4
Morax sighs as he looks through the reports submitted by lady Ningguang. It seemed the abyss order has been more aggressive and more resourceful lately, the intervals between their attacks decreasing, and always striking critical areas one after the other. While the Tsaritsa’s manpower had been helpful in mitigating some of the damage, the casualties were not small. Many milileith were injured or felt the effects of the abyss affecting their well-being, while some adepti too were starting to succumb to the abyssal corruption.
He really is having such a headache, not to mention he’s been so busy fighting on the front lines and managing resources so that the people are well-provided for despite the ongoing war, he’s barely had any time to meet, let alone greet his new spouse. When he was awake, Morax was either busy fighting or drowning in paperwork, and when Morax was free, Tartaglia was asleep. Morax had assumed that as an ex-harbinger, he would not have appreciated Morax sharing a bed with him, especially since he was an omega. So he had opted to reside in the guest room for the time being until Tartaglia warmed up to him; he did not want to do anything to make his dear guest uncomfortable after all.
There was a solemn knock on his door, shocking him out of his thoughts. He sighs.
“Come in.”
A guard dressed in a darker shade of the liyuean milileith uniform walked in, bowing in respect to him, “your majesty.”
“Speak.”
“Sir Tartaglia appears to have settled in well. He seems to be close with the young master Xing Qiu, he and madame Ping had lunch together in the afternoon.” the man reports.
“Keep a close eye on him, report to me if anything is amiss.” the soldier nods before rushing off.
It seems Tartaglia is doing well.
“Morax.” a warm voice greets.
Morax turns to see Madame Ping making her way towards him. His face softens.
“Madame Ping. How was your lunch with him?”
“Is there anything that escapes your sight?” Madame Ping jokes.
He joins her at the tea table in the study, pouring her a cup of the warm tea that was brewed a while ago.
“That young man is remarkable indeed. Very cheerful and full of energy. But he is also polite and modest. Although he seems a bit prideful, quite like you in your prime” Madame Ping sighs.
“I see.” Morax smiles.
“Instead of sending your men to spy on him, perhaps you should take him out to the harbor yourself.” Madame Ping suggests.
“He would be wary of me. I can tell that this arrangement is not one of his own agreements, simply cooperation.”
“Wary of Morax, yes. But what about Zhongli?” Madame Ping smiles.
And Zhongli comes to an easy decision.
-
“What? To the harbor?”
“Yes, my lord. A close aide of his majesty will accompany you as your guide.”
“Ah I see, he’s still too busy to see me himself, I suppose?” Childe asks, looking at the weather.
Xinyi merely nods apologetically. He dismisses her, despite her protests to escort him to the meeting point, assuring her he could walk over by himself. He busied himself counting clouds as he waited for the aide to arrive.
“Lord Tartaglia?”
He looked up to meet a pair of gorgeous golden eyes. Warm like honey and deep like amber. The man stood tall and muscular but with a slim edge, long rich brown hair tied into a neat ponytail that trailed behind him, dressed in a formal tight-fitted suit, and gloves which decorated his almost perfect hands. The man has sharp features, fierce but soft, and his voice. Deep, rich and soft. And he smelled divine, like petrichor and amber, gentle but not overbearing.
“Lord Tartaglia?”
“Ah yes! Sorry.”
“No, I apologize for keeping you waiting. Let me introduce myself, I am Zhongli, a consultant to his imperial highness Morax.” he bows respectfully.
“Ah..pleased to make your acquaintance mister Zhongli. Please, call me Childe.” Childe returns the bow out of courtesy.
“Shall we depart then, Childe?” Zhongli offers a hand towards him, an invitation he sumrises.
He smiles, taking the hand as Zhongli gently holds it, guiding him down the many steps exiting the royal palace and into the streets of Liyue Harbor. He gasped in wonder as he watched the rows of lanterns hung between the many terraces of the city, light up as dusk came around, the harbor bustling to life once again, as merchants opened their shops, and patrons roamed the streets. The sound of haggling, excited chatter, performing street musicians and children’s laughter filled the air. Liyue, unlike Snezhnaya, was warm and brimming with life despite the raging war ongoing.
