"Is this the land of contracts? It's truly a different world compared to my Sumeru."
Liyue Harbor...
A small "shuttlecock" strolled through the bustling streets, occasionally glancing curiously at the roadside stalls. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her snowdrop-like pupils sparkled as her gaze wandered.
"Hello, ma'am, is this the famous Liyue specialty, candied haws?" Nahida approached a stall selling candied haws, pointing at the red hawthorn skewers on the straw holder with her delicate little finger, asking politely.
"Haha, what a cute little girl! Are you from out of town? Yes, this is our traditional Liyue delicacy, candied haws. Would you like one?" The elderly woman, seeing such an adorable little girl with snow-white hair, smiled warmly. She took a freshly made skewer from the holder and handed it to Nahida.
"Thank you, ma'am. Here's the mo— uh..." Nahida took the candied haws and instinctively reached into her pocket to pull out some Mora to pay.
But she came up empty.
Nahida didn't have pockets, and even if she did, she hadn't used Mora in hundreds of years. Although she sometimes projected her consciousness into Katherine to go out, the money didn't belong to her, and she wouldn't use it.
"Did you forget to bring money? Haha, no worries. This one's on me," the kind old woman waved her hand, smiling warmly.
"But..." Nahida still hesitated. Receiving something without giving anything in return felt a bit unsettling.
"Ma'am, sorry for the trouble. This is my little sister. I'll pay for her."
Just as Nahida was struggling with her conscience, a magnetic voice came from behind her. She felt a warm hand gently rest on her head.
"Your sister?" The old woman looked at the young man before her, then at Nahida holding the candied haws. She didn't question it further, as their hair colors were so similar—both nearly silver-white.
"Young man, you shouldn't let your little sister wander around alone. It's too dangerous for her, understand?" The old woman kindly advised.
"Thank you for the advice, ma'am," the young man replied with a smile, then tried to take Nahida's hand. To his surprise, the little Dendro Archon didn't resist, even though it was their first meeting.
...
Yun Fan led Nahida away from the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor, heading toward a quieter alley.
At first, Nahida didn't say much, quietly nibbling on her candied haws. But after a while, noticing that there were hardly any people around, she finally spoke up.
"God of Liyue, where are you taking me?"
"Hmm? What do you think?" Yun Fan stopped, crouched down, and looked at Nahida with a teasing gaze as she frowned at him.
"You..." Nahida couldn't quite figure out his intentions. In the prophecy of the Irminsul, this man was the one who would destroy Sumeru. Now that she was meeting him for the first time, his motives were impossible to discern. Even as the God of Wisdom, she couldn't read him.
"Hmph, it's nothing serious. I just..." At this point, Yun Fan smirked, gently tilting Nahida's chin up. Then, under her slightly indignant gaze—he snatched the remaining candied haws from her hand!
"Mmm, not bad... I just wanted to take you to meet that old guy Morax," Yun Fan said between bites of the candied haws, his words slightly muffled. After finishing the treat, he handed the empty skewer back to Nahida.
"God of Liyue, you really are... a mischievous person," Nahida clenched her small hands, silent for a moment before finally giving this assessment.
"Haha, thanks for the compliment. Now, tell me why you've come to Liyue," Yun Fan didn't beat around the bush. In the original timeline, Nahida should still be imprisoned in the Sanctuary of Surasthana at this point. Her appearance in Liyue Harbor meant something had changed.
"I came for you, Divine Sovereign Yun Fan," Nahida took a deep breath, her youthful face showing a maturity beyond her years.
At noon today, Yun Fan's declaration that echoed across Liyue Harbor had also reached her ears. She admired the courage of the Liyue god to delegate all authority to the people, but she also harbored some doubts.
Although forced, Sumeru was currently entirely governed by the sages of the Akademiya, with all power in their hands. The god was merely a figurehead. Yet, the current state of Sumeru filled Nahida with worry. Unfortunately, she could do nothing about it.
"You came for me? So you already knew about me?" Yun Fan was intrigued. Before today, only the adepti of Liyue and a few members of the Fatui knew his identity. How did Nahida know? Could it be from when she projected herself into Katherine?
"Divine Sovereign, I have a question I need you to answer," Nahida didn't respond directly. Instead, she looked up, meeting Yun Fan's gaze with her own.
"Go ahead," seeing her seriousness, Yun Fan dropped his teasing demeanor, his expression turning solemn. His golden eyes glowed faintly, exuding an aura of authority.
"Why... do you want to destroy Sumeru?" Nahida spoke each word deliberately, her voice trembling with anger by the end.
Yun Fan: ?!
"Destroy Sumeru?" The silver-haired man was stunned. When did I ever destroy Sumeru? I haven't even been there!
"The Irminsul gave me a prophetic dream. It told me that in the future, you would take the form of a thunder giant, slay the sages, and destroy Sumeru."
"The future, huh?" Yun Fan roughly understood the situation, but he still wanted to confirm with the Void Archives.
"Void Archives, is what she said true?"
Finally remembered me, huh? It's like you only come to me when you need something, the mechanical voice of the Void Archives echoed in Yun Fan's mind, making him feel slightly embarrassed.
Fine, I'll tell you. Since you became the chosen one of the Primordial Laws, you've been freed from the constraints of the normal timeline. Changes in the past or future won't affect your true self. What Nahida saw was just one of countless possibilities projected by the Irminsul. It's not the true future. After hearing the explanation, Yun Fan nodded in understanding.
However, this nod had a different meaning in Nahida's eyes.
He didn't deny it. Does he really have such intentions? But why? Why? Unable to make sense of it, Nahida shook her head vigorously. No, I must do something to change Sumeru's fate!