The ocean's flowing winds only further echoed the silence that permeated the ship. There was nothing but silence as the crew stared at Ren with wide eyes and slack jaws.
Even Beidou was silent, with her only exposed eye wide in shock.
Ren swallowed hard, still kneeling on the deck, trying to catch his breath.
'Maybe I should have gone with another fusion…'
He could feel their stares. The uncomfortable weight of twenty-plus people trying to process what they'd just witnessed.
It was now that he realized he should have thought out his actions more. He knew the crew faced many giant monsters before, but not a bastardized version of Rex Lapis that was summoned by a courier guy.
'Fuuuuck, I should have used any other adepti as a form. Why did I choose Rex Lapis…' He sulked in his mind.
Ren tried to stand, wobbled slightly, and decided kneeling was fine, actually. He was struggling to decide on what to say to everyone when Beidou laughed out loud. The sound boomed through the silent ship.
She threw her head back and laughed like someone had just told the funniest joke she'd ever heard.
Ren stared blankly at her full body laugh. Unsure if it was a good or bad sign.
"HA! Now THAT'S what I call pest control!"
It was a good one.
Beidou dematerialized her claymore with a sharp click and strode toward Ren, still grinning wildly.
"I'll be honest. I didn't expect something like that." She stopped in front of him, hands on her hips.
"When you said you could help, I half expected you to fail at doing anything at all. Maybe summon a bigger dog or something."
Ren blinked up at her. "Uh. Thanks?"
"But that?" Beidou gestured broadly at the ocean, still littered with charred leviathan corpses. "That was incredible! Where the hell have you been hiding that kind of power?"
"I... wasn't hiding it," Ren managed. "Just hadn't needed to use it before."
"Well, you definitely needed it today." Beidou turned to her crew, raising her voice. "What are you all standing around for? Give the man some credit!"
For a moment, the crew hesitated.
Then—slowly—expressions began to shift.
The wary looks softened. The fear faded. What replaced it was something closer to awe. Respect.
"That was amazing!" someone called out.
"Did you see the wings?!"
"It looked like Lord Rex Lapis!"
Huixing pushed through the crowd, eyes bright with excitement. "Wait, wait! You said you had other summons, right? What else can you do?"
"Can you summon more than one at a time?"
"How many do you have?"
"Do they all look that cool?!"
Ren raised his hands defensively, still exhausted. "Uh—I mean—it's complicated—"
"Does it take a lot of energy?" another crew member asked. "You look wiped."
"Yeah," Ren admitted. "That one took... a lot."
"But it was worth it, right? It was awesome!" Huixing grinned.
Beidou chuckled, watching her crew bombard Ren with questions. She let it go on for a few moments—good for morale, good for the kid to see he wasn't feared—then raised a hand.
"Alright, alright! Give him some space! He just saved our asses, least we can do is let him breathe."
The crew backed off slightly, still filled with energy but obedient.
Beidou glanced up toward the rigging.
High above, near the crow's nest, a lone man stood on a platform. White hair, red streak, and red eyes locked on Ren with that same thoughtful expression.
Beidou caught his eye and tilted her head slightly toward Ren. No words were spoken, yet the intent was clear as day.
Want to come down and talk to him?
He met her gaze.
Then, after a moment, shook his head.
Beidou nodded, understanding. She turned her attention back to the deck, muttering under her breath.
"He wants a private conversation. Fair enough."
Her crew was already back in action. Checking the hull for damage, securing loose rigging, and making sure the explosive barrels hadn't caused any structural problems.
Ren was being helped by a few crewmates who gave him some water and snacks, which he took eagerly.
But as Beidou stared at the scene, her mind was elsewhere.
Specifically, on a certain Tianquan back in Liyue Harbor who was not going to be happy about this.
'Guang's going to absolutely freak out.'
The individual she's been talking to her about, being an unknown in Liyue with strange powers. Summoning what looked like a corrupted version of the Geo Archon himself.
Yeah. That was going to cause problems.
