Chapter Text
“A diplomat from Liyue?!” There was little you could do to hide the shock in your voice as you scan through the outlandishly fancy letter sent to your mailbox. This had to be some sort of mistake… right? Skimming through the rest of the letter, you found a symbol at the bottom that looked very official. Okay, so this wasn’t a mistake. The letter itself was very pretty; silken paper with golden ink on its surface. Why would they want your sleepy little inn as a place to stay?
Looking through the letter once more, you read over the terms carefully. The handwriting was a bit over-the-top, as you had to squint a little to read it.
“Greetings, Innkeeper.
We at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor are sending over a diplomat for trade negotiations in Mondstadt. Currently, there is much tension between our two nations due to the Fatui agents in the city.
You do not need to accept this, however, we chose your inn for a reason. You will be duly compensated if any incidents arise.
The man that will be in your residence goes by the name of Zhongli. He will not be accompanied by any guards and he will arrive within three days of when (if) you agree to this contract.
If you agree with our terms, prick your finger and smear the blood from it over the seal. Do not worry, we are not using you for a blood ritual. It is a simple binding agreement that we can receive quicker than a letter you send back to us.
If you do not agree, burn this letter and do not speak of it to anyone.
Thank you.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor”
How mysterious! Lately, the only fun you had had was reading sultry romance novels Lisa let you borrow. Not a lot, to be sure. Maybe this was a chance for new love! A homey innkeeper and a dangerous diplomat?!
Oh, what were you thinking? He was probably some old guy that was already married. Sighing, you blinked thoughtfully at the letter. Taking out a needle from the pincushion on your desk, you pricked your thumb with a wince and smeared the carmine blood on the paper. From what you had heard, contracts were taken very seriously in Liyue. Hopefully, they would loosen their standards for a Mondstadt citizen like you.
Still, this was all very confusing. It struck you as very out of the ordinary that some random official from Liyue would want to stay
Well, it wasn’t like you could decline -- even though they said you could. Just felt… unclassy if you did. Time to show this guy the classic ‘Mondstadt hospitality experience’!