Draconic Impact Chapter 35

Edited by: Priapus

I may have gone a little too hard on Eula last night. I typically hold back so as not to hurt her too much, knowing that, despite everything, she’s still relatively fragile compared to me. But, well, I did promise her that she wouldn’t be able to walk, even if I’m almost sure she thought it was mere exaggeration, but it was my obligation to stick true to my words regardless. Besides, it feels good for my ego when my partner passes out from pleasure. What can I say? Most men would say the same.

It’s rather comical now that I think about it.

And while I’m not exactly ashamed of my short-sightedness, as it usually leads to funny events, this time, not so much. I still need Eula on her feet and able to take care of my stall in case I need someone to do so while I attend to other matters. Running a store by myself bores me to tears.

At the same time, I need to keep the momentum. Eula may not be the best at marketing or sales, but I don’t need her to be. As long as she’s there to sell products, everything should go smoothly. Steam is starting to pick up now that civilians are spreading the word of Diona’s divine alcohol. Before long, it’ll surely reach the ears of the strongest of the Qixing. And from there, it’ll spread to other regions without me ever going there.

So yes, while on the surface this feels like it is quite a lot of work, most of it doesn’t need my involvement at all. It’s important business all the same. However, this is why someone must keep this momentum going. And with me not feeling like it, I suppose Eula will have to do it for me once she’s able to walk, at least.

So, with her out cold and peacefully sleeping, I decided to check if there was any pharmacy nearby. A revitalizing medicine or potion should suffice. I don’t know how advanced they are in either field of medicine or alchemy, but what I need isn’t very complicated to produce. Really, even if they don’t have it, I can make it myself. I have some experience in alchemy, after all.

After looking around for a few minutes and asking the locals, it turns out that Liyue holds the ‘finest pharmacy in all of Teyvat’, which I’m sure isn’t simply just boasting. Lucky me, I suppose. If the people here are this confident, then this should have what I need. I hope. I’d rather not forage for my own ingredients and make my own medicine. That would be boring and take too much of my time.

The building is quite larger than most other nearby stores, atop a hill on the northeast side of Liyue Harbor. I take the stairs leading to the Chinese-style building, glancing at the rising sun, then down below at the market near the front gate, seeing people prepare for the day. Right, Lumine should be coming today, assuming she has everything under control. I could’ve flown over to see what’s happening on her end, but well, I don’t feel like it. Besides, I have other things to worry about.

I reach the door and open it, hearing the bell attached to it ring gently. It’s not as spacious on the inside, but it’s not tight either. Rather, it feels more compact—everything from herbs to medicine to various types of tea is displayed throughout the store. It’s neat, organized, and pleasing to the eye, which helps quite a lot when selling any type of product.

I don’t immediately find what I’m looking for, so I try to ask the employee who should be behind the counter. But no one is here, making me wonder if I came in too early and the pharmacy is still closed.

But then, a curious little head pops from behind the counter, looking at me blankly. It’s a very pale child with short light purple hair and magenta eyes. She wears a purple beret accented with similar colors as well as a talisman of some sort on her forehead.

The first thing I notice is that the girl staring at me isn’t alive. An undead. A vampire, perhaps? No, she doesn’t smell of blood. A lich? I do sense magical power from her, but enough for one. The only thing she could be is a normal undead, then—a zombie.

A zombie with Cryo Vision, it appears.

“Hello.” She welcomes me tonelessly.

Odd how there’s still intelligence in her dead eyes, though. And she doesn’t smell putrid either. 

“Greetings.” I nod and smile politely. “Do you work here, miss?”

The zombie girl pauses for a moment before slowly nodding. Interesting. A pharmacy hiring the undead? What would she use the money for? What would the owner even pay her with? I’m somewhat intrigued.

“Then may I ask if you have any energy medicine?” I request. “Perhaps something that can revitalize someone’s body and mind.”

The small girl pauses again, nods, then walks to the back, to what I assume is the storage. I patiently wait for her to bring me the medicine I need, tapping on the wooden counter with my finger. Seems that they have it. Good. Less work for me.

After a couple of minutes, the little girl comes back empty-handed. I resist a groan, thinking they might be out of stock, but then she speaks.

“Hello.”

I blink.

“Hello?” I raise a brow. “Are you alright?”

The small undead tilts her head in curiosity before responding.

