Ren
Ren knocked a couple of times on Hengyi's door before letting himself in. He'd been here enough times that the man just told him to come in if the door was unlocked.
"Master?" Hengyi looked up from a workbench cluttered with prototype drawings of weapons with small metal pieces scattered throughout. "This is unexpected. What brings you here today?"
It had been around a week since the Rite of Descension, and things had more or less returned to their usual tempo.
"Nothing too serious. I just want to talk to you about something." Ren closed the door and sat down on a chair across from him.
Hengyi set his tools aside, giving Ren his full attention.
"...How would you feel about becoming the Shadow Courier's manager?"
"I—Uh, I beg your pardon?" The blacksmith tilted his head.
Seeing the befuddled look on Hengyi's face, Ren elaborated. "I've been looking for a person suitable for a manager position. After your impressive performance during the Rite and other showings, I decided that you would be the best for the job."
"I see…" Hengyi furrowed his brows, thinking hard about the proposal.
"If you really don't want to or can't, it's alright." Ren clarified. "I know you still have the whole thing with your clan. Regaining your honor and all that. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing something you're not up to."
"N-No! It's not that. I'm just… surprised." Hengyi hastily said. He put a hand under his chin, thinking about something for a while before talking again. "I think… this opportunity would actually help me in my goals."
"It will?"
"Yes. If I wish to regain my honor and take my rightful place in the clan, I must first refine the skills that I have been neglecting." He looked at his hand and balled it into a fist. "Becoming a master blacksmith isn't enough; I must show that I am more, that I have risen above with my own merits. I believe acting as a manager for a prestigious firm such as the Shadow Courier would do just that."
'Prestigious wouldn't be the word I'd use… But alright.'
"So is that a yes?"
"Indeed."
"Great." Ren pulled a contract from his Shadow Storage and set it on the workbench. He gave the paper a read before signing it without further hesitation.
"I know the contract already went over this, but I'd prefer to run it over with you again," Ren said, putting the contract away. "You'll have the highest authority just under me, except you won't be doing any deliveries. You will be in charge of the administrative aspects—"
"Such as taxes?" Hengyi playfully jabbed.
"Especially those." Ren chuckled in response. "I trust you to keep the Shadow Courier running the way it should be."
Hengyi straightened up and nodded enthusiastically, "I won't let you down, Master."
"I know you won't." Ren leaned back, "Oh yeah, I should also let you know that Meifen's getting promoted too. She's way better with people than either of us, so I made her Head of Human Resources."
"A fitting choice."
"Also, if you want to use part of the warehouse to store some of your projects, go for it. Seems like the least I could do if you're going to be staying in the harbor most of the time."
Suddenly, the blacksmith stood up and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. "Thank you, Master! I will be sure to cherish this gift!"
"R-Right… That's good."
"But if I may ask," Hengyi straightened up and sat back on his chair, "Why are you giving me this position now? Are you perhaps leaving the Harbor again?"
"You saw right through me," Ren rubbed the back of his neck, "I need to head out to other nations. But this time it could be months before I'm back. I just want to make sure the Shadow Courier would be alright while I'm away."
"I see." Hengyi nodded slowly. "When do you leave?"
"Sometime this week, give or take. Still figuring out the details."
"Have you told Madam Ganyu?"
"Yeah, I told her already. So we made plans to hang out a bit before I go." Ren answered without thinking before realising the strange question. "Wait, why are you asking?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Hengyi's face before he gathered himself.
"I merely assumed you two were… together."
"...Huh?"
/ — /
With Shadow Courier business already taken care of, Ren could get to more important endeavors.
Such as finding the right nation to go to.
It was the middle of the workweek, so Wanwen Bookhouse was relatively quiet, allowing Ren to delve deep into his research without anyone bothering him.
After looking at geography books explaining the nations, he was quite sure that, distance-wise, he could go to any nation except Schneznaya and Inazuma.
Now he had another book with more detail about each nation.
