The journey to Liyue Harbor was a descent from the rugged, untamed wilds into the sprawling, intricate heart of civilization. The dusty, rock-strewn paths of the Guili Plains gave way to smooth, stone-paved roads wide enough for three merchant caravans to pass abreast. The number of travelers swelled from a lonely trickle to a constant, flowing river of humanity. The air, once thick with the scent of wild grass and ancient stone, now carried the tantalizing aromas of exotic spices, roasting meats, and the crisp, salty tang of the sea.
For me, it was a profound and overwhelming culture shock. Mondstadt was a city of cozy, familiar spaces, of freedom expressed through its relaxed, almost communal atmosphere. Liyue Harbor was a colossus, a testament to millennia of ambition, commerce, and order. Grand, sweeping architecture with roofs of gold and terracotta climbed the very mountainsides, each building seeming to compete with its neighbors for prominence. The sheer scale of it was designed to make one feel small, a single cog in a magnificent, ever-turning machine.
Yelan navigated the bustling crowds with an effortless, fluid grace. She was a fish returned to the sea, her movements sure and certain. I, on the other hand, felt like a leaf caught in a raging current. The cacophony of sounds—merchants hawking their wares, sailors shouting in a dozen different dialects, the clang of a blacksmith's hammer, the distant tolling of a great bell—was a sensory assault.
"This is Chihu Rock," Yelan said, her voice easily cutting through the noise as she pointed to the great stone arches that formed the city's main entrance. "The domain of the merchants and the Millelith guard. Trade and security, the twin pillars of Liyue's prosperity."
She guided me through the winding, crowded streets, her presence acting as an invisible shield that parted the throng before us. We climbed the steep, stone staircases towards the upper districts. "Feiyun Slope, where the influential merchant guilds reside," she explained, gesturing towards a district of elegant, multi-storied buildings. "And above that, Yujing Terrace. The seat of the Qixing, the rulers of Liyue. The heart of all power in this nation."
Her tour was not for my benefit as a tourist; it was the briefing of an intelligence agent, orienting her new asset to the geography of power. Finally, she led me to a large, vibrant teahouse in a bustling part of the city. The sign read "Yanshang Teahouse." It was lively, filled with patrons enjoying tea and conversation. It seemed like the most normal place in the world.
Yelan ignored the main entrance, guiding me down a side alley to a discreet, unmarked door. Inside, the noise of the city vanished, replaced by a profound, secure silence. We were in a private, well-appointed suite of rooms—a sitting room, a bedroom, and a washroom. It was a safe house.
"Rest," she commanded, her tone all business. "Clean yourself up. There is a change of clothes in the wardrobe. My employer is a very busy woman. She does not appreciate being kept waiting, nor does she appreciate filth." She paused at the door. "I will return in two hours. Be ready."
She left, and I was alone for the first time since being found by Shenhe. The silence was a deafening roar. I walked to the washroom and looked at my reflection in the polished bronze mirror. I saw a stranger. A pale boy, his face smudged with dirt and streaked with dried blood. There were new scars on his arms and a haunted, weary look in his green eyes that did not belong on a fourteen-year-old. But beneath the exhaustion, there was a core of tempered steel. I had survived.
As the hot water of the bath washed away the grime of my journey, I took stock of my situation. I was about to meet the person who pulled Yelan's strings, likely one of the most powerful people in Liyue. I was walking into a negotiation from a position of extreme weakness. My only currency was the information I possessed, and the potential my strange powers represented. Before I faced her, I needed to understand the full scope of that potential myself.
I sat on the edge of the bed, closed my eyes, and for the first time in a long while, did a full, deep dive into my own System. I needed to see the whole picture, to understand the sleeping giant within me.
The Status screen appeared, its familiar blue light a comfort.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Host's Current Condition]
► Physical State: Moderately injured, severe exhaustion. Adrenaline reserves depleted.
► Magical State: Anemo Vision at 14% functionality. Internal Energy (Mana Burst) at 3%, recovery is slow.
► Mental State: Stressed but stable. Mental Fortitude has been enhanced by recent trials.
Then, I navigated to the core of it all. The source of my power, my pain, and my hope.
[CORE TEMPLATE: HEROIC SPIRIT - ARTHUR PENDRAGON (PROTOTYPE)]
► Synchronization Rate: 25.75%
► The legend of the King of Knights who wielded the holy sword to save his nation. A peerless leader and warrior who followed the path of justice.
I mentally scrolled down, past the skills I knew, to see the full, terrifying scope of my inheritance.
[CLASS SKILLS]
► Magic Resistance [Rank A]: Resistance to magical effects. Currently 2.1% Unlocked. (Passive effect has provided minor resistance to Abyssal corruption.)
► Riding [Rank B]: The ability to handle most vehicles and mounts. Currently 1.5% Unlocked. (Passive effect contributes to host's supernatural balance and coordination.)
[PERSONAL SKILLS]
► Instinct [Rank A]: The ability to instantly identify the 'best' course of action during combat. A form of precognition. Currently 22.5% Unlocked. (Has been functioning as a 'danger sense' and tactical analysis aid.)
► Mana Burst [Rank A]: The ability to infuse weapons and body with magical energy. Currently 4.1% Unlocked/Controlled. (High-risk, high-cost ability due to vessel immaturity.)
► Giant Beast Hunting [Rank A]: A skill that grants a significant advantage when facing giant or monstrous creatures. Currently 0.0% Unlocked. (Requires conscious activation or a suitable target to begin synchronization.)
My eyes widened. My "gut feelings," my ability to read battles—it wasn't just my gamer brain. It was Instinct, a true precognitive skill, slowly waking up. And Giant Beast Hunting... what would that even do? Give me an edge against the likes of Dvalin or Andrius? The potential was staggering. Then I scrolled to the final, most breathtaking section.
