"Impressive, aren't they?" Lord Lawrence asked, standing still by the center of the marble balcony edge, surrounded by his close ones behind while starting forward at rows upon rows of fully armored knights with shining armors, equally geared horses and long, triangular shields sporting clan emblems on themselves. All lined up forward to him.

"Our clan cannot lose with our might." A positive tone came from the elegant crowd behind him.

"Correctly so." Lord nodded, before continuing to his troops. "Brothers! Fathers! Cousins! Nephews! The hour of reckoning is at hand! Thy hand!" He started with deep, loud callouts that spread across the chill air and monolithic gray color palette of the area. "Peasant rabble of the south will soon be vanquished by thy steady arms, brave hearts and tenacious minds. For I know none of you are my dear friends. I dine with you, hunt with you, dance with your trusted ones. And thus I know, we are on the right side of history, future and existence itself."

"As Lord says, thou shalt act!" The armed gathering below responded together.

"Rightfully so, as our thousand of years of lineage." Lord Lawrence agreed. "So go, gather whatever thy need, say goodbye to your loved ones, because soon we will depart to crush those who raised their hands for our good!"

"AS LORD LAWRENCE SAYS, THOU SHALT ACT!"


"So, will you provide resources?" Sicco asked, looking a bit dumbfounded as he and a few other elegant men sat on the opposing side of a certainly Inazuma-looking man with square-ish blonde hair.

"Only if you aid give exclusive trading rights to Kujou Clan in your ports and provide shelter for our people who aren't welcome elsewhere." Blonde man responded. "You didn't expect help to be free, did you?"

"Pfah! Of course not." One man on the far left side of the table by Lawrence's side sneezed in a superior manner. "You criminals are always seeking ways to obtain more money."

"Who we are is not important right now, Sir." Blonde man continued, as two more men walked in. Both with black hair and an Inazuma-like face. But while the one on his left had expansive, Fontanian-like brown garments and rough embodiment of the 'One million Mora' look from his pale yellow eyes, the right one had modestly gray inazumian clothes, near military-esque haircut and small, black boil on his nose made even more visible by shiny blue eyes. "What does matter, however, is what we can do for you. Don't you agree? Hmm?"

"..."

"Damn right." Negotiating man stated with visible satisfaction, making a pyramid-like shape with his hands and resting elbows on the table. "But you must know, for a sake of fairness, that we are about to pull you into a bigger game. If our plan here works, so will the one in Inazuma."

"But the other way around…" Man on his left continued. "We will both be buried down in a heap of trouble."

"Hmm…" Sicco nodded, visibly intrigued.

"War is not a duel." Man to the right of the mysterious negotiator picked up the turn to speak. "Losing once never ends the struggle. And given your rich history… I'm sure you know it."

"Hmm."/"Hmm!" Intrigued grunts and hums followed from the Lawrencian side.

"Heh." Main negotiator smiled. "Since we have basics paved out, let's get into precise things…" He added, just as the man on his right took two steps back and turned around to leave.

"Your friend won't stay?" Sicco asked, suspicious all of a sudden.

"Our work demands flexible schedules." Man to the left responded. "Once you're done in one place, you ought to get going for another, or fault goes on you."

"... Huh."

"We call it responsibility. A funny thing that makes many smiles drop in an instant."

"... Noted."


"I must admit, Mondstadt is a beautiful city." Stas said, as he, Amber and Noelle proceeded through the street, taking sides here and there to get through the crowd. "Most beauty comes from the populus."

"Indeed, we have people from all around Teyvat coming to settle here." Noelle added.

"And they almost all stay." Amber added as they made their way up to Favonius Headquarters. "That's our main building."

"You turned the palace into a military facility?" Stas asked. "Impressive."

"Not us. Those around a thousand years ago did." Amber corrected him. "That's what I heard from my Grandfather."

"Hey, Matthias!" Noelle called out, making the other two look after her as she waved for the incoming familiar person.

