"So you finally escaped." I cheekily said as I drank my cup of tea.
Lumine glared. "I did. No thanks to you though." She yawned as she rubbed her eyes. I could see the eyebags barely hidden behind some makeup. "Jesus, she was relentless." She sighed. "And she learns fast too."
"That's Guizhong—Liyue's inventor extraordinaire." I took another sip. "There's a reason why people hardly ever see her these days." I smirked slightly. "She's pretty much married to her lab. Her handmaidens have to actively remind her that she still has some paperwork to do."
She slumped onto my dinner table. "Yeah, she fits the archetype at least." Lumine smiled. "Still, it was kinda fun."
I raised an eyebrow, before I smiled. "Well, I did hear Guizhong was looking for an assis-"
Lumine paled. "Nope. Nu-uh. Not happening. I'm an adventurer at heart, and getting stuck doing experiments just isn't my style." She nodded to herself. "Yep. Just that. Nothing else."
I shrugged. "If you say so."
We fell into a peaceful silence as we enjoyed the tranquil morning. The skies are bright today, free of any clouds. Normally I'd start preparing for my next trip outside, since I hadn't finished cataloging all of Liyue into my scrolls. But I still felt somewhat fatigued from my most recent Adventure, and going out on another trip was the last thing on my mind.
Fishing wasn't out of the option though, and I wondered if Lumine wanted to join me. Though seeing her like this…
Maybe I should let her sleep in first. It wouldn't be great if she suddenly tumbled into the water while she was busy reeling in some fish or something.
Though I might as well ask now. "Lumine, do you want to-"
I stopped, because I then realized that she'd fallen asleep on the table, softly snoring away. I laughed quietly as I finished the rest of my tea. I then moved over and carried her into my arms, bringing her over to one of the many empty rooms I had in my dojo. She didn't react in the slightest as I tucked her in.
"Sleep well." I whispered, discreetly using [Sunlight Healing] to take some of her exhaustion away.
Now that I had some time to spare, I decided to leave for Liyue's publishing house. It was only a few minutes away from my dojo, and before long I made it to a large building. Its exterior was quite opulent, though it was far less lavish-looking than the Noble's theaters or their teahouses.
The employees greeted me warmly as I stepped inside. I greeted them back with a smile, before I headed straight for the house's manager. I found the man sitting by a small coffee table with a stack of scrolls and books placed atop it. He himself was reading through one of the scrolls when he spotted me. "Good morning, Lady Venti." He said with a small bow.
I smiled. "Greetings, sir Zhangming." He nodded back, fixing his eyeglasses as he gestured at the empty seat opposite of his. I nodded as I sat down.
I liked this place. Since being a Storyteller was my job, I was a frequent visitor, appearing whenever I returned to Liyue Harbor to submit my scrolls. I'd become quite familiar with everyone here, and thankfully, their over-the-top reverence eventually mellowed out to a calm respect. I even went out for tea together with some coworkers a few weeks back.
"Another catalog?" He asked.
I brought out a few scrolls from my Inventory, filled with written accounts of the history of the underground village I visited with Lumine. "Indeed. These are from the underground village I spoke of some time back."
He hummed, putting the scroll he was reading and began reading mine. "Fascinating." He continued reading. "To think that there existed such a large space beneath the ground."
I nodded. "It certainly was a surprise to everyone. Even the villagers who had taken refuge there were surprised at how sturdy the remains were." I smiled slightly. "They now use them as places for worship, believing Lord Morax had enchanted them to allow for the incredible sturdiness they possess."
He glanced at me. "And what do you believe?"
I shrugged. "Who knows. Ancient technology? Some other god?" I smiled slyly. "That matters little, does it not? I am a mere Storyteller in these tales, after all."
He returned a small smirk. "A mystery indeed."
I giggled. Although Zhangming was technically my superior, we were essentially both leaders of this publishing house. And I was incredibly grateful that the man was comfortable enough to speak freely with me.
"Are there any new fictitious tales you recommend?"
He gave me a glance. "One not involving steamy acts between you and Morax, I presume?" I leveled a quick glare before I nodded. "Then I'm afraid I can only disappoint you. This month has been rather dry in that regard, though I've heard that it was due to the upcoming Martial Tournament."
I held back a sigh. Haiyah, that thing again. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't find much enjoyment in seeing two people beat the absolute living out of each other for sport. I didn't know how Morax could get so much enjoyment from them. Though I suppose him being a Warrior God had some effect on that.
"Well, that is a shame."
