After going over a few things with Sangonomiya Kokomi, Ye Xi returned to the Serenitea Pot.
Before he left, Kokomi invited him to come visit Watatsumi Island sometime, and he agreed.
Ye Xi also hadn't forgotten what he'd promised Arataki Itto earlier.
So he sent Dehya into the forests of Inazuma to catch a few Onikabuto. Dehya had nerves of steel and wasn't the least bit squeamish about it. Dunyarzad, on the other hand, was another story.
The moment she heard the word "bugs," she wanted nothing to do with any of it and hurried back home alongside Ye Xi. Lumine and Paimon came back with them too.
As for Raiden Ei, Yae Miko, and the others, they still had to stay in Inazuma a while longer.
After all, something that momentous had just happened, and the people needed reassuring.
And just like that, the whole morning was gone. By the time they got back, it was already afternoon.
Ye Xi's stomach had been growling for a while, and Paimon was so hungry she lay draped over Lumine's shoulder without the strength to lift her head.
Dunyarzad threw together a simple lunch: Sweet Madame, Sumeru style.
They'd been eating Xiangling's Liyue cooking almost every day lately, so a Sumeru-flavored meal now and then made a very welcome change.
Once he'd eaten his fill, Ye Xi was just thinking about a nap when a figure came racing in from outside in a blind panic.
"Bad news! Something's happened!"
Ye Xi looked up at the shout and saw Keqing hurrying toward him, her face grim.
He was genuinely curious. What could possibly go wrong in Liyue?
The business in the Dark Sea was already settled, and Zhongli was holding down Liyue Harbor. There shouldn't be a single thing that could go wrong.
"What is it?"
Keqing hesitated, then made herself say it. "Klee, she..."
"Klee!?" Ye Xi sat bolt upright.
The moment he heard Klee's name, he couldn't afford to take it lightly.
Klee was everyone's darling. If anything happened to that little girl, Alice would tear the world apart!
"Klee's been kidnapped by one of the Fatui Harbingers!" Keqing explained.
"Hm?" Ye Xi wasn't alarmed in the slightest, only puzzled.
What did the Fatui want with Klee, out of the blue? There was no connection between the two of them. Why go to the trouble of bothering her?
"The truth is, there's been a Fatui Harbinger stationed in Liyue Harbor this whole time."
"He runs the Northland Bank here in Liyue Harbor. He's the last of the Fatui Harbingers, and he goes by Childe."
"These past few days he's kept showing up at the General Affairs Office and the Yuehai Pavilion, wanting to see you."
"But Ningguang and I turned him away every time."
"Today Klee came along with us to play in Liyue Harbor, and on the way, Childe stopped us."
"He said something about inviting Klee to the Northland Bank to play, and that you'd have to come collect her yourself."
Hearing Keqing out, Ye Xi understood at once. He knew Childe well enough.
That man wasn't like The Doctor. They'd never met face to face yet, but Tartaglia wouldn't hurt a child. He had a little brother and sister of his own and doted on them shamelessly. He'd hardly pose a threat to a girl as adorable as Klee.
This was almost certainly just an attempt to arrange a meeting, and in all likelihood he'd been sent to pass along the Tsaritsa's wishes. It had been a long time now, and after he'd wrecked the Fatui's plans back in Sumeru, there was no way the Tsaritsa hadn't heard about it.
At that thought he stood up and said reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'll go have a look."
With that, Ye Xi followed Keqing to Liyue Harbor.
The moment they stepped out of the Jade Chamber, he saw Ningguang pacing her office, unease showing on her face.
Spotting Ye Xi, she came over at once. "I've already had the Millelith surround the Northland Bank in secret. That Fatui Harbinger is still inside. There's no way he's getting out."
Ye Xi nodded. "He only wants a chat with me. There's no need to call out the troops."
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