Keqing
"Phew, that should be everything for now." Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, sighed and leaned back on her chair.
Her brain had been fried and tossed around this entire week. The Rite of Descension was fast approaching, and that meant everyone was working overtime.
But her coworkers would say that what she did was overkill.
Keqing had just finished her entire day's work in one afternoon. One might ask why she would do such a thing.
The answer was—
'I'm really curious to see how Ganyu's doing.'
Ever since she found out that Ningguang hired the Shadow Courier as the main logistics contractor, almost everyone in the Qixing constantly gossiped about how well those two would work together.
Would Ganyu end up doing all the work by herself as usual?
Would Ren get annoyed with Ganyu's work behaviour?
'He better not,' Keqing scoffed.
Separate from the entire situationship those two had going on, she was really curious why Ningguang would actually hire the Shadow Courier.
While it's true that they have grown exponentially over these past months, it's still a company not even a year old.
Out of curiosity, she even personally looked into the Shadow Courier's records. It was impressive, but nothing too out there.
She had to wonder, 'What does Ningguang see that I don't?' It was always a pain to decipher what went on in the Tianquan's mind. But it was also a joy to try and find out.
Stretching her back, she stood and walked out of her office, heading towards Yuehai Pavilion.
As she walked up the steps to the area, she had to dodge a group of workers carrying large boxes below.
'Well, that's unexpected.' Her eyes widened once she saw the preparation area. It was filled with people moving around like organised ants.
Xiaosi was standing in front of a group of hired helpers, shouting out instructions for the day.
Keqing had to admit, despite the young man's appearance, he had heart. He was able to successfully get the attention of all the workers, none of them daring to doze off.
'Though that might also be because of something else…'
Just behind Xiaosi, Daquan's towering figure bore into the hired workers, making sure none of them took their eyes off Xiaosi.
Keqing watched them for a while, surprised at their commitment to the job. 'For former Treasure Hoarders, they're not half bad.'
She'd heard of Ren's proposal to the Adventurer's Guild for information on the released Treasure Hoarders that tried to kill him.
While it was a noble thing to do, trying to give the people that wronged you a second chance, she thought the entire thing would blow up in his face.
Turns out, for once, she was wrong.
"Shenhe, could you take that one!"
Turning her head, she spotted two figures she didn't expect to see.
'How are they already back?' Keqing did a double-take when Shenhe helped pick up a crate twice her size with one hand.
From her memory, Meifen and Shenhe left the harbour to head to Qingce Village yesterday for ceremonial incense.
The trip there alone should take a day, and then another to get back.
While she could believe someone like Shenhe, the student of Cloud Retainer, could make the fast trip. Meifen was just a normal mortal.
'Those Shadow Bands might be more potent than I expected…' Keqing put a hand under her chin, 'Might be worth looking into.'
She walked past the bustle of workers towards the middle of the area, spotting two figures sitting side by side in front of a comically long table.
'Whoa.'
The table was covered end to end with documents, ledgers, coordination charts, and scheduling maps that would even make her dizzy.
The two sitting side by side were Ren and Ganyu. They didn't even notice her approaching, so she took some time just to watch how they worked.
Ren's hand was suddenly covered in shadows as a large frog tongue extended and grabbed a piece of paper on the edge of the table.
"Okay, so if we move the eastern district run to the morning—" he said, tapping a section of the coordination map.
"It conflicts with the temple's incense delivery window." Ganyu didn't look up from the document she was working on. "Timing, remember?"
"Right, right." He wrote something on the paper before looking at the document she was holding. "So we push it to afternoon and have Shenhe cover the morning gap?"
"Shenhe and Meifen just got back from Qingce Village. They'll need at least half a morning." She handed the document to him.
"Okay, Nue then. I can do the morning gap myself."
Ganyu gave him a disapproving look. "You're already handling harbor coordination an hour before."
"I can do both."
"Ren."
"Seriously, It's fine." He chuckled and pinned the paper on his side. "It's light work for me."
Ganyu sported a look Keqing never thought she would ever wear. It was the look of trying to convince someone that they were taking on more than they could handle.
'Kind of funny, coming from her of all people.'
Ren didn't last long under her gaze, because he sighed and picked up a scheduling ledger. "Finee, what if we just move the temple window?"
"Already tried. Third page, bottom left."
He flipped to it. "...Okay that doesn't work either."
"No." She was already writing something down. "But this does."
