Chapter 4

Welcome to the City of Liyue

"Ok, let's get started!"

Asta sat down, it's only been a few minutes since Xiao and Ganyu had left and he was now focusing on his conversation with Shenhe. While also munching on these tasteless herbal flowers she brought for him and Liebe.

Much to Liebe's dismay as he silently ate them on Asta's shoulder…

"Thank you, I…appreciate you taking your time to help me with this."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Asta said. "You helped me and my brother, I don't know how I'm going to fully repay you and your master but this seems like a good start."

"Thank you." She said softly. "I…wish other people I've met were more like you."

"Hm? You've talked to other people before then?" Asta was under the impression that Shenhe had lived a secluded life here wherever they were.

"There have been moments where I have gone to Liyue, mostly to run errands for my master." She paused after that and stared blankly into the fake sun that hung above them. The young knight, worried about what he considered a friend, decided to press on.

"And what happened when you did? Did you ever try to talk to anyone?"

"No, only to those that I need to complete the tasks my master had set. Even then, it wouldn't go well. Liyue is a big place, filled with so many people. Seeing so many of them, walking around it feels too much. Almost smothering."

It sounds like Shenhe doesn't do well with large crowds of people, which made sense for Asta.

"Then those that I would speak with, they would mistake me for an Adeptus."

"Oh like your master? Is that bad?" Asta asked as he wasn't familiar with the culture of Liyue.

"Yes, for me it is. The Adeptus have a history for the city of Liyue. They, along with Rex Lapis, are the city's protectors, they are praised and worshiped wherever they go. Some people would travel far to seek the Adeptus and to ask for their wisdom. So when they see me, they do the same thing." Shenhe sighed as she remembered this. "It's all very annoying."

She looked to Asta.

"You are the only human I have met that has not mistaken me for an Adeptus nor treated me differently. Thank you."

"Awwww, you don't have to say that." Asta said while blushing but also very happy from the praise he was getting. The young man had a bright smile and sparkles in his eyes.

"How did you know I was human?"

Asta shrugged his shoulders.

"You look human." He said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. Also, her ki was that of a human which was a dead giveaway.

"Was that way I acted not odd to you."

Again, the young man shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really, there are some really weird people back at my home Shenhe. Trust me when I say you're pretty normal compared to the people I know." Asta said that with a defeated chuckle cause he wasn't kidding. A sister-complexed knight that gets violent if another guy talks to his little sister. A captain that takes dumps 24/7 and has the meanest-looking face ever. A man who has the gloomiest appearance ever and mutters everything he says but in reality just wants to make friends. A battle junkie that is constantly picking fights with his own squad.

Honestly, Asta loved his squad but the more he thinks about his situation and his companions from a rational point of view the more he wonders how he hasn't died yet.

"I see…It sounds like you have it rough?"

"Not at all! They may be a bit weird but they believed in me when no one else really did and I'll never forget that! They're family and there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other." His cheery tone only further emphasized his words.

"Family. Hmmm…" Shenhe pondered for a moment. "Don't you have to be of blood to be family?"

"Nope!" Asta said as he vigorously shook his head. "I grew up in an orphanage. I don't have any blood family that I know of, but I do have my brothers and sisters back at our home, and Liebe here. They're all a bunch of brats but we have so much fun together." He finished off his sentence with a laugh as he remembered those times.

"I see, may I know more about your siblings?"

"Sure! Let's see…"

Time passed as Asta began to tell all the stories of his family to Shenhe. Ever the explosive one, the young knight told these stories with visual expressions and comical body moments. The young woman did not mind, instead, she listened attentively. Enjoying these stories and finding pleasure in being in Asta's company.

Night had come to Cloud Reatiner's abode, despite being fake it seemed to have a steady day-and-night cycle. Asta retired to his room to rest up and bid Shenhe a good night.

The young woman said the same thing as she too retired to her room. As she dressed into her sleeping garments Shenhe could not help but replay the conversations that happened. Listening to Asta relate his stories and finding enjoyment in listening to them. While her facial expression did not change throughout his stories she still had what could be called fun. Shenhe was looking forward to speaking and spending more time with Asta tomorrow. Which would continue for some time until he's all healed up and then-

And then…

And then…

And then he leaves, heading to Liyue to begin his journey.

Leaving Shenhe here alone.

5 days later

The sound of swinging could be heard throughout the area. Upon closer inspection, one would see Asta swinging his sword in a repeating motion. His muscles were hard at work, his shirts discarded and folded in his room leaving his toned body easy to view. It has been 5 days and the young man's wounds were now completely healed. Thanks to Cloud Retainer's continued treatment that is. The young knight was now in tip-top condition and proved it by getting a workout in. After resting for 5 days he definitely has some work to make up for.

