Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

"Hey? What brings you here?" Wendy's face didn't show any surprise; instead, it seemed somewhat expected. "Although I was just wondering if you would come along..."

"I want to know more about the Wind God," Kong said, stating his purpose directly.

"Barbatos, the Anemo Archon? That guy has disappeared from Mondstadt. The Geo Archon of neighboring Liyue and the Electro Archon of Inazuma are still around, but the Mondstadt people haven't seen their gods in a long time."

Hearing this from the tree, Xuanqing was filled with mixed emotions. After all, he and Xuanyue had also been tricked back then. Unexpectedly, he now felt a sense of pleasure watching others being tricked.

However, the traveler's appearance seemed somewhat familiar; it was as if I had seen him somewhere before...

"Chirp! Chirp chirp!" (There! Something over there!) Xuan Yue flew up.

Xuan Qing glanced at the spot Xuan Yue indicated, then simply said: (It's nothing, a minor issue; they can handle it.)

"Chirp chirp." (Alright then.)

Xuan Yue perched on a slightly lower branch; his current size made him inconspicuous and convenient.

Well, right at the forefront of the gossip... where are his snacks?

Just then, branches quietly stretched out, blending seamlessly with the surrounding tree branches, unnoticed by the people talking below. These branches even "beared" various fruits. Xuan Yue was delighted; she flew to one of the branches, took a sip, and then watched and listened to the conversation below.

The person in the tree withdrew their hand from releasing elemental power and made no further movement.

"Ah... I feel much better." Wendy felt that his body, which had been contaminated by the crystals again, had been relieved, and now he could finally be free from the corruption.

"So, how were you poisoned in the first place?"

(Here it comes!) Xuan Yue was so excited that she couldn't help but flap her wings.

"Well, it's because I tried to communicate with Dvalin earlier, but I was... um... interrupted..."

"In the end, not only did he fail to remove the curse from Dvalin, he himself was corrupted by the poison of the 'Abyss'!"

At this point, Wendy's eyes widened in surprise: "Uh... that... was me."

"That's right! So as an apology—traveler, come with me to Mondstadt Cathedral!"

"Mond Cathedral? What are we going there for?"

"Go and fetch a harp... called 'Sky'."

And so, the traveler who had just arrived in Mondstadt was tricked away.

Once they were far enough away, Xuanqing rolled off the bed and rubbed Xuanyue's tummy: "You ate so much, aren't you going to eat dinner?"

"Chirp chirp!" (Not many at all!)

Xuan Qing was speechless. He gestured for Xuan Yue to look at his feet. So much fruit, and he had eaten it all up in just a short while.

"Chirp...chirp?" (So...I can eat this much?)

"It's okay, we can afford to feed you no matter how much you eat, so should we continue exploring or go back to Mondstadt?"

"Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp." (Let's go back to Mondstadt; you have to see the whole show.)

"Alright, then I won't go with you. I need to go back to the manor first to get the contract we need to discuss tonight, the one from this morning, Angel's Gift. If you don't know anything about it, go ask that drunkard."

"Chirp, chirp" (Okay, I'm leaving.)

"Well, be careful."

After watching Xuan Yue fly away, Xuan Qing's gaze lingered briefly before he headed towards the other side of the forest.

Following Xuan Yue's gaze, he arrived at the Mondstadt church with Wendy and the others. He had just stopped at a window not far from them when he saw Wendy trying to identify herself to the nun, but she did not trust her.

(Hahahaha, people believe you when you lie, but nobody believes you when you tell the truth. I'm talking about you, Barbatos.) Xuan Yue can't speak human language right now, so he just lets himself laugh. Anyway, apart from Wendy, no one else can tell the difference.

"So, it seems that borrowing it directly won't work, we'll have to find a clever way to get it." After failing to borrow the Sky Harp in the Sky City, Wendy brought up the topic.

Xuan Yue stopped laughing and watched intently.

"Today we fully respect free will. Tell me, how would you prefer to take advantage of this?"

null:··…

“Speak up, don’t hold back, free will means speaking your mind.”