"Let's start with… Natlan." Flipping to the corresponding page, Natlan was immediately described as the Nation of War. There wasn't much detail on why exactly they were called that, but there were descriptions of Natlan's six tribes fighting in some tournament.
From the surface, Natlan looked like the perfect Nation to go to if he wanted to get stronger. There was one glaring issue though.
'I still don't know why Natlan is the Nation of War…' Ren pondered. If he went in blindly, he might get dragged into things he wasn't prepared for. Honestly, the risk just wasn't worth the reward, especially since this would technically be the first time he actually went to another nation.
So Natlan was a no.
He tried Mondstadt next.
It was called the Nation of Freedom, known for its music and wine. Honestly, aside from the knights there, nothing else would really help him get stronger.
'Though Mondstadt would be a pretty cool place for a vacation.'
He set that one aside too.
Ren sighed, he knew this was going to be the most irritating part. 'Alice told me to explore Teyvat, grow strong, and impact the world… I don't know about the impacting part, but I can do the other two.'
Growing strong was going to be a given, he also planned to subjugate more shikigami during his trip to other nations. Probably Max Elephant, maybe even Piercing Ox.
Exploring, on the other hand, was… difficult.
If he picked wrong, then he'd have wasted his time and effort. If he wanted to get home, he needed to choose carefully—
"Pardon me, are you perhaps planning on visiting other nations?"
"Huh?" Ren looked up.
A woman had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing beside his table.
She had golden eyes and was dressed in a traditional but elegant Liyue dress that made her look like someone important.
What's strange was that Ren didn't hear or sense her coming… Though that could be because he was too focused on his books.
"Yes, actually." He turned his body to face her. "Sorry, who are you?"
She smiled. "Ah! How rude of me. My name is Rosalina, but you can call me Rose."
'Rose? That isn't a Liyue name.'
She pulled out what looked like a newspaper and placed it on the table in front of him. The header was in French, or Fontainian, which read: [JUGEMENT EN DUEL].
With a smaller line beneath it in Teyvat's common tongue: Judgment in Duel: An Unprecedented Invitation.
'Yeah, that's definitely some Fontainian flourish.'
Ren skimmed the article.
The Palais Mermonia apparently had authorized a rare public "training" event. Adventurers and travelers were invited to spar and train alongside Fontaine's Champion Duelists, with Clorinde herself, currently regarded as the nation's finest, headlining the occasion.
The stated purpose was to demonstrate the continued strength and readiness of Fontaine's duelists to its people.
But reading further down, where there were comments from journalists mentioned something about national unrest and rogue Champion Duelists that had shaken the nation's confidence in the group.
He put the last part aside and focused on the main content.
'A chance to train with Champion Duelists and meet the strongest one?' This was exactly what Ren was looking for. Training alongside and even sparring against people of that skill and caliber would help him a lot.
Even if this was only a one time training, he was determined to at least get one thing out of it.
A spar with the current strongest Champion Duelist: Clorinde.
"I'm an adventurer," Rose spoke again, taking a seat on the edge of the table. "Once I heard of this event, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to compare my strength with the acclaimed Champion Duelists."
Now that Ren thought about it, it was strangely convenient that someone came to him when he was planning to go to other nations. What made it stranger was why Rose told him, a stranger, about her plans.
Given her attire and mannerisms, she seemed like someone who wouldn't approach anyone without purpose.
"You must be wondering why I'm talking about this to you."
"Kind of, yeah."
"In truth, I intend to participate myself. However—" She leaned in slightly, close enough that Ren instinctively leaned back in his chair. "I've heard that the event requires a minimum party of two."
'I don't remember reading about the event having a requirement.'
"It's not exactly in the fine print, as this event is supposed to be for the people of Fontaine," Rose said, catching his glance. "I heard it through a friend from Fontaine. Word of mouth, mostly. The official notice is vague on purpose; I believe they want the event to feel exclusive for Fontainians."
'I guess that makes sense.' Ren thought. Her reasoning so far had been solid, but he was still confused why she went up to him.