“Yes.” She answers. “What are you looking for, mister?”

I’m somewhat intrigued but mostly confused by what I’m looking at. At first, I thought it was a clone or something, but this is the same undead.

“Oh, a customer.” Someone else shows up, coming out of the storage where she went in and came back from. “Why didn’t you tell me, Qiqi?”

A man with long green hair, half tied up in a bun and secured with a hairstick, sporting glasses over gold slited eyes. He wears a high-collared, short-sleeved, cropped shirt, purple pants, and a white snake that is draped around his neck like a scarf.

He, too, has a vision. A Dendro element. First one I’ve seen.

“Sorry.” The undead replies blankly. “I forgot.”

“You did, did you…” He hums, not quite upset or bothered by her nonchalant response, as he addresses me. “Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy, good sir. My apologies about Qiqi, she can be rather forgetful sometimes.”

“I’ve noticed.” I glance at the little girl, then back at him. Must be her guardian. Or a necromancer. Probably both. “And I don’t mind. I was more amused than upset.”

“That’s good. I wouldn’t want her to offend you.” He nods. “So then, how can I help you today?”

“I need something that energizes the body and mind.” I request. “A… friend of mine is exhausted after working for too long for too late last night. Poor thing can’t even walk properly.”

“Usually, the best medicine for something like that is to rest,” He points out. “But if you’re here, then I imagine that’s not an option.”

“Unfortunately.”

“I understand.” He nods again, going back into the storage room. “One moment, please.”

Unlike the undead child, the man comes back with my item in a matter of a minute, making me wonder why he’s keeping the zombie around. A mascot or pet, perhaps? I’ve seen some do something similar before.

“Here.” He hands me a vial filled with clear liquid. “The effects could take some time to appear. Three hours max. And remember, this only alleviates exhaustion and doesn’t cure it. Please remind them to take proper care of themselves.”

Three hours, huh? That’s no good.

“Naturally.” I inspect the medicine up close and ask him a question. “Is this medicine magical by any chance?”

“Some of the ingredients used to make it can be considered magical in nature, yes.” The storekeeper nods. “Would that be a problem?”

“No, not at all. Merely curious.” I wave it off. If it’s even the slightest bit magical, then I can empower it without any complications. “How much do I owe you?”

“A thousand Mora.”

I take the pouch strapped to my hip and hand it over to him.

“Keep the change,” I say, waving goodbye and walking out of the store. “See you around.”

Once I’m out of the pharmacy, I make sure I’m alone by leaping toward the nearby cliff. Anyone seeing this would think I’m insane and probably cause a commotion. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame them either, as I use my claws to slash open a small wound across my arm, open the vial, and let a few drops of my blood seep into it.

As the liquid changes color, I close the vial and mix it by shaking. Draconic energy is incredibly potent and synergizes with nearly every type of power in the multiverse, and my blood is full of it. Even mere drops can turn the weakest of potions into artifacts worth going to war for.

And Eula gets to have it without paying a single coin.

See how nice I can be?

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– Eula –

“I still can’t believe you.” She huffed, glaring at her lover as he sipped from his hot cocoa, sitting on the other side of the table. “I take my eyes off you for one minute, and you get in a fight with one of the adepti. Are you out of your mind? Can’t you be responsible for once?”

“I was responsible.” He shrugged. “He simply didn’t give me a choice.”

As usual, Crimson didn’t seem bothered by her scolding, enjoying his time at a cafe with her after he was done with his investigation on where Lumine could be. Thankfully, he’d found the blond, spoke with her, and even assisted in her quest to find the adepti and explain herself before Millelith could point fingers at her.

But when Crimson had come back to her, he’d come back injured. A few cuts and bruises all over his body, his clothes nearly all ruined after a battle. As someone who had dueled him a few times, Eula knew how powerful the dragon was. Granted, while he wasn’t severely wounded or on the verge of collapsing, only having suffered ‘a mere flesh wound’ as he put it, to injure him at all wasn’t an easy task. Eula wouldn’t admit it, but despite his non-serious injuries, she’d actually felt worried for him. He must’ve fought someone powerful if they were capable of doing such a thing.

And he had. One of the adepti— the Conqueror of Demons, or ‘Xiao’ as Crimson had revealed his name was. Was he out of his mind? To battle a mystical creature of nigh-unrivaled might was considered suicide by most. Even Eula wouldn’t have expected her lover to come out of that alive, only for him to somehow win the battle. She wanted to say he was lying to impress her, but that didn’t seem like something he’d do.

