Beyond Which Lies the Wind

16: The Rite of Descension

You slinked along the shadows of the alleyway and turned sharply into the main street, breaking into a light jog once you were certain you were out of earshot and out of sight even if Childe had sensed your presence and decided to turn the corner to confirm. Blending in among all the other passersby heading home from work was simple enough – except that this detour meant you were going in the complete opposite direction of your house.

You sensed the slightest of pressure from the alley for a brief moment and you were positive Childe had noticed someone was there. He was no fool, and you'd been too close for comfort – an amateur's mistake. Whether he'd find that matter worth pursuing though, you'd find out if you tried to circle back and return home. Which meant you would not be doing that.

You were already thinking about spending the night wandering the harbour just as the street lanterns sprung to life, bathing the early evening city sights in a warm glow. You'd been here for months already, but you were still amazed at how beautiful the city was at nighttime, backlit by hundreds of tiny lamps that sparkled like stars. It wasn't particularly strange for people to be leisurely traversing the streets at any odd hours when night was as bright as day, which meant it was the perfect time to go for a stroll and be too exhausted to go to work tomorrow morning.

You were no stranger to all-nighters anyways, from your line of work.

In a beautiful harbour town like this one, you could forget about your mora worries and your past for just a little while. That was why you moved here, you reminded yourself, even if you'd long since gotten way off track. It dispelled the illusion somewhat when Milileth guards would nod at you respectfully as you passed by their post, but for the most part this was a city that did not know you. You liked that. You liked that a lot.

You drank in the harbour sights as evening fell and darkness engulfed the sky. You visited each of the stores along the stretch of the commerce district until late into the night and the wee hours of the morning. So many shops were open till much later than you'd imagined, just for today, as you'd soon find out later. The lanterns shone brighter against the backdrop of the slowly brightening sky, and you perused the shelves of a small herbal medicine shop and made small talk with the bleary-eyed shopkeeper.

"Ginseng as an offering to Rex Lapis?" she asked, wrapping your frivolous purchase in a sheet of thin brown paper and tying it with a cord.

"Offering?"

She nodded. "Today is the Rite of Descension! Are you new around here?"

That explained why there were so many Milileth guards posted around the city. The Geo Archon, the prime of the adepti, descended upon the common folk once a year to bestow his divine prediction. You'd never been in Liyue Harbour for the ceremonies before, but like anyone born and raised in the country, you knew it was an important and time-honoured celebration. You had no idea that it was today, though.

"Young folk don't care as much for the traditions anymore," the shopkeeper said with a sigh, interrupting your reverie. "A great shame. In my day, the Rite was the most grandiose of celebrations, spanning a week of praising Rex Lapis' great name and honouring his achievements in battle that have led to the millenia of peace we have today."

You respected the god of the land greatly, but the peace and prosperity had been tirelessly upheld by the Milileth for the past few centuries, and not merely the divine blessing of the Archon. But you said nothing, and only smiled.

"I did not know Rex Lapis was partial to ginseng," you said. "May I purchase another grade A quality root? Wrapped separately, please."

You made your way to Yujing Terrace after procuring and paying for your goods. No wonder the crowd had not thinned out even as the entire night passed you by, and many shops still had their doors open and their lights on until morning. The earliest rays of sunlight were peeking from beyond the horizon as you ascended the long flight of stairs. There seemed to be a pattern of merchants and older folk among those that had already arrived at the venue as well as Millileth scattered around the area, and a pair of soldiers you did not recognize on either side of the entrance bowed deeply to you as you reached top of the stairs. Even new people stationed this far away from your post knew who you were, with your casual clothes and undoubtedly unkempt hair and eyebags from wandering the entire night. Was your captain spewing exaggerated tales about you to the new recruits?