CHAPTER SEVEN: SETTING THE STAGE

A mild shake to Ganyu's shoulder was what awoke her, Keqing having been the one to have roused her from her slumber. Opening her eyes, Ganyu sat up against the headboard of the bed, lifting the sheets blanketing her body and slowly escaping her drowsy trans.

"Good morning," Keqing greeted.

Wiping away the sand left by the Sandman in the corners of her eyes, Ganyu smiled in her half-awakened state.

"Good morning, Lady Keqing," Ganyu returned sweetly, following with a yawn.

"Sorry to wake you up so early, but a messenger came by telling us to get ready," Keqing explained. "Apparently the Acting Grandmaster has things to discuss with us, and she wants us in her office as soon as possible."

"No no, it's fine," Ganyu assured. "Cloud Retainer used to wake me much earlier as a child for my training, so this isn't even an issue for me."

Keqing nodded in assurance, proceeding with styling her violet locks into their usual style. They were mildly victim to a case of bedhead, unlike Ganyu's whose was quite a mess, just as it were after any long rest without the hair tie binding her locks to where they wouldn't end up so rattled by the tossing and turning during sleep.

While she was raised in nature and outside of human cultures, Ganyu still preferred to keep her appearance professional and clean.

"Keqing, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a bath before meeting with the Acting Grandmaster, so…

Keqing put a hand up to show that she had caught the message loud and clear.

"I get it," Keqing confirmed. "That allows me some time to potentially have at least one cup of coffee before our meetup with Jean. Do you know a place that may sell it?'"

"The tavern straight down the alleyway," Ganyu directed. "Do you need any mora?"

"Nah. I was compensated by Jean, seeing all of my mora went into the ocean."

"As was I."

With that confirmation, Keqing took her leave to Angel's Share, but before she left completely, she stopped for one more thing.

"Oh, by the way, a letter came for you," Keqing explained. "I didn't open it, seeing I didn't want to pry into your business, so I just sat it on the nightstand on your side."

"Alright. Thank you," Ganyu thanked, confused as to why she'd been mailed a letter.

Upon the door closing, Ganyu moved to her side of the bed, finding a sealed envelope with a wax seal. Upon examining it more clearly, she found the wax had an imprint of a boar, to which she jumped at, knowing what it was and why it had been sent to her.

It had been the update from Diluc she had been expecting after their discussion a couple nights prior.

Carefully, she opened the letter, only to find a folded paper, to which she unfolded and straightened out. It had been written and sent from the Dawn Winery, and the handwriting was very elegant and neatly written on the parchment.

Without any further hesitation, she started to read the note.

Dear Ganyu of the Qixing,

I do hope that this letter reaches you in the time that I stated in our first meeting, seeing with the new regulations forged by Jean, delivery of things like letters has become much more difficult.

Whenever this letter does reach you, I am happy to say that I have some information regarding the whole situation. I reached out to a partner in Snezhnaya that is responsible for transferring wine shipments from Dawn Winery to the storage areas of the main harbor in Snezhnaya, and asked him if any ships had arrived from the direction of Liyue Harbor.

He had confirmed that one ship had arrived midday on the day of your arrival in Mondstadt, and had been navigated to the harbor by some "shady figures" that he'd never seen board any of the luggage ships that import products to Liyue Harbor's docks in his time.

Therefore, that proves that these people who committed this heinous crime are not casuals, and had to have performed some other way of getting onto the ship that eventually led them to Liyue Harbor. My guess is by hiding in luggage crates as stowaways, or that they are casuals, except when they boarded the ship, they didn't appear as "shady figures."

To say the least, whoever we are up against is smart and can appear as a non-threatening person. The fact that our enemy is able to appear as a casual person makes them extremely dangerous, and makes it that they can walk into Mondstadt undetected. This creates a massive issue that makes Jean's newest regulations null and void, so I need you to convince her to check any package or person that tries to pass Mondstadt's gates, otherwise we may be up for the fight of our lives.

After your meeting with Jean, please go to the tavern with your comrade and order a "Flaming Flower Cocktail." The bartender will understand and relay the message to me in secrecy.

