Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 152 Xuan Yue's Plan, Xuan Qing's Commission

After the Brewfest ended, Xuan Yue didn't even have time to say goodbye to Venti and the others before immediately returning to Liyue Harbor to handle important matters.

Because his men stationed in Sumeru sent an urgent message: news of the God of Grass had been found.

"Oh dear, Mr. Qingyue is such a busy man. But I can understand, after all, who doesn't like sparkly Mora?"

That money-grubbing tone immediately tells you she's a businesswoman with connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles—Dolly Sangomahabai.

"Any news?"

Xuan Yue got straight to the point. Although Dolly was a money-grubber, her influence in Sumeru was not to be underestimated. She even controlled several trade routes that the Order of the Church was unaware of, demonstrating her considerable abilities.

"Grandpa Qingyue, don't be impatient. It's the rule of the trade: money on delivery... Oh, I'm not a greedy person. I only got this information after going through a lot of trouble. Also, the journey to Sumeru and Liyue is quite long, so—hehe."

Dolly's eyes sparkled, her lingering thoughts naturally referring to Mora, whom she was thinking about.

"It depends on how much your information is worth, Dolly. My money doesn't grow on trees." Xuan Yue's eyes were sharp; the biggest difference between him and Xuan Qing was his adaptability.

"Speak, if it's useful to me—the starting price is one million Mora." Xuan Yue took the main seat, poured a cup of tea, and then invited Dolly to sit down.

(One million Mora! I'm rich!) (☆_☆)

Dolly's mind is completely occupied with that million Mora, and that's the bottom line.

He sat down in a daze and said, "Ahem... Since Mr. Qingyue is in such a hurry, I won't waste any more words."

"My merchant group has concluded from their inquiries among the people that the Little Auspicious Grass King was born after the death of the previous Grass God, the Great Compassionate Tree King. However, according to the elders, the current Grass God is not omniscient and omnipotent, and has disappeared without a trace after being taken away by the Order of the Teachings."

"Just a few months ago, the Order of the Church posted a notice dispatching students to search for something called 'Divine Jarred Knowledge,' which caused quite a few clashes with the Gilded Troupe in Ormos Port."

(“Divine Jar Knowledge”, it’s that stuff again…) Xuan Yue’s eyes darkened as she continued to listen to Dolly’s story.

"Legend has it that whoever uses this canned knowledge can gain 'divine knowledge,' which has sparked a craze. Of course, I'm also sending people to search for it, to see if there are any clues about the Grass God in this so-called 'canned knowledge of the gods.'"

Xuan Yue: "...No need to search, I have a message here as well. The so-called 'divine knowledge in a jar' is just a scheme by the Order of the Religion."

"Oh, I see... Luckily, I didn't send out too many people, otherwise we would not only have returned empty-handed, but also suffered heavy losses..." Life is tough, Dolly sighed.

The thought of spending Mora on hiring people going down the drain makes my heart ache. But thankfully, I can still earn a little more...hehe.

Seeing Dolly's silly grin, Xuan Yue couldn't stand it anymore. She directly pulled out a check and said, "Here's a check for ten million Mora. Someone will take you to the Northern Bank to collect it later..."

"Good, good, Mr. Qingyue is such a straightforward person." Dolly was already staring intently at the check, unable to take her eyes off it.

"But I need you to do one more thing before I can give you this check. If you do it, I can add another ten million."

"Add another ten million!!!" ($_$) Dolly's eyes were practically overflowing with desire, and she nodded in agreement before even hearing Xuan Yue finish speaking.

"I want you to get involved in the taverns near Port Omos, just like in the previous contract, to sell wines from other countries, and at the same time arrange some people to get involved."

Dolly: "That's no problem at all. In fact, I own shares in quite a few pubs."

"Yes, but this is only the first step. I will have my brother go to Port Ormos to meet you later."

Xuan Yue then handed the check to Dolly. As if afraid that Xuan Yue would change her mind, Dolly immediately put the check into her pocket.

"Oh, alright, alright. Don't worry, Grandpa Qingyue, we people in this line of work are very tight-lipped. We never ask questions about things we shouldn't know. But lately, the disciplinary officials have been inspecting more strictly, so just in case, I still have to ask how I can tell... where your brother is?"

"How about we set a secret code, like: 'The bright moon hangs high in the sky, the blazing sun bows its head. Whether it's fortune or misfortune, it's all up to fate.'"

-------

At that moment, Kong and Paimon arrived at Xuan Yue's manor, ready to inquire about the situation.

But it seems like I've come up empty-handed.

"Oh dear, are you here to see Xiao Xuan Yue? Well, you've come at a bad time; he's already gone back to Li Yue." Wendy was smiling at them from a tree nearby.

Paimon: "A street performer!"

Responding to Paimon's call, Wendy jumped down from the tree: "Things are a bit complicated, let's talk somewhere else."

When they reached a wide-open meadow where there was no one else around, Wendy stopped and said, "Let's stay here."

Paimon: "You street performer, how did you know we were looking for Jin Xuan?"

“The wind told me, and I also overheard your conversation yesterday.” Wendy briefly summarized before getting to the point: “As one of the insiders, Xuan Yue asked you for help for only one thing—to repair the ley lines in various places.”

