Lumine and Paimon

"Lumine, look! Liyue Harbor is just ahead."

A mysterious white creature floating in the air excitedly pointed at the city ahead. The blonde girl following behind her could not help marveling at the exceptionally bustling, magnificent city before her.

Compared to Mondstadt, Liyue was clearly larger and more prosperous, and the roadside stalls and vendors added a lively, everyday atmosphere to the city. Foreigners who saw this sight would find the corners of their mouths lifting involuntarily into gratified smiles.

"Good thing Venti reminded us, or we definitely would have missed this year's Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension. These days, the Geo Archon only appears on this one day each year to announce the latest commercial changes for Liyue in the year ahead."

"Since you know so much, Paimon, do you know the exact time and place of the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension?"

"Uh... since Venti was the one who told me about it, of course I don't."

"How can you say that with such confidence?"

"But we can just ask a local about something like that, right?"

Lumine and Paimon stepped onto the wooden bridge leading into Liyue Harbor. Only as they drew closer did they realize that Mondstadt could not compare to this city at all. Mondstadt City's high walls protected it, but also locked its bustle within. Liyue, however, was a city without walls, openly displaying its beauty to every resident.

The assorted snacks and delicacies at the roadside stalls gave off enticing aromas. At the sight, Paimon, a true food lover, could barely keep walking... no, flying.

Just then, distracted by the food and not watching where she was going, Paimon flew headfirst into the arms of someone approaching from the opposite direction.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Are you all right, little girl?"

"Uh, I'm fine." Paimon felt as though her head had struck an iron plate and was a little dizzy, but she knew it had been her own fault, so she could not get angry.

"Paimon, are you okay? I'm so sorry about this." Walking behind Paimon, Lumine saw her collide with a passerby and hurried forward to apologize.

"Hmm? Judging by your clothes, you don't look like locals. Are you foreigners here to see the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension too?"

"Yes, that's right. We came from Mondstadt. I'm Lumine, and this is Paimon. This is our first time in Liyue." Lumine was delighted. She had just been thinking of asking a passerby for information, and here was the perfect opportunity.

"Lumine and Paimon, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Uchiha Yucheng. You can just call me Yucheng."

"Huh? Uchiha... Yucheng? That's such a long name. Are you not from Liyue either? It sounds kind of Inazuman," Paimon asked curiously from the side.

"You really are knowledgeable, Paimon. That's right, I'm from Inazuma. As for now, you could say I've settled down in Liyue."

"Heh-heh-heh, of course! I'm the best guide in Teyvat." Clearly delighted by Yucheng's praise, Paimon began waving her arms and legs in the air. Seeing her smug expression, Lumine could not help planting her hands on her hips helplessly, her face full of fond indulgence.

Although Lumine very much wanted to point out that Paimon had not even known about the Rite of Descension just moments ago, she did not expose her in front of a stranger.

"Mr. Yucheng, could you tell us when and where the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension is being held?"

"You're pretty lucky. It's being held today. It officially begins at noon, so there's still a little time before the ceremony starts. As for the location, it's at Yujing Terrace in Liyue, which could be considered the highest point in Liyue Harbor. According to the Liyue Qixing, that spot is closest to Rex Lapis, making it well suited for communicating with the god."

"The highest point? Is that the palace flying in the sky?"

"Oh, that's the Jade Chamber, the property of Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan. Ordinary people aren't entitled to go up there."

"What do you mean by the Liyue Qixing and Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan?"

"Heh-heh, I know this one! Just as Mondstadt is the city of freedom, Liyue is the nation of contracts, which values commerce and trade. The seven great merchants representing seven commercial powers, the Liyue Qixing, are this nation's actual rulers. As for Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan, she should be one of the Liyue Qixing."

"It seems you really are very knowledgeable, Paimon. That's right, but in fact, there are differences among the Liyue Qixing too. Some of them are so obscure that the citizens don't even know them, while Ningguang, the Tianquan, is the most powerful of the seven. One of the Qixing once described her like this: 'Ningguang, who controls all of Liyue Harbor's secrets, is Liyue Harbor's greatest secret.'"

"Wow, she sounds like someone really impressive."

"Of course she is. Most importantly, Lady Ningguang started out as nothing more than an ordinary fish vendor. Through her own wisdom and hard work, she climbed step by step to the very pinnacle of power in Liyue. Just hearing that, you can imagine how much effort she must have put in.

"As it happens, I haven't been in Liyue long myself, and I've never seen the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension. Why don't we go watch it together when the time comes?"

"Wow, great! Yucheng, you're such a good person. I want to give you a nice nickname."

Holy shit! Was Paimon, that merciless nickname machine, about to come for me? Huh? Weird. Why did I feel a faint sense of anticipation? But his anticipation did not last long before Lumine stopped Paimon.

"Paimon! Don't give nicknames to people you've just met. It's rude. I'm really sorry, Mr. Yucheng."

"Uh, fine. Then I'll wait until we know each other better before giving you a nickname."

"Haha, it's fine. I rather like how lively Paimon is. Hmm, there's still some time before the Rite of Descension begins. Why don't we have lunch first? We'll need full stomachs to have the energy to watch the Rite of Descension. I heard Paimon's stomach growling just now."

"Lumine, I think Yucheng really understands me. We've been traveling for so long that my stomach's growling. I barely have the energy to fly anymore." Paimon's eyes gleamed, and she was already drooling uncontrollably.

Lumine really had no choice, and with Paimon's reminder, she felt a little hungry herself, so she agreed. "Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Yucheng."

"As it happens, there's an affordable restaurant in Liyue called [Wanmin Restaurant]. Not only does it serve a wide variety of delicious dishes in generous portions, but the prices aren't high either. Since coming to Liyue, I've eaten there almost all the time."

"[Wanmin Restaurant]? That sounds a little familiar. Oh! Is that the one Xiangling's family runs?"

"Huh? You know Xiangling too? That's great. How did you meet her, though?"

"Of course! We're good friends with her. We met in Mondstadt. She even said she'd treat us properly if we came to Liyue. Lumine, let's go find Xiangling."

With Xiangling serving as a bridge between them, Lumine gradually let down her guard around Yucheng. Since Yucheng was Xiangling's friend, she herself was Xiangling's friend, and they were going to Xiangling's family restaurant, there should not be any problem.