"I'll be there shortly, (Y/n)."
Once Zhongli arrived down, you begin to take a look around Liyue Harbor. It's time to stride around the stores.
Your friends sends him suspicious looks minus Venti, who seems mildly bothered, but for different reasons.
Of course, how could they relax when they've quite literally witness him interact with the Harbinger?
"Alright, we'll be needing some items for the Rite, right?" You say, holding the bag of mora Childe gave you.
"Indeed, we will request for the adventurer's services for it." Zhongli adds.
"You're really going to make the traveler pay for all the expenses huh?" Venti places his hands on his hips.
You chuckle. "Heh, don't worry Venti, I've gotten used to Mr. Zhongli's spending habits. But it is kinda tiring to look after his expenses."
"Exactly, why do you have to be the responsible one looking after his spending?" He pouts playfully. "How could you let him mooch off of you?"
Zhongli crosses his arms. "If I recall correctly, her money came from the Fatui Harbinger. Meaning she hasn't spent money yet."
"Yet." Venti emphasizes. "He's sucking you off of money (Y/n), this is quite a big deal!"
You sigh. "Venti, it's not a big deal."
"It is!" He let out a frustrated exclaim. "I'm your first best friend (Y/n), and you placed your mora and trust in another man you don't know. I'm quite hurt, you know?" he had light teasing tone.
"'My first best friend'? That's Paimon." You reply.
"I'm your hottest friend!"
"That's Kaeya." you earn a grin from him.
"I'm your most responsible best friend!!"
"..." You raise your brows, glancing at the red-head.
"Diluc."
"I'm your friend!" He pleads aggressively, making emphasized gestures.
"Alright, enough Venti." You say before holding out your own bag of mora. "We're going to shop downtown right now as my apology, I'll pay for everything you guys buy, clear?"
"Woah really? Hooray! You're the best, (Y/n). I knew you wouldn't fall for Mr. Zhongli's charms." he cheers.
Diluc's eyes widen slightly. "(Y/n), you don't have to force yourself to do that, you can just ignore the bard--"
"Please I insist, I feel like spending my time and mora on you guys today." you smile.
Kaeya smirks. "Oho, you're pretty generous today. Is it a blessing? Or is it finally time for you to become our sugar mo--"
You didn't let him finish. "Come with me, everyone. We're going shopping."
Kaeya let out a chuckle before nodding.
"We'll buy the Rite's stuff first, then we'll buys whichever item you want. And this might probably be the last time I'll give you freebies." You turn your heel and walk towards the shops.
Then you hear frantic footsteps and quiet whispers as they follow behind you. You negotiate with Tic, Tac, and Toe to get the requested services using Childe's money, then your friends arrive next to you.
"Right, now that's done.." You look back at your friends with a grin. "you can now shop to your delight. Including you, Zhongli." Everyone else nods then ventures on to whatever they're about to buy.
"Eh why did you include him again?" Venti whines, looking at you with pleading eyes. "I thought you were going to hang out with us, not himm.. The man can't even watch his wallet."
"You're one to talk, Venti." You snicker. "I did say I was going to spend mora and time on you guys, and he's not an exception."
"Don't tell me you're going to officially add him to the group now, (Y/n)?" Kaeya half-heartedly jokes.
You shrug. "Who knows, I might give that some thought now that you gave me an idea."
His eye widens slightly. "Wait hold on, I was joking. Are you going to actually--"
You let out a laugh. "I was joking too. Don't worry that much."
He sighs playfully. "Such a meanie, here I thought you were about to adopt him into the team."
'...unless?'
'I mean, that is a good idea.'
'Adding Zhongli to the team might be pretty useful.'
You stood in the sidelines, observing the atmosphere while everyone was shopping. They're pretty distant so you couldn't hear what they were saying.
Paimon crosses her arms, in a hushed whisper. "Hey, you guys are enjoying this a little too much. How about giving back something to (Y/n)? I dunno, maybe a gift."
"That's a great idea." The bard smiles to himself before going around the stands.
Soon, it becomes a tiny competition between all of them, competing on who'd get the best gift for you.
"Noctilucuous Jade, crystal butterfly, or a ring..." Zhongli mumbles, observing the wonderful jewelry for sale. "Let's see what has best quality."
You stand back with a smile, crossing your arms at their pondering at the shops.
