At the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor a woman with a well-pronounced personality and carrying a pyro vision wondered where her consultant could be, before at this time of day, he would have already arrived, because Zhongli was a punctual man, and this worried her a little, but she laughed more than anything else.
She was walking down the street to try to see him, first at the tea room to find out if he was there, but she couldn't find anyone, so she asked a few passers-by if he had seen him and people answered negatively.
After about three quarters of an hour, she ventured to the outskirts of the city, seeing in the distance the "old" man talking with three people, including the bard she had last seen during the Lantern Rite, with whom she shared some poems, but also with two other people. A woman with purple hair and clothes from Inazuma and she could not prevent her from being jealous at the sight of her prominent assets, as well as a little girl with white and green hair.
"This is undoubtedly Zhongli's acquaintances… But I don't understand what takes him so long... If we were going to have a little fun... A small joke doesn't kill anyone, and if so, I would offer them good burials and a half-price coffin... He he... "
Hu Tao was approaching them, enough to be able to listen to the conversation and surprise at the right time, but not too much so that she could not be spotted by Zhongli, because he was used to her silly but endearing jokes.
"Perfect, let's see what they're talking about... "
She saw the four people with a rather sad and concentrated face, as if there was a dead person or something like that, but did not pay too much attention to it and focussed on their dialogue:
"How are we going to find him?" asked the bard with an fake Anemo vision.
"That's a good question. According to Xiao, he was at Aozang Mountains, but that was yesterday. In my opinion, he has been gone for a long time." said the funeral director.
"I don't know, but we can always check, it's not like we don't have something to lose." replied the little white-haired girl.
"It's true what Nahida says. All I want is to find Aether and tell him how sorry I am." exclaimed the Inazuman purple-haired woman.
In the bushes, Hu Tao spoke to herself, as if to confirm what Ei said:
"They're looking for Aether, it must be his other friends, probably. But why does this woman want to apologise? And why are they looking for him?"
The conversation continued, even if the Electro Archon once again had a sad look:
"You have nothing to do with it, Ei, we have already told you several times."
"I know, Nahida, but I can't remove this guilt as if nothing had happened."
"Well, it's true that it's not easy. I think I myself feel remorse for him."
"You too, Zhongli? " asked Venti, who had been warned by the Geo Archon, as well as the other deities that when they were in town, they should not be called by their Archon name.
"Yes, indeed, I would have liked to give him more information about his sister, but the contracts prevent me from it."
"I understand. I too didn't help him much, and it grieves me a lot. And now, our friend is in bad sheets. I can't believe that the strongest of us is the one who cracked under pressure, and it hurts me terribly. "
Hu Tao asked herself a lot of questions, "How could Zhongli help Aether find his sister? ", "What's the problem for them all to be sad? ", and above all she wondered why Aether would be in danger. If there was someone she didn't think she would worry about one day, it was the Traveler.
"I had noticed it in Sumeru, and I didn't want to know more because I found it too intrusive to read his thoughts and that I respected his privacy, but I didn't do anything. After all that he has done for all of us, he does not deserve to have lost any form of tolerance and to push himself to live as a hermit until he finds his sister. It is our fault if Aether is unbalanced for the moment and it is up to us to do everything to make him feel better."
"You're right, there's no point in languishing. Let's get Paimon and go to the Aozang Mountains to see what's going on." declared Zhongli.
"Good. By the way, where is Paimon?"
"She eats at the Wanmin restaurant, I told her to regain strength. The poor girl was so sad that I wanted her to get better. "
Hu Tao did not really understand what was happening, and why Paimon was with them and to a certain extent, why the little fairy travelled alone, while she always accompanied the Traveler. She felt something wrong and Nahida's words had not reassured her when she talked about mental disorder. She thought it was a temporary crisis at first, but given their words, they turned out that it was much more than that, and she went to follow them to their destination. Anyway, she wanted to know more about Aether's condition, and Zhongli had decided not to work all day, so it was the most profitable option for her.
After recovering Paimon and going north of Liyue, which took a long time, about the end of the afternoon, when the sky began to project orange clearings that they arrived at the right place. The road was quite silent, because everyone was thinking about all these events and everything Paimon had told the night before. As for Hu Tao, she was always careful not to get caught, and managed rather well not to be noticed, even if the fact that the Archons and Paimon were not in the best of their emotional condition helped the brunette woman a lot not to be spotted.
