« Fed all of Liyue's stray dogs? »
« Done. »
« Helping with the publication of new books? »
« Done without any sexual innuendos. »
« Diamond extraction? »
« We didn't quite did that, but the machine sure did! »
« Works for me. anyway, dealt with the Treasure Hoarders at Lingju Pass? »
« Done with extreme prejudice. »
« Cleaned the sea of debris? »
« Done. »
« Helped for the annual fishing competition? »
« Done. »
« Helped in feeding poor? »
« Oh, they work in my factory now, so they'll be fine economically. »
« Teach a man how to fish, huh? Anyway, how are your efforts in finding medicinal plants? »
« Also done. »
« As for aiding Rosie in her counselling industry? »
« Done as well! Man, she's such a nice person. »
« I know, right? Anyway, handled the Hilichurls near Wangshu Inn? »
« Ya bet we did! »
« Built new weapons? »
« Indeed! »
« Well, looks like that's it. You're good to go. » Yelan declared after checking her list. After the stunt that the demons had did with the Tianshu affair, it was decided that they would be made to perform chores as a punishment.
« Well that was easy…» Angel commented.
« You sure? You did a lot of chores, I would had been exhausted…» Yelan noted.
« Oh, please. This has been our job ever since we've been stuck here. The only difference is that we weren't paid this time. » Husk replied.
« I mean, like, these jobs were easy as shit, though! » Cherri commented.
« That and we had an excuse to not work at the hotel for the whole Lantern thingie. » Angel added.
« Seriously, what the hell even is that crap? » Cherri asked.
« Wait, Princess Charlie didn't tell you? » Yelan asked.
« She probably did. We weren't paying attention, I think…» Angel shrugged.
« Well, on the first full moon of the first month each year, Liyue celebrates the Lantern Rite. » Yelan explained. « It's a festival to commemorate the heroes from the past. After dark, the people release Xiao and Mingxiao Lanterns into the night sky. »
« Sounds way better than Lo Lo Land…» Cherri commented.
« Anyway, you're good to go. Enjoy the festival! » Yelan exclaimed, as she walked off the scene.
« Y'know, can't believe I'm saying it, but this actually sounds kinda fun! » Angel exclaimed.
« Well at the very least they'll probably have some bloody booze… » Husk commented.
« And I'm sure some of our buddies could even show up! » Angel said, as he whipped out his phone to make a call.
« Are they who I think they are? » Pentious asked.
« You bet your sweet ass they are! »
Xxxxxxx
Five seconds later, a Van arrived at mock speed, jumping over a nearby hill whilst blasting "Grease" by Frankie Valli at full volume, before slamming the side of said Van to a nearby tree and crushing a Treasure Hoarder.
Coming out of the driving position was Blitzo, and coming out of the passenger seats was the rest of the IMPs.
« Kept ya waiting, huh? » Blitzo smirked, as he talked to the void.
« …Who are you even talking to? » Angel asked, as he waved a hand in front of him.
« The voices in my head…» Blitzo replied with a derpy expression.
«….Yeah that's fair… » Husk commented.
« Anyway, you ready for this Lantern thingie? » Cherri asked.
« I heard that there's food, and I don't think the Chinese cook raw shit. » Loona replied.
« I think that's Inazuma…Or Teyvat's Japan… » Moxxie replied.
« Well in that case, let's go to the Hotel. The place is ready, and Charlie wants to check the Festival out. » Angel replied.
« Lets! » Blitzo replied.
Xxxxxxx
At the hotel, as the Imps and the other demons arrived, Angel, Husk, Pentious and Cherri were greeted by a glaring Vaggie.
« Good to see ya too, Vaggie. » Angel casually greeted her.
« What the fuck were you thinking!?» Vaggie shouted angrily.
« Oh come on, we just dealt with a Futa cocksucker! » Husk replied.
« Whilst trying to scheme for the position of Tianshu! » Vaggie replied.
« Look, whilst you did a good thing with the Fatui, scheming for a position within the Liyue government is a big no-no. » Charlie added.
