Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"I work very hard every day, okay?!"

Kaeya tried to salvage his reputation. Sure, when Angel's Share wasn't selling Death After Noon, he'd go out and keep bandits and monsters in line. It wasn't like he didn't contribute.

Of course, he couldn't say any of that. A few years back, some overly enthusiastic recruit tried comparing city crime stats against bar sales. Fortunately, Kaeya intercepted the report before it made its way up the chain. If the truth got out, Acting Grand Master Jean might ban the sale of Death After Noon altogether—or worse, make its sales part of his performance review.

And while his dear brother Diluc oversaw Mondstadt's wine industry, Kaeya knew better than to expect support there. If anything, Diluc would stop production entirely. Best case scenario, he'd pay Kaeya a "courtesy visit" to deliver some choice sarcasm.

"Ah, right, right. Captain Kaeya, the model of diligence and discipline. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?"

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Eula burst into laughter, cheeks flushed as she leaned over the table, clearly three parts tipsy already.

"You—did you come to Mondstadt just to roast me?"

Kaeya shot Gu Sanqiu a glare, briefly considering turning him into an ice sculpture.

"Of course not. I'm here purely for vacation."

Gu Sanqiu waved a hand dismissively. "I was bored and thought I'd stop by for a while. Better that than pulling some big stunt back in Liyue."

His last visit to Azhdaha's lair had caused such a commotion that all of Liyue Port had been in a frenzy. If he dared dig further into the mysteries surrounding Gu Sheng and Gu Shen, the entire region might be turned upside down.

"A big stunt, huh. Speaking of which—what was going on during the Lantern Rite this year?"

Eula perked up, curious. "So many Mondstadt visitors claimed they saw an adeptus."

Gu Sanqiu grinned. "That was an adeptus."

Kaeya narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Liyue's Lantern Rite actually features an adeptus appearing among the people?"

"Not exactly. During the Lantern Rite, there's always a risk of ruinous spirits attacking large gatherings. You guys should know that already."

Eula nodded. "We do. The Knights sent teams over to observe how you handle those unconventional foes."

Gu Sanqiu nodded back. "This time, though, I doubt ruinous spirits will cause any large-scale trouble going forward."

"The adeptus who showed up is known as the Conqueror of Demons, or Vigilant Yaksha. With someone of his caliber guarding the event, any ruinous spirit that tries to manifest will have a hard time staying in one piece, let alone causing chaos."

Those spirits did have a certain undead tenacity, but at this point, Gu Sanqiu could imagine Xiao guarding their corpses indefinitely, cutting them down before they could even regenerate.

"That sounds wonderful. I'd love to experience Lantern Rite for myself someday."

Eula propped her face against her hand, the other swirling her wine glass. Her cheeks were rosy, and a gentle smile spread across her face, making her look like a dreamy, carefree girl.

"Next year, then. You guys should visit. For travelers, Lantern Rite really is a spectacular experience."

Gu Sanqiu popped a piece of apple into his mouth. "By the way, any strange activity near the domains recently?"

Kaeya shook his head. "Not really. Or rather, anything strange has already been cleaned up—either by him or the wolves."

"The wolves?"

Gu Sanqiu blinked at Kaeya in surprise. "Wait, you guys actually reached an understanding with those unruly wolves from Wolvendom?"

"How could we? Most people can't even get near Wolvendom, let alone see a single wolf."

Kaeya paused, thoughtful. "It was right after Lantern Rite. The Wolf King led its pack to one of the domains. It gave the guards stationed nearby quite a fright."

"The Wolf King left Wolvendom?"

Gu Sanqiu was stunned. Now that was something you didn't see every day.

"Mhm. The Wolf King entered the domain—probably to spar with him. I was the one leading the team to negotiate with the wolves, and even I nearly got scared out of my wits when we arrived."

"Wait, negotiate?"

Gu Sanqiu's curiosity was piqued. "Don't tell me you brought her along—Mondstadt's famous linguist?"

"Well, logically speaking, yes. But she specializes in the Hilichurlian language and culture, which wasn't helpful this time."

Kaeya rubbed his forehead. "Instead, our chosen 'diplomatic translator' was a little girl. You know her."

…

Gu Sanqiu's expression froze.

"Wait. You don't mean—Klee?"

Kaeya nodded. "There was a boy with the wolves—a wolf child named Razor. His communication skills and logic are… let's just say, a work in progress. To understand him, we needed someone who could infer hidden meanings from short sentences and was familiar with him."

"So Klee was your great diplomatic hope?"

Kaeya sighed. "Klee had met Razor while playing in Wolvendom. We knew the wolves wouldn't harm her, so the mission was primarily to escort her safely."

Gu Sanqiu stared blankly for a moment. "You sure it wasn't just to keep her from sneaking off and blowing something up instead of doing her chores?"

…

Gu Sanqiu's words struck home, leaving Kaeya momentarily speechless.

"Haha, you're actually right."

Eula, who'd been disconnected from the conversation like a lagging network, finally caught up and burst out laughing.

"Now that you mention it, Klee was let out of confinement for that. Amber told me she was pouting the whole way."

"Well, as long as there were no accidents, that's good enough," Gu Sanqiu muttered. "But what about the fight? Did anyone see who won?"

"The fight? You mean the outcome?"

Eula shook her head, nearly tipping herself off her chair in the process. "We observed the Wolf King when it left the domain. There were no visible injuries, and as for the other one… not just anyone can find him."

Kaeya shrugged. "Honestly, we don't even know why those two started fighting in the first place."

Why?

That was simple.

The Wolf King of Wolvendom was Boreas—Razor's foster father (give or take). Meanwhile, the true guardian of Wolvendom, the so-called "Elder," was none other than Andrius, the Wolf of the North Wind.

Andrius was the ultimate rebel, bold enough to bare his claws and fangs even at Celestia itself—though he hadn't succeeded in the end.

During the domain incident, Decarabian's influence had drawn Andrius into a confrontation. Naturally, Andrius would recognize the presence within the domain. Whether it was to spar or inquire about Decarabian's resurgence, Gu Sanqiu wasn't surprised they fought.

Perhaps witnessing Xiao effortlessly mow down ruinous spirits during Lantern Rite had left Andrius itching for a good fight—seeking out his old rival to alleviate his boredom.