"Fifty-fifty odds, huh?" Saphir weighed it over in her mind, factoring in the combined strength of Lumine and Ningguang's Jade Chamber forces. In the end, her conclusion was clear: Liyue Harbor alone wasn't enough to defeat a fully unleashed Osial—not unless they could find two more warriors on Xiao's level.
But where on Teyvat would one find another two Xias?
Clearly, this matter would have to be reconsidered. Perhaps it was best to follow the original course of events and only unseal part of Osial's power. But deep down, she was curious. She wanted to see with her own eyes just how powerful this so-called Vortex God truly was.
Her night of drinking with Xiao had lasted well past midnight. Saphir enjoyed being around him—not for any noble reason, just because he was easy on the eyes. Xiao, on the other hand, had rarely engaged in meaningful interaction with mortals, lest they be consumed by his karmic curse. Saphir, however, was different. She had once helped purify that karma, and with her face so strikingly similar to Guizhong's, Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness to her.
After finishing the meal and the wine, Saphir once again helped Xiao perform a purification ritual. This time, the embodiment of his karmic debt barely had time to manifest before she wiped it out in a single, explosive combo.
Xiao watched her graceful and lethal movements with a strange sense of daze. For a moment, he wondered—if Guizhong had possessed such skills back then… would she have fallen at all? But such thoughts were pointless. If Guizhong had still been alive, this girl might never have appeared. As an adeptus, he believed in cause and effect and avoided indulging in what-ifs. It was better to accept things as they were.
And wasn't this… already pretty good?
The next morning, as the golden light of dawn bathed the mountaintop, Xiao opened his eyes. The morning breeze tugged at his slightly tousled hair, and for once, he felt… at peace. Maybe this was what people meant by "living."
He had never expected to understand that feeling in his lifetime.
As expected, Saphir had already left—just like last time. She'd left behind a food box and a letter.
To the Vigilant Yaksha:
Before I knew it, another night has passed. Time always flies when I'm with you, Great Yaksha. If only I could indulge in this fleeting joy a bit longer—but duty calls.
I did a sweep around Dihua Marsh and cleared out some monsters. Hopefully, that helps lighten your load a little.
There's going to be something big happening in Liyue Harbor, right? Should you be looking forward to it? Of course, I won't tell you ahead of time—how else would it be a surprise? Or maybe a shock? Not that it matters. If someday you come after me in anger, and I surrender immediately, will you go easy on me? Let's agree now: no hitting the face, okay?
I don't know what kind of impossible task the Lord of Geo has saddled you with again, but listen to me—just ignore him. If the sky falls, let him hold it up. Slacking off is the real art of living.
I guess that's all for now. I'm already looking forward to seeing you again—soon, I hope.
Yours sincerely,
Afurola Saphir
Xiao read the letter slowly, word by word. When he was done, he carefully folded and stored it away, then turned his gaze toward Liyue Harbor.
He remembered what the Lord of Geo had once told him about Saphir.
"That Fatui Harbinger is unlike the others. She carries a deep celestial affinity—I suspect she is linked to Guizhong. This is of great significance to all Adepti. From now on, whenever she sets foot within Liyue's borders, I ask that you ensure her safety. And no matter what happens… do not doubt her motives. I will brief the other Adepti in time. All will become clear."
Xiao opened the food box to find it filled, unsurprisingly, with almond tofu. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He murmured softly, "The Lord of Geo's assignment isn't burdensome at all. In fact… I quite enjoy this new task."
Liyue Harbor remained as bustling as ever. Its people lived in peace, merchants and peddlers shouting their wares across the piers. Saphir strolled along, searching for a familiar figure—Beidou—but didn't see her, nor was The Crux moored anywhere nearby.
That made sense. They usually stayed near Guyun Stone Forest and rarely came to the harbor. Even if they did, they'd only use smaller boats. The flagship was surely docked out there.
At the Yanshang Teahouse, Chu Yi continued performing her duties with the same diligence as always. Ada sat in the main hall, meticulously reviewing the books—already the very picture of a seasoned manager. Though her striking Snezhnayan features and towering figure still made her stand out a bit.
Saphir stepped into the hall, and Chu Yi was the first to greet her. "Boss! You're back!"
Ada looked up as soon as she heard Chu Yi's voice. This girl had always been a little strange. Even though Ada had been acting as manager in Saphir's absence, Chu Yi absolutely refused to call her "Boss"—insisting on calling her "Ada-jie" instead. Her reasoning was simple: Saphir is the one and only boss. Calling anyone else that would be disrespectful.
Ada had never cared much about titles, but Chu Yi's explanation had made a certain sense, and so she let it be—and the rest of the staff followed suit.