« Not that keen in getting into politics, huh? » Loona raised an eyebrow.
« I mean, are you? » Charlie asked.
« Touche. » Moxxie replied.
« But let's forget about that! The Lantern Festival has begun! And I'm glad that you guys managed to show up! » Charlie replied.
« Meh. Didn't have much to do anyway. » Blitzo shrugged.
« None the less, how about we go out for a stroll? Now that we've done with the Hotel decorations for the Festival, we can afford to have a little trip! » Charlie proposed.
« Yeah, love what ya did with the place…» Blitzo commented. « But where's the staff? »
« Oh, they got a day off as a thanks for their help to decorate the Hotel for the occasion. » Charlie replied. « The only exception is Alastor, since he's gathering materials to, and I quote, "Bring the Lantern Festival to the Hotel." I haven't really questioned that because…. »
« If you question Alastor you die! » Nifty cheerfully replied.
A short silence followed. « Yeah that adds up…»
« …Let's just go…» Blitzo said.
Xxxxxxx
Outside the Hotel, the group enjoyed the festival, with all of its stalls and decorations.
In particular, they were drawn to a particular sight.
« Hohoho, look at that rock balloon up there! What a sight! » Blitzo commented.
« This is the Plaustrite to be used for the Mingxiao Lantern. The whole of the Xiao Market is centred around it. » a girl replied.
« And you are? » Angel asked casually.
« I'm Jiangzhou. Recently, I've been tracking progress on the construction of the Mingxiao Lantern. » Jiangzhou replied. « This must be your first Lantern Rite to you demons, am I right? »
« That it is. » Blitzo replied.
« What is the Mingxiao Lantern, exactly? » Charlie asked.
« You'll see lots of people releasing little lanterns during the festival — those ones are called Xiao Lanterns. But there's also a huge one, a joint effort by all the people of Liyue Harbor. That one is called the Mingxiao Lantern. » Jiangzhou replied. « Almost every business in Liyue has a booth at the annual Xiao Market — but despite its popularity, this is the one time of the year they're not looking to make a profit. The street market exists solely to raise the funds and materials required for the Mingxiao Lantern construction. »
« Wait, you just let that massive waste of resources float into the sky? » Pentious asked incredulous.
« It's symbolic, you moron! » Vaggie replied.
« Yeah, that's interesting and all that jizz, but is there anything good to eat? » Loona asked.
« Plenty! And if I do say so myself, the Lantern Rite is the best festival for sampling Liyue's local delicacies. »
« A good start, a good start…» Loona smirked.
« It is Liyue's biggest annual festival, after all. Showing off your craft is a great way to drum up a reputation. » Jiangzhou explained. « So, even if there's no Mora to be made, everyone is secretly going all out to get their produce under the spotlight. »
« Marketing strategies, got it. » Blitzo replied.
« If you need any help you can look for Wang'ya, she's overseeing the Lantern Rite. » Jiangzhou continued. « She's usually somewhere around the Xiao Market, she's your first port of call. »
« Will do! » Charlie gave her a two thumbs up, as the demons continued their trip to the Festival.
After a while, they finally found Wang'ya, and Blitzo slided towards her.
« I hear you're a woman that….oversees things… » Blitzo said.
« Overseeing... Not exactly. The Lantern Rite festival belongs to the whole of Liyue, it's not just one person's to oversee. » Wang'ya replied. « I'm just taking care of a few small things. Doing my bit to make sure ever one who joins in the festivities has a good time. »
« I will too, as long as you tell me where I can get the tastiest shit in this Festival. » Loona replied.
« Hmm... the tastiest? Hard to say, I guess that depends on your personal preference. Still, what I can tell you is that everyone's talking about Yi'nian's stall. If it gets any busier over there, I'm going to have to bring the Millelith to keep things orderly. » Wang'ya replied. « Hey, you'd best get over there quick before the streets get too crowded with people. Oh, and if you are heading to Yi'nian, please do me a favour and run this document over to him. It's a summary of the data from last year's Lantern Rite, compiled by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It has a few operational tips for our vendors. If you're heading in that direction, it'd
« Will do, ma'am. » Loona replied, as she headed towards Yi'nian's Stall.
