Here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it. We're nearing the time when Aether will meet at least some of the people he once considered his allies. In the meantime, you'll see characters from all regions.
" I should have been a better friend.", Venti muttered bitterly out with tears building in his eyes as the rest of the Archons and Paimon looked worried.
" Venti…", Nahida approached the bard trying to comfort him.
" No, Nahida. I know what I did, I know it's my fault, I deserved it, so why am I crying?… I should have accepted this and tried to move forward, but I can't do it, and I don't know why."
Venti really regretted what he had done, not only as an Archon, because he had let Aether do all the work by fighting Dvalin, but also sending him on a wild-goose chase to Liyue about Lumine's whereabouts he simply didn't have. Venti felt bad because he felt like he had used Aether as a simple tool. No different from the tyrannical Lawerence Clan centuries ago using the common people as nothing but servants for their sadistic whims. Aether had his own problems, but everyone else kept on piling responsibility after responsibility onto him without even giving him a chance to say no. Not that Venti could understand despite being an Archon, he leisurely lived the simple life as a simple bard singing and drinking.
" Aether did everything for Mondstadt, he saved Dvalin. Even willing to risk his own freedom and become a wanted fugitive when he stole the Holy Lyre for a country that owed him absolutely nothing and more concerned finding his own sister, all this to help us. Meanwhile, I sang, played music and guzzled down wine as usual. Paimon… ", Venti poured out all of his guilt to the group before turning to Paimon.
" Huh?"
" You were right all along... I am just a tone-deaf bard.", Venti bowed his head to the fairy.
Everyone felt a little uncomfortable with these revelations, and even Paimon felt guilty. She called him that because she liked to give stupid nicknames to people she found annoying, which the bard was most of the time. Paimon wanted to say something to refute this thought, but she was interrupted by the Geo Archon.
" Venti, listen to me!" Zhongli called out suddenly.
" Zhongli?"
" Did you give up?"
" What?"
" I said, did you give up?"
" I…"
" If that's the case, you have no right to be here. You have made it abundantly clear that you are unwilling to help, therefore you are free to go back to Mondstadt and sulk while drowning in your precious wine and stop wasting everyone's , you said you were tired of it..."
Zhongli reprimanded Venti with an ice-cold voice much to everyone's shock, especially Hu Tao who had never heard the calm and composed man act so harshly before.
" Zhongli that's enough! You're going too far!" , Hu Tao protested in Venti's defense.
" Hu Tao is right, isn't it a little extreme to send him an ultimatum like that?", Ei said, pointing out the obvious.
The girls did not understand why Zhongli spoke this way to Venti, when he was already in a bad state of mind, but that is precisely what Zhongli wanted to fight. When he initiated these conversations, he did it to not only see the point of view of others regarding how they felt about Aether, but also release the pent-up guilt everyone had that led to this situation to begin with. In addition, Zhongli also wanted to see if no one had lost hope yet because the group couldn't waste time with excess baggage when Aether was on the move making the journey to help him all the more difficult. The fact that he saw that Venti was losing confidence was not only proof of this, but to fix what was broken so his goal was to give Venti the necessary drive to continue.
" Don't worry, I'm not being brutal with him, I'm stating the truth. If Venti no longer feels he can continue, he can stop right now, it's better for everyone." Zhongli explained to the girls, before looking again at the bard, who stopped crying.
" How is that?" Venti asked.
" You heard me perfectly, Venti.", said Zhongli, while crossing his arms over his chest.
" No, I won't stop.", Venti stated firmly with a renewed fire in his eyes and voice.
" And what tells me that it's not a facade?"
" Do you think I'm lying? Do you really think that after all the progress we've traveled since the beginning with all the problems we've faced on the way, that I'm going to stop here, as if nothing had happened?!",Venti said with indignation.
" So if that's the case, why are you complaining?", Zhongli pointed out.
" I'm not complaining, it's just that…"
"I know it's difficult, but tell yourself that it's difficult for everyone. Do you think that Ei actually wanted to cause so many problems for Inazuma? Do you think Nahida doesn't feel guilty for asking Aether to save Sumeru from the corrupt Sages? That it doesn't annoy me to have to calmly sip tea as if nothing was happening while he was fighting a Fatui Harbinger not far from the port of Liyue? We have all made mistakes, you're no different, and I understand, but we must move forward, otherwise we will be stuck in this continuous infernal spiral."