“Is there anything in particular that catches your eye? Or shall we peruse the goods the merchants have on display?” Zhongli smiles as they reach the bottom of the long flight of stairs, just shy of entering the crowd of citizens.
“Uhm, I’ll follow you, you’re the guide after all,” Childe replies.
Zhongli nods, gripping Childe’s hand more securely, “hold on tight then, it would be unfortunate should we be separated.”
Childe merely nods as he lets Zhongli steer him through the crowds and towards the many vendors on the side of the road, heart beating fast in his chest from the warmth emanating from the hand enveloping his own. Sturdy yet gentle, he notes. He wills himself to calm down, just in time for Zhongli to bring them to the first vendor, a friendly looking lady, looking in her thirties. She seemed to be selling ornamental bracelets.
“Good evening gentlemen, anything here that catches your fancy?” the lady smiles at them.
“Just taking a look,” Childe smiles back cordially.
“Ah, you have such strikingly colored hair, surely this bracelet here will match you perfectly.” the lady smiles as she quickly points out a bracelet for him.
It was beaded with various shades of blue beads delicately carved from ores and, few having a faint pattern of the ocean or what seemed to be a conch. There was even an adorable little narwhal charm carved out of a shimmering blue stone. Childe felt his breath catch at the bracelet’s design, it was too cute!
“The beads are finely handcrafted and carved out of the finest noctilucous jades, and crystal chunks by masters of their craft. I can guarantee it is high quality and one of a kind, only found here.”
Childe stares at it longingly.
“And perhaps for this gentleman over here, this bracelet? Carved from the most luscious cor lapis and ores from Jueyuan Karst and Mt. Hulao as well and the best quality pearls.”
The lady lifted a finely crafted bracelet, the beads alternated between silky white beads, golden yellow beads and rich brown beads, decorated with tiny silver beads between each bead. It was complete with a dragon charm. While Childe agreed it matched Zhongli, he felt that perhaps the Dragon charm might be disrespectful to his superior, the emperor of Liyue.
“It was crafted with his majesty as its inspiration, due to the rich adepti energy found within the ores, this bracelet is said to have some healing and protection capabilities. As a geo vision holder and citizen of Liyue, you too must hold his majesty, Rex Lapis high in your heart, yes?” she smiles.
“Ah..yes.” Zhongli replies awkwardly. Childe wonders why.
Nonetheless, Childe returns to admiring the craftsmanship and beauty of the bracelets, wishing that Morax has provided some funds for the trip so he would be able to purchase it. He simply pouts.
“Do you like it?” Zhongli asked.
Childe nods.
“Indeed, its craftsmanship is wonderful, and the design is truly unique, not to mention, the quality of the ore is marvelous.” the lady grins and nods along with Zhongli’s words.
Childe agrees, “it’s a pity I don’t have the funds to purchase it.”
Zhongli seemed to look at him in shock, as if he had a revelation.
“Are you alright?’ Childe asked, concerned.
“Yes, apologies, shall we move on then, perhaps we could come back to purchase it another time.” Childe sighs as he relents letting Childe drag him onto the next vendor.
They spent the remaining daylight sampling and viewing what the market vendors had to offer, sharing brief moments of laughter and deep conversations about each other. By the time the moon had come up, Childe felt that Zhongli was a trusted friend and his stomach was craving dinner. Luckily, Zhongli seemed to be on the same frequency.
“It’s gotten quite late, shall we have dinner? Wanmin restaurant is a local restaurant You absolutely have to sample if you’re in Liyue. The food is wonderful and they serve many Liyue local specialties.”
“Is that so?” Childe smiles.
“Right, Wanmin is right this way.” Zhongli smiles, sheepish, as he leads the way.
“The bracelets we first saw were really beautiful, if you don't mind could you remind me to make a request to Lady Ningguang for some allowance?” Childe starts as he follows Zhongli.
“You liked it that much?”
