Chapter Text
A new harbinger is to arrive in Liyue before noon. Not his business who enters the nation, but he was hired by them as their cultural consultant.
Zhongli arrives at the warf, ready to greet the diplomat . A nervous agent steps off the boat first " Mr Zhongli, our lord harbinger requires a few more ramps, would it be alright if we asked for some workers as well ? Sorry for the short notice, we are a little unprepared since rest her soul— La Signora died. And well, lord harbinger Sandrone is physically impaired —"
" Say no more, we'll bring in a few more workers. It's on your expense anyway " and he does , he directs a few men and women to help out
Boxes and boxes of heavy material
He worries she may be similar to La Signora in the sense that she prefers the finer things,
The new diplomat . . . The Qixing demanded and demanded and he can guess that the Fatui got frustrated and sent a trusted harbinger to fix things
The agent she sent out said she requests a larger carriage to take her to her place of stay and Zhongli arranged it; all within the quick span of the morning.
A bit stressful; but what can one do when the situation calls for it?
" Thank you so much mr. Zhongli, it's very difficult to do things on short notice, we are grateful for your invaluable services "
" It's a part of the job to welcome her entourage, as our contract states,"
" Of course "
The harbinger's entourage eventually make their way off the boat, gradually, peacefully
In the bright noon sun, he hears her commanding her men from within the boat, her small pale hand pointing outward from a window
He's heard of her , the 7th harbinger Sandrone. She created the Katheryne dolls that serve every nation in the adventurer's guild, always engrossed in her research, Childe told him. So it must be rare for her to do this diplomatic mission. He can only hope whatever talks they might have would go well
She gives her last few commands and prepares to finally get off the boat
A hulking machine carries a girl , she lifts her up from the inner quarters of the boat
Lord harbinger! The agent calls, Zhongli turns to introduce himse—
Guizhong ?
Against the blue sky, she sits atop a machine, her posture perfect, her blue-grey eyes distant
The light on her hair , fair coloured like sun bleached stone , the same shade but the jade blue has faded, gone.
The white dress she wears flow in the wind
She looks at him , a cold neutral assessment of his form
Guizhong
Something inside him whispers. It's Guizhong. She's returned alive and well , it tells him .
Reason says that is a lie, this is . . .
" Mr. Zhongli, I presume ? " she says " Sandrone Pavironica, the 7th " of course, The 7th harbinger Sandrone. She is lifted by a large machine she seems to use for mobility, off the boat and onto the wooden docks
For a second, he knows not how to react, forgets himself
" Um . . . You're glowing " she whispers, a little too close
" Oh . . . " he clears his throat , straightens his posture , adeptal glow dimming back to normal enough for mortal disguise " I am sorry about that, Lady Sandrone. Welcome to Liyue harbour. I trust your trip has been pleasant? "
" Pleasant enough " she and the machine as one entre the carriage
" Isn't she quite charming? " her agent states " I see you in a daze " he nudges him as he carries more boxes of Celestia knows what
He looks at the window of her carriage, Guizhong— no , Sandrone stares blankly within. How uncanny, she looks exactly like her
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He makes his way to Liuli Pavilion with the professionalism expected of him. He cannot let this get to him. A mere resemblance, he reminds himself.
It's been several hours since her arrival ; ample time to rest. They have two hours to speak and eat, then, by sunset, she would go process with the ministry of civil affairs
Seven glaze lilies , in flower language it would be well wishes , a nice to meet you, a good gift for their first meeting; a local specialty and traditional good luck . He prepared this beforehand as a courtesy gift, knowing from Childe that she was rather antisocial.
