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Childe came to Liyue to obtain the Geo Archon’s Gnosis. On his third day at the Liyue Harbour, he met an interesting man.
He was taking a walk through the streets, listening to all the chatters around, getting a general feel of the place, learning the layout. This was not his first rodeo at espionage. He stopped at a food stand - they were selling paintings made out of liquid sugar. Apparently it was supposed to be a depiction of a battle involving the Rex Lapis somehow, according to some legend.
He listened in with curiosity - the story itself was interesting. More importantly, the people here were full of stories - intels on the Archon, as they kept chiming in with retellings of personal encounters they had with the Rex Lapis. They all put so much hope and trust on Him. The cultural difference was really quite shocking. They were talking about some ceremony. Some divine intervention. A lot of names got dropped. A lot of places to check out. A lot of rumours to look into.
It would be a shame when he finally take the Gnosis. They’d be so helpless without Him. Not that he actually cared.
Out of habit, he started a polite conversation with the man standing next to him. Pretending to be a travelling merchant, pretending to be curious about their culture, subtly fishing for bits and pieces of information that might later on be of use. The man stared at him for a moment, and then delved into - a truly impressive lecture on the battle the sugar painter was trying to depict, with detailed background information, the sociopolitical factors involved, how it all happened, how it escalated, the ramifications on the geography and economy after the war. He got completely enraptured by the amount of information he is casually given.
The man was - at first glance, ordinary, if quite obscenely handsome in his personal opinion - however, if you talk to him for longer than one minute, it would become immediately obvious that he was anything but. He was a walking mystery - his deep knowledge in anything and everything, his strange attitude to the ordinary aspects of the society. And if you look deeper, his connections, to that strange funeral parlour he really ought to investigate, and that pharmacy with a zombie girl employee - which, seriously? Liyue was such a weird place.
He’s trying to blend in with the populace, but he’s failing rather spectacularly - at least in Childe’s opinion. Somehow, everyone thought he was just a normal guy. He shuddered to think what was considered not normal in Liyue. But then again, with monsters, ghosts and Adepti walking the earth, and with the actual Geo Archon descending from Heaven every year for the past thousand years, the threshold of extraordinary must have been raised exceedingly high.
He’s going off track. The thing was, Mister Zhong Li. He’s a walking mystery, and a fountain of intel, just waiting to be mined and deciphered. So of course, he would just HAVE to take a poke at him. He semi-suspected that he was an Adeptus, or perhaps a half-Adeptus. That would explain the weird gaps in his knowledge and his casual disregard of material wealth. His otherworldliness became more and more apparently the longer they spent time together.
He truly did enjoy spending time with him. He learned so many interesting things from him! History, culture, language, lores - after a few months of lunches and dinners with Mister Zhong Li, and casual afternoon strolls through the alleys of Liyue Harbour together, he felt like he probably knew more weird trivia about Liyue than about Snezhnaya.
He had to keep reminding himself about the mission - this was all for intel gathering. Nothing more. How convenient, to have a living encyclopedia of Liyue close by.
They fell into bed - he didn’t remember how exactly it happened. The moon was beautiful above the warm lights of Liyue Harbour, he looked into Mister Zhong Li’s eyes - like the shade of Cor Lapis - also like all the lights of Liyue Harbour shining through. The scent of cultivated glaze lily filling the air - he was treated to an entertaining lecture on the differences between cultivated and wild glaze lily that afternoon, while they were having a picnic in the woods.
It must have been the rice wine - it tasted so sweet, especially on Zhong Li’s lips.
He must not forget the mission.
This was merely - a way to gather intel. Of course.
Getting close to the enemy, gaining their trust, the more he learned the better he would be able to plan. Basic strategies. He was not the best with honey pot missions, but he could do them.
He must do his duty to the Queen.
They kept having lunch and dinner dates. He’s calling those dates now. They were dating. They were fucking. They were fucking almost everyday. And it was good sex.
There’s no more doubt whether Mister Zhong Li is an Adeptus now. Wow.
It’s been almost too nice - his stay in Liyue. Sure - the Qixing were still bothering him every now an then, but that’s to be expected. The food was great, the chopsticks were still a bit tricky - and he pretended to be worse at it so he could get a smile out of Mister Zhong Li. There seems to be endless amount of stories to be told, histories to be learned. The legends came alive with Mister Zhong Li’s calm voice. The same calm voice that talked him through orgasms after orgasms. Ancient weapons, ancient beasts, ancient wars waged and the ruins they left behind.
Childe shuddered through another orgasm. Zhong Li left the bed to make them some tea after he calmed down enough. They were talking about the currency system in Teyvat, the economic history of Liyue, with a focus on the influences of Mora minting and relations with neighbouring states. And then he got distracted by the flickering candle lights in Zhong Li’s smiling eyes while he recounted a particularly ridiculous historical event. Maybe he could coax him into talking more about that - and perhaps shedding some lights on the construction and layout of the Golden House while he’s at it.
