Chapter 173. Mondstadt Delegation
Life in Teyvat was perpetually busy, but for Futsu Mitama, the current days in Liyue Harbor were a rare, peaceful reprieve. He spent his time leisurely exploring the city with Lumine, Paimon, and Mona, or catching up with old friends over tea and storytellers.
He had even paid a visit to the Adeptus in Jueyun Karst with Shenhe and Aila.
Cloud Retainer had been an incredibly hospitable host, eagerly showing off her newly upgraded Supreme Cuisine Machine to serve them a bizarre but delicious feast. She was a true master of arcane engineering, though she quickly brushed off his praise, claiming the cooking contraption was mere child's play compared to the Azhdaha Mech she and Guizhong were currently assembling in Guyun Stone Forest.
Futsu Mitama could only smile in quiet anticipation.
A month slipped by effortlessly.
The annual Rite of Descension was now only a handful of days away, and the festive atmosphere in Liyue Harbor was palpable. The streets were packed with tourists, and locals eagerly debated how the Geo Archon would evaluate the Qixing's performance this year. With the dawn of the human era, this particular Rite felt unprecedented, drawing record-breaking crowds.
The Chat Group was equally chaotic.
According to the latest updates, the Mondstadt delegation was arriving today, Inazuma's representatives tomorrow, and Sumeru's the day after. Interestingly, Sumeru's newly appointed Great Sage was an old acquaintance: Faruzan.
Her ascension to the highest seat in the Akademiya hadn't surprised Mitama in the slightest.
As a legendary scholar with unparalleled seniority—and a key player in rescuing Lesser Lord Kusanali and dismantling the former regime—she was the most logical choice.
Cyno said Faruzan had complained endlessly, insisting she just wanted a quiet life of research, but she wasn't as stubborn as Alhaitham. She knew the Akademiya was fractured. Without a Great Sage, the Six Darshans would inevitably squabble for power, disrupting Nahida's restoration plans.
With a reluctant sigh, Faruzan had accepted the mantle, simultaneously taking over the Haravatat Darshan. Now, as the second most powerful figure in Sumeru, she was leading a delegation to Liyue to negotiate a massive funding grant with Ningguang to replenish the Akademiya's drained coffers.
But international politics were a problem for later. Right now, Futsu Mitama had a much more immediate crisis on his hands.
"Ta-da! Dinner is served! Presenting my latest culinary masterpiece!"
Hu Tao burst into Mitama's house, practically vibrating with energy as she slammed a beautifully plated—yet deeply unsettling—dish onto the table.
Mitama and the others had just finished their own lunch. Staring at the plate, the reactions in the room were a mix of sheer terror and quiet resignation.
Paimon floated backward, eyeing the food with profound suspicion.
"Have you actually eaten that yourself?!"
She still carried the trauma of Liyue's culinary festival, where she had foolishly trusted Hu Tao's cooking, blacked out, and missed the entire feast.
"Of course I did!" Hu Tao patted her chest proudly. "It's delicious, I promise! I even had someone taste-test it, and they said it was entirely edible!"
"Someone?"
Paimon narrowed her eyes.
Lumine paused while clearing the dishes.
"You didn't feed it to a ghost, did you?"
"Ghosts?!"
Mona froze. The very concept defied logic, but her astrologist's intuition was screaming that eating whatever was on that plate would result in a catastrophic, life-altering mistake.
"Oh, relax! I had our consultant try it. He said it was fine."
Hu Tao dismissed their fears, confidently invoking Zhongli's name as a seal of quality.
Silence descended upon the room.
Kokomi and Kuki Shinobu immediately stood up.
They weren't full, but continuing to eat in this house felt like a genuine health hazard.
They all knew Mr. Zhongli was an extraordinary being, but even he had his limits. Lately, Hu Tao's culinary experiments had crossed the line from "eccentric" to "lethal." Yae Miko had once suffered through a tasting and swore that if given a second chance, she would sooner face the Raiden Shogun's blade than take another bite.
Mitama quietly pinged Zhongli in the Chat Group.
Are you alright? A second later, Zhongli replied: Do not eat the Director's food. I have already thrown up.