She is already seated in their reserved room , the large machine standing to the side, she stares at the intricate wooden latticework windows
Guizhong stares at the falling dust illuminated by the sunlight through the screen, he can see her smile. The steam of a tea cup before her rises,
Sandrone does not smile. Her expression is of a neutral curiosity towards the latticework, she stays seated in her perfect posture,
"Liyuen latticework has cultural significance, " he begins, " it once signified a show of wealth, style and status. The designs represent various aspects of philosophy, religion or other such things in the culture. It is believed that this would bring about good fortune or good health. "
He is meant to teach her what she should know for the meeting with the Qixing later that evening, he supposes letting her know what the latticework means has no harm
" Interesting, " she says simply, " then I suppose if the windows had meaning, then the flowers mean something too ? "
" Glaze lilies are a local specialty. I ordered seven from Qingce Village a few weeks ago for today, seven flowers represent good fortune and courtesy for our first meeting "
" They must be quite rare to have such a wait time. "
" They are an endangered species. Once thriving in meadows in Guili, they have since drowned. At present, it is quite rare to find a wild glaze lily. Singing can help them bloom, it's customary to sing before picking them "
" I better keep my eyes peeled for one on future outings then "
As the food is served, he hands them to her, and she holds the bouquet like how one would hold a child in their arms.
She stares at the glaze lilies, hand ghosting on the petals
" Though, I prefer machinery over flowers. It is a welcome gift, thank you "
For a second it's as if she's with him once more. Guizhong. stone coloured hair fair, her eyes a shade between blue and grey, gentle hands hidden beneath cloth
She is Sandrone, He reminds himself, Guizhong is dead. But . . . Gods don't quite die, do they?
So then . . .
" a...are ... " his voice dies in his throat
Are you guizhong?
He wishes to ask. But he simply cannot speak. He can't. Bring. His. Voice.
She glances at him " if you must ask, yes. "
What
" I will be using a facility in Liyue to conduct my research. That Childe Tartaglia must have told you who I am and what I do. I , the 7th , specialise in machinery. If you're going to follow up the if I'm going to conduct research with where. It will be in Lingju Pass. So your people are safe, Morax "
Ah, she thinks he does not know about the ruin guard's research lab in Liyue. Rex lapis knows of what goes on in his realm.
" I know about the lab, and where it is "
" Then surely you needn't ask of your people's safety "
" No. " he clears his throat " On the safety of Liyue's people. The qixing's main concern will be exactly that. So it would be good to attempt to comply with their requests in regard to safety. " back to work " as you know, Tartaglia set free Osial . . . " he carries on, explaining what he needs to explain in regards to Fatui relations in the city , as well as the situation in the chasm. Professionalism. Is. A. Must. He reminds himself.
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Just across the street is the ministry of civil affairs , the ministry that handles such a large variety, from bounties to maritime law to immigration. As such, this is where the Harbinger herself goes to for the first official meeting with the local government.
Her massive machine walks towards the door
Xu nearly faints,
" I'm here for my appointment "
" Right this way "
Diplomats are normally top priority, but they can use the excuse of understaffing, Yelan sat, crosslegged on the floor , doing a last minute look on lady Sandrone's information
Sandrone Pavironica.
Sandrone, is represented as a peasant who is crude, clever, and cunning. He is seen as the spokesman of a humble people who are ill-treated, eternally hungry, and always using tricks to make ends meet.
Wait. This is about the clown not the harbinger. Yelan looks through the other files.
By rex lapis' balls what the fuck
This find is unfortunately terrible, no relevant information in regards to the harbinger until . . .
She finally finds a proper file,
Sandrone Pavironica, the seventh harbinger
A terrible awful personality to compensate for her fair face. Always engrossed in research. Her machines follow her around and are used to aid her in whatever she may want or need. Some agents claim she prefers the machines over human subordinates.
She puts on a wig and rectangular glasses , Clerk Zhao won't mind. Yelan goes to meet Sandrone who is getting her permits processed in regards to the chasm, her entry, being briefed on the diplomatic rights she has by a secretary.
Yelan, dressed as Clerk Zhao, enters the room with a stack of papers, the large machine in the room is putting so many in the office on edge.
" Thank you miss, i will take over from here" she saves the secretary, who looks like she's about to faint having to be in the presence of the ruin guard like machine
" Lady Sandrone Pavironica , this machine of yours is scaring quite a lot of our employees. As a member of the ministry of civil affairs, I would suggest a less . . . Threatening form of mobility aid to use in the city "
Oh gods she feels like an asshole for saying that. But this. This is for the safety of Liyue's people. A harbinger can't be parading around her weaponry
The temperature in the room drops, she glares.
