"Did you hear? Rex Lapis has passed…"
"Sigh… why so suddenly…"
"Could the Qixing be involved?"
"Don't talk nonsense. How could the Qixing harm the Lord of Geo?"
"I heard the Fatui Harbingers have been coveting the power of the gods from every nation. Could it be—"
"Shh. Not for us to discuss. Let's wait for word from the Qixing."
…
Leaving Liuli Pavilion, Su Xuan could hear the street whispers, all guessing at the cause of the Archon's "death." Yet he had to admit—Liyue's people were resilient. Even with such news, they continued their routines with orderly calm. No panic, no chaos—at least, not outwardly.
"Old man, truly something—retiring by dying." Venti smacked his lips, very satisfied with the meal and even more with the wine.
Su Xuan chuckled. "Poet, you should show yourself and play a hymn to the Archon's past merits. Might earn a tidy sum. Worst case, perform at the Send-Off Rite and charge an appearance fee."
Venti's eyes lit up. He turned to Zhongli. "How about it, old man? Su Xuan's idea is excellent."
Zhongli only shook his head, helpless. "Come now, friend. Don't make sport of me."
As they bantered, his gaze slipped to Su Xuan's empty belt. When no one was looking, Zhongli's fingers moved; a moment later, a warm golden jade rested in his palm.
"Su Xuan," he said evenly, "I noticed your belt looked bare. Before we part, accept this jade pendant as a token."
He had asked Venti to accompany him mainly to meet Su Xuan properly and to sound out the man's true thoughts about Teyvat—especially after seeing that Starship fly toward the Jade Chamber. After a long, pleasant meal, Zhongli found no malice in Su Xuan toward Liyue and finally set his heart at ease.
"Oho, this is exquisite." Venti leaned in, appraising. "Worth a fortune if you sold it. But I still say—hang a wine gourd at your waist. Much more practical."
Su Xuan: "…"
Of course. The drunkard's answer.
Ignoring the teasing, Su Xuan accepted the pendant and fastened it to his belt. Then he drew out the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror and gave Zhongli a casual sweep. "Courtesy for courtesy. Thanks for the jade, Consultant Zhongli."
"I'll head home first," he added, waving off both the dumbstruck Zhongli and the grinning Venti, and turned toward his Yujing Terrace mansion.
Walking, he began jotting into the diary:
[On the grand day of the Rite, Rex Lapis asked Barbatos to accompany him and treated me at Liuli Pavilion.]
[He told me he truly intends to step down—no longer to guide Liyue's people, but to return all initiative to them.]
[He'll be like the adepti in the mountains—guarding in secret.]
[But before Liyue fully enters Human Rule, he's left a test for the harbor: to handle disaster and to draw the adepti and Qixing closer together.]
[Once adeptus and mortal stand together and weather the crisis, he'll "send dreams" to the relevant people to explain the fake death.]
—
Yujing Terrace.
Paimon and Lumine looked at Ningguang and Keqing.
"See?" Paimon tapped the page. "Boss already gave you the next steps. No need to worry about a falling-out between adepti and mortals now."
But the two Qixing didn't look relieved.
Keqing murmured, "What kind of test would force us to stand together?"
Ningguang shook her head. "I don't know…"
The diary turned the page for them:
[As for the test—amusing, really. He plans to use the Fatui's hand to unseal Osial.]
[Let the adepti and the Qixing join forces to repel it.]
Ningguang: "?"
Back at Jueyun Karst, Cloud Retainer slipped on landing. "Who—wants us to fight Osial side by side with the Qixing!?"
"Is this a joke? Osial once vied with the Lord of Geo himself."
She launched back into the air at once, winging toward Liyue Harbor.
The diary scrolled on, almost cheerfully:
[Between us, the old man has far better manners than Barbatos.]
[We entered Liuli Pavilion; he asked what I'd like. I said, 'Anything.']
[He nodded and told the server: 'Bring everything on the menu, and all the wines.']
[Barbatos was delighted. Two rulers who couldn't scrape together a single Mora… treating me… to everything.]
[When the bill came, Morax said calmly:]
['Charge it to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.']
Hu Tao: "?"
[Not that expensive—what, a hundred- to two-hundred-thousand Mora? A trifle to a Parlor that's lasted seventy-seven generations. Certainly not enough to bankrupt them.]
Across Liyue, jaws dropped.
They had long learned from the diary that the creator of Mora never carried any himself. But why did Wangsheng get the bill? What was the connection?
"Zhongli!?" Hu Tao froze.