“Well, both of them were captivating. It really suited you. I wouldn’t mind having a matching set with you, it seems honorable, to honor our friendship.”
Zhongli coughs, “I see, I shall see to it that Lady Ningguang hears of this.”
“No need to be so formal, I’ll let her know myself. Less trouble and It’ll save you the awkwardness as well,” Childe laughs.
“Here take a seat, I’ll speak to chef Mao and get some dishes started for us, I’ll be right back.” Zhongli smiles before he makes his leave.
Childe smiles as he gives a sigh of relief, taking the time to rest his feet from all the walking. Not to mention, his clothes were quite warm for the weather in Liyue. He groaned as he stripped off his gray jacket, fanning himself in an attempt to cool down, His shirt clung to his back from how much he was sweating. He hoped there would be something cooling to eat from what Zhongli orders. He groaned, feeling slightly parched and light-headed, the heat was really getting to him.
“Hey cutie, you look lonely, want some company for your meal?”
Childe turns around to meet a pair of unfamiliar faces. Alphas, he deduced upon a short whiff. Their pungent and cocky scent emanates strongly, just like their terrible personalities. The smell made him sick, it was barely bearable with how concentrated their scents were.
“Sorry?”
“Come on, you look new around here, how about we bring you around to some nice place, omega?”
Childe hates how they say it like he was vermin. Like they had the right to command him. He grit his teeth, remembering the Tsarista’s words. Diplomacy.
“I’m waiting for someone.” he says curtly.
“Oh come on, we’re not falling for such a lie, a little time with us won’t hurt you, plus i;’m sure you’ll come to enjoy yourself eventually.”
Childe opens his mouth to retort, but a bout of nausea and light-headedness hits him, causing him to shut his mouth and grip the table tightly. He act before he registers it, swatting the hand reaching for his away strongly , causing the alpha to stagger backwards slightly.
That seemed to anger the alpha, ashamed to be overpowered by a mere omega.
“You insolent-”
Childe clenches his jaw, irritated as he readies himself, the familiar thrum of his vision coming to life.
“Hey bastards!” a lively voice yells. The two look behind them for the source of the voice.
“Done harassing people with your shameless and pathetic antics? I’ll call the milielith over, I'm sure they’ll enjoy teaching harassers like you a proper lesson.”
That seemed to cause the men to scatter.
Childe got a good look at the owner of the voice, a peppy looking youth with twin ponytails and a black cap atop her auburn hair. She had lively eyes that sparkled with mischief. Following behind her was a light-blue haired youth putting away a heavy looking claymore.
“Thanks,”
“Oh no worries, I was wondering who the man Mo- I mean Zhongli was bringing around. Didn’t expect him to just ditch you and for trouble to come find you.” she giggles.
“You know Zhongli Xiangsheng?”
“Ah, right, I’m Hu Tao, this is Chongyun, we are, well, close friends of Zhongli.” she grins.
Childe nods, feeling another wave of dizziness come across him. He groaned.
“Hey, are you okay? You don't seem well?” Hu Tao asked.
Childe began to formulate a reply, “ah nothing it’s just….really..warm- ugh,” he lurches forward, unconscious.
“Whoa!” Hu Tao exclaims as she catches his head from hitting the ground, gently maneuvering him to rest on the ground.
“Uh oh, is he alright? Where’s your uncle? What should we do? I think he’s passed out.” Chongyun panics as he fusses over a passed out Childe.
“Calm down Chongyun. Hello Zhongli’s friend? Can you hear me?” Hu Tao gently slaps his face, observing that he was sweating heavily.
“By archons! He’s overheating! We should get him back to the palace immediately.” Hu Tao gasps.
“Hu Tao, Chongyun? What are you two- Childe?” the two youths turn around, like deers caught in the headlights to see Zhongli, holding a small pouch in his hands, a shocked expression on his face.
“Hahah…Hi uncle…it wasn’t my fault…I swear..” Hu Tao chuckles nervously, feeling Morax’s glaring at her sternly.
Chongyun collapses with a thud beside her.