Once that was all done, Asta prepared himself.

"Ready Liebe?"

"Yup. Not like there is much to take anyways."

With them being completely healed, Asta and his brother were now ready to leave Cloud Reatiner's abode and begin heading to the city of Liyue. With a map in hand that he studied over during these past few days, the grey-haired man had everything he needed for his departure. Pulling out his large sword, the young man hopped on it and began riding through the air and towards the exit where he saw Cloud Retainer waiting.

"One sees that you are ready to leave." stated the Adeptus. "One is also glad that your wounds have recovered."

"Only thanks to you Cloud Retainer!" Asta said with pure gratitude in his voice. The young man bowed his head. "I appreciate you helping me and my brother, I have no idea how but I'm gonna find a way to repay you before I head home! And Shenhe as well!"

Speaking of which…Asta rose his head back up and looked around, only to see that his friend was not there.

"Did Shenhe leave to do something? I was hoping to thank her too." Though it was only a few days, Asta came to see her as a friend and wanted to thank her for all her help.

"I'm here."

Asta and Liebe turned around, only to see Shenhe, dressed in her usual attire, approaching them.

"Oh hey, Shenhe!" Asta cried out with joy. "I thought I wasn't going to see you, I wanted to thank you for helping me and my brother."

"I see." She answered in a monotone voice. "You will be heading to Liyue then?"

"Yup! Thanks to the map Ganyu gave us, I'm pretty sure I know where to go from here, and with my sword, we'll be able to fly there in no time!"

"I'll keep an eye on the map just in case this idiot gets on the wrong path."

"Liebe! I'm not terrible with directions!" Asta cried out at his brother's mean words.

"I see." Shenhe said again, but this time her tone caught the young knight's attention.

"Is everything okay Shenhe?" He asked in concern.

"Yes." She said again.

He didn't buy that, something was bothering her. but Asta could not tell what. Reading ki didn't exactly provide specific details on what a person was feeling.

"Well, thank you again. I'm not sure how but I hope to be able to pay you both back for helping me and my brother."

"One is glad to hear that Asta, good luck on your travels."

Asta gave a firm nod and exited Cloud Retainer's home. Stepping outside, he took a deep breath then pulled out his demon slayer sword and hopped on. Taking flight while Liebe pulled out the map, the two began to head towards what should be Liyue to begin making some funds.

"Wow!"

Wow was right, having approached their destination and landed just outside the city so as to not draw any suspicion. Both Asta and Liebe had finally arrived in the city of Liyue, and what a sight it was to behold. The young knight did not know what to expect when traveling to this location. He talked about it for a bit with Shenhe but her descriptions really did not do the city justice. A bustling city filled with people and tall buildings, the color red seemed vibrant as they walked through it.

The clothes the people wore were very different as well, nothing to what the Clover Kindom had. The smells, the ki, the foods, the sounds. It all sounded so different.

"Asta, remember we can't lose focus."

"Right!"

That's right, this isn't a vacation. Asta needed to start making money. He remembers what Ganyu told him. This Captain Beidou would be coming at some point at which Ganyu will reach out to him and let him know. With no exact date on when that will be the black bull knew that time was not to be wasted. Using the map, the young man began making his way towards what should be the Adventure's Guild. He won't be able to go back to Cloud Reatiner's abode once night comes. She was kind enough to let them stay at their home for several days but it was clear that she wasn't a fan of guests. He did not mind, Asta was grateful for the kindness that she did show them. However, that means that come tonight he will not have any place to stay. He's going to need to start making money for room and food.

"I really would like to take a look at this city when we get a chance though Liebe."

A harbor for shipping and fishing. Many food stalls and shops contained all sorts of trinkets. Not to mention all the mountains they passed by, which would be perfect for sightseeing. Being the energetic person that he was Asta could not help but get excited at all the possible things they could do.

"But…"

Memories came to mind, of his squad, of the spade kingdom, of their battle. It's been a few days, did they make it out? What happened next? Were they able to stop them? Concern for his allies snapped him out of his excitement and his mind became focused.

"Here it is."

Heading up a few stone stairs Asta and Liebe finally made it to the Adventure's guild, which seemed to be just a booth with one person in it.

"Hello, Ad astra abyssosque, welcome to the Adventure's guild. My name is Katheryne." A woman, with short black hair and an outfit consisting of green and white, greeted the two upon arrival. She spoke prim and proper with a voice more monotone than Shenhe's.

