The decision to send Ren to Mondstadt as Liyue's ambassador for the new technology marked a significant, new milestone in his life. It would be his first, true, solo venture into another nation.
He planned his journey with the quiet, efficient focus of a seasoned traveler. He would go on his own, personal hoverboard, a small, and very fast, emissary of a new age. He prepared a secure, and surprisingly lightweight, case, containing a small, representative collection of the man-made Visions—a Pyro gauntlet, a Hydro brooch, an Anemo wristlet—for demonstration purposes, along with the detailed, but non-technical, explanatory blueprints.
The most difficult part of his preparation, of course, was explaining it to Ganyu.
He found her in the garden, and he laid out his plan, his voice calm, confident, and full of a quiet, reassuring strength. "I'll be fine, big sister," he said, anticipating her worries. "I can protect myself now. My Cryo is stronger than ever, and my Electro gives me a speed that almost no one can match. And," he added, with a small, gentle smile, "Mondstadt is a friendly nation. I have a lot of friends there. It is probably the safest place in Teyvat for me to go, after Liyue."
Ganyu listened, a complex and deeply, loving, expression on her face. The familiar, frantic storm of worry that used to consume her at the mere thought of him being in danger… it was still there, a gentle, quiet undercurrent. But it was no longer a hurricane. It was now just… a familial care, the natural, ever-present concern of a sister for her beloved little brother.
She knew he was right. She had seen his power. She had watched him train, had seen the impossible, lightning-fast speed with which he could now move. His strength, after the events of Inazuma, had grown exponentially. She was, in a strange, and deeply proud, way, no longer worried about his safety in that sense. He was not a fragile, helpless child anymore. He was a force to be reckoned with.
"I know," she said, her voice a soft, proud whisper as she reached out and gently fixed the collar of his tunic. "I know you can take care of yourself." She then looked at him, a small, teasing, and very Ganyu-like, glint of her own in her amethyst eyes. "But you will still call me on the sigil. Every. Single. Night. So I know you are eating your vegetables. That is a non-negotiable condition."
"I promise," he laughed.
He then had one last, very important, and slightly mischievous, request. "Big sister," he began, a hopeful, pleading look on his face, "about the new hoverboard licensing process… I was wondering… since I am the inventor, and I am going on an official, diplomatic mission for the Qixing… do you think you could… you know… fast-track my application?"
Ganyu just looked at him, at her brilliant, powerful, and sometimes very cheeky, little brother, and she let out a long, fond, and loving, sigh. "I will see what I can do," was all she said, a small, amused smile on her face.