Chapter 393: Glenlivet's Mother
Conan adjusted his glasses, a faint frown creasing his forehead. He couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that he had retrieved his eavesdropping device entirely too early. If he had just left it planted a little longer, he could be listening in on whatever Bourbon, Ganyu, and Keqing were discussing behind closed doors right this very second.
He chewed on his lower lip, weighing his options. Ultimately, he let out a quiet sigh of resignation. Sneaking back into the Jade Chamber now that Kogoro had dragged him away would be a logistical nightmare. Besides, leaving a bug completely unattended in a highly secure lounge was practically begging for it to be discovered. If the Teyvat Organization traced the device back to him, the consequences would be disastrous.
Back inside the opulent lounge, the heavy oak doors clicked shut, sealing away the noise of Kogoro and his entourage. Amuro immediately dropped his cheerful, harmless café waiter persona. His posture straightened, and his gaze sharpened as he turned toward the two remaining women.
"Now that the unrelated personnel have cleared out," he began, his voice dropping to a smooth, professional timbre, "I have a few questions I'd like to direct to Ningguang. Is she available for a brief meeting?"
Keqing crossed her arms, her amethyst eyes meeting his without a flinch. "I apologize, but Ningguang is currently occupied with internal affairs. She has no time to entertain outsiders at the moment. If you have business to discuss, Mr. Amuro, you may speak directly to me. It amounts to the exact same thing."
Amuro's eyes flicked briefly toward Ganyu. The blue-haired secretary stood quietly to the side, her gentle demeanor betraying no objection to Keqing's bold claim. It was a clear confirmation: Keqing's authority within the Teyvat Organization was exceptionally high, likely second only to Ningguang herself.
Satisfied with this assessment, Amuro didn't bother beating around the bush. "I've heard rumors that the Teyvat Organization is divided into Seven Departments, with your Liyue branch handling the financial sector," he said, taking a slow step forward. "I have to admit, I'm quite curious. Which department is responsible for your intelligence network?"
He caught the slight narrowing of Keqing's eyes and quickly raised a placating hand. He was absolutely prying into their deepest secrets, but he needed to maintain a veneer of professional courtesy.
"Please, don't misunderstand my intentions," Amuro added, flashing a disarming smile. "As an intelligence operative myself, I'm naturally inclined to seek out new channels for information gathering., considering the ongoing cooperation between the Teyvat Organization and my own employers, it only makes sense for me to understand our allies a bit better."
He gestured vaguely toward the window. "I realized quite some time ago that your intelligence network is nothing short of terrifying. Take today's incident, for example. That assassin, 'Spider,' must have only recently set foot in Japan, yet your people had already stripped away his hidden identity and anticipated his moves."
Amuro leaned in slightly, his tone dripping with subtle flattery. "I am genuinely fascinated to know which branch of your organization handles such precise data gathering. Naturally, if we could establish a mutual exchange of information, it would be highly beneficial for both sides." He hoped the honeyed words would lower her guard just enough to let a slip of the tongue through.
Keqing remained entirely unmoved by the veiled praise. She gave Amuro a rather peculiar look—a mix of dry amusement and faint pity—before letting out a soft scoff.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you. It isn't classified information, anyway." She uncrossed her arms, resting one hand lightly on her hip. "The department responsible for intelligence gathering is Inazuma. The Department Head overseeing those operations is Raiden Ei. As of right now, she should be stationed over in Osaka." Keqing tilted her head, a challenging glint flashing in her eyes. "If your organization wishes to try and steal intelligence from her, by all means, go right ahead. I certainly won't stop you. That is, provided you are prepared to bear the consequences of crossing her."
'Raiden Ei?'Amuro mentally repeated the name, his brow furrowing. It sounded incredibly familiar, tugging at the edges of his memory.'Osaka...' Suddenly, a spark of realization flashed through his mind, illuminating the scattered puzzle pieces.