"I'll be sure to treasure this moment, though..." Diluc speaks up next to you, making you turn to him. "I feel like you're spoiling them a bit much."
"Aren't you going to buy something for yourself too?" You ask.
"Well, I don't have anything particular in mind. At least not yet. I'm more worried about what those two are up to."
He stares at the bard and Cavalry Captain, who look like madmen going around the stores.
"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine. Probably." You reply.
"That's not exactly reassuring."
You let out a chuckle. "I know there's no peace around when they're here, but that's why I love tagging them along."
"You do seem to have a liking for chaos, which is ironic for the hero who saved Mondstadt. You never fail to surprise me." He says with amusement.
"Glad to surprise you with my unforeseen duality."
After that lively chit-chat, the rest of the squad finished shopping. Zhongli stayed back for a while. Now you're walking back to return to Childe.
Though, you passed by a random Fatui agent, which earned them glares from your team.
Paimon crosses her arms. "Look at those Fatui wearing their spooky masks. Hmph."
You feel an idea light up in mind. "Oh, I have an idea. Wait here guys." you run and purchase an item, leaving everyone confused.
You return with a dark mask, doing a faux-confident voice. "Hello."
"Really, (Y/n)?" Paimon says unimpressed, earning a chuckle from you.
"Oh, I see what's happening here." Kaeya grins.
"What are you doing?" Diluc asks in utter confusion.
Clearing your throat, you wore the mask. "I'm number 12 of the Fatui Harbingers, codenamed "Ragazza" but I also go by "il viaggiatore"."
You make fun of Childe's introduction while walking backwards in front of your friends. Some of them began laughing at the imitation, others watch in amusement.
"And you... you too like to cause insane havoc don't you? Something tells me we're going to cross swords eventually." You pretend as if you're holding a blade.
Then suddenly, your back bumps into something -- or someone.
"That was quite the show, comrade." The ginger's cheeky voice chimes. His arms snake around you. "And may I receive the honor of meeting our newest Fatui Harbinger?" he teases.
'Oh Archons.'
You scramble and quickly slip away from his grip, staring at him.
"Ah-haha, fancy meeting you here, Childe." You greeted, taking off your knock-off Fatui mask. "We just finished buying the stuff needed."
"All finished then? Splendid. Any leftover cash is yours to keep - a favor for the Fatui should never go unrewarded." He says happily.
This earns him dead-set glares from your team, more specifically, Kaeya and Diluc.
You've heard tales of their feud with the Fatui from another world, which makes you nervous about what's about to go down.
Paimon frowns. "You think you can buy us off with some loose change? No way! Paimon demands to know when the next payment's coming!"
You facepalm while Childe laughs. "Haha. Well, how does this sound: You give me the information I need, and maybe I'll leave the Northland Bank's open and unattended for half an hour..."
"What info do you need!?" Paimon exclaims.
You turn to her swiftly. "No!"
She pauses. "Huh? (Y/n), does that mean you know what he's after?"
"Are you forgetting what happened in Mondstadt?" You glance at Venti then back to her. "What else do you think the Fatui wants?"
She physically flinches back. "Yikes! You're right... Signora.."
"..." Childe is unamused for a second. "You all need to calm down... I don't know what's gotten into you, (Y/n)."
He returns to his happy-go-lucky facade. But you and your friends knew better.
"I don't know what's gotten into your 'fellow Harbingers' either.." you mutter casting your gaze down.
He thinned his lips. "Just what is this about? The atmosphere got tense all of a sudden."
"Ehh..." Paimon laughs awkwardly.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Fatui boy?" You retort.
Diluc clutches his fist while Kaeya watches it go down, but both feel mild infuriation at Childe's friendliness with you. Venti feels awkward at the tension.
Then, you gain an idea.
Not a great one, but it's an idea.
"Actually, you know what? I'll consider your offer, Childe."
"What!?" Paimon shouts, along with your shocked friends.
Childe's eyes glint with interest. "Oh? What changed your mind all of a sudden? Not that I'm complaining..."
"Just a change of heart, that's all." You look at your friends with a knowing glance, a silent signal.
Soon enough they understood.
"I know you're hiding something from me, (Y/n)." Childe says dangerously, looking between your friends.
"..." You were about to respond until your friend donates you a flower. "Aww, thank you for the flower, Venti."
Childe looks at you between your friends in puzzlement.
Then, Kaeya hands you a necklace. "A wonderful gift for our beautiful warrior."
