Read Tags to Understand What the Story is About (GENSHIN)

Chapter 4

Kaveh had been in Liyue for a day and he had no clue where his client is.

He probably got scammed again, he thought as he strolled around the harbor. But that's fine, he decided on a positive note. At least he can take a break by sightseeing in the nation of contracts where the Geo Archon had resided.

He had visited Wanmin Restaurant earlier to ask for Sumerian food one time, and Xiangling agreed to try and make something, considering that she doesn't mind experimenting with foreign dishes. With Kaveh's detailed description, she managed to create his favorite dish; Fatteh. The placements fit almost perfectly with the one Lambad makes at the tavern.

"So this is what Sumeru dishes taste like!" Xiangling exclaimed with excitement when she tested out the flavor. "How did I do, Mister Kaveh?"

Kaveh tried Xiangling's dish of Fatteh, and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's actually good! You did a great job making the Fatteh, Xiangling. Er, Ms.Xiangling ?"

"Please, you can just call me Xiangling, no need for formalities!" Xiangling beamed at the compliment. "And thank you! This is my first time making Sumerian dishes, and I'm glad it went perfectly well! If you ever want me to make more, I can try to! Since, you know, I like experimenting with new dishes..."

"I'll take you up on that offer then, Xiangling. Thank you."

Guoba then waddled his way to the table Kaveh sat at and made a noise. Xiangling nodded in understanding. "Sorry Mister Kaveh, I have to help with more customers now, but I'll be around when you come back! Have a great day!"

"You too!" Kaveh responded back with a smile. He looked at the Fatteh dish and decided to finish it before going back to sightseeing. It was only later when he realized that he should've paid for the Fatteh, and he groaned. He hadn't earned much Mora and he still hadn't found his client, whom he doesn't know the identity of.

He was finishing his meal when someone graciously pulled out the chair from the table he sits at and sat down. At first, he didn't think much of it other than greeting them with a smile. It was only when he looked up and saw what the person looked like when his mind went blank.

'When has he last seen a gorgeous man such as the one across the table?'

"Ah, you're... uh?" he mustered up a few words, completely stunned, mouth agape. The person chuckled lightly and with a small soft smile that fits well with his glowing amber eyes, he introduced himself.

"My name is Zhongli. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Kaveh."

"Ah yes, uh- ahem!" Kaveh tries snapping out of his stupor with a small smile. "I'm... same to you, Mister Zhongli... sir. What brings you here to my table...?" His voice cracked at the last word and he cursed internally. 'And how does he know my name?!'

"I am simply here to apologize for not being able to locate you when you arrived. I've heard from Hu Tao that she found a tall Sumerian with medium-length blond hair, red eyes, and a Dendro vision, so I searched around the harbor in hopes of finding my... provider, for a lack of better words."

"Provider?" Kaveh thought aloud, confused. When was he Zhongli's provider? That's when he connected the dots. "Wait, you're my client!"

"Yes, I believe that I am indeed the client that you were searching for. Once again, I apologize for not finding you sooner."

Zhongli speaks genuinely about his apology, and Kaveh -as his 'provider' according to him- waves it off. "It's fine, Mister Zhongli. I'm glad I finally found the client I was meant to work with. But maybe we can talk about work a bit later? I'm sorta finishing up my meal."

"That is fine," Zhongli says. "We can discuss the matter here. I'll order myself some food as well."

"Oh, well... that's good. Sure, let's eat here then."

Kaveh didn't know what to say. But he agreed with the arrangement.

He truly didn't know what to say when Zhongli slowly realized he forgot his Mora to pay for their food. For someone that looks rich considering his attire, he was sure he had Mora. A lot! And the surprising part is that when Xiangling came over, she didn't seem fazed by it.

"Oh, this is actually a common thing to happen ever since Zhongli first visited Wanmin! It was a problem at first until later when his friend covered up all his orders. Usually, those orders are enough to make the table completely full of dishes, and I was concerned about his friend's bank account going into debt. And you know what? His friend said that it was okay, saying that it's like spending a penny!"

"Wh-whoa..." Kaveh blinked in awe and shock. "That must've been a lot of Mora spent... is he really that rich as he sounds?"

"My... friend," Zhongli started, hesitating at the word before continuing. "He is quite rich, but only because he is someone... special, in a way." He looked like adding in an important detail but decided against it and spoke about something else. "If you're skeptical of his richness, I can tell you he spent a grand total of over... hm, I'd say a million Mora in all the times he went out with me, more or less."

"A million??!" This friend is insanely rich! Too rich! Maybe richer than Alhaitham, to say the least!

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised anymore," Xiangling giggled. "But really, Zhongli, where is this friend of yours? I thought he'd be with you today."

"He's... he had left Liyue to return to Snezhnaya."

'Oh. So this friend of Zhongli is from Snezhnaya and is special.' Kaveh thought.

"Awh, shucks. Now who's going to pay for your order now?" Xiangling looked around, concerned. "You order quite a bit less than usual though, but it's still worth about 10,000 Mora."

"That's... a lot." Then Kaveh thought again 'How much did this friend spend each time he's with Zhongli? There's no way it's just over a million!'

"It is indeed..." Zhongli pondered, and if Kaveh wasn't going wild with the cost he just heard, he'd think that was a bit cute. 'Wait no- what are you thinking, stupid brain?! Agh...'

Xiangling sighed before speaking. "This is only one time Zhongli, okay? We'll let you off free since you're our regular here in Wanmin, but the next time you return, my father will be expecting you to pay off your 10,000 Mora you owe him."

"It is rather a reasonable contract," Zhongli spoke before correcting himself. "Excuse me, I mean to say deal. In that case, I'll take it and as promised, I will be paying next visit."

"Thank you, Mister Zhongli. Don't forget to bring your Mora next time, although I'll be surprised if you did." Xiangling bowed before returning to the kitchen.

"That's still... well nevermind. I'm not from here so I'll stick with what goes on here." Kaveh sighed before looking at Zhongli. "I'm curious to know, but what was your friend's name?"

Zhongli looked at Kaveh with hesitation. "... I believe we are getting a bit personal with sharing our relationships to one another when we just met today."

"Ah, sorry. I was curious..."

"It is fine, Mister Kaveh... I should be the one to apologize. I don't feel like sharing my life details with someone that I know is my provider. I used to, of course, but now I'm a bit... private, especially about certain affairs. But I can say that my friend is perhaps special. Very special."

It sounds like an excuse when he deflects it, apparently. What's more, the brunette's eyes are averted elsewhere to avoid talking about the topic. As much as it concerns Kaveh even more, he decided to not push it.

"Erhm..." He was quiet, thinking of what to speak about before the awkward tension comes. "What about that work we discussed? I think I'm motivated enough to start sketching ideas."

Zhongli brightened up a bit, relieved of the subject change. "Yes, let us do that. Let's head somewhere fitter to come up with designs. I believe you want to be somewhere where you wish for inspiration?"

"It'll be appreciated! Thank you, Mister Zhongli."