That made her think that she was either still underestimating herself, Crimson was lying to her about his real strength, or, what was likely happening, her lover was actually growing stronger by the day. She did remember him mentioning that his true power had been locked away after he arrived in Teyvat, and that he was slowly regaining it. While she had regained her honor after defeating him, Eula knew she had to work hard if she wanted to keep up with him. Though that didn’t matter, seeing how he kept defeating her in bed anyway.

But she digressed. Even if he’d won against an adeptus, fighting one at all was stupid. Didn’t he know? Now that he was officially married to ‘Jean’, his actions could reflect on Mondstadt as a whole as the husband of the Acting Grandmaster? Yes, the marriage wasn’t exactly known to most, but even the simplest of background investigations could reveal that to the Liyue Qixing.

Crimson was an idiot. Why had he thought marrying Jean, even only on paper, was a good idea? No, Eula wasn’t annoyed because he didn’t marry her first, the person who’d actually traveled with him to Liyue. Absolutely not. Jealous? Her? No way. Nope. Nu-uh. Impossible. Even if they were lovers, Eula had never considered marriage with someone like him. Ever. Really, who would be jealous of that? So what if he’d kept his promise and taken her like an animal for hours and hours last night?

So what if she still couldn’t feel her legs, and was only capable of walking because of the special medicine he’d made for her? So what if he’d reshaped her insides so hard she could only accept him for a lover and partner? Really, anything less than that and Eula would’ve been mad. It’s not like having sex with this bastard had somehow rewired her brain and made Eula so addicted to him and his touch that the mere thought of marrying anyone else besides the nuisance in front of her made her feel weirdly uncomfortable.

Indeed. That’d be something straight out of a lewd novel. Totally unrealistic. She was just annoyed because his dumbass would embarrass Mondstadt with these stupid stunts. Yup. No jealousy here, folks. Even if she found it incredibly sweet that he’d gone out of his way to make her special medicine.

A younger Eula would’ve mocked her for trusting him to give her medicine when he wasn’t a doctor or even a herbalist, but honestly? Eula felt very energized. Much stronger than ever. Like she could run across the entire region without breaking a sweat.

It felt good.

“You could’ve tried to de-escalate the situation.” She pointed out. “Instead, you beat up an important Liyue figure.”

“Like I said, he attacked me first,” Crimson said. “I only defended myself.”

“And you couldn’t have run away or something?”

“I could’ve. I didn’t.” He replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “You seem too invested in this, if you ask me.”

“I should be.” She scoffed. “Gods, you’re so irritating when you do this.”

“Do what?”

“This,” Eula growled. “Acting so nonchalant despite the severity of the situation. Do you not understand the consequences of your actions?”

“What consequences? Everything went well in the end, didn’t it?” He blinked. “We came to an understanding and went about our ways on a positive note.”

“Yeah, well, what if that didn’t happen?”

Again, Crimson blinked, tilting his head at her and smirking.

“Were you worried about me perchance?”

“No, I wasn’t.” She lied, looking away as her face burned red. “I was just… surprised when you came back like that. I thought you got hurt or something…”

“You were worried.” He laughed, making her feel more embarrassed.

“Shut up. I wasn’t worried about a thug like you.” Eula quickly denied. At his laughter, she gritted her teeth in indignation. “You wretch. How dare you laugh at me? Vengeance will be mine.”

“You’re simply too precious.” He responded. “But you should know that I’m too difficult to kill. Look, all of my wounds have already healed.”

He innocently lifted his shirt to show her, making her eyes widen. Although she liked the show, Eula didn’t think this was a good idea.

“What are you doing?!” She hissed. “In public?! Are you an idiot?!”

“Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t thinking there.” He said, lowering his shirt back down. Despite his words, he looked like he loved her panicked reaction. “My point is that dragons like me are very durable and have a fast healing factor. Why, I once survived having all of my internal organs destroyed for longer than a day.”

“Likely story.” Eula rolled her eyes.

“I don’t blame you for not believing me.” Crimson shrugged. “But it’s true. Had to be one of the bloodiest battles I’ve ever been in.”

