Ningguang's gaze shifted. "Oh? Your information is quite swift."
Paimon explained: "Because even the storytellers are talking about how many people are trying to buy the papers on that wall. It's famous."
Ningguang elaborated: "Because that wall holds Liyue's secrets. Merchants are always passionate about secrets. But Traveler, Liyue's commercial secrets hold little meaning for you. You are special; you should be aware of that yourself. If possible, I would like to earn your trust. But if I had you choose between Keqing and myself as the more trustworthy one..."
Lumine remained silent, but internally felt Keqing's irreverence towards the gods made her more credible.
[Arataki Itto: Why would someone find irreverence towards the gods more trustworthy? Shouldn't a believer of the gods be more trustworthy?]
[Furina: Isn't it simple? Keqing says exactly what's on her mind, straightforward. Her words naturally carry higher credibility. Ningguang, as a major businesswoman, inevitably engages in scheming and deception in the commercial arena. Her machinations are naturally deeper. Her words are difficult to discern for truth, falsehood, or purpose. Good.]
[Arataki Itto: Oh, I see! Now I understand!]
[Paimon: Are you really that happy just to 'understand'? We understood without even needing to hear the explanation.]
[Furina: I strongly suspect Paimon only understood after reading my analysis.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, given Paimon's intellect, it is unlikely she figured it out on her own.]
[Paimon: Stomps feet! You doubt me! I'm very clever!]
[Furina: Paimon, want to make a bet?]
[Paimon: Bet on what?]
[Furina: In the video, you're eagerly expecting some reward from Ningguang. I bet you won't get a single Mora in the end.]
[Paimon: How could that be? I'll definitely get lots of Mora, lots and lots, more than your savings!]
[Furina: Heh. My performance fees over five hundred years have accumulated to an astronomical figure. I'd say if you get even one-tenth of my fee for a single performance, you'd be blessed by Rex Lapis himself.]
[Paimon: Just you wait and see! I'll definitely get lots and lots of Mora! Lots and lots!]
Ningguang chuckled lightly. Lumine's non-answer was an answer in itself. "I knew you'd choose Keqing. I have that level of intuition."
"I originally thought that being too rigid leads to breaking easily. With her personality, becoming one of the Qixing, some matters would still require my discreet handling behind the scenes. But after she said, 'The age of the adepti is over. If even the Liyue Qixing dare not face this fact, what will become of Liyue's future?'... quite a few of my doubts were dispelled. Well, I do not deny that Rex Lapis's passing seems advantageous for the Qixing. But for Liyue's sake, I cannot let rumors of a Qixing usurpation bind my necessary actions."
Lumine: "Are the Fatui also behind these rumors?"
Ningguang nodded: "Hmm. It seems you've fully understood what I meant from the start."
"I ordered the news sealed and the divine form hidden. Firstly, to temporarily stabilize the situation. Secondly, to avoid a repeat of what happened in Mondstadt. The Fatui, using the Archon's death, have already engaged in far too many covert actions exceeding diplomatic limits. As the Tianquan responsible for Liyue, when opposing them, I can't afford to worry about maintaining an elegant posture."
[Furina: Unlike the situation in Fontaine, the Millelith in Liyue are about to clash with the Fatui.]
[Ningguang: Indeed. The Fatui Harbinger in Liyue is not Liyuean and holds no concern for Liyue.]
[Childe: That's right. I am from Snezhnaya.]
[Ningguang: I hope you don't do anything too excessive next, Childe. Otherwise, I won't be so polite.]
[Yae Miko: Not everyone loves their homeland. Our Ei's foolish 'son' didn't do any good in Inazuma either.]
[Paimon: Ei's son? The Raiden Shogun's son?]
[Kujou Sara: How could Her Excellency, the Almighty Shogun, have a son? Lady Yae, please don't jest.]
[Ei: Why don't I know about this? Who is my son?]
[Yae Miko: It's that 'Kunikuzushi'.]
[Ei: Miko, please refrain from using such misleading terms to describe the puppet I created.]
[Paimon: So it was just a puppet.]
[Zhongli: Hmm. For a moment, I was also quite surprised.]
"Approving the preparations for the Rite of Parting was merely to buy the Qixing some buffer time as we take full control of Liyue."
Paimon seemed to half-understand: "Just as Zhongli said, the Qixing provided the venue for the ceremony only because they could use us to achieve their own goals."
