Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

The two drank from day to night. Wendy's face was flushed, while Xuan Yue remained as elegant as a gentleman, showing no signs of drunkenness, even swirling his wine glass as he looked at the clearly intoxicated Wendy.

"Haha... That's great... I'm having so much fun drinking this..." Wendy was still holding onto the bottle, completely drunk and unconscious.

"I won this deal. Those who break their promises will be punished." Xuan Yue uttered a well-known phrase from Li Yue.

Wendy fell fast asleep, clutching a bottle of liquor. If you ignored the countless bottles around him, it would have been a beautiful picture of a sleeping teenager.

"Check out." Xuan Yue carried the boy downstairs, first placing Wendy on an empty table and chair, then walking to the front desk to pay Mora.

Rox looked at the Liyue native, whose expression remained perfectly normal, and couldn't believe that this was the same ruthless person who had drunk dozens of bottles of more than a dozen different kinds of alcohol. So far, there really wasn't a single sign of drunkenness.

"Oh, it's getting late today. I'd like to discuss a business deal with your store owner tomorrow morning."

"Okay, okay, I'll let my grandpa know. When?"

"Around dusk tomorrow, that's when I'll be free."

“Alright, see you tomorrow, sir,” Paulo said.

Xuan Yue carried Wendy away. On the way, Xuan Qing told Xuan Yue that there was a guesthouse nearby where they could stay for the night.

Xuan Yue trusted Xuan Qing unconditionally. So they went to the guesthouse, negotiated the price with the owner, and checked in without any problems.

After placing Wendy on the bed, Xuan Yue sat on a chair nearby and closed her eyes to rest.

(Xuanqing, we don't think we'll be able to find Barbatos in Mondstadt anytime soon, so how about we build a house in this secluded spot?)

(Yes, but how do you want to build it?)

(Is it enough to just conjure one up?)

(We are human now and cannot explain the sudden appearance of the building. We can only try to communicate with the leaders of Mondstadt tomorrow to see if we can purchase it directly.)

(Seriously, I'm amazed by the troubles of humanity once again.)

Xuan Yue sighed and opened her eyes. It was late at night, and everything around her was quiet.

He glanced at Wendy, who was sleeping soundly in bed, stood up, pushed open the door, and left the room. He then stood alone under the tree, fanning himself, gazing up at the starry sky.

"But... what a rare moment of peace." A breeze from Mondstadt swept across Xuan Yue's face, and at that moment, Xuan Qing's eye flashed with purple light.

"Ugh!" Xuan Yue covered her eye.

(What happened to Xuanqing!)

(It's a demon! No ill intent, but it's very good at concealing its presence; I don't know if it's Barbatos or some other demon.)

(That's Barbatos. This is Mondstadt. If any other Daedric Lords attempt to invade his territory, he won't stand idly by.)

(Not necessarily, don't let your guard down, remember Xuan Yue, we are human now.)

(knew.)

Xuan Yue exhaled, calming her mind, but the breeze vanished without a trace.

This night is destined to be a sleepless night.

—The next day—

"Ha~, I slept so well. Hey, good morning, Grandpa Qingyue!" Wendy rubbed her sleepy eyes as she walked out of the room and greeted Xuanyue, who was writing something with a pen.

“It’s not morning,” Xuan Yue replied to Wendy, glancing at the sky. “It’s past lunchtime. Aren’t you hungry?”

Wendy just laughed after hearing Xuan Yue's words: "Is that so? I guess I drank too much yesterday, and for a moment... hehe, but now that Grandpa says so, I do seem to be hungry."

"Here you go." Xuan Yue tossed a bag of Mora to Wendy. "The 1 Mora we agreed on yesterday."

"Grandpa Qingyue is so generous." Wendy's eyes lit up as she looked at the bag of Mora. "So much Mora, enough to buy several barrels of wine."

"Now that I have done what I promised, can the contract you made with me yesterday be honored?"

"A contract? What contract?"

"You got drunk first, so you have to promise me three things."

"Uh... this... um... I was drunk and talking nonsense, don't take it seriously."

"Oh? You want to break the contract? My Liyue's god, the Geo King, holds the power of contracts. Once a contract is broken, the one who breaks his word will be punished by the Geo King." After saying this, Xuan Yue's heterochromatic eyes faintly emitted golden light.

"I...I...I promise, okay?" Wendy replied dejectedly. Just then, a rumbling sound came from inside her stomach; Wendy was hungry.