He remembered a casual conversation he had overheard a while back. Ran, Sonoko, and Natsume had been chattering excitedly about attending a performance down in Osaka. They had dropped that exact name. According to the girls' gossip, Raiden Ei was some highly respected elder affiliated with the Kamisato Clan. Rumor had it that she lived as a recluse in a remote shrine, having only descended the mountain once in recent memory to attend a high-profile Idol Competition.
Then, another piece of the puzzle snapped violently into place. Vermouth had casually mentioned during one of their clandestine meetings that Glenlivet's mother was the head of the Inazuma Department. That meant Raiden Ei—the elusive shrine maiden and Teyvat's chief of intelligence—was Glenlivet's mother.
Amuro's eyes widened a fraction. It all made perfect sense now. Given Glenlivet's exceptionally abrasive personality and the sheer amount of chaos he had caused after defecting from Teyvat, it was a miracle he hadn't been hunted down. The Mondstadt and Liyue branches hadn't bothered to settle scores with him simply because of his terrifying mother's influence.
Seizing the moment, Amuro decided to press for confirmation. "In that case," he started, carefully watching Keqing's reaction, "Glenlivet—the one who formerly went by the title of 'Balladeer' within your ranks—is he truly Department Head Raiden's child?"
He couldn't help but wonder about the logistics of it all. When Natsume and the teenagers had gossiped about Ei, they described her as a quiet, stoic woman who rarely spoke. How on earth could someone like that raise a son with Glenlivet's uniquely venomous disposition?
"You know about that, too?" Keqing looked genuinely surprised for a fleeting second before letting out an exasperated sigh. She rubbed her temples. "Oh, right. Diluc filed a report mentioning that Department Head Venti got entirely too drunk at the tavern and started spilling ancient organizational secrets to anyone who would listen."
Regaining her composure, Keqing gave Amuro a curt nod. "To answer your question: yes. The Balladeer can indeed be considered Department Head Raiden's child. However, based on our internal records, he wasn't exactly raised by her. He was abandoned shortly after his birth. He wandered the world for quite some time, endured a great deal of hardship, and eventually ended up joining the Fatui."
'Abandoned?'Amuro blinked, processing the heavy information.'And cast aside when he was barely a newborn...'
He certainly hadn't pegged the head of Teyvat's intelligence network as such a cold, heartless figure. Suddenly, Glenlivet's intense, burning hatred for his mother made a lot more sense. Recalling the young man's perpetually scowling face and defensive hostility, Amuro actually felt a rare, fleeting pang of sympathy. Perhaps the abrasive operative wasn't entirely to blame for his twisted nature.
Of course, this momentary pity was destined to be short-lived. The very second Amuro returned to the Black Organization's headquarters and had to endure even five minutes of conversation with Glenlivet's razor-sharp, mocking tongue, that sympathy would evaporate completely. He would quickly be reminded that, tragic backstory or not, Glenlivet was far from a helpless victim these days.
"I heard the Balladeer is currently operating within your organization," Keqing remarked, breaking the brief silence. A faint, knowing smirk played on her lips. "How are things progressing? Are all of you adapting to his presence?"
Amuro's mouth twitched involuntarily. Normally, one would ask if the new recruit was adapting to the organization, not the other way around. But considering the sheer force of nature that was Glenlivet, Keqing's phrasing was painfully accurate.
Clearing his throat to mask his awkwardness, Amuro offered a diplomatic smile. "He is... integrating well enough. Glenlivet is exceptionally capable in the field, and his mission completion rate is flawless. Gin actually values him quite highly."
'As long as he keeps his mouth shut,' Amuro added silently in his head.
Keqing raised a delicate eyebrow, her smile widening into one of genuine amusement. "Is that so? Well then, congratulations on acquiring such a helpful asset. The Balladeer formerly ranked Sixth among the Fatui Harbingers. Your organization truly lucked out."
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