After letting Diluc sleep for a little, I was surprised to hear a knock at the door. I opened it, and nearly jumped in surprise. "Childe?" I turned around to see that Diluc was still sleeping. "How... did you find our room?" I whispered.
He perked in, seeing Diluc still asleep too. He whispered, "Well, convincing people isn't too hard when you're me. Must be my charm," he shrugged, although we both knew that people were probably afraid of him. The Fatui had their perks.
Knowing this, it made him dangerous, and a potential threat. Although, despite all that he could have done, he never showed any aggression. Therefore, there probably wasn't anything to be worried about yet.
"Never mind that... should I wake Diluc up?" I said quietly, glancing back at the sleeping redhead.
He nodded, and then he looked into the room a bit closer. "One bed? Are you guys dating?"
"We can talk about that later," I said quickly, my face a little red. I was worried Diluc would hear him and get mad, although I supposed that it was a harmless question. "He's got to get ready. I'll meet you outside."
I closed the door on him, waving a quick goodbye. Sighing, I walked over to the bed. "Diluc?" I gently nudged his shoulder, and he slowly blinked his eyes open. "Are you feeling okay?"
He sat up, stretching a little. "It isn't too cold in here anymore," Diluc shrugged.
"Well, at least your fever broke," I said, walking over to the other side of the room. I picked up his coat, holding it out. "Do you feel well enough for lunch?"
"I think so," Diluc said, standing up. He walked with more energy than before, despite the grogginess of his nap.
I held his coat open and slipped it over his shoulder for him. "Childe is outside. I hope he knows a good place to go for lunch," I laughed.
"Agreed," Diluc said, putting his arms through the sleeves. "Although, we can always go to Wanmin if it's not ideal," he chuckled.
"Me Zhongli is awaiting your arrival in the room you booked," An employee said to Childe, who had led us to Liuli Pavilion.
"Zhongli?" I asked, curious as to who that was.
"He's a friend of mine, more so a business partner. He's mostly here to meet Aether, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to invite you along," Childe said.
"To Liuli Pavilion?" Diluc said, almost in disbelief. "How did you even get a table here? No, a whole room? The waiting list is months long."
"Really?" I said, also in disbelief. It was hard to believe that any restaurant could have such a waiting list, especially since we were about to eat there.
"What can I say?" Childe said with a shrug as Aether approached, Paimon trailing behind him. "Being Fatui has its benefits."
Aether gave Diluc and I a quick wave before Childe began walking inside. I couldn't help but feel a little excited that I got to eat at a restaurant with such high demand. And my mora gets to stay in my pocket!
As Childe walked around the corner, I saw him stop and wave before walking into the room fully. I followed him nervously, wondering who this 'Zhongli' was. If he was working with the Fatui, he might be trouble.
Diluc seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he glanced at me cautiously. I gave him a reassuring smile before we followed Childe into the room.
Inside the room was a tall man with dark clothing sitting at the table. He was drinking tea, and glanced over at us as we walked in. "Hm?" He raised his eyes to see who we were. I noticed he possessed a geo vision.
He gestured to the other seats, offering for us to sit. "Allow me to introduce Mr Zhongli," Childe said as we all took our seats. "He is a consultant from an organization known as Wangsheng, and a trusted associate of the Fatui."
"Wangsheng?" Aether asked. Paimon floated impatiently. Was she that eager for food?
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," Zhongli answered. He spoke with confidence, his tone heavy with professionalism. "It's an honor to meet you. I have heard tell of you from Mondstadt."
"It seems like everyone knows me," Aether said, scratching the back of his head.
"And you," Zhongli looked over to Diluc, who stiffened in his seat next to me. "Diluc Ragnvindr, yes?"
Diluc sat quietly for a moment before answering. "Yes," he nodded.
"The Wine that comes from the Dawn Winery is the best in all of Teyvat," Zhongli said, complimenting Diluc, who then relaxed slightly. What was he so worried about? "Ah, and who might you be?"
My ears perked as Zhongli addressed me, the only true stranger to the table. I felt out of place. Everyone there had some sort of honor, or title. It made me feel a little intimidated.
"My name is y/n," I said, trying not to be too nervous. "I'm here with Diluc."
"What for? Likely not for vacation, hm?" How could he tell? Still, he gave off only the intent of curiosity, and I couldn't sense any ill intentions.
"Just... alchemy. I'm with the knights in Mondstadt. I'm here to collect samples, and that's it," I said, smiling. I took care not to sound too informal, feeling incredibly out of place.
"It sounds quite interesting, you'll have to tell me more about it sometime," Zhongli said, and then turned back to Aether. "Now, to the matter at hand..."
"Zhongli doesn't seem too bad," I said as we walked down the street of Liyue after lunch. Zhongli and Aether had talked about a plan to see Rex Lapis's body, and an even grander plan to expose who the true killer was.
As amazing and interesting as it was, Diluc and I would have no part to it. I wasn't too offended, as it seemed like too much for Diluc and I to handle at the moment. We were leaving in a few days, and still had to search for a mist flower.
"I suppose not," Diluc said, although I could tell he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Zhongli worked with the Fatui, and Childe literally was Fatui.
I put my finger to my chin as we walked down the street. "We still have a few days to find a mist flower, so we should do that tomorrow."
Diluc nodded in agreement. "In the mean time, why don't we stop and look at this antique store? They sell some nice jewelry, I hear."
As we stopped to look at the wares, I suddenly remembered what happened last time I had stopped to look at this store. "Ah, Diluc... that reminds me."
"What is it?" He asked, looking away from the merchandise.
"I was here earlier, and I noticed some trouble while I was shopping," I said simply. He had to know sooner rather than later.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"You know how I had let one of the treasure hoarders go? A few weeks ago?" I said as I scratched the back of my head. "He was here."
"Here?" Diluc said in disbelief. "In Liyue?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I started walking towards Wanmin, and he followed me, too."
"He was following you? What in Teyvat could they want, following you all the way to Liyue?" He said, confused. "And following in broad daylight. How did you get him off your back?"
"I... pretended to greet a stranger like an old friend," I said, embarrassed. "He understood, so it worked out. The hoarder walked straight away once I found a friend."
"I see... would he have done the same if I was there?" Diluc wondered out loud.
"I'm not sure, they might be after you too," I said, now also curious. "But, the boy who helped me let me go with him to Wanmin. I met a few more people there too. They frequent Wanmin, so maybe we'll see them next time we go."
"You think so?" Diluc said with a smile.
"I hope so," I said, starting to look at the jewelry too. "You'd get along with them."
"Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?" Diluc asked, a little concerned that I hadn't told him right away.
"I didn't want to worry you. I was going to tell you at lunch, too, but I felt a little intimidated just to be there," I laughed nervously. "I didn't want to interrupt the planning going on."
"Intimidated?" Diluc asked.
"Well... it felt like everyone there had some sort of deed or title. I felt a little out of place, that's all," I smiled.
"You're always worthy of a seat at a table like that," Diluc said, rolling his eyes a little.
"How so?" I said, confused. I didn't have any title, and I hadn't saved a city or a town. How did I deserve such a thing?
"Well, you're the only reason I'm here today," Diluc said, resting his hand on my shoulder. "That's as good enough a reason for me."