Work Text:
"Thank you for the gracious reception tonight, Lady Yelan."
The dark-haired woman standing before him smiled as she twirled the wine glass in her hand, the dark red liquid within the container swirling with enigmatic hues under the bright lamp light of the gala hall. The international reception was bustling, the afterparty in full swing with the conclusion of the official ceremonies. Her eyes creased in what appeared to be genuine delight as she leaned in, trying to continue their private conversation over the rising din of the excited attendees around them. He caught a whiff of the heady sweetness of her perfume, the scent tantalising and spreading all around them. "The pleasure's all mine, Lord Kamisato. Rather, I should be thanking you for selecting Liyue as Inazuma’s first official trading partner after years of seclusion. It is an honour.”
The hubbub of international delegates gathered in this establishment served as numbing background noise as Kamisato Ayato returned the smile as charmingly as he could. Experienced though he was handling diplomatic affairs in Inazuma, this was his first overseas visit, and he wanted to be careful still. "You flatter me. As the head of one of Inazuma's Three Commissions, it was only fitting that I advised country's ambassadors to re-establish trade with our closest neighbour. The power to shape the future of our trade relations remain in the hands of Inazuma's official ambassador."
The woman laughed demurely and replied in equally flattering but empty pleasantries to keep the conversation going. He understood why she was doing this - despite the lack of a diplomatic title, he was still the highest-ranked noble among the Inazuma visitors. It wouldn't do for Liyue to ignore him and only focus their attention on the ambassador.
However, while he continued the conversation for appearance's sake, a part of Kamisato Ayato frowned internally.
The coils of his mind stretched its eager limbs under his skin, and he worked to suppress the surges tinge of restlessness. He reminded himself the dinner was already over. He would be out of here soon. Very soon.
As things stood following the end of Inazuma’s seclusion, the country had set about reaching out to its neighbouring polities in a bid to reopen trade routes and re-establish a diplomatic presence abroad. Of these, restoring ties with Liyue was seen as critical if Inazuma wished to make much headway in its economic or diplomatic endeavours, as the wealthy nation dominated maritime trade over Teyvat's eastern seas. Thus, Ayato had not objected when he was selected to lead Inzauma’s delegation to its prosperous and important neighbour. He might not have been the first choice before the seclusion, but in the present day, with the way the other two Inazuma Commissions lay in shambles, the country was hard-pressed to find capable and high-born representatives. Kamisato Ayato had always been one to do his duty – and well, he would not refuse an all-expense paid trip abroad.
Especially when said trip would also give him an opportunity to investigate something bigger.
To investigate the "death" of Morax, to be exact.
How had one of the oldest and mightiest beings in Teyvat just… died? Given that Morax had been such a constant in the affairs of Teyvat, that he had just ceased to be one day was personally quite hard to imagine. Said sentiment was shared by Yae Miko, who had brought him into her confidence to discuss the possibility of working with parties on the ground in Liyue to better understand the truth. Even isolated from the world as it was, Inazuma had not been immune to the undercurrents roiling beneath the surface of Teyvat - the Fatui having managed to infiltrate Inazuma organizations from the Tenshogaku to Sangonomiya was evidence of that.
And yet, once the clouds and thunders cleared, those who dealt with political intelligence and the ways of the gods had been quick to notice that something was afoot – catching inklings of some scheme that involved all the nations of Teyvat. They did not have all the details, or even a full picture of what was happening, but what little they knew – even through public channels – was enough to suggest that the pieces of a cosmic chessboard were being collected one by one.
Rumours had reached even his ears about happenings in Mondstadt – wild, fantastical tales of the Anemo piece being seized from its Archon, and Yae Miko had willingly divulged the truth of what had happened in Inazuma, with the Electro piece having been given out without a second thought, deemed unnecessary by the Shogun. But with two of the seven pieces in the wind, where did that leave the Geo piece, which had been possessed by the once-indomitable dragon of Liyue...
Had Morax truly died? Or was his death merely a ploy to conceal something bigger?
"Will you be retiring to your lodgings with the rest of the delegation?"
The woman before him spoke again. Ayato laughed softly, putting on the very expression of attentiveness to hide how his mind had momentarily wandered into much more profound topics. "Ah, yes, most likely. I will be strolling back along the main street with the rest of the Inazuma visitors soon. We have another day full of meetings tomorrow. It wouldn't do for us to loiter for too long."
