Hello there!
As you probably expected, this chapter will cover the gang's arrival to Liyue and a bit into the actual Archon quest. Also, just a little heads up, I am fully buying into the "Zhongli is a descender" theory in this fic, so he'll be quite smart. Also, he'll be a bit more powerful than in the cannon. I'm also going to quickly skim through most of the journey and get into the rite. As always, the disclaimer is in the first chapter and I hope you enjoy!
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Kurama/spirits/beasts talking"
Lumine was a little sad. Today, she'll be heading to Liyue and hopefully she'll get some information on Aether but she would be leaving Mondstadt. She was still a bit confused on why Naruto was joining her on her journey but she didn't mind too much. What she found weird however, was the amount of glares that she was getting from random girls around the city. When she told her friend Amber about this, she had just laughed and said that word had probably gotten out about Naruto joining her on her journey through Teyvat. 'I doubt that's the reason.' With a sigh, she went through everything in her pack before sending it into the pocket dimension where she kept her Favonius Sword. Jean had let her keep the weapon as both a token of her gratitude and as a way of saying good luck. The sword was also enchanted by Lisa, giving it a sharp edge that cut much better than the Dull blade she used before. Said blade was now sharpened and rested in her pocket dimension in case she ever needed a backup weapon. Going down the stairs, Lumine greeted the receptionist and walked towards Good hunter to look for the little fairy she had grown rather fond of. As expected, she found Paimon there, but what she didn't expect was to see Naruto also standing there. As she walked closer, she caught a snippet of the conversation and concluded that Naruto was buying her companion some food. Realizing this, Lumine raced up to the boy to try and save his wallet from the fairy. When she reached the shop, Naruto turned to her with a smile. "Hello Lumine! Me and Paimon were choosing which foods to take on the journey. Yapping fly over here said that she wanted to take some food to remember Mondstadt, so I decided to offer her some help." Looking at her companion, Lumine saw that she was just choosing some food. "Hey Paimon." Paimon turned around and tilted her head. "I can make all of those on the road if we need it."
That caused her eyes to widen. "Really! You'd do that for Paimon? That means we won't have to give up on Sticky honey roast! Or Fisherman's toast! Or…" While she was happily floating around, Lumine palmed her forehead with a smile. They were going to be departing for Liyue soon and of course that was her biggest concern. She sighed and took a glance at Naruto, who was looking at the little floating fairy with a small smile.
"So, Naruto." The blond turned to face her. "Are you ready to leave?" Naruto smiled and nodded his head.
"Yeah. I already told everyone and packed everything up. So when will we be leaving?"
Lumine put her hand on her chin. "Well, I was planning on leaving soon and making it to Liyue in time for the Rite of Descension. Hopefully, I can meet the Geo Archon and get some information on Aether." Hearing her plan, Naruto's eyes widened.
"Then what in the Abyss are we waiting for? The Rite of Descension is tomorrow! We better to get going now if we want to reach Liyue in time for the Rite."
Naruto's words made Lumine's eyes widen. The Rite was tomorrow! Tomorrow! Her only chance at meeting the Geo Archon for this whole year was tomorrow! "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Paimon! We're leaving!" The little fairy turned with a squeak and flew up to Lumine.
"What's wrong Lumine? Why are you leaving so suddenly?" Lumine turned to her with a desperate look on her face.
"The Rite is tomorrow! If we miss it, we'll miss our chance of meeting the Geo Archon! We have to hurry! Come on" Lumine grabbed Naruto's hand and tried dragging him but he didn't move an inch.
"Lumine. You do know that it only takes about a day's travel to get to Liyue, right? If we start now and keep a good pace, we'll make it there just in time for the Rite tomorrow." Lumine turned to Naruto with a questioning look.
"And how do you know that? Have you travelled to Liyue before?" Naruto smiled and nodded.
"Actually, yes. I have been there many times for winery business. Dad said that I should at least try to learn the trade, and so I did. I also went there for a vacation once." 'Of course, the 'vacation' was more of an errand for Aether, but she doesn't need to know that.'
Lumine put a hand on her chin in thought. After a moment she turned to face her fellow blond with a smile. "Ok then. Lead the way. We need to get to Liyue by tomorrow so we better hurry."
Naruto's smile widened into a grin. "Alright then. But before that, could you let go of my hand?" Lumine looked down and noticed that she was still holding his hand. Her face became slightly red and she quickly released his hand. Neither of them was aware of the stares they were getting from basically everyone. "Ready to go, Paimon?"
