The Mysterious Owner

Make sure to read the synopsis and such first before continuing on, and in case you somehow didn't notice, this story is going to be a small harem story. If you actually read all of the synopsis, you'd have surely noticed me having written the love interests at the bottom, and I'm not changing it.

With that all in mind, hope you enjoy!

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Teyvat was no stranger to visitors from beyond.

While the continent certainly wasn't some tourist place for travellers, it's certainly had its share of experience when it came to other worlders coming in. One such visitor could currently be seen within the boundaries of Liyue Harbor.

The person was obviously a male, probably no older than eighteen or so, with a lean yet trained physique. He had somewhat pale skin and smooth straight silver hair, which seemed to complement well with his eyes, which were a deep cobalt blue colour.

His attire consisted of a simple pair of long black sleek pants, a white t-shirt, and a pair of black running shoes. To finish it off, he also had on what looked to be a black wristband with blue circuit-like patterns strapped around his right wrist.

This was none other than Takazawa Isamu.

He had only recently arrived here in Teyvat, and to say that it was his first time seeing this place was both correct and wrong at the same time. He had seen Liyue Harbor in the form of a video game, and now, he had seen the genuine article.

Of course, unlike the version in the game, the Liyue Harbor here in the genuine world was far larger than in the game. To go with that, the population of the city was of course many times larger than the number of NPCs in the game.

"May I sit here?"

After hearing the voice, Isamu turned his head upwards to see that the person who addressed him was a handsome tall male with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, his hair fading into orange near the tips.

Of course, Isamu could immediately recognize this dude. This person was Zhongli, the Consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. That was only his civilian life-style though, his true name was none other than Morax, the Geo Archon.

"Feel free."

"Thank you. Come here to listen to a few stories?" Zhongli asked calmly. Isamu looked up at Tian, the storyteller here at Third-Round-Knockout, and stared for a second before looking towards Zhongli. "I haven't seen you before, are you perhaps from elsewhere?"

Zhongli couldn't help but ask as he glanced at the simple yet exotic form of attire that Isamu was wearing. It wasn't at all anything too grand, but he could tell that Isamu's clothing was expertly made, and not to mention exotic to him.

"That I am, just arrived here in Liyue Harbor not too long ago actually." Isamu nodded as he answered Zhongli with a smile on his face. Bowing slightly, Isamu introduced himself. "My name is Isamu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Isamu? A visitor from Inazuma perhaps?" Isamu didn't answer him directly, merely giving Zhongli a smile as he reached into his pocket. "Ah, my apologies. My name is Zhongli, a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The pleasure is all mine."

"Funeral parlor? I guess that means you do things like burials and all that?"

"That is indeed one of our main responsibilities."

"I see, it's an interesting profession." Isamu chuckled as he pulled out a strange deck of cards. Isamu played the ignorant person here, he already knew who Zhongli was after all. "To answer your question, I guess you could say I'm here for a little listen. I'm mostly here to relax though."

"It is indeed a suitable location to recuperate from the day's stress." Zhongli nodded after hearing Isamu's words. He then curiously glanced down at the strange cards that Isamu was flipping through, they weren't at all like normal playing cards he had seen before. "If you don't me asking, what are those cards?"

"These? Oh, they're just tarot cards. To put them simply, they're mainly used as a supernatural way of gaining insight into the past, present, and future. They're just a little hobby of mine I've picked up in the past."

"Past, present, and future?" Zhongli cupped his chin with a curious look. "How interesting, how does it work exactly?"

"Hmm... how about I give you a little read?" Isamu thought for a second before replying. He then shuffled the cards back into a neat stack. "Experiencing is better than hearing, after all, you'll understand better that way. What do you say?"

Hearing this offer, Zhongli wasn't one to decline. "Very well, it certainly sounds intriguing."

Zhongli wasn't the greatest when it came to the topic of fortune-telling and all that, but he did know that trying to predict the destiny of the gods was impossible. Well, at least from what he himself was aware of.