Venti was on the verge of saying something, but Zhongli's words cut him off.
" You have spoken about your past guilt, and when you tell Aether about it, we'll see what he thinks. In any case, the damage is already done...but I forbid you to talk about yourself in this way because despite your nonsense, you try to redeem yourself, to absolve your sins. So if you are ready to move forward, you'll continue, otherwise, you know what to expect. Do you really want to take the risk of not having tried the opportunity to make him understand that you are sorry for what you did, and get even more bogged down in your negativity, when it is you who usually tries to put everyone in a good mood? You have a choice, but do the right thing... "
Venti was thinking carefully about what Zhongli was saying, looking to the ground, understanding that he may have acted the wrong way from the beginning, simply out of grief and guilt. He knew that Zhongli was right, and if he did nothing, Venti wouldn't be able to apologize to Aether.
While an awkward silence ran through the camp where everyone was waiting a good thirty seconds, Venti made his decision and got up, as he rubbed his eyes one last time.
" I'm staying with you... No matter what you say Zhongli, I may not have been a good friend, but that doesn't mean I can't fix my mistakes. Obviously I want to discuss it with him, even if there is a meager chance that he won't forgive me, I will not let it pass. You're right about the fact that I've lost a little hope lately... But I can't give up, I never gave up on Mondstadt, its people, and Aether is like part of that family there, so I will continue.", Venti said firmly, making it clear to everyone that the Anemo Archon had no intention of running away.
Zhongli smiled slightly at what he had heard, seeing that Venti regained his lost courage. His method may have been verbally violent, but it was worth it because he wanted to cause a renewed fire enough to wake him up, and it worked.
The girls breathed with relief when they finally understood what the Geo Archon true intentions were, and were happy that Venti was better.
" Glad to hear you say that, Venti. Let's do our best from now on," Zhongli replied, putting his hand in front of Venti, a sign of an agreement.
" Yes, you're right. Now, let's stop languishing and finish this as soon as possible, our friend will not wait forever." replied the bard, shaking the consultant's hand.
" Ehe...", let Paimon escape, aware that she did this on purpose because it was Venti's typical quirk, she wanted to tease him but deep down, she was relieved to see that she did not lose a comrade along the way.
" I usually do that!", Venti called out with indignation.
" Paimon knows, tone-deaf bard. It was done on purpose. But glad you're better.", Paimon teased.
" Thank you, Paimon."
The group was much better after hiding several of their doubts, hoping that this would allow them to advance in their quest and strengthen their ties, while a few smiles appeared on their lips.
A few moments later, they heard a voice coming from behind them calling them, that none of the people present expected, but Paimon immediately recognized someone, especially when she saw light purple hair done resembling cat ears.
" Keqing? "
Indeed, it was the Yuheng who came running along when she heard a particularly high-pitched voice that resembled Paimon's, it turns out Keqing had sensitive hearing. Shortly after her, Yelan, Shenhe, and Ganyu came running, followed by Xiao who was walking quite nonchalantly as he normally did.
Everyone was surprised to see Paimon, and Ganyu could not stop herself from giving the fairy a bone-crushing hug, as if she had not seen her for an eternity with Paimon's face turning blue.
" Paimon, I'm so happy to see you again!", Ganyu weeped oblivious of Paimon slowly dying.
" Me too... Ganyu... but Paimon needs air…", Paimon begged Ganyu as she immediately released the small creature. Paimon floated in the air again while taking in precious oxygen.
" Sorry... I got a little carried away.", Ganyu quickly apologized while looking embarrassed at the same time.
" No big deal... But what are you doing here?", replied Paimon, relieved that the embrace is over, even if she appreciated this kind of affection.
" We came to find Aether. I think that's also the reason why you're alone?", Ganyu explained simply.
" So you know this from the beginning?"
" Yes, I saw Aether in the Aozang Mountains less than a week ago with Cloud Retainer." Ganyu said.
" Paimon now understands."
" But I didn't know that Mr. Zhongli and Hu Tao were with you?" Ganyu said, surprised to see the Funeral Parlor Director and her consultant.
