Her Geo Vision gleamed, and a great exultation of Geo energy spawned from her form - coalescing into four Geo crystals. Following this, the crystals flew into the four corners of the censer - pointing in the four cardinal directions - and the censer was lit, sending a great beam of Geo energy into the Sky.

Dark clouds began to roll in from every direction - and as they were atop a mountain, the clouds appeared nary three score and ten feet above their heads. The clouds swirled into an ashen mass, blocking out the Sun and casting darkness upon the entire city - golden lightning flickered behind the ceiling of clouds, and a great roar reverberated throughout the mountainside.

"Rex Lapis!" the Lady Tianquan called, "Grace us with your presence!"

Morax descended in the form of a great dragon - long serpentine body and the antlers of a stag - but he descended too fast. The clouds dispersed, and they watched in horror as the Lord of Rock slammed lifelessly onto the offering table, cracking the Geo and the floor beneath.

There was a moment of shocked silence where the Lady Tianquan stood still as a statue.

Aether knew why - for this to happen on her watch, it was disastrous to say the least.

"Seal the exits!" she roared, "Bring everyone in for questioning!"

Admirably, the Millelith surged forwards without hesitation - even after watching their god be murdered before their very eyes - then plunged into the crowd, apprehending every onlooker regardless of their status or career.

"How could this happen?" Xingqiu whispered, staring at the corpse.

But Aether did not respond, simply looking off into space. His mind was already churning with thoughts to make use of this situation best as they could.

"A sham," Hu Tao sighed, "That's what this is."

"A sham?" Aether repeated pensively, looking back at the corpse.

Corpse.

Oh, he suppressed a smile to not seem suspicious, but he was joyous nonetheless - this was just about the most advantageous scenario that could happen. Not only that, but open closer inspection - the corpse was no corpse at all, something Hu Tao likely recognised. No, it was a corpus.

"Sirs, miss," a squad of Millelith approached them, "We will have to bring you in for questioning."

They offered no resistance.

17th of the 2nd Cycle

Aether stretched his limbs after he was finally let free.

Feeling his bones pop, he sighed in relief - after being cooped up inside for so long, anyone would feel tense. The corpus had long been taken away by now, and the Sun was long gone - the Moon was rising over a city in mourning.

The plaza was now deserted, the remnants of the offering table cleared up to leave behind a desolate stone surface. The censer too, was nowhere to be seen - likely brought back inside the Yiyan Temple. Despite this, there were still some people lingering about the area - noticeably the Lady Yuheng and a squad of Millelith, who had cordoned off the entire plaza with wooden stake-barriers - but also Mona and Hu Tao, who were standing near the archway gate entrance.

"Hail!," he called as he approached them from behind, "Sorry for making you wait."

Mona glanced back to see him, "Oh, you were finally let out?"

"I had a feeling they were suspicious of me because I'm an outlander," he replied, "Speaking of which, why were you let out so early?"

In response, Mona reached into her coat and pulled out a medallion - the same medallion she had shown to the guards at the gates of the city - and this time he could see it more clearly. About the size of a palm, it bore a runic hexagram on the polished surface - it clearly denoted her affiliation to a powerful establishment, but he was unfamiliar with the symbol.

"I'm a member of the Hexenzirkel," she explained, "A powerful circle of mages based in Fontaine."

"So… influence, then," he sighed, "Why are you here, anyway?"

Hu Tao spoke up, "We were trying to investigate, but the Millelith stopped us from approaching."

"We? Oh, I suppose you had met just now-," Aether shook his head, "Besides that, where is Xingqiu?"

"Him?" Hu Tao giggled, "He's part of the Xu Clan, they control the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Power has its downsides too - the entire Guild is currently being investigated, so he was taken away."

"And you?"

"I'm just a lowly undertaker," she smiled softly, "I'm likely to receive an order for a divine funeral soon, it'll be a first for me - for my entire clan, really."

Her blossom-shaped irises seemed to glow in the dark, piercing the gloom. Mona coughed into her first, however, distracting them.