Until we meet again,

-Diluc

Ganyu shivered at the letter's contents. Things had just gotten even worse than before, and she wasn't sure if she could handle another fight like she had faced that night in Liyue Harbor. The only positive was that the letter had arrived on time, so there had been no period of delay where this threat could've gotten an advantage over Mondstadt's current security.

She knew her mission now, and she was going to do her best to persuade Jean to check the shipments and visitors to the outside of Mondstadt's walls. Now fully awake and aware, Ganyu proceeded with her original plans.

She stripped herself to nothing but skin and moved to the bathroom for a long and cold bath that would consist of heavy thoughts and planning for the day ahead of her.

Kaeya, Amber, and a new face that Ganyu didn't recognize occupied Jean's office upon their arrival. The fresh stranger was a tall lady with purple clad attire and a pointed hat atop her head, to which Ganyu assumed as a member of some group of witches. That gave enough clearance that said person was one of great power and knowledge, seeing witches were known as individuals that were capable of many great abilities, mainly anything to do with spellcraft and magic that ranged from harmless to potentially fatal.

Neither Ganyu or Keqing had ever met or associated with a witch personally, but they knew it was best not get on one's bad side, otherwise you could be living the rest of your life with a hex or curse. With that in mind, they just greeted the purple clad lady with a simple wave, to which she'd just smiled at.

That was enough to prove that they'd at least made a good impression, but much was still to be said, and Ganyu had remembered her mission to accomplish in this meeting.

"Right on time," Jean had started, walking around from behind her desk. "Allow me to introduce our fellow knight, Lisa. She will be helping us to figure out a few key things."

Jean gestured towards the witch both of them had spotted upon their arrival, to which she acted upon her introduction.

"Greetings darlings," Lisa had greeted sweetly.

While the sentiment had been an odd choice of wording, Ganyu and Keqing just obliged to it.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Keqing greeted.

"Nice to meet you," Ganyu followed.

Lisa merely smiled at the kind words, following with her own set of words.

"My my, aren't you two a bunch sweeties," Lisa added with that same sweet tone. "It'll be quite the pleasure to snuff out those people that hurt you, shall they even dare to try passing the gates of our fair city."

Again, Ganyu and Keqing just went with it, leading to the actual start of the meeting.

"Now that we are all acquainted with one another, we can get to the matter at hand," Jean stated. "Let me start by expressing my thanks to you, Ganyu."

Ganyu jumped at the mention of her name.

"Huh?! Me?"

"Yes. Had it not been for you assisting my sister in the healing session of your comrade, she surely would've exhausted herself sick," Jean explained.

"O-oh," Ganyu stumbled. "No need for thanks. I just didn't want to see her hurt herself, that's all."

"Regardless, you have my gratitude," Jean replied with a smile, causing Ganyu to blush.

"Uhhh…sure," Ganyu closed, allowing Jean to move on.

"Alright, now onto business," Jean stated. "Over the past days, I am happy to say that there hasn't any suspicious activity outside of the gates of Mondstadt. We are very fortunate in that matter, so it's best we capitalize on this opportunity while we still can. I have informed all of the Knights of Favonius about the matter at hand, and the security has been increased at the only two entrances and exits of the city for assurance of safety for our fellow citizens.

However, we have yet to formulate a way to fight back against this threat that has the ability to absorb elemental energy created by the use of a vision. That's why Lisa is here; she may have a solution as to what allows these fiends to do said action, and if they are using some form of necromancy or alchemy to achieve this ability, she may be able to stop it with a counterspell."

She motioned to Lisa for further explanation on the statement, to which Lisa answered instantly.

"There are several forms of forbidden magic and alchemy that can grant someone the ability to absorb vision-based energy, but they are ancient and are not known of by many. Therefore, the probability of this being the way that these foes gained this ability are severely low, but with it being the Fatui, it suddenly doesn't seem impossible.

The Tsaritsa is the cryo archon, meaning she has knowledge of things that could extend to several millennia ago. Therefore, there's a chance that she could know of said methods, but there still lies one problem with this assumption. Would the Tsaritsa initiate this whole ordeal or is it being done without her understanding?

That's the main thing that needs to be answered the most before we even go into battle with these people. Otherwise, we may be facing a war with the cryo archon."

