Since it was the Rite of Descent, it was not a busy day for the Funeral Parlor. The citizens of Liyue did not usually choose this date for ceremonies, although the day had been unique: Rex Lapis had died. The news spread through Liyue like wildfire, reaching the doors of the Funeral Parlor.
Hu Tao stood in thought. "Hm... I don't know, he has lived more than 6000 years, which is no little," she said aloud. Zhongli felt an emptiness in his chest. "He has participated in numerous wars and battles to defend Liyue. Surely he was attacked at some point and still survived. How could they be able to kill him just like that in the Rite of Descent? There's a catch."
"Maybe it wasn't murder," Zhongli commented.
"Oooh, the poor old man committed suicide?"
"He might have been affected by corrosion."
Hu Tao laughed. "Rex Lapis will be our client!" she pondered and asked Zhongli with a thoughtful look, "You think he's dead, wasn't he immortal, what do you think, what does your Adeptus instinct tell you?"
"You take it for granted that I'm an Adeptus?" asked Zhongli.
"Yes! You're strange!"
Zhongli couldn't help but worry, was it really that obvious? He was still learning from humans, but he believed he was adapting well.
"Was he really immortal? The myth tells that gods possess this characteristic because they do not age. But does that mean they cannot die? There are many gods who are not with us today, only their memory remains," Zhongli said.
"So? You think he has indeed died," Hu Tao concluded.
"Correct."
Hu Tao sat in a chair near the middle table. She crossed her legs, rested her chin on an unconcerned hand and said, "Business is business, be it Rex Lapis or a simple merchant. A toast to us!" She raised a hand in imitation of a toast, but Zhongli did not follow her.
"Consultant, will you take care of the arrangements for Rex Lapis? I don't know what he would like and I don't want the wrath of the rock to haunt me for the rest of my days." She asked out of politeness, Zhongli always took care of preparations for the Adeptus, she knew he would gladly take care of it.
"No farewell seems necessary for Rex Lapis."
"What do you mean?"
Hu Tao didn't consider it a big change whether Rex Lapis was leaving or not, but she guessed he was like a father to the Adeptus and so it seemed like a duel to the Consultant, who was absent in thought looking behind the windows.
Life in Liyue continued behind solemn faces. Merchants went about their business despite not having received the annual predictions. Citizens strolled and shopped, with sadness in their eyes. On the other hand, the children played and shouted, running from one side of the port to the other. They were the new generation, fully guided by humans, the Seven Stars of Liyue Qixing.
"Normally they notify us of events to prepare for farewells, but, in this case, the Seven Stars of Liyue guard the exuvia of Rex Lapis somewhere under secrecy."
"Do you think they are hiding something? Oh, I know! He's been killed by them to seize absolute power and that's why they don't want to bring us the body," Hu Tao concluded. "At least they could have asked for a special price for hiding information. They are well aware that we do it with the Fatui... Hmph," she added nonchalantly.
"Master Hu, if it's all right with you, I'll write to Ningguang to get permission for the preparations."
"Of course, Consultant. If need be, make her an offer."
Zhongli went to the bureau at the entrance to write the letter:
"Dear Ningguang of Liyue Qixing,
It has been a terrible shock to all of Liyue that Rex Lapis has been assassinated. As the leader and protector of this nation for over 3700 years he deserves a Farewell Rite to match his stature, in accordance with Liyuan tradition. It would be a sacrilege to let these customs be dismissed with the end of Rex Lapis, the First Adeptus.
Washeng Funeral Parlor offers itself to the preparation of this Rite. We undertake to carry out this ceremony following the traditional rules of farewell to the Adeptus in the utmost and absolute detail.
I hope you understand. I await your permission to carry out the preparations.
Yours faithfully,
Zhongli
Consultant of Washeng Funeral Parlor".
Childe would wait for the return of the traveler to align the conclusions about the Adeptus and, above all, the Geo Archon. Thus, he would have 3 plans:
Plan A: collaborate with the traveler until it is no longer possible, to prevent him from overtaking the Gnosis.
Plan B: confront the traveler. Identify him as a threat and prevent him from getting in the way.
Plan C: kill the traveler. But he would only do so in a very extreme case. He didn't want to have all the Favonius Knights after him all over Teyvat. Although he didn't dislike the idea of having to face all the powerful knights, even Grandmaster Varka or Master Jean.
As for the Geo Archon he also had 3 plans to find the Gnosis:
Plan A: locate the exuvia and extract the Gnosis.
Plan B: in case he had not died and was only a distraction, find the Geo Archon and challenge him in exchange for his Gnosis.