He had already laid down the foundations of his plans. The legends of Sigils of Permission were quite interesting - and from the way Mister Zhong Li talked about it, there was enough truth behind them to be worth some of his effort to look into further. The knowledge he gained from Mister Zhong Li was put into good use. It did not feel like a betrayal.
And then he learned about La Signora’s accomplishment in Mondstadt, about the Anemo Archon Barbato’s Fall. Mister Zhong Li was in a weird mood after he learned about the news.
The Liyue Harbour started the preparation of the Rite of Descension. It would be the perfect stage to ignite the fuse and start the first phase of his plan. He still needed a catalyst. Maybe he could put his research on the Sigils of Permission to use.
Their dates became less and less frequent. Sometimes, he would catch Zhong Li looking at him with a strange look on his face. It made him feel a bit uneasy. Zhong Li had taken to walk the streets of Liyue Harbour more and more often - he joined him whenever he could. They drank tea and watched the crowds go about their lives. The storyteller at the tea house told another story about the Rex Lapis and the Adepti. He noticed Zhong Li’s tea cup was empty, and moved to get more tea, but he was stopped by him. They listened to the story in silence.
They didn’t talk much anymore. The happenings in Mondstadt must have a bigger impact on Zhong Li than he initially thought. He did not feel disappointed. What needs must. Duty to his Queen and all that.
Later that night, he managed to convince Zhong Li into joining him for dinner. After a few cups of wine, Zhong Li started telling a story of the Archons of Old. He didn’t go into details this time. Apparently he had met the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon personally. That explained his melancholy recently.
He’s rather looking forward to the end of this mission. Maybe he could request a vacation. He needed to make up to Mister Zhong Li after this somehow.
And then everything happened all of a sudden all at once. The assassination of Rex Lapis - he needs to investigate the potential leak in his operation, this cannot be an coincidence and he needs to make sure there’s no further disruptions to his plans. In the end it worked quite nicely with what he’s been planning. The more chaos the better. The Traveller and her little day trips with Mister Zhong Li - he’s not jealous at all, but he still dropped in every now an then - to listen in just in case, of course. Intel is important. The preparation of the Rites of Parting was underway. He felt it inappropriate of him to intrude.
The Adepti are coming - his plans are finally coming together. There is so much unrest in the Liyue Harbour, the Qixing are running around doing damage controls and trying to fill in the power vacuum left by the death of an Archon. It’s time. He’s going to -
He’s going to steal the Gnosis.
There will be chaos and bloodshed in the Harbour. Collaterals are unavoidable.
It’s really the perfect opportunity for him.
And then -
Well, he did not expect the Traveller. Or the Adepti working together with the Qixing. Still inconsequential to his goal. He refused to admit his relief at the absence of casualties.
And then Mister Zhong Li is there. So is La Signora.
And Mister Zhong Li is holding the Gnosis.
Mister Zhong Li is Morax.
He looks into those amber eyes. And he sees the divine being - decidedly not human - the burning light, like the Cor Lapis, like the lights in Liyue Harbour that night they first kissed. He could not see the usual warmth.
Seems like they had the same idea. Keeping your enemies close. Huh. Would you look at that. He got outplayed.
He wants to ask - he refuses to ask - was everything an act? Was he just a convenient tool - a chess piece, forcing himself into his idle hand, asking to be played?
His throat closes up.
Lord Rex Lapis Morax the Geo Archon looked at him. He wants to believe there are some hints of regret in those inhuman eyes.
He fled that night. Like a coward. Like a failure. Like a wet dog, with tails between his legs. Zho - the Rex Lapis was waiting at the harbour, as if He could easily predict his decisions - He probably could.
“It was never my intention to hurt your feelings.” He said.
The moon was in - coincidentally, why must he be a cosmic joke, ha - the same phase as That Night. The lights of Liyue Harbour were mostly out - understandable, considering the catastrophe they just went through.
His eyes were still that same slightly luminous Cor Lapis shade, his voice was still calm, like the unyielding mountain, like the unchanging sea. It was - so unfair.
“It’s my own fault for foolishly falling in love with an enemy.” He didn’t say.
“It’s my own fault for foolishly falling in love with a divine being.” He didn’t say.
He grabbed Zhong Li’s hair - still so neat after an entire night of chaos, how entirely, utterly unfair - pulled down, and kissed Him hard on His lips. With his teeth. He could taste blood. They rarely kissed even when they were - playing pretend.
His blood tasted a bit salty with hints of metal - it tasted mortal. He licked His lips, the bite didn’t heal. He didn’t know what he’s expecting.
“I have chilled a bottle of rice wine, you know where to find it. Drink it yourself if it’s not broken. Don’t waste the good wine.” He said instead.
And then he turned away, jumped onto the ship, as if trying to escape something.
Such as the fact that he could not feel the usual quickening breath or the racing heart under his lips. Such as his pathetic attempt at moving the mountain and the sea. Such as his arrogance - his belief - an unrealistic dream - that a divine being could fall for him.
Fatui. A fool. Indeed.