She admittedly didn’t know how to respond to that, not really knowing if he was being dead serious or pulling her leg, so she simply decided not to, as Eula sighed and finished her coffee. After a few more minutes of conversation, they were interrupted by an exotic but familiar pair.

“There you are.” Paimon floated toward them. “And Eula’s here too. I thought you were joking when you told us she came with you.”

“Yeah, we never thought we’d see you here,” Lumine added with a smile, closely following her companion. “You know, being a knight and all.”

“Things have changed since you left.” Eula nodded and smiled back. “It’s good to see you again, Traveler. Please, take a seat.”

As she did just that, Crimson spoke.

“Seeing that you’re here, I assume the adepti stuck true to their words, then?” He asked.

“Yup. Dunno how they did it, but we’re officially off the Millelith’s suspect list.” She confirmed. “Though they’re still throwing us dirty glares. I don’t think they like us very much.”

“But you won’t see us complaining about that~” Paimon said as she floated down to sit on Lumine’s lap. “Finally, we get to have a taste of what Liyue has to offer. I’m starving~”

“To be honest, there are still a lot of things that we need to do. Like, y’know, finding the real culprit. I oughta kick their ass for all the trouble they caused me.” The Traveler said with a sigh. “But honestly? I’m with Paimon. I don’t feel like doing anything but have a nice meal and take a long nap.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.” Crimson chuckled. “Then, as promised, I’ll treat you two to anything you desire. Eat and drink to your hearts’ content. I’d even say this occasion deserves a proper celebration.”

How generous. Eula thought, glancing at her lover. But it’s not like I haven’t noticed…

She didn’t know if he was willingly showing his intentions to her or not, but Eula could tell that he wanted to get into Lumine’s pants. As he had with nearly every woman he’d met so far. His lust and greed were insatiable. Just how many more women did he want in his bed? Wasn’t nearly all of Mondstadt enough? 

And honestly, Eula was still genuinely shocked that she didn’t mind it as much as she thought she should.

She then turned her gaze to Lumine, who was too distracted with her chat with Crimson to notice the former knight’s face glowing as she bit her lower lip and rubbed her thighs. No, what was more shocking to Eula wasn’t simply being ‘fine’ with Crimson being so lecherous and horny. What’s truly damning to her was how she imagined Lumine or other women impaled on his cock and thinking it was hot. Imagining other women falling for him was sexy. Imagining their faces as they melted in pleasure was alluring. It was incredibly messed up, yet it turned her on far more than was reasonable.

Eula didn’t know how she could think that way or why this was happening in the first place, but this was most definitely Crimson’s fault.

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– Crimson –

“The bank, hmm?” I mutter, looking at my fellow Traveler. “That’s where you’ll be meeting this contact of yours?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Eula asks. “He’s a Fatui Harbinger, isn’t he? Don’t you think he could be scheming something?”

After a delicious food tour across several restaurants in Liyue, Lumine had decided to begin looking for the real culprit of the assassination, not knowing Morax is still alive and healthy, and only pretended to die to escape his responsibilities under the excuse of testing his people. No, I’m not criticizing him. Really, he had every reason to retire. I would’ve done the same thing, and pretending to die only makes it funnier.

As for why I’m not telling Lumine about this? Honestly, I thought about telling her at first, but, well, I just want to see how she’d handle a situation like this. Clearly, she’s not exactly happy about being blamed for something she didn’t do and being chased out of a city she’d barely set foot in, so this ‘true culprit’ needed to be brought to justice, not knowing they don’t even exist for them to suffer consequences.

Like watching a cat chasing a laser pointer. Very amusing to watch.

I am a little interested to see how she’ll react after connecting the dots that Zhongli = Rex Lapis, and how she’ll get to that conclusion in the first place. She’ll probably be mad at me if she figures out that I knew all along, but I’m sure she’ll understand. Lumine is a reasonable person. She’ll see the humor in my little prank sooner or later.

And, as I said before, Lumine is the type of person who will inadvertently get involved in major plots and schemes that may or may not change the world. Perhaps this simple investigation will lead to something far more entertaining, so why would I possibly put an abrupt stop to it? I came here to enjoy myself, after all, whether it’s through delicious food, beautiful women, glorious battle, or, my favorite, messing with the locals.

“I mean, yeah, presumably,” Lumine responded with a snort. “He probably needs me for something, so I’ll play along until he lets it slip. Besides, I still have to return the sigil. I don’t like the Fatui, but I don’t want them to go after me either.”