"That's good to hear. Will you be needing an escort of any sort?"
The woman's blue eyes fixed unblinking on his own. Ayato held her gaze and let the ends of his lips curl upwards into a confident smile. "We'll be able to handle ourselves. Thank you for the concern, my lady."
She had seen the Hydro Vision hanging at his belt, no doubt, just as he had seen her Hydro Vision clipped on her dress. Neither had deigned to remark upon the curious coincidence, but no words were needed to know they were of the same breed.
"Well then," the woman smiled, and Ayato knew his assessment of her was correct. There was intense power and confidence behind the tilted pink lips and charming blue eyes. She believed she was in control - just like Ayato did about himself. "I wish you a good night."
Ayato raised his glass in salute as the woman moved away from him. Together with another one of Liyue's dignitaries, a young woman with curious horn-like hair ornaments in her light-blue locks, Yelan went about exchanging words with other ambassadors in the hall. Carefully letting out a long, tired breath, Ayato sipped the wine as he looked around the vast room to re-orient himself. This was a gathering of the elite and powerful among the Liyue natives and the foreigners involved in international trade. Even the Fatui had been begrudgingly invited to represent the Northland Bank, an institution which, politics aside, was a formidable force to be contended with. Ayato frowned as he remembered how he had forced himself to exchange pleasantries with the Bank's representative - a flamboyant ginger-haired Hydro Vision-bearing Harbinger who he instinctively disliked - before shrinking back into the shadows and wiping his hands fastidiously on a napkin.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
As the night deepened, many groups began to depart the reception venue. One by one, the Inazuma delegation also gathered around Ayato, preparing to head back to their lodgings. Lord Kamisato observed his people with a hint of genuine amusement - some of them were a little drunk, either on alcohol or knowledge, with some stumbling about, others positively gushing about what they had learned so far about the foreign trade policies and plans of different countries, and those with a tad more sense (and sobriety) urging everyone to get going sooner rather than later. All of them had full days tomorrow after all, packed with various meetings, negotiations, and… networking meals, the most personally irksome of which was the scheduled networking breakfast, due to the early hour.
Eventually, the Inazuma group started to make their merry way back to the hotel, which was in a quieter alleyway in the western part of Liyue Harbour. Ayato easily fell into step, exchanging a knowing look with two senior members of the group, and they nodded back at Ayato in return.
This was to be a peaceful delegation, and he had no interest in disturbing the relationship of the two countries. However, both he and Yae Miko needed more information.
His suspicion was that the Gnoses were being collected for a purpose other than world domination. Yes, the Fatui were powerful, yet he could not imagine Liyue allowing them to run rampant on its ancient soil, even going as far as taking the dead Archon's Gnosis. Given the state of the Raiden Shogun and the Fatui’s meddling in Inazuma, the Yashiro Commission wanted to know as much as they could about what happened in Liyue regarding the death of Rex Lapis, the chaos created by the Fatui, and whether – and how – the Gnosis had ended up in Snezhnaya's hands.
The standard version known to the public had too many holes in it, especially for Ayato, who could not imagine how the Fatui could walk away with an Archon's very heart while also being defeated by the might of Liyue, even if the theft was during the chaos caused by Osial.
Serendipitously, it seemed the Inazuma group wasn't quite ready to settle down for the night just yet. The streets of Liyue remained bustling, and the various shops proved fascinating for many foreigners. Ayato even saw some of the Sumeru delegation lagging behind their main group due to lingering too long in some spice shop, while the Mondstadt delegation was apparently taking notes from a pink-haired young woman about the particulars of the local legal code. The Inazuma pack soon to the entrance of a ceramic shop, with many of them shuffling inside, curious as to the wares being sold. With a pleasant smile over his face, Ayato followed his fellows inside, though once within, he made his way to the back of the shop and with a quick sidestep, disappeared behind a partition wall.
"My lord." A man dressed on Liyue garb bowed, speaking fluently in the Inazuma tongue. "All is ready."
"Thank you." Ayato nodded as he quickly shrugged off his official jacket, handing it to the man for safekeeping, and slipping on a plain, black Liyue robe over his inner shirt and formal trousers. He then took a wig from a stand to cover his rather distinctive hair, smoothing the black bangs over his forehead, making himself look very much the stereotypical Liyue merchant.
"The informant is already in place." The man in the shop said in a lowered voice. "The pass phrase is as we agreed upon last time."
