Life in the Jade Chamber became Ren's new normal. He grew accustomed to the hushed, efficient rhythm of governance, to the breathtaking view of Liyue from above the clouds, and to the constant, fascinating presence of Ningguang.
Their relationship deepened from a simple, curious acquaintance into a strange, profound bond of mutual respect and genuine affection. Ningguang, the shrewd, untouchable Tianquan, found herself utterly disarmed by him. She would be in the middle of a stern, commanding dictation to her secretaries, and her gaze would fall upon Ren, who would be concentrating fiercely on trying to balance a jade figurine on its head. A rare, soft, genuine smile would break through her professional facade.
She took to teasing him gently, a side of her that no one else in Liyue ever saw. "Ren," she would say, her voice full of a mock seriousness, "this proposal from the Feiyun Commerce Guild is dreadfully dull. Your opinion, as my most astute advisor, is required. Should I approve it, or should we use it as kindling for the old fireplace?"
Ren, looking up from his drawing, would see the playful twinkle in her amber eyes and feel a warm blush creep up his cheeks, much to her quiet amusement.
His special status was an open secret in the floating palace. The secretaries and guards all treated him with a gentle, protective reverence. And every evening, while Ganyu and Keqing were still mired in their seemingly endless meetings, Ningguang would have a private dinner prepared for just the two of them.
"Order whatever you like," she would say, handing him a menu with a grand, dismissive wave. "The cooks of the Jade Chamber can procure any ingredient in Teyvat. Consider it part of your consultation fee."
Ren, who still possessed the simple tastes of a child, would usually just order a plate of delicious, crispy fried shrimp balls, a request that Ningguang found both endearing and remarkably cost-effective. They would eat together, not as a ruler and a subject, but as two friends, discussing everything from the patterns of the clouds to the complex economics of the Dihua Marsh salt trade.
It was during one of these quiet, peaceful dinners that their solitude was interrupted.
Yelan materialized in the doorway, a silent, graceful shadow. Her usual enigmatic smile was gone, replaced by an expression of grim, serious urgency.
"Ningguang," she said, her voice a low, confidential murmur. She gave a slight, acknowledging nod to Ren, a silent sign that what she was about to say could be heard by him.
"My sources have confirmed it," Yelan continued, stepping further into the room. "Childe. He's established a new, heavily guarded workshop at the city outskirts. It's a front, listed as a research facility for the Northland Bank. But the energy signatures… they're wrong. Faint, but unmistakable. They're experimenting with adeptal power."
She placed a small, scorched, and broken piece of carving on the table. It was a fragment of a talisman. "My agents retrieved this from a discarded furnace behind the facility. It's a failed attempt. They are trying to replicate the Sigils of Permission."
The revelation hung in the air, heavy and chilling. The Sigils of Permission were not just symbols of authority; they were keys, ancient devices that could potentially be used to manipulate or bypass the ancient adeptal seals that protected Liyue from its most ancient and terrible threats.
Ningguang looked at the scorched fragment, her face a mask of cold, calculating fury. The Fatui were actively moving to dismantle the very foundations of Liyue's defenses.
"Childe is making his move," Ningguang stated, her voice dangerously quiet. She looked at Yelan, her mind already several steps ahead, formulating a counter-strategy. "An open raid on a Fatui facility is an act of war we cannot afford, not now. We need proof. We need to know exactly what he is planning."
Her gaze then turned, a thoughtful, strategic light entering her amber eyes. "And I believe," she said, a slow, cunning smile beginning to form on her lips, "that our newly arrived, very capable, and very underestimated Honorary Knight may be the perfect instrument to help us investigate this matter."
She was already weaving Lumine into her intricate web. The Traveler, who thought she was on a simple quest to speak with the adepti, was about to be drawn into the heart of a far more dangerous game of espionage and ancient treason. Ren listened, a silent witness to the first, crucial move in the Qixing's counter-offensive against the Fatui's hidden war.