Divinity in mortal | Childe x Zhongli

Sigil of Permission

That night Zhongli decided to play his cards. To free Osial, Childe would need to use Sigils of Permission. Since none had been created in a long time, a rumor of one appearing after the Rite of Descent would leave suspicions that Rex Lapis may still be alive. Nor did he want to give it to the Fatui directly, as they used to do with many of the objects found in the Funeral Parlor which could be of interest to the Fatuus. He wanted to test their perspicacity.

Leaving it anywhere in Liyue did not seem the safest thing to do, it was better to exchange it to a merchant. But not just anyone, it needed to be in a place where clandestine exchanges were taking place. None other than the popular Yungsheng teahouse. His secret would be safe under a good contract.

Zhongli made his way to the entrance of the Funeral Parlor. He crossed Hu Tao on the way but she didn't suspect anything, he was usually out for walks at that time of night. As he stepped out onto the main street he glanced toward the Bank, he expected to see light in Childe's room. The lights were all off. He was the only one he expected to not find there. It wasn't a place he frequented anyway, he was probably haunting camps of Hilichurls.

The Yungsheng Teahouse was relatively close to the Funeral Parlor, crossing the big wooden bridge. The first time Zhongli entered the place was because he really thought they had a large stock of high quality tea. Until he walked in and happened upon a casino for clandestine activity, the only tea he could see was on the menu. The people who used to frequent it were either contraband traders or spies, as it was a great information base.

The Yungsheng Teahouse was relatively close to the Funeral Parlor, crossing the big wooden bridge. The first time Zhongli entered the place was because he really thought they had a large stock of high quality tea. Until he walked in and happened upon a casino for clandestine activity, the only tea he could see was on the menu. The people who used to frequent it were either contraband traders or spies, as it was a great information base.

Upon arriving at the location Zhongli made sure there was no trace of any Fatui activity, particularly from Tartaglia. Then he made his way to the hostess stand.

"Good night-", Zhongli began. "You have to pay a fee if you want to see the stock", the girl cut him off.

"Please do take this", Zhongli deposited a bag of Mora. He had borrowed the loan from Ekaterina earlier that morning. It was everything he had.

The girl checked the contents of the bag and nodded her head toward the front door, where the guards were standing. "Thank you", Zhongli waved goodbye. The guards greeted him rudely and held the doors for him to enter the premises.

Music was playing, though not too loudly to encourage conversations inside. Groups of people were talking but not excessively noisy. It was quieter than Zhongli remembered it.

He needed to find the owner of the shop, he was the only one he knew who would keep the sigil safe. If he traded it to any other merchant, they would do the same later and it would end up in the hands of some merchant in Sumeru at best.

"Excuse me, I would like to have a talk with the owner of the place", Zhongli said to the guy at the bar. It was clear that he belonged to the staff.

"The owner? What for?" the bartender asked dryly. It sounded like it was local bylaws.

"I would like to negotiate with him."

"Haven't you heard, boy? The owner is drowning in debt, he's not interested."

One factor Zhongli had not considered. He did not know the owner, not to mention his circumstances. Still this was not an ordinary trade, he may be interested after all. "I would like to exchange a Sigil of Permission created by Rex Lapis."