He scratched his head sheepishly, looking embarrassed. He chuckled and said, "Well, let's go eat first. You can't expect me to do things for you on an empty stomach, can you?"

"Sigh, let's go." Xuan Yue sighed and agreed to Wendy's request, inviting him to a restaurant for dinner.

—At this moment, amidst the towering clouds—

"Cough cough!" Morax took a sip of tea, then suddenly choked and coughed incessantly.

"Your Majesty!" Xiaoyue cried out, her voice filled with worry.

"It's alright. I guess they were talking about me, and that's why they sensed it," Morax waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.

"That's good, but I wonder how Xuanqing is doing. What if he loses control again..." Liu Yun said with some worry.

"Master, don't worry, I believe the Heavenly Lords will be safe and sound." Little Gan Yu tugged at Liu Yun's clothes and said in a soft, sweet voice.

"Yes, Gan Yu is right." Liu Yun nodded affectionately after hearing Gan Yu's words.

"By the way, Liyue has already opened up its currency with various countries this year. Has anyone seen Noah's group take Mora?" Narumi noticed a crucial question.

The immortals fell silent for a moment...

"Oh no, oh no! With Xuanqing's personality, how could he possibly earn Mora like a human!" Gui Zhong suddenly became anxious.

"But... Xuan Yue is in charge right now, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Li Shui said cautiously.

“No, that would be even more troublesome. Xuan Yue has only recently come into contact with humans, and his understanding of them is only superficial. Once he tries to earn Mora like humans, observant humans will definitely notice that he is different from others. After all, Xuan Yue can't even distinguish what humans consider edible or not.” Ping’er sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Even with Xuan Qing reminding him, it’s not a long-term solution.”

"Oh no, is Liyue going to start a war with Mondstadt?" Yixiao exclaimed.

"That was probably all thanks to Joavis who wiped out Mondstadt by himself," Ruo Tuo said, feeling ashamed, once again experiencing the fear of being suppressed by Xuan Qing.

“Ahem, according to general theory, there’s no need to worry about Mora.” Morax broke the heavy atmosphere among the immortals: “Xuan Yue copied my authority before he left. With his strength, he can probably create Mora himself, so you all don’t need to worry.”

After hearing Morax's words, the immortals remained silent for a moment before letting out a breath.

“Morax, you should have told me this earlier next time,” Mark Hughes said somewhat angrily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you all to be thinking so far ahead."

"Then there should be nothing to worry about regarding Xuan Yue traveling in Mondstadt as a human."

“No, there is indeed something.” Gui Zhong said, “If Xuan Yue wants to find Barbatos’s familiar dragon in Mondstadt, she must first find Barbatos. However, Barbatos has blown away the snowstorm in Mondstadt and fallen into a deep sleep. If Xuan Yue and the others cannot return for a while, then they will definitely need to obtain a land deed in Mondstadt.”

"You mean that if Xuan Yue and the others buy a house in Mondstadt, it will be a problem if they get too close to people?" Liu Yun understood the meaning behind Gui Zhong's words.

“That’s right, why don’t we go help Xuan Yue?” Xiao Yue suggested.

“No, getting too close to Xuan Yue will attract the attention of the Demon Gods of Mondstadt, and then the higher-ups of Mondstadt will notice,” Li Shui pointed out the drawback.

"Let nature take its course. You should all keep an eye on the border demons' unusual movements; a few have been acting strangely lately," Morax said, setting down his teacup.

"Yes!"

—Far away in Mondstadt—

Wendy was enjoying fine wine and a sumptuous lunch, while Xuan Yue was looking at documents in her hands, studying the terrain around Mondstadt, preparing for the construction of houses.

"Burp~, I'm so full." Wendy rubbed her round belly, looking completely satisfied.

“Well then, let’s get down to business. I still have some time,” Xuan Yue said seriously. “I want to discuss a business deal with the demon god Barbatos whom you protect. As a bard, you should have heard of him. I want to meet him, so please tell me his whereabouts.”

"So you were looking for Lord Barbatos, but as far as I know, he fell into a deep sleep after blowing away the snowstorm, and he probably hasn't woken up yet," Wendy said with a chuckle.

"Then why did some people mention Lord Barbatos's actions and protection during the rebellion that broke out a few years ago to overthrow the old aristocracy?" Xuan Yue's question seemed like a question, but it was actually a statement of fact, because the document he had seen that morning was a encrypted document transmitted remotely by Gui Zhong. Therefore, the contents of it could not be faked.