"Rex Lapis is the God of the Stove. I remember." What a weird piece of trivia to be armed with. Ayato smoothed his robe and his collar. "If I'm not back within an hour and half, start the emergency plan."
"As you command." The man nodded, then paused before starting hesitantly again. "Will you be taking a weapon?"
Ayato smiled and patted his Hydro Vision. "No need to worry about me. I can look after myself."
After making sure everything was in order, Ayato cracked open the shop's back door and slipped into the salty, moist air of Liyue Harbour's night. The streets were bustling, with patrons and customers showing no signs of turning in for the night, traffic flowing in and out of the city as shoppers came in and exited. Youth swarmed the riverbed that separated Liyue from the lands without, some splashing water to each other during the hot night, while a boy with green-tinged hair perched on a tree looking down at the scene. Ayato fell into step with the crowd, and as he’d hoped, the patrolling Millilith didn't so much as blink at him when he crossed the bridge serving as the city boundary, stepping onto the road that led westward towards the Golden House.
Ayato knew that the Exuvia, the body of Morax, had last been stored in the place where all Mora in the world had originally been made, and that the Fatui had apparently run rampant through the place when they summoned Osial to flood the city. However, after that tumultuous event, everything had seemed to go back to normal. Morax's body had not been seen again publicly, the Adepti and humans agreed on a new way to rule Liyue together, and the Fatui had somehow not been expelled from the city or the country. Indeed, the presence of the Northland Bank’s representative – a Fatui Harbinger of all things! – at the reception tonight suggested that not only was Snezhnaya was still considered as a trade and diplomatic partner after that disaster, but that not even their known spies had been censured!
What had gone on behind the scenes? How had Snezhnaya explained away or made reparations for the affront? Had they written off the perpetrators as a rogue band? Had there been some under the table agreement between the nations? Was Snezhnaya to be trusted? Moreover, what did all this mean for other nations less capable of withstanding the frozen forces of the Fatui? How will the Land of Thunder and its tiny islands remain afloat in the mountainous torrents that threatens to sweep over Teyvat?
If he could understand how Liyue viewed the situation, and what steps Liyue had taken to address it, then he might yet be able to help his country and his Archon. This informant was apparently someone from a Qixing member's household. Perhaps a maid or a servant who had heard something? No matter. If Ayato could confirm his sneaking suspicion that the Geo Gnosis had left this land as a gift rather than a spoil of war...
He slowed his steps as he neared his destination. The wavering lamps on the gate leading to the Golden House signalled to all visitors the solemnity of the place, and showed it was guarded night and day without fail. Nonetheless, a small amount of traffic still passed the thoroughfare before it. This was the main road connecting Liyue Harbour to its southwestern countryside, not to mention it also connects to Ningguang's rebuilt Jade Chamber. Carts, peddlers, shoppers, and locals out for a stroll still populated the rural streets. A strikingly tall young woman with long, braided white hair was browsing an herb stall, while families with young children bounced between toy carts and snack bars. It wasn't as busy as inside the city itself, but it was enough to conceal an informant paid by Inazuma.
Ayato looked around the crossroad where he was told the informant would meet him. However, as soon as he saw who was casually browsing a hat shop, his blue eyes instantly widened, and he had to work to calm his suddenly accelerating heart.
It was Yelan. She had changed to a plainer dress, but there's no mistaking her. Heck, she still wore her jade bracelet and that choker with a die on it. She casually chatted with the shop owner as Ayato quickly concealed himself behind some carts filled with ornamental plants, lightly biting his lower lip as his brain sprang into overdrive.
Had his operation been discovered?
He did his research. He knew Yelan ran Liyue's own intelligence service - and the counter-intelligence strategies that came with it. It was he had secretly feared – this woman and him were too similar, their thinking far too alike. He would have suspected himself if he were in her shoes.
If he had truly been discovered, should he abandon the quest? With rapid steps, he shuffled off the road and concealed himself behind the tall bushes along the side, pondering things over.
Yet before he could make up his mind, the decision was made for him.
Suddenly, some grabbed his arm. Years of martial arts training took over instinctively and he instantly retaliated, trying to shake off the assailant. The hand on his arm only tightened further, and he felt something more than just fingers sneaking up his arms. Ayato growled and narrowed his eyes, finally seeing who his assailant was. As expected, it was Yelan.