"Isn't this the best chance we have to ingratiate ourselves with the Qixing?"

"It is," Aether agreed, "Give me a moment."

As he opened his pack to dig through it, Hu Tao peeked inside curiously.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We can offer our services," he responded, "Or more accurately, Mona's services. Morax was murdered, so there must be a murderer, yes?"

"Rex Lapis," Hu Tao corrected, "Call him by his courtesy name - and don't let any Liyuean here you call him Morax, especially now that he's dead."

"Courtesy name?" Mona asked.

"It's considered rude to call someone by their given name, especially if they're not close to you. Well, that tradition had died off a long time ago - but most of the old clans still keep it. The Geo Archon's courtesy name is Yanwang, or Rex Lapis as you say," she said 'Rex Lapis' in heavily accented Reitz, "It's also why nobody refers to the Lady Tianquan or any of the Qixing by their given names."

"But we call you Hu Tao," Mona aired, "You don't have one?"

"Oh, I do," she laughed, "Mine is Miaoyi, I got it when I was fifteen. But call me Hu Tao - No one uses courtesy names down there anymore!"

She pointed down to the lower city, at the array of golden lights of Feiyun Slope.

"Anyway," Hu Tao waved, "You want to investigate, right? I'll join you, I'm quite interested in what happened too. But first, we need to get to the Lady Yuheng."

Aether stared at the plaza, at all of the Millelith guards patrolling the grounds. Several were looking at them suspiciously, but others were more cautious - likely already having blocked Hu Tao and Mona before he arrived. Now they were just staring at them, as if daring them to try to enter the plaza again.

He took the dare, and strode forwards.

"Huh… hey, where are you-!"

"Come on," he beckoned his companions to follow him, "Trust me with this."

As he approached the Lady Yuheng, the Millelith reacted immediately - rushing to intercept him and brandishing their spears. Undeterred, Aether continued walking, noticing Mona close behind him with Hu Tao dragging her feet - and then the Lady Yuheng realised his presence, and frowned.

"Stop right there!" a guard shouted, dashing in front of him and raising a palm.

"Relax a little," Aether tried, "I just wish to speak with the Lady Yuheng."

"You can apply for an audience at the Yuehai Pavilion," the guard insisted, "She will get back to you."

"Yes, I can," he agreed, "But right now, she's right in front of me."

"You-!"

"What's going on here!?" the Lady Yuheng's piercing voice cut straight through their argument.

"My apologies, Lady Yuheng!" the guard bowed and stepped aside when the woman came to them, "This man and his companions have been trying to-"

"I have eyes, sergeant," the Lady Yuheng snapped, before turning to him, "You, what do you want?"

The Lady Yuheng had a fair yet sharp face and piercing violet eyes - with an expression that seemed to be set in a frown constantly.

She was also quite blunt, Aether thought, for a merchant - a member of the Qixing especially. How did she rise to rank at such a young age, with such a brusque demeanour? Nevertheless, there was always the chance that she was just tired, or putting on an act - you can never dismiss the chance of a politician acting, it is quite literally their job. Furthermore, she was still a member of the Qixing - so she was as cutthroat and ruthless as the rest of them.

Perhaps she controlled some powerful gangs in the city, Aether mused, and strong armed her way into the Qixing.

"I can be trusted," he said, offering her Jinpeng's jade seal.

She received the seal with a raised eyebrow, but her eyes widened incrementally upon seeing the seal in detail - and her gaze immediately snapped upwards to meet his, her eyes narrowing. Aether felt as if he was being stared down by a mountain lion, eyeing him to see how fit he was to be prey.

"...He didn't inform us of this…"

"I doubt Jinpeng informed many people of what he does, to be fair," he returned, and her frown deepened when she noticed how he had referred to the yaksha.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

"The three of us," Aether gestured to the three of them, "Wish to aid the Qixing in investigating the manner of Rex Lapis' death and bring the culprit to light."