Plan C: summon an evil monster to put Liyue in danger and force the Archon to protect his nation, making a peace exchange for his Gnosis.
An agent snapped him out of his thoughts. " Master Tartaglia," he called to Childe, "Rumor has spread that the Fatui have a Sigil of Permission. Apparently a spy of the Seven Stars of Liyue Qixing has exposed it to Ningguang," he reported.
Childe closed his eyes tightly. It seemed like he had everything under control and overnight, everything was uncertainty.
"Bring one. The most realistic one." It was easy to distinguish. There was a noticeable difference between the one Zhongli made and the ones he had attempted. "Leave the rest there so they can see there's nothing to fear," he said vaguely.
"Sir, they will confirm the facts," the agent replied.
Tartaglia laughed and the agent couldn't help but feel a shiver. "They won't be able to confirm the facts," he said confidently. "When they see one of the sigils they will realize that they are not original. So that brings us to two options: either they think it's a false one created by the Fatui to distract the Seven Stars or they open a line of investigation to find out why we're interested in cloning the Sigils of Permission. Either way, we're already suspects for the murder of Rex Lapis, it's not going to change anything."
The agent was stunned. He nodded, "I'll give the order, Sir." He gave a slight bow to Tartaglia and walked away, leaving him alone again.
Suddenly, Childe thought he had the Gnosis more accessible than he thought.
Childe arrived at the Washeng Funeral Parlor and looked toward the living area. There was light, Zhongli would be there. He then made his way through the wooden gate, into the foyer. The rooms were dimly lit by candlelight.
"We're closed!" a girl shouted from the other room. "If you need urgent service we can negotiate a special price."
Childe approached the room where the voice came from and found Hu Tao half lying on a sofa with a book of poetry on her lap. Childe smiled at her and Hu Tao smiled back.
"The Consultant is not available," Hu Tao said.
"I've seen light in his room," Childe commented in a serious manner.
"Stalker... He's not on duty hours." Hu Tao gave Childe a sidelong glance and added, "What if...he's with his mistress? It's his personal time after all."
Childe felt as if his heart had been dropped without a parachute from an airplane. "Does he have a girlfriend?" he asked in shock.
"Or boyfriend?" replied Hu Tao, placing her hand in a thoughtful gesture near her chin. "I don't know the Consultant's private life."
Hu Tao didn't know whether Childe's look conveyed anger, sadness, or all at once. Childe gasped and headed for the door leading back to the reception area.
"If you want, go upstairs at your own risk!" warned Hu Tao from behind. "You don't want to see improper things."
Childe was already ascending the stairs to the quarters floor by the time Hu Tao finished speaking. "Hm," he replied, though it surely didn't reach Hu Tao's ears. He put his hand on the door handle and took a deep breath. He felt conflicted, he didn't understand what was wrong with him. The light from the room streamed through the door into the dark hallway, but not a sound could be heard. He opened the door, with more force than he intended and met his friend's golden eyes.
It did not seem to have frightened Zhongli. He was sitting in a chair, placed near the window reading a book, of course, about history. As soon as he heard the noise, he turned to look at Childe in frustration. He couldn't say he hadn't been startled, though his pose remained calm. He wondered if his friend had figured out who the Archon was and had gone looking for him unwary.
"Zhongli!" greeted Childe matter-of-factly. And he moved the right hand he held on the handle to behind his head.
"Childe," Zhongli greeted back.
"Forgive me. Sometimes I struggle to handle my emotions," Childe told him with a shy smile.
Zhongli waved him to take a seat. Childe walked over to the other chair, placed next to a small table. He picked it up with one hand and moved it closer to Zhongli. This reassured him because it reminded him of when he was a little boy and would place a chair next to his father so that he could tell him stories of adventurers. Everything was calmer back then. And now he felt like that, next to Zhongli he felt at peace. He placed the chair in front of Zhongli and sat down.
When he looked at Zhongli he blushed as he saw that he was observing him. Zhongli's gaze wandered over his eyelashes, eyebrows, some stray strands of hair he guessed, nose, mouth and finally back to his eyes. Childe kept staring into Zhongli's golden eyes in the candlelight of the room and when they locked back into his own he lost his breath for a moment, though he did contemplate Zhongli's expression becoming more relaxed. The warm light suited Childe, Zhongli thought he had not seen such an attractive mortal and could not help but admire his features.
Childe wanted to address the whole issue of Rex Lapis' exuvia but didn't want to be direct and hurt Zhongli. He might think he was only approaching him out of interest, but he was really attracted to him as a person. He thought he would act as he would with his brothers. He grabbed one of his hands and patted him with the other. "Zhongli, I'm sorry. I know you must be used to goodbyes by now. It's your job. But I guess it's been a shock to you by the way you usually tell the stories of Liyue and, of course, Rex Lapis."