Strings of pure water were crawling up his arms like vines, digging into his skin and wrapping around themselves to form intricate yet inescapable shackles. Ayato reached out with his mind, trying to wrestle control of the water from her, and failed - as he expected.
The best defence was a good offence. Water droplets rapidly condensed around his hands, forming into the trustworthy blue blade that Ayato had wielded through countless crises. With a frown, Ayato lashed out with the katana that he formed out of water, and yet it seemed to slip out of his hands. His water was fusing – joining up – with Yelan's threads, combining into something intangible and indistinguishable. The water strands on his arms fused together and no longer pressed on his skin, yet he could not slash at her as he moved, the blade harmlessly passing through the weirdly soft water bracers enveloping his arms. Yelan must have realised this too. She turned to look at him, and the two of them stared at each other in a momentary standoff, neither willing to back down even though it was becoming obvious that their Vision powers didn't give either of them an edge over the other.
It was Yelan who frowned first and relented. Her posture relaxed, and her shoulders dropped.
"Stop. I'm not here to fight you, Lord Kamisato. But we need to talk."
"Talk? Why?" Ayato narrowed his eyes. "My apologies, but you are the one who attacked first. A foreign visitor should not be tied up so," he gestures at the water still around his hands, "unless you have some other intention here?"
For some reason, Yelan seemed to take some mild offense to this. She gave a tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth and pulled her hands back, causing the water around Ayato's arms to dissipate. Then, she asked something that he was not expecting at all.
"Foreign visitor, do you know what Rex Lapis is the god of?"
Ayato blinked. What was happening? This was the challenge that his agents have told him to expect from the informant who had decided to let slip the “truth” regarding Rex Lapis's "death". For Yelan to be asking this question... did this mean she had captured the informant?
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Lady Yelan." Ayato chuckled. He wanted to appear nonchalant while his brain tried to process his options from here. Yelan obviously knew that he had an informant he was supposed to meet, but should he confirm her suspicions, or should he deny it ardently?
"I'm sure you do know what I mean." Yalan crossed her arms, impatience written all over her face. "Stop with the games and suspicion, Lord Kamisato. Personally, I want to get off work early tonight and I suspect you might too, with your networking breakfast and all tomorrow morning. Now, have you ever considered the possibility that... I am the informant you are supposed to meet?"
"... What?"
Well-prepared as Ayato liked to think of himself, he had to admit that this strange turn of events was far beyond his own expectations. This woman was one of the most significant members of the Liyue intelligence services... so why would she be providing information to Inazuma?
"I had suspected that your group might be involved with this particular deal, but I never thought it would be you personally, Lord Kamisato." The woman's blue eyes narrowed. "Aren't you glad to know that your information is coming from such a good source?"
Ayato slowly shook his head. "Pardon me, but... I thought you worked for the Qixing to protect Liyue, not to give out information regarding the country."
"I do work for the Qixing, but this time, my job is to dispense information." She gestured back to the road. "Let's stop standing here in the bushes. I have booked a small place close by. It's safe and away from prying eyes. But of course, if you don't trust me, you are free to leave right now. The Qixing and I won't fault you for trying to get this information."
Ayato gritted his teeth. This was either a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or a bold and daring trap.
"I'll come with you, Lady Yelan."
She smiled and waved, and a few men dressed in dark clothes shuffled out of the bushes around the area, bowing politely to her then gesturing to Ayato to follow them towards a tea stall set up further up the road. With a subtle glance, Ayato saw there were more men quietly bringing up the rear as the group moved. Even a few of the "shopkeepers" around the area have doffed their disguises, and were falling into line with Yelan's men, abandoning their carts and wares.
Maybe this entire thing was a setup by her...
"Please sit, Lord Kamisato."
One of her men pulled back a chair for Ayato and bowed lightly at him. Ayato swept his eyes over the place: bamboo tables and chairs, ceramic tea set of the kind you'd see anywhere in rural Liyue, and simple cups and saucers. A few more patrons sat further away, seemingly not involved in Yelan's business. Seeing little choice on the matter, Ayato reached for the chair and sat down.
"Leave us."
The men bowed again and shuffled off on her orders. Yelan's shoulders shifted, but just as Ayato suspected she was going to do something with the teapot, she simply crossed her arms and looked him straight in the eye.
"Lord Kamisato, you want to know the truth of what happened in Liyue the night the Fatui woke up Osial, don't you?"
"You are blunter than I would have anticipated, Lady Yelan." Ayato smiled placidly.