“What about the nap?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Trust me, I really want to sleep for the next twenty-four hours at the nearest tavern.” She sighs. “But I probably shouldn’t. The sooner I get this over with, the better.”

Right. Naturally, we don’t exactly know what the Fatui are planning, but we know that they ultimately desire Zhongli’s Gnosis, just as another agent of theirs had stolen Venti’s. This Harbinger, ‘Childe’, is most likely here to ensure the mission’s success. Why would such a mission involve Lumine at all is what I’m wondering, though.

As far as I’m aware, she has no divine powers or artifacts that could interest them. I could see them being interested in her as an individual, however, considering her unique ability to permanently gain a new elemental power after merely touching the corresponding statue of the seven. When I met her in Mondstadt, she was only able to use wind spells. Now, after touching Rex Lapis’ statue, she’s able to control the earth as well.

I see why anyone would be fascinated by someone like her. Why, she would’ve been a potential recruit, and I would’ve offered her a place in the clan had we met a lot sooner. Easy absorption of divine energy without any negative consequences was unheard of back in the day. Usually, that sort of power carried a lot of nasty surprises with it. Like, say, slowly losing your sanity or breaking your body down in an excruciating manner.

But I digress. I wonder if I’m capable of absorbing energy from this region’s statues. Last time I tried it in Mondstadt, I was launched dozens of meters into the air. Would it be the same here, or will I finally gain some sort of elemental powers? I should perhaps test this out today. It’s not as if I have anything else to do.

Besides manning my stall. But I’m sure Eula would do it for me.

“Then let us come with you,” Eula says. “They may not be brave enough to try anything in the middle of the city, but we can’t be too sure.”

“Nah, that’ll just make them more guarded.” Lumine shakes her head. “Having a former Favonius Knight and a dragon accompanying me is a bit overkill, I think. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

“Besides, Lumine can handle herself just fine.” Paimon quips with her chest puffed. “Not even a Harbinger stands a chance.”

“I don’t know about that, but yeah, I’m confident.” She shrugs. “Won’t be easy, but I think I can defeat him if it ever came down to it.”

Despite never properly facing him before, she has a warrior’s intuition. I believe her.

“Are you sure?” Unlike me, Eula questions her.

“If Lumine is this convinced, then I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.” I pat her on the shoulder. “Then we’ll leave you to it. Be sure to update us in case anything interesting happens.”

“We definitely will.” Lumine nods with a smile. “Thanks a lot for the help, Crimson. Really. Things wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without you. And it’s nice to see you again, Eula.”

“Good luck,” I tell them.

Although not entirely convinced, Eula waves goodbye as Lumine and her fairy companion walk away toward their meeting with the Fatui Harbinger. I must admit, I am also interested in this individual myself. Mostly to see if he can be a worthy opponent. From what I’ve heard, they’re the best and strongest of the Fatui, and can seemingly use Visions and Delusions at the same time.

If Lumine was confident enough to face this harbinger, then perhaps they’re not worth my time, but it doesn’t hurt to check for myself. What can I say? My fists are still itching after my disappointing battle with Xiao. If I can’t even have a proper battle and conquer a difficult challenge or earn glory by killing my foe, then what’s the point of fighting?

“Are you really fine with this?” Eula asks, looking at me with a somewhat concerned expression. “Letting her do this alone?”

“You need to show more trust.” I shrug. “She defeated Stormterror, did she not? She’s a capable woman.”

“I know that, but…” Eula sighs and shakes her head. “No, you’re right. I guess I’m just not as comfortable here as I am in Mondstadt.”

“Homesick already?” I tease. “Please, Eula. We’ve not even spent a week here.”

Instead of arguing, she simply rolls her eyes and scoffs, not taking my bait. She’s learning.

“So what are you going to do now?” She asks. “Any plans?”

“Hmm, I did think about checking the notice board earlier today, actually.” I nod. “I’ve not done any adventurer work since coming here, and I’m sure Liyue is ripe with monsters ready to be hunted down.”

“Oh, you’re thinking about doing actual work. Color me surprised.” She huffs, sounding slightly amused. “And what about the stall?”

I don’t say anything, staring at her silently. Eventually, after a second or two of blinking at me while waiting for a response, she understands my motives without it and scowls.