Beidou felt a little bad about it, honestly. She'd have to report this. It wasn't personal—it was her responsibility. (And Ningguang would know if she was hiding something, she always did).
This random person, who was only thought to be a "Person of Interest," has now become a much bigger enigma.
The Qixing needed to know when someone this powerful was operating in Liyue, especially someone who could summon something that resembled their god.
But from what she's been told, Ren had Ganyu on his side. The Qixing's secretary, one of the most trusted people in Liyue's government, had personally vouched for him.
Beidou really hoped things would go well. Ren didn't seem like a bad person in her eyes. Even if he had a presence almost akin to the abyss.
'It'll probably be fine,' she thought. 'Ganyu won't let them do anything too drastic.' She pushed the thought aside and turned her attention back to the crew.
"Alright, people! Damage report! I want to know if those explosions caused any hull breaches! And someone check the cargo hold—make sure nothing messed up!"
"Aye, Captain!"
The crew scattered to their tasks, energy restored, morale high.
Beidou glanced back at Ren, who was sitting on a barrel, looking utterly exhausted.
'Kid's got guts,' she thought. 'And power to back it up. Interesting combination.'
She'd keep an eye on him.
/ — /
The ship settled back into its rhythm.
Crew members continued as normal, tying off ropes, adjusting sails, and calling out status updates.
The Alcor was in good shape. There was no serious damage. A few scorch marks here and there, and some chipped wood, but nothing drastic.
Ren, meanwhile, was still recovering from the immense CE loss.
His legs felt like jelly. His Cursed Energy reserves were sitting at maybe thirty percent, and his entire body ached like he'd just run a marathon.
'Note to self,' he thought distantly. 'Don't use Yǔnjié unless absolutely necessary. That thing is expensive.'
The crew bustled around him, but nobody bothered him. They'd seen how drained he looked.
The sun was warm. The deck rocked gently beneath him. The sound of waves and distant seabirds filled the air.
Ren closed his eyes.
'Just for a second...'
/ — /
He woke to someone gently shaking his shoulder.
"Hey. Wake up."
Ren's eyes snapped open, disoriented.
Huixing was crouched in front of him, smiling. "You fell asleep."
"I—what?" Ren sat up too quickly, nearly falling off the barrel. "How long was I—"
"About three hours," Huixing said, laughing. "Don't worry, we didn't mind. You looked like you needed the nap."
Ren's face flushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just—"
"Relax!" Another crew member, a guy with a scruffy beard, called over from the rigging. "We all fall asleep on deck sometimes! Happens to the best of us!"
"Especially after summoning that giant shikigami," Huixing added. "Seriously, don't sweat it."
Ren rubbed his face, still embarrassed. "Thanks. I just... didn't expect to pass out like that."
"That's what exhaustion does." Huixing stood, stretching. "Come on. We're almost at Guyun."
Ren blinked and looked around.
The sun had moved significantly across the sky. It was lower now, orange light painting the ocean gold. And in the distance—
Massive stone pillars rose from the sea.
Dozens of them. Hundreds, maybe. Towering spears of rock jutting up from the water at impossible angles, some leaning, some perfectly vertical, all ancient and weathered by millennia of wind and waves.
Guyun Stone Forest.
Ren stood slowly, staring.
He'd heard and read much about this place. Mostly from Xingqiu telling him a lot of stories of the place.
These giant spears of rock were once used by Rex Lapis to bind an ancient sea god during the Archon War.
The defeated god—Osial—was still sealed somewhere beneath the ocean floor, pinned by divine stone.
It was beautiful.
And deeply, deeply unsettling.
The thought of a god that Rex Lapis needed to seal instead of kill being beneath him unsettled Ren greatly.
Beidou appeared beside him, "Impressive, isn't it?" she said, gazing at the pillars. "First time seeing it up close?"
"Yeah."
"It's something, alright." Beidou glanced at him. "So. You need an escort? I can spare a few crew members if you want company."
Ren hesitated.
It was tempting. But he'd already involved them enough. And if this was a trap—and his paranoia was screaming that it absolutely was—he didn't want to drag Beidou's crew into it.
