Dominator Stellae

10 | The Good, the Bad, and the Lack of Monetary Sense

We settled back down and got our business faces on. This meeting would go nowhere if we continued to play and joke around instead of listening to Childe and Zhongli speak. The atmosphere once again slipped back into a sense of business and maturity. Neither of which came naturally to me. I loved jokes, jokes always seemed to lighten the mood. That being said, too many jokes could lead to a mess. Childe appeared amused by our interactions.

"Haha, the Fatui calls many such people friends, but the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor does not dabble in such business... ostensibly." Ostensibly? I glanced over at Zhongli, the man seemingly playing innocent by drinking some of his tea. It looked like he and Childe shared the trait of having closely guarded secrets. I found myself wanting to know more of those secrets, interested in learning just what they could be hiding. More so Zhongli than Childe. I could, mostly, guess what the ginger had going on.

Aether's gave Childe a look of suspicion. "Well, they are still- Ah, I shouldn't say too much. In any case, I brought you to meet Mr. Zhongli because-"

"Because I can bring you to see Rex Lapis's vessel," Zhongli finished off for Childe. I could see Lei-Li's eyes had begun to water. I pulled a handkerchief out of my coat pocket and handed it to her. She took it, wiping at her eyes as I moved closer and hugged her. I'd try openly talking about how she was doing after we finished up the dinner. I hadn't gotten to comfort her as well as I wanted to.

Paimon's shocked by Zhongli's words, looking at Childe for confirmation. "Ha, don't be so surprised. Sure the Geo Archon's body has been squirreled away by order of the Tianquan Ningguang," he trailed off for a moment. "But let's hear what Mr. Zhongli has to say first." My eyes meet Zhongli's, the latter's held some sort of emotion deep within them. It...almost felt like looking into the eyes of an old friend. I found myself wondering if... reincarnation was possible, yes, but not immediately after death.

I shut that thought down. No, I couldn't just go around getting attached to people just because they looked like Morax. I forced myself to tear my eyes away from his.

"Rex Lapis may be the Prime of the Adepti, but he is ultimately still an adeptus," Zhongli said, shifting the cups in front of himself. "Many adepti have left us over the millennia - this is an inexorable trend."

Lei-Li sniffed, "I...didn't get to see him one last time before he left though. I wouldn't have a problem otherwise." Zhongli paused for a moment, taking note of the sash wrapped around her head. His solemn expression softened into a warmer one. Did he recognize Lei-Li as an adeptus? I wasn't too sure how much of Guizhong and Lei-Li's history together had survived time, but maybe just enough that people had a vague idea of who she was.

"I thought I recognized your name," he said. "You were Guizhong's apprentice were you not? It was told that you had died." Lei-Li cringed at the last few words. Woah, my good sir, that may have been a little too much at the moment. He was a little brash with his wording, but he's got the right spirit? I think? Well, he's trying, I'll give him that much. "You were close to Rex Lapis were you not?"

Lei-Li shrugged. "Somewhat, he was practically a father figure...a bloodthirsty one, but still! He was nice to spend time with." Did this just turn into a therapy session? Childe, Aether, Paimon and I shared looks with one another, unsure of what we were supposed to do.

"Well, it is indeed unfortunate that the time of the Adepti's connection to Liyue is ending," Zhongli said, "The times have changed- Surely you felt it when you were in Jueyun Karst?"

We all nodded. The Adepti have lost most of the connection they once had with Liyue. It feels more like they're just deities multiple planes of existence away from the mortal world despite still dwelling in Jueyun Karst. They truly have lost their touch with mankind and I couldn't tell if that was truly a good or bad thing. A Liyue without Rex Lapis would take some getting used to even though I hadn't been here throughout its growth. That being said, maybe it really was for the best.