As it was a force of habit, Asta read her ki upon speaking with her.

And…oh wow.

The young man shouldn't be surprised at this point. After meeting Ganyu, Cloud Retainer, and Xiao, it shouldn't surprise him that there was another person with ki that was not human. But it did, it did surprise because this ki was different from the one the young knight has encountered since arriving. So many different ki signatures, it makes him wonder just what kind of place he ended up in. Still, Asta wasn't going to let that distract him.

"My name is Asta, I'm here to register to become an Adventure!"

"Asta." The woman seemed to ponder for a bit. "Ah yes, Ganyu mentioned that you would be arriving in the next few days and have your paperwork all sorted out. That must be your companion, Liebe. She mentioned him as well. Please, wait just a moment."

Katheryne stepped away just a moment. Leaving a surprised Asta and Liebe, she seemed so relaxed at seeing Liebe hovering on Asta's shoulder. The two brothers thought for sure there would be some speculation or something. Still, the young knight would not complain. Soon enough she returned and dropped a stack of papers right in front of Asta. Which baffled the poor young man.

"Um…"

"Don't worry, these have all been filled out thanks to Ganyu. We just need you to sign them." She said it with such cheer in her voice.

"All right!" Asta yelled with vigor. "Let's go!"

"Asta, your just signing some papers."

1 hour later

"And…done!" Katheryne said, all while poor Asta slumped to the ground on his knees. His eyes swirled from all the paperwork and signing he had to do. His brother simply looked at him, tapping him on the forehead to see if Asta was still with them. "Congratulations, you are now a proper member of the adventure's guild. With this, you can now begin taking commissions."

"Woohoo!" Asta shouted at the top of his lungs, he stopped shouting when he realized he didn't know what came next. "Uh…so how do we start taking these jobs?"

For a second time, the receptionist pulled a large stack of papers.

"Here is a list of available commissions." She said with a smile.

Asta and Liebe started at the huge stack of papers with completely blank faces.

"How are there so many?" Asta finally asked.

"That's because the Adventure's Guild is low on members. Both here and Mondstadt have a severe need for members."

A foreign voice entered their ears. Asta and Liebe turned to see an older-looking woman approaching them. She had a serious expression on her face, with an outfit that was of a similar color scheme to Katheryne's along with brown hair that was cut in a bob shape.

"My name is Lan, I am the branch master for the Adventure's Guild here in Liyue. You must be Asta correct? Ganyu informed me about you when she began your paperwork."

"Yes, my name is Asta! It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am! I actually have a lot of questions!"

"Oh, don't bother I don't like running things here. Any questions ask Katheryne. It's a pain for me to do them?"

"Eh?" asked the confused Asta. The reason was that he was under the impression that branch master was a similar title to captain. The black bull thought that he would be able to get some more info on how things worked with her. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Wow, a person with a high-ranking title that was too lazy to do the actual work. The fact that it remind Asta of several people back home made him feel a bit hopeless. "Um, well in that case why did you want to speak with me?"

"This is why."

She handed Asta a paper slip.

"You're a rookie adventurer, but from how Lady Ganyu spoke of you and your build you seem like a person who knows how to take care of themself."

She pointed towards the paper, and Asta and Liebe began to read through it.

"You want us to find a missing sword? It has your name at the bottom, your commissioning this quest?" Liebe asked for clarification.

"Yes." responded Lan, who was not bothered at all by the floating companion on Asta's shoulders. "Will you take the job?"

"Can I ask why you want us to find this sword?" said the young knight.

"It's important to me. Others have taken the job but with no results, Lady Ganyu said some nice things about you. So I'm hoping you might bring good news."

She didn't want to share any more info besides that. Asta took another look through the paper if only to look more professional. With no funds, an unknown time frame till the ship comes back, and no place to stay Asta knew that now was not the time to be picky. He didn't know what commissions were like but after taking a look at this paper it seems like they're no different from the missions he took back at the Clover Kingdom.

Find a missing sword? The black bull felt confident that he could pull this off.

"Alright! I'll take it, what does the sword look like and where was it last seen?"

With that Lan began to provide all the details for this mission.

Meanwhile on the other side of Liyue Harbor, inside one of its many buildings, lay Ganyu. The secretary for the city was hard at work as did what she was best at. Going through stacks of work at an incredible pace the horned woman seemed intensely focused on her job.

Or at least, that is what one would think upon looking at her. Though upon further inspection, one would notice that there was something occupying her mind.

"Ganyu, the merchants at the harbor are asking for permission to begin loading in their goods. Have the proper permits been marked for approval?"