« As for you, lady Morningstar, I have a gift for you, as thanks for saving Liyue against Osial's wrath. This Xiao Lantern is for you. » Wang'ya thanked Charlie.
« Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Say, do you know how these lanterns are made? I really didn't have the time to learn the craft because I was so busy with the Hotel preparations. » Charlie asked.
« Without any help from some people. » Vaggie grumbled, as both Angel, Husk and Cherri flipped the double bird, before nudging Sir Pentious.
« What? I'm classier than that! » Pentious replied, before Angel showed a picture of Pentious flipping Ninnguang off. Sighing in defeat, he joined the rest of the demons.
« Uh... I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to explain concisely. » Wang'ya replied to Charlie's request. « But if you re interested in Xiao Lanterns, you can ask Jingming over there. He's in charge of both the Xiao and Mingxiao Lanterns. »
« Oh, you mean the big one? » Blitzo asked.
« That's right! He should be easy to find. Just over there, I think. » Wang'ya replied.
« Y'know what? Screw the food, I wanna learn how to make lanterns! I'm sure they can be useful in the future! » Blitzo exclaimed.
« You're not allowed to use Xiao Lantern for your nefarious purposes in Liyue. » Vaggie replied angrily.
« Bold of you to assume I'm willing to permanently stay in Communist China, honey. » Blitzo replied.
Xxxxxxx
After a while, the demons finally managed to meet with Jingming, and once more, Blitzo slided in. « I hear you're a man that can…build things… »
« That depends. » Jingming replied.
« I need a strong man that can teach me how to build Xiao Lanterns. » Blitzo replied.
« Huh. You're the first demon that has asked me yet. » Jingming noted.
« Clearly they don't share the love of the festivity as we do…» Moxxie pondered.
« I'll be happy to teach you. There's no one way to make a Xiao Lantern, but let me start by showing you the simplest one. » Jingming explained. « I should have some spare materials over here... Uh, just a second! Ah they still need a bit of work. Take these, and give it a go. »
« All right, let's do this thing! » Charlie said, as she begun the construction process.
Xxxxxxx
Five minutes later…
« Well we didn't blow up Liyue, so that's a start…» Blitzo noted, as he admired his Xiao Lantern.
« Hahaha, it all comes with practice. No one's expecting your first try to be perfect. » Jingming laughed. « Folks like you who want to learn my craft are a rare find nowadays...»
« And then there's blokes like you that build those abominations in the sky. » Husk replied as he pointed at the Plaustrite in the sky.
« That one? ...Hmm, I suppose it's fair to say the method is the same — broadly speaking. But no single person can take credit for it. The whole of Liyue comes together to make it. » Jingming replied.
« So it was a community effort? » Charlie asked.
« The Xiao Market is actually a fundraiser, aiming to support the Mingxiao Lantern's construction. » Jingming replied.
« Clever! » Blitzo exclaimed.
« Such is the Lantern Rite tradition. The Ministry of Civil Affairs might be covering the bulk of the costs, but it's the citizens of Liyue that donate the materials, among many other things. » Jingming continued.
« Which explains the kid that gave up her rag doll for the project… » Angel smirked.
« Well, the Lantern Rite is a major festival. If somebody wants to make a contribution, no matter how small... Or in this case, symbolic, we tend not to reject them. All well-meaning contributions are gratefully received. Especially considering how grand of an occasion Lantern Rite is for everyone. People believe that joining the effort might bring them good luck. » Jingming explained. « Heh, alrighty then. Shouldn't you get going? With all that the festival has to offer, I'm sure you must be on a busy schedule. Of course, if you want to make another Xiao Lantern at any time, you know where to find me. Happy Lantern Rite! Have fun! »
« We will! » Charlie replied, as they headed to the Festival once more.
« You do that. We're going back to Wang'ya. Something tells me she needs some materials for her Lantern, and we're renewed Fetch Quest completists. » Blitzo said.
