Returning from Seymour's residence, Ji An made his decision.
He and Herloxia would head to Mondstadt as soon as possible to seek an opportunity to ascend Dragonspine, to the site of the former Sal Vindagnyr.
Back when he had achieved a perfect evaluation, he had obtained the reward [Wind from an Ancient Nation] a clue for upgrading the core of Human's Heart.
The key to enhancing Herloxia's power lay within that ancient kingdom buried by snow.
To say Ji An felt no regret about giving up the elemental dragon king's authority to save Jiang Li would be a lie.
After all, that had been the temptation of becoming a god.
Ever since the encounter with the Abyss Herald when he had been left behind by Shenhe his previously laid-back attitude had quietly given way to a genuine desire for power.
But on one hand, just as he had told the system, carrying the authority of a god would draw far too much attention. Before he had grown strong enough, if the reigning Archons ever caught wind of it, they would likely suppress him without a second thought. One mountain cannot harbor two tigers. The defeated gods of the Archon War were all gone dead or fled and even at their peak, they had ended up that way. In an era where the seven thrones were already firmly established, even becoming a god was no guarantee of safety.
But if he was being honest, the main reason was simply that it had felt right.
Hmph. Azhdaha, you owe me another enormous favor. Stay nicely beneath that Dragon-Queller Tree and recover your strength. When you get out eventually, you can be my mount.
"Heh. Though that's a joke, it's said that during the Archon War, Azhdaha the Dragon King was the Geo Archon's closest friend and comrade-in-arms."
Ji An rubbed his chin and murmured, "If I could really ride a giant rock dragon everywhere in the future... that would actually be pretty cool."
"Chirp, chirp."
Herloxia's voice came through in his mind, sounding a little aggrieved.
Ji An started. He had forgotten to mute the connection.
"Chirp."
Getting no response, her voice grew even more plaintive — as if to say: am I not enough for you?
"Ahem — don't misunderstand, Herloxia. I'm not actually going to ride a dragon. What's so great about dragons anyway? I was just thinking out loud."
Ji An quickly reassured her.
"Chirp~"
Her tone brightened immediately.
Ji An smiled to himself. She really was easy to cheer up.
"Oh, Herloxia — we need to start preparing to leave Liyue. We're heading for the free city-state in the northeastern part of the continent."
He stood by the window, looking out at the bright moon, feeling a quiet reluctance.
He hadn't been in Teyvat for very long, and his time in Liyue Harbor was shorter still. But in that brief span, he had made many friends here and been on the receiving end of more kindness than he could easily account for. Perhaps it was the cultural familiarity — so close to what he had known in his previous life — but Liyue felt like somewhere he genuinely belonged.
"No sadness in parting, no joy in reunion..."
Ji An sat by the window and began to write a farewell letter.
It was for Hu Tao.
He knew perfectly well that if he told her he was leaving, she would drop everything and try to follow.
But this trip wasn't something she could come along for.
The path he and Herloxia had to walk was not one that could easily have company.
---
A Tao (too sentimental, scratch that)
Hu Tao, my friend.
Very quietly I take my leave, as quietly as I came;
Gently I flick my sleeves, not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away.
...
Ji An.
---
After writing the letter, Ji An folded the paper into an envelope and sealed it carefully.
It would be delivered to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor by Guoba the day after he left.
Securing that one promise had cost him an entire basket of spicy meat mantou.
Date of fulfillment: to be determined.
---
Only a handful of people — Ningguang, Seymour, and a few others — knew of Ji An's plan to leave.
He had thought he could slip away quietly.
Unexpectedly, before his departure, someone came looking for him.
He opened the door of his room at the inn and stared in surprise at the person on the other side.
The flashy pompadour. The melancholy little mustache. The sunglasses. A bamboo basket brimming with goods.
Liben.
"Brother Liben?"
Ji An blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd already left."
"Young friend, it's a long story."
Liben's expression was, unexpectedly, rather aggrieved. "Back in the dream, didn't you leave with that little girl? And then after a while, the spirits in the ancient city started leaving one by one. I thought my turn was coming soon..."
He sighed deeply. "But that short Adeptus completely forgot about me in there."
Ji An: "..."
"So what happened?"
Liben let out a hearty laugh. "All's well that ends well! I, Liben, am a man of good fortune. Eventually, Lord Guoba discovered my body mid-astral-projection inside the tent, and called over Miss Xiangling, who got that short Adeptus to bring me out."
Ji An breathed a quiet sigh of relief and then immediately felt guilty.
It really was inexcusable. It had been Liben's help that allowed him to save Jiang Li, and he had completely forgotten about the man.
Before that incident, Ji An had thought of Liben as a well-meaning but unreliable sort.
After it, he decided Liben was his second-best brother — after Zhongli.
He said so plainly.
Ji An gripped his hand. "Brother Liben, I owe you one. You have to let me treat you to a meal."
Liben laughed. "Haha! Sure, sure."
---
Downstairs at the inn, Ji An ordered enough dishes to fill the table.
Black-Back Perch Stew, Qingce Stir Fry, Tripe Trio, Golden Shrimp Balls, Stir-Fried Shrimp, Jueyun Guoba...
And two bottles of spirits to go with it.
"Brother Liben, eat your fill. It's all on me today."
"Young friend, you really are generous!"
---
Halfway through the meal, Ji An set down his chopsticks and asked, "What are your plans from here, Brother Liben? Still interpreting fortunes?"
"No, no, no."
Liben waved his hand. "Learning fortune interpretation in Inazuma was only ever a means to an end to build up capital. Now that I have enough, I can get back to proper business!"
He patted the pouch at his waist with a satisfied air. The Mora inside clinked brightly.
Ji An noticed how full it was and thought to himself that Keqing had been quite generous with the payment.
"Before I went to Inazuma, I stumbled onto a business opportunity," Liben said with a smile. "This venture does involve a long journey all the way to Sumeru, and the turnaround is somewhat slow but within those limits, it's essentially risk-free."
Ji An couldn't help his curiosity. "Risk-free? Does a deal like that actually exist?"
As he understood it, all business carried some degree of risk. Short of a total monopoly, where could you find something truly guaranteed?
He caught himself and quickly added, "Sorry, Brother Liben I shouldn't be prying into your trade secrets."
-------
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