"After all, Lord Barbatos enjoys immense prestige in Mondstadt. He overthrew an unfree regime, and upholding the people's freedom perfectly embodies his ideals. That's why this rumor has spread. Heh heh~"

"But the first Grand Master of the Knights of Mondstadt wrote a book in which Lord Barbatos said that he would transform into a human, hide among humans, and experience a different life, and be free. This shows that the Grand Master must know some inside information. After all, it is still during the Demon God War, and he cannot remain asleep forever."

“Well…maybe it was just a coincidence.” Wendy was still smiling, appearing very composed, but his hands under the table had already clenched, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

“Wendy, you’re definitely hiding something.” Xuan Yue’s eyes held a dangerous glint.

Wendy remained silent, a hint of wariness in her eyes.

"I don't need to know all your secrets, I just need an answer. As a businessman, maximizing profits is an essential skill, so I need your Lord Barbatos to speak on my behalf." At this moment, Xuan Yue—no, Xuan Qing—spoke up.

"Huh? Huh!" Wendy's eyes widened, her face showing disbelief that the person in front of her held such a thought.

"What's wrong? The Emperor opened up the Mora trade for the sake of Liyue's development. So if I can get help from Barbatos, a god who rules Mondstadt, it will open up Mondstadt's trading market, enhance our reputation, and earn more Mora." Xuanqing said very naturally, completely adopting the attitude of a businessman.

"So, you want Lord Barbatos to help you promote your products. You can leverage his reputation in Mondstadt, which makes perfect sense from a businessman's perspective." Wendy's eyes softened, and he lowered his head in thought, murmuring to himself.

"So now you can tell me, what is Lord Barbatos's true whereabouts?" Xuan Qing smiled slightly this time, but her tone carried a hint of threat: "If you dare to lie to me, you can pay for this meal yourself, which costs 15,000 Mora."

"How much?! Fifteen thousand Mora! That's so expensive!" Wendy stared at the empty plates on the table, wondering if he could just throw up. If he didn't eat, he could have exchanged them for many bottles of good wine. He hadn't even had a chance to enjoy his ten thousand Mora, and now he had to pay another five thousand. When would he ever be able to pay it all off?

“After all, it’s a war between demons and gods. The land resources in the vicinity are very precious, so the price of ingredients will naturally be higher. Moreover, some ingredients are not easy to preserve, so since they are fresh, the price will naturally be even higher.” Xuan Qing crossed his arms and looked at the helpless Wendy, taking in his reaction.

“Alright, I can tell you Lord Barbatos’ whereabouts.” Wendy surrendered, whispering, “The Lord has indeed transformed into a human and is walking through Mondstadt, but I don’t know who he is. Since the bodies of gods are self-created, I don’t know who he is now. So, it’s possible that the person before you is Lord Barbatos himself.” Wendy changed the subject, saying this…

"Okay, thank you for the information. I'll come back to you next time, and I hope we won't beat around the bush like this." Xuan Qing stood up to leave.

"Well then, this counts as the first thing. Next time it'll probably be the second," Wendy said with a smile.

"Didn't you promise to tell me Lord Barbatos's whereabouts? This is naturally a long-term deal, not a one-off one."

"what!"

“Our agreement doesn’t include the phrase ‘tell me once,’ so the next time I contact you, it will be on the same condition, and it won’t be considered a breach of contract.”

"But I'm at a huge loss."

"Then, I'll bring you some wine next time, how about that?"

“That’s fine.” Wendy’s expression immediately changed, and she offered no further objections.

Xuan Qing went downstairs to pay Mora, and at the same time dispelled the magic circle silently. After all, such a secret couldn't be known by others, and he also placed a curse on Wendy to prevent the information from spreading.

(Xuanqing, why did you interrupt me! That kid clearly knows who Barbatos is!)

(Yes, I know, but we can't alert him now. At least, I wasn't mistaken at the time; he did indeed possess the power of the Wind Demon God, which is a crucial clue.)

(Then why are you still here!)

(What, you want to fight him? Are you sure you don't want to destroy Mondstadt? Then we won't be able to get the Dragon Blood. Let's go get the wine first and send it to Liyue so that it won't arouse any suspicion. As for how to make Mora from this wine, let Gui Zhong and the others handle that.) Xuan Qing sighed. He knew that Wendy wasn't lying, but he couldn't completely trust his words. He seemed carefree, but his words were full of traps. If he had just said it directly, he wouldn't have obtained this information so easily.

This journey to Mondstadt is destined to be anything but peaceful...