« If she ever needs more Plaustrite, tell her she have some to spare! » Charlie exclaimed.
Xxxxxxx
Shortly after, the Imps reached Wang'ya.
« Say, honey. I do believe ya still need some materials for the bigass lantern, am I right? » Blitzo asked.
« Yes, as a matter of fact, but it's not much of an issue. We're almost done collecting the required Plaustrite. » Wang'ya replied.
« Oh yeah, Princess Charlie says that she has some to spare. You need any in particular? » Moxxie asked.
« There are two types that we're lacking at the moment. One is called Azurite, the other one is called Vermillionite. »
« Got it. The Hotel isn't far from here, we'll be back in a moment. » Blitzo replied.
Xxxxxxx
Five minutes later, the Imps returned alongside Shenhe, and dropped a large supply of Azurite and Vermillionite.
« We got your floating rocks! » Blitzo exclaimed.
« I knew I could count on you! Let me see... Hmm... Yep! Without a doubt, these are Azurite and Vermillionite. » Wang'ya replied. « But don't you want to make your wishes? »
« Well, it's not that we don't, but I think Charlie has a more desperate one. Wait here for a moment, we'll get her so she can make her wish. » Blitzo replied.
However, as the demons were heading towards where Charlie and the rest of the demons were, Blitzo noticed a shady individual at the construction site, sneaking around as best as possible, dropping a small item.
« Guys, you go and get Charlie. I've got a fucker to deal with. » Blitzo said, as he begun to stalk the man.
Eventually, as the man continued to sneak as best as possible, he heard a battle cry similar to Ace Ventura coming towards him.
Turns out, it was Blitzo, who jumped on top of him and proceeded to stick his testicles with a hammer, only for the latter making a rubber noise.
Blitzo struck several times, to no avail, as the man felt no pain.
He then turned to his left to notice Moxxie holding an actual hammer, a disappointed look on his face.
Blitzo made a sad face, as sad music played in the background, before being interrupted by the man. « Uh…can I go now? »
« Look, pal. There's three types of people we have no mercy with. Chili Churros, Futas and Treasure Hoarders. And yer one of the latter, so yer fucking dead now. » Blitzo shot back.
« But I'm not a Treasure Hoarder! » the man shot back.
« Then what's this badge ya just dropped? » Blitzo replied, as he showed a small badge, a symbol of the Treasure Hoarders.
« But it's true! I'm not a Treasure Hoarder! I, uh... I'm just a lowly apprentice thief who really looks up to the Treasure Hoarders...» the man replied.
« Ex-fucking-cuse me? » Blitzo replied.
« Yeah... For a greenhorn like me, 'specially working on my own an' all... The Treasure Hoarders? Man, they're my heroes... » the man replied.
Blitzo and Moxxie were still trying to process what he was saying.
« ...So, I thought I'd try and set up some sorta lucrative opportunity, then submit my pledge of loyalty...»
« What the FUCK are you talking about!?» Blitzo exclaimed.
« Yeah! Weren't you trying to burn this whole city down, hence why you were near some flammable material? » Moxxie asked dumbfolded.
« Oh... Oh yeah, yeah, I know what you're talkin' about. But I was only checking the place out. » the man replied. « My plan ain't got nothing to do with those lantern construction materials. »
« Then what the fuck was your plan!? » Blitzo exclaimed.
« I just wanted to nab me the biggest chunk of Plaustrite in twenty years is all... » the man replied. « I was gonna wait till nightfall, chop of half the tethers, float it out to sea...»
« …You're kidding me….» was all Moxxie could say.
« Then all I'd have to do is find some way or another of bringing it down, so I could hide it underwater in the shallows. The perfect crime! » the man finished.
« How the fuck were you even gonna bring that shit down!? You're no fucking Adeptus, and I doubt yer friend with one, given how much of a MORON you are! » Blitzo shot back.
« I was still in the process of figuring out the details, hence why I hadn't made my move yet. » the man replied.
The demons were quick to facepalm in response to that, and even quicker to decide the appropriate punishment for such idiocy.
