Legacy | Genshin I. |

Chapter VI: Act XVI

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.*═╗
Downtown Shopping
╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.*═╝

"Ah, sir, you're here. The seven kites you asked for have been made to order. Would you like them now?" Granny Shan, the toy seller, asked.

Zhongli nodded his head. "Yes. Thank you," he answered.

Granny Shan smiled softly. "It's rare to see customers who want to buy this type of kite nowadays. In the early days, we used to get orders from people of all walks of life..." She states.

"Well, this is Mr. Zhongli from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, so he's probably well-versed in all these walks of life. We've talked about a whole bunch of things while traveling with him... He seems to know Liyue's favorite topics, money, and government, really well, but he likes talking about less useful topics instead," Paimon piped up.

"Well, that's because I prefer to share fun things with you," Zhongli replied with a shake of his head.

(Y/n) gave a look of disappointment at the Geo Archon beside him but looked away, not wanting to sour the current mood.

"Children's toys are very fun things, that's for sure. I enjoy watching the children at play as much as anyone else. But there is more to it than that. Finely crafted toys are well-loved by children. But this craft itself has been honed over thousands of years, and there is meaning behind that. I have made kites in Liyue for forty years, and I am intimately familiar with the forms passed down from my ancestors. The meaning of these seven kites is far from banal," Granny Shan explained.

Zhongli hummed in agreement. "Indeed. These are decorations used in the Rite of Parting. The seven kites represent The Seven," he retorted.

"I took the liberty of coloring outside the lines when doing the insignia of the Anemo Archon. As for the kite that honors the Geo Archon, one must follow the contract given right down to the last letter. These patterns are ancient, and you can also find them in the Golden House," Granny Shan continued.

"Ah, Paimon's heard that name before–" Paimon was cut off due to Aether shushing at her.

"Huh?" Paimon questioned in confusion, looking over at her blonde-haired companion.

"The design of this kite displays a firm grasp on the cyclicality and eternity so dear to the Electro Archon. These markings of tree and leaf pay due honor to wisdom and the passage of time. All this, on a single kite – truly astonishing. Justice flows across the surface of the waters, war rages like a flame, as does that which the Cryo Archon once... yes, these details are masterfully done," Zhongli complimented.

'Mondstadt... Liyue... Inazuma... Sumeru... Fontaine... Natlan... And Snezhnaya... All of them are here.' (Y/n) thought with furrowed brows, taking notice of the two familiar insignias on the kites.

'Right, if I remember, my biological mother and her parents – my grandparents – came from Fontaine and migrated to Sumeru. Damn, why is this so hard?' The (H/c)ette mused in silent disappointment.

Granny Shan laughed. "Hehehe, the compliments of a learned man truly are pleasant."

"Well then, Granny Shan, I shall take these back with me. As for the payment..." Zhongli trailed off.

"Uh-oh!" Aether mumbled, running a hand down his face.

"Well, allow me." Childe's voice piped up from behind.

"Hey, it's Childe!" Paimon exclaimed.

"You ambushed us!" Aether lightly scolded.

Childe laughed. "Haha, no way. I was just passing through! I see Mr. Zhongli's still the same as ever. When paying– Well, when getting others to pay for him, he neither looks at the price tag nor his wallet. He knows a great deal about money, and about the trials of the common man. He just doesn't consider poverty to be something that could ever happen to him. Or perhaps you could say that he cannot imagine himself lacking money," he states.