Arriving at their destination, they were all quite stunned by the inventory, in the same way as Yelan the night before. Zhongli had a clenched fist, seeing his land being a mortified place, the blood was widely present on the ground, even if it had dried. He understood, along with the others, that he had not gone there with a dead hand and that the blonde man was very angry.
He could not stand to see one of the quietest places in his nation undergo such a change of scenery, but he was more angry than anyone for not having made enough effort to help him. As for the other Archons and the little fairy, said nothing except sounds of astonishment and amazement in front of this carnage.
Even hidden, Hu Tao made no exception, and did not believe what had happened. She wondered what kind of monster could destroy everything in her path and who could stop her. From her point of view, she saw the bodies in small pieces and in a bad condition, and very little difference could be made. She knew that there were monsters among those killed, but she saw humans, and even if she knew that there were bad people in the area, she didn't think it was so bloody. In a way, she felt sorry for them and wanted to offer them a decent burial.
The Archons and Paimon approached the corpses to check the condition more precisely, wishing that Aether was not the one who was so violent. They saw on a decimated body a Fatui badge, signalling that this person was human, as well as an opening at the heart that corresponded more or less to that of a sword, which confirmed their suspicions. They did not expect the Traveler to be able to kill shamelessly.
"So it's him... Xiao was not lying..." whispered Nahida, stunned by the damage the Traveler had caused.
"It's much more serious than we thought. Aether is really in a very unstable state... To think that he could kill in this way... " added Venti, equally dumbfounded.
Hu Tao made a small exclamation of astonishment that made Nahida feel her ears vibrate, but thought it was only wind. She had almost blew her cover, but quickly pulled herself together and sighed with relief before being surprised again at the person who had committed all this. She whispered to herself, as if it were something impossible and that she did not believe it, with a nervous laugh:
"It is not possible that Aether did this... They're talking nonsense... Aether only kills monsters, and then it's not his fighting style... "
She was afraid to understand what was happening, but the discoveries about her friend will be fatal to her, the conversation between the five people in front of her being the reason for her stupor.
"I don't know what to think... It's beyond me..." exclaimed Ei, at a loss for words.
"Paimon doesn't feel well in this place... Paimon didn't think Aether was so mad... If only Paimon had left with him instead of continuing to eat thinking that he would come back..."
"There is no point in languishing now, if we do nothing it could be worse." said Nahida while trying not to focus on the disastrous environment.
"What do you mean by that, Nahida?" asked Venti.
"First of all, Aether can no longer stand anything at the moment, and the more we leave him in autonomy, the more he will have a distrust of everyone, which will make any discussion with him quite difficult. In addition, look at what he has done on a single region, in my opinion the level of danger has dropped drastically, but also the number of living beings, which makes this region quite deserted. I know that some monsters are beneficial to eliminate, but avoiding destroying the ecosystem is important to preserve the country's resources. And seen at the speed at which he left, he could well do this on all nations. But that's not what worries me because biodiversity could adapt to this change."
"And what, in your opinion, is the major problem?"
"Well, Aether is in a state that is actually very normal compared to all the information we have, but the problem is related to the power and strength it has, as well as its popularity. If everyone learned that the great hero who saved four nations is beginning to hate the people of this world and want to go in the wrong direction, it is very likely that many people will join him out of admiration for him and because he is very strong."
"You say this as if he was going to be a villain or something like that."
"That's exactly where I want to go, Venti. Why wouldn't he go to the dark side? He would have every reason to be there. He is strong enough to manage on his own, he is starting to have more than enough of where he is, he is mentally exhausted with all the adventures he has had and his sister is literally in the enemy camp. He could just as well join his sister, because after all that's his goal. The reason he didn't go is because he wanted to put her back on the right track. And without taking this parameter into account, he could be like a lone wolf and take advantage of this to create something worse."
"Don't you think you're going a little too far? I know that you are very intelligent and that thinking rationally is your trademark, but it makes a little too many dangerous outcomes."
"No, for the good reason that we must prepare for all eventualities. I know that the last options are hard to believe, especially when we talk about Aether but creating this kind of massacre clearly shows proof that he must be saved from himself and his bad vision of things as soon as possible. It's our fault, and we must fix it while there is still time."
