"I'm just a little carpenter, real good with stairs, I'll fix this mess of a staircase—make it sturdy and make it fair~."
Fixing Wangshu Inn's staircase—this task, which originally belonged to Lumine, had ended up being contracted to Victor Wang.
He carried planks up from below, fixed one section, then went down again for more. The staircase coiled and turned, fairly long and winding. By the time he finished, it had eaten up almost half his afternoon.
Placing the final wooden plank felt like building a bridge of stars for the once-a-year Qixi Festival. On the other end, innkeeper Huai'an could barely contain his excitement as he walked up to greet Victor Wang. (T/N: Qixi Festival, China's version of Valentine's Day.)
"Much appreciated, sir! Why don't you take a break and have a cup of tea?"
"Just the lantern left. I'll rest after that's done."
Huai'an nodded. "Very well. Still, these lanterns are particular—I'll come with you."
Originally, Huai'an was supposed to take Ning Zhen home for a final visit, but Keqing had taken over that task—and she hadn't yet returned.
Downstairs, Huai'an directed Victor Wang to trim the branches off the Sandbearer tree and peel its bark.
"Normally, you'd need to process freshly cut wood quite a bit before it's usable. Either dry it for months, or soak it to dissolve the sap, peel it, then air it. Otherwise, uneven moisture loss leads to cracks and warping.
"But Sandbearer wood is weather-resistant, so it doesn't need as much care. Still, the moisture needs to be dealt with. Got a way?"
"You mean using wind?"
"Wind? If you can control wind, that works just fine. Dry it with a strong breeze."
After a round of wind-drying, Victor Wang shaved the tree into a long column, then bored holes into one end. Huai'an removed the lantern and the intact path sign from the old post and mounted them onto the new one.
"Alright, that's done. Now we can rest."
Back upstairs, Verr Goldet didn't even give Victor Wang a moment's break. She pointed to an exaggeratedly wrapped package near the counter. It stood just over a meter tall, oddly shaped and casually dumped onto the floor.
Most notably, four large characters were stamped on the wrapping: "Confidential Shipment."
"Boss, are you sure this is for me?"
"Take a look at the delivery slip—your name's in the bottom right corner."
"Looks like it... Weird. Sender is... anonymous. Ahaha, I'll take it back to the room and check it out."
Clutching the secretive delivery awkwardly, he left, leaving Huai'an and Verr Goldet exchanging glances.
"That's a tooth from some giant beast, isn't it?"
"Definitely."
…
A dragon's tooth. That's what it was. Though wrapped tightly, the soft packaging had let the contours show through.
Victor Wang unwrapped it. A wind-teal dragon tooth—its origin obvious. It came from the dragon carcass in Cider Lake.
Inside was also a letter. This time, the sender signed it: Night Owl.
The letter read:
The dragon's remains have lost their power, but this tooth still retains high affinity for Anemo. Before it was processed, the envoy set one aside for you. Once polished, it can enhance wind-element strength to the level of a five-star weapon. Take care of it.
"Wait, this was specifically set aside for me... If it could be cut, why not forge it into a sword directly? I can't exactly chop it up myself. It's not metal—I can't melt it down and reforge it…"
With a sigh, he stuffed it back into its mediocre wrapping bag.
Still, it reminded him of his identity as a North Wing member. And since he'd just gotten first-hand intel, maybe it was time to send something in.
He asked Yuhua for a commission slip and wrote down: Large amount of Noctilucous Jade suspected stolen by Abyss Order in Mingyun Village.
As he posted it to the notice board, another young man happened to be pinning up a coded commission. Both glanced at the cipher numbers at the bottom of each other's forms, then shared a knowing smile.
The young man's commission read: Notice: Rex Lapis presumed involved in an incident. Please investigate and provide any relevant intel.
Signed by: Bai Ling.
So, the incident really happened…
Victor Wang narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Are you Liyue's liaison, Bai Ling?"
"No, no. Just forwarding the message. I'm Little Bird. And you are?"
"Kunpeng."
"Oh~, the new Anemo Vision holder from Mondstadt, right?"
"You remember me?"
"Pfft, every Vision holder's induction gets its own bulletin. Might not remember the rest, but you folks are the heavy hitters. Worth the mental bandwidth.
Still, Mondstadt's kinda weak sauce. A single dead Archon body and it's announced all over Teyvat. Liyue's got who knows how many buried—and I hear some are still alive, just suppressed."
"If it's a competition, yeah, Mondstadt can't match Liyue."
"Right? Honestly, unless Barbatos himself drops dead, nothing really counts as a major event."
"Uh... You sound awfully proud that Rex Lapis made global headlines. Aren't you even worried?"
"That's Rex Lapis we're talking about! You ever hear Liyue storytellers talk about the Archon? He was unmatched during the Archon War. In this day and age, who could possibly bring him down? Anyone with a hint of independent thought would know that!"
"Fair point. But you're still off by one thing—I've heard the tales. I'm from Liyue."
"...My bad. I assumed."
…
Despite the Qixing's efforts to control information, the Rite of Descension had drawn massive crowds. Rumors spread like wildfire, far beyond what anyone expected.
Wangshu Inn's guests had already heard everything. Nine out of ten were sharing their opinions. The tenth had lost his voice and was now sipping tea.
When Keqing returned with Ning Zhen, this was the scene she found.
She looked toward Huai'an, who stood quietly among the murmuring crowd. He gave a helpless sigh and whispered to her, "Lady Ningguang seems to have locked down the news. Even if she hadn't, we're only responsible for intel—not verification. So, I can't confirm anything."
With no better lead, Keqing found a seat and began eavesdropping.
"Rex Lapis can't have been killed!"
"Come on! You don't believe it? My cousin's third nephew was there! Ningguang performed the summoning like usual—and the Archon's body fell from the sky! Dozens of people saw it! You think they're all lying?"
"Well, you didn't see it with your own eyes!"
"Hmph, even first-hand witness doesn't always tell the truth!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"A mortal's eyes can't perceive a god's transformations!"
"What, you got a mouth but forgot how to speak like a human? Last guy who talked in riddles got stabbed 108 times in the street. Final one did him in. Died ugly."
"Can't talk to you nouveau riche types. Nothing decent ever comes out of your mouths!"
"I worked for every mora I have! And you? Hiding behind family ties and still managing to be this useless. Jealous I took your business, aren't you?"
"You—!"
"Gentlemen, peace brings prosperity. If you must fight, kindly take it elsewhere."
With Huai'an stepping in, the squabbling duo dared not continue.
Another guest offered a way out: "Quling, come on, share your take."
"Hmph. This might be a trial set by the Archon. Brother Zhao and I agree—how could he simply die?"
"Rex Lapis wouldn't pull such a childish stunt."
"Everything he does has purpose. Don't question it—follow his reasoning. Ask yourself: Why fake his death?"
"He's out of ideas this year and wanted a break?"
"I told you—it's a test! He wants to see how the Qixing hold up without him."
"You're hilarious. Past oracles have preached 'governance through inaction'. Even I know that, and I'm from the grassroots. Don't tell me you, a noble, don't?"
"That's…"
"Let's be rational, people. Explore ideas, sure—but tone down the attacks. Even if Quling's wrong, he reminded us—there's no way the Qixing aren't involved. We can't reach the Archon, but the Qixing meet him every year. Probably even in private."
This one… Huai'an narrowed his eyes. Wasn't he the banker who defected to the Fatui's Northland Bank? He made a mental note of his name.
"Hah! Even if the Qixing dared, they couldn't pull it off!"
"No, no—Rex Lapis couldn't have died!"
"Master Zhao," said a quiet voice from the sidelines, "He has passed. I was there."
Silence fell. The man continued:
"There were signs in the heavens—an orange sky, black clouds, red lightning… Rex Lapis fell from that ominous sky. He struck the offering table so hard the offerings flew. The incense burner fell. Two attendants nearby collapsed too.
"Lady Ningguang checked him. No breath. No heartbeat. He was gone.
"She gave a decisive command: 'Rex Lapis has been killed. Seal the area.'
"I'll never forget that scene… He's truly dead."
Keqing's face turned grim at the detailed account. She turned to Huai'an and said, "Regardless of truth or rumor, I must return to Liyue Harbor. See to the workers who'll come to finish the bridge."
"Yes, ma'am."
Keqing reached out and gently ruffled Ning Zhen's hair. "You're coming with me, alright?"
The little girl, finally softened by the afternoon's events, nodded quietly.
Before leaving Wangshu Inn, Keqing looked up at the sky. The golden-orange light of the sun slanted from the mountain's side, bathing the people below.
Rex Lapis's presence had been like that light—vital, yet so constant that few ever thought of losing it. Just as few thought of losing the sun itself.
But if the news was true, and the sun had truly set... then would Liyue be able to face the darkness alone?
Keqing felt a surge of emotion—excitement and dread—for a transformation Liyue hadn't seen in a thousand years.
And a sorrow she couldn't contain.
Because if the news was true, then Liyue… had lost her father.
Keqing felt an urge deep in her chest—to set aside her grievances, and speak on behalf of Liyue. To bid the Archon a voice as loud as her heart:
Please don't worry. I'm no longer a stumbling, tearful little girl. Let me go… and fly free.