Taking over the Abyss

27- A Nice Day In Liyue

You waited around four days before taking Zhongli up on his promise. Since he had told you to take your time, you had no reason to believe that his offer had an expiration date. You spent that week meditating with Shenhe and Cloud Retainer, or hanging out with your hilichurl gang. You hadn't noticed any major changes with the hilichurls yet. Xiao would come to check on you every so often, and would make sure to stay and chat for a little while, but always left before Cloud Retainer could catch him.

Cloud Retainer had taken on the task of introducing you to Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper. Aside from the initial interest of finding out that it was Xiao who had vouched for you in the beginning, they didn't care much for you. Mountain Shaper had at least given you the warning to not step on the amber flowers, so you had that going for you.

You decided that taking Leiptr down to Liyue Harbor with you would be asking for a disaster, whether he tried to fight the Millelith himself or punched somebody for a perceived slight against you. You had left him with the orders to enjoy his day, but Cloud Retainer immediately intervened and dumped more chores on him, followed by Shenhe doing the same. Leiptr took it well, declaring that it was like nothing to him, and that he was of course the only one who could fulfill these tasks in a reasonable timeframe. He promised to continue developing his skills, and to take breaks at reasonable times as per your orders.

The trip down to the city was an uneventful as you assumed, just as actually being in the city was as overwhelming as you guessed. You had gotten too used to the comforting silence of the mountains, and yet again, the constant onslaught of people and noise overwhelmed you. You pushed through the discomfort and headed towards the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, ignoring the occasional stare you got for your unusual clothing.

The ferrylady standing out front of the Funeral Parlor greeted you with a polite bow when you had approached, "Greetings. I am the ferrylady of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Do you have business with our establishment today?"

"I'm here to meet with Zhongli," you said. The ferrylady bowed her head again before opening the door and leading you inside. She gestured to a wooden table set up in the front of the establishment.

"Mr. Zhongli is out at the moment, but should return shortly. Please, make yourself comfortable," the difference between Hu Tao and her employees was shocking.

You bowed your head politely, "Thank you for your hospitality."

The ferrylady smiled at you, "It is nothing. Any friend of Mr. Zhongli's is a friend of ours."

She hurried back outside, leaving you to hang out by yourself inside Wangsheng. You were grateful for the lack of noise, and took note of the interior. This was never an area you were actually allowed to go inside in-game, sadly. Naturally, it held the same basic style as all buildings in Liyue. There were vases of flowers, and bookshelves filled with books and other knick-knacks. The front desk was made of a darker wood, with a matching sign listing various prices behind it. A small box filled with coupons sat at the corner of the front desk.

The door leading to an area only allowed by clients or employees opened, and the director herself walked out. To say you were excited to see her would be underselling it- you freakin' loved Hu Tao! Upon seeing that she had a client in her midst, her mood brightened, and she bounded towards you with a grin.

"Welcome to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long," she said in a sing-song tone, winking at you. She quickly took the seat next you, perching her head on her hand, "Let's get too it, shall we? You have a client for me. So, who was it? Let me guess- friend? Family? Maybe even a lover?"

Part of you wanted to say 'my entire nation of people was doomed to a fate worse than death' just to see what her reaction would be, but you held off. Both because you liked her and because Hu Tao had more fingers than she had friends. Instead, you just laughed and shook your head, "No, nothing like that. I'm just waiting for Zhongli."