Kong: "Earth veins?"

Wendy nodded: "Yes, the ley lines carry the memories of Teyvat, and also record Teyvat's rules, the so-called 'order.' But now, the ley lines have been eroded beyond recognition, indirectly affecting Xuanqing and causing him to lose control."

"Xuan Yue has been searching for a way to remove the 'forbidden' elements from the earth's veins, all in order to bring Xuan Qing back."

"I see. I remember that Kong is immune to those things, so Xuan Yue wanted our help, right?"

Wendy: "Hmm~, Paimon is really smart."

"whee."

Kong: "In other words, if we repair the ley lines, will we be able to suppress Xuanqing's loss of control?"

Wendy: "Correct."

Paimon: "We can busk, but we don't know how to repair the ley lines. Is there any way?"

"Oh dear, this has stumped this bard. Perhaps we should let the person in question explain it to you?"

Sora: "The real deal? Isn't Jin Xuan no longer in Mondstadt?"

"Well..." (Grandpa Qing, it's your turn.)

The transparent crystal butterfly hiding in the tree didn't react at all, showing him no respect whatsoever.

Paimon: "Hey street performer, stop teasing us. Who's the real performer?"

"Hey, wait a minute. Grandpa Qing, give me some face, little Xuan Yue isn't here right now, so you don't need to hide anymore." Wendy turned and shouted at the tree where the crystal butterfly was.

Only then did the crystal butterfly react and fly to them.

Kong: "? A crystal butterfly?"

"Crystal Butterfly? The street performers thought you were calling for Grandpa Qingyue, but this is all?" Paimon said with a look of disdain.

"It's me." The transparent crystal butterfly suddenly transformed into Xuan Qing's appearance and appeared in front of them.

"Wow!--"

"!"

Xuanqing's sudden appearance startled both Paimeng and Kong.

It took them several breaths to calm their racing hearts.

"No, wait! It really is Grandpa Qingyue." Paimon started circling around Xuanqing: "Didn't the Liyue Immortal say you were sealed back to the 'Sleeping Land'? How did you get out?"

Kong stepped forward, intending to touch Xuan Qing, but his hand passed right through her.

Kong met Xuan Qing's eyes with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Yes, as you can see, my true form is indeed still sealed. What you see now is merely a projection of my consciousness. As Barbatos said, the ley lines were corrupted, causing me to become tainted by those 'forbidden' elements. Sealing me is the best outcome."

"But the current situation is dire, and the burden on A-Yue alone is too great, so I asked you all to help repair the ley lines."

Paimon: "Huh? So it was Grandpa Qingyue's request, not Jin Xuan's."

“He has enough work now, and the responsibilities I left behind are too heavy. He didn’t have to worry about these things when I was around, but now…” There was a hint of unclear emotion in Xuanqing’s eyes.

"Ahem, Grandpa Qing, let's get down to business. From now on, you two can spend your time together however you like, so you don't need to worry so much." Wendy interjected jokingly, interrupting Xuan Qing's emotions.

"..." (Barbatos, you wait until I get out.)

Wendy seemed to understand the meaning in Xuan Qing's eyes and immediately retreated behind Kong.

Xuanqing: "The methods for repairing ley lines vary from place to place. I have already repaired the ley lines in Mondstadt, and they are not serious. You can take some time to clean the surface filth in the Laminaria in Liyue. I have not yet checked the other places, so I do not know the methods for them yet."

"The Abyss of Layered Rocks? We've been there many times, so it shouldn't be a problem for us."

Paimon stood with his hands on his hips, chest out, and head held high, looking incredibly smug.

"Yes, be careful in everything. By the way, don't tell Xuan Yue about me; he doesn't know yet."

Paimon: "Huh? Why?"

“Uh…” Xuan Qing was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Aren't you afraid that Xuan Yue will come after you when he finds out you've been hiding things from him?" Kong's words were truly insightful.

"..." Xuan Qing remained silent.

"Yeah, yeah, it's like when Sora tells everyone but I'm the only one kept in the dark, I'd be really angry too."

"..." Xuanqing had a bad feeling.

"Grandpa Qing, you don't want Xuan Yue to have a cold war with you, do you?" Wendy poked her head out from behind Kong and added insult to injury.

“I will consider it, but not now.” After saying that, Xuan Qing transformed into a crystal butterfly again: “I will not put Xuan Yue in danger, never. I can only guarantee Xuan Yue’s safety after my own crisis is resolved. I’ll take my leave now. Staying outside in my current form for too long will cause some unexpected situations on my main body. See you next time, Traveler.”

Goodbye, Barbatos.

After the crystal butterfly flew away, Wendy emerged from behind Kong.

Wendy: "What are your plans now?"

Kong: "Hmm... I'll go to the Adventurers' Guild later to see if there are any quests related to the Layered Rock Abyss, and we'll also talk about the current situation underground."

Paimon (=^▽^=): "That's exactly what I was thinking. Earning Mora can help Grandpa Qingyue and also lighten Jin Xuan's burden. It's a win-win-win situation, hehe."

"Then I'll stay here and wish you a safe journey."