"Protect Liyue in its time of need, both in the sea and on land when summoned.
On land, ensure to maintain a humanoid form, unless a crisis arises.
Do not eat all the catch within the ocean, nor sink any boats that are marked as allies unless told otherwise.
Do not kill anyone who is a citizen of Liyue or an ally of the nation.
In case of a duel with the Adepti, proceed to do so in a secluded location.
Do not, intentionally or otherwise, kill your sparring partner(s)."
These were but a few contract rules that Zhongli voiced out,
With Ganyu carefully and gracefully writing them all down on paper...
...
But honestly, Beidou didn't care all that much about those rules and stopped listening a while ago,
She was mostly here because Ningguang was and to make sure the contract is successfully signed...
*Not like she didn't get why her Tianquan friend insisted to be here, even asking Shenhe to act as a guard,
But the two "sea monsters", Osial and Beisht, looked very cooperative at the moment, surely not wanting another beatdown...
...
If they actually killed those two and had Xiangling whip up a meal...
...
...
Ever since the Crux docked in the Harbor, she didn't see Xiangling even once,
Just where did her chef friend run off to this time...?
...
...
-Your magic signatures here and here, please. -Zhongli calmly said minutes later, as he motioned to the two "sea monsters" where to sign. -With this, the contract shall be set in stone.
-"Set in stone", as you call it, Morax. You are simply making it more binding. -Osial commented with a small grumble, before all of his 5 heads sighed, as a tiny watery circle soon appeared floating near him. -We do not mind signing this contract, seeing as the conditions appear fair. Yet, we do not understand this particular condition you posed: "On land ensure to maintain a humanoid form, unless a crisis arises.". -He continued in some suspicion, the "signature" still floating midair. -Are you truly asking us to take on a human form, with just a single head instead of our current five?! -He suddenly yelled out in annoyance, as well as some rage, with Beisht now seen annoyed as well. -What do you take us for, Morax?! Asking us to do such an insulting thing...!
He soon went into a whole tirade about the issue and how disrespectful it was of the Archon to have him take a form with just one single head,
How confusing it would be to even exist in such a weak and troublesome form and...
*This tirade was going for some time and bafflingly to himself, Zhongli stopped listening midway,
Instead, prompting to attentively listen to the sea waves, watch the evening sky and the people celebrating in the distance...
...
Right, they were still by the sea, even if in a more convenient location,
Just so Osial and Beisht would not have any trouble with signing the contract...
...
Even though it should not be hard for those two to take on a human form,
And yet they opted to make the situation harder for him, first by interrupting Lantern Rite and then...!
...
...
They were already beaten up plenty by everyone,
So why were they making him so agitated?
*Ever since he saw how easily Osial followed after Childe during the fight...
...
Why was he feeling so weird and wished for Osial to suffer...?
...
...
Was it for the same reason that he gifted Childe those chopsticks...?
*They were dragon-and-phoenix-patterned and as such...
...
...
Did he actually like that rascal from Snezhnaya...?
It was not him simply appreciating Ajax's company…?!
Stupid Morax, taking his sweet time!
He should have made the contract by now!
*Seriously, what was taking that blockhead so long to...?!
-Venti! Venti! You are overfeeding the finches! -His thoughts were soon interrupted by a voice from nearby, as Klee was literally jumping up and down before him moments later. -Yaoyao told Klee that if you give finches too much food, they will turn fat and wouldn't be able to fly!
-...That is a big problem, yes. -Venti couldn't help but agree soon enough, imagining how awful it would be for them. Or for himself if he was in their place. Thankfully, he was very light. -Sorry Klee. I got distracted thinking of something and didn't realize what I was doing. -He soon apologized, just as she stopped jumping, upon giving her back the bag with the seeds. -Let's go join Qiqi and Yaoyao, shall we...?
-Let's do that, Venti! -The little pyromaniac soon agreed, as she started her "Helicopter run" towards her two friends, all the while somehow avoiding running into the feeding finches. -Qiqi, Yaoyao, Klee is coming to you! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
She made sure to enthusiastically added as she went,
Feeling very happy about being able to spend time with everyone...
...
She would have loved for her big sister to play with her too,
But Big Sister Emilia said that she was busy at the moment and went to talk to Mister Xingqiu...
*Klee already knew that Big Sister Emilia and Big Brother Albedo were busy grown ups, so she wasn't mad,
She decided to find her sister later and have them spend time together and choose some gifts to bring back to her friends in Mondstadt!
...
Hehe, she was going to choose the best gifts ever and make everyone happy!
She was going to keep her promise as a knight and show them what a good friend she was!
...
-...Klee is always so cute. -Venti couldn't help but quietly comment, as he followed after her at a slower pace, having a big inkling of what she was thinking at the moment. -...Watching, feeding and playing with finches, huh...
