i've found my inspiration after farming for primos
so lets fucking get into it
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"Right on time," Zhongli greeted. "I myself only arrived moments ago. Did you enjoy your visit to the Jade Chamber?"
"It was so biiiig. And preeetty. And expensive! Paimon's never seen such a fancy-schmancy place before!" Paimon exclaimed.
"Indeed. It's second to none in all of Liyue. Then you met with Ningguang, I trust? What did you talk about with her?"
"She's super rich and so generous, Paimon thinks she's very friendly!"
"Business people are always 'friendly' when it suits their interests." Aether reminded her. You nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, they're take on Ningguang is quite different from Paimon's. They think that even the tactless Yuheng is more trustworthy than her!"
"I mostly just like her attitude, but not the opinion." You mumbled.
"Oh, so you also met with Keqing, then? What did she have to say?" Zhongli questioned.
"She said, 'The time of the adepti has long passed. If even the Liyue Qixing don't want to face that truth, then what future is there for Liyue?'" You recounted, crossing your arms. "And more about the adepti."
"Heh, yes, no respect for the divine." Zhongli agreed. "Indeed, contrary to the ever-bold Keqing, Ningguang is more of a businesswoman at heart, though they are both member of the Qixing. Although she's friendly, there's no way of clearly discerning her true intentions."
"Ningguang is highly intelligent," Aether agreed.
"And ambitious," You added.
"Yes, she has only relied on herself to rise to her current position. No ordinary person could ever achieve that." Zhongli stated. "It's said that she's the one behind the constant expansion of the Jade Chamber, it's the second most important thing to her. Even if she ever gave up the position of Tianquan, she would never give up the Jade Chamber."
"The Jade Chamber is only second?" Paimon exclaimed. "What's the most important thing to her then?"
Zhongli looked over at Paimon, with a look you couldn't really discern. "Why, Mora, of course."
"Makes sense," Aether conceded.
"All Ningguang talked about was the Fatui this and the Fatui that... she said that after Rex Lapis was murdered, the Fatui have constantly been trying to sink their fingers into Liyue and that they aren't to be trusted." Paimon noted.
"That is how the Fatui have always been. It doesn't surprise me in the least." Zhongli said.
"Same," You agreed. "And now they're trying to reproduce the Sigil of Permission."
Zhongli thought about that. "No matter what they may be planning, you must be careful when dealing with the Fatui. Always be on your guard."
"So, is there anything we need to get for the Rite of Parting in Dihua Marsh?" Paimon finally asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. Today we'll be gathering wild Glaze Lilies."
~
Once we found a glaze lily, you and Paimon both looked at Aether.
"It's time to sing. Whenever you're ready!" Paimon said eagerly. You held up a thumbs-up in support.
Aether cleared his throat. "♪...♪♪♪♪...♪♪♪♪...♪...♪!"
You blinked. "Wow."
The ground underneath the flowers, shook, and out popped.. whopperflowers?
"These flowers are jumping... they look really angry! Is it... because you sang a song from Mondstadt that they don't understand in Liyue?" Paimon asked, floating higher.
You summoned your bow, aiming at the nearest one. The arrow charged, and you let it loose, the 'star' flying across and striking the whopperflower. It exploded upon contact, instantly killing it. You shot at another, this one mostly dodging it. It shot ice spikes at you, and you leapt to the side, letting Aether finish it off.
"Those weren't Glaze Lilies! Glaze Lilies wouldn't hurt people!" Paimon huffed.
"Those flowers put a quite a fight," Aether admitted.
"This little monster is known as a 'whopperflower'." Zhongli explained.
"They're really annoying," You added.
"Hmm... Strange. These petals look interesting."
Zhongli studied them for another second. "The Glaze Lilies used as a disguise were buried with the Whopperflower for too long. The result seems to have surprisingly potent medicinal value. Let's collect what we can of these petals."
"Well that's nice and all, but will those petals be useful for the Rite of Parting?" Paimon wondered.
"Unfortunately, no."
"Ugh, that's so lame."
"Excuse me..."
You all turned to see a familiar blue-haired lady walking up. You smiled slightly.
"Are you searching for Glaze Lilies?" Ganyu questioned.
"Oh, hey! It's... what's her face... Ah, Paimon can't remember..." Paimon scratched her head.
"Greetings, Ganyu," Aether said.
"Hello, y/n, traveler. I'm surprised you still remember my name. Ah! That reminds me, how was your visit to the Jade Chamber?" Ganyu asked.
"Well, it sure would've been better if you'd told us how to get up there!" Paimon complained.
"Didn't I tell you the way!? Surely I did!" Ganyu panicked.
"Nope, we found the way on our own!" Paimon put her hands on her hips.
"Guess it was our fault for not asking," You said gently, trying to calm her down.
"Oh, I see." Ganyu looked down. She placed a hand on her head.
"Huh, something seems a little off with Ganyu..." Paimon said curiously. "She's acting different from the first time we met... Where's her serious attitude now?"
"Ah, well, I met you at that time as an emissary of the Tianquan. But now, I am simply out on a stroll to see the flowers." Ganyu explained, looking up again.
"You came all the way out here to see the flowers? Why not just enjoy the gardens of the city?" Paimon was confused by now.
Ganyu sighed, her mood dropping a bit. "Yujing Terrace is where Rex Lapis parted from this world. If I strolled through those lonely gardens now, I wouldn't be able to bear it. Whenever my duties take me near Yujing Terrace these days, I draw the windows to block my view of the gardens."
"Oh... sorry, we shouldn't have brought it up." Paimon said, feeling guilty. You scowled at her.
"No, its quite alright. I just... haven't processed my emotions yet." Ganyu sighed. "When the Archon War came to its end two thousand years ago, the first iteration of The Eight would gather in Liyue and drink with Rex Lapis. But five of those original eight had already passed before Rex Lapis - it's truly a changing of the guard."
"So that means..." Aether slowly realized.
"Yes. Now that the spirit of Rex Lapis has returned to the heavens, only Barbatos of Mondstadt and Lunaria of Tsuki remains of the first eight (technically, its still the same spirit). The other five, including Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, are no longer the same friends from two thousand years ago. For Lunaria, the Electro Achon's demise took a hard toll on her. They were relatives."
Your eyes widened. Related?