Zhongli had never been able to understand human feelings, but at that moment he was a ticking time bomb.
He was happy to be free and, at the same time, free Liyue. He was worried about how the situation would affect Liyue's prosperity and his relations with the Adeptus. He was sad to leave a part of him behind. He was angry at the way the Seven Stars was handling the matter. He was excited to find out how the mission would unfold over the next few days. He was confused by the new feelings he was experiencing. But, most of all, he was grateful.
Grateful to have been able to experience life in different ways: as Rex Lapis and as Zhongli. Grateful to see his nation grow and evolve. Grateful to be able to live divinity and to be able to enjoy mortality. Grateful that Guizhong had encouraged him to experience human life. Grateful that Childe, as unaware as he was, was helping him with everything. Grateful that he had found happiness in little things. And grateful to have found divinity in mortality.
"Thank you, Childe. I really appreciate it," Zhongli replied, wrapping his hand in his. There were so many things he wanted to say to him that he didn't even know how to do it or how far it was safe. Then he came up with a way to thank him temporarily. "Do you want to see the exuvia?" asked Zhongli. He still held Childe's hand between his and could feel his body stiffen. It caught him off guard.
When he reacted his expression changed, his gaze was fierce. "It's a must. I have to get to it before the traveler does," he said seriously. "Do you know where it is?"
Zhongli pulled out a piece of paper from the back of the book, it looked like he had it hidden there for some reason, and held it out to Childe. Childe unfolded the paper and read:
"Dear Consultant Zhongli,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your services to the citizens of Liyue on behalf of Washeng Funeral Parlor. I have heard that you are specialized in the Farewell Ceremonies to the Adeptus and the citizens praise you. I do not doubt your abilities to prepare the Farewell Rite for Rex Lapis. Please make whatever preparations you feel necessary.
I must inform you that the preparations should not depend on the exuvia of Rex Lapis. It is confined under The Millelith guard until the assassin has been found. No one may access the area under any circumstances.
For this reason, I would not be able to give you a fixed date to allow the ceremony to take place. Even so, feel free to place preparations wherever necessary, including Yujing Terrace. On the day of the ceremony the Geoarmy will move the exuvia to where the event takes place.
Thank you very much for your service, Consultant Zhongli.
Kind regards,
Ningguang of Liyue Qixing."
"The Seven Stars have the exuvia hidden and do not yield under any pretext. They do not even name the place where they guard it. There is only the possibility of reaching the exuvia during the farewell ceremony," Zhongli said when Childe finished reading.
"How long will it take you to finish the preparations?" asked Childe thoughtfully.
"I foreseen a couple of days minimum. It depends on several factors such as the availability of the products. It's faster to get something when you have the means, that is, Mora."
"I can get you all the Mora you can imagine. All you need," Childe cut him off, "The sooner it is, the sooner you can pressure Ningguang to free the exuvia and hold the Rite."
"Exactly," Zhongli replied. "Besides, it would be faster with an assistant," Zhongli continued.
"I'll help you whenever I can," Childe urged.
The real intention of Zhongli was to get the traveler away from Childe so that he would have a clear path to directly challenge Rex Lapis, using the Permission Seals to free Osial. He had to make sure of the protective capability of Liyue Qixing's Seven Stars. Besides, more hands for preparations couldn't hurt. Ningguang could not break Liyue's traditions and least of all at this time, Rex Lapis would have a Farewell Rite up to his standards.
"Childe, I thank you, but I know how busy you are with the Tsaritsa's mission. I actually had thought about the traveler."
"The traveler?" asked Childe dumbfounded. "I tricked him... I asked him to find the Adeptus. I suppose it will take him a day."
"Introduce him to me." Childe nodded and Zhongli continued, "Tell him that I can assist him in his mission to meet The Seven Archons, that I can take him to the exuvia of Rex Lapis when the time is right. That way, he won't be able to refuse to help me with the preparations."
Childe laughed. "Zhongli you always surprise me! We should be business partners more often." He smiled, but his smile represented Tartaglia more. "The Northland Bank will fund the Farewell Rite for Rex Lapis. It will not count within the Funeral Parlor's bank account. And I will arrange a business lunch, as they do here in Liyue, to introduce you to the traveler."
Childe stood up, handed the letter back to Zhongli and headed for the door. "Take care, Zhongli," he turned to Zhongli and winked at him before leaving.