So when she heard Chu Yi call out "Boss," Ada knew immediately that Saphir had returned.
She set aside the ledger and approached to give her report. Saphir had left in a hurry last time—barely having time to drop off some logs before leaving again—so there were still a few updates to share.
Actually, there wasn't much to report. The main point was about the teahouse's revenue. After cutting off all gray-market operations, profits had dropped sharply. However, since the property was bought outright, there were no rent concerns, and operating as a fully legitimate business had eliminated a lot of under-the-table expenses. So overall, while income had decreased, expenditures had too. It wasn't terrible—but the high profits of before were gone.
When Saphir took over the Yanshang Teahouse, she had positioned it as a high-end establishment. Early on, it had been a loss leader—spending to build prestige. And with Liyue natives already wary of the Fatui, business had been rough. Truthfully, it had barely stayed afloat.
Fortunately, an old gentleman named Zhongli had taken a liking to the place. His regular visits eventually sparked a trend among Liyue's upper crust—nobles and officials who fancied themselves refined. Thanks to that, business had finally started picking up.
Meanwhile, Sanwan Bugugang, the teahouse across the street, had been shut down for watering its wine and cheating customers. Ada was thinking of asking Saphir whether they should take it over—after all, Yanshang Teahouse was small and often fully booked, which annoyed many would-be patrons.
After hearing the report, Saphir considered it for a moment and nodded. "Good idea. Let's acquire it. If I recall, Sanwan specialized in rice wine glutinous dumplings, right? We'll keep that dish, but otherwise turn it into a drink-focused venue. No competition with Wanmin Restaurant, Xinyue Kiosk, or Liyue Pavilion—we stick to alcohol and bar snacks."
Ada jotted that down carefully, then asked, "And the drinks? Should we hire a local brewer?"
Saphir waved that off immediately. "Why would we do that? No point competing with Liyue's own breweries. That's just asking for trouble. We'll specialize in imported alcohol—Mondstadt wine, Snezhnayan firewater, Inazuman sake. I've got the supply channels covered. You focus on finding dock workers and getting renovation started. Leave the rest to me."
Ada nodded and dashed off to start preparations.
Saphir looked across the street at the sealed doors of the now-defunct Sanwan Bugugang, adjusted her clothes, and headed toward the General Affairs Bureau.
Business acquisitions needed to be formally registered. Soon, she arrived at Feiyun Slope. The public bulletin board outside the General Affairs Bureau was plastered with notices—everything from smithing services to rental listings—visually overwhelming. Saphir skimmed them for a second, lost interest, and made her way to the entrance.
There, a sharp-eyed woman with glasses was interrogating a man in a very brisk, almost aggressive tone.
"Hello. How can I help you? Please state your request in the next two seconds."
The middle-aged man, dressed plainly, seemed intimidated by her pace and stammered, "Well, I was hoping to…"
Before he could finish, she cut him off. "Qualification exams? Tax reporting? Maritime permits? Docking clearances? What service do you need? Speak up. Faster."
He opened his mouth, struggling to gather his thoughts.
"You've already wasted a lot of my time," the glasses-wearing woman snapped. "I can't afford to squander my valuable minutes on someone like—" She stopped herself, realizing she was being rude, then abruptly dismissed him. "Never mind. If there's nothing urgent, I'm calling the next person."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned away, leaving the man stunned and sidelined.
Saphir watched in disbelief. Even as a Fatui Harbinger, she'd never treated her subordinates this impatiently.
The man finally lost his temper. "You won't even listen? I waited in line for hours and this is how you treat people?!"
But his outburst was meaningless. The line behind him was long—no one was going to let him clog things up. He was shuffled aside, and the woman turned to the next person.
Saphir frowned. No wonder the queue was so long. But there was no real workaround—dealing with the General Affairs Bureau required going through this.
Clearly, many others had suffered the same treatment. She saw several grim faces further back in the line.
She hesitated. Should she queue up too? Just standing in line didn't guarantee she'd be heard. And yet without doing so, she'd never get the paperwork done.
It was infuriating. I'm a Harbinger of the Fatui, and I'm being stonewalled by a low-level clerk? Grinding her teeth, Saphir joined the queue. She made up her mind—if that woman treated her the same way, she'd definitely teach her a lesson. Call it a favor to Liyue, improving the bureau's efficiency.
Her turn came quickly.
The bespectacled clerk launched into her routine rapid-fire barrage before Saphir even had a chance to speak. Her tone was impatient, already preparing to wave her off.
Saphir's face darkened. Just as she was about to retaliate…
A familiar voice rang out, unexpectedly.
"Saphir? What are you doing at the General Affairs Bureau?"
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