Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [553]

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Aether panted heavily, taking deep breaths as he plopped down by the side of the wooden walkway. He grabbed his water flask and took several big gulps.

"Hey, hey! You’re a well-known adventurer in Mondstadt now. How are you getting this tired just from walking?"

Paimon hovered above him, munching on some rations she had bought from Good Hunter.

"Even I’m not tired! You’re totally embarrassing me as your partner. Come on, pull yourself together, Aether!"

Aether twitched at the corners of his mouth, then reached out and lightly tugged at Paimon’s cheeks.

"You can fly. I can’t."

"If you hadn’t made me climb all those mountains searching for treasure along the way, I wouldn’t be this exhausted."

Paimon put away her food and snuggled against Aether’s hand, rubbing her face against it.

"Oh, come on, I did it for you! Albedo told me that Liyue’s prices are completely different from Mondstadt’s, so we need to save up! We can’t go borrowing money from Sanqiu again, can we?"

She puffed up her chest proudly. "We earn our meals through honest work. We can’t go picking up bad habits from that bard!"

Aether looked at her blankly and pointed at himself. "I’m the one doing the work. You’re just mooching off me, emergency food."

"Hey! Aren’t we partners? That’s such a hurtful thing to say!"

Paimon instantly lost her cool. "I’ve been cheering for you the whole time! Are you seriously denying all my hard work?"

Aether let out a small chuckle. "Alright, alright. I know you’ve been working hard. Thanks, Paimon."

"You’re my best partner."

"Aww, you—!"

The sudden sincerity of Aether’s words made Paimon scratch her head in embarrassment. She clearly hadn’t expected him to say something so sweet.

"Let’s rest for a bit, then set off again. I can already smell something delicious up ahead—someone must be selling food!"

Paimon’s eyes sparkled. "This is already Liyue territory, right? That means we’ll finally get to taste some of Sanqiu’s hometown dishes! I’m so excited!"

...

Half an hour later—

"Bleh, this is so bitter!"

Paimon scrunched up her tiny, delicate face as she held a large bowl of tea. She hadn’t expected the so-called "local delicacy" here to be tea!

Uncle Zhou’s stall did offer plain water, but as Teyvat’s self-proclaimed greatest gourmet, Paimon would never pass up a chance to try new foods.

If she was just going to drink water, she could have done that on the road. No way she’d waste Mora sitting down at a stall for that!

Aether smiled and pushed a plate of tea snacks toward her. "Try this instead."

The snacks at this humble tea stall weren’t particularly fancy, but they were carefully handmade by seasoned elders, giving them a unique charm.

"Haha, little guest, you should sip tea slowly. If you drink it too fast, it’ll taste unbearably bitter, and it might even make you feel nauseous or throw up."

"Many foreigners have stopped by my stall before. No matter how thirsty they are, they all have to drink slowly. Only by savoring it can they truly appreciate the aroma of tea. It’s also better for your body."

Uncle Zhou chuckled as he brought over the rest of the snacks. "Ah, ah! It’s been a while since I’ve seen travelers from other nations. Is this your first time in Liyue?"

"Yeah, yeah! We’re here for the Rite of Descension!"

Paimon perked up immediately. She was delighted that Uncle Zhou had called her "little guest" instead of "that flying little thing." Instantly, her opinion of him skyrocketed.

"Elder, do you know of any must-try foods in Liyue Harbor? We want to explore a bit more after the Rite!"

Uncle Zhou thought for a moment. "Liyue Harbor’s food, huh? Ah, I’m too old to keep up with the latest trends, but there must be plenty of good eats."

"We’re blessed by the Geo Archon, after all. Liyue has no shortage of delicious dishes. If you two really want to enjoy everything, it’d be best to stay for a while and have a local guide show you around."

"Ohhh, I see!"

Paimon’s eyes lit up. "Then we’ll have Sanqiu take us around! If he’s too busy, he can at least find us a guide!"

Aether sighed, rubbing his forehead. Any conversation about food or money could always get Paimon energized.

"Hey, hey, I’m a busy man. But I can help find you a guide."

…?

Aether froze for a moment, then looked up.

Gu Sanqiu stood there, hands in his pockets, casually landing in front of them—with a squad of Millelith soldiers behind him.

"Yo. Long time no see."

Aether’s sharp eyes immediately caught a small detail—when Sanqiu’s soldiers landed, a few of them stumbled slightly.

Did he… speed all the way here?

Sanqiu had indeed rushed over at full speed. The only reason these Millelith soldiers hadn’t collapsed was that he’d secretly made them straighten up before stepping out together.

After all, if they had all arrived dizzy and stumbling, that would’ve been very embarrassing for him.

Aether was still a little surprised. "Sanqiu? What are you doing here?"

Huh. The kid’s getting better at speaking in full sentences.

Sanqiu smirked. "I should be asking you two that. Weren’t you searching for someone in Mondstadt? Why are you sitting around drinking tea here? Or… did your clues lead you to Liyue?"

"Um… let’s talk about that in private."

If they outright admitted they were delivering a message from Mondstadt’s Anemo Archon to the Geo Archon, they had no idea how the surrounding soldiers would react.

"Fair enough. Finish your tea first. Once you’re done, I’ll take you to Wangshu Inn for a meal."

Sanqiu waved his hand, and the Millelith immediately surrounded a nearby stall.

"W-What are you doing?!"

A young couple manned the stall, and the man looked incredibly nervous as the Millelith closed in.

"We’re law-abiding citizens of Liyue! You Millelith can’t just do as you please!"

Sanqiu stepped forward. "People who actually follow the law don’t feel the need to emphasize it. Nor do their faces turn that pale. Your criminal instincts still need some work, huh?"

"Oh, but never mind. You won’t be getting another chance after today."

"Isn’t that right, Mr. Jianqiu? Miss Huachu?"

Sanqiu smiled. "You two used to live in Liyue Harbor. The elders here might not recognize me, but you wouldn’t dare play dumb, would you?"

"Xiang—Xiangjun…"

Jianqiu collapsed to the ground. "W-We didn’t do anything…"

"Not my concern. Whatever you have to say, take it up with the officials back in town."

Sanqiu glanced at Huachu. "Duke Dean sold off his property and his old home because his daughter passed away. From the way he looks, if he can’t move past it, he probably doesn’t have many years left."

Huachu trembled all over.

"Take them."

Sanqiu patted the Millelith captain on the shoulder before turning to Uncle Zhou, who looked completely bewildered.

"Uncle Zhou, you must be quite respected around here, right?"

"Oh—uh, well, young man, I suppose I do carry some influence. And Aunt Qiao over there, who helps others with their stalls, does too. Do you need something?"

"That works."

Sanqiu pulled out a token engraved with a lightning bolt and a dragon’s claw. "Elder, this should look familiar, right?"

Uncle Zhou took the token with both hands, inspecting it closely.

"Oh! The kids from Qingce Village have mentioned this before. This is Captain Beidou’s insignia! She’s a great benefactor to our village! Young man, do you know Captain Beidou?"

---

This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!