"- Yes, they also want to help Paimon."
" I see…" Ganyu said before her eyes widened when she saw Ei and Nahida: " But wait a second, it couldn't be…
" Yes, you're right Ganyu, I recognize their faces, you're the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma and Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Dendro Archon, am I wrong?", Keqing exclaimed, voicing out her groups amazement seeing the two Archons right now.
" What?! You mean for the last three days, I was with two Archons?!", Hu Tao shouted at the top of her lungs, realizing that she should have been more respectful.
" Mr. Zhongli, Paimon, what does all this mean?" , Yelan asked, finding it surreal that two Archons were in Liyue right now of all places.
Paimon looked at Zhongli, then the rest of the Archons, hoping they could give out a little lie to explain this to the others, knowing that Keqing and Yelan weren't born yesterday and not so easily tricked. They could manage if Hu Tao knew their secret, but more people would risk creating more tension than anything else, especially since they had just resolved Venti's issues.
" You're right, they are the Electro and Dendro Archon," Paimon sighed, aware that she had no choice but to tell the truth.
" So it's true."
" If so, I would understand why you called them Paimon? But why are Zhongli and this bard here? How is it that they know these two?", asked Yelan as Paimon felt oppressed by everyone's eyes, and began to have big drops of sweat falling on her face, while Zhongli and Venti still hesitated to give their identity, but someone saved them from this ordeal, and it was the person they least expected.
" It's simply because they are the Geo and Anemo Archon", Xiao said to everyone not bothering to bear around the bush, much to the rest of the women's amazement, while Zhongli and Venti did not know what to say in the face of the revelation they were trying to hide.
" I know I'm not supposed to say that, and I apologize Zhongli, finally I can say Morax, now that everyone knows it. Your goal was to blend among mortals and I fully understand the willingness to hide this information, but the problem is that these women are quite insightful, and you could not get away with it even if you wanted to in this situation. Also, I apologize to Barbatos, Venti if I remember your mortal name. I know that you have your reasons not to reveal your identity, but as I said there was no choice. Otherwise, people would wonder why a bard and a funeral consultant would know two Archons. However, I think it's a small part of the people you know that can live your life quietly, am I wrong?"
The two Archons understood Xiao's reasoning, and did not resent him too much, but preferred to continue their momentum, while many people had a lot of questions in their heads: Why did they hide their identity? How is it that the four Archons are in the same place with Paimon?
Some were still processing this information, particularly Hu Tao, who laughed nervously.
" Wait, Xiao, is it true what you're saying? Paimon, is that a great joke you're making?"
" Uh... Xiao is right, They are all Archons, forgive Paimon for hiding it from you, but she had a good reason." ,Paimon said simply.
" Hehe... So that way I spent all this time with four Archons, fortunately I didn't do anything offensive... And to top it all off, my assistant is the god of my country... How am I supposed to take this information?", Hu Tao giggled while wanting to cry right now.
" Please calm down a little."
" Huh?",Hu Tao felt a hand on her shoulder, that of Raiden Ei.
" You don't need to put yourself in this state."
" But, I disrespected you."
" No, not at all, and you are not obliged to take honorable tones, neither with me, nor with the others for that matter, we are all friends, remember." Ei said gently to the funeral parlor director.
" But…"
" Listen, we didn't want you to know to avoid focussing on this information. Now that it's done, it doesn't matter, it's not important right. I am an Archon or that the others are, it's one thing, but above all we are a team, aren't we?", Ei questioned.
" That…doesn't it really bother you?", Hu Tao said, confused.
" Of course not...On the contrary, Yae Miko even told me that it would be nice if I socialize a little, and I found you quite endearing, even if we spent a little time together. Have you seen Morax, I mean Zhongli, angry at you? I don't think so, and do you really think it would deter him that you were his boss, despite the fact that he was the Geo Archon?", Ei pointed out.
"No, I think…"
" That's it, you know it now, so you don't need to be afraid... Neither all of you, Aether and Paimon have always spoken to me as if I was a normal person, and I liked it, and I think for you too it was the case", Ei says while looking at Venti, Zhongli and Nahida.
" So don't think badly, anyway, you came for the same purpose as us, to help our friend, and that's the most important thing, don't you think?"