His nap already helped him regain some CE. He's at around half already, so he should be good to go.
"No. I'll be fine."
Beidou's eye flicked toward the rigging for just a split second—so fast Ren almost missed it.
Then she looked back at him and nodded.
"Alright. But don't take too long. Sun's setting soon, and I don't want to be navigating these rocks in the dark."
"Got it." Ren moved toward the side of the ship where a small rowboat was being lowered. "I'll be quick."
Beidou watched him go, with an unreadable expression. Then she turned and walked back toward the helm, calling out orders to hold position.
High above, the individual who stood high in the sails was now gone.
/ — /
Ren
Ren slowly walked through Guyun, taking in the area's majestic atmosphere.
The stone pillars towered above him. Up close, they were even more massive than they'd looked from the ship.
Each one was easily fifty meters tall, some leaning at impossible angles, others stabbing straight up into the sky like divine spears thrown by an angry god.
Which, technically, they were.
Ren looked around, taking in his surroundings.
The eastern platform Beidou had dropped him off at was relatively flat—a wide expanse of weathered rock dotted with the remains of an old ruin of some sort.
Crumbling walls. Broken pillars. Stone foundations that had once been shrines or watchtowers, now reduced to ruins.
The wind whistled through the gaps between the massive stone spears, creating an eerie, hollow sound that set Ren's nerves on edge.
'Perfect place for an ambush,' he thought, hand drifting unconsciously toward where his sword rested in his shadow storage.
He pulled out the map from his storage and unfolded it, checking the marked coordinates.
A red circle indicated the delivery location. It was deeper into Guyun, near a cluster of particularly tall stone pillars. Maybe five to six hundred meters from where he'd landed.
Ren stared at the map, then at the distant location, then back at the map.
Then he sighed.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath. "Why would the client ever want to meet at the shore? Why make it easy?"
This was a recurring theme he noticed from his short time as a courier. Clients who marked delivery locations in the most inconvenient spots possible. Deep in forests. Up mountains. In the middle of ruins like this.
It was never somewhere easily accessible.
Always "walk three hundred meters through dangerous and dirty terrain to hand me a box."
'Would it kill people to think of the person delivering?' Ren thought irritably.
But complaining wouldn't get the job done. He had a package to deliver and Mora to secure.
He folded the map and shoved it back into his shadow storage, already moving toward the marked location.
The stone beneath his feet was worn smooth by centuries of wind and salt water. Cracks ran through it like spiderwebs, and in some places, entire sections had crumbled away, revealing dark gaps that dropped into the ocean below.
Ren stepped carefully, avoiding the unstable areas.
As he walked, he kept his senses open. Sensing and listening for anything that seemed off. But there was nothing, just wind and the distant crash of waves.
He passed the remains of some Ruin Guards, covered entirely in moss and grime.
'I've always found these things weird.' Ren thought. It was odd how such a simple civilization could have random robots terrorizing the land.
He never had time to study them, though. Still preoccupied with Liyue's legends and his own situation.
Maybe someday he'd get to studying them.
He looked around, and there was still no sign of anyone. Ren checked the sun's position.
It was low on the horizon now, painting the sky orange and pink. He was cutting it close, but he'd make it.
The marked location was still ahead—he could see the cluster of tall pillars in the distance, standing like a crown of stone teeth against the sky.
But the terrain between here and there was getting more troublesome. Deeper crevices. And water that separated small islands that he needed to walk around, which would no doubt take a lot longer.
Then a thought popped into his head. He brought his hands together, fingers forming the familiar sign.
The shadows beneath his feet rippled in response. Cursed Energy flowed through him, pulling from his reserves.
The shadows churned, and a shape emerged.
Wings burst out, crackling with Electro energy. Then a sleek body, covered in feathers that seemed to absorb light.
Nue materialized fully and shook itself, electricity arcing between its wings with soft crackle sounds.
Ren reached out and scratched the side of Nue's head. The shikigami leaned into the touch slightly, a low rumble emanating from its throat.