She slid the paper toward him, and he leaned over to read it. "Oh, that's actually better than what I had."
"I know."
"Yeah yeah," He rolled his eyes, "Don't need to rub it in, miss secretary."
He put the paper away in his Shadow Storage with a smile. Ganyu let out a light laugh before going back to other tasks.
'This is unexpected.' Keqing couldn't help but think.
She'd worked alongside Ganyu for years. She knew how the secretary operated, and how difficult it was to try and keep up. Even for someone like her, she could only hold on for so long.
'Is she taking it easy on him?' She thought, but quickly shook the thought away. Ganyu wasn't the type to do something like that, even with her shy nature.
That meant Ren was somehow keeping up with the centuries-old secretary, or they just clicked together so well that a difference in skill was negligible.
Usually, Ganyu worked alone with a super serious expression that made everyone hesitant to bother her. But now it was as if some weight was off her shoulders, and she was actually enjoying working with the courier.
"Can you pass me the supplier ledger?" Ren said.
Ganyu picked it up without looking for it and held it out, handing it off without a word.
Keqing had seen enough and walked away, a thought slowly forming in her head.
'Oh, Rex Lapis, I might lose the bet.'
She sighed internally. Her coworkers were going to be insufferable about this.
But still, she was happy for Ganyu.
Hopefully things go well with them.
/ — /
Ren
"Okay, we have a problem for the evening run on day five," Ren said out loud.
"The Rite materials from Mingyun." Ganyu immediately flipped to the relevant page. "The delivery confirmation came in late this morning. They pushed their dispatch by half a day."
"Which means it arrives during the harbor peak."
"It's likely to get stuck in queue… Unless we reroute through the northern gate."
He looked at it. "That adds forty minutes."
"But bypasses the queue entirely, so time saved is around twenty minutes."
"Oh yeah, fair point."
He'd been working with Ganyu since the early morning, and throughout that time he noticed that there was no way he could compare to her level of skill.
She finished hundreds of documents in the time it took him to do 30, and she didn't even look drained! As they went on working together, he found it more efficient to just talk out loud if he was confused about something, and Ganyu would almost definitely have an answer.
A part of him worried that he might be holding her back, but things seemed to go pretty smoothly so far.
'Don't jinx it, Ren.' He told himself, 'There's still a few days left to go.'
"I hope you're ready for day six, because there will be three parties present."
"Yeah, still mentally preparing myself for that." Ren grumbled, "Just thinking of all the bureaucracy I need to do is giving me a headache."
He was dreading having to sit in a room with the Rite administrators, the merchant guild representative, and the transportation head.
As unlikely as it was, he really hoped Beidou was the transportation head. At least she seemed like someone easy to work with.
Ganyu gave him a sympathetic look. She had plenty of experience in these things, but even she finds it difficult to stay composed.
"Maybe you could—"
"Don't worry, I already thought of something." Ren cut her off.
"Hmm?"
"I looked into the records of previous Rites and saw that they always argued about priority for some reason?"
Ganyu tilted her head. "Priority? I don't remember anything like that."
"Sorry, that's just how I reasoned in my head," Ren took a moment to gather his words, "In previous Rites they always argued about which party would be used for the Rite first, like in the preparation stage."
"I know it's definitely not because they want to honor the event—" He pointed to an empty area around the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion. "So I found out that they just wanted an area to promote their services. If they were first, they could ask for a dedicated area to show their stuff while the others got nothing."
"I see… I had a feeling that was the case, but never really looked into it myself." She hummed and gave him a curious look. "So, what's your plan?"
"I'm gonna let them fight over the spot."
"...What?"
Leaning back onto the chair, Ren let out a hearty laugh. "If they want an area for themselves so badly, I can just incentivise them to fight over the spot by making it a first come first serve basis."
He didn't even need to finish his words for Ganyu to understand his plan.
"So you plan on making them rush to finish preparations to get a dedicated spot. Which would not only solve the argument problem but would also make them work faster."
"Exactly."
She looked impressed, "Not bad, Ren."
It seemed like he was unprepared for the compliment, and his cheeks reddened slightly. "T-Thanks."
"Speaking of which, what time is it?" He quickly changed the subject.
Ganyu checked, looking up at the sun. "It's… midday already?"
"...We've been at this for five hours?"
"Apparently."
He leaned back and let out a groan, stretching out his back. "I think we're due for a break now."
