A peaceful start to a no doubt hectic day. How nice.

It's quite interesting how the universal alphabet is structured in this world.

Aside from its overly complicated nature, which is probably a result of this world's choice of writing instrument and how it's inherently used, it is strikingly similar to how a normal alphabet is in terms of its shape. If you were to simplify it, you'll end up with basically the same thing, just bent out of shape in some way or another.

So it's quite gratifying to see myself be able to somewhat fluently write these strange new shapes while simultaneously able to understand that same gibberish; a pleasure I never got to experience in my days of learning a new language back in the old world.

Perhaps it's the circumstances that made the difference?

Whatever the case is, it's something that I felt thankful for as I continued writing the information regarding the two harbingers on their respective sheet of paper, just under the pictures that Yelan or her subordinates managed to acquire.

It's a beautiful morning today, with not a single cloud in sight to block the shine of the bright sun. Typically, it would've made a great start to the people of Liyue's day. Merchants happily opening their stalls not having to worry about the weather diminishing potential profits, fishermen safely returning from their voyage thanks to the calm sea breeze, and white-collar workers – or whatever their equivalent is in this fantasy world – are able to start their mind-numbing grind with their tidy appearance intact.

Such a cruel joke the world is pulling on these people, don't you think?

Though I'm not sure on how much Rex Lapis' death would impact the day-to-day lives of the typical Liyuean, it's safe to say that a great number of them would still be mourning the loss of their god. Some people might be able to move on quickly, but some particularly devout people would undoubtedly take this newfound reality of theirs harder than others.

The neighboring harbor is quieter than usual, with not as many people walking about as I occasionally stared outside the window, waiting for the delectable fragrance coming from the kitchen to be carried over to the dining table.

'It's nice to have some peace and quiet in the morning for once.'

Making use of this rare moment, I focused my gaze back to the papers on the table and the floating quill slowly but surely stringing letters into coherent words.

I debated for quite some time on just how much information I should write down, but in the end, it doesn't really matter to me that much. Not like the information that I'm writing would be detrimental to me anyway. Besides, if it means that the ministry and the Qixing can properly utilize it to deal with the Fatui quicker and make my life a bit easier, then who am I to deny them that?

Of course, the main reason would be that the more detailed the information I gave them, the better the pay would be but that's neither here nor there.

"What'cha writing over there?"

The familiar voice of Xinyan called out from my right, accompanied by another set of footsteps and a faint but ever present twinkle.

"My paycheck." I responded, immersing myself in the feeling of telekinetic control. "Or rather, the thing that would get me a paycheck."

One of the things I'm eternally grateful for when I was brought into this world would be the fact that I was put into someone that has an anemo vision. Other than making ranged combat a lot easier – because fuck melee combat, honestly – it also brought with it a lot of… quality of life updates, so to speak.

With just a thought, that remote that was just out of your reach is now perfectly resting on the palm of your hand. How convenient is that?

"Is it something that Yelan asked for?" I heard Lumine ask, followed by the sound of plates and utensils being set up.

"Mmhm. Might as well get this done before I put it off too long and ended up forgetting about it."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew towards me, with the unmistakable whooshing sound of something moving quickly through the air.

Paimon, the adorable little fairy that she is, took her place right in front of me, the crown atop the white that is her hair nearly blocking the entirety of my vision.

"Who are these guys?" She asked, her head turned inquisitively as she began inspecting the contents of the paper.

"People we should steer clear off of as much as possible."

Paimon let out a hum in response, rubbing the base of her chin as she picked up the paper detailing the Eight Harbinger. "This one Paimon kinda gets. Paimon can feel the arrogance even through this picture. But what about this guy? He looks kinda normal."

At a glance, the person in question does look harmless. His relaxed smile as he followed Zhongli down the streets of Liyue wouldn't tip anyone off to his true nature.

"Well, Paimon," taking the picture from the clip, I brought it closer and took a quick look at the ginger-haired harbinger, "this 'normal' looking guy is someone that loves to fight more than anything else. Put him against a throng of Millelith soldiers, and he'd pretty much wipe the floor with them. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, basically."

And just like that, Paimon suddenly looked like she just swallowed a bug, followed shortly by a groan that bordered between surprise and disgust.

A perfectly normal reaction.

Unfortunately, someone didn't quite get the memo.

"A fighter, you say?"

