[Location: Liyue Harbor – Yujing Terrace]
[Time: 7:00 PM]
The sun was setting, casting a blood-orange glow over the harbor. High above, the Jade Chamber floated like a second moon, an opulent symbol of wealth and gravity-defying magic.
A guide from the Moon Carver was waiting for us.
"To ascend, please step onto the lotus platform."
Aether and Paimon stepped on gingerly. The platform hummed.
I looked up. The distance was about 600 meters.
"Too slow," I muttered.
"Raiden?" Paimon blinked. "What are you—"
I crouched. [Steel Strength] activated. The stone tiles beneath my boots cracked slightly.
"I'll meet you up there. Don't keep the lady waiting."
BOOM.
I launched myself into the air. The wind roared in my ears. I didn't fly—I jumped. A pure display of kinetic energy. I soared past the slow-moving platform, flipping in mid-air as I cleared the edge of the floating palace.
I landed on the Jade Chamber's main promenade with a heavy thud, creating a small shockwave that fluttered the hem of a nearby secretary's dress.
Baishi, one of Ningguang's secretaries, dropped her clipboard. "H-How did you..."
I straightened my coat, dusting off invisible dirt. "Elevators are for mortals. Dragons take the express lane."
[Location: The Jade Chamber – Main Hall]
The interior was even more impressive than the exterior. Gold, rare wood, and the smell of old money.
At the center of the room sat Ningguang, the Tianquan. She was lounging on a chaise, smoking a pipe, looking every bit the queen of commerce.
Keqing stood by the window, looking out at the ocean. She turned as Aether and Paimon finally arrived (out of breath from the platform ride).
"Welcome," Ningguang's voice was like velvet wrapped around a dagger. "I have heard much about you. The Traveler from afar... and the 'Variant' who fixes Adepti machinery."
She looked at me. Her red eyes narrowed, analyzing.
"Raiden Ragnvaldr. A name that sounds both foreign and ancient. My spies tell me you created a milk that can simulate life for the undead. Intriguing."
"I dabble," I said, walking over to inspect a vase. "Nice place. Structurally sound, though your Plaustrite levitation core is vibrating at a slightly discordant frequency. If you don't calibrate it, this whole palace will list three degrees to the left in six months."
Ningguang paused. She exchanged a look with Keqing.
"He is as sharp as you said, Keqing."
Keqing crossed her arms, a faint smirk on her lips. "I told you. He sees the flow of energy differently."
"Very well," Ningguang stood up, walking toward her famous wall of papers. "I did not invite you here for engineering tips. I invited you because the Fatui are moving. And I despise pests in my garden."
She gestured to the wall.
"This represents the intelligence network of the Qixing. Choose one piece of paper. Consider it a gift."
Paimon's eyes turned into Mora signs. "Just one?"
Aether stepped forward to choose.
I stayed back, leaning against a pillar next to Keqing.
"So," I whispered to her. "When the fighting starts, what's the plan? The Millelith can't handle a God."
Keqing stiffened. "A God? You think the Fatui plan to summon...?"
"I smell it," I lied (it was Great Sage logic, not smell). "Ancient hydro energy. Salty. Rotten. Someone is trying to wake up something big under the Guyun Stone Forest."
Keqing gripped her sword hilt. "Osial... The Overlord of the Vortex." She looked at me, her eyes intense. "If that happens, Liyue will drown. We don't have the Archon anymore."
"You don't need an Archon," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "You have the Qixing. You have the Adepti. And... you have a Dragon on your payroll."
Keqing blinked. "Payroll? We haven't hired you."
"I'm expensive," I grinned. "But I accept payment in ancient lore, rare materials... and maybe dinner."
A faint blush dusted her cheeks. "Focus, Raiden. This is serious."
"I am serious. I'll handle the heavy hitting. You handle the logistics. Don't let the people panic."
Suddenly, [Great Sage] pinged in my head.
[Great Sage]
I pushed off the pillar.
"Ningguang!" I interrupted whatever riddle she was telling Aether.
The Tianquan looked at me, annoyed. "Mr. Raiden, we are in the middle of—"
"Discussion time is over," I said, my voice dropping an octave, letting a bit of [Dragon's Haki] leak out. The air in the room grew heavy. "The Fatui Harbinger is at the Golden House. He's going for the Gnosis."
Ningguang's pipe stopped midway to her lips. "Are you certain?"
"I can hear the heartbeat of the dragon corpse from here," I lied again. "Aether, we need to move. Now."
Aether nodded, sensing the urgency. "Let's go."
I turned to Keqing.
"Prepare the Ballistas," I ordered her—not as a subordinate, but as a general. "Get Cloud Retainer and the others ready. If Childe fails to get the Gnosis, he's going to throw a tantrum. And his tantrum is going to be very, very wet."
Keqing didn't argue. She nodded firmly. "I will mobilize the Millelith. Go!"
[Location: Outside the Golden House]
[Time: 8:15 PM]
We arrived at the mint. The guards were unconscious. The air smelled of ozone and foul abyssal magic.
"Childe..." Paimon shivered. "He's really strong, isn't he?"
"He's a warrior," I said, cracking my knuckles. "But he thinks he's the hunter. He doesn't realize he's just walked into a Dragon's den."
I looked at my hand. Scales rippled along my forearm, turning dark blue.
This was it. My first fight against a heavy hitter in this world.
I needed to test my limits. I needed to see if my [Predator] could digest a Foul Legacy.
"Aether," I said. "You take the lead. Talk to him. Distract him."
"And you?" Aether summoned his sword.
I grinned, my eyes shifting from human brown to glowing silver slits.
"I'm going to wait for him to transform. I like my food spicy."
We kicked the doors open.
Inside, standing amidst mountains of Mora, was Childe. He looked up, his dead blue eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oho? The Traveler. And..." He looked at me, his smile widening into something feral. "The Anomaly. I was hoping you'd come."
He summoned his hydro blades.
"I've been dying to see what color your blood is, Raiden Ragnvaldr."
"Careful, kid," I stepped forward, electricity crackling around me (mimicking Electro). "You might choke on the bone."
[Great Sage]