Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Before long, the annual [Seven Stars Summoning Immortals Ceremony] arrived. Xuan Qing was dragged to the Jade Capital Terrace early in the morning by Xuan Yue, who said they needed to grab a good spot, as hiding in the back would affect the viewing experience. Actually, Xuan Qing wanted to say that if he really wanted to see it, he could use his Mirror Power to reflect himself directly into the mirror, but before he could even speak, he was already pulled out the door.

At the same time, at the city gate, Kong and Paimon, thanks to Venti's reminder, finally arrived in Liyue on the day of the event.

Paimon: "Thanks to Wendy's reminder, otherwise we would definitely have missed this year's 'Seven Stars Summoning Ceremony'."

Empty: "Does Paimon know the exact time?"

“Hmm…maybe today, maybe tomorrow…” Paimon hesitated, unsure of the time. “Since we’re in Liyue, let’s ask the locals. Oh, right. Do you know about the Geo Archon Morax? Our name, Mora, is named after him.”

“But if we foreigners address the Geo Archon like that in Liyue, we'll be downgraded to ‘rude foreigners,’” Paimon explained to Sora as they walked. “So, it’s better to use the name ‘Geo Archon’ more often, just like the people of Liyue. Oh! Right, Venti also mentioned that Liyue is the only existing kingdom ruled by two gods. Besides the ‘Geo Archon,’ there’s another god of ‘order,’ ‘Rhoavis,’ who is revered in Liyue as the ‘Lord of the Night.’”

"I see... Let's go ask them over there. Judging from their attire, they should be locals from Liyue." Kong and Paimon randomly approached a few passersby and asked. Fortunately, they were all from Liyue, and they were told that they had come at the right time, as Jade Capital Terrace was the place where the "Seven Celestials Ceremony" was held.

Sora: "The Seven Stars of Liyue?"

"Hmph, I know that!" Paimon puffed out his chest proudly. "Just like Mondstadt is a city-state of 'freedom,' Liyue is a nation of 'contracts,' valuing commerce and trade. The seven great merchants representing the seven commercial forces, the 'Liyue Seven Stars,' are the actual rulers of this nation."

Linlang, a Liyue resident: "Oh dear, foreigners always say that. But the true rulers of Liyue will always be the Geo Archon and the Celestial Lord Mingye. Although the Celestial Lord is asleep, we will always remember him."

Linlang: "The Seven Stars are human, while the Emperor and the Celestial Lord are gods. The God of 'Freedom' is not in Mondstadt, but our god is eternal. Of course, words are not enough; you'll understand once you experience it for yourselves in Liyue Harbor..."

Kong: "It seems that this 'Geo King' and 'Celestial Lord of the Night' have a very high reputation in Liyue..."

After bidding a friendly farewell to the Liyue person named Linlang, they headed to Yujingtai, where a large crowd was gathered, their purpose unclear. Kong and Paimon had no choice but to ask another spectator.

Bolai: "Do you also want to witness the 'Seven Stars Summoning Ceremony'? Me too! Everyone wants to! As business people, how can we not pay attention to Liyue's most important business developments!"

Bolai: "Last year's seventeen divine pronouncements caused considerable market turmoil. And since the beginning of this year, there have been rumors that Lady Ningguang of [Tianquan Star] is secretly making moves... she wants to exclude rocks created by users of the 'Eye of God' using elemental power from the definition of minerals for tax purposes."

Paimon: "This...is a very specialized field of law."

"Haha, the people who constantly pay attention to the divine pronouncements and the market are also part of the charm of this commercial port," Bolai said with obvious pride. "The Rock King Emperor is the oldest of the Seven Gods. We have always trusted his strategic vision. Being the first to know this year's divine pronouncements might just give us a head start and allow us to seize the opportunity to make a fortune!"

Paimon immediately turned around and pointed to the incense burners next to him, saying, "Kong, let's go make a wish too!"

Seeing Paimon's greedy behavior was amusing, but he didn't refuse. He and Paimon each took three incense sticks, made their wishes, and placed them in the incense burner. His wish was simple... just to find his sister...

Behind them, Xuan Yue arrived late, pulling Xuan Qing along. However, they did not make a wish, so they missed Kong and Pai Meng.

Xuan Yue: "A Qing, hurry up, or we won't be able to get a good spot..."

Xuanqing: "Okay, hey! Be careful... you might bump into someone."

Xuan Yue and Xuan Qing squeezed to the front row. Xuan Qing stiffened as he saw Gan Yu…

(Hey Xuanqing, look... isn't that Ganyu?) Xuanyue asked Xuanqing telepathically, somewhat uncertainly.

Xuan Qing: (Hmm, a Qilin horn, and the aura is correct, it's Xiao Gan Yu.)

(How did she get so thin! She was so chubby when she was little, and her skin felt so soft...) Xuan Yue wanted to cry but had no tears.

Xuan Qing sighed inwardly. He could only hope that Gan Yu wouldn't recognize him. Logically, she shouldn't; his appearance had changed somewhat after the shift in order, and while Xuan Yue resembled Xiao, most people would consider it a coincidence. Wait, how did Zhong Li recognize him…?

Just then, Gan Yu happened to look this way. When she saw Xuan Qing and Xuan Yue, she was stunned: (That person looks so familiar... The one next to him... no, isn't that the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons...)

When the sun shines high in the sky, Tianquan, one of the seven stars, looks up at the sky and knows what is going on.