Ganyu heard Lisa's words, and saw her point, but given what had happened before that tragic disaster, she had a hard time believing that the Tsaritsa was clueless to her own organization's actions outside of her nation.

"If I may," Ganyu intervened. "I'd like to state something that may prove that as unbelievable."

"Of course," Jean allowed.

Ganyu nodded, beginning her counter argument.

"Not long before the tragedy of Liyue Harbor, the Fatui initiated an attack that involved the awakening of the sea god, Osial, by the Fatui's eleventh Harbinger, as much as the sacrifice of the first Jade Chamber that was ordered by my once-boss, Ningguang.

This was a disaster that very well could have led to the very destruction of Liyue Harbor and the deaths of hundreds, and was only prevented due to the efforts of the Adepti, that traveler, Aether, and the Qixing. I find it hard to believe that something of that magnitude would go over the Tsaritsa's head, especially considering the amount of attention the whole thing received."

"I agree," Keqing added. "This wasn't a simple matter that could've been covered up in secrecy, seeing the entirety of Liyue Harbor saw and experienced it. It spread like wildfire after the dust settled, so it eventually would have reached the cryo archon as well. The probability of that whole disaster going on without the Tsaritsa knowing is just infeasible."

"I remember hearing about that in the tavern as well," Amber spoke up. "The whole place was just buzzing about it, so Ganyu and Keqing do have good points."

Jean nodded.

"I recall hearing of this as well, and I'm assuming this is the cause of the supposed "act of vengeance" that the one Ganyu had faced mentioned?"

Ganyu nodded as an answer.

"I see, but even with probability being low, Lisa's point is still valid. War is the last thing we want to see happen, so if we can avoid a war breaking out, it's probably best we go at this in the safest manner possible."

"And what way is that?" Keqing inquired.

"We'd have to seek an audience with the Tsaritsa herself," Jean stated.

Neither Ganyu or Keqing liked that answer, seeing with the Tsaritsa being a potential mastermind behind the murders of hundreds, it was like walking into a death trap. Not to mention that she is an archon with thousands of years of knowledge, tactics, and strategies under her belt. She could easily lie or manipulate them into a false sense of security, and once they got comfortable, they'd be easy to terminate.

Ganyu thought quickly of how to counter this the right way, seeing if she just said it was a bad idea, she wouldn't get anywhere. She thought hard, up until she remembered a specific document that frequently passed through her workload.

"I have a better idea, if I may suggest so," Ganyu countered.

"Proceed," Jean allowed, knowing her plan itself was a bad one.

"Mondstadt has connections with the Fatui, correct?" Ganyu questioned.

"Correct," Jean confirmed. "Albeit connections that were established in very egregious ways, but connections nonetheless."

"Perfect," Ganyu celebrated in her mind.

"I think I know of a way to learn more about this without jeopardizing our own safety, but in order to do this right, Keqing and I must not even be part of it."

Jean was absolutely invested on the matter, as much as everybody else in attendence. Therefore, she had no reason to deny Ganyu's suggestion.

"Alright. What do you have in mind?" Jean accepted.

"Someone needs to go to someone who has access to all of the Fatui records, and request an invite to a member by the name Reshav Starchovski," Ganyu explained, to which Keqing jumped at, knowing exactly what Ganyu was up to. "This was a name that came up right before the night Liyue Harbor and the Tianquan were destroyed, and he had been in discussions with the Fatui prior to the events that led to the disaster.

If we can get him and interrogate him, I have a feeling we'll get some answers to what's really going on behind the curtains of this whole situation. However, we'll need to be careful, he is a well-trained Fatui official that is capable of taking out any who oppose him. Thus, why Keqing and I must remain confidential, otherwise he will catch on to what our intent may be."

Jean was surprised and intrigued at Ganyu's plan. She was all for this, however, one tiny factor played into the whole matter.

"Your plan is full proof, except for one thing, Ganyu," Jean explained. "The Fatui residing in Mondstadt as we speak have surely seen you in your time here. If any of those Fatui members are connected to this entire mess, they'll alert Reshav of your presence here and eliminate any chance of bringing him to us."

"I thought of that, seeing I know just how sneaky and clever the Fatui really are," Ganyu assured. "Therefore, I know of a way to counter that possibility."