Yelan grinned. "You and I are both busy people. As I said, this knowledge comes with the permission of the Qixing, but there is something my boss and I are very curious about," she narrowed her blue eyes in a chilling way, "why do you wish to know?"
"...To aid the future of Inazuma."
Now it was Yelan who was caught unawares, her eyebrows rising in that instinctive position of surprise that even people in full control of their emotions often let out during a moment of shock. Ayato frowned in return.
"I am... Surprised you would admit it." Yelan huffed out a small laugh. "Despite having guessed this to be your answer, I had thought it would require much more effort from me for you to say it."
But that moment of genuine connection soon disappeared again as she fixed a piercing gaze back on Ayato. "How, though? How can knowing the outcome of Liyue's fight against an ancient god help Inazuma, those isolated Lands of Eternity? I thought you'd have your own path set out by your Archon for the rest of time."
Ayato sighed internally.
"Because our path... Is no longer isolated or eternal."
What Yelan said had been true for years. Even before trade was cut off from the outside, Inazuma was already the isolated Land of Eternity, a country deliberated sealed off in practice and mindset from the turbulences of the outside world, the result of a pitiful Archon's desperate attempt to shield her people from all evil. It was this Inazuma that Ayato had grown up in - a land as still and unchanging as it was stale and stagnant. The world shifted in leaps and strides outside, while Inazuma existed - simply existed, no more - within its embalmed cocoon of timelessness. The people knew no better. The leaders were satisfied only in their internal struggles of power. And the Archon... The Archon...
"You have surely heard about the unfortunate demise of the Fatui Harbinger La Signora by the hand of the Almighty Shogun." Ayato kept his eyes fixed on Yelan's face, capturing the minute ripples of confusion and surprise that continued to swirl on her face. "Other forces are knocking on our doors, and Inazuma can no longer afford to isolate ourselves any longer. The Fatui blasted away my country's isolation with their alien power and knowledge, the people loyal to the Sangonomiya rose up in a rebellion, and the country risks being left behind by time as the rest of Teyvat hurtles towards a future that Inazuma is yet to be aware of." He put his arms on the table and leaned backwards. Yelan simply blinked, not responding to the change of his body language from one of caution to one of confidence. Ayato inwardly smiled. He was finally sitting as an equal, not as a possible foreign prisoner.
"Lady Yelan, I don't know how much you know, or how much you have been given permission to say. However, I can tell you that the Fatui came to Inazuma for the same thing they wanted to obtain from Liyue, and they were successful, just as they were successful in Mondstadt and Liyue." It was his turn to narrow his eyes. "However, I believe the circumstances were very different for these three countries."
"For Mondstadt to fail to defend its Gnosis is an outcome I had anticipated. It has an absent Archon and an empty house of God, its elite army is away on expedition, and its people are carefree and idyllic to the point of ignorance, blissfully oblivious to the dark turbulences that roil outside the boundaries of this world. For Inazuma to lose its Gnosis was something I did not want to see, but nevertheless also expected. My country was weak, backward, and divided. The Archon had her own interpretation of leadership, Sangonomiya was unwilling to help, and the Home Islands struggle to raise enough men or food to supply a powerful army. Liyue, however..."
Ayato leaned forward this time, his eyes burning with earnest curiosity.
"How did Morax, God of War, master of the wealthiest country in the world, allow a puny Fatui detachment to obtain his Gnosis?"
"I'm sure you've gleamed during your time here that Morax had die-"
Ayato shook his head. "Archons may die as individuals, but I have reasons to believe the Gnosis is imperishable." Did the Qixing know of the secret behind the change between the two Raiden Shoguns, Makoto, and Ei? Were they aware that Inazuma’s façade of their Archon being deathless and eternal was just hat – a façade? He pushed down the thought for later contemplation. "Moreover, Morax is a shrewd god. He would know enough to prepare for his demise. I do not think he would have suffered from so sudden a death during these peaceful times, that he had no premonitions towards what may happen."
Yelan furrowed her brows slightly. "You say that, yet your Archon of Eternity also had a change of heart based on our observations. A rather literal one, after the Fatui also removed her Gnosis. Based on what we have observed and were told, the Fatui have their own powerful means. Even Gods do not last forever."
"True, they do not last forever, indeed." Ayato tapped his fingers on the plain wooden table. "In fact, if you have agents observing the Fatui as you've insinuated, you will know THAT to be the promise they gave to the world... A promise to change the way of gods. It is something that some important individuals, including those close to the thrones of our respective gods, may have bought into as well."