After some simple instructions from Isamu, the two now looked down at three cards that were placed face down on the table. Zhongli stared at them curiously while Isamu glanced up at him with a simple smile.

"Tell me once again, what was your question that you wished to have answered?"

"It is a question that has been on my mind for a long time now." Zhongli chuckled as he close his eyes for a few quick short moments. Upon opening them back up, he continued. "Please tell me, what does my future have in store for me?"

"A very broad and powerful question, let's see what the cards say about you." Isamu calmly spoke as he then reached for one of the three cards on the table. "Before we can see into the future, we must first look back into the past. Let's see what history has molded you into your current self so far."

[A/N: Keep in mind I'm no expert on tarot reading, I just found the concept interesting]

Watching the card being flipped over, Zhongli saw that it was a card depicting a male figure donned in a thick layer of armor. He appeared to be riding in a chariot that was being pulled by two sphinxes, although there didn't appear to be any reigns holding them.

"This card is known as The Chariot, and it typically represents willpower, determination, and strength. This seems to suggest that you've had a life full of challenges, but you've managed to overcome them to achieve your goal. You have been pulled in countless directions, ways that tested your strength and conviction. You may have doubts along the way, but The Chariot is a sign that you were successful in your journey by keeping your focus and remaining true to your abilities. No matter the difficulties you faced, let it be a physical or mental one."

Zhongli did not interrupt Isamu when the male began to explain, but he listened very intently as his eyes couldn't help but show a look of recollection as he thought back to the past. It was true that he'd experienced a lot of challenges in the past, especially during the Archon War.

Let it be the death of his loved ones, or the battles against countless other deities during that point in time. There were honestly many things that affected him along the way, but as Isamu said, he had always managed to push those challenges aside and focus on his goal.

After a bit, Zhongli opened his eyes and returned his gaze to Isamu.

"Shall we move on?" Isamu asked simply as Zhongli responded with a simple nod of his head. Nodding back, Isamu then proceeded to flip over the card that was located in the middle. "Then let us turn our eyes to the present."

As soon as the card was flipped, the card was revealed to be a strong figure seated upon a large throne, donned in robes as the throne strangely had four ram heads attached to it. In the figure's hand was an ankh, and looking closer, you could see that he donned armor beneath the robe.

"This card is known as The Emperor."

Zhongli seemed to perk up upon hearing this.

"The Emperor represents a powerful leader, with your authority you rule with a firm but fair hand. As the leading figure, you are not afraid of conflict and will not hesitate to express your power to protect the ones you love. In return, you will receive the loyalty and respect of others that you deserve. You are the pillar of strength... the rock that others depend on for stability and security."

Hearing this, Zhongli couldn't help but wonder if Isamu already who it was he really was, or if the readings of his destiny were truly so accurate. He indeed was a leading authority, after all, he was the Geo Archon, he was Rex Lapis.

"This arcana also reflects a system bound by rules and regulations. You yourself create law and order, applying principles or guidelines to help upkeep order within the situation. And through experiences within life, you have valuable wisdom and now offer guidance and direction to someone who may greatly benefit from it."

This was Liyue, a nation that prospers on the idea of contracts.

Law and order play one of the greatest roles in this nation, and it was common knowledge that one must stay true to the contract one has accepted, or otherwise be punished by the wrath of the rock.

And as Rex Lapis, Zhongli couldn't honestly remember just how many times he had descended to give guidance to the people of Liyue. Though after so long, Zhongli honestly wondered if it would be this way forever, or if the tides of erosion had truly begun to do him in.

As Zhongli began to reflect on his thoughts, Isamu merely sat silently and patiently with that same gentle smile on his face. He knew the emotional rollercoaster Zhongli was currently going through, he had played through quite a bit of Genshin Impact.

While he certainly was no master or expert when it came to the lore and such of Genshin Impact, he at least knew the kind of situation that Zhongli was going through. Zhongli was like a parent, a parent who was wondering if it was truly time to allow his or her child to become independent.