"And what is that?" Jean questioned.

"Keqing and I leave the city, and after enough days to assure the Fatui residing here know we've left for good, that's when you act on the plan."

Jean along with the others were impressed, seeing it was actually pretty clever. Remove any suspicion of their occupancy in Mondstadt first, then initiate the plan of bringing Reshav to them.

It should have been no surprise that a half-adeptus veteran of the Archon War could come up with something so full proof.

"Your plan is wise and clever, but where will you go?" Jean asked worriedly. "I'd hate to just abandon you two in your most desperate time of need. Not to mention, you'll surely have eyes on you, and being out on your own so vulnerable seems reckless."

"Don't worry, I have places we can go that the Fatui will never find," Ganyu assured. "I was one of Rex Lapis's warriors in the Archon War, and in those years, I had to create special places to shelter myself. Places that only I can access and enter at will, and the Fatui are clueless about."

"I second that," Keqing added. "I have no reason to believe that Ganyu wouldn't suggest leaving here if we didn't have a place to go. I'm all for her plan, but only if all of you are willing to agree to it."

There was a long moment of silence before Jean and the other knights came to a decision on the matter. This was the best thing they had without going to the Tsaritsa's homeland and putting themselves in potential danger, so they all decided it as the best option.

"Alright. I will agree to this plan," Jean accepted.

"As will I, but you sweeties best be careful out there," Lisa followed.

"I agree too, but as soon as we have this guy, you'd best come back to Mondstadt where you're safe," Amber followed as well.

"Not the smoothest plan I've heard, but I like your style," Kaeya agreed.

Jean nodded at her fellow company's decisions, moving her attention back to Lisa.

"Lisa, I want you to prepare the counterspells just in case Mr. Reshav has any tricks up his sleeve," Jean ordered. "We'll need to detain him very carefully and swiftly before we can even have a chance at interrogating him, so when the day comes that he passes through that gate, we must be our most focused to assure he doesn't get away."

"Very well," Lisa agreed. "I'll be sure that bad boy is punished thoroughly for harming these darlings."

With that assurance, Jean turned her attention to Kaeya.

"Kaeya, I want you to keep our security as it's been, as much as being sure to keep an eye on any Fatui who try to enter or leave."

Remembering her mission requested by Diluc, Ganyu quickly added her input.

"You should also be sure to double check any luggage or anything that could hide someone. It just might prevent a massive disaster from happening."

Jean nodded at the suggestion, knowing Ganyu was right and had a great point.

"Be sure to add that to the protocol of entrance and exit requirements as well," Jean added.

"I'll relay that information to the gate guards," Kaeya agreed.

Following that, Jean turned her eyes to Amber.

"Amber, I want you to scout the roads for any suspicious activity, and if there is any, do not engage with them," Jean ordered. "These individuals are clearly dangerous and hostile, so if you do see any strange individuals heading towards Mondstadt, report back to the gate guards. From there, we can search and determine if they are carrying any dangerous luggage."

"Yes, Master Jean!" Amber obediently agreed.

Lastly, Jean turned to Keqing and Ganyu, expressing a look of courage.

"As for you two, may Barbatos keep you safe out there until we meet again. Please feel free to take the clothes we provided you, and don't hesitate to come back if you need to. Mondstadt owes you its thanks, and I wish you the best on your trip."

"Thank you for your hospitality and assistance," Ganyu spoke, stopping halfway to look at her accomplice. "And for healing my friend."

That last word caused Keqing to wince in surprise; it wasn't a word she'd ever expected Ganyu to address her as. However, she didn't retort at the word, just smiled in happiness.

With the plan set and the meeting concluded, Ganyu and Keqing took their leave, moving back to their abode to pack up for their departure from the anemo capital. Keqing had no idea where Ganyu planned to take her, but she knew the next days were going to be hard. With the Fatui watching their every move, they would have to tread carefully from here, because failure was not an option.

Reshav Starchovski was the key to everything, and if they wanted to squeeze every bit of information possible out of him, they couldn't afford to misstep even once.

Survive.

Focus.

Detain and interrogate the potential answer to all of this chaos.

The game of retribution for Liyue Harbor had officially begun.