Chapter Text
Being assigned to the Liyue mission had been unexpected, at least from his standpoint.
As the vanguard, he should be going head first into battle and gathering information for his comrades to help create a game plan.
Playing diplomat in a foreign country was not included in those aspects, however they were direct orders from her majesty so he wouldn’t think much about it.
He must acquire the geo archon’s gnosis in whatever way he can find.
Tartaglia being Tartaglia, he thought dueling him and stealing the gnosis as his prize had been his first idea. And as much as it had been a tempting option, he could not risk the mission so carelessly like that.
He was supposed to stay there for at least a year or two. He had a lot of time to think about that. Meanwhile he was supposed to meet someone who would be helping him acquire information on Liyue’s archon.
Someone from the Wangsheng funeral parlor or something like that. He was confused as to why her majesty would pick someone from a funeral parlor as a guide, maybe it was her morbid sense of humor coming into play.
Either way the meeting wasn’t supposed to happen until after he had settled in the bank Pantalone put him in charge of and learned a few things about the job he would be partaking in while he stayed there. All of which would take at least a week.
His arrival was a fairly private matter, at the request of his fellow comrade pantalone. However, he would be damned if he didn’t get a flashy welcome as soon he arrived at the port, much to the chagrin of most soldiers stationed in Liyue.
The flurry of the occasion had gained the attention of many citizens, but most of all the Qixing.
He was fairly sure he had spotted a glimpse of dark blue hair and the sleeves of a fluffy white sweater.
It was gone the next second though.
If he had to guess, it was one of the Qixing’s many informants.
The walk to the bank had been fairly calm.
“Welcome Lord Tartaglia,” A woman who looked to be a worker at the bank had said as soon as he came through the doors of the bank.
“Ah, why thank you miss…?”
“You may call me Ekaterina my Lord.”
“Alright then Ekaterina.”
“Please call me by my code name while I’m here. I trust Pantalone mentioned something about it?” He said.
“Of course Master Childe,” she nodded. “Now if you’d please follow me, I will show you to your study so you may settle in” she bowed and turned around.
“Sure!” He said excitedly. This was going to be a long week.
—
His second day at the bank went on without a hitch, he had familiarized himself with his surroundings in the bank.
He had also visited the place where he would be staying. Since Pantalone insisted he could not stay at the bank, they agreed Pantalone would search for a suitable place for him to stay and get his due rest.
His apartment was small enough for one person to live in but it looked like it definitely cost a ton of mora to even rent. Which had been a surprise since the 9th was usually stingy about what the Fatui funds should go (not that Childe cared). He had thought he would get something similar to the barracks he used to live in when he was first recruited into the Fatui, old and run down.
He had spent some time moving some of his things around in his apartment to give it more of a homely feeling. It still felt quite empty but it definitely looked less empty. He always travelled around so he couldn’t take a lot with him on said travels. It’s why he didn’t have a lot of personal belongings. He had left them all back in Morepesok.
—
The third and fourth day were mostly spent in the bank getting work done.
It was all mostly boring stuff like paperwork and signing important documents in need of his approval. The most fun he had while at work was debt collecting, some of the debt collecting journeys he went through were rather exciting and filled with wonderful battles. Others? not so much, the debtors were far too scared to put up much of a fight and conceded almost immediately after revealing what he was there for.
Those journeys also helped him to familiarize himself a bit with Liyue, although at first it was hard to know which way was what without much help. Of course Ekaterina was there but he’d rather not bother her too much (she had quite the temper with anything work related, it was refreshing to have someone not scared to put him in his place).
—
The fifth and sixth day was spent in the bank dealing with staff and making sure everything was in order, as well as mobilizing some of them to Mondstadt for the 8th (Signora sent a letter asking for more men. He guessed it had to do with her mission granted by the Tsaritsa).
He also spent a lot of time in his apartment and arranged everything he couldn’t when he first arrived. it could never compare to his room back home in Morepesok (nothing could compare really, but even so he hasn’t gone back to that room ever since his father dropped him off to the Fatui. That’s a story for another time).