"Oh, speaking of achieving goals, there's one more thing I can ask, right?"
Ningguang shrugged: "By all means."
Paimon propped her chin with one hand, speaking seriously: "I heard guests who bring gifts get some benefits. Do we get a share too?"
Lumine looked at Paimon with exasperation: "Paimon, can't you talk about something else?"
"Hahaha." Ningguang was also amused by Lumine and Paimon: "It's fine. I like straightforward people."
"You've been troubled quite a bit lately. Very well, as an apology, you may choose any one thing you like from here and take it with you."
Paimon was overjoyed: "Great! Been waiting for this! I already know what I want! I want one of those paper slips from that wall!"
Lumine: "???"
Paimon got a bit angry: "Don't look at me like that! Don't you understand? Even a piece of paper from that wall the size of a fingernail can sell for a sky-high price."
"If... if there's a whole sheet that wasn't torn up, I can't even imagine how much Mora it'd be worth."
Saying this, Paimon pulled Lumine over to the wall.
Paimon scrutinized it carefully: "Huh? Looking closely, there's no need to choose! The largest note is pinned right in the most obvious spot. Okay, we'll take this one!"
"La-la-la, let's see what's written on it first."
Paimon pointed at a circled location: "Hmm? There's a circled spot here. Is it treasure? Or some other money-making opportunity? Let me see... The words next to it say... 'Sigil of Permission'... something about the Fatui... research... replication..."
"Seems it's not treasure. This paper says the Fatui's secret research on Sigils of Permission was discovered by Qixing informants."
"Hmm, Ningguang just said the Fatui have been secretly doing many bad things in Liyue, like spreading rumors, coveting the divine form, etc. But researching Sigils of Permission... what level of bad is that?"
"Lumine, come to think of it, Sigils of Permission are a bit related to you too. Should we go investigate?"
Lumine was quite cautious about this: "The progression feels deliberate. Clearly, Ningguang wants to lure us there."
Paimon half-understood: "Is that so? Then we won't go?"
Lumine: "It's still better to see many things firsthand. The more we can't fully trust Ningguang, the more we need to personally verify her claims."
Paimon said confusedly: "Mmm, this is a bit beyond my understanding. I think she's very friendly to us, a good person. Whatever, let's go check it out as you say. Before going to Dihua Marsh to find Zhongli, let's first go to the place mentioned in this document and see if the Fatui are really up to some shady dealings."
Arriving at the location written on the paper, Lumine and Paimon indeed discovered a large number of Fatui, and they appeared quite hostile.
[Furina: Hahaha! I win, Paimon! You really didn't take anything valuable from Ningguang. In the Jade Chamber, with a simple glance I saw many antiques, each worth a fortune. And you chose a piece of paper—one that can't even be sold!]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, the content on that paper holds little value for merchants. Moreover, it involves confidential information and indeed cannot be sold.]
[Furina: Paimon, why aren't you speaking up? I see in the video you haven't realized yet how much Mora you missed out on.]
[Lumine: Let's be considerate of Paimon's feelings. She's probably quite upset right now.]
Lumine's combat prowess was quite high. The Fatui guards at the entrance were easily defeated by her.
Entering, Lumine and Paimon discovered a large number of talismans and several stacks of blank paper. The patterns on them also looked very familiar. Paimon's memory was slow, but having seen them just a few days ago, the impression remained in her mind.
"Sigils of Permission! Why would items related to the adepti end up in Childe's hands? That is indeed quite suspicious."
Lumine: "This... perhaps it's not just a token."
Paimon quickly realized: "Right! I remember now! Cloud Retainer said when Rex Lapis originally created the Sigils of Permission, they weren't meant as tokens."
"The initial purpose of these talismans was to channel divine power during the Archon War. The Fatui copying Sigils of Permission like this... are they trying to find a way to draw out an effect similar to the real ones? An effect that can unleash divine power in war sounds very dangerous."
Lumine: "It seems the Fatui have a bigger plan."
Paimon shook her head: "Ugh, so complicated. Anyway, we should be more wary of Childe from now on, right? Alright, there's no more information here. Let's go find Zhongli."
[Ningguang: Replicas of the Sigil of Permission... What exactly is their plan? To gain the adepti's trust to deal with the Qixing? No, the adepti aren't so easily fooled. And this method wouldn't require manufacturing so many.]