Xxxxxxx
After a while, the Imps returned to the Hotel, alongside the idiot thief.
In the meantime, the other demons had also returned, alongside Alastor.
« Torture this moron to death. » Blitzo handed the man to Alastor.
« Hohoho! I'm sorry, my…. not plaything….. but I'm afraid that I'm not allowed to torture my victims to death! As such, I'll be forced to torture him to death painlessly! » Alastor cheerfully replied.
« How does that even work? » the man asked, before he and Alastor non-clipped out of reality.
Five minutes later, Alastor was back.
« Thousands cuts with anaesthesia? » Moxxie guessed.
« Thousands cuts with anaesthesia. » Alastor replied.
« A quick one at that…» Blitzo noted.
« Well someone had to overseer my little Miniature Lantern Festival at the Hotel! » Alastor replied.
Indeed, the whole hotel had become a miniature version of the Festival, with Stalls and Lanterns.
« Gotta say, Smiley. Didn't think ya had it in ya! » Angel commented.
« I truly don't! I just wanted my not-adopted-not-biological son to enjoy the holidays! » Alastor replied, as he pointed at Xiao, sitting on a chair, grumbly playing a party horn.
« He's a bit moody since I may or may not kidnap him… » Alastor replied.
« Still, not crowded, Almond Tofu, Grilled Tiger Fish, I'm genuinely impressed. » Xiao replied.
« I'm glad you are! I can already feel a connection between us two! » Alastor replied.
« Let's not get crazy. » Xiao replied.
« Oh, things ARE about to get crazy! The show is about to begin! » Angel smirked, as he looked at the window.
Thousands of Xiao Lanterns, alongside the Mingxiao Lantern, were now floating into the sky.
Several of them even spotted some decorations that belonged to either the Overlords or the Cannibals.
Even the demons at the Hotel released their own lanterns
It was truly an incredible sight.
« What a view, ain't it? » Millie commented.
« Yeah. And all of those Lanterns contain a wish. » Moxxie smiled, before widening his eyes. « Oh, shit! Princess, did you get to write your wish to the Mingxiao Lantern? »
« I sure did. » Charlie smiled sadly. « Here's hoping that it works…»
« Don't worry, honey. We'll find them. » Vaggie reassured her.
« Besides, they're FINE. We're talking about Lucifer here! The only threat to him is either a Femboy god or an old man looking for retirement…» Pentious added casually.
« What did you just call Rex Lapis, little prick? » Xiao shot back angrily.
« Uh…» before Pentious could reply, Cherri jumped on a DJ post.
« All right, fellas! Time to add even more spices to this kickass festival! Get ready to party ALL. NIGHT. LONG! » Cherri exclaimed, as she begun to play Disco Music.
« Not to worry, your highness! The noise and lights won't disturb the inhabitants of Liyue! I've made several little gadgets to prevent that! » Pentious said to Charlie.
« Good call. » Vaggie replied.
« Well, my boy! Now that you've enjoyed the festival, you can go now! » Alastor turned towards Xiao.
« …On second thoughts…I might stay for a while…» Xiao replied, as he begun to dance to the rhythm of the music, before darting to the centre of the room, impressing everyone with his mad dancing skills.
Something that did not go unnoticed with Shenhe.
« …Nifty. » she turned towards the small demon.
« Yes crazy rope? » Nifty asked.
« Knife. »
« Okay! »
After Nifty handed the knife to Shenhe, she cut her ropes, and joined Xiao on the dance floor, much to everyone's shock.
« So does Disco Music give her control of her emotions even without the rope? » Blitzo asked.
« Y'know what? I'm not even questioning it! » Charlie replied, as she joined the two.
« Oh, fuck it, let's get this party started! » Blitzo exclaimed, as he and the rest of the demons joined the dance.
Xxxxxxx
Many thanks to Inanna for many of the suggestions for this chapter.
I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Please review so I can know your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions for what is going to happen, so stay tuned! Also, remember to like and follow, if you want!
See you to the next update!