The picture was suddenly snatched from my hand as Lumine practically collapsed herself onto my shoulder, the weight of her body causing my head to nearly hit the tip of Paimon's crown.

"Oh wow, you weren't lying when you said he didn't look much, Paimon." Lumine said, an underlying excitement in her tone of voice as her face lit up slightly. "But it always was the unassuming ones that are the most dangerous, huh?"

…

…

…hmm.

"If you're writing this for Yelan, then I guess the Qixing are keeping an eye on them? In that regard, they're doing a much better job than the knights in Mondstadt." Lumine stops, a thoughtful look on her face. "I guess that's not really fair to say since we don't know what's going on in the background. But nevermind that!"

This is strange….

"Do you think they'll send us out to keep an eye on him?"

"Why would you want that, leader? Didn't you hear what Yunyun said?" Xinyan asked incredulously. " I get that you like fighting and all, but don't you think it's better to, I don't know, not jump into straight danger?"

I'm feeling angry for some reason….

"You worry too much, Xinyan!" Lumine waved away the rockstar's worries, her expression one of confidence. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, we could always count on this guy to get us away safely! Isn't that right, Yuu?"

Seeing that excitement on her face directed towards that bastard of a ginger….

I don't like it.

Not one bit.

"Yuu?"

At some point, I was no longer close to being impaled by Paimon's crown and the weight resting on my shoulders was now gone. Instead, I was greeted with a hand waving constantly in front of my face. Turning towards the culprit, I saw a worried looking Lumine, any trace of her previous excitement gone.

"You okay?"

Instead of answering, I looked back towards the paper I have been writing on.

The neatly written words that formed a detailed information on the Harbinger Childe were no longer intact. Messy strokes of black ink nearly covered the entire thing, leaving only a trace of the original white. The paper was pretty much crumpled, with a few cuts here and there from applying too much pressure from the quill, which was now snapped in half, I realized.

'What a shame. Guess I have to do it all over again.'

Crushing the paper into a ball, I threw it into the bin before turning my attention back towards Lumine.

Ignoring her now confused expression, I gingerly took the picture from her hand and once more began to inspect the harbinger with much scrutiny.

Or perhaps glaring would be the more appropriate word?

"Princess."

The room was still, I noted. The previously calming morning breeze was no longer despite the numerous windows opened for it to enter from.

Finally looking away from the picture in hand, my eyes settled on Lumine's

"Please refrain from doing something stupid." Despite calmly saying those words to her, she seems quite shocked for some reason. I wonder why? "I'm well aware of how strong you are, but I still worry about you, you know?" Reaching my hand towards her cheek, I felt her flinch for a bit before she eventually settled into my touch. "So please, stay away from him. Okay?"

Lumine stared at me for a bit, before a giggle began to escape from her lips.

"Of course." She replied, the smile on her face erasing the weight on my heart. "If that's what you want me to do."

"Good."

"But what happens if we run into him by accident or out of necessity? What should I do then?"

That same twinkle of excitement is back. This time however, it's directed towards me. Not him. Not anyone else.

It felt nice.

"In that case, just make it quick."

"Fufu, as you wish."

With that, she happily sat to my right, picking up the utensils she set up and began happily chowing away, humming a tune while she's at it.

The other two, on the other hand….

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Paimon was hiding behind Xinyan, her white hair barely visible as she peeked her head slightly from the side. Xinyan, meanwhile, had her mouth agape, which she quickly shut as she realized I was addressing the two of them.

"Nothing! It was nothing!"

Though she vehemently denied anything was wrong, she looked quite nervous about it.

Surely, the sight of me accidentally tearing a paper isn't that bad, right?

"In that case, you might want to start eating before it gets cold." I said, giving a quick glance at the clock before focusing on the food on my own plate. "And before we're late. Wouldn't want to potentially endanger Liyue more than it already is now, would we?"

In response, Xinyan audibly gulped as she slowly nodded her head "...uhm, yeah. Right. You're right. Come on, Paimon."

The atmosphere within the dining table was… subdued. Quite strange, given how rowdy Paimon usually is when it comes time to eat. Then again, we're about to set out for quite the important commission, so maybe that's the reason.

Regardless, it was the peace and quiet I've been longing for, so I'm not really complaining.

The only thing that would've made this morning better would be the gentle wind coming from the harbor.

It was there a moment ago, and yet it never came back, even until we're finished.

How odd.