Memories of secret conversations with Yae Miko flashed through his mind as Yelan stilled, her eyes blinking slowly aa her brain surely went through myriads of responses. In icy Snezhnaya, something was brewing that this world had never dared to imagine… a plot which had somehow obtained the agreement of Inazuma's Archon and her closest confidante. Who is to say whether one of the Qixing had also bought into the idea?
"So, what is the answer, Miss Yelan?"
There was another long pause before Yelan lowered her eyes.
"Liyue's Gnosis was given away to fulfill a contract… a contract to end all contracts." She sighed and stared into his face. "A contract for a different future. A future that, as you imply, has no gods deciding the future for the multitudes in this world."
Ayato let go of the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. She had confirmed his suspicions, a terrifying outcome – and yet the most likely.
"…do you believe in that future, Miss Yelan?" He said softly. He wondered how Liyue had managed to accept such a bold decision. Had it been made by Rex Lapis himself? Ayato wondered. "I seek counsel from those in Liyue who agreed to that future. I have lived under the power of the Shogun for all my life, as have all my ancestors before me. If it were not for the Shogun, Inazuma would not exist, and House Kamisato would be nothing. I am who I am today because of the power and mercy of the gods of Inazuma. Without our gods, how do you see yourselves going forward?"
"Liyue would also not be the Liyue of today without her gods." Surprisingly, Yelan gave a warm, almost indulgent smile. Ayato blinked, unaware that any mortal could speak of their gods in this way. Though he usually put up an irreverent and careless mask, he would not dare to do so when speaking of his Archon of Eternity. The wrath of the master of Inazuma could be swift and utterly disproportionate.
"Even so, it was humanity who managed to build up Liyue and maintain her as the city you see. And when the Fatui summoned an ancient evil that they thought only the Archon could subdue, it was humanity who rallied together the forces needed to suppress it." Yelan tapped the table. "You could say that the gods set us a test, and the humans of Liyue passed it."
"Surely, the plan would have been concocted before the test was passed. So, how did such trust..."
Ayato could not imagine Rex Lapis - or any Archon - not having anticipated the possibility of humanity failing at that task – a task heretofore only borne by gods. Therefore, why had they still gone ahead and made the test? What had driven the god to make such a decision? What had humans already done to earn such a gift?
And even more importantly, how could people now move forward without a Gnosis, without a god, without a spiritual leader? How shall humanity deal with the residue pieces of divinity - the youkais, the Yakshas, the Adapti – now that the pre-eminence of the Archon had been removed? How could Inazuma hold herself together without the terrifying martial might of the Archon -
As if seeing through the thoughts racing through his head, Yelan tapped loudly on the table again, shaking him free of his thoughts.
"Have faith in your god and ask her to have faith in her people." She smiled again, and this time it was warm, confident, and accepting. "Trust cannot be built in one day. However, believe that the Archons - all of them - are on humanity's side in their own way."
"It has been decades since my Archon walked among her people." Ayato replied with a sad attempt of a smile in return. "It will not be easy for that trust to be rebuilt in Inazuma."
"If that is the guidance you are here to seek, then I am sure the Qixing would be open to providing whatever counsel you require." Yelan raised eye eyebrow. "In that case, I would be more than happy to move this conversation to more friendly and warmer quarters. This world may continue to be blessed by gods, but they surely cannot protect us from every drizzle and chill in a cold night."
A sense of something secure – something akin to assurance – drove Ayato to nod his assent. Yelan's men reappeared, many of them bowing in apology to Ayato. The Inazuma man accepted these with a gracious smile, his concern somewhat eased.
A few hundred metres away in the bushes, the figure of a secret observer retreated deeper into the woods as Ayato and Yelan's party walk down the road back to Liyue Harbour. The brown coat tail shimmering in draconic satin faded as the man's form sunk into the shadows of the night, yet his bouncing steps were telltale signs of his satisfaction at the way the business tonight had turned out.
Far away, the lights still shine over Liyue Harbor, and the clamour of merchants could be faintly heard even from such a great distance. Despite the late hour, that metropolis pulsed with a confidence and pride it had carried for centuries, a knowledge and surety of its importance, security, and capacity – and that, even after the passing of the age of the predestined divine, it remained a city blessed by its gods.