At daybreak, Su Xuan's latest "joke" had girls across Teyvat snorting into their tea.
Sure, the Archons barely needed meals to function—but living on thin air? And not just to get by, but to restore energy and stamina? As long as he could breathe, Su Xuan was basically a perpetual-motion machine.
Cloud Retainer, bent over her "busywork," shivered. Eating ice or lightning was already absurd; no one goes around snacking on thunderstorms. But if he could refuel simply by breathing… didn't that mean his stamina was effectively infinite? Who was supposed to withstand that? She swore her very soul might get pulled right out of her body at this rate…
[Of course, "as long as I can breathe" presumes there's air around to breathe, no?]
[So… this "eat air / eat my own embedded elements to recover" is more of a funny all-rounder trick, not some almighty law.]
The girls: speechless.
Brother, we live under a sky. Why would you deliberately go somewhere without air?
[The truly important bits of this "Lost Magic of the Sky" are two built-in authorities that mesh with all my powers—and they're a little unreasonable.]
[Dragonbane…]
[If my opponent is a dragon—or even dragon-adjacent—my overall capabilities spike for a time, temporarily exceeding my present cap.]
A collective chill. He already felt invincible. What would a boost even look like?
Marici, quietly weighing it: "For him right now it's icing on the cake more than necessity. At least in Teyvat as it stands."
[The other is similar—Godslayer.]
[If my opponent holds an authority, Godslayer treats them as a "god."]
[Even without authority, if most people believe she's a god, the effect still triggers.]
Marici's ears pricked up.
[Take Natlan's Marici—human, but bearing the Flame authority. By Godslayer's definition, she's a deity.]
[Or a certain blue-white "jellyfish" in Fontaine—human, powerless, would scream if a normal person punched her. But since everyone treats her as a god, Godslayer still applies.]
Furina dropped her fork mid-cake. Excuse me?! A fake god counts as a real target because of public opinion? Don't use me as your example! And no, she did not want to "spar."
[Fortunately, in Teyvat these two toggles don't trip often. Most who hold authority are guardians, polite and non-combative—Barbatos, Morax, for instance.]
[Ei's the most impulsive of the bunch, but we're on very good terms now. So outside the Abyss, Godslayer probably won't see much use. I'm not flipping tables on people who treat me kindly; I'm not crazy.]
[As for Dragonbane… what, pick a fight with low-wit geovishaps?]
That sounded fair to the girls. Railguns for mosquitoes—no thanks.
Cloud Retainer let out a few muffled sounds, then set her gaze back on him. "If your hands truly itch, I do have an idea."
"Azhdaha, under the Dragon-Queller Tree?" Su Xuan glanced over.
She nodded, sigh heavy. "He's half-mad from erosion, but still a first-rate power. Even with the Lord of Geo leading, we needed all the adepti to subdue him—and only because he let us seal him in one lucid instant. Otherwise… sigh."
Su Xuan waved it off. "Erosion's a small problem. For your sake, I'll make time to help."
Cloud Retainer froze, then brightened—only to fluster instantly. "Th-this immortal did not mean that. I merely feared you might… grow bored if you can't stretch your limbs."
Because if he got bored—and left this world—half the girls in Teyvat would cry rivers.
"I'm not going anywhere," Su chuckled. "Plenty of high peaks and secret ruins yet. Besides—seeing you half-squatting in heels, working so hard—how could I ignore a little errand?"
Cloud Retainer sprang up like the wind, composed herself, and drew a long breath. "This immortal must to the Jade Chamber—to discuss depositing adeptal blueprints with Ningguang's workshops, and to arrange a new realm-layout for the next Jade Chamber. I am most busy—farewell!"
At the door she halted and called back, "About Shenhe—tread carefully. The girl has borne her 孤煞 fate long; treat her gently."
—
Elsewhere, Keqing was practically sprinting toward Su Xuan's manor.
Over dinner last night, she'd earnestly sought Ningguang and Ganyu's advice on how to interact with Su. Neither answered. Ningguang keeping her cards close was expected—but even Ganyu's lips were sealed. That meant what Lumine said was true: there are no shortcuts. If Keqing wanted anything here, she'd have to earn it herself.
Originally, she'd wanted Su Xuan's help with the Abyssal black sludge in the Chasm. But the board had flipped in days. With Demon's Distillate in their veins, both Ningguang and Ganyu could freeze the sludge now. Mining could resume; Liyue's economy would surge again. Good news—yet it boxed Keqing out.
The Chasm sat under Yuheng oversight, yet Keqing suddenly had no seat at the table. Ningguang held the Automatons' Foundry (Gongzaosi), the Jade Chamber, and power from beyond the world. Yelan was her person; Ganyu was linked to her through Su. Liyue had indeed entered its era of human rule—but if Ningguang wished, the Liyue Qixing could vanish tomorrow and the nation become a one-voice state.
Proud, hands-on Keqing felt the walls closing in. The root of it all? Ningguang's connection to Su Xuan.
So: swallow pride. Go to him.
Reaching the manor gate, she caught a white streak rising into the air toward the Jade Chamber. "Cloud Retainer?" She recognized the silhouette from the diary photos—and stiffened. Even adepti were partnering with Ningguang now. Would there soon be no place for Keqing in Liyue's future?
Heart pounding, she hurried to the door.
Before she could knock, the door swung inward.
Keqing blinked, leaned her head in, and called softly, "Excuse me… is Mr. Su home? I'm Keqing—the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing Lumine and Paimon mentioned, the one who asked about solving the Chasm issue. May I come in?"
Silence. Her anxiety spiked. Don't tell her he'd slipped out again…
She cleared her throat to try once more—when her diary copy popped open.
[Today's quota of dumbfounded.]
[A peeping cat appeared in my house.]
[Peeping Ke-Cat.jpg]
[I already opened the door for her—so why is she frozen in my doorway, craning her neck inside? Scouting for valuables?
She came to the right place—this place is full of pricey decor.]
The continent's girls burst out laughing. But in this house, no ornament was more valuable than its owner. If Liyue's Yuheng was here to "case the joint," it was surely to steal him.
Keqing's cheeks flamed at the image of her own half-peeking posture. It did look… thief-ish.
"Ugh… Ningguang will roast me with this for months," she muttered. Then she exhaled. From the wording, Su knew it was her—and he'd allowed entry.
Keqing gathered herself, slipped inside, and quietly pulled the door shut behind her.
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