Beneath the false sky, stars shifted and wheeled as the temperature in Liyue Harbor dipped slightly. Yet the festive spirit only grew stronger. By day, every street teemed with crowds. By night, lantern shows, night markets, and fireworks went on until dawn.
The locals knew all this was only the prelude. The true peak of the New Year's atmosphere would come when the city grew so clogged that carriages couldn't pass, when people moved like a slow tide, and when the lanterns floating into the sky equaled the fireworks bursting above and the stars beyond.
Just as the people of Shenzhou had their own unique customs in the last weeks of the twelfth lunar month, so too did Liyue.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the similarities between the two festivals perfectly mirrored the thought 'holidays always stir homesickness'. And yet, celebrating a New Year here in another world that felt so much like home brought a faint warmth.
With Shenhe, his temporary and inseparable companion, at his side, Victor Wang immersed himself in Liyue with complicated feelings.
The twenty-third day of the twelfth month was for worshipping Morax, the God of the Hearth.
Legend said that Liyue's ancestors kindled fire by striking stones and built stoves from rock—both gifts of Geo. Thus, the honorific "God of the Hearth" was beyond question for the people of Liyue.
On this day, they also ate sesame candy. But unlike in Shenzhou, they weren't trying to stick shut the God of the Hearth's mouth. Rather, it was to recall bitterness and savor sweetness.
Eating a bar of dark, faintly bitter sesame candy, offering three sticks of incense to Rex Lapis in his guise as the God of the Hearth, and reflecting on the gains and losses of the past year symbolized readiness to welcome the year ahead.
The twenty-fourth was for worshipping Morax, the God of Exploration.
Legend said that guided by unyielding spirit and Rex Lapis' protection, Liyue's ancestors survived countless migrations in the chaos of millennia past, until at last Liyue Harbor was founded.
Even today, with no more land to settle, families scrubbed their homes spotless. It honored the spirit of exploration, but also symbolized renewal: sweeping away last year's dust to welcome the New Year with a fresh face.
The twenty-fifth was for worshipping Morax, the God of History.
Legend said… well, there was no legend. History was simply ongoing. The present would become history in turn. Rex Lapis himself was living history. Whenever children asked how many years he had lived in this world, the adults could only answer vaguely: "A long, long time…"
Even if his story had broken this year, his historical weight remained unmatched across the Seven Nations. Yet the death of the Archon was destined to enter history's stage.
History also meant culture. On this day, every art of Liyue was honored with the brightest stage. But one day was far too short. Liyue's heritage was too vast. The Qixing had no choice but to give priority to endangered traditions, ensuring they survived into the new year. All other arts, from this day until the first full moon of the year, would also receive support.
The twenty-sixth was for worshipping Morax, the God of Wealth.
The titles "God of Wealth," "God of Commerce," and "God of Precious Gold" were the most widely known outside of "God of Contracts." For he had forged the very first Mora, ushered in the birth of currency, and promoted the growth of trade. Merchants across Teyvat and everyone who used money acknowledged this legacy.
On this day began Liyue's final and grandest trade fair before year's end, lasting three days.
It was worth noting that the title "God of Commerce" was not used, for in the warm atmosphere of New Year, "commerce" sounded too cold. Instead, that epithet was moved to the fifth day of the first month.
The twenty-seventh was for worshipping Morax, the God of War.
Among warriors, Millelith soldiers, opera lovers, and children, no title was more exciting than the God of War—the one who swept through demon armies, founded and safeguarded Liyue.
Others might not see it that way, but the day still birthed a custom: every household slaughtered poultry or livestock, selling or buying them at the year's liveliest market. A symbol of the blood and courage flowing in their veins.
Of course, in practice, it was also because food for New Year's Eve couldn't be bought at the last minute.
And on this very day, Victor Wang received Hu Tao's formal invitation to the "Spring Couplets Contest."
Formal or not, the faces were familiar: Xiangling, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Zhongli, Shenhe, Lumine, and Paimon. The only additions were Yun Jin and the poetry-loving Kaedehara Kazuha.
The twenty-eighth was for worshipping Morax, the God of Geo.
Legend said Rex Lapis had countless incarnations. On this day, people painted him in forms solemn, kindly, fierce, or auspicious, then pasted the images on their doors for blessings. On pillars, they hung couplets—called spring couplets—to match their wishes.