"Uh thank you Kaeya for that gift." You smile then you look back. "Oh uh- go on, Childe, I'm listening."
"Well, as I was saying--"
"Thank you so much Diluc for the bracelet." You nod to your friends.
Childe looks absolutely bewildered. Were you interrupting him on purpose?
Diluc whispers and you shake your head. "No I don't think he suspects yet, I think we're fine."
The Harbinger chuckles. "You aren't doing a great job at being secretive, comrade."
"-And thank you Kaeya again for another gift." Then you look at Childe expectantly.
"Uhh, well listen I--"
"Thank you Paimon for the slime snack gift." You interrupt. "Oh - sorry Childe, you can continue now."
He shakes his head. "Oh, no no, it's alright. You may continue your endeavors with your friends."
"No, please continue." You give him a pitiful smile.
He thinned his lips. "I--"
"Diluc thank you for the mora donation, I will definitely treasure this."
Childe crosses his arms, unamused at the interruptions.
"Oh sorry, sorry Childe. You must be irritated by this." You say half-heartedly.
"I don't--"
"Paimon thank you for the food donation!"
"Oh my Archons--" Childe exclaims in a frustrated tone. "What is with your friends?"
You let out a laugh, "I'm sorry they just keep coming." your friends also holding back laughter. "Alright alright, I just caught up, it's fine - there's no more gifts left."
He sighs in relief. "Finally. Okay here we go, what information do you ha--"
"Venti thank you for the Silk Flower!"
Childe facepalms while your friend are wheezing.
"Ah, this is incredible - I'm getting so much gifts from stalling right now." You laugh.
"You're wasting my time, comrade." He warns.
"Oh I'm sorry I'm wasting your time Childe - well right now you're wasting both our time by interrogating me when you could've accomplished other things by now."
"..You don't want to have a conversation, (Y/n)?" he mumbles with sadness.
"Of course I do. I'm ready now." you reply, recovering from your laughing fit.
He inhales sharply. "Alright... If I get one more interruption, I will personally--"
"Next, we need some Everlasting Incense." Zhongli walks in, unaware of the situation. "For this, we need to go to Bubu Pharmacy, the finest pharmacy in all of--"
You lose it and laugh for a few seconds.
Even Kaeya lost his cool, Diluc finally chuckling at the Harbinger's demise, and Venti wheezing at Morax's cluelessness.
Paimon was starting to sound like a mosquito from her giggles.
"Is... everything okay?" Zhongli pipes up in concern, but amused at your laughter.
With you dying in the background, Childe forces a smile in response. "Everything is fine. I was just informing them that they need not to return the surplus mora."
Your voice cracks from laughing. "W- Wait Childe, the information tho--"
"No need to share any information. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going." he briskly leaves afterwards.
With that, you were still left giggling.
"You have been chuckling for a few minutes now, do I have to bring you to Bubu Pharmacy?" Zhongli asks, worried.
"noPe." you wheeze like a kettle. You take a moment to recollect your sanity.
"Alright, I'm feeling okay now." You grin. "That was the best laugh I've had in ages."
"Honestly, I can agree." Kaeya says. "Who would've thought bullying the Fatui was more satisfying than putting up with them?"
"You read my mind, Kaeya." You smile evilly. The corner of Diluc's lip perks up slightly.
Most of your friends agree, albeit reluctantly since Fatui were still in the country. You put away the gifts into your inventory.
Now, the next part is that you have to buy Everlasting Incense according to Zhongli.
Arriving at the pharmacy, you're greeted by Qiqi. You said you wanted some Everlasting Incense, and she requests your prescription. But the thing is, you're not using it for medicinal purposes.
The girl named Qiqi seems to be unaware of the Geo Archon's death.
"Ah, you see Qiqi, we're actually using the Everlasting Incense for Rex Lapis' passing." you reason, hoping the Rex Lapis' death discount works.
"Rex Lapis passing..?" She tilts her head. "Oh."
Paimon let out a horrific gasp and stares at you. "How could you say that bluntly!?"
"What do you mean?" You said, confused at her outburst.
Paimon scratches her head. "Ignore her, Qiqi, Rex Lapis isn't erm... he isn't ah... he's not gone yet.."
"If Rex Lapis isn't gone... then what happened to him?"
"Erm... Let's say... Rex Lapis is.. is heading to the store and never coming back!" Paimon explains. She nods furiously. "Yes, he's just buying some food at the store!"