The little travel guide nodded her head and whizzed around excitedly. "Paimon wonders what sorts of foods we can try in Liyue. Hopefully they are as tasty as the food in Mondstadt. Or maybe they're even better. Oh, maybe Xiangling will make us something delicious." Lumine giggled looking at the drooling Paimon while Naruto sighed and grabbed her leg before she could drift too far out and started walking.
He turned to face Lumine. "Are you coming?" Lumine smiled and walked out of the gates with Naruto.
*Smol Timeskip*
"Paimon is so tired. Can't we take a break?" Lumine looked up at the little fairy who was slouched over and floating very slowly.
"Paimon. It's just been two hours. How are you tired already? Besides, you float. How can you be tired?" Her question turned Paimon into a stuttering mess. While she was trying to explain under Lumine's glare, Naruto just chuckled.
"Come on you two. We're near stone gate. We can take a rest there. Also, if you're tired, feel free to sit on my shoulders." Paimon's face turned smug as she floated up to Naruto and sat on his shoulders. She turned to Lumine and blew her a raspberry, making Lumine turn red in anger. "Alright, alright. No fighting you two."
Naruto broke up the fight and the trio kept going towards Liyue. They met some annoying hillichurls and slimes along the way, but Naruto and Lumine took care of them with ease. After a while, Paimon left Naruto's shoulders and was now whizzing around their heads talking about food, as one would expect. While she was busy, Naruto and Lumine were sharing stories and ideas for Lumine's destinations. "Lisa is originally from Sumeru so she could help you get there. Last I heard from her, she left because it wasn't the best for her. One of Amber's friends are also from there, so I could cash in a favor from her. As for Inazuma, that's a different story. It has been closed off for a while now and I don't know if we can get there legally, though people do go there on merchant vessels." While Naruto was giving Lumine a rundown of the 7 nations, they reached stone gate quite fast. They stopped for tea and Lumine noticed that the sun was getting lower. "I think we should we stop somewhere for the night. Luckly, Wangshu inn is close by. We shouldn't take too long to get there. If we start continue the next morning, we should be able to reach Liyue harbor by tomorrow afternoon, just in time for the Rite if Descension." For a moment, Lumine wondered how he knew all of these things but she chalked it up him being in Liyue before.
"Say, Naruto." The blond turned to face Lumine. "Have you ever been to a Rite of Descension before?" Her curious question also drew the attention of the floating child currently circling them from above. She had said that she was keeping an eye for hillichurls but Naruto had told her not to worry too much.
Naruto shook his head and grinned. "I haven't seen a Rite of Descension or even thought of being present at one, though a friend I once helped out did send me a letter asking if I could visit Liyue for the one held this year. I already sent her a reply and explained your situation and she told me to meet up with her after the Rite to set something up to help out. If all goes well, we'll be one step closer to finding your brother."
Lumine was surprised. She couldn't believe that Naruto had done so much to help her out. "You didn't have to do that much. But thank you."
Naruto grin turned into a soft smile. "Anytime." A few minutes later, they reached a bridge. Across from it, they could see a giant tree with a waterwheel and a large structure built into it. "See the tree? That's Wangshu inn. It is very popular for its views. We can stay there for the night. My friend said that the Rite should start sometime in the afternoon, so we can make good time if we are up early. Hopefully, you'll be able to talk to Morax after it."
"Phew. Paimon's glad we're finally done travelling for the day. Paimon's not sure how much farther she could go before she falls to the ground like a rock." Lumine and Naruto just laughed at the poor fairy's plight while walking towards the inn.
*The next day*
Lumine and Paimon tiredly walked out of their room with droopy eyelids. Last night, Naruto had gotten them 2 rooms at Wangshu inn after Lumine and Paimon assured him that they could sleep together. He had also gone out to kill some stray hillichurls last night to lower the cost for the rooms. Of course, the real reason was to meet up with Aether to give him the weekly progress report he had asked for, but they didn't need to know that. They had been woken up by Naruto, who somehow looked as fresh as a daisy, and told that they have to get ready to leave. Half an hour later, they were back on the road and making good progress and, from what Naruto told them, they should be in Liyue in around two hours. With that in mind, the trio kept moving. They met some hillichurls but they expected that and took care of them easily enough. What Lumine wasn't expecting however, was the group of masked treasure hoarders that stood in their way.
"You guys look rich. Just leave your belongings here and we'll let you leave." One of the treasure hoarders spoke while flipping around a bottle. "After all, we wouldn't want to get our pretty little clothes wrinkled now would we?" While he was speaking, many other treasure hoarders had gathered around the trio and were flashing their weapons at them. Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Putting on a fake smile, he walked forward and raised his arms in surrender. "Look buddy. We just want to pass through this area and mean no trouble. We just need to get to Liyue. So can you please let us pass?"
