𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟 - 𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒐 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 [discontinued]

Chapter 11 ➭ Albedo's adventures

He hadn't thought it would all have come to this, but he didn't really have a choice. Albedo loved them, with all his heart, and he was doing the best for Y/N after all. 

Obviously.

It was early morning; clusters of people were dotted around the area as Albedo began to walk through the crowds.

Local vendors at their stands called out a mixture of words that was barely audible over the chatter of the public, but it wasn't unpleasant. The sweet scent of glaze lilies and silk flowers adorned the air as Albedo headed off with a sense of direction. He could see a few familiar faces among the crowd - Xiangling busying herself at Wanmin restaurant; the refined Zhongli speaking to none other than the infamous Fatui Harbinger, Childe; Yunjin dancing while a small crowd applauded in awe and -

'Chongyun!'

A person with disastrously cut hair approached Chongyun, a smile plastered on his face.

Albedo's eyes lingered on them for a second longer than they should have - he had places to be. He could always deal with them later. After finally reaching his destination, he opened  a door to see a familiar man with long, green hair tied into a bun neatly at the back, with round glasses and a white snake encasing his neck.

'Ah - Good morning, sir.'

'Oh! It's Albedo, one of my most loyal customers.' Baizhu smiled, as Changsheng hissed a greeting.

A certain purple-haired zombie began to slink away to a door within Bubu Pharmacy - eyeing Albedo with a slightly scared look, he even detected some suspicion.

'Ah - don't mind Miss Qiqi, quite shy today, I suppose.' Baizhu laughed light-heartedly, yet it didn't quite meet his eyes. 'What is it you need?'

'I'm looking for... quite a few things actually.' Albedo pulled out a piece of paper with notes scrawled onto it hastily - the alchemist was usually neat, but in certain situations he didn't have the time to worry about minor details like tidiness.

'Ask away, I'll probably have enough of the things you'll need,' Baizhu said dismissively as he began to approach a variety of substances stacked on shelves.

'Uhm, well... I was wondering if you have the... valberry venenum.'

'That's... one of the strongest poisons we have...' Baizhu's voice quietened. 'What are you even going to use it for?'

Albedo bit his lip anxiously. 'Just for an experiment... I am not using it on anyone, however, so it doesn't particularly matter.' He dismissed the topic.

'Well, I... I'm afraid I'm going to need some solid reasoning, as the potency of this liquid is enough to do... a lot of damage, to say the least. I need to write it onto the prescription, in case someone were to question your intent with this...'

He didn't have time for this.

Albedo sighed. 'Alright then, I'll tell you. You will promise not tell Sucrose this, though? She would be most distraught if she found out.'

Baizhu hesitated. '...Very well.'

Albedo gave a slight smile at his victory, then quickly rearranged his features to neutrality once more.

*

With all the items he needed in hand, Albedo began to go to a more... secluded are of Liyue. Quite difficult to find to the common person, as almost every nook and cranny of the city was filled with people talking and going to various places. But Albedo knew exactly where he was going.

Popping a cork off of a small vial, Albedo poured the poison into the glass tube that already contained a substance within it. The liquid hissed and bubbled, turning startlingly from an icy, crystal-like blue to a fizzing, bubbly pink. Pressing the cork back into the hole and pocketing the vial, Albedo set off.

He saw Chongyun and Xingqiu, sitting on a bench and talking animatedly to one another. Chongyun's head was thrown back in laughter as Xingqiu talked to him somewhat excitedly, laughing along with him; the two of them seemed more than content. But, Albedo had been planning this for a while.

He could do this, without getting caught.

Right?