Qiqi tilts her head. "But when is he coming back?"
"He'll come back once he buys the food."
"Really? How long will that take..?"
Zhongli clears his throat, averting his eyes from the awkward situation.
You facepalmed hard. "Qiqi, don't mind Paimon."
Your friends felt a bit awkward, not used to dealing with serious topics to children.
So, you're going to be the one to take the lead.
"Anyways Qiqi, we were hoping to get some Everlasting Incense as a parting gift to Rex Lapis. I'm not sure why you don't know about this, but everyone in Liyue practically knows at this point."
"I... see. Qiqi understands. I will get my guardian to get the medicine. Please pay my respects to the geo archon with it." she leaves and will probably fetch Dr. Baizhu.
A moment of silence passes through, you glance at your saddened friends with perplexity.
"Are you guys okay?"
Paimon frowns slightly. "Why did you have to tell her the truth? She's still a child."
You tilt your head. "She's already dead, revived as a zombie."
"That proves Paimon's point. She's still a child at heart. Haven't you ever heard of filtering your words for the kids?"
"No?" You raise a brow. "You hide the truth from children? That's odd, I've always done the opposite to my siblings."
"Ehh!? You straight up tell them the truth?"
Now you're confused. "Of course I do. I don't want their imagination to break down once they've grown up, so I just tell them the truth directly."
"Aren't you... you know, afraid of crushing their child-like dreams.."
"Paimon, would you rather have the sweet warm lies or the bitter cold truth?"
"The truth..?"
You stand up. "Exactly. That's why I tell them the direct truth." you whisper a little. "although, I worded some parts differently, but the meaning remains."
Venti speaks up first.
"Well, (Y/n) has a point, though you should word it differently. Nonetheless, her revelation saved us a lot of time. Unlike someone in this room, she probably foreseen this event and stepped in to avoid wasting time."
Diluc let out a sigh. "And to think, to receive our medicine all we had to do was mention Rex Lapis' death."
You smile mischievously. "Oh, that strategy works absolutely well."
"Indeed, I'm sure there's a Liyuean proverb for this." Venti clears his throat. " As the saying goes 'All things are random, and... blah blah blah so how are you supposed to predict anything."
Paimon wheezes. "Tone-deaf bard gets it, literally no one could see this coming."
Zhongli remains silent as your friends had a chit-chat, most likely contemplating his life choices.
"It seems like Qiqi took the truth pretty hard." Kaeya mentions. "Perhaps I'll assist (Y/n) if she ever plans to babysit anyone."
"You make it sound like you've had experience with babysitting children, Captain Kaeya." Paimon says.
"Well, that's because I have. The children of Mondstadt are interested in the Knights, so why not I entertain them?"
Diluc scoffs. "So the Knights of Favonius downgraded into children's entertainment."
"I'm sure you know that's not what Kaeya meant." You swiftly chime in. "Anyways, it'd be interesting to see him babysit."
Venti scratches his head nervously.
"Ehh, I wouldn't recommend that. The sisters from the cathedral had to calm down children after Captain Kaeya told them scary stories regarding the street lamps, saying the lights represent the souls of the dead."
Kaeya chuckles at that. "But it's quite a cool concept, no? It's just a scary story after all, I didn't anticipate them to be actually terrified of it."
You glance at him. "I don't think young children would like to be spooked with scary stories, especially regarding the street lamps - which are everywhere in Mondstadt."
He raises his hands in defense. "Hey - hey, at least I wasn't the one who had to break the ice cold truth to them."
"Oh my Archons- Captain Kaeya noO." Paimon yells. "Quit bickering with (Y/n) like a married couple!"
Diluc squints. "That was the strangest thing I've ever heard you say, Paimon."
"Aaand that's going on my Top Paimon Quotes notes." You snicker.
"You have a list for that!?"
Zhongli was amused at your friend group's bickering, a reminisce of his old comrades.
Then, a man arrives and introduces himself as Dr. Baizhu, you tell him you need some Everlasting Incense and he offered to sell it for three million mora.
Unfortunately you can't afford it, even with pleading with Diluc. Though they want to help, they'd prefer to watch the Fatui waste their own money, and so do you. You're forced to go to Childe for aid.
"What now? Is this the part where we go back crawling to Childe..?" Paimon mutters.
