Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [515]

Two days later, having thoroughly explored the archipelago, the group prepared to return to Mondstadt—well, to be precise, because Jean was worried about unfinished business at the Knights of Favonius.

If not for that, aside from the two sisters, everyone else here was basically an unemployed wanderer.

Yes, that included both Kaeya and Albedo, despite their official ranks as captains in the Knights. After all, one spent half his time drinking and slacking off, while the other holed up in his lab all day running experiments.

Before leaving, Albedo left behind a tracking beacon on the Golden Apple Archipelago. If the Knights ever decided to hold a team-building event in the future, this place would definitely be a great choice.

As they sailed back to Mondstadt, Gu Sanqiu glanced over his shoulder at the archipelago, now slowly being swallowed by mist.

The true origins of the Golden Apple Archipelago remained unknown, but the island was littered with signs of past experiments—almost certainly one of Alice’s old testing grounds.

That also explained the Hilichurls wandering around the place. After all, Alice’s love for Hilichurls was… let’s just say, "deep and profound."

Yes. The kind of "love" that involved launching them into the sky.

Roughly equivalent to how scientists cherish their lab mice—by conducting all sorts of questionable experiments on them.

Upon arriving in Mondstadt, Gu Sanqiu did what he always did—checked into Goethe Hotel on the Fatui’s tab, telling the staff to bill Tartaglia if there were any issues with payment.

Watching the Fatui agents’ expressions, Gu Sanqiu finally understood a bit of the fun Diluc had.

Being able to check in anywhere just by flashing your face?

Yeah, that’s a pretty damn good feeling.

Of course, Diluc’s version of this was on a whole other level—sometimes, while sipping tea and watching an opera, a noble lady would send a waiter over to inform him that his bill had already been covered.

Not only could Diluc get free accommodations, but he could also get free romantic encounters. (cross that out)

"So this is the privilege of controlling the underworld, huh?"

Gu Sanqiu was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Liyue Harbor was huge, and the demand for intelligence was sky-high. Some of the best rumors and secrets he’d heard had come from unexpected sources like these.

Handsome, cultured, well-mannered—no wonder noble ladies were practically lining up to pay for his meals.

If Diluc weren’t so reserved, those waiters might be accompanied by family retainers, and the first thing they’d say would probably be:

"Would you do us the honor of having a chat?"

But of course, Diluc would never agree.

Because the opera was more important.

Meanwhile, Itto and Klee were still bursting with energy and had already run off to play again.

Gu Sanqiu, on the other hand, followed the directions he’d received and found his way to Aether’s apartment, where he left a note at the door before heading to Angel’s Share for a drink.

After all, there was no way the honorary knight was sleeping in the wilderness.

The Knights of Favonius could at least afford a decent apartment—otherwise, what kind of image would that project to the public?

These days, even if you were truly upright, people would still find a way to slander you. The last thing the Knights needed was more people twisting the story into something ugly.

"Knew I’d find you here."

Gu Sanqiu sighed as he walked into the tavern, spotting Venti already face down on the table, looking completely wasted.

It was hard not to feel like this guy was dragging down the dignity of the Seven Archons.

At least Zhongli sipped tea and listened to operas, and Ei just liked sweets—those were personal preferences. But they still carried themselves with proper decorum.

Unlike a certain bard who had no such concerns.

"Ah, my dear nephew is back! Come, buy me dinner!"

Barbatos latched onto Gu Sanqiu’s sleeve, grinning.

"Angel’s Share is truly a blessed place. Whether it’s the cocktails or the pure liquor, everything here is simply divine~"

Gu Sanqiu stared down at this self-proclaimed deadbeat, his expression unreadable.

"You know, I’m starting to think Decarabian’s rule over Mondstadt wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe I should resurrect him and put him back in charge. We could just say the anemo archon got plastic surgery and a height boost."

Venti gave him a sideways glance.

"Heh. Trying to get me to spill secrets again? Nice try, but I won’t tell you a thing~"

Then, after a brief pause, he added,

"That stubborn tornado-for-brains never cared about ruling in the first place."

"He only intervened last time because he couldn’t stand the thought of outsiders running wild on the land he once called his own. It’s the same reason why a deposed king would still get angry if his old kingdom was suddenly invaded."

"The difference is, that guy’s too powerful for anyone to control—so he does whatever he wants."

Gu Sanqiu handed Venti a few plates of food and sat across from him, propping his chin on his hand as he stared at him without blinking.

"You staring like that is making my food taste bad."

"Funny, because judging by how fast you’re eating, you don’t seem the least bit bothered."

After finishing his drink, Gu Sanqiu left, while Venti, in a flash, sobering up completely.

But his gaze wasn’t fixed on Gu Sanqiu.

At Gu Sanqiu’s current level of power, even a casual glance in a certain direction could attract unwanted attention—and Venti wasn’t about to make such a careless mistake.

"The name of a god has fallen… and now, Liyue’s turn is coming."

Venti poured himself another glass of wine.

Then, after a moment of thought, he added a mint leaf.

"The road ahead won’t be easy."

"Your old man has quite the ruthless heart, doesn’t he?"

Venti chuckled to himself.

"A nation without gods… If they truly want to achieve that dream, the path forward won’t be smooth sailing."

---

The next day, Aether and Paimon arrived right on time at Good Hunter after receiving Gu Sanqiu’s note.

"Sanqiu, long time no see!"

Paimon waved cheerfully. "Thanks for the meal in advance! Hehe~"

Aether smiled and nodded—he still wasn’t great at speaking much.

"Have a seat. Once we’re done eating, I’m heading back to Liyue. I figured I should meet up with you two before I go."

Gu Sanqiu turned to Aether. "How many of those teleportation points have you unlocked now?"

Aether seemed to focus for a moment, then slowly held up eight fingers.

"Oh? Not bad."

That was a solid improvement.

Last time, he and Albedo had to act as literal batteries just to open a single waypoint.

Now, Aether could do seven more on his own—definitely progress.

"Of course!"

Paimon puffed up proudly. "My partner is the best!"

"Yeah, considering he has to feed you, I’d say that’s impressive in itself."

"Hey!"

Paimon stomped her foot. "Just because you’re treating us today doesn’t mean I won’t argue with you!"

"Hahaha, alright, sit down. The food’s getting cold."

Gu Sanqiu chuckled, then asked, "So? Any news about your sister?"

Aether nodded—then hesitated and shook his head.

"Wait, you actually found something?"

Gu Sanqiu was genuinely surprised. He had only asked casually, but Aether actually had a lead?

Could it be that the Defiled Statues had started appearing?

"Ah, he’s not great at explaining. Let me do it!"

Paimon took over.

"We found a recording—it showed his sister walking outside Stormterror’s Lair, riding on top of a Ruin Guard."

"But when we rushed over, we found nothing. That’s why he nodded, then shook his head."

"Later, we asked that Albedo guy, and he said the recording was likely preserved by elemental traces. Since it wasn’t man-made, there was no way to determine when it was actually recorded."

---

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!