"I'm full!" Shinobu announced abruptly, her tone deadly serious. "Actually, I need to go find my senior sister. We're supposed to meet the Mondstadt delegation this afternoon."
"I'll go with you."
Futsu Mitama agreed instantly.
The rest of the table nodded vigorously in agreement, while Aila and Black Aila swiftly and silently cleared the remaining plates.
"Eh? Guests from Mondstadt? Is Klee coming?!"
Hu Tao instantly forgot her culinary masterpiece, her plum-blossom eyes lighting up. She adored the little Spark Knight.
"She is."
Mitama confirmed.
"That's perfect!" Hu Tao cheered. "I can have her try my new dish! Oh, and I finally finished those gifts I promised her—wait, where did my food go?"
Hu Tao blinked in confusion, staring at the empty spot on the table. The dish had vanished into thin air. Did a ghost actually steal it right under her nose?!
"How strange."
Lumine said smoothly, expertly feigning ignorance.
Paimon wisely kept her mouth shut, while the rest of the room put on their best poker faces. Futsu Mitama smiled innocently. He had quietly used the Chat Group's digital gift function to banish the toxic dish into the void.
A notification pinged in his vision—Azhdaha had just claimed the gift. Good luck with that, old friend, Mitama thought.
"Whatever!" Hu Tao waved it off, too excited to care. "Let's go wait for them at the harbor! I made Klee some specialized, enhanced talismans. She's just a little kid, you know? The world is dangerous! I figured she needed some extra self-defense!"
"What kind of talismans?"
Mitama asked warily.
"Oh, just some elemental amplifiers to stick onto her Jumpy Dumpties. It should roughly double their explosive yield!" Hu Tao puffed her chest out proudly. "A genius stroke of crafting, really."
A terrifying mental image flashed through the minds of Futsu Mitama:
Klee, armed with Hu Tao's talismans, hurling Jumpy Dumpties that vaporized entire mountain ranges while Yoimiya provided artillery support.
I must ensure those three never, ever meet in the same room.
Futsu Mitama resolved internally. Liyue Harbor wouldn't survive the week.
"Young Master, we have finished tidying up."
Aila announced softly, stepping out from the kitchen.
"Alright, let's head to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to meet Shinobu's senior sister."
Mitama said, eager to get moving.
Yanfei, Liyue's premier legal advisor, had been ecstatic ever since she learned Eula was visiting. As a gracious host, she had cleared her entire schedule to entertain the Spindrift Knight.
When they arrived at the Ministry plaza, they found Yanfei deep in conversation with Yelan.
Seeing the elusive intelligence agent standing casually in broad daylight was jarring. Yelan technically held a Ministry position, but she was Ningguang's black-ops director. Usually, she was only seen where secrets bled. To find her chatting idly outside an administrative building felt like a glitch in reality.
Yelan caught his gaze and offered a sharp, knowing smile.
"Well, if it isn't Young Lord Futsu Mitama and Lumine. Enjoying the festivities?"
"We are." Mitama nodded, exchanging pleasantries before asking the obvious question. "Aren't you two a bit busy for idle chatter?"
"Normally." Yelan chuckled. "But today, I am on official reception duty for the Mondstadt delegation."
"Wait, isn't Ningguang supposed to handle that?"
Paimon asked, tilting her head. Acting Grand Master Jean was the sovereign equivalent of the Tianquan. Delegating her reception felt like a massive diplomatic faux pas.
"Normally, yes." Yelan repeated, a flicker of genuine sympathy in her eyes. "But Lady Ningguang is currently buried under a mountain of paperwork. She simply cannot step away. The Rite of Descension logistics are crushing her. I'll entertain the delegation until she has an opening to receive them at the Jade Chamber."
Ningguang was so overworked that even her flawless complexion was beginning to show faint dark circles. The sheer weight of the transition into the human era was testing the limits of the Qixing.
"Exactly." Yanfei sighed, crossing her arms in distress. "That's why Yelan and I were debating where to host the welcome dinner. Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Kiosk? I can secure a private room at either instantly."
As Liyue's top legal consultant, Yanfei's influence was staggering. A single word from her could make elite restaurateurs fall over themselves to accommodate her.