"Actually, I don't want to steal anything!"

"Haha, look at you, you've gone off-topic as soon as you open your mouth. Seriously, you're more suited to do this than I am. Because besides singing, I don't have any strengths to be confident in. And I'm all alone in Mondstadt, if I get caught I'll have no one to plead my case, I'll definitely be punished severely."

(Anyone who punishes their own gods is someone whose ancestors for eighteen generations can be cursed.) Xuan Yue thought to herself.

"It's not like he's been wronged if he got caught stealing," Paimon said honestly at this point.

"But it's different in the air. You've contributed to Mondstadt, a rising star of the Knights. If you fail, a good explanation might be enough to cover it up. Besides, the guards here seem to go off duty at night. Ah, if I can seize this opportunity, it'll be hard to fail..."

(Just say you want to slack off...) Xuan Yue was speechless. No wonder no one believed him. When Xuan Qing came back, he would give this guy a good scolding.

Xuan Yue simply sighed. She already knew the traveler's fate. Alas, yet another victim fooled. Don't ask why "yet another"—Xuan Yue refused to answer. (Mu Xiang: See Chapter 17 for details. Xuan Yue: Get lost!)

Xuan Yue listened as they meticulously planned their scheme to steal the Sky Harp that night; Venti had even outlined their escape route. In Li Yue's words, everything was ready except for the east.

It was already evening, and Xuan Yue felt that since he already knew their route, he could wait for Xuan Qing to pick him up and then go to see the show together. He felt that it was no fun to watch the show alone.

He thought this way and he did this.

At this moment, in the gift of the angels—

"Is there anything in this contract that you are not satisfied with?" Xuan Qing rubbed his eyes and looked at the young man in charge of the tavern opposite him—Diluc, no, it should be Diluc Legnfind.

"Hmm... there's nothing wrong with this contract, but isn't the price a bit too high?"

"Oh? I've only ever heard of people complaining about not having enough money, this is the first time I've heard of someone complaining about having too much." Xuan Qing's impression of this person has improved even further.

“Mr. Qingyue, there’s no need to test us. Unless the price of raw materials rises, the wines from Dawn Winery will be ranked solely by quality,” Diluc said truthfully, arms crossed.

“Now that we’ve laid it all out, this is the contract I want to sign with Dawn Winery.” Xuan Qing took out a contract tucked inside a book. The price had tripled from the previous one, and it was a long-term contract, completely different from the short-term contract from before.

"What do you mean by this, sir?"

"It's very simple. We completely trust your character. This contract was my idea. On behalf of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, I have reached a long-term cooperation agreement with Dawn Winery. During this period, all the Liyue bars in which the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild holds shares will feature wines sourced from Dawn Winery, and within Mondstadt, only wines from Dawn Winery will be used."

Diluc didn't reply. He looked at the Liyue merchant calmly sipping his juice across from him, and something felt off. From three months ago until now, apart from him being the largest shareholder of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild and coming to Mondstadt for an inspection, there had been no other news. Those heterochromatic eyes... he felt like he'd seen them somewhere before...

"Grandpa Diluc, what's your decision?"

"The conditions proposed by you, sir, are beyond the reason for Dawn Winery to refuse. However, since you have recently met with the Dragon Disaster of Mondstadt, I would like to offer you some advice."

"I'll take that as your agreement. The contract is now in effect, and those who break their word will be punished." Suddenly, two golden rays of light floated out from the dossier, one flying towards Diluc's brow and the other towards Xuan Qing.

"The contract with Liyue is quite a novel experience."

"Hmm?" Xuan Qing turned his head and saw Xuan Yue, who had just flown to the window.

"Excuse me, my bird has returned." Xuan Yue bowed slightly, then walked to the window, opened it, and placed Xuan Yue on her shoulder.

Diluc silently observed his every move, without saying a word.

"Alright, let's continue, about the types of alcohol..."