Later, Childe arrives and agrees to pay for the incense and set up a supply of whatever the dude wants for the pharmacy. Of course, he earned glares from your friends.
"Finally, you're not gonna laugh at me for the cocogoat incident." You say with triumph.
"The coco- what?" Childe says, confused.
"Nothing." You reply fast. Oh, how it feels wonderful to avert a predicament.
As your friend group stares at Childe until he excuses himself, you were left with having a conversation with your friends afterwards.
Then, you return to the place where Rex Lapis fell. Offering the gift to the rite prepared at it.
Zhongli turns around to face you. "Well, as it stands, and we've acquired the Everlasting Incense. The completion of our preparations is not far off."
"Whew... finally." Paimon says in relief, and so does Venti.
"Well, (Y/n), have you gained anything from our adventure so far?"
"It's been pretty wild, not gonna lie." you answer.
" 'Wild'..?"
Venti snorts. "He doesn't understand slang."
"I'm not sure if we've been living the high life or experiencing the struggles of the poor." You explain.
"Haha, which is it, I wonder?" Zhongli smiles. "The question that such travels raise are ever so complicated. Well, I'll leave you to ruminate it yourself. As to remuneration for your help, I've decided... to treat you to a meal."
"Wait what-" you say suddenly. "Zhongli... treating?"
"Wow, amazing." Venti comments.
Surprised, you observe him for any hesitance - he seems to be honest.
He notices your look. "Oh? Ah yes, don't worry. I will remember to bring mora this time." He grins slightly. "Tonight, I shall take you all to an old hole-in-a-wall, praised throughout Liyue."
" A 'hole-in-a-wall'? ...So, a cool restaurant?" You ask.
"Indeed. Let us meet near the harbor at 'Third-Round Knockout'." He says before departing.
You look back at your friends. "We're eatin' good tonight boys."
"Yahoo! Finally, that old block-head pays this time." The bard cheers.
"Seems like he recalls something for once." Kaeya said.
Diluc nods. "This journey has been quite arduous, a break like this is nice every once in a while."
"True, let's head over to the restaurant right now." You point to it.
While walking along with your companions, they have looked around Liyue for a while.
"Say, (Y/n)," Diluc starts. "We've had a journey around Liyue for quite a while now. But I'm curious on how you and the bard seem to be close with Mr. Zhongli. And his relations with the Fatui."
"Oh, our relations with Zhongli and the Fatui?" you reply. "I met Zhongli through Childe, during the Descension Disaster.. and a lot of things happened, but I'm somewhat acquaintances with both of them now."
"That's very vague," Kaeya points out. "But as far as I'm concerned, I'm not looking forward to the Fatui being close to any of us. Either way, Venti seems to be calm during this whole ordeal. You, however..."
All stares fall onto you, who looks back.
"Why're you all gazing at me like that?"
"I feel like you should share your stories regarding what happened post-Descension." Venti says, "Especially with how our fellow friends seem to be suspicious of you know, with the Fatui and such."
You sweatdrop. "Well, I'll explain further once we arrive at the place Zhongli told us to meet at."
Arriving at the tavern, he greets you all at a table. "Ah, you're all here. There's no need to order, I've already done so."
"Really, you've ordered for 6 people?" You muse.
"Of course I have." Zhongli assures. " 'Third-Round Knockout' is not for lightweights, like those taverns in Mondstadt. Here, the owner does not take such unorthodox orders such as fruit juice."
Diluc almost chokes on his drink, then places it down on the table. Kaeya snickers at his reaction, while Venti seems enthusiastic.
"So, does this mean I can order wine this time?" you ask.
"I ordered some wine-fermented rice balls for you, if that counts."
"I guess I should've expected this..."
"Anyways (Y/n), care to storytell us what happened to you and Mr. Zhongli before we all reassembled?" Kaeya inquiry.
"What happened to us today? Well, let me tell you..." You grin evilly. "It's a cautionary tale about death and departure, based on actual events where people DIED."
"No one died." Zhongli corrected.
"Except for Rex Lapis." you counter-correct.
"He sure did." Venti laughs.
Of course, you explain what happened to them in detail. You sugarcoated some parts regarding Zhongli so they can have trust in him despite his relations with the Fatui.
Then in the tavern, a man tells you a story about Ningguang just as a young woman appears, having found you.
She introduced herself as Ganyu and said Ningguang has extended an invitation to you to go to the Jade Chamber. You ask her how to get there and she explains it to you.