"The auspicious time has arrived." As soon as Ningguang spoke, the two secretaries behind her stepped aside to make room for her.

The rock element crystal in Ningguang's hand surged and ignited the celestial furnace on the table behind her. A beam of golden light shot straight into the sky, and thus—the gods were summoned.

Xuan Qing suddenly felt a headache, a feeling of imbalance. He glanced at Xuan Yue beside him, who was intently gazing at the sky, and suppressed his discomfort, but still felt uneasy.

"Excuse me, excuse me." A familiar voice came from next to Xuan Qing, and sure enough, the next second: "Huh? Grandpa Qingyue, you're here too." It was Paimon and Kong.

Xuan Qing: "Mm."

"Oh dear, you made it in time?" Xuan Yue snapped out of his daze and looked over. But he had clearly forgotten that he was in human form now...

Paimon: "? Who are you? Do you know us?"

Xuanqing (sighing): ...

(Eh...Eh!? I forgot I'm not the real body!) Xuan Yue was internally collapsing, but on the surface he remained calm and said, "My name is Jin Xuan, and I'm close friends with Xuan Qing. I've heard about you guys from him." (Xuan Qing...don't mind me...)

Xuanqing's head was throbbing so badly that her vision was blurring, and she didn't notice their conversation at all.

At this moment, the sky changed color and clouds changed, and there were faint flashes of lightning. Suddenly, a huge body fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.

"Hey! What happened!" Before Xuan Yue could react, Xuan Qing's body fell onto him, and he had already lost consciousness.

“Xuan…Qingyue! Wake up…What’s wrong with you…” Xuanyue tried to wake Xuanqing, but considering that there were people all around, she really couldn’t use her magic.

"Eh... Kiyotsuki... what on earth happened?" Not only Paimon was puzzled, but Sora was also unsure, but one thing was certain: something had happened to the Rock God.

Ningguang rushed forward to check and confirmed that it was indeed the Emperor's immortal body. She immediately ordered, "The Emperor has been murdered! Seal off the entire area!"

"What...what is going on?! She said 'The Emperor was murdered'...Could it be that the God of Rock...is...dead?!" Paimon's voice trembled.

Xuan Yue had already picked up the unconscious Xuan Qing and said, "Qing Yue needs treatment and cannot be questioned right now. I need to get him away quickly."

Xuan Yue's words made Kong think: (God, who might be an enemy from back then... and Qing Yue's situation...)

Paimon (softly): "Then let's sneak away...out of the Thousand Rock Army's sight..."

They carefully bypassed Qianyan Army's layers of surveillance, but not far from the scene of the crime, Kong's footsteps still alerted Qianyan Army.

Qianyan Army: "Don't run! Stop!"

(They couldn't care less...) Just as Xuan Yue was about to spread her wings, an unknown man suddenly appeared and helped them out of their predicament.

Man: "Over here!"

Sora: (Let's go with him first...)

And so, the group of them ran with this unknown passerby to a relatively secluded place.

Paimon: "Huff...huff...I'm so tired from running..."

Empty (￢_￢): "It seems like I'm the one who's more tired."

Paimon: "Lack of compassion! My phantom limb is clearly exhausted from running—oh! By the way! Hey buddy, who are you?"

Before the man could speak, Xuan Yue said seriously, "The last executor of Zhidong, codenamed 'Young Master,' am I wrong?"

The man chuckled, "It seems you already know my name, sir. It was this Mr. Qingyue... who told you, wasn't it..."

Upon hearing this, the people opposite him assumed fighting stances, especially Xuan Yue, whose Shao Yang had already transformed into a spear in his hand, as if he would slit the throat of the person in front of him if he made the first move.

"Young Master": "Ah, don't be nervous. I'm not here to fight you. 'Lady' left you with a very bad impression, didn't she? Sigh, that woman... I don't like her either. Alright, let's all forget about what that woman did for now! I'm here to help you."

Empty: "Help?"

Xuan Yue: "What are you planning now?"

"Young Master": "Yes, help. I don't have any ideas. Besides, I'm not a bad person... uh, I guess I am a bad person, but I'm not here to cause you trouble."

Xuan Yue: (Is this guy an idiot? When did the Fatui's standards for selecting executive officers drop so much...?)

"So could you please not think about 'defeating this person immediately'?" The young master's words carried a hint of pleading. Kong and Xuan Yue wanted to see what he had to say, so they put their weapons away. However, Xuan Yue still leaned Xuan Qing closer to her chest, afraid that he might be trying to find out Xuan Qing's background.

[Young Master]: "Haha, thank you for your courtesy, honorary knights of Mondstadt. I've heard of your deeds in Mondstadt, so I paid a little attention to you during the ceremony just now. —That's why I know you haven't done anything suspicious; the one who plotted against the gods must be someone else."

[Young Master]: "But...it's a pity. As envoys of the Winter Kingdom...after such a major event, the Fools will surely be unable to gain trust."

Xuan Yue: "You'd better just say what you have to say!"

"Young Master": "This gentleman is right, we cannot linger here any longer. Remember the old Liyue proverb: 'Walls have ears.' Let's proceed to the Northern Bank for further discussion."

Paimon: "Then Qingyue..."

"Young Master": "This friend suddenly fainted during the ceremony; it's probably not a common illness. Even if we go to the 'Fortune Teller's Cottage,' they probably won't be able to diagnose anything. This happens to be related to what I need to discuss with you later."

Xuan Yue: "I hope you're not lying to me!"

The young master shrugged and said without any expression, "Time to catch up!"