The adeptal sigil on the table glowed with a soft, steady light, a silent beacon in the somber atmosphere of the room. A moment later, Xianyun's voice, clear and resonant, emanated from the wood. "Ganyu. Ren. I received your signal. Report."
Ganyu took a deep, shuddering breath, her professional composure warring with her profound, personal grief. With a voice that was heavy with sorrow but steady with a sense of duty, she recounted the catastrophic events of the Rite of Descension. She told of the Exuvia's lifeless fall, the chaos on Yujing Terrace, and the Qixing's subsequent sealing of the site.
There was a long, profound silence from the other end of the line. The quiet was not empty; it was filled with the weight of a thousand years of loyalty and devotion being shattered in an instant. Ren could almost picture his Master, standing frozen in her workshop, her brilliant, analytical mind struggling to process a piece of data that was fundamentally, impossibly, wrong.
When Xianyun finally spoke, her voice was a low, chilling monotone, stripped of all its usual scholarly warmth. "Rex Lapis… is gone?"
"It would appear so, Master," Ganyu whispered, a fresh wave of tears glistening in her eyes.
Another heavy pause. Then, Xianyun's voice returned, but her first question was not of politics, not of the adepti, not of the fate of Liyue. Her first, immediate priority was singular.
"Ren," she said, her voice sharp, cutting through the haze of grief with a laser-like focus. "Are you alright? Were you harmed in the chaos?"
The question, so immediate, so fiercely protective, was a testament to the place he now held in her ancient heart. Before the fate of the nation, before her own grief, came the safety of her child.
"I'm fine, Master," Ren replied softly, deeply touched by her concern. "I wasn't hurt. Ganyu and Keqing kept me safe."
"Good," Xianyun said, a faint hint of relief entering her tone. "That is the primary logistical concern." Only then did her mind seem to expand to encompass the wider, more terrifying implications of the news.
Ren knew he had to give her the full picture. "Master," he said, his voice turning serious. "There's more. The Fatui. They're here. All of them."
He quickly detailed the encounter with Childe, and then reminded her of his earlier reports. "The Balladeer and the Marionette are in Liyue, as we already know. And…" he chose his words carefully, "…with what happened in Mondstadt, it's logical to assume that La Signora will not be far behind. She may even be in the city already."
The information was a final, damning piece of the puzzle. The death of the Geo Archon, coinciding with an unprecedented gathering of four of the Tsaritsa's most powerful agents. It was not a coincidence. It was a conspiracy.
Xianyun was silent for a moment, her mind no doubt connecting the same, chilling dots. The grief in her voice was now being replaced by a cold, calculating, adeptal fury. "Four Harbingers," she mused, her voice a low, dangerous hum. "Their audacity is… boundless."
It was then that Ren made his request, his voice full of a quiet, earnest plea. "The Qixing has asked the Traveler, Lumine, to be their emissary to the adepti in Jueyun Karst. She's the one who helped in Mondstadt. She's my friend." He paused, his gaze full of a trust he knew his Master would understand. "When she reaches Mt. Aocang, Master… please. Help her."
He was not just asking for her to receive Lumine kindly. He was asking her to become an ally, to lend her wisdom and her power to the Traveler's cause.
He did not have to wait for an answer. Xianyun's reply was immediate and absolute. "Any friend of yours is a guest in my domain," she stated, her voice ringing with an unshakeable conviction. "And anyone who seeks the truth behind this… this blasphemy… is an ally. The Traveler will have my full cooperation. This one gives you her word."
The promise was made, a new, powerful alliance forged through the small, glowing sigil. Ren let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He had done all he could. He had warned his family, and he had secured a powerful ally for the hero of the story. The pieces were in place. Now, all he could do was wait for the game to unfold.