The treasure hoarders just laughed. "Who do you think we are? Well, it won't matter when we beat you up. Get' em boys!"
Naruto sighed. "And I tried to do this the easy way. Stand back Lumine. You need to look your best to meet Morax. I'll handle them." Naruto summoned his sword and slashed at the first treasure hoarder. He cut through an arrow and punched another in the gut. Throwing his sword at another, he sent a wave of Anemo towards hoarder that was just about to throw a bottle, causing it to explode and a frigid Swirl reaction to take place. Looking around, he dusted off his shoulder before appearing behind a hoarder that was going to shoot him and knocked him out.
Naruto retrieved the Executioner's blade and looked at Lumine and Paimon, who were looking at him with stunned expressions on their faces, before snapping his fingers to get their attention. "Let's keep going, shall we? We need to get there fast." The duo looked at each other and nodded.
*Timeskip*
After travelling for two more hours, the trio finally made it to Liyue. They decided to talk to some locals and get some ideas on the Rite and they weren't disappointed. Apparently, the Rite was only a short time away and they had arrived just in time. While they were on their way, Paimon told Lumine that Morax is often called Rex Lapis in Liyue and Naruto also explained to Lumine how he 'teleported' behind the treasure hoarder. He had borrowed the explanation from a certain yaksha that he once encountered around Wangshu inn, but Lumine didn't need to know that. They walked up the flights of stairs and onto Yujing terrace where the rite was going to take place. When they went there, they saw what looked like an ornate incense burner with a lady praying to it. When they approached it, the lady stopped praying and looked at the trio with a smile. "Are you also here for some Adepti luck? They say that making a wish at this time can get the blessings of both the Adepti and Rex Lapis himself." She then held out some offerings. "Here. I've already made my wish, so you guys can make yours with these." She handed them two offerings, one to Lumine and one to Naruto. The latter thanked the lady and looked at Lumine who was already praying and making a wish. He contemplated giving his one to Lumine but he decided to wait.
After she was done praying, they walked to the other burner and saw a man making a wish. Naruto's eyes slightly narrowed when he saw the man's distinctly Snezhnayan clothing. He decided to keep his opinions to himself and see what the man would do. As it turned out, the man seems to be a nice person, unlike a certain merchant he had the displeasure of encountering in Mondstadt. He explained to Lumine how it was also his first Rite of Descension and that he was excited for it. He also gave them some offerings before joining the crowd waiting for the descent. While Lumine was making a wish, Naruto gave one of his offerings to Paimon and told her to make a wish with Lumine while he went to the other one. He placed the offering inside and watched the incense burner light up before putting his hands together in a prayer position and muttering his wish. "Oh, Rex Lapis. If it is possible, please let Aether grow a pair and finally confront his sister, or at least be a little less overprotective of her. I'm quite sure that she can take care of herself easily now without the need for weekly progress reports."
"Ahem!" Naruto, who was startled out of his prayer, brought out a tri-pronged kunai and turned to face the perpetrator. When he turned, however, he was met with the smiling face Agar. "So you think I have to grow a pair huh? I'm disappointed. Didn't I give you permission to date my sister?" The mocking tone Ager used made Naruto's eye twitch.
"Well yeah, because of that Kurama and Kaa-san won't shut up about it. Gave me a headache during the whole journey here." He replied blankly before blinking. "Also, why did you even give me permission to do that anyway? I thought you were the overprotective kind who skewered anyone who dared to even look at your sister."
Agar chuckled. "Well, I saw that way you were looking at me and decided to say yes. Afterall, it isn't every day that my best friend decides to date my twin sister. ~" Yeah, Naruto was sure that Aether had taken lessons from Venti on how to get the perfect annoying/mocking tone before coming here. Thinking back, Naruto didn't see anything wrong when he asked for permission from Aether in hopes that he will shut him down. When he told this to Agar, he palmed his forehead and sighed. Looked like his friends was as dense as ever.
Naruto shook his head and smiled at Agar. "Anyway, I should probably meet up with Lumine and Paimon before they get worried. Are you going to stay?"
Agar crossed his arms and shook his head. "No. I don't want to risk being found out. I also came here to tell you that the Fatui have been carrying out some shady activities, and I'm pretty sure that I saw Tartaglia somewhere around here. Try to get some idea on what they are doing because I don't think they are up to any good. Also, it you need any help, don't hesitate to get in contact with me." Naruto also crossed his arms and nodded.
