Legacy | Genshin I. |

Chapter VIII: Act XIII

The merchant placed a hand on her chin before nodding. "I'll try my best to answer you to the best of my ability," she agreed.

(Y/n) took notice of the movements that (F/n)'s tail was indicating, and silently nodded as he went off to another merchant that was nearby.

In the corner of (F/n)'s eyes, they felt their body freeze when they took notice of two very particular objects that a merchant had at their stall.

'W-wait... if (Y/n)'s catalyst and Anemo vision are here... Does that mean that "man" is about to show up? That's way too early!' (F/n) thought.

(Y/n) kept his eyes on (F/n)'s figure, making sure that nothing would happen to them.

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After (F/n) decided to get dressed up in their original clothes, the group of four finally grouped up again after Paimon and Aether overheard a conversation that was going on.

"So, what's our plan?" Paimon asked.

"Let's go to Djafar Tavern," Aether answered.

(Y/n) raised a brow, wondering what the two had overheard during the group's time apart.

"Wait! Didn't you hear what they just said? Buying information is going to cost us HALF A MILLION MORA!!! Have you lost your mind!?" Paimon cried out in disbelief.

"Reliable information is worth the price," Aether replied.

Paimon sighed. "Oh, alright. Paimon never thought she'd agree to part with that kind of Mora... But if you know what you're doing, then we should give it a shot."

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(F/n) leaned into (Y/n)'s figure as the group waited for a group of Eremites to make their entrance.

"Oh, you've arrived. Please take a seat," Eymen states.

"So they think that they can go toe to toe with the boss? Hah, once we reclaim the power of King Deshret, they'll be the first that the boss punishes," Tariq laughed.

"They're nothing to be afraid of. Our main rival now is The Caracal Battalion. They've also amassed a significant amount of mora this time, so we mustn't underestimate them," Tumart points out.

Tariq shook his head. "How can the Caracal Battalion compete with the boss when they're nothing but a bunch of money-grubbing opportunists out for a quick mora?" He scoffed.

"Yeah! With Boss's fervent devotion, he'll be able to use this power to bring our god back this time," Tumart agreed.

"Huh, all these guys talk about is King Deshret, so they're probably the ones we're looking for," Paimon whispered.

"Hmph, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and Asmodeus... Those traitors and their followers must not be spared! The day will come when King Deshret exacts vengeance on Sumeru, and all of them shall be punished," Tariq declared.

"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? Asmodeus? A traitor?" Aether murmured as he looked over at (Y/n), who just shrugged, clearly still confused about what the hell he did in the past.

(F/n) clenched their fists on their lap, anger swirling away in their veins.

They wanted to snap at the Eremites but knew that they couldn't, seeing as this was the only current information they would be getting for a while.

Paimon made a sound of confusion. "Yeah, Paimon was wondering what they meant, too. We should ask about that if we get the chance later."

Waiting a bit longer, the group decided to walk up to Tariq.

"Huh, who are you? What do you want?" Tariq asked, side-eyeing the group.

"We're students from the Akademiya," (Y/n) explained.

"Students? Heh, what are students from Sumeru City doing in Port Ormos?" Tariq wondered.

"We're looking for info about a certain... "something"," Aether answered this time.

Tariq hummed. "Ahh, well if it's info you want, you've come to the right place. The question is: Can you afford it?" He replied.

Aether handed over 500,000 mora.

Paimon squirmed as she stared sadly at all the mora that was being given away. 'Ooh, Paimon can't stand to see so much mora go, but there's no other choice right now...'

Tariq chuckled. "Heh heh. Here, this is the merchant's address – whatever you're looking for, you'll find it there. Hmm? Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I just have... one more question," Aether replied.

"Oh, that's right. We heard you mention King Deshret just now. We're actually interested to know more, because... Uh, because we're... ah... archaeology students! Hehe," Paimon nervously laughed.

"...Heh, fine. Since you've already handed over the mora, I guess I can throw in a little extra info," Tariq chuckled.

Tariq then leaned forward. "As you can see, members of Ayn Al-Ahmar are made out of believers of King Deshret. Years ago, King Deshret founded the great desert nation that was our homeland. It was an advanced civilization, far beyond anything you'll see in present-day Sumeru. King Deshret was the rightful God of Wisdom, but he was betrayed by two companions that he trusted... They even stripped him of his title, "God of Wisdom"," he states.

'They were all friends... Who the hell flipped the damn story again? Amso– (Y/n) was like a son to King Deshret!' (F/n) thought.

(Y/n)'s brows furrowed as he tried to remember what he did in his past, just to get blurry memories instead.

"So you mean the traitors were..." Paimon trailed off.

"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Asmodeus, yes! Those shameless wretches destroyed King Deshret's civilization, and our ancestors were forced to flee to this land where we were made to suffer the tyranny of our enemies. Furthermore, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata conspired with the Akademiya to cover up the truth of their actions and create the merciful and benevolent facade for which she is now known. Ugh, just thinking about it sickens me," Tariq states.

(F/n) was about to say something, but went silent as Tariq continued his outburst.

"But the story doesn't end there, oh no. King Deshret isn't truly dead. The voice of the Oracle has been heard in the desert, prophesying his resurrection! Mark my words, our god shall return. And when that day comes, all followers of the traitors and all the desert dwellers who have forgotten their true food will suffer retribution together. If what I'm saying makes you shiver with fear, it might not be too late for you to become a believer of King Deshret, hahaha," Tariq laughed.

"King Deshret is returning?" Aether asked, glancing at his companions in silent worry.

"Hmph, I don't have anything to say to you Akademiya people about that. I think this conversation has reached its end," Tariq huffed.

"Not just yet. This man is a fraud," a male's voice said as they joined in on the conversation.

"Huh!?" Paimon gasped out.

'Uwah... It's Alhaitham!' (F/n) thought as they turned toward the silver-haired male.

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