"Hey. Need your help with something."
Nue tilted its head, its eyes focusing on Ren.
"There's a meeting point up ahead." Ren gestured toward the cluster of tall pillars. "Fly ahead and see if anyone's there. If you spot someone, signal me. Try to be as quiet as possible."
Nue chirped and spread its wings wide. Then it launched itself into the sky with a single powerful beat of its wings, Electro energy trailing behind it like ribbons of blue-white light.
Ren watched it soar upward, circling between the stone pillars with effortless grace.
'That should work.'
He started walking again, moving deeper into the ruins.
Nue circled overhead, scanning the area with sharp eyes.
Ren was maybe halfway to the marked coordinates when he felt a tingle in his head.
Nue was hovering in place near the cluster of tall pillars, right where the map had marked the delivery point. Its wings beat rapidly, keeping it stationary, and it was looking downward at something.
It didn't need to speak, as their mental link did more than enough to tell him that there was something there.
Ren broke into a jog, weaving between broken pillars and crumbled walls.
But as he got closer, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Finally, the cluster of pillars came into full view. They were arranged in a rough circle, creating a natural courtyard of sorts.
And in the center were multiple figures.
Ren slowed to a walk, eyes narrowing.
There were people up ahead. At least a dozen, maybe more. They were clustered near what looked like the entrance to a partially collapsed structure—some kind of old storage building or guard post.
And they were armed.
Swords. Bows. Makeshift weapons.
And they were dressed in mismatched gear—leather armor, scarves wrapped around faces, wide-brimmed hats.
"Hey! You there!"
The others turned immediately, hands going to weapons.
The bearded man stepped forward, squinting at Ren. "You the courier? The one with the package?"
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Who's asking?"
"Name's Chen!" The man called out with a smile, voice carrying across the ruins. "You're here for a delivery, right? Contract said someone would be bringing me something!"
Ren's hand twitched toward his shadow storage.
'This is wrong. Everything about this is wrong.' From the looks of the people who were with "Mr. Chen," they didn't seem too adept at using weapons.
Amateur body language, stiff and not very threatening. Yet this "Mr. Chen" was the exact opposite. He talked to Ren with a wide smile, yet Ren could see that this man was definitely familiar with combat.
And the fact that there were twenty armed individuals with him made Ren's suspicions very, very justified.
Above, Nue circled lower, electricity crackling more intensely along its wings. The shikigami sensed Ren's tension and was preparing for a fight.
Ren took a slow breath, mind working through his options.
He could run. These people were suspicious as hell. He could get back to the boat, row back to the Alcor, and head back to the harbour.
But if he did that and these people were legit, he'd breach the contract. Legal consequences. And he'd be out 150,000 Mora.
If this really was an ambush. Twenty fighters weren't that dangerous. Annoying, sure. But manageable.
But something felt off. Why would these people be waiting at these exact coordinates? Why give him 150,000 Mora if they were going to take it back?
He didn't recognize any of them, so it was unlikely that it was a personal attack.
'Someone set this up. Someone wanted me here.'
"Chen" took another step forward, hands spread in what was probably meant to be a friendly gesture.
"Come on! No need to be nervous! Just hand over the package, and we can all go home, yeah?"
Ren didn't say anything. Unsure if he was being paranoid or if this really was going to turn into a fight.
'What do I do?'
/ — /
A few hundred meters away, hidden on one of the mountains, a Fatui agent lowered his telescope.
His hands were shaking.
Not from the cold, the evening air was mild, pleasant even. Not from exertion, he'd been sitting in this position for hours, barely moving.
But because of nerves.
He raised the telescope again, refocusing on the distant courtyard where the Treasure Hoarders were clustered. Their target was still there, standing at a cautious distance, clearly suspicious.
Sadly for him, good instincts wouldn't save him.
"Agent Volkov." A high-pitched feminine voice came from behind him.
Volkov didn't turn. "What?"