He also took the time to clean any and all dust he hadn’t been able to clean beforehand. He knew the apartment had been practically abandoned before he arrived so a lot of dust collected. Had it been any other Harbinger and someone would have gotten executed, thankfully he really wasn’t into that type of stuff. He already had so many other important things to worry about than some collected dust. Cleaning was a temporary distraction from his work so he wasn’t complaining either, no one liked paperwork after all.
—
The seventh day was spent on himself, he went out to Liyuen streets and started familiarizing himself with the people and the culture. He found a restaurant called Wanmin, it was very delicious and the daughter of the owner had a very hyperactive and determined personality. He was a fan, it wasn’t every day you found people so passionate about what they do. He might visit more often whenever he had the time.
Childe also found the restaurant he was supposed to meet up with the Consultant in. It looked extremely fancy and operated by reservations. This mission is looking to be rather costly. Hopefully the 9th wouldn’t be too mad if he depleted some of his funds here, surely he would understand it’s for the better of the Tsaritsa’s holy mission.
It was also the day he found some information on the person who has been following him since his arrival. They definitely worked with the Qixing and were suspected to be the one who stole the 9th’s gift to the Tsaritsa (the audacity) which had sent said 9th into rage after finding out his gift was not going to be received by the Tsaritsa. They went by the name Yelan but he still wasn’t quite sure of the gender of this individual. It has been really annoying going around with someone tailing you while you were minding your business. It was a justified cause (they were here to stir trouble) but it still didn’t make it any less annoying.
—
The eighth day was the big day, he was supposed to meet up with the Consultant this day.
His first assignment of the day was to familiarize himself with his surroundings. It would not do if he was not aware of his surroundings and caught off guard by the Qixing. Who were already suspicious enough.
A walk through town would definitely be of great help but he still needed a guide. Unless he wanted to lose his way, which he most definitely did not.
He knew some key landmarks that would help him make his way through the main city, but he needed to be familiar with every alleyway and backend of the city too.
He decided to wait until afternoon as he had the meet up for lunch with the consultant of the local funeral parlor. That way maybe he could squeeze out some guide recommendations with the information he was supposed to gather.
When lunch came around he started heading out to Liuli pavilion for lunch. Fully expecting to meet with an old man with graying hair and plenty of wrinkles.
He was not expecting a dignified man in brown and gold accents, with elegance for days and a face carved by the gods themselves. Said man was sitting in front of a feast worthy of a king, with multiple arrays of aromas and flavors characteristic of Liyue cuisine.
Had he known the occasion required a more formal approach, he would have come dressed more appropriately. Now he felt out of place. Another great reason why he hated diplomatic missions, he could never seem to be able to read the room.
He walked toward the table with an air of confidence so as to not look as out of place as he felt. Perhaps then, the man on the other side of the table wouldn’t notice how ill prepared he came for a very important meeting.
He hopes this will be the last meeting of this sort he’ll need to do in the foreseeable future.
“Is it right for me to presume you are the Mister Childe I’m scheduled to be meeting today?”
Even his voice sounded like molasses. This man was surreal.
“Yes, you would be quite right,” he took a seat on the table, not sure where to start “I assume you’re the consultant I’m supposed to talk business with?”
A pause. The man drank, what he could only assume to be tea, from his cup.
“Yes.”
This man was also very straightforward. Usually people would be quick to fill in the silence with anything that came to mind if the answer was short. He was starting to like this man even more.
“Good. Is it alright if I inquire what I should refer to you as?”
“Zhongli is fine.”
“That’s a nice name, Mister Zhongli.” Childe politely smiled at the man.
“Thank you.” That seemed like a genuine reply. It didn’t sound like he said it just to be polite like one usually did when receiving a complement of that kind.
“Ah, perhaps we should start discussing business. Shall we?”
The man simply nodded. Zhongli, waited for Childe to settle in to begin.
“First and foremost, I would like to learn about Liyue’s culture regarding its deities. Or as they’re more widely known, the adepti”
Zhongli thought over his words for a couple of minutes.