"My Lord." Stas said right after, doing down onto the right knee and resting his sword' tip straight on the stone pavement.

"Be at ease. I am not even crowned yet." Matthias responded. "Still, I am amazed you wanted to swim after me."

"Duty calls." Stas responded, standing up and holstering the blade. "You forgot the days back at the royal pałace, did you?"

"Threats, travels, looking for a new place in this world…" Matthias recounted slowly. "I had other worries than memories."

"Ten years abroad made you a fucking pussy!" Stas almost laughed, making both Noelle and Amber step back in shock.

"... Don't worry." Matthias looked to his right at the two. "Zirte elite customs permit vulgar vocabulary when talking to ritualized friends."

"Speaking of which…" Stas continued for him. "You have the pendant?"

"You bet." Matthias smiled, reaching for his pocket and pulling out a thin bronze chain made into a wide loop with an even green triangle that contained a paper card at top, rock at bottom right and scissors at bottom left. "You gave it to me when I was little, didn't you?"

"Ahh, a pendant with rock, paper, scissors symbols." Stas nodded.

"It's paper, rock, scissors." Matthias corrected him.

"You really became what you did abroad." Stas shaked his head with a smirk. "But enough talk, we still have an Acting Grand Master to visit."

"... Damn right."


"Hmm, Inazuma seems as peaceful as never." Kaeya said to himself out loud, getting off the boat and onto the small, wooden pier connected to a large stone platform by the shore. "Awfully little people for an evening, though." He added, seeing only a man with short black hair dressed in a white elegant suit with red shirt underneath and rectangular glasses approach him, cracking knuckles on the way towards him. "Hello, good Sir!"

"Apologies, but The Ritou Port is under a traffic blockade. Turn around back onto the ship." The man said to him with a serious, mature voice.

"Oh, really?" Kaeya asked with a smile. "Nobody told me."

"Too bad, I heard about it two minutes ago myself." Man in opposing side responded, still walking towards him. "Won't change the fact you got screwed, but that's life. Isn't it?"

"Still, I kinda have to get through for a festival. Sooo…" Kaeya continued, making a step forward only to see the opposing man take out a pair of steel knuckles and put them on his hands. "... You just won't let me pass, specifically?"

"Yup, port authority orders." Man responded, warming himself up with low hops in place and slow boxing arm waves that created shadowy deep blue after images in their path. "So be kind to your bones and turn around now. Leave back to Mondstadt for those you care about."

"... Naaah. You sound more interesting." Kaeya responded, taking out his sword and pointing it forward at opponent. "But first, what is your name?"

"... Kh." The man almost laughed. My name is not important, young sport. But you seem like someone important, so, what's yours?"

"Kaeya. Alberich Kaeya."

"Hm, let's have a good fight then. HORYA!" Man agreed, just before launching himself forward with a war cry.

"Easy." Kaeya smiled, moving his sword to just pierce incoming torso, but to no avail as Kira casually punched the blade to the side with the knuckle before making an uppercut, forcing Kaeya back with an exposed body. "Hold your horses here, pal."

"Come on!" Man pressed on, dashing forward and punching the sword back to the side before doing the same to the left hand Keaya raised for a punch. "You want to the party or not? Show me your WILL! HRRRRAAAA!" He added just before driving up with a head butt, forcing Kaeya backwards and onto the planks with himself having a smooth belly landing.

"Now you just irritate me." Kaeya said, standing up and swinging his sword widely, only for opponent to roll away and stand up with his blackened vision. Somehow. "Of course I just let you take it away."

"I can give it back if you buzz off with a closed mouth." Man suggested. "No harm done when there is no necessity for it. My rule."

"... Deal." Kaeya nodded. "I know enough about you to make some progress. Cuz' Shogun will hear about this."