Ganyu did not respond back. She started blanky straight ahead as she processed her work like an automated machine.

"Lady Ganyu?"

Again no response.

The figure sighed before getting close to Ganyu's desk and dropping a stack of papers right on it creating a loud noise and snapping the blue-haired woman out of her thoughts.

"Ah!" Ganyu cried out, looking around for the source of noise like a scatterbrain. She stopped moving as she finally noticed the person standing in front of her.

"Ah, Lady Keqing. How may I help you?"

The woman named Keqing stood there unbothered by what she just saw. She stood there, a woman of fair skin and dark purple eyes that had an oval-shaped iris. It would remind a person of a cat at first glance. Along with purple hair that is done in a twin-tail fashion and complimented by an outfit consisting of lavender, purple and blue.

"I was calling for you but you did not answer. I need to make sure that those documents are ready. For the merchants?"

"Ah yes, forgive me. Here you go." Ganyu handed them over. "Signed and sealed, was that it?"

"Yes." Keqing "Are you okay? Your falling to asleep more so than usual."

Her bluntness really did some damage to poor Ganyu, though she is not surprised by that having known Keqing's personally for some time now.

"Yes I am, apologies my focus lies elsewhere."

"Oh?" Ganyu's workmate was now slightly curious. "You're a hard worker Ganyu, and often invested in your task till it's completed. For something to be taking your attention is something. May I ask what you're thinking about?"

The blue-haired woman had not told any of her workmates about what happened regarding Asta. Not out of protection for his privacy, or out of some special gratitude, but simply because she felt none of them would be interested. While his abilities were a bit odd, Ganyu simply did not think either Asta nor Liebe was something to write home about.

"Just worried about a friend of a friend, perhaps if we could get some free time I can tell you about it."

"Perhaps, it has been very busy. The Rite of Descension is 2 weeks from now, we won't be slowing down any time soon."

Indeed it was, with much paperwork to be had the woman ceased their talking and focused on finishing their respective tasks. Still, Ganyu's mind did wander occasionally on Asta.

"Hey Asta, do you know any camping skills?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Currently, Asta was trekking through the area of Liyue with Liebe hovering on his brother's shoulder as always. Following the map that was provided to them by Ganyu. Asta had been briefed on where the sword may be thanks to Lan. He was also given more info on what these commissions were like. Apparently, commissions can take up to days to complete, and it was not uncommon for members of the adventure's guild to set up camp for days. Things such as backpacks, cooking pots, and sleeping bags, are a necessity for those who take adventures here.

It was all new to Asta. Back home, during missions as a knight of the Clover Kingdom, each squad had a base where members can return to rest and refresh themselves. That is not the case here.

"I mean, I remember a few things that Richita taught me but it's not much."

"We'll be fine Liebe. Ms. Lan was nice, she provide us with a backpack and a bunch of stuff!" Asta's eyes sparkled as he remembered being handed these items. Lan said this was given to all newbies yet that did not devalue the gift in the young knight's eyes.

"We'll just look for fruit and animals, I mean it can't be too different from back home?"

"I hope not, anyways I think we've gotten far enough from the city. You can take out demon slayer to fly."

And fly he did, as they agreed with each other to not use these types of abilities so casually in front of this strange new land. The mana here seemed different, and the fact that there are people here who don't possess any magic as Asta does is something he still has trouble wrapping his head around, to be honest.

"Can't get distracted." The black bull said to himself quietly. The pair flew in silence carefully reviewing the map as they made sure they were heading in the right direction. "Let's keep going in this direction, according to the map so long as we keep going we'll be in a place called Q-Qingx-Qingxu Pool…"

"You butchered that word, Asta."

"I know! I'm sorry!" He cried out to the City of Liyue

The two proceeded to flow through the skies until they arrived at what they believe is their destination. Upon arrival Asta is greeted with ruins atop several large pillars of rocks, these pillars were surrounded by a small body of water that looked deep enough to swim in.

"Whoa." Asta said in awe. "You think we'll find anything cool in there?" His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Don't know." Liebe shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Where should we start looking for the sword?"

"I don't know but we won't get anything done floating here!"

Slowly Asta landed on the ground and placed his large sword back into his grimoire. The young knight began to slowly explore the cavern. Using his incredible physical abilities to climb and scale the mountain with ease. All the while Liebe flew around, searching throughout the ruins, fitting in crevices that his brother could not in order to find this lost sword. Several hours passed, breaks were taken, and even a lunch break thanks to Asta using his ki and skills to catch some fish and cook over a campfire.