"I'll send some clones to investigate. The main problem is going to be getting out of the Tianquan's earshot. As they say here, 'even the walls have ears.' Anyway, I'll head out. If you want to avoid the Dragon, I suggest you get going." Naruto turned and walked away to where he had last seen Lumine. Seeing that she wasn't there, he decided to look for Paimon, whom he found, and went to meet up with them. Naruto decided that he wasn't going to go through all the people and opted to wait by the entrance to the terrace.
A few minutes later, the Tianquan walked up to the altar and started the ritual. Clouds gathered in the sky and lightning rumbled. The winds howled as everyone watched. Then, without warning, a dragon with brown scales fell out of the sky and unceremoniously flopped down on the altar. It twitched a few times before going still. Everyone watched while the Tianquan walked up to the dead, God with wide eyes before hers steeled with resolve. "Rex Lapis has been killed! Seal off the exits and question everyone! The perpetrator must be here!" At her command, the Millelith flooded in and started questioning everyone. Her actions confused Naruto who turned on his Rinnegan but saw nothing. In fact, the thing that fell didn't look like a body at all. In the haze, Lumine panicked and decided that she should get out of there as fast as possible. She didn't want a repeat of what happened when she and her twin first came to Teyvat.
On the other hand, Naruto was as calm as ever as he watched Lumine make her way to exit. Just before she did, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her into him and whispered. "What do you think you're doing? If you leave now, all you'll do is attract the Millelith and get a bounty on your head. You're just making yourself a bigger target." However, Lumine ignored his words and pulled her arm free before making her way down. Naruto stared at her for a moment and sighed. 'Well, they are siblings alright.' Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Naruto turned to face a Millelith got ready to answer some questions. Hopefully, the girl won't get herself in too much trouble.
Lumine was a little scared. She honestly didn't know what to do. She felt guilty and that she should have tried to explain her reasoning to Naruto, but she was also in a rush to get away from the terrace. However, thanks to her luck, she stepped on a tile, alerting the Millelith who began chasing her down. She rushed down the flights of stairs and made to turn when she saw more Millelith emerging from both stairways. Backed into a corner with no choice, Lumine drew her sword and got ready for a fight. "Hey girlie! Hold still." Her head perked up at the voice and saw 3 Hydro infused arrows knock the weapons out of the attackers' hands before a figure wearing grey jump above her with a bow. the man turned his bow into a pair of Hydro knives and dashed at the Millelith and let lose a burst of Hydro that knocked them off their feet. "Come on." Lumine shared a glance with Paimon and decided to follow the man. Hopefully, Naruto was faring better than her.
*Two minutes later*
Lumine and (for some reason) Paimon were catching their breath. After a short banter, Paimon turned to face the man. "So, who are you? And why did you help us?"
The man just chuckled. "You can call me Childe. I believe that you guys are Lumine the traveler and her companion Paimon?"
Paimon crossed her arms. "Childe? So we're supposed to dote on you? Paimon doesn't think so mister. Also how do you know us?" Lumine had to stop herself from laughing loudly. Seems her travel companion had some wits. Her mind drifted to Naruto but she dismissed it. She decided to find him once she clears her name so that they can continue their journey.
Childe laughed. "No, no. That's just my name. It's more of an alias than a name but that's beside the point. And as for how I know you, that's from a coworker. I don't suppose you came across a Signora by any chance? You know, stuck up, prideful and uses Cryo magic? She's the one who informed me." Hearing the name Lumine instantly went on guard, her hand ready to summon her sword in an instant.
Meanwhile, the ever so carefree Paimon was still putting two and two together. When she finally figured it out, she quickly moved next to Lumine. "You're a Fatui Harbinger!"
Childe just gave her a smile. "Don't worry. I'm not looking for a fight. I guess Signora gave you a bad impression huh. Can't say I'm a fan either. Anyway, I am here to help you."
Lumine didn't lower her guard. "Help? What do you mean by help?"
Childe smiled. "Hear me out. I maybe a Harbinger but I'm not a bad person. Right now, all of Liyue is after you and you'll need all help you can get to clear your name. Even I can tell that you weren't the one who was responsible. So I suggest that you take me up on my offer because that may just be your only chance. If you do, meet me at Northland bank and we'll go from there. If you don't, I'll leave you be. I hope to see you there Lumine." As he turned around and left, Lumine put a hand to her chin. Despite her wanting to avoid him, she had to admit that Childe had a point. She needed to clear her name if she wanted to meet any other Archons. After contemplating her choice for some more time, she sighed. As much as didn't want to, she really had no other choice as of now. Hopefully by the end of this, she could find Naruto and leave for the other Nations. She sighed and made her way to Northland bank with Paimon trailing behind.
