The Rite of Parting

"Liyue is an ancient nation with 3,700 years of rich history. Its traditions bear witness to that history. Passing on is a natural part of existence, even for an Adeptus."

Zhongli raised his cup and took another sip of hot tea, praising its flavor. It was clear that he was very fond of it.

"Oh, now I get it. As long as we use holding the rite of parting as an excuse, we can find Rex Lapis's remains."

Paimon planted her hands on her hips, looking pleased with herself.

But Lumine, standing beside her, was still unsure. "Will the Liyue Qixing really agree to let us see his remains?"

Zhong Baiye had his doubts as well. How could they possibly get close to Rex Lapis's remains so easily?

Tartaglia noticed their doubts. With an air of mystery, he opened the private dining room's window and pointed outside.

"Come over and see what you notice."

Zhong Baiye and Lumine stood up and looked outside. They saw the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor, everyone busy with their own affairs. Some called out their wares, some laughed and joked, and some looked troubled.

But neither Zhong Baiye nor Lumine understood what this had to do with Rex Lapis. They turned puzzled looks toward Childe.

Tartaglia offered another hint. "Look carefully. Which places in Liyue Harbor have the most people?"

At Childe's words, Zhong Baiye and Lumine hurriedly scanned the view.

Sure enough, the most crowded places in Liyue Harbor were not the markets or docks, as most people might expect, but places connected to the adepti or Rex Lapis, such as bronze statues and shrines.

Zhong Baiye could not fathom why such solemn, dignified places would draw the largest crowds. Even if plenty of people liked visiting them, surely that should not extend to children as well.

Zhongli came over and looked out the window too. He said calmly, "If it were merely a matter of tradition, the Liyue Qixing might not agree to let us approach Rex Lapis's remains under the pretext of holding the rite of parting. But..."

Zhongli paused, his gaze settling on a distant shrine packed with people.

"But the lives of Liyue's people have become inextricably linked to the adepti. That bond cannot be severed so easily. Holding the rite of parting means that Liyue's guardian deity-Rex Lapis-will formally become a thing of the past."

Zhongli said no more. Instead, he turned, sat back down, and resumed savoring his tea.

Childe picked up where Zhongli had left off.

"Only a rite of parting on par with the rite of descension can make the people accept that Liyue has entered an age without adepti. Only then can they begin to shake off the adepti's influence over Liyue."

Zhong Baiye and Lumine finally understood. They spoke in unison. "So it isn't us who want to hold the rite of parting, but the Liyue Qixing?"

"Correct. But there is no 'us.' It's you."

Childe pointed at Zhong Baiye, Lumine, and Zhongli before continuing, "I'm only responsible for putting you in touch with Mr. Zhongli. Whatever you do afterward has nothing to do with me."

Tartaglia took a breath and pointed at his clothes. "Besides, I'm one of the Fatui Harbingers. If I went with you, Ningguang would never agree to let us hold the rite of parting."

Hearing Childe's words, Zhong Baiye breathed a sigh of relief.

If Childe impulsively decided to join them, there was no telling what serious trouble the resulting change to the plot might cause.

Just then, Paimon, who had been quiet for some time, suddenly spoke with a look of constipation on her face.

"A rite of parting on roughly the same scale as the rite of descension? How much Mora would that cost? We..."

Before Paimon could finish, Zhong Baiye swiftly clapped a hand over her mouth.

The important thing now was to keep following the plot. If Paimon ruined it, who knew what unexpected trouble might befall Liyue Harbor?

Childe immediately understood what Paimon had been about to say and patted his chest reassuringly.

"You don't need to worry about funding. Just tell me how much Mora you need. The Northland Bank's reserves may not match those of Liyue's Golden House, but financing a rite of parting is hardly a problem."

With that, Childe produced a heavy-looking bag from somewhere and opened it, revealing a glittering heap of Mora.

The instant Paimon saw the bag of Mora Tartaglia had brought out, her eyes turned into Mora symbols, and she began muttering.

"Mora! Mora! Look at all that lovely Mora!"

She acted as though all that Mora already belonged to her.

Just as Paimon was about to lift the bulging bag-

"This isn't for you."

Tartaglia pulled his hand back and passed the bag of Mora to Zhongli.

A strange look crossed Zhong Baiye's face. In the original game, Tartaglia had been nicknamed Zhongli's wallet. From what he could see, that reputation was well deserved.

Money could sway anyone's heart. Paimon still wanted to snatch the bag of Mora, but one glance at Zhongli's icy expression cooled her enthusiasm, and she did not dare say a word.

"All right, that settles it. I've already paid for this meal. I still have some business to attend to, so enjoy yourselves."

With that, Tartaglia left without the slightest intention of staying.

What Childe had not expected, however, was that the moment he left, Zhongli handed the bag of Mora to Zhong Baiye.

With a perfectly serious expression, he said, "Mora is merely a worldly possession to me. If you need it, take it."

The corners of Zhong Baiye's and Lumine's mouths twitched. The same thought crossed both their minds.

If Tartaglia saw this, he would definitely be furious.

Paimon gave it no such thought. Seeing the money bag in Zhong Baiye's hands, she lunged at him without another word.

Crackle!

Fortunately, Zhong Baiye had been prepared. A flash of violet light left Paimon with a frizzy explosion of hair, and she puffed a ring of black smoke from her mouth.

Then Lumine asked, "What are we going to do next? Are we really going to prepare the rite of parting?"

Zhongli did not take offense at Lumine's question. Instead, he answered calmly, "Although holding the rite of parting is a pretext for approaching Rex Lapis's remains, we must finish what we start. Since we have agreed to hold it, we must see it through properly."

At that moment, Zhong Baiye actually noticed the corners of Zhongli's mouth rise by a single degree.

It was clear that Zhongli found the idea of organizing his own farewell ceremony rather amusing.

Paimon soon recovered. No longer daring to snatch the money from Zhong Baiye's hands, she channeled her resentment into her appetite instead.

She declared war on the delicacies spread across the table, devouring them like a storm sweeping everything away.

Seeing this, Zhong Baiye and Lumine laughed and joined the battle. Only Zhongli kept his tea in hand, showing no intention of eating anything.