"You go ahead, I can—"
"Ganyu, what did we say about overworking?"
The half-adeptus flinched and looked away. "I-I'm not! I just need to finish a few more things!"
"I'll tell Cloud Retainer."
"You wouldn't!"
But before they could continue the lighthearted banter, a pair of footsteps approached their table.
'A Fatui Agent? What's one of them doing here?' Ren thought.
Ganyu however, was immediately cautious, unconsciously narrowing her eyes at the approaching figure.
If the agent was afraid of the secretary, their mask hid their fear well.
"Mr. Roman."
"Yes?"
They brought out an envelope and handed it to him. "A correspondence from the Northland Bank. Your presence is needed urgently."
'THE BANK?!'
Without another word, the agent left. Leaving Ganyu looking worriedly at Ren, who was reading the contents of the letter.
'Mr. Roman, we request your immediate presence regarding recent purchases from the Shadow Courier—' Ren looked at the date.
It was the day before he left for Sumeru's borders.
'Shit.'
"Everything alright?"
"Y-yeah, just a bank thing."
"I have to go handle something." He stood up before Ganyu could get another word out. "I'll be back soon—Don't make me see you working when I get back!" He shouted, already running off.
"O-Ok?!"
/ — /
"I still don't get why a bank is this high up." Ren grumbles as he heads up the many, many steps of Liyue Harbor.
He finally finds himself in front of an inconspicuous building that's guarded by two Fatui Agents at the entrance.
Giving a small nod to the two guards, he stepped inside, immediately feeling the different atmosphere.
The moment the doors shut, the sounds of the harbor were immediately cut out.
He walked to the receptionist, who also wore a Fatui mask. Some may find the mask a little unsettling, but he's been around enough Fatui to get used to it.
Not to mention that he also wore a mask himself. Which was quite uncomfortable.
"Excuse me, I got this letter—"
"Ah, Mr. Roman!" The receptionist bowed slightly. "Please, our representative is awaiting you in the private rooms."
'PRIVATE ROOMS?!' he shouted in his mind. But he couldn't do much of anything but follow her behind the desk into a hallway.
They stopped in front of a room, and she motioned for him to go in when he was ready before leaving him alone.
He stared at the doorknob for a moment. Thinking of all the worst-case scenarios that could happen.
The Northland Bank was Fatui-affiliated, basically common knowledge for anyone in Liyue. He'd been working with the Fatui in Sumeru, and now that he thought back, he may have been a little forceful with his involvement.
'Are they threatening to snitch me out?'
That was the conclusion his mind arrived at. If someone in the Fatui—Rex Lapis forbid if Arlecchino herself was displeased with his involvement, they may want to get back at him.
Or even worse, they saw what he could do and want him to work for them.
'Oh shit, they're gonna blackmail me.' Of course, he would never do whatever they want from him. But that would cost him his business and probably make him wanted in Liyue. Which would suck.
'Calm down,' He took a deep breath. There was no guarantee that this meeting was anything related to that. Maybe it was something related to his finances that warranted a private meeting with a bank representative.
Definitely…
…
'Yeah, no, they're definitely gonna blackmail me.' Steeling himself to his fate, preparing to submerge into the shadows at any moment, he turned the doorknob and opened the door.
He was greeted by a sight that surprisingly wasn't an office. It looked more like a small lounge with two couches facing each other, and a fancy-looking table in the middle.
On one of them sat a man with ginger hair that locked eyes with him.
Ren immediately locked in the man's unique energy before anything else.
'He's strong.' That was immediately clear, but it wasn't the overwhelming kind. He was maybe on a level close to Shenhe.
'Nowhere near her scariness though.'
But something else got his attention. Instead of the normal positive elemental energy in most people, there was a trace of negative energy suppressed inside the man.
He seemed to have a lot of control over it.
"Mr. Roman." He said after a while, gesturing to the couch. "Please, sit."
Not sure what to say, he sat down without a word.
"I appreciate you coming on short notice. I know you're in the middle of a busy period." He smiled at him, still leaning back on the couch.
"It's no problem. The letter I was sent mentioned something about the Shadow Courier's purchases." Ren narrowed his eyes. "Is this really what you called me back here for?"
The man laughed light heartedly, "Sharp. But don't worry, that was partly true."
'Yup, here it comes.'
"Before anything else—" He leaned forward slightly, extending a hand. "I should introduce myself properly."
"I am Tartaglia, the eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers. But you can call me Childe."