Poor Liebe was crying tears of joy to eat real food after eating those bitter flowers for several days.

Once they finished their meal, the two returned to it again, with more hours passing. The day started with the sun shining brightly in the sky. Now it begins to set, with only a few hours of the day left for them to look.

"Argh!" We're not finding anything here!" The young knight shouted out as he collapsed to the floor, his eyes spinning from just how much up and down he's been doing throughout the whole day. On the bright side, this was a good workout for his muscles!

"We searched high and low through this whole place, I think it's safe to say it's not here Asta." Said Liebe, still in his diminutive form. "I wonder if we'll still get paid after all this work?"

"We didn't find the sword…" Not good with very few funds time is of the essence, and Asta didn't have the luxury of taking payless jobs.

"Should we camp out here then? She did say that some jobs take several days. Maybe we can look around the area after camping it out?"

Liebe's suggestion wasn't a bad one. Still, not having any success after all this hard work left a sour taste in Asta's mouth. The young man knew you can't rush results and that things take time but, once again, time isn't a luxury he has.

"Maybe…" said the black bull to himself as he looked up into the sky. His mind began to drift to his home. He wondered how everyone was doing and how things were. Did they make it out okay? Was the Spade Kingdom defeated? What about sister Lily everyone is back at the church. What about the black bulls? Asta just can't forget about Captain Yami and Vice Captian Nacht, who both suffered serious injuries during their fight. Are they still alive?

"Argh!" Asta screamed out to himself in frustration. For he knew that this type of thinking served no purpose, calm mind. That's what he needs to do, have a calm mind so that he can focus, getting upset won't do him any good.

"Hey Asta?" Liebe called out to his brother. "You see that?"

Thankfully that broke him out of his spunk, Asta rose off the ground to see where his brother was pointing at. It was towards the opposite side of the ruins. There was what looked to be a floating red ball and a floating blue ball. They moved weirdly, not following any type of pattern.

"Want to check it out?" Suggested it Liebe.

"Yeah!" Who knows, this might be the break they're looking for. Asta made a beeline to the source of light with his brother hanging on to his shoulders.

As the two approached, they were might with a very odd sight. They found the source of light, it was in fact 2 odd-looking figures. Asta read their ki upon getting close enough and, once again, he was greeted with a ki that was not human. This ki was not similar to the adepti, nor to Ganyu, nor to Katheryne, it was an entirely different ki. Honestly, at this point, the young knight was no longer fazed by it these different types of ki. This long must have different types of people who live here. Like back home in the Clover Kingdom which had humans, elves, and devils.

Asta was not going to let that distract him from his mission! He approached these two figures. Both of them were floating holding a staff. They were very short, shorter than Asta even, and dressed in what looked like heavy winter clothing. The black bull wasn't sure, one had red robes and the other had blue robes and both of them have white masks along with thick-looking hoods that covered their faces.

Weird, Asta didn't think it was that cold right now.

Well anyways, no need to focus on that. Asta just needed to ask them some questions and hopefully, they'll be nice enough to help.

"Hello!" And of course, Asta wouldn't be Asta if he didn't introduce himself at the top of his lungs. "Sorry to bother you, but we're currently out on a commission right now! We're looking for a sword, any chance either of you two has seen one!?"

The young knight, along with his brother, waited patiently for a response. He called out from below as he didn't want to get too close so he didn't give off the wrong intention. No surprise, the two figures heard him. They floated closer to the source of the voice and Asta could see them staring right at him.

"Excuse you?" Said the Red robe figure in a very high-pitched voice. "What brings you here human!?"

Okay, definitely not as friendly as the other people Asta has met here in Liyue. That's okay! Asta is used to dealing with rude people back home.

"We're looking for a sword! It's for a commission we took! Have you seen it!?" He asked again.

"A sword!?" The blue rob figure asked, also in a high-pitched voice. "You came all the way over here in these abandoned ruins, and approached us just to see if we have seen a sword?!"

"Well, yeah!?" Was that hard to believe? Well…maybe it is but he was the commission paper to prove it. The young knight was about to ask them if they wanted proof but he could see them mumbling to each other. No idea what about, too far for him to hear.

It looked like they stopped cause they turned away from each other and back to Asta.

"Who are you with human!?"

Who was he with? Asta looked to Liebe who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess tell them we're with the Adventure's guild? Not like telling them you're a magic knight is gonna mean much here."

Liebe does have a point there.

"We're with the Adventure's guild! We came here to complete a commission! I have the proof here if you'd like it!"

The young knight thought he made things easier by telling them that.

"What a foolish human you are."

