Mondstadt, Goth Grand Hotel.
"Historically, Mondstadt has been the site of more than a dozen large-scale wars. Scholars argue endlessly about winners and losers, but one thing is certain: many gods rose and fell here. And among them—"
Rosalyne slammed her palm on the table.
"Enough," she said, voice cold enough to frost glass. "What are you trying to say?"
Ji Ming sat with one leg casually crossed, entirely unbothered.
"I'm saying that anyone who won the Winds of Mondstadt wasn't some lucky amateur. Barbatos is not a name built on air."
Rosalyne rested her cheek on one hand, posture elegant, irritation obvious.
"So you believe my plan will fail?"
"No," Ji Ming corrected calmly. "I'm saying the advantage is… on our side."
"…What?"
Ji Ming lowered his foot back to the floor and turned toward the rain-dimmed window. Outside, thunder rolled — like the echo of a dragon's roar.
If he hadn't seen Stormterror with his own eyes, he might never have believed Mondstadt was dealing with a disaster of that scale.
Reflexively, his hand moved toward his waist pouch — intending to take out his pipe.
He froze halfway.
Right. He left the robe — and the pipe in the pocket — draped over Ganyu before he left.
He dropped his hand.
Rosalyne's gaze sharpened. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't make me play guessing games."
Ji Ming shrugged.
"You Fatui say Barbatos is about to awaken, yes?"
"That message came from Her Majesty herself," Rosalyne replied. "Soon, the Anemo Archon will return. And when he does, I will personally take his Gnosis."
Ji Ming tilted his head.
"Do you have a grudge with the Wind God?"
Her answer was immediate.
"Five hundred years ago, Durin's corruption killed the one I loved. The Wind God failed to protect him. Failed to protect Mondstadt. A god who cannot protect his people is not worthy of worship."
Five hundred years.
Ji Ming took that in quietly.
She didn't remember the details — that much was obvious.
Not the lover.
Not the war.
Just the pain — told to her by another Archon.
Which meant that her hatred wasn't born from memory — but from influence.
"A question then," Ji Ming said. "Have you ever actually met Barbatos?"
"No," Rosalyne answered. "Why?"
"Because when it comes time to take the Gnosis— bring me with you."
A breeze suddenly gusted through the open window, cold and sharp.
Ji Ming shut it a little too fast.
…He didn't want to think about what it meant if the Wind God was already awake and listening.
Rosalyne arched an eyebrow.
"You're not afraid he'll kill you?"
Ji Ming blinked innocently.
"For what? Revenge? Pride?
If a god kills a mortal just to feel stronger, then the story writes itself — and Mondstadt will write it for me."
Rosalyne stared at him.
He wasn't bluffing.
He simply did not care.
Which, irritatingly, made him useful.
She exhaled and finally moved to business.
"It will take roughly a year for the conditions to be ready to extract the Gnosis. When the time comes, I will send for you again."
"So I'm not here to help you take it?"
"Don't be absurd. You're a mortal without a Vision. You're here to be useful in the only way you can be."
Ji Ming groaned.
"Fine. What do you want me to do?"
Rosalyne tapped the table lightly.
"Gather intelligence. Someone in Mondstadt has been systematically hunting and destroying Fatui operations. Our agents can't move without being noticed. But you… "
"You think I can blend in," Ji Ming finished. "Since Mondstadt is full of free-spirited idiots, I'll fit right in."
"Exactly."
Ji Ming nodded like a scholar presenting a dissertation.
"Yes, yes. The infamous 'Night Hero.' I heard the flower vendors whispering on my way in. Personally, I think it's probably just a Hilichurl with a torch."
Rosalyne looked like she might burst a blood vessel.
"There is no such thing as a Hilichurl vigilante."
And then she stopped.
Why was she arguing with him about this?
"Enough. You have your assignment. You may go. Use the hotel's underground exit. Don't draw attention."
Ji Ming stood.
"Great. So, uh — where am I staying? And what am I eating?"
"Handle it yourself. The Fatui promised payment, not hospitality. Unless—"
Ji Ming raised a brow.
"Unless?"
"…Never mind. Your current strength isn't even enough to qualify as a private in the Fatui."
"Oh, excuse me, Madame Ice Queen. I don't recall wanting to join your cult anyway."
Fire bloomed around Rosalyne like a halo of burning roses.
"Get. Out."
"On my way."
He turned, walked to the door, opened it —
Then stuck his head back inside.
"Quick question — action funds?"
Rosalyne inhaled so sharply the air itself froze.
"Request reimbursement through standard Fatui documentation procedures. If your expenses are unreasonable, they will be rejected. Anything else?"
"Nope. That's all."
"THEN. LEAVE."
The door slammed shut behind him.
Silence.
Rosalyne pressed her fingers to her temple, breathing slowly.
That man is insufferable.
But…
He was also the only one who could do exactly what needed to be done.
A trained agent stood out.
A spy drew eyes.
But a reckless, unbothered, entirely unmanageable street rogue?
Mondstadt would never think twice about someone like that.
That was the problem.
Ji Ming wasn't just free.
He was free to a degree that was genuinely dangerous.