Golden House

"She was a strong woman and a great mother Zhongli. And you should be proud and happy for having a wife so badass and caring. I think she will be smiling down at you from Celestia. " Aether said. Zhongli wiped a small tear from his eye.

" Thank you for that, Aether. I have never told a mortal my wife's story before. This clears a lot out of my soul. " Zhongli sighed. Aether looked in front of them.

" A commotion? The city gate is swarming with Millelith and the Fatui. " Aether observed. Zhongli narrowed his eyes.

" The adepti are on the move." Zhongli muttered. Aether clenched his fist.

"They're fast." Aether said in dissatisfaction. Zhongli nodded.

" Let's go ask them. " Zhongli and Aether went to a Fatui Agent.

" Ah, you're the consultant to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor — Mr. Zhongli, I presume? The Millelith are watching our every move now. These are desperate times, we mustn't act rashly." The Agent said.

" What do you mean by 'desperate times '? This is the norm for you guys. " Aether asked.

" The adepti of Jueyun Karst are finally on the move." The Agent said grimly. Aether nodded a little.

" Do they intend to exercise force?" Zhongli asked him.

" Most likely. I've heard that some members of the Qixing have already gone to meet them... Well, I say "meet," but it's more like they're attempting to stall the adepti outside the city." The agent said while clenching his fist in annoyance.

" However, both sides were quite obstinate, and hit an impasse. Give it a week and they'll resort to force." The agent continued.

" The adepti do not acknowledge the Qixing, they only acknowledge the contracts of the Geo Archon. If the two sides come to blows, Liyue Harbor will be in no position to stop them." The agent kept going on. The duo had no choice but to listen.

" They won't give in that easily." Aether said.

"Hmph. Their bone-headedness is known throughout the lands. Yet it's because of that obstinacy that mortals and adepti are now on the verge of conflict." He mocked.

" The Qixing will perish before they even blink. " Aether said. Zhongli looked down.

" Did my death do that much?" Zhongli asked himself.

"And what now? How is it that the Fatui have come under fire?" Zhongli asked the agent.

" Ugh... that's all Ningguang's doing... She proclaimed that 'in these tumultuous times, the Millelith must rein in the actions of the Fatui.' " The Agent grumbled.

" Bullshit. They only need to watch Childe. She'll act soon. I need to prepare." Aether thought.

" Only now do they want to start keeping tabs on us? Huh! That's the Qixing for you!Anyway, Mr. Zhongli, you're one of Childe's close associates. Please understand that your actions will reflect on us. Don't let anyone catch you off-guard." The Agent warned the retired God.

" Everywhere I go.... " Aether muttered. Zhongli looked at Aether.

" Do you intend to use your neutral identity as an intermediary between both sides? Or, will you use your sword to turn the balance?Neither path is an easy one..." Zhongli said mysteriously.

" I already know which side I'm choosing." Aether muttered.

" Oh, by the way, Mr. Zhongli. We've heard that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has also been caught up in all this. They're currently squaring off with the authorities at the gates." The agent told Zhongli. Zhongli closed his eyes.

" I'm afraid I must leave now to handle things back at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I hope that Director Hu has been able to keep things under control for the moment. Consider your next course of action carefully, friend. If you're trying to prevent an explosion, it may be wisest to look for the fuse first." Zhongli warned him before heading off to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Aether closed his eyes.

"Paimon." Aether called for the fairy that's living rent free in his mind.

"I'm always here." Paimon answered.

"How's my mindscape? Are there any changes that you can see or feel? " Aether asked her.

" Enma's is stabbed on the ground in front of the brick house. The sun somehow got bigger and the breeze is getting more and more refreshing. Oh and there's also a pool of magma in front of the brick house. There's also some small random hills as well. " Paimon reported. Aether nodded.

" Seems to be improving. But it's not enough to get a small scratch on the adepti. We're training now. " Aether said and blurred away from the sea of people.

A week later, as Zhongli had predicted. Childe is heading to the Golden House, where the Exuvia is kept. Aether appeared on the roof and perched in it like a bird.

"There's no one outside guarding it. She got here earlier than me. Okay, we don't want to destroy the Golden House now. Childe will probably be the one to destroy it but we'll see. You've gotten stronger, you've gotten better at your craft. " Aether sighed and looked at the beautiful blue sky. The clouds were covering the sun.

"And you found out that the Sigil of Permission wasn't that useless after all....." Aether got up and went in the Golden House.

"This is the Golden House? It looked impressive enough from the outside... But who would've guessed that it was even fancier on the inside... and so full of Mora!!! This is where all of Teyvat's Mora is minted, right? In that case, maybe they won't notice if a few Mora go missing..." Paimon appeared and flew closer to the pile of Mora.

" Maybe.... We can also lie on it as well. But we have to focus. Let's go up to the Exuvia." Aether said. Paimon nodded and went back to flying beside him.

"Aether look! The Millelith....." Paimon pointed out. They looked at the decapitated soldiers.

"So she killed them. Please don't fly beside me. She could use your against me Paimon." Aether warned. Paimon shivered and disappeared into Aether's mind.

"Your mindscape is more comfortable." Paimon said inside Aether's mind.

"Really wish I could go in there. But I have to finish this now." Aether said and stood in front of the Exuvia.

"Now that I thought about it. The dragon was made by Zhongli's Geo Element. How else did he make it? " Aether mumbled and looked back at it.

" Bet the dragon is a 1000x bigger than this." Aether thought. Aether heard footsteps behind him.

" You've already fulfilled your task as guides, so why do you still linger here? Haven't you already seen enough trouble for today?" Childe said to him. Aether turned his head towards her.

" If you were Fatui, I imagine that you would be entitled to a generous reward from the Tsaritsa herself." Childe smiled but then narrowed her eyes.

"But now, you're nothing but dross — and you're in my way...

To be continued.....