[NOBLE PHANTASMS (ALL CURRENTLY SEALED)]
► Invisible Air: Barrier of the Wind King [Rank C]
Description: A barrier of wind that renders the user's weapon invisible and can be released as a concussive blast. A versatile tool for both offense and defense.
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: 35% Synchronization Rate & High-Level Anemo Vision Mastery.]
► Excalibur Proto: The Sword of Promised Victory [Rank EX]
Description: The ultimate holy sword, a crystallization of humanity's wishes. Releases a devastating blast of pure, holy light that annihilates evil. The true power of a King.
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: 50% Synchronization Rate & Performance of 'A Deed of Worldly Salvation'.]
► Avalon Proto: The Everdistant Utopia [Rank EX]
Description: The scabbard of the holy sword, a Noble Phantasm that represents the unreachable domain of the fairies. Provides absolute defense and potent regenerative capabilities, shielding the user from all harm.
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: 60% Synchronization Rate & 'True Acceptance of Fate as King'.]
► Rhongomyniad Proto: The Lance that Shines to the End of the World [Rank A++]
Description: The holy lance that fastens the planet itself. A divine anchor that exists on a different plane of reality.
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: 70% Synchronization Rate & ???]
► Longinus: The Holy Lance of Destiny [Rank EX - ERROR]
Description: [Foreign Concept Integration - Data Corrupted]
[SEALED - Unlock Requirement: ???]
I stared at the list, my breath caught in my throat. It was all there. A full arsenal of world-ending, reality-defying powers, sleeping inside me. Excalibur. Avalon. The names alone were legends. But the requirements were immense, tied not just to my power level, but to my actions and my very identity. To unlock Excalibur, I had to save the world. To unlock Avalon, I had to accept my destiny as a King. This wasn't just a skill tree. It was a life path.
My brief, painful use of my power against the Ruin Guard had been a Rank E- simulation of Caliburn, a lesser holy sword. The power I had felt, the power that had vaporized an ancient war machine, was a pale, pathetic shadow of what I could one day become.
The knowledge was both exhilarating and terrifyingly heavy. This was my true value. This was the secret I had to protect at all costs.
Two hours later, Yelan returned. I was dressed in the clothes she had provided—simple, dark Liyue-style trousers and a white, high-collared shirt. They were practical and allowed for free movement. With my sword at my hip, I looked less like a knight and more like a wandering swordsman, an anonymous face in a city of millions.
"It's time," she said simply.
Our journey took us to the highest point of the city, the opulent district of Yujing Terrace. The air here was cleaner, the streets wider, the buildings grander. We were led not to an office, but to a private, elegant pavilion set in a manicured garden, overlooking the entire harbor.
A woman stood with her back to us, gazing out at the sea of ships below. She was tall and impossibly elegant, dressed in a magnificent gown of white and gold. A long, slender pipe rested in her hand. As we approached, she turned.
She was beautiful, but it was a beauty forged from power and intellect. Her eyes, the color of molten cor lapis, held the sharp, assessing gaze of a master strategist who saw the world as a giant game of chess. Her very presence radiated an aura of immense wealth and absolute authority. This was Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, the richest and most powerful woman in all of Teyvat.
"Lady Ningguang," Yelan said, offering a respectful bow.
Ningguang's sharp gaze left Yelan and settled on me. "So this is the little knight who has caused so much trouble," she said, her voice a smooth, melodic alto that held no warmth whatsoever. "You have brought a very dangerous story to my doorstep, Arthur of Mondstadt."
This was not an interrogation. It was an audit. She was assessing a potential asset, and I knew I had to prove my worth. I stood tall and met her gaze.
I gave my report. I spoke of the "Serpentine Eye," of the Abyss Lector, of the plot to corrupt the ley lines. I framed it not as a plea for aid for Mondstadt, but as a report on a mutual threat that had already violated Liyue's borders and threatened its stability. I was not a refugee asking for help; I was an agent offering vital, actionable intelligence. I was speaking her language.
She listened without interruption, her expression unreadable. When I finished, she took a long, slow draw from her pipe.
"The information you bring is valuable," she conceded, her eyes glinting. "It corroborates certain… whispers… my own networks have been investigating. An ancient Abyssal faction is indeed a threat to the prosperity and contracts of Liyue."
She then turned the full force of her analytical gaze on me. "You, however, are a liability. An undocumented foreign agent with an unknown, powerful ability. You are a loose variable in a very carefully balanced equation."
"I am also your single most valuable source of intelligence on this specific threat," I countered, my voice steady.
A slow, calculating smile spread across her face. It was the smile of a predator that had just cornered its prey. "That you are," she agreed. "Which is why we must formalize our arrangement. A contract, if you will."
She laid out her terms. I would be granted sanctuary within Liyue Harbor. I would be given lodging and a stipend sufficient for my needs. In return, I would become a temporary, deniable asset of the Qixing, under the direct supervision of Yelan. My sole focus would be to continue the investigation into the "Serpentine Eye," and all intelligence I gathered would be shared. I provide information and my unique skills; she provides security, resources, and a shield against the world.
It was a cage, but it was a gilded one. And it was my only option.
"I accept your terms," I said.
"Excellent," she said, the deal sealed. She took another draw from her pipe, her eyes never leaving mine. "One more thing, Arthur of Mondstadt," she added, her voice dropping slightly, becoming a quiet, chilling warning. "The 'golden light' that Yelan described… whatever its source, an art that consumes one's own life force is a desperate, inefficient tool. Power like that always comes with a price."
Her cor lapis eyes seemed to see right through me, to the sleeping king and the impossible arsenal I carried within.
"See that you can afford it."