"And you want money and influence in return," she drawled, "Yes, I have heard this one a thousand times - what makes you different?"

"Not me," he placed a hand on his chest and shook his head, "I'm just muscle, I'm referring to them."

Mona immediately got the cue, walking forwards and showing her medallion to the Lady Yuheng, who took it for closer inspection.

"Hexenzirkel…" she murmured, snapping her fingers for a spark of Electro form - shedding light on the medallion.

"And you?" she turned to Hu Tao, "Wait… you're the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, aren't you?"

Hu Tao smiled brilliantly, as if she was never hesitant in the first place, "That's me! I mean, if I'm going to prepare a funeral for a god, I better figure out how he died, right?"

The Lady Yuheng pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, clearly thinking hard. Aether could figure out why - the Lady Tianquan and all her allies were likely reeling right now, trying to douse fires left and right - this was an unprecedented disaster after all, one the Lady Tianquan had officiated.

As one of the Lady Tianquan's allies, the Lady Yuheng was in the same boat - and thus investigating the manner of murder and vindicating the Lady Tianquan's name was her current priority. However, hiring a third party to investigate would make the Qixing seem ineffective and weak.

Or, he mused, she was trying to use this chance to drag down the Lady Tianquan - she was a business leader, after all. If the Lady Yuheng could frame it in such a way that the Lady Tianquan would seem responsible, and then figure out the culprit, a massive power vacuum would form - one she could fill using the prestige she gained from a successful investigation.

That being said, if it comes out that she used a third party to carry out the investigation, it could cause a massive scandal.

Either way, there were both benefits and drawbacks - and as a merchant, it was the Lady Yuheng's job to weigh the options.

Finally, she seemed to have decided, "I will have to consult my peers first."

…What? Just how honest was this woman!? Aether thought incredulously, how did she become the Lady Yuheng if she wore her heart on her sleeve like so? She did hail from an ancient and illustrious family, he did know, but she was also anything but a traditionalist. All of the Lady Yuheng's policies have been pioneering and forward-thinking, almost too forward thinking - making her little allies.

Which once more adds to the question, how did she become Yuheng?

"Well," Aether bowed, "We will wait with bated breaths."

The Lady Yuheng bowed in return, "Do not place too much hope, lest you will be disappointed."

Deciding that that would be the best they got, Aether bode her farewell and turned around, beckoning Mona and Hu Tao to follow him. It was now completely dark, the Moon rising high over them providing what little light there was.

"Hey…" Mona walked up beside him, "How am I supposed to find the murderer, huh? I'm a thaumaturge and astrologist, not a detective!"

"You're looking at this the wrong way," Hu Tao skipped alongside them as they crossed under the arch, "Did you know, yesteryear it was the Lady Yuheng who officiated the Rite of Descension?"

"So?" Mona's frustration was visible.

"She caused a massive uproar, you know. Asked Rex Lapis straight to his face; You have watched over Liyue for a millennium. But what about the next millennium, what about the next ten, next hundred millennium? How long should we expect this status quo to last?" Hu Tao laughed, "You should've seen it, it was silent, so silent you could hear the wind! I half expected Rex Lapis to smite her there and then!"

"But she wasn't struck," Mona flatly stated.

"No, she wasn't," Hu Tao smiled, spinning around and walking backwards to keep pace, "Do you know how Rex Lapis responded? He laughed, laughed so hard it shook the heavens and earth. Most people thought he was laughing at her, so they joined him - and in the following year she was the laughingstock of Liyue, her businesses dropped, her very status as Yuheng was constantly at risk."

"I think differently," she continued, "I think… I think the Lady Yuheng was onto something. We are terribly set in our ways, coddled by Rex Lapis for millennia - we don't want to change, we fear it, even. I think… something had to be done to shake the status quo, something that could tear down the old guard and bring in fresh faces - something large had to happen."

"You're saying…"

"I'm saying your job isn't to find a murderer, but to find out whether or not I need to organise a funeral."

Rewritten on 26/6/2022