Ei herself did not expect to make this kind of speech, but she did not want to dwell on it, and had really forged a strong bond with Hu Tao. She also knew that the other Archons also had friends, and knowing that could be compromising when they wanted a simple life, so it was the best thing to do for her to clarify the subject, and Nahida could not prevent her from smiling with happiness when she saw the Electro Archon trying to heal the wounds.
" Sorry to all of you for hiding this, but it was in my interest like yours, however I only hope that you will keep this secret and you will see me as you did before.", apologized Zhongli, in front of the newcomers, then turned to Hu Tao.
" Also, I apologize Director, but don't worry, I'm not angry. I fully understand your amazement, nevertheless, I think it would be wiser to take stock of our research with our new guests."
"Yes, okay… ", said Hu Tao, still intimidated.
While the new group was trying to digest this mind-blowing revelation, everyone tried to take stock of the new information they had. During their travel, Yelan and her "team" had not found too much that could lead them to Aether, but knew that they were quite close to where Xiao had fought.
Zhongli alongside Hu Tao, wondered how Keqing and Ganyu could leave so easily without taking into account their work, and just like Yelan and Xiao previously, they were quite surprised but understood the reason why they wanted to do this, between Ningguang's bad habits of snooping as well as their way they saw the Traveler because Hu Tao constantly teased them about this subject, and they quickly understood why.
In addition, the Archons as well as Paimon and Hu Tao were aware of the incident between Xiao and Aether, as well as the entire discussion that Yelan had initiated with him. They were quite happy to have more information, especially Nahida who was trying to gather the pieces of the puzzle to be able to put herself in Aether's place and know how he reacted and where he could go. As for the others, they were quite shocked to know that Xiao was beaten so quickly while he excelled in the art of fighting in normal times.
For their part, the Archons did not have much to say since they were a little discouraged during this time, and they had tried more to understand the situation than anything else, and they had thought more about how they were going to meet him because they had to prepare for all eventualities because Aether might not be willing to listen, he would fight them all without making the effort to listen to them.
Once all these discussions were underway, which lasted more than two hours, they formed a single research group in order to complete this research more quickly because they still did not know if Aether's current goal was to enter Fontaine or that he was just going to stay in Mondstadt to rest. Even with the Liyue group joining them, Paimon was still happy to see that so many people were actively trying to get into the search for her best friend, she knew that some people had their personalities dramatically opposed to others, and that partnership would not blend right away but this day, in addition to the compliments she had received, gave her a sense of comfort and allowed her to see the future more serenely than before.
" At least, it's not very far away, only a few kilometers and we will have arrived."
Diluc's words answered Amber when she asked him how far they were from the city. The Outrider could not sleep all night, and she was quite awake even with a long night. Even if the others tried to deny it, they had not managed to sleep very well either, their worry and Amber's attitude had played on their minds.
They left early enough, even before the first rays of sunshine, and Diluc asked for the fastest driver to return to the city, and also took shortcuts rather than taking the usual route according to the orders of the red-haired man, while the Knights of Favonius could not speak too much, everyone remained in their thoughts, because for them, trying to talk about something useless would make things even more embarrassing for them.
In the middle of the afternoon, when they arrived in the city, they hurried back to the Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius where they could concentrate more serenely and try to create a plan to find the Traveler. However, it was only plan that Jean, Kaeya and Eula had found along the way, but when they arrived, they heard noise in Jean's office, and it was not just Lisa's voice that was supposed to handle the paperwork in the absence of Jean, but also three other voices.
When they opened the door, they were quite surprised to know who was in their office:
"Collei?!"
"Amber?! "
They were surprised to find Collei, as well as Tighnari and Cyno who had arrived a few minutes earlier. The Sumeru natives arrived at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters to gather more information regarding Aether's situation.
Since they had arrived, what they did was discuss with Lisa, who explained to them the situation that they too had received a letter very similar from Ningguang, as well as the position of the main knights who had left with Amber to look for the Traveler. As usual, Tighnari did not mince his words, and found it stupid to venture without an actual plan because Aether could be anywhere right now. Nevertheless, like Collei and Cyno, he understood the reaction of Amber and the others, and did not resent them.