Until he felt their ki turned hostile.

"Wha-"

No time to ask why they suddenly turned hostile. The two figures teleported down to where Asta and Liebe were and immediately began their offense. The red figure raised its staff into the air and brought forth a large fireball and fired it right at Asta and Liebe. The black bull acted fast, bringing out his grimoire he pulled out his demon slayer and demon destroyer sword. He trusted his demon slayer sword right at the fireball and was able to disperse it instantly thanks to his anti-magic.

"What!?" Shouted the two figures, very surprised at what they just saw.

"What's the big idea ya jerks!" Shouted Asta, who was more annoyed than angry about being attacked. "All I did was ask a question! Why are you attacking us?!"

"Silence human! You are with the adventure's guild! We know you were sent here to spot any abyss activity. That fact that you would openly tell us this shows your stupidity!" Shouted the blue-robed figure who pointed its staff right at Asta and then fired a powerful stream of water.

That thing was coming at him strong and fast, Asta extended his demon slayer sword right toward the torrent of water. The moment the water made contact with the tip of its sword it was erased completely. It was as if the sword was an umbrella, creating a huge shield that blocked the water, leaving the young knight completely dry and safe.

The blue figure said nothing but it too was shocked at what it just saw and ceased its attack.

"Yeah! How do you like that! Now can we please stop fighting!?" Pleaded the poor young man.

Unfortunately, his pleas went ignored as the two figures began to now move throughout the area. The red-robed figure extended its staff and summoned what looked to be several animal-shaped skulls covered in flames. These floating skulls approached and surrounded Asta, who could tell from its ki that it was coming for an attack. Their mouths opened and flame began to build up inside of them. The black bull then swung in a complete 360 and sliced through every single flaming skull. Dispersing them and eliminating any potential attack.

No longer playing defense, Asta made a mad dash towards the red-robed figure who responded by teleporting to it's blue-robed companion. The young knight made a mental note of them being able to teleport. He charged at them yet again with demon slayer in one hand and demon dweller in the other The robed attackers fired more blasts of fire and water, but Asta was able to negate and reflect it right back at them. His attackers were left dumbfounded over this. Once again, the knight was able to close the distance between them and once again they teleported.

However, Asta was ready for that. Focusing on their ki, he was able to predict where they were going to reappear. He did a 180 and used the demon dweller to fire several energy slashes of anti-magic. The blue and red-robed attackers reappeared only to see slashes of anti-magic coming right at them. The blue-robed received the brute of all those energy slashes and collapsed to the floor in pain.

The red-robed looked to his companion, and in doing so, distracted himself long enough for Asta to charged for a last time.

"Gotcha!"

The red-robed figure created a bubble around him that gave off a strong heat. No doubt it was meant to be some kind of shield, but it didn't matter. Cause as Asta's brought down his large sword upon the red figure the shield was erased completely the moment the sword touched. Meaning there was nothing to keep the red-robed figure safe as it felt the strong swing of Asta's sword come down on it.

Now, the two attackers lay flat on the floor with shallow cuts.

Huh…shallow cuts…

Asta and Liebe shared a glance with each other and for good reason. Asta's swords, with the exception of his katana, are essentially blunt weapons when used to cut anything that isn't magic. For him to cut something, he would have to swing with enough force for even a blunt to pierce or slash. That is not what he did right now. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Beings such as elemental spirits and devils, Asta is able to cut. So looking at these 2 figures, and seeing the shallow cuts on them. The black bull can't help but wonder, what exactly are these two?

"W-Why won't you finish us off?" The red-robed figure asked. That question knocked Asta out of his funk.

"Because I didn't come here to kill anyone! What the heck is your problem anyways!? I was just looking to see if you've seen a sword!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Wait, you were serious? You weren't dispatched by the adventure's guild to attack us? To look for any abyss activity?" asked the blue-robed figure.

"No, we weren't." Said Liebe. "We're really just looking for a sword. We don't even know what this abyss thing is that you keep mentioning."

The figures looked at Asta and Liebe, and then at each other, and then back to Asta and Liebe.

"I haven't seen any sword around." said the blue-robed figure.

"So that means this was all a waste of time!" Cried out poor Asta, as he shakes his fists in the air to vent his frustration.

"Actually…"

The young knight's cries went silent as the red-robed figure spoke. He looked at it with hope and sparkles in his eyes.

"I saw 3 humans heading towards the chasm. They seemed to be carrying bags worth of treasure with them. One of them had a sword, I overheard them mentioning it being stolen."

"Really? You expect us to believe that?" stated Liebe, trying and failing to sound scary due to his diminutive form.