"ENOUGH! "
Zhongli, Venti, Paimon and Nahida turned to the person who shouted this, and it was Ei. She could not stand to hear all these bad ideas that Aether could take a bad inclination. She knew that she could act childishly sometimes, but it really hurt her head. Even Hu Tao, behind the trees and bushes, was surprised by this radical change in behavior, when she was just as upset to learn that Aether was not doing very well in a way that could cause Teyvat to be in a bad position.
The Electro Archon saw everyone's eyes focussed on her, and she felt that she had attracted attention, but continued to scream, as a tear escaped from her right eye to flow on her cheek and she was still angry:
"You talk about Aether, you know! You have forgotten everything he has done for you! At this time, if he were not there, you would all be in great danger, as well as your respective countries, and I am knowledgable, because he also helped me! And there, you treat him as if he were a bad person, or an enemy who wants to harm the inhabitant of Teyvat! I would understand, in his place, that we talk about him in this way, and that he does unsavory things! "
She calmed down a little when she saw the darkened faces of her friends, who understood that they had made a mistake in judging him this way, but continued what she meant.
"Listen, I know it's hard and I understand that you were thinking about everything that could happen. But from Aether we are talking about, he had nothing to gain by helping everyone, but he was still helping. He is the most altruistic person I know, and you know it as well as I do, and he has always taken care of everyone, even though he knew himself that he was not mentally well. All this, to look for his sister, when we couldn't even give her information, and you're telling me that this same person would take control of the continent or something like that! Look you in the face, you don't even believe it too... "
Raiden Ei was not the kind of person to give speeches, or even defend someone, but she could not hear people defile the name of the one who freed her from his chains and made her see a new vision of eternity less narrow than before. But an unexpected noise distracts their minds for a moment.
"Yes, she's right!"
"Eh... Hu Tao?" declared Zhongli, surprised to see his boss here.
Hu Tao had started to discover, unable to bear to hear all this anymore. At first, she thought it was a joke and that she had probably been noticed, but she understood very quickly and by their darkened expressions that what he said about the Traveler from nowhere was true. The more explanations were, the more her heart hurt, and the accusations mixed with Ei's enthusiasm to defend the one she considered a great friend was more than necessary to trigger lively emotions in the 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, while she had a sad face.
"This woman is right, why are you talking about him this way? Aether would never do anything wrong! I have no idea what's going on, but I'm sure one thing is that it's going wrong. And I will do everything to help her no matter what happens...", she says before sobbing softly, contrasting with her joviality."
"Director Hu Tao..." replied Zhongli, who no longer cared about how she had arrived.
"How could you have thought for a second that he could do this kind of thing, Zhongli..."
"We were thinking... We didn't mean that..."
"So why did you say that? she said while she pointing at Nahida, who apologized deeply.
"-I was just looking for a direct consequence to who could happen. But this is an idea he could have had as a last resort, I know that Aether would not do that, after all this time spent with him."
"If you were really close to him, wherever you really cared about him, you would know that even if he were angry, he would never have thought of something like that."
Nahida felt sorry and hurt, and the thing that hurt her the most was what she said. Venti and Ei had already made the remark to her before, and she felt something in her heart that she did not appreciate at all. This sentence that had been constantly repeated to her, that she was too rational and that she said things as if she had no affiliation or friendly relationship with Aether, when it was totally false. She considered Aether as her big brother, who had shown him how social relationships and human society work, who had helped him more than once, who had shown him the value of life by avoiding sacrificing herself, and he really appreciated her company. She had kept this to herself, but like Ei before, and like Venti the day before, she cracked under pressure, no longer tolerable being mocked at the way she saw Aether.
While remaining more or less calm, she took a serious look, looking Hu Tao in the eyes, and even if she began to cry, she clarified things:
"You're wrong... And you are all wrong... I try as much as I can to stay marble because crying would be useless at this moment, and I didn't want to waste time finding it. I understand that as a friend of Aether, you care about him, but please stop saying that I don't care about him. "
Nahida put her hand on her heart, trying to control her emotions, and continued:
"I'm just as sad as you, and just thinking about what I said, it disturbs me... I know he has a very meagre chance that he will end this way, but I can't rule out any option... If I try to think about everything that can happen, it's also because I don't want to think about all the suffering he accumulates, I want to save him as he saved me, and I don't do that just because I have debts to him, it's also because he's my friend... No, he's a big brother to me, he taught me so much, and above all, he taught me after all these years to smile and enjoy life... "
Tears appeared on Dendro Archon's face, and Hu Tao gradually understood that she was not lying, and she felt guilty for accusing and insulting someone she did not know and who she had spied on.
