"You're leaving?" Jean lifted her head, her expression calmer than Star had expected.
"Yes, it's time to set off for Liyue. The Please Immortal Ceremony will begin soon, so..." Star sat on the couch, speaking hesitantly.
After living in Mondstadt so long, saying goodbye felt surprisingly hard.
But she had promised Lumine they'd travel together, and she still needed to find her own way home; she couldn't stay in Mondstadt forever.
No matter what, the day of departure would always come.
"I didn't expect it to be so soon..." Jean sighed softly, set her work aside, and came to sit beside Star.
"Have you bid farewell to everyone else?"
"Yes, all done." Star nodded; Jean had been the last to know, since she was so busy and Star hadn't wanted to disturb her.
Everyone else had shown clear reluctance, but they understood; they knew Star couldn't stay with them forever.
So they'd simply dragged Star into one last crazy spree... "Looks like it really was." Jean stroked her chin, studying the corner of Star's mouth.
It was still a little red—whose handiwork was that? Or had it been a group effort?
"Ahem, it's not like I'm never coming back. Whenever I'm free I can return to Mondstadt in an instant." Star coughed and couldn't help adding.
With the waypoints, getting back to Mondstadt took mere moments.
She'd already told them that; there was no need to act as if they wouldn't meet for years.
The only pity was that this world seemed to lack any convenient long-distance communication; most people still relied on letters.
"I know, and everyone knows, but hearing you're leaving still stings a little." Jean smiled softly.
No matter what, Star would be away from Mondstadt for a long while; from now on they could only wait for her to visit them—they couldn't seek her out themselves.
"When do you plan to set off?"
"Barring any surprises, the morning after tomorrow."
They would spend today and tomorrow preparing, then leave light and early the following dawn.
"The day after tomorrow..." Jean pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Liyue is different from Mondstadt; it's the nation of contracts, cherishing commerce and trade. Seven great merchants representing the seven mercantile powers are called the Liyue Seven Stars—effectively Liyue's rulers."
Jean explained some basics about Liyue.
"The Liyue Seven Stars..."
"Indeed, but more than people, the gods are the biggest difference between our nations. Liyue's Rock God Morax descends every year to deliver divine decrees."
"So in short, Liyue's god is still on duty, right?" Star raised an eyebrow, recalling that green figure.
She wouldn't underestimate any god in this world, but Venti... at least on the surface, seemed rather unreliable.
And as a god, Venti had provided Lumine with precious little information.
"Jean, do you know anything about the Rock God? Will he, uh... be like Venti?" Star hesitated but still asked.
After all, Jean was a devout follower of the Wind God; Star didn't want to bad-mouth Venti outright, so she phrased it tactfully.
Jean surely understood what she meant.
"I've only visited Liyue a few times and never during the Please Immortal Ceremony, so I've never seen that god in person. But compared to Lord Venti... probably not." Jean sounded uncertain.
Judging by the Liyue people's reactions, Rock God Morax should be a majestic and solemn deity.
"In any case, if you wish to meet that god, you'll likely have to deal with the Liyue Seven Stars first. I've already written to one of them, the Tianquan Star; she'll look after you when you arrive."
"That's wonderful, thank you, Jean—" Star's gratitude was cut short as the world spun.
Jean had tackled her onto the sofa.
"Don't thank me, Star."
If she had to express gratitude, there were other ways...
---
The days flew by—only two, after all.
During that time Star was thoroughly wrung dry; knowing they might not meet again for ages, she refused no one. On the eve of departure they even threw a huge party.
After that wild night, come morning no one could see Star and Lumine off.
Everyone was still lying down, too exhausted to move.
They could only bid Star farewell from their beds. Had Lumine not needed to hit the road—and had Star shown her mercy—they might not have left at all.
At Mondstadt's gate Star and Lumine met, waiting for it to open.
It was still too early; the sun hadn't fully risen.
But given the long road from Mondstadt to Liyue, an early start was best—they could rest at an inn along the way instead of camping in the wild.
"Haa~" Lumine yawned, looking anything but rested.
"Lumine, did you sleep badly last night?" Paimon turned, eyeing the yawning girl.
"Ah, yeah, I hardly slept at all..." Lumine nodded, giving Star a helpless glance.
Who could sleep amid that revelry? The constant noise kept Lumine up all night.
Star, however, showed no fatigue; though she'd barely slept either, she looked bright and energetic.
"Ha, haha, maybe Paimon's snores were so loud that Lumine couldn't sleep." Aether noticed Lumine's gaze and cracked a joke to change the subject.
"No way! I absolutely do not snore!" Paimon stomped in mid-air in a huff.
In truth, Lumine hadn't been sleeping with Paimon much lately; she would wait until Paimon was asleep and then slip off to Aether's side.
Lumine merely smiled, then looked ahead again.
"The gate's opening."
The great gates of Mondstadt slowly swung open; a beam of sunlight shone straight through the entrance, spilling onto the three of them.
"Alright, next stop Liyue—let's go!" Paimon waved her tiny fist in the air and addressed the pair.
"Yeah! Let's move!" Aether answered enthusiastically, while Lumine could only yawn and lazily pump a fist.
After so long in this world, they were finally setting off for the next destination.
Liyue
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