"I-It's the truth! I don't know if it's the sword you mentioned but I believe they're called treasure hoarders, you humans are often stealing from one another so they might have the sword! Taking them to the chasm because not many people venture there!" Said the blue-haired figure as it waved it's hands in the air frantically, not wanting to get hit anymore by Asta's swords.

"Alright! It's worth a shot!" exclaimed Asta.

"I guess so." said a skeptical Liebe.

"And you two!" The young knight pointed towards. "Who the heck are you anyways!? All I did was ask a question and both of you tried to attack me! I have half a mind to beat you guys unconscious with my swords." The short man said as he waved his sword from left to right, trying to be menacing yet failing.

"We're with the Abyss Order and…" The 2 figures instantly shut up. "Never mind that! We've told you to want you wanted to know now leave us be!" They got up slowly, making sure not to disturb their wounds, and teleported away leaving Asta and Liebe all alone.

"Abyss order?" repeated Asta as he placed his swords away.

"We're gonna have to ask about this when we get back to Liyue." said Liebe.

"Yeah…my swords cut them. Like they did to the elemental spirits and devils. What were those two?"

"This is a strange place."

Asta agreed with his brother's statement before getting ready to move out.

"Well, let's keep going. They said these treasure guys were heading toward the chasm. Let's check the map and see where it's at."

As Asta and Liebe left, they were unaware of the pair of eyes that watched them from far away. It was the red and blue-robed attackers. They teleported themselves far away and watched as the grey-haired boy and his little companion flew away on a sword.

"What should do about this? I've never seen an attack like that. That was no vision."

"The pain felt different as well. We must inform the abyss."

"Should we notify the prin-"

"Yes, this has nothing to do with their sibling but just to be safe…"

With that the two disappeared, going off to report this encounter with the rest of their so-called abyss group…

Back in the mountains, where Cloud Retainer's abode lay. Shenhe was sitting outside towards the edges of the cliff. She had been wandering around the area for some time. Passing by, trying to clear her mind, quickly eliminating any monster that comes her way, for reasons she does not know. Ever since Asta had left she felt this…something inside of her. It hasn't even been a full day and yet the beautiful woman could not help it. Was she hungry? She tried eating more medicinal herbs but it didn't go away. That's when she decided to take a stroll but again nothing. She found some monsters that were minding their own business.

She quickly disposed of them without a second thought, yet that still didn't rid of this empty feeling inside of her.

She tried sleeping it off, and still nothing. So now she found herself sitting down, her face impassive, as she started in the direction that lead to the city of Liyue.

What is this feeling?

"Shenhe, one must ask why you're sitting out here. The night is coming, would one rather not retire to bed?"

"I am not sleepy master. I…feel this weird sensation inside of me. I believe the red ropes are losing their effect."

"Nonsense, those ropes were provided by Moon Carver. They do not wear out like human creations. What is the matter dear child?"

"I'm not sure. I've been feeling like this since Asta left."

"..."

Shenhe waited for her master to say something, but no response came. Perhaps even her master didn't know?

"Now that one has mentioned Asta has returned."

Shenhe's head snapped so fast as Cloud Retainer said that.

"Where is he." There was no sense of urgency in her voice, but she did rose from the ground and looked ready to move.

"One must confess, that was a lie. He has not returned."

"Oh…" and just like that, all energy left Shenhe and she went back to her original sitting spot.

However, while Shenhe went back to pondering what this empty feeling was within her Cloud Retainer looked absolutely shocked. As if one just discovered the secrets of the universe and now didn't know what to do with it. After all, she discovered on why her dear child was acting like this.

Shenhe misses Asta's company.

It should have been so obvious from the start. Shenhe did approach her a few days but Cloud Retainer didn't think much of it. But now…of course. They spent about 6 days together talking, training and even sparing. Perhaps what they thought was friendship was instead turning into…

What to do about this, Cloud Retainer asked herself. Shenhe has never had much experience regarding communication. That was the reason she sought out Asta in the first place. The adepti thought that it wouldn't go anywhere at first. After all, Asta's explosive personality and Shenhe's short patience didn't seem like it would be a good match, and yet looked at what happened…

"Shenhe, one might have the answer to your issue and there is a fix for it."

"There is? What must I do master?"

Cloud Retainer beamed with excitement, how could she not for Shenhe was like a daughter to her. And what type of doting mother wouldn't get excited at the chance of having grandchildren in their life…

Well, this was an issue…

"We have told you before young man, it doesn't matter if you're with the Adventure's guild. Only those with clear authorization from the Liyue Qixing can enter the abyss. So you and your companion will need to get authorization or abandon this commission."