"I searched far and wide for a worthy partner, and I just so happened to hear of a powerful courier with a terrifying presence that is interested in… expanding his horizons." She straightened and extended a hand towards him with a bright smile. "So what do you say? Would you be this lady's temporary partner? I'll be sure to make it worth your while."
'How does she know that I want to leave? I guess the saying 'the walls have ears' is actually true… That or people just like to gossip for no reason.'
Yeah, he had to rethink a couple of things after Hengyi told him of all the gossip people were talking about between him and Ganyu.
Ren shook the thought aside and focused back on the moment. Aside from the weird—no, downright creepy way of talking. There wasn't anything about her that raised any real alarm.
His senses also told him that she was an above average Geo Vision Wielder, barely a threat by his standards.
If she did try anything, he would be able to deal with her easily.
'And I was already looking for something like this anyway, so…'
"Alright, I guess I'll give this a shot." Ren shook her hand. "But some notes, please understand what personal space is."
Rose let out a small laugh. "Oh my, did I come on a little too strong? My mistake then. It's nice to meet you, Mr?"
"Ren Roman. But just call me Ren."
"Wonderful." Rose's smile widened again. But if Ren had been paying closer attention, he might have noticed how her smile might have looked just slightly too pleased.
/ — /
Furina
"Truly, what a mess this has become." Furina stood at the window of her private chambers, staring down the shimmering city below.
Unfortunately, her mind was unable to appreciate the view as it was currently occupied by other matters.
'The number of incidents has risen to three this week, and five the week before.'
Robberies, assaults, and harassment. All the chaos coming from supposed rogue Champion Duelists.
She refused to believe such a thing. The Champion Duelists were the best of the best. To have not just one, but multiple defecting and forming this… gang, it was truly unbelievable.
There had to be more to this.
But that was only the surface. The bigger issue was how this farce had negatively impacted the image of Champion Duelists in the eyes of the people of Fontaine.
They started to view the Champion Duelists not as noble protectors, but as a rowdy group of troublemakers.
Above all, if the situation continued to worsen, then her image as the God of Justice would be tainted.
If first the people question the Champion Duelists, what else might they question?
'Hopefully the investigation has—'
She jolted when a knock sounded at her door.
"You may enter!"
One of her many aides stepped in holding a folder. Given their expression, Furina had a feeling that what they were going to deliver wasn't good news.
But it never hurt to be optimistic.
"Lady Furina," The man respectfully nodded his head.
"Tell me you have good news, Martin."
The man said nothing for a second, but the slight tensing of his shoulders exposed his thoughts.
Furina sighed, "Very well. Go on."
"The reports from the outskirts told of five more incidents." He set the folder down on her desk. "It was the usual robbery and assault, but this time… It resulted in a casualty."
Furina's eyes widened at the news. "This has escalated faster than I expected…"
"Yes, my lady. The people are frightened. Several petitions have reached the Palais requesting reevaluation, though we suspect there are certain forces behind them. A more pressing issue, however, is the people questioning whether the Champion Duelist title still carries the weight it once did."
Furina was quiet for a moment before she suddenly straightened up, startling her aide. Her expression bloomed into one of determination as she crossed her arms dramatically.
"Well then! If the people's faith wavers, it falls to their Archon to steady it! I, Furina de Fontaine, shall personally see to this matter!"
The aide blinked. "...Personally, my lady?"
"Naturally! What kind of Archon would I be, letting my people tremble in fear while I sit comfortably reading—" she glanced at the paperwork on her desk with distaste. "—whatever it is the nobles complain about."
"Shall I arrange a public address? Something to reassure the citizens that—"
"No."
Her expression switched to one of seriousness that made Martin fall silent.
"If I make this public, I confirm there's something to be afraid of. People tend to focus on spreading fear instead of facts, so no word must spread until I get to the bottom of this."
"Then how would you like to proceed?"
"No word shall leave these walls of my involvement. Please supply me with every file of the case. I'll look into it myself."
Martin bowed. "I'll have everything compiled as soon as possible."
"Excellent."