Naturally, the contest's theme was these couplets to be used tomorrow. At first, Victor Wang was startled by the many participants Hu Tao had dragged in. But once he heard the theme, he calmed at once.
He had seen countless spring couplets. Unlike poetry, they needed little careful crafting—just an auspicious meaning was enough.
Thus he became the "final boss" everyone else had to join forces to resist.
"Farewell to the old year with endless fortune, welcome the New Spring with endless joy, out with the old, in with the new; Blessings fill the hall with wealth, peace and prosperity last forever, welcome spring, receive fortune; Through ages of time, the land prospers, the realm shines anew, all things renewed;
Heaven grants more years, mankind more longevity, spring fills the world, blessings the door, peace year after year; Good fortune neighbors every home, peace and wealth fill every hall, lucky stars shine bright; With laughter and joy we greet the new year, gathered together in harmony, a family's happiness;
May fortune rise, wealth rise, careers rise, homes thrive, people thrive, careers thrive, success in all things; Build a great enterprise, flourish for millennia, open vast prospects, achieve new glory, grand ambitions; May careers prosper year after year, futures climb higher step by step, may wishes come true…"
"Argh! Why are you so strong?!"
"I didn't expect Mr. Wang to be not only skilled in writing but also so adept at poetry."
"Well, he is the one who wrote 'When blossoms are ready for the plucking, pluck them at once; wait too long, and no branch will bear a bloom'…"
"Zhongli! Why aren't you helping us?"
"He still has energy to spare. And even if I joined, I might not win. To beat him by numbers would lack honor. His calligraphy, however, still has much room for improvement."
"Uh…" Victor Wang scratched his head. His brushwork was average at best—better than Xingqiu's, but not by much.
Sensing his gaze, Xingqiu guiltily turned away. He'd been leaving the writing to Chongyun.
"True. The strokes lack vigor. And spring couplets should match New Year paintings. Calligraphy and painting both deserve a contest!"
At Hu Tao's words, Victor Wang, Xingqiu, and Chongyun all fell silent.
"Why aren't you painting yet? I'll paint a ferocious Emperor to ward off evil at the Funeral Parlor!"
Kazuha, unfamiliar with Liyue's customs, drew something off-topic. Shenhe's attempt wasn't much better. Xiangling and Paimon's abilities were limited. Hu Tao truly drew a version fiercer than any demon—like a black-bearded, glaring Zhang Fei. Only Yun Jin and Lumine produced decent results.
Zhongli, still refusing to pick up his brush, finally looked troubled under Hu Tao's urging, staring at the blank paper, struggling to picture what image of Rex Lapis he ought to draw…
The whole day passed in such cheerful bustle.
When the twenty-eighth came, Victor Wang eagerly helped both the Funeral Parlor and Wanmin Restaurant paste their spring couplets, savoring childhood memories of New Year. But Hu Tao, ever unwilling to lose, soon gathered the Bubblegum Squad plus Lumine and Shenhe. The new target—xiao lanterns.
Even Shenhe managed well enough this time. Only Lumine and Victor Wang, self-proclaimed "local of Liyue," were utterly outclassed.
"Hehe, there are all kinds of xiao lanterns. I'll start with the simplest design. Pay close attention."
"Floating stone shards, lantern paper, lamp wick—we've got plenty of materials. Just give it a try. You can even write wishes on the paper. But don't make them too outrageous. Someone might pick it up when the lantern falls."
"They… fall?!" Paimon seemed shocked.
"Of course! Otherwise, the sky of Liyue would've been filled with lanterns long ago."
Hu Tao spread her hands and explained matter-of-factly:
"A lantern rises thanks to the floating stone shard's buoyancy and the heat from the burning wick. Once the wick burns out, only the shard remains. The lantern slowly drifts down. Most land in the sea, but sometimes… someone finds one.
"There's even a legend: a pair of lovers who couldn't be together. During the Lantern Rite, each picked up the other's fallen lantern, and at last their misunderstandings broke, and they were united."
"Wow! Then maybe someone will see my wish and bring me Mora and food! That's way more exciting than just wishing!"
"Paimon, you can't always count on pies falling from the sky…"