The hum of easy conversation drifted around them, mingling with the lazy clink of teacups.
"Yum—so good!" Paimon stuffed her cheeks again as another house specialty hit the table. "Totally different from Mondstadt's food!"
"Not just the food—the scenery, too," Lumine murmured. She let her gaze travel outward.
From here, the view swept over a silver ribbon of river winding through the fresh green of Dihua Marsh. Egrets skimmed the water and left rings of ripples behind. The sky was scrubbed clear and blue; sunlight pooled on the tabletop—warm, never harsh—while a faint resin-and-wood scent rode the breeze. Travelers lounged two or three to a table, nursing Liyue tea and chatting like they had all the time in the world.
"Hehe, Wangshu Inn does have first-class ambience," the innkeep said, arriving with a tray. "Try the bamboo shoot soup."
"It smells amazing!" Paimon leaned in, little hands clasped. "Quick, quick, I'm digging in!"
Time slipped by in that gentle, Liyue way—food, tea, and a slow circuit of the inn.
Outside, on the road toward Liyue Harbor, Yelan strolled with an easy cadence.
"Mondstadt travelers… and that ice-armored 'warrior' that feels more like a monster," she mused. "Didn't expect that little bonus on the way back."
She tapped her chin. "The Stormterror crisis being resolved means the trade route will thaw. That's worth a heads-up. Notify Ningguang… and the Yuheng."
Back at Wangshu Inn, after a leisurely afternoon of snacks and eavesdropping for local news, evening bled into night.
Lanterns kindled one by one, bathing wooden galleries in a honeyed glow. Scarlet pennons stirred and whispered; a cool thread of river-air kept the night crisp.
Lumine and Paimon settled on the rooftop terrace—the best seat in the house. Below, the river glimmered; stars fell into it and broke into flecks of gold. Marsh reeds swayed, throwing soft, pale seedfloss into the wind.
Lumine raised a celadon cup, blew the steam, and sipped. Heat and sweetness unknotted the day out of her shoulders.
"Waaah—Liyue at night is so different from Mondstadt," Paimon sighed, chin in hands. "Liyue Harbor must look gorgeous right now, huh?"
"Liyue Harbor..." Lumine's eyes slipped toward the south. All afternoon, she'd heard about a city cradled by mountain and sea—its night lights a jeweled rim on the coast.
"We heard the Rite of Descension is still a few days off," Lumine said, bright with anticipation. "We can make it."
"Hehe—then we might actually see Rex Lapis!" Paimon perked up. "Oh—right! Mora is named after him. But if we call him 'Morax' the way foreigners do, Liyue folks might think we're rude. Better to say Rex Lapis , like they do."
"Got it." Lumine nodded.
"Just… how do we even ask anything if we see him?" she added, scratching her cheek. "The oracle goes to the Liyue Qixing, not random travelers."
"That's easy," Paimon said. "We find the Qixing and ask them . You're not just some rookie—you're the Knights of Favonius' Honorary Knight! That carries weight."
"The Qixing ?" Lumine tilted her head.
"Liyue's a nation of contracts and commerce," Kairo said, smiling faintly. "Seven leaders—each representing a pillar of trade and civil power—run the city day-to-day. But to Liyue's people, the true ruler has always been Rex Lapis.
"Humans are the Qixing. The god is Rex Lapis.
"Mondstadt's Anemo Archon lets freedom run itself; Liyue's Geo Archon endures."
"Whoa." Paimon blinked. "Kairo, you really know your Liyue."
"So don't worry about meeting Rex Lapis."
Both Lumine and Paimon turned to him.
"Then… why do you sound like there's a catch?" Paimon asked.
"Because rituals that grand… invite mishaps," Kairo said, setting down his cup. "Think about Mondstadt. The Fatui moved, and the Anemo Archon's Gnosis changed hands. You think they'll ignore other nations' Archons?"
Paimon sucked in a breath. Lumine's eyes sharpened.
"Jean said it herself—plenty of Fatui envoys left after things 'wrapped up.' They finished what they came for," Paimon muttered. "If they hit Mondstadt, Liyue's next…"
"Exactly." Kairo's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Believe me or not—by the time the Rite begins, you'll see."
He glanced toward the inn's shadowed rafters. Wangshu Inn had its own nocturnal rumor: the Vigilant Yaksha sometimes returned here by night. If anything big was coming, the winds would carry it here first.
Far away, beneath the bells of Favonius Cathedral, the mood was anything but calm.
Moonlight limned Barbara's tidy room in silver. On her desk, a pass shimmered—faint blue light crawling across its surface like a waking sigil.
"It's finally... finally ready!" Barbara's cheeks flushed; a sheen of sweat sparkled on her brow. She pressed a hand to her chest and breathed out, eyes sparkling.
"Behold—the instrument drawn by the Prinzessin der Verurteilung's fate!" Fischl announced, fringe quivering with excitement. She swayed, giddy. "The wheel of destiny turns anew! Kairo, our paths entwine once more!"
"Quick, Fischl! Use it!" Barbara urged.
Fischl's smile crooked as she laid a finger on the pass.
"Open, Gate of Destiny."
Hummm—!
Blue radiance burst outward. The room vanished in light; space seemed to twist, the air itself thrumming. Barbara felt her body lighten, sight smear, the world sliding sideways like a page turned too fast. Wind whistled—a whisper that said elsewhere .
Night in Dihua Marsh. Lanterns bobbed at a stone bridge; the river murmured past.
The Millelith stood tall at the head of the span—spears planted, eyes scanning, the picture of discipline. It was a quiet shift: the odd traveler, a merchant's cart, nothing more.
Until—
BOOM!
A rift of blue tore open in the middle of the bridge. Light spilled like a fallen galaxy, shockwaves rippling the air.
"Wh—what is that?!"
"Enemy—?!"
"Wait—look!"
Two silhouettes stepped out of the radiance as it dimmed.
One wore the vestments of the Church of Favonius; surprise still clung to her features.
The other, gold-and-violet hair streaming, black gothic dress, a longbow at her back—and a delighted, almost feral smile.
Barbara. And Fischl.
Their boots touched stone. The night wind kissed their cheeks; the river's song rose to meet them.
"Eh? Why was the entrance so… dramatic this time?" Fischl rubbed her temple, perplexed for half a beat—then turned a slow circle, eyes alight. The breeze teased her hair; she drank in the unfamiliar landscape with obvious relish.
"Heh... heh heh... Hail! " She threw a hand wide, cape snapping. "We have crossed the void's constraint and descended from another world upon Liyue's soil!"
The Millelith tightened ranks as one, spearheads angling down.
"Form up!"
"Identify yourselves!"
" All units—ready! "
Lantern-light glittered along a line of steel as the shout went up across the bridge:
" Emmy attack! "
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