[Keqing: Perhaps only later in the storyline will we know the answer.]
Arriving at Dihua Marsh, Zhongli was admiring the scenery on the grassland.
Seeing Lumine and Paimon approach, Zhongli said: "You're quite punctual. I arrived not long ago myself. Was the Jade Chamber enjoyable?"
Paimon exclaimed in admiration: "Huge! Super luxurious! Super expensive! It's the most expensive building I've ever seen."
Zhongli nodded: "Indeed. If the Jade Chamber claims second place, no one in Liyue dares claim first."
"You've met Ningguang, I presume? How was the conversation?"
Paimon had a very good impression of Ningguang: "She's so rich, so generous, a very friendly person."
Lumine still held some skepticism towards Ningguang: "Friendliness is also a merchant's weapon."
Paimon turned to look at Lumine: "Hmm, her view of Ningguang is different from mine. She still thinks that outspoken Yuheng, Keqing, is more trustworthy."
Zhongli seemed quite interested in Keqing: "You also encountered Keqing? What did she say to you?"
Paimon repeated seriously: "She said, 'The age of the adepti is over. If even the Liyue Qixing dare not face this fact, what will become of Liyue's future?'"
Zhongli laughed heartily: "Irreverence towards gods and adepti... Compared to Keqing, who dares to say anything, as fellow Qixing, Ningguang is more the typical merchant. Though friendly, you cannot be certain if she is one hundred percent sincere."
Lumine: "Moreover, Ningguang is also a very ambitious person."
Zhongli nodded in agreement: "True. She reached her position today entirely on her own. Such a person must have extraordinary qualities. I've heard the constantly expanding Jade Chamber is an expression of her aspirations, the second most important thing in her life. Even if she had to abandon her position as Tianquan, she would not abandon the Jade Chamber."
Paimon bit her finger, curious: "Second most important? Then what's first?"
Zhongli said decisively: "Mora, of course."
Lumine nodded: "Makes perfect sense."
[Ningguang: The Jade Chamber is the most important thing in my heart. The Jade Chamber itself is the embodiment of Mora and carries my aspirations. Now, a large part of my efforts to earn Mora is to make the Jade Chamber even more magnificent.]
[Furina: Given the Jade Chamber's current scale, even in Fontaine, there's no building more magnificent. The Opera Epiclese is also huge, but compared to a palace floating in the sky, it still falls short.]
[Paimon: It's rare to see Furina being so humble.]
[Furina: I'm always humble in areas I'm not good at, okay?]
[Paimon: Right, right. Especially in combat.]
[Keqing: They're arguing again.]
[Lumine: Maybe this is what they call a 'fated pair of rivals.']
Paimon's thoughts jumped: "Oh, right! The thing she talked to us about most was the Fatui. She said after Rex Lapis was killed, the Fatui have been muddying the waters. They're so bad."
Zhongli nodded: "The Fatui have always been like this. I'm not surprised in the least."
Lumine: "They're also forging Sigils of Permission."
Zhongli: "The Fatui have always been like this. I'm not surprised in the least. Whatever they're plotting, when dealing with them, always keep an extra measure of caution."
Paimon remembered their original purpose: "Speaking of which, are there things needed for the Rite of Parting in Dihua Marsh too?"
Zhongli nodded: "Yes. What we're looking for today are wild Glaze Lilies."
Paimon had seen Glaze Lilies at Yujing Terrace before and asked, puzzled: "Why come all the way here to find Glaze Lilies? There are plenty at Yujing Terrace. I heard Qingce Village has some too. Oh, I remember when we met Granny Ping, she was looking at flowers. Why not just ask Granny Ping for some?"
Zhongli shook his head: "Those are all cultivated. They won't do. Glaze Lilies once grew abundantly in Dihua Marsh. They are flowers of joy, listening to people's songs. Before the Archon War, this was still land. The war caused mountains to collapse, flooding this area and turning it into marshland, nearly driving the Glaze Lily to extinction."
"Now, the city preserves some cultivated varieties. But very few know that wild Glaze Lilies haven't completely vanished."
"Wild Glaze Lilies have a rich fragrance. Only after being ground into powder and placed in the incense burner for the Eternal Incense is it a complete tradition for the Rite of Parting. However, this flower will require your help."
Lumine tentatively asked: "Do you need me to sing?"