The banquet was over.
The air inside Xinyue Kiosk felt a little cold.
Lumine stood up.
Her chair scraped harshly against the floor.
"I'm full." Her voice was icy.
Tartaglia was still smiling.
"@Tartaglia." Lumine looked him straight in the eye, her golden pupils devoid of warmth. "I don't care what schemes your Fatui is plotting."
"…Stay away from me."
Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind adding another 'wanted criminal' to Liyue Harbor."
A threat.
A blatant one.
Tartaglia's smile widened.
Battle intent flickered through those azure eyes.
"I'll be waiting."
"Hmph!" Paimon hid behind Lumine and made a face at him.
Lumine turned and left.
Zhongli rose as well. He glanced at Tartaglia, then at Lumine's retreating figure.
He inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you for the hospitality. Farewell."
Outside Xinyue Kiosk.
Night had fallen. The lanterns along Feiyun Slope glowed softly.
Zhongli stood in the shadows.
He watched the two small figures disappear around the corner of the long street.
Countless Liyue lights reflected in his amber eyes.
"…The wind has reached Liyue."
He murmured to himself.
"I hope they… will become the variable that moves this 'contract'…"
Liyue Harbor was large.
Lumine and Paimon got lost. Again.
"It's all your fault! Why did you agree to have dinner with Fatui?!" Paimon grumbled.
"He was paying."
"..."
"But what do we do now? It's getting dark!"
They asked for directions at snack stalls.
At the docks.
Eventually, they bought a map from Wanwen Bookhouse.
"Found it! The Adventurers' Guild!" Paimon pointed excitedly.
The Liyue branch of the Adventurers' Guild.
Very different from Mondstadt—elegant, refined, distinctly Eastern.
But the person behind the counter…
Exactly the same.
"Ad Astra Abyssosque. Welcome, Traveler."
Katheryne wore her standard, enigmatic smile.
Lumine handed over the recommendation letter from Mondstadt.
Katheryne accepted it.
"Oh?"
From inside the envelope, she pinched out a… dandelion seed.
It floated gently in Liyue's salty sea breeze.
"A 'seed' from Mondstadt?" Katheryne asked curiously.
"…Something like that," Lumine answered vaguely.
Katheryne didn't pry. She processed the paperwork swiftly.
"Based on your recommendation, several simple commissions have been prepared for you. Good luck."
Lumine accepted them.
Clear out monsters.
Retrieve lost cargo.
By the time night fully fell, they had finished their last task near Wangshu Inn and decided to stay there.
Nothing noteworthy happened that night.
The next morning.
Dawn illuminated Mondstadt.
Lumine and Paimon had already returned via teleport waypoint.
They met Venti at the gates of the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
(Author's note: slight timeline skip—Traveler has returned to Mondstadt.)
Across Teyvat—
The screen lit up on schedule.
[System]: "Livestream about to begin."
[System]: "Act Two · I Shall Play for You a Song of the High Heavens."
[Chatroom – Arataki Itto]: "The Great Me has revived! Ugh… the taste of beans… I'll never forget it…"
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Oh? A Song of the High Heavens? Sounds suspiciously like a certain bard's style."
[Chatroom – Venti]: "Ehe? @Kaeya, you know me so well."
[Chatroom – Paimon]: "Hey! Tone-deaf bard! Is this your personal spotlight episode?"
The screen flickered.
The livestream focused on Angel's Share.
Morning in the tavern.
Almost empty.
Only two people at the bar.
Kaeya.
Diluc.
Diluc was polishing a glass with meticulous precision.
Kaeya was drinking… A Death After Noon.
Chatroom – Jean: "…Captain Kaeya? Drinking again at this hour?"
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Acting Grand Master Jean, this is merely a morning pick-me-up. Right, Master Diluc?"
Chatroom – Diluc: "Hmph. One of the tavern's household chores is cleaning up drunks who start at dawn."
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Household chores? My, how hurtful. I thought we were brothers."
The tavern door creaked open.
"Ehe."
Venti skipped in, dragging Lumine and Paimon behind him.
Diluc frowned. "…You three. The tavern isn't open yet. Especially you—no tabs."
"We're here for a little experiment."
Without asking, Venti hopped onto the bar and placed the violet goggles onto Lumine's head.
"Traveler. Look at them."
Lumine looked at Kaeya.
Through the lens—
Nothing.
She turned to Diluc.
Still—
Nothing.
[Chatroom – Lumine]: "…Adults. No imaginary friends."
[Chatroom – Paimon]: "Wow! Adults' hearts are so boring!"
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: (smiling) "…Oh? Is that so?"
Diluc's polishing hand paused for the briefest moment.
Mondstadt.
Knights of Favonius Training Grounds.
"Ha!"
"Hah!"
Ellin.
The girl who dreamed of becoming a knight.
She was furiously swinging her sword at a wooden training dummy.
Sweat soaked her hair.
"…Not good enough… Still not good enough… I'm nowhere near Acting Grand Master Jean…"
She lowered her sword in frustration.
"You just need a little… help from 'imagination.'"
Venti was suddenly sitting on the nearby railing, swinging his legs.
Lumine and Paimon approached.
"Lumine! Perfect timing!" Ellin's eyes lit up. "Practice with me! I'm going to conquer every training dummy in Mondstadt!"
Lumine nodded and drew her sword.
During a pause in their sparring—
Venti shot Lumine a meaningful glance.
She understood.
She put on the goggles.
She looked at Ellin.
And froze.
Behind Ellin—
Stood a tall, golden-haired figure.
Poised.
Majestic.
Impeccable.
Acting Grand Master Jean Gunnhildr.
The "imaginary" Jean gazed at Ellin with approval.
A sword rested in her hand.
When Ellin swung—
The phantom swung too.
Perfect form.
Flawless posture.
[Chatroom – Paimon]: "Waaah! I-It's Acting Grand Master Jean!!"