Full of worry and concern if the child was ready to face the world.

"I must express my gratitude, Isamu. Your words have allowed me to reflect on myself, and although I still have many questions plaguing my mind, this session has allowed some of my thoughts to be set in stone."

"And I am glad to be of assistance to you, Zhongli. Now, let us see if we can find an answer to your question. It's time to move on from the past and present, allow us to gaze into the future."

At this Zhongli, immediately turned his attention back down to the table. So far, both of the readings for his past and present self were quite accurate, so he had some high hopes for this. Seeing this, Isamu didn't waste time.

Reaching for the final card, he flipped it over.

Upon being revealed, Zhongli couldn't help but frown as he saw that the card depicted a human skeleton donned in black armor, riding upon a pale white horse while holding high a flag printed with a picture of a white rose.

"Interesting, this card is known as the Death arcana, and in the reversed position no less."

Zhongli quickly asked after hearing the words. "Does the positioning equate to something?"

"While it may not seem like a big change, its deeper meaning can insinuate more than you may believe. If it was in the normal position, it would've meant letting go of the past and embracing a new future. In this position, however, it means that you are on the verge of great change... but, you seem to be reluctant to go through with it."

Isamu closed his eyes for a moment, allowing those words to sink in before he began speaking once more.

"The appearance of this card is offering you an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"More specifically, an opportunity to embrace rather than resist this great change. It wants you to say 'yes' to it, to then see what possibilities become available to you. You are to release the past to clear space for the new to emerge. You may be reluctant to do so, or perhaps you are just unaware of how to go through this change."

Isamu then slowly but surely raised his hand to point one finger at Zhongli.

"Because of this, you will find that you're stagnating, feeling as if everything around you is moving while you're stuck in an endless sea of limbo."

Zhongli had his arms crossed as he listened with closed eyes, he listened to every single word that came out of Isamu's mouth. It was true, and he didn't want to admit it, but he felt as if he truly was finished with his duties as Rex Lapis.

For thousands of years he had served as the overarching entity of authority over Liyue, and it was more than enough time for him to begin reflecting on his future. He had begun to wonder if his duties were finished, if Liyue was ready for him to depart from the throne.

Not only Liyue, but also the adepti that occupied both Liyue Harbor and Jueyun Karst. Zhongli knew that the relationship between the current Liyue citizens, mainly the Liyue Qixing, and the adepti was a bit unstable, so that was one of his many concerns.

So that begged the question, was Liyue really ready for his departure? No... was he himself ready to depart? Was Rex Lapis prepared to leave his throne and accept the fact that his duties as the Geo Archon were truly over?

"You seem conflicted, but that's understandable." Isamu smiled as he then gathered up the cards before standing up. "What you need to let go and how to go about the change is up to you to find out, only you know what needs to be done, even if you don't realize it. For now, I'll have to say my farewells, I have some business to attend to."

"...I see, I apologize for taking up your time." Zhongli opened his eyes and nodded, his lips now showing a small smile as he said this. Though, Zhongli then quickly added. "Will I be able to see you again? This session has been quite helpful for me."

"Perhaps at some point in the future. Though, I do have a feeling we'll find our paths crossing more in the future." Isamu chuckled as he pocketed the deck of cards. "Though, if wish to seek me, just look for a store called Genesis Game Box. Feel free to pay a visit."

"I certainly will."

With that, Isamu turned before calmly walking off and down the streets, passing by the countless other civilians as Zhongli watched him go. Even amongst the sea of people, he could see Isamu as the male slowly disappeared into the distance.

After staring off in that direction for a bit longer, Zhongli slowly turned his attention back to the front where Tian was still telling his stories. Zhongli watched on, but his eyes seemed to show that his focus was elsewhere at this moment.

"Hmm... perhaps it is truly time. The Rite of Descension is soon coming."