"Hah. Shogun?" Man blocking his way asked, almost baffled. "I think the blunder with Fatui and Shogun's turning on the past of our official branches' loyal service gave Teyvat the wrong idea." He added, casually tossing the vision back to Kaeya. "You don't just go in and screw with the business of the Kujou Family, Alberich. That's why I'm here. To save you from yourself in a twisted sort of way."

"Noted." Kaeya agreed. "But, I have one more request."

"Go on." Man nodded patiently.

"If you found out during the festival about someone named The Traveler… Tell him I said hi."

"Aye, I can do that." Man nodded. "But in return you forget today's events and not share them with anyone and anything. For your own sake."

"... Sure."

"Now go, we're done here."

"Sure, sure." Kaeya nodded, turning around back to the ship. "Well, shit. Inazuma really is going down too deep. And while I could just go and brute force my way past him, I rather not test my stamina on such a skilled opponent. Especially since this time he obviously wasn't all that serious. I need more than myself out here or I'll be done for next time."


"You know, Lawrence Clan is a band of fun dudes." Man in a brown Fontanian suit said, sitting down in a highly decorated ship room on the opposite end, smoking a wooden pipe while also starting straight at the main negotiator from before.

"Can't blame you for pointless flattery, Hoshi." The other man nodded. "You are our face after all."

"Naaah, Boss. You don't understand." Hoshi continued. "Parties are the way I enjoy life. With the isolation of Inazuma any leak of freedom makes some want to choke dead on it. And having it be my job? What there is not to love!"

"And the Goikai Association has a requirement to continue with lavish presentations." Main man continued. "We need to keep swaying people for influence."

"... Pfff…" Hoshi let out three rings of smoke, pulling out the pipe off of his mouth. "Saba. You handsome rogue. You need to chill down a bit."

"... Pardon?"

"Datsuma Family is strong, with many fingers in many pies and exceptional talent after exceptional talent ready to go into meat grinder." Hoshi continued with a relieved face. "Don't freak out at first bump, keep going with the script, and we all end up exactly where we want to… Deal?"

"... You are a real wordsmith, Hoshi." Saba nodded with a smirk. "Deal."


"Hmm…" Albedo scratched his chin, sitting down on a bench near a green space inside the city. "Alright, let's recall what I know so far. Eula was drugged by Lawrence Clan with a substancje outside of Teyvat. But while the experiment is yet to begin, I need to know what that thing is called and what it does officially."

"Hey, Captain." A sudden male tone made him snap to the right, where a person looking like someone from Inazuma sat down beside him. "Lost in thought?"

"... Yes, actually." Albedo responded. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important, not by a looong shot." Stranger said. "However, I heard what you do and what you may need for it."

"You spied on the Knights?" Albedo asked.

"That's what you get for not locking the doors, idiot." Man pointed out. "Here's a deal. You forget about the espionage issue and I turn in some info." He continued, pulling out a paper scroll.

"That has the information about the drug?" Albedo stated out loud.

"Yyyup." Stranger said with a satisfied tone. "All you need for it, is a tad bit of forgiveness towards me. Crazy, right?"

"... Albedo didn't respond at first, instead getting on his spare gloves. "Deal."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Captain." Stranger added, standing up from the bench. "If you ever feel like needing more stuff related to it, come alone into a certain building I described inside the text."

"..." Albedo didn't respond, instead watching the man hand him the scroll and then walk away with an innocent whistle. "That guy sounds a lot like someone invested in the drug issue, and not on our side. New question for me is… Should I take the bait?"


"So, did you turn away the Mondstadtian?" Man in gray inazumian clothes said, turning around to see someone else walk up to him inside a teapot room.

"Boss. He turned away and left." Man in a gray suit responded, giving his proper respect beforehand with a bow.

"Hmm… I expected you to handle it, but it does show our enemy laziness." The more important person in the room responded. "Soon, the Kaiogumi Family will sweep down Inazuma and the Kujou Clan will be mine." He continued, looking down from the slightly elevated floor at his subject. "After all, I have a weapon like you by my side… Kuze."