…
…
"I see…"
"Really? That's all?" Childe playfully frowned. "Here I thought you would have a bigger reaction to meeting another Harbinger. I know I'm not Arlecchino, but still."
But Ren didn't share his enthusiasm. "If you're seeking me out, then you should already know about Sumeru."
"I do. Which is why I wanted to meet you personally." He stopped for a moment, eyeing him up and down. "The report was detailed, but you are somewhat different from what I expected."
That was… good? Bad?
"What do you actually want?" he said instead.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Childe smiled, appreciating the directness. "The Fatui has an interest in involving ourselves in the preparations of the Rite of Descension."
'That's… not how I thought this would go.'
"Why?"
"Is Liyue not the city of commerce? We would be blind to pass up an opportunity like an Archon showing themselves." he rolled a single piece of Mora over his fingers. "We just want to make use of this… untapped capital."
"Uh-huh."
'I'm calling bullshit.' It was such an obvious lie that Ren felt somewhat insulted that the Harbinger thought it would work.
But… He wasn't going to call him out on it. That man was a Harbinger, and he didn't want to test his luck a second time.
"And what exactly do you want from me then?"
"I want a collaboration—"
"No."
"Whoa, that's a quick rejection," Childe said, genuinely surprised.
"Nothing personal, I just don't think my business would thrive in a long-term contract with the Fatui." Ren tried to sound as convincing as possible, "I just want to grow on my own terms."
"Interesting," The 11th Harbinger eyed him curiously, a wry smile growing on his face, "Let me… rephrase my proposal."
He manifested a piece of paper from his Vision storage and slid it over to him.
'Did he have this paper in advance? Why did he act surprised when I declined then?' Ren didn't voice his thoughts out loud and waited to hear his offer.
"The Fatui, via the Northland Bank, wishes to sponsor the Shadow Courier in its role as the logistics contractor of the Rite of Descension. We merely ask that you allow us to… observe the preparation process, and have the bank listed as an official sponsor." He paused for a moment to let his words digest.
"With the backing of the bank, it would no doubt smooth over all relations with almost every party involved in the Rite's preparation, and also give you a better standing in the eyes of Liyue's commercial world."
Childe smiled as he handed Ren a pen. "It seems like a good deal to me. We get what we want, and you get money plus better relations. A win-win for both parties."
'That's… not a bad deal.' Ren had to admit, he couldn't see much wrong in the offer.
This wasn't the first time he had been tricked into a deal, and he was determined not to be fooled again. But when he read through the document, he found absolutely nothing awry.
He read it over again a couple of times, but the result was the same.
"Forgive me, but this just seems too suspicious for me to accept." Putting down the paper, he instead asked Childe directly, "I have a feeling that there's something else you want from me."
"If you really want me to accept this, I'd appreciate some transparency."
…
…
"I want to fight you."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Pfft—! Hahahah!" Childe howled in laughter and the sheer befuddlement in Ren's voice. "I will be straight with you, comrade. After reading what you did in the compound and mansion raid, I, along with many others in the Fatui see you as an ally of sorts."
'I really don't like the sound of that.'
"But what caught my interest was your little scuffle with Arlecchino," He said, oblivious to how much his words filled Ren with dread. "You lost badly. But the fact you tried, along with your feats in the raid… I just can't help but want to clash blades with you."
He extended his hand. "Come on, you're already buddy-buddy with my colleague."
"I wouldn't use that term—"
"So what's one more Harbinger to the list?"
'Damn, he's persistent.' Ren grumbled in his mind. Despite the massive red flags, he found it increasingly more difficult to reject his offer.
But something of this magnitude required more thought. He'd be involving not just himself, but his employees wellbeing and safety also.
"I'll accept on one condition." He held up a finger. "You will only get documents and observe. Nothing about my employees or how they operate independently. All you get is the stuff related to the Rite, not the Shadow Courier."
"Done."
They shook hands, and the deal was set.
What's left was the contract, but that took significantly less time than the entire conversation.
Ren read it one more time, signed it, and slid it over.
Childe signed after him without any hesitation.
"Pleasure doing business, comrade." He stood, tucking the paper away.
Ren stood as well. "Yeah, you too."
He walked out of the bank shortly after, the harbor noise immediately filling his ears the moment he left the building.
'I can't believe I made deals with two Harbingers.' He sighed, running a hand down his face, 'And now one of them wants to fight me… fantastic.'