Meanwhile
"So she panicked and left? Didn't you try to stop her?" A short woman in purple was talking to a Millelith guard about the escape of a certain suspect. She had purple eyes and purple hair with two very distinctive points that looked like cat ears. Overall, she looked serious and like she liked cats. This was Keqing, the Yuheng of Liyue.
The Millelith in question bowed his head. "Forgive us Lady Keqing. We were close to apprehending the suspect but we were intercepted by someone else."
"Someone else? Do you remember what this other person looked like?" Both parties' eyes went to the whiskered blond standing next to the Yuheng. When he was told of the man's description, he lowered his head in thought. He perked up when Keqing asked him if something was wrong. "Yes, everything is wrong. When Rex Lapis fell, Lumine panicked and ran away. She couldn't have done anything because she didn't reach anywhere near the altar and now, she's somewhere in Liyue with a fatui Harbinger and bounty on her head. So much for travelling the 7 nations." 'That, and nothing about Rex Lapis' apparent 'death' makes any sense. I'll have to investigate into that later.' He looked up at the Yuheng. "Lady Keqing. With your permission, I'd like to be in charge of handling the Lumine situation." Keqing looked him in the eyes and saw his resolve.
With a deep exhale she spoke. "Ok Naruto, but I'm only doing this because I trust you. Don't make me regret this." Naruto nodded at her and walked away. Keqing dismissed the Millelith and watched her friend leave. They had met around a year back when Naruto was visiting Liyue and stumbled on a large group of Treasure hoarders surrounding the Yuheng. She was a powerful fighter, but she had been very tired when Naruto stepped in. He asked her to use her Electro on them and when she did, he used Anemo to Swirl the Electro and in a few moments, all of them were unconscious. Keqing shook her head to clear it and focused on finding other suspects.
As he left, Naruto struck up a conversation in his head. 'Aether, can you hear me?' In his head, he heard a yelp and the sound of a person falling off a chair and had to stop himself from laughing. "Naruto? Is that you? How are you in my head?" Naruto coughed to cover the small chuckle that at Aether's blunder. 'I'll explain. First, meet me near Bubu pharmacy. I need your help and this involves Lumine. If I'm not there, then wait for me. I'm going to check out a hunch.' Cutting off the link, Naruto decided to see if his hunch was correct. Activating his Rinnegan he cast a small genjutsu to hide it and walked towards Northland bank. While he was walking, he discreetly used his right hand to cast the Chameleon jutsu and disappeard from sight.
Meanwhile, Lumine had reluctantly arrived at Northland bank and met up with Childe. When they got there, the man was waiting for them with a smile that Lumine wished she could wipe off his face. "Welcome Northland bank my friends. This bank was opened in Liyue by Snezhnaya some time ago. Anyway, you came here to clear your name right."
Lumine nodded. "Yes, and you better not try any funny business. If you do." Lumine left the threat hanging while Childe just laughed.
"Don't worry, I won't. Anyway, what you need to do is to go to Jueyun Karst and seek help from the Adepti there. If plead the injustice that has happened to you with them, they can help you clear your name. Also, take this. This is a Sigil of Permission. It'll help you in Jueyun Karst."
Lumine took the Sigil and narrowed her eyes. "And why do we need to trust you?"
Childe crossed his arms. "Because this whole thing is fishy. Rex Lapis. The strongest of the seven is dead and the first thing they do is hide the Exuvia? That seems rather strange doesn't it."
"What's an Exuvia? Paimon asked quietly.
Childe chuckled. "In simple terms, that's what you call the corpse of an Adeptus. Now go. Good luck my friend." Lumine reluctantly thanked him and left.
Watching her leave, Childe turned around to walk back to the bank but a clapping sound coming from somewhere behind him made him stop in his tracks. Slowly turning around, he saw no one, but the clapping continued. All of a sudden, the clapping stopped and a figure shimmered into existence in front of Childe. A very familiar figure that sent chills down his spine. "Hello Ajax." Wide blue eyes met calm blue ones. "Long time not see."
4600 words. Not bad for 3 days.
If this chapter looks rushed, it is because I conjured it up in 3 days. Anyway, the Liyue arc has officially started and Naruto and Keqing know each other. If the chapters seem inconsistent, that's because I'm still trying to find out which writing style suits me best. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed and left a review. I'll see you in the next one!