Asta had finally made it to the place called Chasm and boy was it a sight to behold. He could only describe it as a large crater surrounded by numerous jagged rocks that circled around it. Almost like a meteor or something had crashed in for Asta could see past the guards, into the chams that it kept going lower and lower to what he assumed to be some sort of cave.

Speaking of which, there was only one entrance to the Chams and it was currently being blocked by Millelith. The military force of Liyue kept the city and its people safe. Apparently, this chasm is more dangerous than Asta knew as they were not letting him in despite having shown proof of his commission.

"I don't know where you got word that treasure hoarders made it past us. We have guards here 24/7 so that would not be possible. Again, we ask you and your companion to leave." They repeated to him again.

Asta only nodded and did just so, he was not trying to cause any issues with a city that he wasn't familiar with. So now he sat a distance with Liebe, thinking about what to do next. They've been doing this for the past hour since being denied entry.

"Argh! What should we do?!" Asked the young knight.

"Beat's me." responded Liebe. "It's not like we know for sure that the people who stole the sword are here. Or if they even have the sword we're looking for. Or if those floating weirdos were even telling the truth."

All of Liebe's answers sent Asta even more downward into the ground.

"We can't give up, this place is huge. If they have magic maybe they blew a hole in a wall or maybe they scaled it and that's how they were able to take it here."

"Wow Asta, that's surprisingly smart of you."

"Liebe! Those words hurt ya know!"

"If you're right then we can use demon slayer to just fly over the walls away from eyes view. It's getting dark soon so they'll have a hard time seeing us. Are you sure you want to do this though? We could go back and try for another commission, or get permission to come in."

Liebe had a point, and while Asta had an energetic personality that doesn't mean he charges head-first into things without thinking of the consequences. Is it really a smart idea to do this? What if he gets cut off and is no longer able to work and make funds for a trip home? In the end, it wasn't worth it. The black bull gave a defeated sigh but realized that breaking in would just bring about trouble.

"Your right Liebe, let's try to see if we could get permission. Let's ask the guards for info on that."

Liebe nodded and followed his brother as the two made their way to where the guards were posted at. Man, was it getting dark, kind of getting hard to see. Finally, though they made their way to where the millelith guards were stationed at.

"Hey! Excuse us! We have a question…to ask you…" Asta's words trailed off as they found the two guards lying on the floor. "Hey! Are you okay!" He rushed to them and tried to check for a pulse.

There was none.

"What happened…" He looked around and saw burn marks on the bodies and the area around him. Fire maybe? That doesn't answer anything.

Don't panic, Asta said to himself. This is not the first time he's seen death. He focused, it's only been about an hour. He focused and focused and…got it! The feeling of Ki! It was slowly moving away but it was something!

"Asta? Liebe asked, not sure of what the next action should be.

The smart thing to do was to go back and report this, but Asta was not the smartest. Two people were killed by something, he wasn't going to stand by and let it kill some more. This may not be his home but Asta is still a magic knight and it was his job to protect the people.

"C'mon Liebe, let's see if we can find what caused it and stop it before it does any more damage."

With that, the two headed into the Chasm, the full moon shining above them as they ran into territories unknown…

Somewhere in the distance. There lay a woman, she sat at her desk with papers in front of her. It looked to be filled with information about various things. Of people, locations, maps, stakeouts…

A knock was heard at her office.

"Come in." She said.

A female attendant came in. The attendant said a few words, but what they said was enough to alert the woman sitting at her desk. She rose up, sighed, and realized that info she had was not good enough and that things were showing trouble. The Liyue Qixing would need to be alerted about this, but first. She spared a look at the map of Liyue and decided where she needed to go.

To the chasm she would go, Yelan needed to see what was going on before it was too late.

End Chapter.

Thank you for reading. Asta is now in Liyue. The first act, which will take place only in Liyue, is now beginning. The next chapter will have Asta and Yelan meet as they explore the chasm. Please note, this is not going to follow the canon story of genshin. Asta being here will change things and so will I so I can write the store I have planned.

I will loosely follow the plot of Genshin, but there will be plot points that will play out differently because of Asta and his abilities. I just wanted to make that clear cause as you've just read nothing like this happened in the canon story. So hope you enjoy it and look forward to more.

By the way, I have the harem selected now. I won't give out names as that's a spoiler in my eyes but I'll give out the numbers.

3 will be from Liyue.

2 from Mondstat

2 from Inazuma (If I get that far.)

Hope you enjoyed it, see you next chapter.