Zhangming nodded, similarly displeased by it. "It is indeed. But alas such tradition will likely remain for a long time." Yeah, that was true. Still, at least the Martial Tournament only lasted a week, and then Liyue could return to being a city of commerce.
We then talked for some time. It began with us sharing any other interesting locations I could visit, but it then branched out into topics about our daily lives. My usual schedule was fairly boring, so it soon mostly turned into me listening and occasionally replying to the stories Zhangming shared about his daily life.
"-my boy was ecstatic." He huffed, though he had a fond smile on his lips. "I brought back a few dried plums I bought from an Inazuman merchant, and it soon became his favorite snack." He sighed. "It was just a shame that Liyue has no plantations growing any plums."
I hummed. "I believe if I manage to acquire some saplings, I might be able to grow them in Sublime Spicewood. That realm is fit to grow most-" I stopped when I realized what it was that he just mentioned, before my eyes slowly widened. "You bought those dried plums from an Inazuman merchant, you say?"
He frowned for a moment, before he blinked. "Ah, yes. It seemed I'd nearly forgotten." He cleared his throat. "A few merchants from Inazuma had recently arrived at the harbor to trade."
I stared. But-, that was impossible. The rest of Teyvat was still embroiled in the Archon War, and from what I last heard, there'd been a law put in place that restricted anyone from entering or leaving Inazuma so that they could minimize the potential damage caused by the Archon War.
For Inazuman merchants to arrive at the harbor-
"A new Archon has appeared?" I whispered.
He nodded, leaning closer. "From what I gathered, Archon Baal has taken her place as the ruler of the Inazuman Archipelago." He narrowed his eyes. "A grand ruler of the element of Electro, capable of smiting any who stood in her way with divine lightning."
I whistled. This was a pleasant surprise. Another Archon had finally appeared, and she so happened to rule the region that neighbored Liyue. Sure, one would need a boat of some kind to cross the waters, but that wasn't a difficult challenge to overcome considering Liyue Harbor had quite the fleet of seafaring vessels at the ready.
But this also presented an opportunity. Now that Inazuma had finished its Archon War, this was the prime time to establish some connection. This city of commerce would no doubt jump right in, eager to establish new trade routes and whatnot with their neighbor.
That meant there was a new adventure to be had.
And potentially more treasure chests to find.
"Do you perhaps know when they plan to return to their homeland?"
He hummed. "Last I heard, they plan to wait until the Martial Tournament ends before they return to-" He stopped, before he frowned. "Lady Venti."
"Oh, come now." My smile widened, not quite able to suppress my excitement. "It's an entirely new land, Zhangming. What adventurer could resist such delectable temptation?" My smile became sly as I winked. "And I am a Storyteller, no? There must be many Stories to be heard there."
He watched me for a few more seconds before he sighed. "This is a terrible idea, though I believe I am unable to convince you otherwise." I chuckled as I clasped my hands together in apology. He sighed. "But that aside, this is indeed a prime opportunity to learn more about our neighbors."
"Right~?" I hummed happily as I thought more about it. An entirely new region to explore; a different culture, a different history—a wholly new Story I could etch into the carvings of history. And as much as I loved Liyue, I had to admit that I'd exhausted most of the region at this point. Being able to fly made exploring so much easier.
I probably shouldn't go exploring alone though. I needed someone to keep me accountable, and to keep me from exposing myself. After all, I might not actually be a god, but the people thought I was. And Baal could potentially view my actions as trespassing into her territory.
So Morax was obviously not a choice. Not that he was a choice to begin with; it wasn't as if I could just ask Morax to waltz up to another Archon's region. That was just a disaster waiting to happen.
Guizhong could be an option, but she was too busy inventing new things. That girl was practically married to her lab, and trying to separate her from her loved one for more than a month would probably drive her insane.
Lumine though,
Now that was an option. A seasoned traveller who'd crossed many different stars, carrying a whole lexicon's worth of information and skilled in many different fields. But most importantly, her spirit of adventure was no less bright compared to my own.
"Mm~" I grinned. "This is going to be fun."
Zhangming sighed. "Just do stay safe, Lady Venti." He returned a wry smile. "I don't think this world could survive if Morax ever hears of you getting injured."
I blinked, and then laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, you're right." Though I feel Guizhong might do even worse. Who knows what horrors she'd cooked up in her lab by this point?
And so, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise, Zhangming began helping me plan out what I could potentially do during my travels across Inazuma, along with whatever little bits of information he had.
We talked for hours on end, and I only left when the late afternoons came around.