Zhongli told you to go - since invitations are rare. He and the others will be waiting for you at Dihua Marsh when your business with Ningguang is done.
Then you leave to buy a gift as per tradition, you head to Yuehai Pavilion to ascend to the Jade Chamber, where you're greeted by Ningguang.
She delightfully accepts your gifts and offers one in return, then talks about various subjects, like deities, archons, and the Fatui.
Paimon suggests looking at the board and finds a special paper. You stop her from choosing a specific paper, already knowing what the Fatui are up to with the Sigils of Permission.
Looking at the board, you see more information regarding ships to Inazuma, investigations about the Abyss Order, and other strange info.
'Wait... since when did they get info about the Abyss?'
'Inazuma blocks all ships that try to enter..'
'The fatui will sabotage something soon.'
"Lady Ningguang, do you have something against the Fatui?" you ask her, which Paimon freaks out because it sounded blunt.
"Well... I would not phrase it that way. They've been quite inconspicuous, they've appeared a lot ever since the Descension incident." she says.
"You're not wrong, I'd suspect them too." you mutter. "By the way, Lady Ningguang, if we were ever to headbutt against the Fatui, would you aide us in doing so?"
"(Y/n) what are you saying??" Paimon sweats. "D- Don't mind her Lady Ningguang, she's--"
"Aide you..? I've heard good tell of you from the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, so whatever you plan to do must be for a good cause." she hums. "but against the Fatui..?"
You wave it off. "It's nothing much, it's up to you to decide. It'd be nice to have backup if the Fatui were to ever turn their heel with the diplomatic relations."
"..Alright. I suppose I shall think about it. Now, have you chosen anything interesting on the board?"
[Board]
-Fatui Sigils of Permission?
-Strange order found in corners of Liyue-Mondstadt.
-Inazuma closes down, foreign ships denied.
You nod.
"I think I know just what to choose.."
------------------
"So why did you think it was a great idea to make such a scene at the Rite of Descension?" Venti asks in a serious tone.
Diluc and Kaeya agreed to keep watch near the Jade Chamber, guarding it while waiting for your meeting to end.
So, Venti and Zhongli were left to wait at Dihua Marsh.
"It must be done, and you need not to meddle into Liyue's affairs."
"We're the last of the seven, Morax, I think this is quite important enough for me to meddle into." Venti says sadly. "Do you know how sorrowful the citizens of Liyue were, learning of your passing?"
"That is their natural reaction, yes. I deeply regret it as much."
"Then why did go through that lengths for this? You could've had me fooled." He casts his gaze down. "And (Y/n)... her goal of finding her siblings halted because of this."
"..." Now that he thought about it, he hasn't asked what your main goal in Liyue was.
"Morax, or Mr. Zhongli, I don't know your end goal for this, but whatever you plan to do, please guide (Y/n) safely through Liyue. I know I might be asking for much, I want to truly say this... please keep the traveler safe if I'm unable to."
"Barbatos, just who is this traveler to you?" He raises a brow, not seeing his friend in an earnest light before.
"She's a friend so dear." Venti smiles proudly, placing a hand on his chest. "The one who helped Mondstadt in its time of need. Without her and the others, Dvalin might've perished along with my land."
"This traveler means a lot to you, then" Zhongli hums in interest.
"Oh, she truly does."
"Well then, since you've held her in high regards, I shall try my best in looking out for her." He says. "Though I can't fully assure her top safety, I'll see what I can do."
Venti let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Morax."
Zhongli smiles a bit. "Please, I go by Zhongli now."
"Yeah alright Mr. Zhongli, I also go by Venti now." he retorts.
-------------------
With the business at the Jade Palace wrapped up, you meet up with Kaeya and Diluc, who surprisingly were calm. Of course you didn't witness their roasts while waiting for you.
All of you head to Dihua Marsh to continue preparing for the Rite of Descension. Zhongli told you that you need some wild glaze lilies.
"Now, I'll need your assistance in gathering these flowers." He said to you.
"You mean you need me to pick them?"
"No, I will be needing you to sing for them."
You look at him, perplexed. "So you need me... to sing?"
"...That's correct. Your singing will surely bring out the strongest fragrance from the flowers."
"Why do we need to sing when we have a bard right here?" You gesture to Venti spazmatically.
He shrugs. "I don't know (Y/n), this has colored me curious, how well can you sing?"