“Well, in my knowledge; the people of Liyue tend to be particular in their religious practices. Although in recent times the veneration for said deities has died down as the need for their protection begins to dwindle, Liyue still celebrates their guardians with great fondness”
“That said, there are many celebrations held in their honor. The rite of descension, Moonchase festival and the fairly known lantern rite to name a few, are celebrated throughout the country by the populace.”
The red head nodded.
“I’m fairly familiar with Lantern Rite and I know some rough details about the Moonchase festival, however I’m intrigued about the rite of descension. Would you mind explaining what it entails?”
“It mainly involves Rex Lapis descending into the mortal realm to grant the populace his yearly predictions. Some use this time to ask him questions related to their business and growth, however even that has begun to dwindle out as people grasp more and more information surpassing any that Rex lapis could have given them.”
Childe listened with rapt attention to what was being said.
This had potential to be useful. Except he wasn’t dumb. Trying to seize the Gnosis with so many people gathered around, and no doubt the presence of the Qixing is too risky. He’d be outnumbered and it would make relations between Snezhnaya and Liyue more difficult. He’d need to find another way to lure him out. He also had the adepti to be worried about. The stories of their strength and fighting prowess were nothing to scoff at.
“Do the adepti also join in on the celebrations?”
“Very few do. Most prefer to live on the outskirts of civilization. They’ve never really been interested in interacting with us humans unless it had to do with protecting the city. In past times however, it was commonplace to see the adepti joining in on the celebrations.”
“I see,” he said in contemplation.
They continued eating the food that had been set out.
“You mentioned the adepti liked to stay far from civilization, correct?”
Zhongli nodded.
“Why is that so? Are they recluse, do they not like the presence of humans?”
“Not quite. Perhaps it’s a difference in ideals that have set the people of Liyue and adepti afar. Though that is the case for most of them, some do just prefer a life in reclusion.”
“I see, so they probably wouldn’t appreciate a visit from foreigners.”
Zhongli looked at him quizzically.
“Were you planning on visiting them?”
“It crossed my mind for a moment, yes. However if they don’t want me there, I see no reason as to why I should bother them.”
“Was there something you wanted to inquire about then?”
“A couple of things.”
Zhongli took that as a hint that the matter was private… or possibly work related.
Lunch continued peacefully without much else to talk about.
“By the way, mister Zhongli” Childe wiped his mouth with the napkin” do you have any guide recommendations?” Childe asked.
“You see, I had planned to do a tour around Liyue but I don’t have any idea where to begin and none of the guides I have contacted have reached out to me yet. A guide would be of much help right now.” Childe explained his grievances.
Zhongli gave him a pensive look.
“Well, if it’s a guide that you need, I’m sure I could be of help. I know Liyue fairly well, if you would be interested in taking me as your guide. You’ll have to talk with the director and work out a schedule though.”
“Really? Oh thank you Mister Zhongli! I’ll talk it over with your boss and work out a plan, money isn’t really a problem.” He smiled brightly at Zhongli.
That is at least two problems solved. Now he could squeeze out more information that he could not get this day while touring.
“It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Childe.” A hand was extended to him in gesture. Childe took the offered hand and shook it.
“It was mine too, Mister Zhongli,” He smiled politely at the man
“Hopefully we can meet again for dinner sometime again!”
Zhongli chuckled.
“Of course, although I’m sure we’ll be seeing eachother plenty from now on. We could definitely discuss time and place then, it would sure be better planned then this occasion.”
Childe nodded and did a chuckle of his own.
“Even so, I had a good time. Hopefully that extends to you too.”
“Yes it does. Well I’ll be seeing you Mister Childe, good day.”
And with that, Zhongli left. And he left Childe to ponder his next move.
This is an interesting development that’s for sure.
The day ended with him heading to his apartment to take his well needed rest. Whatever Her Majesty the Tsaritsa (long may she reign) was planning, he was sure it would develop beautifully. Even if it came at his expense.