When Venti opened his eyes and looked around,
He found himself confused...
...
The room he was in at the moment,
It was not the one he shared with Barbara...
*Just where was he and why did he...?
...
-That's right, this is not the Favonius Cathedral, but Yiyan temple instead. Morax made arrangements for us to stay here. -He soon recalled, upon sitting up in the bed and looking around more thoroughly now, before he deeply sighed. -...It's already been four days since then, but I still can't get used to waking up here...
He couldn't help but slightly embarrassingly admit soon enough,
As he started remembering what happened after the end of Lantern Rite...
...
Just the next morning, when their group started preparations for leaving,
The Winds suddenly informed them that the people of Mondstadt don't mind if he and the rest stay in Liyue for a few days,
With the children apparently even wishing him to have fun and reassuring that they will help take care of the place in the meantime...
*The "Grown-ups" of Mondstadt aside, weren't the children reluctant to let him go even for a day before...?
...
...
But no matter how much he asked the Winds about this, they wouldn't answer!
Instead, they sounded amused at his confusion, as if they were enjoying it, those little...!
"We are not doing anything of the sort, Barbatos! How could you think so lowly of us...?", the Winds suddenly interrupted, sounding really hurt, yet it wasn't hard for the Archon to ascertain they were faking it, "...What the children are doing is supposed to be a surprise! You wouldn't want to spoil the children's surprise for you, now would you, Barbatos...?~", they asked in clear amusement, before a small giggle was heard, "...Oh, we interrupted you just as you were recalling the last few days' events. Oopsie. We will leave you to it now, then. The readers need a small summary, after all~"
And with those words, they soon became silent,
Though some giggling noises were still occasionally heard...
*Venti decided to ignore them and get back to the "small summary"...
...
...
Though now that he realized it,
Ever since the end of Lantern Rite,
Why did it feel like something was wrong...?
*Yet, he wasn't sure what it was...
...
...
Perhaps it has something to do with the guys in Celestia, again...?
*If that's so, he has to be more careful now...
...
...
So their group stayed in Liyue for the upcoming "Moonchase festival",
Or so he initially thought, forgetting one important detail...
"The autumn moon shines bright, and Liyue Harbor is hard at work preparing for the traditional Moonchase Festival. The preparations for various activities based on the festival's theme are well underway."
...
Venti couldn't help wondering why he thought it should be now,
Maybe he wanted to enjoy another festival, before some crisis turns up again...?
*Though it shouldn't be that long until Windblume, maybe a month or two if time doesn't get weird again...?
...
...
-I really seem to be getting off track now. There's still time until Windblume. -He couldn't help but mumble, proceeding with a small sigh. -...Hopefully, at that time I would be able to get some answers from the Hexenzirkel.
They, or rather Alice, did invite him to one of their tea parties, after all...
*But there was still some time before that, right...?
...
...
Still, Lantern Rite went quite well, even with Osial and Beisht attacking the Harbor at its middle,
And that "dance show" in the sky, he could still remember it clearly...
"He couldn't help but comment soon enough, just as "Guizhong" flew into the sky,
Before going into a beautiful traditional dance, with the four "Yakshas" joining in moments later,
The five of "them" in the middle of a dance in the sky, with "Guizhong" being the main dancer and the rest her entourage..."
...
It was quite a long dance, yet still elegant and alluring,
As the people soon released the Xiao Lanterns,
With them all covering the night sky...
...
The moon above enveloping them with its light...
...
...
It was truly a beautiful sight,
One he couldn't quite describe...
*Even Morax, that walking encyclopedia,
Probably wouldn't be able to describe this sight...
...
Morax, his old friend,
It was apparent how much he missed Guizhong and everyone else...
...
"I am glad to hear that, Morax~
Now then, I would like you to turn into you Exuvia form, if you don't mind~"
...
This was when he was about to tell Morax of his punishment,
And Venti was truly glad he decided on this punishment specifically...
*This punishment made his friend and the people of Liyue so much closer,
That after the festival's end, the children keep enthusiastically asking Morax for a ride...
...
Honestly, they were such adorable children,
Asking their "Grandpa Zhongli" for a ride~
...
...
"BARBATOS, HOW COULD YOU RIDE ON ANOTHER DRAGON?!
I THOUGHT WE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL!"
...
...
Right, Dvalin really didn't like him riding on Morax's back,
So much so that he went into a whole speech about how it hurt him...
*Honestly, as cute as it was to see Dvalin getting so jealous,
He still didn't expect for his dragon friend to react like that at the end of Lantern Rite...
...
He did later explain to Dvalin that their relationship was indeed special,
Even going as far as saying that Dvalin was the only dragon in his heart...
...
But, well,
Venti wasn't quite sure if it actually worked...
*Sure, Dvalin no longer looked towards him in annoyance,
But every time Morax was nearby, his dragon friend was making a face...
...
Perhaps he should talk more about this with Dvalin later,
Before Morax notices what is going on and with own dragon instincts...
...