It sounded nice, this small group activity of theirs,
And it also reminded him of a certain matter he heard about before:
The introduction of Falconry to Mondstadt and the way in which humans and birds could be friends.
*And a certain Spindrift Knight was already creating a place dedicated for just that in the Lawrence Estate...~
...
Apparently she and some others wanted to make it a part of Mondstadt culture,
Though as for the exact reason why, he still didn't get a reply...
*On the contrary, when he asked the Winds more about it, they just started giggling...
...
He knew they loved to mess around sometimes, but it was still a little annoying...
"...But there is a valid reason for us not telling you about it, Barbatos~", the Winds suddenly said, having been suspiciously quiet for a while now, "...We want it to be a surprise! Isn't that nice...?~"
...
He supposed that it was, still,
He would love to visit it once it's complete...
...
...
Visiting someone,
It reminded him of Rostam...
...
When was the last time that he visited and spoke with the Dutiful Knight...?
It was quite a while ago that he was in the "Dreamscape", right...?
...
The Artifact was only slightly damaged, so Rostam should be fine,
But by this point, still being stuck inside of that place...
...
Didn't it get boring for the Dutiful Knight...?
Contrary to Venti's worry, Rostam wasn't feeling bored at all,
As he was currently watching over "Wendy", swishing around in that familiar robe...
"This robe is truly so nice to move in~ So light and free~ The Mondstadtians did a very good job on it~", she couldn't help but happily say, as she swished in it some more, before suddenly giggling as she turned to glance towards him, "...But my dear knight, aren't you happy to have both a son and a daughter now...?~", she soon asked him in amusement, before proceeding to go back to the swishing, "...Really, those "children" are truly adorable, aren't they...? I have to agree with Barbatos on that. They even offered himứ̴̢̫̜̰͓̯̝̗̙̫̗͔̬̗̏͒̑͑͜s̶̛̛̤̩͓̈́͊͆͋̆͘ all those gifts during Jubiläum~", she added in clear warmth, as she stopped swishing, "Even when he offered all those items to the Watatsumi Refugees, with all the gifts given since then, the "Hammerspace" is still quite packed~ The whole place is just like...~", her words suddenly cut off, as she stayed silent for a few seconds, before finally sadly sighing, "...I have to leave for the moment. I will be back soon, Rostam..."
And with those words, she disappeared from the spot, before appearing further away,
As she then turned around towards and entered some kind of a space distortion nearby...
*From what Rostam knew, it was the gateway to Lord Barbatos' "Hammerspace" area,
A place that only a select few people could simply enter, his Archon and Lady "Wendy"...
...
He couldn't help but wonder why she suddenly left there,
And moreover, why did she sigh so sadly...?
...
Did something happen...?
*If she was feeling like this, then perhaps Lord Barbatos...?!
...
...
"Lady "Wendy"...She is supposed to be a simple "part", right...? But similarly to Lord Barbatos...", Rostam couldn't help but soon wonder, as he looked towards the place she disappeared to with a conflicted expression, "...Do "parts" have their own personality, perhaps...?"
Could that be actually possible...?
"Usually, we don't. But in extremely specific cases, it can happen.", a familiar voice soon answered, as "Istaroth" appeared before the knight, "Which is the case for "my" soul, who does not even know she is a part. I wonder how she will react once she finds out."
She mysteriously added, before disappearing from the space,
Though Rostam already knew quite well that she was around, just unseen...
*After all, he already realized what "Istaroth" actually was, as well as her tie to Lord Barbatos...
...
She was once a part of the Goddess of Time, but now she was also...
"It's still not the time for the readers to know, Rostam. Though the answer shouldn't be that hard to perceive, right?", another familiar voice interrupted him, as "Wendy" has just exited the distortion, before proceeding to teleport to the knight's side, "The reason I suddenly left...It's to get a certain item I would rather not even see, much yet hear about. But I realized that it might be needed in the future.", she started the explanation, looking and sounding a little conflicted now, before she sighed, "It's called the "Gem of Desire" and I would like you to safeguard it for me, Rostam.", she reached out her hands, with a shimmering Aqua gem floating above them, "...As for why I have it, it's truly a long story. I would rather not recall it."
She added in sadness, upon averting her eyes to the side,
The gem in question still hovering in place, shimmering brightly...
...
Rostam wasn't sure what this gem actually was and the story behind it,
But seeing Lady "Wendy"s currently saddened expression...
...
No, she didn't simply look saddened,
She appeared to be on the verge of tears...
*This "Gem of Desire", just what was it to...?!
...
...
No, there was no need for him to know the specifics,
Especially not when the memory must have been so painful...
...
Just as he promised to Lord Barbatos,
To Lady "Wendy" too, he should also...
"My Lady, there is no need for you to feel saddened.", he soon told her, both in reassurance and dutifulness, as he proceeded to take the gem in his hands, "The task that you gave me, safeguarding the "Gem of Desire", I would gladly take it."