The two icy blue gemstones, the Mourning Ice Cores, slowly ascended into the sky, their glow piercing the heavens. Gu Sanqiu watched their departure, and for some inexplicable reason, the sight reminded him of the faint blue light he had once seen during a ritual—either a prayer or a sacrificial summoning.
So here’s a thought: if someone prays for divine blessings and ends up with nothing but two Mourning Ice Cores descending in a blue light, should they laugh or cry?
He shook his head, still marveling at the fact that he’d managed to have a conversation with the Tsaritsa herself. It was a surprising turn of events, even for him.
Not only that, he’d acquired what seemed to be a tool—or perhaps technology—capable of affecting a Gnosis. This was an unexpected boon.
His real target had been that lazy bard. If Venti had intervened, Gu Sanqiu could’ve used this encounter as leverage to get the information he wanted—or perhaps even a handful of Viridescent Venerer gems for good measure.
He never truly intended to steal the Gnosis.
Even if he managed to bring it back to Liyue, his old man would’ve likely hammered him into the earth on the spot—and might’ve even personally returned the Gnosis to the Fatui.
Not to Venti, of course, but to the Fatui. That way, they could deliver it to the Tsaritsa themselves.
There’s no way I’m doing something that thankless.
He looked down at the delicate glove in his hand and sighed. “A shame. I should’ve asked her to teach me the method directly. Just handing me the finished product isn’t all that helpful. This is clearly tied to authority and thrones. Even the Liyue secret vaults probably can’t replicate it.”
The glove was thin and as light as a cicada’s wing, its black fabric adorned with faint, crimson patterns. A single glance was enough to tell it was custom-made for a woman.
“Duck doesn’t have one. Is it because he hasn’t earned the rank yet? Or maybe this thing is just absurdly expensive to make?”
He hesitated to put the glove on, mindful of the possibility that it could be a rare, single-use artifact. If that were the case, wasting it would make him regret it for life.
A quiet cracking sound broke the silence as Gu Sanqiu manipulated the bones and muscles in his hand, reshaping his palm to match Rosalyne’s slender proportions.
“So it works like this… Could it be that the Tsaritsa gave this to Rosalyne as a form of favoritism? A way to win her over?”
Click.
A flash of light caught his eye. Gu Sanqiu turned his head sharply toward its source and spotted someone grinning mischievously, holding up a Kamera in one hand while waving with the other.
It was Venti.
“Well, well, who would’ve thought? The dignified Adepti emissary is interested in ladies’ gloves! Even enduring the pain of reshaping your bones to try them on… I wonder how much this news would sell for in Liyue?”
Gu Sanqiu’s eyes narrowed as they landed on the Kamera in Venti’s hand.
“That’s quite the fancy gadget. Where’d you get it? And how does a broke bard like you afford something like that instead of spending it on booze?”
Venti carefully stashed the film, his face darkening at the question.
“I didn’t steal it! I borrowed it from Mondstadt, and I already paid for it!”
“Oh, you paid for it? Well, good for you. At least you’re acting somewhat like an Archon. For a moment there, I thought you were going to mooch it off someone.”
Gu Sanqiu reached out to pat Venti’s shoulder in mock approval.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Venti stepped back in a flash. “I know all about you Liyue folks and your sleight-of-hand tricks. You were going to swipe the film, weren’t you?”
“Wait, you actually figured that out?”
Gu Sanqiu was genuinely surprised. Venti had guessed his intentions correctly. Since when did this carefree bard have the insight to anticipate such things?
Venti smirked triumphantly. “Hah! You’ve scammed me so many times. Did you really think I wouldn’t learn to strike back?”
“I’m the clever and wise Anemo Archon, after all. A mere mortal like you can’t hide anything from me!”
Clever and wise?
Hold on.
Gu Sanqiu’s expression turned pensive as he stared at Venti’s head.
“So, Uncle, have you ever thought about something—or maybe noticed it?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Just hear me out. Isn’t it possible—just possible—that your lack of intelligence and scatterbrained behavior before was because the Gnosis was in your head, compressing your brain and messing with your cognitive functions?”
Gu Sanqiu pointed out, “You handed the Gnosis over to Rosalyne just now, and suddenly you’re quick enough to catch on to my tricks. Don’t you think my theory makes a lot of sense?”
The vein on Venti’s forehead throbbed visibly. Gu Sanqiu’s insinuation was painfully clear—or rather, he wasn’t even trying to hide it. He was blatantly asking if Venti’s brain had been defective before.
“Makes sense, my ass!” Venti roared. “Don’t think your old man can protect you from me! Do you believe I won’t blow you all the way to the Outer Sea right now?”
“Go ahead. Be my guest.”
Gu Sanqiu smirked. “Forget the film. But could you do me a favor, dear Uncle?”
“Don’t even try! The film is mine, fair and square. Don’t think you can trick me into giving it up!” Venti snapped, his face darkening further. “And you calling me Uncle so nicely is already suspicious!”
Gu Sanqiu grinned knowingly. Venti looked like he was about to burst from sheer frustration.
“Spit it out already!”
“Oh, it’s nothing big. I just want to…” Gu Sanqiu put on the glove, flexing his fingers as the thin material adjusted perfectly to his hand. “Touch you. Just a little. Won’t take long.”
“Why do you have that thing?!” Venti yelped, leaping backward in alarm. “Stop right there! Don’t come any closer, or I’ll summon the winds to blow you straight to Liyue Harbor!”
“What’s the big deal? Your Gnosis is gone, so why fear a mere glove?”
Gu Sanqiu took a step forward. “Or is there… some function to this glove that I don’t know about?”
A sharp gust of wind enveloped Gu Sanqiu, spinning him wildly. When the winds died down, he found himself standing atop the roof of the Goethe Grand Hotel.
“A powerless Barbatos, huh? Sure, who’d believe that?”
Gu Sanqiu steadied himself, a knowing smile creeping across his face. Clearly, Venti had been hiding his strength all along. Only the unusual circumstances of this encounter had forced him to reveal a sliver of his power.
“Well, at least now I know—Venti won’t come near me while I’m wearing this glove.”
It wasn’t fear, Gu Sanqiu deduced from Venti’s earlier expression. It was more like… a mix of exasperation and resignation.
He must be so tired of this.
The glove was adaptive, molding perfectly to his hand without any adjustments. However, its ornate design made it clear it was intended for a woman.
He took it off.
I won’t be using this anytime soon. And I definitely can’t just hand it off to someone else. It’s far too dangerous.
The idea of giving it to Hu Tao crossed his mind briefly.
No way. Knowing her, she’d play around with it and accidentally smack my old man on the back, pulling out a Gnosis by mistake. Then I’d really be in trouble.
Gu Sanqiu chuckled to himself. If that ever happened, there’d be no doubt about who’d face the consequences—and it wouldn’t be Hu Tao. It’d be him.
—
This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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