Seriously, why were two of his oldest friends both current/former(?) dragons...?
*And Durin, who recently joined as one of the four winds, was also a dragon...
...
That was already three dragons currently in his life,
Even though dragons are supposed to be solitary "creatures"...
*But all the dragons that he knew seemed to love music and were drawn to songs...
...
...
Was he actually, in a way, similar to Timmie,
But instead of the "Pigeon Whisperer", he was a "Dragon whisperer" instead?!
*Recalling how he befriended each one of them, it really seemed to be the case...
...
...
"...Flaimi...~"
"...Vita...~"
"...Suvinavi...~"
...
This echoing he heard at the time of the Lanterns' ascent,
They were actually parts of a song, weren't they...?
*One which sounded really familiar, did he sing it before...?
...
Weird, for some reason, he couldn't remember what it was...
*And at the time, it seemed like he was the only one who could hear the echoes,
No one else did, not Morax and not even the Winds...
...
...
Why did he suddenly forget it...?
Would something happen if he remembered again...?
...
...
But, he surely knew more songs like that...
...
Ones which would echo all around,
Even reaching the stars...
...
The Traveler and their Twin,
With a song like that, perhaps he...
...
C̶̣̲̆̚̕a̶̛̛̤͌̓̃̀̊̍l̵̨̧͖̥̯̇̇̿̀͊͠ļ̷̟̬̱̫̙̠̱̝̞͒͊̉͛̉͠e̸̺̕͝ḑ̷̨̡̛̗͔̰͉͕̫͚̍̀̀͌́̓̍́͌ ̶̮̪͈̎̃̈́̎t̶̻̙̉̍́̀̔͂̾̕͝ẖ̵͆̆́̄̈́̐ĕ̷̥̥̱͎͚̯͉̓̒̅̂m̷̻̪̻̪͎̙̏̓̕̚ͅͅ ̷̬̤̟̦̪̙͌͐̓h̷̡̢̛̫̫͍̼͙̺͖͔̆͌̈̓̂̍̊̚ḙ̴̡̯̝̪̳͇̥̲̩͑r̵̳̆̿͑̕e̷͈͔̝̻͓͍͈̐̈́,̶̧̥̚͝͠
̵̸̡̯̜̘̤̱͎̫̞̙̦̜̺́̉͑̀̆͆̒̿͜͠͠ͅI̸̮̖̘̠̲͍̜̘̥̒͊̑̏͐͆̏̾͝n̵̨̩̤̭͕͚̩͗̋v̸̜̙͖̥̝̑̅͌̉̕͜͜͠͝ͅi̵̗̭̎͊͌͆͂̚̕͝͠t̸̫͔͓̱̾̋̈́̓̄͊̒͛i̶̛̦̫̠̣̼̺̜̾̅̏̃͐̑͗͛͝ņ̷̡̰̼̗̹͚͔͇̻̒̐͛̽̂́̿̄͘g̵̦̝̖͍͙̥̚ ̷̣̩̳̤̭̲̗̾̆͋t̴̡̠̜͓͍̪̰̬̤̓͑̍̄͊̓̈h̶̝̟̻͔̝̒͛̉̏̀̍e̶̢̺̝̝̱̤̺͎̪̥̓̓͗̓̍̈́͒͌m̴̡̢̹͚̙̲̞̼͖̍̾̅̈̽͐̄͜͝ ̵͖̘̭͉̱̠͍̳̤̥̏͑̈͠t̴̤̱͍̮̑̑̾̽̽ͅo̸̢̨̬̰͋̐͐̈́ ̷͈̜̹͍̔͋͂͊͊̐̐͗̕T̷̢͓͖̥́̾e̷̻͖̰̩̮͙̍̃̈͝ͅy̶͙͗v̷̱̣̱͉̩͇͇͗̎̀a̷̖̗̽̾͜t̵̨̜͕̖̭̫̦͛̃̀̒͑̈́̃̍̄͠
...
...
...
Wait, what...?
...
...
When did that happen...?
-Big brother! Big brother! Look what we just found! Doesn't it look funny?
-Mister Zhongli, do you know what this weird thing is...? Its face looks a little like Miss Ganyu!
Teucer and Anthon turned out towards him, looking in anticipation,
With the former holding what appeared to be a Sheep Ganyu plush doll in his hands...
*Zhongli was not certain when it was made, by whom and why,
But he had to admit that it looked charming in an intriguing way...
...
Perhaps he should buy it as Ganyu's "welcome back" gift...
...
...
Oh, right, he should keep focused on the task at hand,
The children were still waiting for his reply...
...
-It appears to be one of a kind plush doll, made in inspiration and admiration of Ganyu, which could also be used as a pillow. -He soon started in thoughtfulness and intrigue, upon getting the plush out of Teucer's hands for inspection. -The material used for the goat fleece is soft to the touch, yet extremely durable and appears to be dirt repellant, as well. A material of this sort is usually hard to come by, yet...