So, Xuanqing and Diluc were originally discussing which wines to order, but after learning that Mondstadt had recently added new wines, they moved from the second floor to the first floor. Diluc personally mixed the wines, and the bartender Charles introduced them to the customers. Xuanqing tasted a little of each type, gave his evaluation, and then decided which categories to stock.

Just as they were tasting the wine, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind, drawing the attention of Xuanqing and Diluc. Then they saw Wendy leading Kong and Paimon running in.

"Boss, we... want a place that's a little more secluded."

"If we're talking about seclusion, the second floor is less crowded. But aren't you a bard? Why don't you choose a more lively spot?"

"Haha, let's save the paid show for next time. We're going up now, see you later!"

Wendy and her men quickly ran upstairs to hide.

“Keep an eye on them. That poet is suspicious; I need to go and find out more,” Diluc said to Charles.

"Uh...who are you asking?" Charles asked, somewhat puzzled.

“The ‘security guards’ of Mondstadt.” Diluc finished speaking and politely apologized to Xuan Qing, “I’m truly sorry, Mr. Qingyue, it seems our discussions will have to wait until another time.”

"I don't mind, but I'm also a little curious. Could I stay and watch the show?"

Before Diluc could reply, there was a knock at the door, and then two Mondstadt knights entered.

"Ah, Lord Diluc, have you seen those two thieves?"

"What happened? Why are so many people involved?" Diluc went straight to the point.

"Haven't you heard, Lord Diluc? Two thieves have actually set their sights on the Sky Harp!"

"Oh? That's strange."

"Right? The Sky Harp is a treasure that the Wind God himself played. Such a precious cultural artifact—" Another soldier's devotion to the Wind God was palpable.

Xuan Yue had already snuggled into Xuan Qing's arms, quietly watching the show... if you ignored the berries next to him.

"Someone would be stupid enough to steal something that can't be sold; it would be more profitable to steal from my wine cellar." Xuan Yue particularly agreed with Diluc's statement.

But the two soldiers opposite Diluc were quite taken aback by his words.

"Ah, sorry, I digress. Those two people, one in yellow and one in green, seem to have gone that way."

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Lord Diluc!" The two soldiers left immediately without asking any further questions.

"Why don't they ask more questions?" Xuan Qing was a little puzzled. If this were in their Li Yue, they wouldn't let people leave easily without questioning them several times.

“That’s how it is in Mondstadt.” Diluc didn’t explain further, then warned Wendy behind him, “Put down the bottle of liquor you took from behind the cabinet.”

"...I'd like it a little cold." Wendy shrugged helplessly, indicating that she hadn't done anything.

"Oh, Grandpa Qingyue is here too. It's been so long."

"Yes, it's been a long time." Xuan Qing still remembered the time he was blown up into a tree, and the rest of his words were uttered through gritted teeth.

"Alright, now you should answer my questions properly," Diluc said seriously.

"Let me finish my drink first, I'll pay the bill... um, I'll settle the debt with a performance."

“It’s not about the money; you don’t look old enough to buy alcohol.”

"You can rest assured, you were still there when I was drinking—" (Ah, she almost let it slip.) Wendy quickly stopped herself from saying anything more.

"Why don't you answer my question first?" Kong quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"You want to ask 'Who is this?', right?" Wendy saw right through him; after all, what he wanted to know was written all over his face. "This must be Lord Diluc, the big boss behind the tavern owner... a very famous person. By the way, I really like their dandelion liqueur. Although most of the time I can only afford the bulk kind..."

"And this one is a merchant from Liyue, the largest shareholder of the Liyue Flying Cloud Merchant Guild. He has countless assets behind him, and currently holds shares in most of the guilds and merchant guilds on Teyvat. Oh, and most importantly, you absolutely mustn't mess with that bird he's carrying, or you might get ambushed one day..."

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp!" Without saying a word, Xuan Yue flew up and pecked at Wendy's head. Xuan Qing closed his eyes to indicate that he couldn't see. Since they were in Mondstadt, he thought, "Let the Anemo Archon 'protect' you, Wendy."