Leaning back from the seat, Ningguang contemplates the things that were just shown to her, specifically regarding their god, Rex Lapis.
To be honest, Ningguang don't know what to feel about the information given to her. Looking to the side, her feeling was shared by Keqing, who showed a myriad of emotions on her face.
She and Keqing had originally wanted to check out the place and do some inspection to see if the mysterious building was legal after a Millileth guard had informed her of a building right outside of Liyue that was not recorded to be there the night prior.
Imagine her shock when they find out that the interior is bigger than what the exterior of the building suggests.
They had wandered a bit looking at the bizarre device and even spotting a couple of people from Mondstadt and Sumeru already here using said device.
She was tempted to go to them to ask a few questions but decided that the owner of the building was probably the best source of information.
When they finally reached the front desk, she was taken aback by the appearance of the owner .
She had initially thought that the young boy was an Adepti of some sort, and judging by Keqing's reaction, she must've also reached a similar conclusion.
.....
A few moments prior
"Welcome." The boy greeted them first. "I take it you're both here to question me regarding this place, Tianquan and Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."
She and Keqing looked at each other before nodding.
"Very sharp of you. Very well. We'll be asking for some information. Please cooperate to make things easier for us all." Keqing said, to which the owner nodded.
"Don't worry, you'll have my full cooperation. Oh, by the way, the name's Aiden. Nice to meet you."
With that, the two begin to ask Aiden all kinds of questions. From the legality of the building to what kinds of business are being conducted.
It would be a lie to say that she wasn't interested in this 'Genshin Impact' game.
As the conversation came to a close and she and Keqing were about to head out to try this game for themselves, her legs were suddenly hit by something hard.
Looking down, she spotted a peculiar creature not looking at her, but instead, at the owner in particular.
"Hello there, little one, what are you doing here? Is your companion here as well?" Aiden asked, which the creature answered by cutely roaring.
Whatever the creature was saying, Aiden seemed to understand perfectly well. "I see."
She and Keqing looked at each other awkwardly as the owner of the establishment and the creature conversed with each other.
"Um..." Keqing speaks to the two. "Not to interrupt, but may I ask what this creature is, along with how you can communicate with it?"
"Oh, sorry about that. This young saurian here is a Tepetlisaur. They're a species of dragon from Natlan. As for how I can communicate with him... It's rather obvious, isn't it?" The owner then unfurls his wings while swaying his tail.
"Natlan huh?" Muttered Keqing. It was not hard to guess what the Yuheng was thinking about as Ningguang too began to ponder. Natlan was a nation that had little to no contact with other nations . She herself had never seen a Natlanese or even the creature that resides there.
Before she could ask another question, a voice cut through her. "Ayo! There you are!"
Ningguang and Keqing looked to the source of the voice to see a little girl and a tanned girl in blue coming towards them.
"Kachina, wait!" The girl in blue told her companion.
"Rawr!" The little Tepetlisaur let out another adorable roar, wagging its tail excitedly as the two newcomers approached. The girl in blue huffed slightly as she caught up with the little girl.
"Sorry about that," The girl said, bowing politely. "Kachina here got a bit too worried when she saw her Ayo enter this place."
"Rawr!" The Tepetlisaur nuzzled against Kachina's leg, and she laughed, petting its head affectionately.
Keqing, ever the pragmatist, crossed her arms. "So, this Tepetlisaur is your companion?"
"Yep!" Kachina beamed. "His name's Ayo. He's still little, so he gets curious about everything." She then remembered something important. "Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kachina."
"And I am Mualani." The now named Mualani said with a thumbs up.
The two Liyuen then introduced themselves to the newcomers.
"Pleasure to meet both of you. My name is Ningguang, Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing."
"I am Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."
"You two must be from Liyue, right?" Asked Kachina.
Keqing and Ningguang nodded. "And you two must be from Natlan, I presume." Said Ningguang.
"Yep. It's rather rare for an outsider to come visit Natlan. You both must've come a long way." Said Mualani.
Keqing and Ningguang looked at each other in confusion. "I am afraid you must've had a misunderstanding. We're both still in Liyue."
Kaching looked at them in shock. "Huh?! How can that be? I'm pretty sure we're still in Natlan, aren't we, Mualani?
Mualani frowned, glancing around the room before turning back to Ningguang and Keqing. "That... doesn't make sense. We just walked in from Natlan. There's no way we could've ended up in Liyue in just a short amount of time."
Aiden, who had been watching the exchange with an amused smile, finally spoke up. "Ah, I should probably clarify. This building exists in multiple places at once. The entrance you took depends on where you came from."
Both Mualani and Kachina's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Aiden, their eyes seemingly roaming to his draconic features.
"Woah... Mister, are you a dragon?!" Asked Kachina.
Mualani also have a question she wanted to ask. "Can you also talk to saurian as well?"
"Please just call me Aiden and that's right , I am a dragon and I can also talk to saurians as well. Isn't that right, Ayo?" Proudly answered Aiden as he showed off his draconic features.
Meanwhile, Ningguang's eyes narrowed slightly. "So you're saying... this establishment is connected to different nations simultaneously?"