“Forget it.” She scoffs, looking away and giving me her back.

“Oh, please. You’re the only one I can rely on right now.” I plead, putting my hands on her shoulders. “It’s just a few hours.”

“I already did that for you. Twice.” She points. “I’m not doing it again. This is your responsibility. You take care of it like a proper adult.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“I will be like that.” She glares at me, looking somewhat hurt. “Seriously, what’s wrong with you? Ever since we came here, we have barely spent any time together. Are you tired of me or something? If you think I’m boring or something, then just say that and stop leading me on.”

Realizing what she just said, Eula’s face turns red. Aw, that’s cute. She does want something beyond mere sex. I was starting to wonder if I had awakened some sort of perverse succubus by accident. She’s been in the mood the entire time with Lumine, and I just gave her the best night of her life prior. She’s something else, alright.

It could be because of the draconic-infused medicine I’ve given her, but something tells me that’s not the case. After all, draconic energy and dragon blood do not increase libido.

“I-I mean, you should be more responsible with your job. How dare you saddle me with your obligations? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“You do realize I heard everything you just said, yes?” I respond with an amused tone. “But you make a fair point. Then, we’ll go adventuring together. We can close the stall for today.”

“Really?” She blinks, looking at me in surprise.

“Yes.” I nod, holding her hand and leading her toward the guild. “Come, love. Perhaps we should register you as an adventurer as well.”

Instead of the usual response you’d expect from a tsundere, Eula gives me a charming smile and, after looking right and left for anyone who might recognize her, links her arm with mine, a little more comfortable in showing her adorable side.

And to think she wanted to take my head not long ago.

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– Keqing –

“You know we can’t keep this up for much longer.” She told her fellow Qixing member who sat behind her desk. “The situation is getting worse. People are becoming restless. The longer this goes on, the worse a position we’re in.”

“And what do you suggest we must do?” Ningguang responded calmly, sipping from the wine Keqing had gifted her. “The Adepti had made it clear. The Traveler is innocent, and frankly, I trust their word.”

Indeed. It came as a surprise to them all. For three of the adepti to suddenly appear at the Jade Chamber was almost unheard of. It was just as surprising when they informed the Qixing that the Traveler was seemingly not the culprit and should be removed from the suspect list immediately. After all, they almost never concerned themselves with mortal affairs.

Then again, this wasn’t ‘mortal affairs’ anymore, was it?

But the Traveler, then? As Keqing had expected, once she did a little more research, she discovered that it was the same person who had earned the title of Honorary Knight of Favonius after being instrumental in defeating Stormterror in Mondstadt. She had become a warrior of great significance—a hero.

It had also become very clear from Keqing’s research that Traveler was on the lookout for her missing brother, which added to the mystery. If it really was the Traveler who had somehow assassinated Morax, then how would that help her find him? Why would she do such a thing? Clearly, the girl had come here solely to search for him, not with any malicious intent.

A warrior praised to heaven by the people of Mondstadt wouldn’t waste that goodwill by killing Morax and causing unrest in Liyue. It just didn’t make sense.

“Naturally. The lack of evidence beyond her presence during the Rite of Descension says so, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about.” Keqing shook her head. “The clock is ticking, and we need to find the real suspect soon. If we don’t do so in time, there could be riots across the entire region.”

“That’s simply your paranoia speaking.” The Tianquan said. “The culprit will be found soon and dealt with accordingly. Certain associates of mine will make sure of it.”

“Who?” Keqing scoffed. “The Fatui?”

“Please. Do you think I’m so gullible I’d trust them with anything beyond the most essential of transactions?” Ningguang said, her smile dropping. “Truthfully, I suspect they had something to do with it.”

Keqing paused, raising her brow in interest.

“Do tell.”

“There’s not much to tell. We know they’ve gotten in conflict with Mondstadt recently, and have pulled out of their region entirely.” She said. “And they haven’t tried to repair their relationship since. At the same time, they’ve almost doubled their workforce in Liyue.”

“Something you let them do.” Keqing pointed out.

“Of course. After all, I am curious to understand what they’re truly after.” Ningguang nodded. “Whatever it is, it must be valuable.”

And so, she wants it too. This woman…

She already had everything she could ask for. Quite possibly the wealthiest in all of Teyvat, yet she just wanted more and more. Her greed truly knew no bounds, but it was that greed, coupled with her ruthlessness as a businesswoman, that had shaped her into who she was today. A woman Keqing respected and somewhat feared as well.