When they saw them in Jean's office, they were disappointed the knights but at least more they had manpower in the search for Aether and moreover, Collei could not prevent herself from giving a warm hug to Amber, whom she tried to return more or less to her normal state because her morale was more or less in bad condition.
Shortly after the reunion, Sumeru's trio explained the situation at home, and repeated about the same thing they had explained to Lisa, as well as the reason why they were here. They sympathized and appreciated the gesture of having made such an eventful journey to help them, and explained in return what they had found on their way, their difficulty in trying to look for it, and tried to find a way to be able to locate Aether without it looking like an ambush or a trap, because with the mental health of the declining Traveler, he could easily interpret this as attack, as if he were a criminal, as if he had not already experienced this in other nations at least once.
In the early afternoon, and after only a day and a half, Beidou managed to get to Liyue. It must be said that the crew had taken a shorter route with fewer waves to avoid any delay, and Beidou had done everything to move forward as quickly as possible, the austere atmosphere did not help her too much to go slower anyway, given the calm nature of the young woman of the Kamisato clan, and the pink-haired kitsune who did not try too much to tease people as she did in normal times because the slightest deviation could make Ayaka reconsider the nature of her trip, wondering why she came if she did not take this seriously.
When they set foot on the port, Kazuha felt a call from the wind indicating bad waves with regard to his friend, but knew that it should not be thought too much because it would reduce the way things were glimpsed. Moreover, he and Beidou went out with Ayaka and Yae Miko, leaving the ship under the supervision and maintenance of the pirate's crew, while they all headed towards the Jade Chamber, under the idea of Yae Miko, who took the opportunity to see Liyue's landscapes that she found very charming since she had not come for a long time. Ayaka would have liked to enjoy the sightseeing outside her country of origin, but did not have the mind for it right now. She had much more pressing matters after all, namely Aether.
When they arrived at Ningguang's Jade Chamber, Yae Miko was quite impressed by the amount of opulence and wealth, especially since she had heard that it was a reconstruction of the first Jade Chamber, understanding why Ningguang earned the title of one of the wealthiest people of Teyvat. As for Ayaka, even she was quite surprised to find herself in this setting where ostentatious signs were displayed on both sides, while the secretaries ran from right to left with many more papers than any normal person could carry.
" I can't remember the last time all of these secretaries put in this much work. Who knew Ning was a real slave driver!",said Beidou with her characteristic laugh, finding the secretaries' massive workload incredibly amusing.
" Maybe Liyue is organizing a special event? Could explain why so many people are working this hard.", Kazuha thought out loud.
" Anyway, it's not up to us to pay attention to that. You wanted to see Ningguang, so let's go!", Beidou called out.
They arrived in front of the door and Beidou knocked on the door for permission to enter, and Ningguang accepted. When they opened the door, they saw the white-haired woman with some dark circles around her eyes from exhaustion, and traces of wet makeup on the contours of her eyes, as she stretched a weak smile in front of her guests, trying to push a fairly substantial pile of papers. Ningguang trying her best to look presentable to Beidou and her foreign guests
" By the Archons, dear, how are you? You looked absolutely terrible! ",asked Yae, who, like the others, was surprised by the sight of one of the most elegant and refined people of all of Liyue, who no longer resembled these terms.
" Hello Yae Miko! I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. I'm just catching up with some paperwork, that's all. Oh, and I see that there is Beidou and Kazuha, as well as a new guest from Inazuma. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.", Ningguang greeted everyone but looked ready to pass out from her massive workload.
The group looked at each other a little uncomfortable because they had all seen that Ningguang claimed to be fine but it was a blatant lie, and Beidou could not believe Ningguang would allow herself to look this bad especially in front of some very important guests. However, they tried to ignore this, and Ayaka briefly introduced herself to Ningguang, the user of the Geo element, understanding that she is a fairly important person of the Inazuma nation.
After this short introduction, Yae Miko did not want to beat around the bush, and clearly said the reason why she was in Liyue, and it was not a courtesy visit, and Ningguang suspected it from the moment they had set foot here.
Yae explained to her who had read the letter instead of the currently absent Raiden Shogun, and that she wanted to know more about the current situation regarding Aether as well as the possibility of talking to him without creating more problems, not only with him, but also with other nations. When Ningguang told her about the events that occurred, a face full of guilt appeared, and not only towards Aether, but also towards Keqing, Ganyu and Yelan because she had committed a kind of split between them, even if it was only temporary.