Beside her, Xiangling blinked. "Why does Su Xuan say the bill's on your Parlor, Boss Hu? Does the Archon have ties to Wangsheng?"
"No way…" Hu Tao's plum-blossom eyes rounded. "The one who's been stacking bills on us—our Consultant, Zhongli…"
"His real identity isn't…the Lord of Geo?"
"And one meal costs that much? I'm out there rain or shine pulling clients—how is this fair?"
Xiangling: "He is the Lord of Geo…"
Hu Tao fumed, hands on hips. "Even so!"
—
Back at the terrace, Ningguang and Keqing traded glances.
"So that's why Wangsheng's consultant knew everything," Ningguang said softly. "He was Rex Lapis himself."
"You mean the tall one with black hair tied back, like Su Xuan's, the one who came with the bard?" Lumine asked.
Both nodded. "Him."
"Then it's settled," Paimon said. "The guest with the troubadour was him."
Ningguang exhaled, eyes narrowing with resolve. "In that case, Su Boss's meeting with the Archon is done. I can seek him now."
"I'll go with you," Keqing offered—only for Ningguang to stop her. "Too many people will hurt more than help. This time, I'll go alone."
"If the Archon means to loose Osial as our test, we have much to prepare. Keqing—handle the after-work. I'll find Su Boss and try to secure his aid. We split up."
She looked to Lumine and Paimon. Her eyes said the rest: Please—don't follow. Let me have a private audience.
The two exchanged a tilt of the head. Liyue's troubles were piling up, and Ningguang's personal stakes were peaking. She was clearly ready to risk everything.
"Perfect—we're free anyway," Lumine told Keqing with a smile. "If you need help, we'll assist you."
Keqing blinked. "…Then I'll trouble you."
"Thank you," Ningguang said, relief in her voice. "I'll go to Su Boss now."
Reading and walking, she headed toward Liuli Pavilion, aiming for a face-to-face.
The diary, meanwhile:
[Truth is, the process of shifting Liyue into Human Rule is simple.]
[After Morax's 'death', the Fatui Eleventh—Childe, Tartaglia—was the most confused.]
[He never even saw Morax, and Morax was already 'dead'?]
[Smart, though—he respected Liyue's customs. If there's a Rite of Descension, there must be a Send-Off Rite.]
[So he sought out Wangsheng's consultant to arrange it—buying the "immortal's husk."]
[He spent millions of Mora and finally learned the husk was in the Golden House.]
[He thought it worth the price—and that the consultant had no guard up.]
[But when he got to the Golden House, the "husk" was a fake—no Gnosis to be found.]
[Only then did he realize he'd been played; Morax wasn't dead at all.]
[In a rage—and to complete the Tsaritsa's mission—Tartaglia unleashed Osial to force Morax to reveal himself.]
[Instead, he took the blame for releasing Osial.]
[In the end, with Ningguang sacrificing the Jade Chamber, Liyue passed the test.]
[Losses: Ningguang's Jade Chamber, Tartaglia's millions of Mora.]
[Osial suppressed; Wangsheng's performance spiked.]
[A merry chain of events, all told—no tragic ending.]
[Oh, and when we parted, Morax mentioned he was off to meet an 'important client' today. I'd bet it's Tartaglia.]
Hu Tao's eyes glittered. "Our consultant is amazing—fleeced a Fatui Harbinger for millions! In that case, I won't gripe about him charging Su Xuan's meal to us."
Xiangling: "…"
On the street, Ningguang paused mid-stride, then shook her head with a helpless smile. She'd just been amused at the Harbinger being led in circles—then Su Xuan's next lines nearly made her back spasm.
"My Jade Chamber… gone?"
In a blink, she pictured the scene. Against Osial, without the Archon's power, even adepti and mortals combined would be outmatched. With no choice left, she would ram the Jade Chamber into the beast—perish together to save the harbor.
"Sacrificing the Jade Chamber to save Liyue Harbor…" she whispered.
The Jade Chamber meant as much to her as Mora; it was her years of work—her ideals, given form. But if the choices were Mora, Jade Chamber, or Liyue Harbor—she would choose Liyue without hesitation.
"Unless…" Her gaze lifted—to the man approaching from the far end of the street.
If he were willing to act, not only could the Jade Chamber be saved… perhaps—
Ningguang hurried forward, a bright smile settling into place.
Su Xuan stopped as she approached. "Tianquan Ningguang?"
Her lips curved. "Before you, I don't dare use the title 'Tianquan.' Su Boss, may I offer a personal invitation to the Jade Chamber? There is an urgent matter… for which I humbly ask your aid for Liyue."
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL