"Our apologies," Kaeya said with a smooth, almost practiced, shrug as he led them through the bustling city streets. "We had intended to house your delegation at the Goth Grand Hotel, our finest establishment. However, it seems the entire top floor was pre-booked some weeks ago by the Snezhnayan embassy for a… diplomatic visit."
Yelan, who was walking silently beside Keqing, raised a single, perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Her cyan eyes met Kaeya's for a fleeting moment, a silent, sharp exchange of understanding passing between the two masters of intelligence and subterfuge. Snezhnaya. Pre-booked weeks ago. The information confirmed Sandrone's words. La Signora was not just coming; she was expected, and her arrival was being treated as a major event.
"No matter," Keqing replied, her tone crisp, refusing to show any reaction. "Our accommodations are of secondary importance to the successful completion of our mission."
They were settled into a different, but still very comfortable, inn near the main plaza. After a short time to freshen up from the long journey, it was time for the official meeting. Yelan chose to remain behind, stating her desire to "acquaint herself with the city's unique atmosphere," which everyone present understood to mean she was immediately beginning her own covert intelligence-gathering operations.
So, it was Keqing, Ganyu, and Ren who were escorted by Kaeya up the stone steps to the imposing headquarters of the Knights of Favonius. The building was a hive of controlled, anxious activity, with knights rushing back and forth, their faces grim with the stress of the Stormterror crisis.
They were led into a large, grand office. A tall, graceful woman with blonde hair tied back in an elegant ponytail stood to greet them. She wore the formal attire of the Knights, and her blue eyes, though weary, held a core of unwavering strength and determination. This was Jean, the Acting Grand Master.
"Lady Keqing, Lady Ganyu," Jean said, her voice tired but firm as she offered a respectful nod. "Welcome to Mondstadt. We are deeply grateful for your personal involvement."
The three women, leaders and pillars of their respective nations, began their formal discussions. They spoke of trade routes, of logistical details, of the formal exchange of goods and mora. Ren, knowing he had no part in this formal discussion, sat quietly on a chair near the wall, an observant, silent presence.
After a while, the heavy office door creaked open, and another woman entered, moving with a lazy, sensuous grace that seemed at odds with the tense atmosphere of the headquarters. She was tall and stunningly beautiful, with a mischievous smile and sleepy, emerald-green eyes. She wore the elegant, slightly risqué uniform of a librarian, a large Electro Vision resting on the book clipped to her belt. It was Lisa Minci.
"Jean, dear, I've brought those reports on ley line disturbances you asked for," she said, her voice a sultry, playful purr. She placed a stack of documents on the desk, and then her gaze fell upon Ren. Her sleepy eyes widened slightly, and a slow, predatory smile spread across her face.
"Oh my," she cooed, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper as she glided over to him. "And what little cutie do we have here? Did one of the knights bring their little brother to work? Aren't you just the most adorable little thing."
She leaned down, her perfume a pleasant mix of old books and Cecilia flowers. Ganyu, from across the room, stiffened, her protective instincts on high alert.
Ren, however, was unfazed by the teasing. He simply looked up at the beautiful librarian and gave her a polite smile. "My name is Ren, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you."
His polite, unflustered response seemed to charm Lisa even more. "Ma'am? Oh, how polite," she giggled. "You can call me Lisa. So, you're the little inventor from Liyue I've been hearing whispers about? I must say, I'm intrigued. Your little heater… it runs on electro crystals, correct?"
"That's right," Ren confirmed.
"Fascinating," Lisa purred, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite him, her earlier errand completely forgotten. "As a scholar of elemental science, I'm curious. How did you manage to create a stable thermal output without causing an overload in the conductive medium? The principles of elemental transference for raw crystals are notoriously volatile."
And just like that, the conversation shifted. The teasing was gone, replaced by a sharp, genuine, intellectual curiosity. Ren, sensing a kindred spirit, a mind that could grasp the real science behind his work, lit up.
"It's not about the transference, it's about the resistance," he began, his voice full of an excited, confident energy. "You don't try to fight the volatility. You create a controlled bottleneck where the volatility is converted into thermal energy in a predictable way. The key is the specific alloy of the heating coil and the variable path of the current, which is what the regulator dial controls…"
The three women at the main desk, who had paused their own discussion to watch the interaction, could only stare in stunned silence. The conversation between the lazy, flirty librarian and the ten-year-old child had rapidly escalated into a high-level academic debate on thermodynamics and elemental physics. They were throwing around terms like "regulated heating," "conduction," and "arcane resistivity" with a casual fluency that was utterly baffling.
Jean and Keqing exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated confusion. Ganyu just watched, a soft, proud smile on her face. Her little brother, who could charm gods and outwit politicians, was now enchanting the most brilliant and notoriously lazy scholar in Mondstadt, not with his cuteness, but with the sheer, undeniable power of his mind.
After a solid ten minutes, Lisa leaned back in her chair, a look of genuine, profound astonishment on her beautiful face. She let out a low, appreciative laugh.
"Well, I'll be," she said, her emerald eyes sparkling with a new, deep respect. "You're not just a cutie, are you? You're a little genius." She reached out and, instead of a teasing pinch on the cheek, she gave his head a gentle, affectionate pat. "You, little Ren, are officially my new favorite person. If you ever get tired of Liyue's stuffy seriousness, you have a permanent invitation to come and be my personal research assistant. We would have so much fun."
The offer, coming from the notoriously selective and reclusive Lisa, was the highest possible praise. The quiet little boy from Liyue had not only brought a promise of warmth to Mondstadt, but had also, in the space of a single conversation, completely and utterly charmed its resident genius.