The Geo User detailed everything that had happened because after all, it was she who had sent letters to warn them of the situation about Aether. Ningguang said everything she knew, about Yelan's reconnaissance mission to which she still had no response, as well as the momentary departure of Ganyu and Keqing, due to their temporary resignation, shocking Beidou and Kazuha who knew very well that these two workaholics were particularly invested in Liyue, and that only a good reason would make them want to be absent. In addition to that, the group understood why there were so many secretaries dealing with the mountain of paperwork when they arrived in the Jade Chamber. But one thing still bothered Yae, after all the information she had:
" So why are you in this state? It's not in your habit, and even if you have extra work, I could understand the dark circles, but not the rest. Tell us the truth, it's about Aether, am I wrong?", Yae deduced correctly with Ningguang nodding her head.
" You are just as insightful as the rumors about you."
" My dear, it wasn't complicated to see, I think everyone here understands."
" It's true... So I can't maintain a good face... It's strange, usually I can maintain it well… ", Ningguang laughed sarcastically, as Yae worried about her.
" Explain, so that we understand."
" It's true that it saddens me, but I had been thinking about Keqing's words for some time. She told me that I didn't care about them, as if I always did everything that was beneficial to me.", Ningguang repeated the harsh but truthful words of Keqing.
" Well, what she says is not totally wrong!", replied Beidou, who even paying attention to the atmosphere, could not help but tell the truth, under the surprised eyes of others and the blank look that Ningguang threw at her.
" What? You're not going to tell me that it's wrong, in general, you only think about making money. You even said that it was the only thing you were in love with.", Beidou challenged the wealthy woman.
Ningguang sighed, knowing that what Beidou said was true, but calmed down trying to take back what she meant:
" Yes, what you say is also true. But this does not mean that I do not respect people and that I do not take into account their consideration and emotions. However, I don't know why I did that, not only will Aether no longer trust me, because I sent Yelan to look for him, and must hate me right now, when he is a person in whom I can trust completely. And now to top it all off, I betrayed Keqing and Ganyu, and surely Yelan because I did not respect them, especially after invading their privacy... I guess these are good reasons to put me in this state."
Ningguang had explained to them the fact that she had spied on Keqing and Ganyu via Yelan, and even Yae was disconcerted by this, not expecting her to go so low for a simple issue of counter-productivity, especially on a person as important as the Yuheng. Beidou and Kazuha were disgusted with Ningguang, they now felt that we had to pay attention to the future, even if she had promised to not spy more on her collaborators and friends. As for Ayaka, she didn't say much from the beginning, but she had a sense of anger boiling inside of her towards Ningguang, especially concerning the man she loved.
" Come on Ningguang, you're not like that, usually. You're always looking for a way to solve your problems, so why would it be different this time?", asked Beidou, at the same time as she tried to reassure her.
" I would like to have your optimism, but after all that has just happened…"
" You deserve it!", Ayaka screamed in a fit of anger and disgust."
" Huh?"
Everyone turned to Ayaka who said this, and Yae Miko in particular, was very surprised to hear the normally polite young woman say such a thing. Moreover, Ayaka looked at Ningguang with eyes full of hostility and disgust, a look she had never seen in her, competing with the evil eyes that Aether currently had.
" Miss Ayaka, what are you talking about?", Yae Miko asked the young woman who obviously did not pay attention to her request.
" I said, you deserved it... all of this is because of your own stubbornness, and now because of you, Aether is losing his mind. You reap what you sow, and now you're crying because you have been caught red-handed. No wonder Aether couldn't trust you!", Ayaka shouted, her face darkened and a tear running down her left cheek, an icy white aura surrounding her, as the room began to freeze from the excess Cryo energy she was leaking from her body, the temperature dropping by a few degrees. After being silent throughout the trip, the emotions of the cryo swordswoman began to implode before the eyes of all those who were in this office.
Ayaka couldn't give a damn right now her actions would lead to Liyue tearing up Inazuma new trading agreements after the dissolution of the Sakoku Decree or result in Liyue and Inazuma going to war. The only thing Ayaka cared about was Aether, nothing else mattered to her at this moment.