"I want him to smile again, he is a prisoner of all the bad energy and bad thoughts he has stored for all this time and I blame myself for having seen this and for not having been able to do anything to help him... So, please, don't add me more burdens please... After all, we are all in the same camp, we all want only one thing, to save our friend. "
Nahida tried as best she could to wipe her tears, as Hu Tao approached her, and bowed to her, feeling guilty and seeing that the situation was much more serious than she thought.
"I don't know your name, but I'm sincerely sorry I made you cry, I didn't know."
"Nahida..."
"What?"
"Call me Nahida..."
"So, sorry Nahida, I didn't want to torment you, it's just that learning that something serious happened to Aether upset me."
"It doesn't matter..."
"We too are sorry. "
Hu Tao and Nahida turned towards the other three Archons and Paimon. The other four people looked guilty for cracking the most competent person in their group. Venti spoke first, because he knew that his accusation of the previous night had marked him.
"Listen, it's true that what I said yesterday was not nice, but the truth is that I admired your tenacity against the pressure. And I was ashamed not to have contributed too much while you were making the most effort to understand what he was going through."
"It doesn't matter Venti, I know it wasn't for a bad purpose, and that it's the normal reaction to do, but all I wanted was to move forward as quickly as possible. But Ei was right, thinking about bad things will be useless except to scare us, and it's Aether that we're talking about."
"You're probably right. In any case, if we manage to do anything for him, and get him out of the wrong slope, I would stop drinking except at parties."
"Paimon would like to see this, tone deaf bard! I warn you, Paimon will tell all Mondstadt once we have saved Aether."
"No problem Paimon, I want to fulfill my promise. After all, it was also because of my inability to stop drinking instead of helping him that we arrived at this point. And I only want one thing now, to help him as he helped my country." he said with a sincere tone, really thinking what he says, which impressed Zhongli and Paimon.
"In any case, I would like to help you." asked Hu Tao, surprising Zhongli, not wanting her to get hurt if things didn't go according to plan.
"Director, what we are going to do is not easy. Are you sure of that?"
"Zhongli, you know the answer very well... Aether is a very good friend of mine and I want him to get better too. And I want to do something, not just stand idly by while waiting for you." she replied seriously, Zhongli seeing her boss's determination, while knowing the feelings she had towards the Traveler, and half-smiling.
"I was expecting this answer. Don't you mind if she accompanies us?"
"No problem for Paimon, the more we are, the more we laugh."
"This is not a problem for me." answered Venti.
"To me too." said Ei.
"Nice to meet you. " replied Nahida, delighted to meet a new acquaintance.
Hu Tao smiled at everyone's acceptance and her joyful look returned to the centre of the stage. She wiped the last traces of her tears before thanking them, and they had all seen how much she wanted to show her interest in saving the Traveler.
"Thank you all, and sorry for spying on you. I introduce myself since I did not, Hu Tao, 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and boss of your friend Zhongli, as well as great friend of Aether as well as poet, rapper and jokester in my spare time. Nice to meet you. "
She tease her tongue and made a false military salute with her hand, showing how eccentric she was. The others were a little surprised by this rather strong personality, while Paimon and Zhongli looked at each other from the corner of their eyes with the same thought in their heads: "We will not change Hu Tao, and so much the better. "
This is how the research group grew, while the quest to find it was still dangerous, but with an extra ally, maybe it would be better.
I hope you enjoyed this new chapter with Hu Tao and how she perceives all of this.
Also, another detail I noticed while playing, in relation to the beginning of the story, at each new world quest, when someone asks him for help, Aether (or Lumine, depending on which Traveler you chose) will directly ask for payment first or not want to help that person for free, something he didn't say at the beginning of the story.
This is a point I wanted to talk because these are simple sentences in the dialogue, but you can subtly see how the Traveler's behavior starts and continues to change.
On that note, until next time.