"That's unexpected but.. I'm now also curious." Diluc adds.
"How good is your singing?" Kaeya comments playfully.
'They're cornering me.'
"I guess I can hold a tune." You reply reluctantly.
"Really? Why doesn't Paimon believe you..." she retorts.
Zhongli crosses his arms. "We'll only know once she starts singing.
Surrounding one specific flower, Paimon clasps her hands together. "It's time to sing, whenever you're ready!"
You clear your throat.
"Mr. Zhongli is so brave~ He's the bravest man I've ever met~"
Then it became silent.
"I... have never heard that melody before." Zhongli hides his amused smile beneath his hand.
"Actually, let me take the lead, dearest (Y/n)." Your bard friend pats your back. "Perhaps this windborne bard's melodies will work!"
Venti clears his throat and starts singing off-key.
"His name is Zhongli and he is quite old. He fancies (Y/n) which I find really bold."
Zhongli raises a brow while Kaeya holds his laughter.
"Captain Kaeya wears an eyepatch." Venti sings. "Meanwhile, me and (Y/n) are the perfect match."
You jokingly nod your head to the rhythm. Diluc covers his mouth to prevent his chuckles.
"Master Diluc is a claymore user. He protects us his friends, even if I'm a boozer."
"I wear a cape with anemo aura. In this cape, I don't have a single mora!" Venti ends with a bold tone.
A few of your companions nod to the song, while some others were quite confused of the hype.
"That beat dropped harder than Rex Lapis." You cheer.
Venti laughs at that, understanding the double meaning.
Paimon tilts her head to the side. "That was a weird way to serenade the flower."
You shake your head. "Nope, that wasn't a serenade for the flower. That was our national anthem." you joke.
"I officially title this melody as 'The Traveller's Tune'." Venti beams with pride.
Unfortunately the flower didn't like the melody and proceeds to attack your squad. Not long after that, the flower was attacked back and died by your attacks.
Continuing searching for the flowers, you encounter Ganyu again and find out shes one of the adepti, having watched over Liyue Harbor since its inception 3,700 years ago. You ask her if she knows an adeptus named 'Xiao.'
She says she heard of him but isn't as strong as him, since he's the conqueror of demons. Then she says her thoughts about Rex's death and leaves you with wild glaze lilies from her.
"We got the glaze lilies now," you hand the flowers to your friends. "It won't be long until we're finished, then we're able to travel again."
"Indeed, where our journey will lead us next~?" Venti muses. "Though I wonder if Mr. Zhongli over here will join us."
"Will he, though?" Diluc questions.
"Perhaps I might..?" Zhongli says in a teasing tone. "Haha, I jest."
"You're getting my hopes up." you say half-heartedly.
Then, Zhongli places a glaze lily on your hair.
[Both arts by me - don't use or rob]
"I still have a duty to fulfill in Liyue... however I'd also like to be by your side. It's quite a predicament I've had for a while, but you can wait for me until my duty is finished. Perhaps after this, I might be able to join."
"..Is this an official contract between us?"
"You can interpret it that way. After all, we're in the nation of the God of contracts. For now I just cannot turn my back on Liyue." not yet at least "Dear traveler, will you wait for me?"
You raise your hand to feel the glaze lily. "Of course I will." this earned some reactions from your friends but it seems that they have to think about it too.
In truth, Zhongli did entertain the thought of travelling outside Liyue. It was something he truly wants to do when he steps down from being Archon.
Now that he learns the Anemo Archon chose to travel with you with freedom, this left him to contemplate whether to join your travels.
If this ordeal had went onto different situations, he would've gladly choose to join you.
Zhongli gifts you a small box and suggests you to open it after you see him again.
Afterwards, you return to Liyue Harbor, only to find it in disorder.
Apparently, the adepti and Qixing had finally confront each other. Ningguang commanded the Millelith to interrogate the funeral parlor because of their relations with the Fatui.
Diluc and Kaeya weren't surprised at the revelation, it was inevitable for the Fatui to reveal their true nature in another nation.
Unfortunately, this forced Zhongli to leave you to assist the funeral parlor, but he mentions something about Childe that triggers your memory.
'The golden house, the exuvia..'
'Hold on, Childe is part of the Fatui..'
'Oh no, the golden house battle is about to go down.'
You turn to your friends with a serious expression.
"We need to head over the Golden house now."