"I was actually suggesting Wanmin Restaurant." Yelan mused. "Xiangling is running the kitchen today. Her dishes are wildly imaginative, but undeniably exquisite."
"Why don't we just eat at Futsu Mitama's place?!" Hu Tao chimed in enthusiastically. "We can cook it ourselves! We're all old friends anyway, no need for stuffy diplomatic protocols!"
"Absolutely not."
Yelan shot the idea down instantly.
She knew exactly what Hu Tao was capable of in a kitchen. Poisoning the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius with a necrotic culinary experiment would trigger an international incident that even Ningguang couldn't smooth over.
"She's right, that wouldn't be proper etiquette!"
Yanfei agreed frantically, having heard the horror stories of Wangsheng's signature dishes inducing temporary dementia.
Hu Tao pouted but didn't argue.
Since they had a few hours to kill before the delegation arrived, Yelan led them to a premium teahouse. The owner, recognizing Mitama as the man who had secured prime geovishap resources for his daughter during the last Rite, insisted the tea was on the house. Mitama smiled graciously, but left the exact amount of Mora on the table anyway. Accepting free favors in Liyue always came with hidden, expensive strings attached.
They spent the afternoon sipping tea and discussing the unprecedented scale of this year's Rite. The arrival of foreign delegations from across Teyvat proved that Liyue's bold transition from divine rule to human governance had captured the world's attention.
As the sun began to set, casting long, golden shadows across the harbor, Mitama's comms pinged. Klee, Albedo, and Eula had just arrived at the city gates.
When Mitama's group reached the entrance, the Millelith guards immediately tightened their formation, securing the perimeter for the high-profile arrivals. A moment later, the Knights of Favonius stepped into view.
"Eula!"
Yanfei waved eagerly.
"Klee!"
Hu Tao cheered.
"Well, well. Old friends everywhere." Kaeya chuckled smoothly, glancing at the two energetic girls. "I didn't realize our little Spark Knight had such a network."
"Big Sister Hu Tao!"
Klee bounced excitedly, running over.
Jean caught Mitama's eye and offered a dignified, nostalgic smile, raising a hand in greeting.
The reunions were warm and chaotic. Yanfei and Eula caught up, while Shinobu smoothly filled Yanfei in on her own recent adventures in Mondstadt.
Kokomi stepped forward, her posture perfect as she offered Jean a graceful bow.
"Acting Grand Master Jean. I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island. Klee and Albedo have spoken highly of your leadership. It is an honor to finally meet you."
"The honor is mine." Jean replied, her smile radiating genuine respect. "I have read the reports of your tactical brilliance in Inazuma. To lead a resistance against impossible odds, secure victory, and then immediately relinquish that military power to ensure lasting peace... it is a level of selflessness I deeply admire."
Kokomi smiled gracefully, accepting the praise. Internally, however, she felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't disbanded the resistance out of noble selflessness; she just violently despised administrative overtime and wanted to go traveling with Mitama.
"Klee! I have those special gifts I promised you!"
Hu Tao beamed, picking the little knight up.
"Wow! Really?! Thank you, Sister Hu Tao!" Klee cheered, turning back to Jean and Kaeya. "See? I told you Sister Hu Tao is a saint!"
"A... saint?"
Jean repeated, exchanging a deeply concerned look with Kaeya. Given Klee's definition of 'fun', anyone she dubbed a saint was almost certainly a walking hazard to public safety.
Futsu Mitama coughed, deliberately looking away to avoid any implication of responsibility.
As he scanned the horizon, his gaze caught a fleeting flash of emerald green slipping through the shadows of the city gates. The tone-deaf bard had arrived, clearly dodging the Knights to avoid doing any actual work.
Futsu Mitama's lips curled into an amused smirk.
Venti is here.
Which meant Zhongli definitely already knew.
"Did you spot something, Young Master?"
Aila asked softly, noticing his shift in focus.
"Nothing important." Mitama said mildly. "Just a vagabond avoiding his responsibilities."
He turned back to the chaotic, mingling groups, quietly anticipating the inevitable, disastrous reunion between the Anemo and Geo Archons.