“Besides, we’re either gaining their trust or giving them the impression that we are gullible enough for them to fool.” She added. “Which works to our advantage. In fact, their Harbinger hadn’t noticed he was being followed.”

“But seeing the lack of progress…”

“He hasn’t slipped yet.” Ningguang sighed. “I’ll say, the boy is cautious. Annoyingly so.”

“And then?” Keqing said. “What are you planning to do in the meantime?”

“Right now, the best I can do is wait.” She responded. “The Traveler seems enthusiastic to find the culprit herself, so we’ll let her do the job for us.”

“She’s working with the Harbinger.”

“Whom she does not trust.” The Tianquan smiled. “If the Fatui truly turn out to be behind all of this, then they’ll slip eventually, and I want the Traveler on my side when that happens.”

Keqing admittedly didn’t like this approach one bit, but the situation was delicate. One wrong move could cause a disaster of epic proportions.

“Right…” Keqing kept her ideas to herself. There was another thing that needed to be discussed. “And what about him?”

“Him?” Ningguang raised an eyebrow. “Ah, you mean they called ‘Crimson’?”

“Yes.” Keqing nodded. “I thought you’d do more than let him run around without someone to keep an eye out.”

The very same. The kind vendor she’d met just a few days ago. The one that sold alcohol of unbelievable quality. A man like him was supposed to be utterly insignificant to the conversation at hand, which she felt shocked to learn the truth from the Adepti. No, to say she was shocked would be an understatement.

As it turned out, that man was no mere man. But a dragon pretending to be one. Keqing had almost accused the adepti of lying because it simply made no sense to her. Why was a dragon here? Why had he introduced himself as a simple employee and sold products like any other human in Liyue? She thought dragons were those majestic beings of nigh-unrivaled might—rulers of the skies.

Of course, once it was made clear that this was no joke, Keqing immediately considered him the most major suspect on the list. If there was one thing capable of killing a god, it would be a dragon. But once she had rationalized it, it didn’t line up. The day she met him was the day he arrived in Liyue Harbor, according to the Millelith. One week after Rex Lapis’ death. So it couldn’t have been him.

“Oh, I tried,” Ningguang admitted. “But that man is sharp. Terrifyingly sharp. Someone like him mustn’t be trifled with so casually.”

“That serious, huh…” Keqing clicked her tongue. “So? What are you planning to do with him?”

The Tianquan smirked.

“Why, I’ll see if he’s up for a business venture with me, of course.”

“Pardon?” The Yuheng blinked.

“Haven’t you tasted this?” She swished the glass of wine in her hand. “It is simply divine. Unlike anything I’ve ever tasted in my life.”

Of course… Keqing resisted a sigh.

“He could be dangerous.”

“Perhaps.” Ningguang, however, seemed unfazed. “But I’ve played with danger my whole life, dear Keqing. I danced with death more times than I can count, and I like it. How do you think I got to this point?”

Keqing said nothing.

“This dragon fascinates me. There’s immense potential in these products of his. Nine Lives, was it?” She glanced at the bottle on her desk, checking the name of the brand. “Besides, I believe that becoming his friend would do me and all of Liyue a favor.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit too reckless with this?” The Yuheng narrowed her eyes. “We don’t even know why he’s here.”

“Besides the warning from the adepti, he has yet to give us a reason to think he’s hostile.” She argued. “And don’t worry, that warning is most definitely considered. I just think that getting to know him before trying anything drastic would lead us to a better outcome.”

“I suppose…” Keqing muttered. “Well, whatever it is you’re planning to do, just be careful.”

“And what of you?” Ningguang questioned. “You don’t seem very convinced by what I just said.”

“I’m going to confirm that he’s not a threat myself.” She responded.

“Then it’s you who should be careful, Keqing.” The Tianquan said.

“I can take care of myself.” She said, walking out of the Jade Chamber.

Frankly, Keqing wasn’t really scared. She wouldn’t say she was confident in taking down a dragon by herself if it ever came down to it, but she used to argue quite a lot with Morax back in the day. If she wasn’t afraid to face a god, then she sure as hell wasn’t scared of a dragon. Then again, it wasn’t like she was hoping for a fight to break out. 

But let it be known that the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing was ready to die standing for her nation.