Keqing drifted up from a dream, palm sliding to the empty half of the bed—Su Xuan was already gone. She stretched, then winced at that faint, tearing ache that curled a smile onto her lips.
After hauling The Chasm's under–mines to the surface and cleansing Azhdaha, the two of them had, of course, taken a long, scalding soak. Somewhere between steam and moonlight, Keqing received the Diary-Holder's power package from Su. But when they pushed deeper into a certain "domain," one stray comment of hers had nearly stumped him: why did unlocking seals still hurt if she was stronger now? Remembering it, her cheeks prickled with heat. She, a self-proclaimed "ordinary minnow," had insisted on opening the deepest door; one push later her strength bottomed out and her awareness fuzzed so hard Su briefly checked if she was still breathing.
"Ugh…" She covered her face, then jolted—noon already.
"Great. I haven't even drafted the post-Chasm plan."
Keqing was a true work fiend—"lightning execution" didn't cover it. What others budgeted for a month she tried to finish in three days, leaving collaborators burnt out and resigning.
She got as far as the doorway—then paused. The Chasm sat far from Liyue Harbor; even if someone noticed the mine had… become a mountain, word would take days to spread. And the people would need a reasonable explanation.
"Better loop Ningguang and Ganyu in first."
She checked the diary. No new entries.
"Tch. So he just… patted his backside and left?"
At least she was saying it while sprawled in his house. That helped.
Downstairs, voices. Keqing headed for the stairwell and peered over the rail. Su wasn't out after all—he was talking to Cloud Retainer.
The adeptus glanced up and beckoned. "So it was the Yuheng."
"True Lord," Keqing greeted.
Cloud Retainer returned the nod, then to Su: "You truly won't go?"
"Nope. Last night I told Fat-daha I was there on your request. If thanks are due, tell them to thank you." Su flicked his wrist as if shooing away a sparrow.
Cloud Retainer adjusted her spectacles. "…It's only thanks. No one will press labor on you. And you know Rex Lapis isn't that sort."
Truth was, Zhongli had contacted her that same night. By dawn he'd reached the rest of the adepti; they were already discussing a formal thanks. Su, however, was flatly declining.
Su's eyes slid to Keqing; a mischievous glint. "Idle Cloud—shall I let the kitten see what sort of 'depth' an adeptus has?"
She stiffened, hands flying to her frames to hide a blush. "This immortal understands perfectly. I'll inform the Lord of Geo at once."
Close the door and do anything you like—but in front of the junior? Have mercy. She beat a brisk retreat.
Su watched her flee and raised the diary:
[On Idle Cloud's (Cloud Retainer) invitation to a "thank-you banquet" from Morax and company: I'm not interested.]
[Unless Liyue itself were on the brink, the Lord of Geo wouldn't ask me to do anything anyway.]
[Last time he and Barbatos blocked my door, I couldn't refuse a meal.]
[Nothing against the two of them—I just don't enjoy sitting around drinking with a bunch of dudes.]
Cloud Retainer paused at the threshold, expression blank. That's your reason? Because most attendees are male? …There was her and Madam Ping—but then she scowled, remembering Ping still chose her elderly visage in the mortal world.
Blame you this time, A-Ping! But I can't feed Rex Lapis that excuse… Su, give me a better one!
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Hu Tao slapped the counter. "I even capped the old man's tabs to force him to introduce me properly, and now Su doesn't want to drink with Rex Lapis? … Looks like I'll have to make the first move."
Su's next note shifted:
[Ningguang stopped by with news: the Crux Fleet made port last night.]
[She asked how I plan to go back to Inazuma—ride a Star-Skiff, fly myself, or sail on The Alcor with Beidou and watch the sea.]
[I'm leaning toward sailing with Beidou.]
Hu Tao: "…He's leaving already?"
[But the real news isn't the boat. Beidou brought someone from Inazuma: the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi, Sangonomiya Kokomi.]
[After I left, Ei suppressed Watatsumi by force. Kokomi leapt into the sea and ended up rescued by the Alcor.]
[Beidou says the Watatsumi "ornamental fish" wants to see me.]
[I did make a promise to Ei when I left: she'd handle Inazuma properly and wait for my return. We'll hear Kokomi out and see what's what.]
[Barring surprises, I'll prep to sail within two days.]
Fountain of Lucine, Fontaine.
Furina's eyes sparkled. Watatsumi vs. Shogunate—restoration drama incoming! Had Ei massacred them? Or was Kokomi trying to use Su to seize Watatsumi back?
Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko's ears twitched. "As expected, the little priestess ran to Su. Well, Ei?"
A long sigh. "I never said I'd kill her. She jumped."
Miko's smile turned feline. You didn't say you wouldn't, either. With lightning and thunder striding up the beach, any mortal would bolt. Miko had advised capturing Kokomi alive—same as Ayaka—and putting her on ice until Su returned. Ei had… not listened.
Now? The Tri-Commission and Watatsumi's upper ranks were jailed, the Shogunate Army garrisoned on the island, and Ei had appointed caretakers to keep the country functioning—but issued no sentences. Which, of course, meant one thing: waiting for Su to come back and weigh in.
Miko could only shrug: so long as Inazuma ran, she wouldn't micromanage.
Back in Liyue, Keqing hovered by Su's side, stricken. "You're… leaving Liyue already?"
For days, her hours had been Su or diary. Sudden departure left a hollow.
"I'm traveling, not dying on a battlefield." He tapped a finger; Keqing drifted into his arms. "And Ningguang's private Jade Chamber for me is still under construction. When it's done—an eight-hundred-square-meter bed. Not just arching the back—the back-flip's standard."
Keqing: "?! You—no one is doing backflips, mister!"
Northland Bank.
Rosalyne sat with poised elegance, swirling her wine. "So he is heading to Inazuma."
The name still tasted of ash. In one abandoned future, Inazuma had been her grave.
"Good thing Su reads past and future. Without him, my 'destiny' would've been a shallow pit."
Her eyes hardened.
This was a task only someone who'd worked with Su could finish—and she had to shadow him to keep the mess minimal. Trouble was, the original agent on the Inazuma operation had ignored the Tsaritsa's recall.
She remembered Su's earlier line—the cause of her death:
"That bastard Scaramouche had the Gnosis early, hid it from you, ran off to report, and got you killed."
The goblet flashed to ice and shattered in her hand.
"Fine then. Since you're still skulking around Inazuma, I'm going to teach you manners."
"Let's see how smug you are when I tear that paper-thin pride off your face, Scaramouche."
"Sit tight. Mother's coming."
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