He soon started going into a whole lecture about the matter,
Starting to recall all the materials with one or more of these specific functions and...
-Zhongli, please. A short explanation would suffice. -Childe soon interrupted his speech, looking and sounding a little conflicted. -While I usually don't mind your deep explanations, I don't think my little siblings would be able to focus on such a long lesson...
He soon explained while motioning to Teucer and Anthon,
Who were now standing in place, looking between the two in confusion...
*It was as clear as day that the two children got lost in the explanation midway...
...
...
Perhaps he overdid it...
-I deeply apologize. It was not my intention to bore you two. -Zhongli soon said, upon going into a small apologizing bow before them, before proceeding to give Teucer back the plushie. -This plushie is a special one, made in the form of an old friend, yet different. It would be a good companion to have with you during the day and the night.
He proceeded to explain with this, getting slow understanding nods in reply,
And seeing them, he decided that this explanation was indeed the right one...
*As he either didn't notice or chose to ignore the look that Childe was giving him...
...
The four of them were currently in the middle of a stroll through the Harbor,
With their current stop being Granny Shan's toy shop, selling a wide range of produce...
*There were not only all kind of toys, but also rare items and "Toys for Adults"
The latter of which(if he remembered correctly) included kites, such as the ones representing the Seven...
...
...
His sudden sentimentality aside for the moment,
It was indeed weird how Tonia did not join their stroll...
*Did she and Childe have a falling out, perhaps...?
...
If so, then he hoped that their disagreement will be resolved soon,
It wouldn't do for siblings to grow apart, especially in this time of uncertainty...
*An uncertain time when peace could be broken in just a moment...
...
...
Speaking of uncertainty, he was still unsure what his relationship with Childe was,
As even after spending so much time with the Fatui and his siblings, he still didn't find the answer...
*Which was something that Zhongli actually felt annoyed about, yet he wasn't sure exactly why...
...
Or perhaps he already knew, yet didn't want to admit to himself...?
*Childe was part of the Tsaritsa's Harbringers, her adherent and as such...
...
...
Childe was still good company to him and not an imminent threat for Liyue,
Besides that, even though Childe wasn't a saint, he himself was not that much better in his past...
*Before meeting Guizhong and learning humanity from her, as Morax, he was truly merciless...
...
...
Guizhong, he was glad to be able to remember her again...
*He should find a way to thank Barbatos for this chance...
...
...
Yet before that, there was something else he wished to do,
Something he couldn't help but eagerly anticipate:
Finally seeing the contents of Guizhong's stone dumbbell..
...
After he opened up about her and their relationship to his people,
Ningguang promised to open the stone dumbbell for him...
...
...
Zhongli couldn't help but wonder what Ningguang was doing at the moment...
*She surely did not forget her promise to him, did she...?
"In order for us to better cooperate with one another, it is essential for both our groups to understand each other's contribution to Liyue's growth and its safety.
Hence, it would be best for us to spend time together in learning each other's duties."
...
This is what was decided at the end of their last meeting,
Discussing the cooperation between the Qixing and the Adepti...
*A decision which was then written into their agreement file by secretary Ganyu...
...
And now, after necessary preparations were finally made,
They were all traveling to the Adepti abode in Jueyun Karst...
...
With the journey itself giving everyone enough time to ponder on different matters,
Which was something that Ninnguang could not help but do, as well,
As the first matter on the agenda was the recent Lantern Rite itself...
...
The Tianquan was truly glad that even with the interruption, the festival has been proceeding smoothly,
And moreover, Liyue now had two powerful allies in Osial and Beisht, as well as its "guardians" starting to cooperate...
*Honestly speaking, this was the best outcome they could get considering the situation at the time,
And she could not help but wonder if it was truly coincidental or someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes...
...
...
Nevertheless, with outside help or without it, she and the rest made sure the festival proceeds without trouble,
As such, she decided that it was about time for the immortal secretary, Ganyu, to finally have a well deserved break...
*And this decision was not only from a place of worry for the secretary's well being...
"One cannot afford to be overly reliant on others — even when it comes to Ganyu. There is a Liyue saying which goes, "even the most meticulous can fall prey to happenstance." When there are important affairs to deal with, it is always safer to investigate and resolve them personally."
...
For the longest time, they overly relied on her,
Giving her the most work out of every other secretary...
*Even more than any other secretaries combined,
So much so that it seemed like Ganyu saw her work as a hobby...
...
So when she heard of Beidou escorting Kaedehara Kazuha to Inazuma,
Ningguang bribe...Ahem, "insisted" on Ganyu to join along...
*It took some time and effort, but in the end, the secretary accepted the "offer",
And hopefully, with this Ganyu was going to have at least two weeks of uninterrupted vacation...
...
...
...
Though, after the Alcor finally left,
It was apparent that Baishi, Baiwen and Baixiao did not take it well...
*Even though the three were her most trusted secretaries,
They appeared to be on the verge of tears...
...
...
Was Secretary Ganyu's work truly so overwhelming for them...?