" Fine " she crosses her arms " i'll comply to your city rules. "
Yelan smiles politely, fake, copying Clerk Zhao's smile. " Thank you, lady sandrone. Now, for your meeting with the Qixing in regards to the chasm . . . "
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Zhongli walks through the halls, behind an agent leading him to the lord harbinger
The walls of the ruin guard research lab is littered with deep slices some Fatui seem to be fixing themselves
That tells him Tartaglia has been through here, when ?
They eventually reach her office ,
Warm, dark, the whirring machines all around. It feels as though he's within some mines
" Take a seat, she might be here shortly"
" Might?"
The agent gestures vaguely before he runs off to the next errand
Surveying the large and grand room full of half mangled ruin machines , he finds a few work tables, only one of which has proper seating
Though, it also has freshly brewed tea, a vase of glaze lilies and some papers and project plans written in Snezhnayan and in common
He takes a seat
She kept the flowers
" Mr Zhongli, thank you for meeting me on short notice in my lab. "
He hears her first, then she and her machine steps swiftly into view , seating herself at the work table. In her hands a small machine she drops gently like a cat, it lands like one and scurries away
" It's not a problem as you paid for my time "
" I provided some tea, i'm afraid i'm a little busy"
She turns to her work table , going over a few documents and then placing them elsewhere on the mess, careful to avoid the tea and glaze lilies
The tea smells nice , he takes a sip. Chamomile tea drowned in honey
" I see despite your busy schedule lord harbinger, you've taken good care of the glaze lilies. they enjoy it when someone sings to them "
She stops, looks at the flowers with those blue-grey eyes, and picks one out from the bouquet
" My expertise lie in machinery, not with flowers. I fear they may die in my hands "
She places it in his palm " so how about this . . . Every time we have a meeting, i return a glaze lily to you, so hopefully they may receive the care they deserve"
He closes his hand around the stem " seems fine by me. " and he pins it in his hair for now, " I doubt you called me here to speak of flowers "
" Right, my mobility issues prevent me from freely exploring Liyue as my chosen aid does not seem socially acceptable " she gestures to her various machines " so i've taken to building a chair as it would be too costly to bring mine from Snezhnaya "
" I see , "
" So i ask that we reschedule our meetings this week and perhaps prioritise the chasm tour, and ones away from people. As i would not be able to attend in the city "
" Just the city ? " Zhongli thinks about their predetermined schedules
" Would the countryside be more lenient ? "
" Perhaps "
She looks through the mess of papers on her desk; various papers written in Snezhnayan. From beneath the pile, a small green Adventurer's Guild anniversary special issued planner with the current year embossed on the dyed leather
" Maybe we can do our meeting in the countryside, we have scheduled meetings in the city this following week but we will reschedule . . . And in the next . . . Hm . . . "
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He is allowed home when the meeting finishes with their agreement on a proper schedule, as she just as swiftly entered, exited deep into the ruin guard research lab.
Zhongli steps into the comfort of his own home and undoes his hair. The glaze lily once pinned to it falls to the floor,
He picks it up and stares
Guizhong
This harbinger is not Guizhong , he reminds himself. Is she? She is exactly her image and just as inquisitive and curious in regards to machinery— if not more
The mortal quality of desperation to do as much before it's over
Maybe she isn't Guizhong, maybe she's a part of her, maybe she was her , but not anymore. Guizhong was dead and he made peace with that. She has gone and right now, all he can do is honour her legacy, remember her. And he did, he does. She stays with him like how mortals say they would live immortal, in the memories, in the things they left behind, by remembering
He remembers her in the glaze lilies she loves , he remembers her in the puzzles she left, in the sword that was once hers, in the machinery she made , in the bright blue jades from the chasm
This harbinger is not Guizhong , he reminds himself. Guizhong is alive, only in memories, not here. Not her
He plants the glaze lily in a pot