A Fatui Cicin Mage stepped up beside him, her mask tilted slightly as she observed the scene through her own enhanced vision. Purple lightning bugs circled her lazily, their glow barely visible in the fading sunlight.
"The target has arrived," she said. "Chen and his group are in position. The hoarders don't suspect anything."
"Good."
"Dmitri is already moving into position with the device. He'll extract the sample during the chaos."
Volkov nodded absently, still watching through the telescope.
The Electro Cicin Mage—Sonya, her name was—tilted her head slightly. "You've been tense all day. More than usual."
Sonya's cicins buzzed a little louder. "This is a straightforward operation. Twenty Treasure Hoarders attack the target. We observe. Dmitri gets close during the fight, extracts a sample with the Marionette's device, and we disappear. It's relatively simple compared to other missions."
"Nothing about this is simple," Volkov muttered.
"It's one target."
"It's not the target I'm worried about."
Sonya paused. "Then what?"
Volkov finally lowered the telescope and turned to look at her.
His face was pale beneath his mask. "Do you know who authorized this operation?" he asked quietly.
Sonya blinked. "Lady Signora. She's overseeing all Liyue operations right now. Everyone knows that. I'm pretty sure she's setting up something in Mondstadt too."
"She's not the only one."
"What do you mean?"
"This operation was requested by Lady Signora. But it's backed by two other Harbingers."
Sonya went very still. Even her cicins stopped buzzing.
"...What?"
"Three of the Eleven," Volkov continued, voice barely above a whisper.
Sonya's hands twitched. "Which... which Harbingers?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters!"
"No," Volkov said flatly. "It doesn't. Three is three. If we fail—if anything goes wrong—we're answering to three of the most powerful people in Snezhnaya beneath the Tsaritsa."
Sonya could only stare at him.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
The wind whistled through the broken stones of the old watchtower. In the distance, waves crashed against the base of the pillars.
"Why?" Sonya finally asked. "Why would three Harbingers care about one random courier in Liyue?"
"I don't know." Volkov raised the telescope again. "And I don't want to know. I just want this operation to go smoothly so we can get out of here and never think about it again."
Sonya's cicins began circling again, faster now, agitated by her emotions.
"What did command tell you?" she pressed. "There has to be a reason."
Volkov was silent for a moment.
Then, reluctantly: "The target possesses an unknown energy type. Something similar to Abyssal energy, but… Stable."
Sonya's breath caught. "The Abyss—"
"Not the Abyss," Volkov interrupted. "Command said it was similar. But he's not corrupted. He wields it."
He'd seen the reports from the harbor. Witnesses described shadow dogs, frogs, and even a giant bird.
"The device Dmitri is carrying," Volkov continued, "was built specifically for this. The Marionette herself designed it. It can extract and store samples of the target's energy for analysis."
Sonya processed this slowly. "So this isn't about eliminating a threat. It's about... studying him."
"Correct."
"And if we succeed?"
"Then the Fatui gain access to a completely unknown energy source. One that might rival Abyssal power without the corruption. One that could be of use to the Fatui."
Sonya looked back toward the distant courtyard.
The courier was still standing there, clearly debating his options.
"And if we fail?" she asked quietly.
Volkov didn't answer immediately, his throat drying up at the mere thought.
"Then we pray the Harbingers are merciful."
Sonya swallowed hard.
Her cicins buzzed anxiously around her, feeding off her fear.
Volkov raised the telescope once more, watching the scene unfold.
The Treasure Hoarders were getting restless. Chen was doing his best to seem friendly and non-threatening.
The courier wasn't buying it.
"Dmitri is in position," Sonya reported. "Hidden among the hoarders. Device is active and ready."
"Good." Volkov's jaw tightened. "Let's hope he remembers the briefing. The target needs to be distracted and engaged so he won't notice the extraction."
"What if the target runs or refuses to engage?"
"He won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because he already accepted 150,000 Mora for this contract. He's not going to walk away from that kind of money. Not when he's desperate enough to take suspicious jobs in the first place."
He raised the telescope again.
"He'll fight."