"Precisely," Aiden confirmed. "Think of it as a crossroads, a neutral ground where people from all over the seven nations of Teyvat can gather without needing to travel vast distances."
Keqing's scepticism was evident. "That's... an extraordinary power. How is such a thing possible?"
Aiden merely shrugged. "Let's just say it's a unique feature of this place. Although I must warn all of you, you can only come in and go out the door you came in. For example, if a person comes in from Sumeru, they cannot go to Inazuma, so unfortunately, trading physical goods is not possible."
Ningguang looked rather disappointed at the restriction.
Kachina, meanwhile, was still processing the revelation. "Wait, so... if we step outside, we'll still be in Natlan, but you two will be back in Liyue?"
Ningguang nodded. "That seems to be the case. Fascinating."
Mualani grinned. "Well, that explains why the architecture looked a bit unfamiliar. I thought it was just some new style."
Ayo let out a happy roar, seemingly unbothered by the confusion. Kachina giggled, scratching his head. "Guess we all learned something new today, huh, Ayo?"
Keqing crossed her arms, her mind already racing with implications. "If this place truly connects multiple nations, it could revolutionise trade and communication. But it also raises concerns about security and regulation."
Ningguang hummed in agreement. "Indeed. While the potential benefits are immense, we must ensure that such a place doesn't become a haven for illicit activities."
Aiden raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Rest assured, I have measures in place to maintain order. Only those with genuine intentions will be allowed entry, and any misconduct will be dealt with swiftly."
Ningguang studied him for a moment before nodding. "Very well. We'll take your word for it for now. But the Qixing and Millileth will be keeping an eye on this establishment."
"Understood," Aiden replied smoothly. "I'd expect nothing less from Liyue's Qixing."
Keqing, still sceptical but intrigued, turned her attention back to the strange device she had seen earlier, the one the people from Mondstadt and Sumeru had been using.
"Before we leave," She said, "I'd like to know more about this 'Genshin Impact' you mentioned earlier. What exactly is it?"
Aiden smiled. "Ah, right. For 5000 Mora an hour, you can play the main attraction here. It's an interactive experience, a game, if you will, that allows you to witness events from across Teyvat's history, both past, present, and... possible futures."
Ningguang's interest was immediately piqued. "Possible futures?"
"Yes," Aiden confirmed. "The game is set on Teyvat and it show various future scenarios based on the individuals, nations, and even the gods themselves, all of which is rooted in reality."
Kachina gasped, eyes sparkling. "That sounds amazing! Can we try it too? But I didn't bring any Mora with me..."
"Don't worry, kachina, you can play with me." Said Mualani.
"Of course," Aiden said. "In fact, I'd encourage it. It might help clear up any lingering doubts you have about this place."
Mualani crossed her arms, smirking. "Well, if it's a game, I'm in. I never back down from a challenge."
Keqing hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Very well. If this 'game' truly contains information about Liyue, then it's my duty to investigate."
Ningguang smiled faintly. "I suppose we're all in agreement, then."
Aiden gestured toward the main hall where the devices were set up. "Right this way. I'll guide you through the process."
As they followed him, Ningguang couldn't help but glance at the people from other nations, Mondstadt and Sumeru, already immersed in the experience. If this place truly connects all of Teyvat, she mused, then the implications are staggering.
While hearing that physical goods couldn't be traded directly, which dissappoints her a little, information, diplomacy, trade deals... all of it could be...
But with such things came an unprecedented amount of risk.
Who is this Aiden , really? And what does he stand to gain from all of this?
For now, she would play along. But she had no intention of leaving without answers.
.....
After getting their seating right next to Kachina and Mualani and getting a manual of some sort on how to operate the device, Ningguang and Keqing clicked the 'mouse' as the intro to the game is then played showing the two various nations as narration and music played in the background.
When it showed Mondstadt, Ningguang immediately knew what it was talking about.
"Stormterror. I'm sure you have heard of it, Keqing."
"Yes, the dragon which had been terrorising Mondstadt and disrupting trades between our nation."
When it showed Liyue however ...
ACT.1 Liyue
Farewell, Archaic Lord
"The God of Contracts, senselessly slaughtered as his people watch on in horror."
Before both of their brains could even comprehend the sheer magnituted of what was just revealed to them, the screen then showed Ningguang all in her glory.
In the little time that she appeared on screen, Ningguang was impressed that the sop owner was able to replicate herself perfectly, down to the minute detail. That however, didn't distract her enough to get her brain to forget what was revealed earlier.
Ningguang looked at Keqing, finding the Yuheng showing a variety of emotions within a short span of time which was rather impressive.
The two of them stayed quite for a while, both formulating idea in their head on how to prevent Rex Lapis eminent death.
Hiding it in the public would be a futile effort, as Ningguang knew that sooner or later, others would also be drawn to this place and the last thing they need is the public questioning why the Qixing is suppressing this information.
"Look, Mualani. Isn't that Iansan from the Collective of Plenty!"
"Yeah, you're right. Does this mean we have a chance to appear in this game as well? This is so exciting."
"Roar!"
The conversation between Mualani and Kachina seemed to snap them both back to reality.
Looking at each other, both of them nodded at one another.
They will definitely be having a long conversation after finishing this little trip.