Upon Starsnatch Cliff, Barbatos, the Anemo Archon who had just finished expending his divine power to complete the final shaping of Mondstadt’s topography, was cradling his beloved lyre and taking a brief rest.
He was receiving the winds returning from all directions, carrying the responses of the other Archons.
The aura of the Geo Archon was as steady as a mountain, the whispers of the Electro Archon carried a faint current and gentleness, and the fragrance of flora came from the land of wisdom.
Moist water vapor permeated with the rhythm of the ocean, while the scorching aura came from the volcano that never extinguished.
Finally, a wisp carrying the chill and the scent of frost and snow brought the echo of the new Archon from the furthest north.
The language was ancient and beautiful, the rhythm complex.
Hearing that the other party also enjoyed music, he wondered how pleasing the songs and poems transmitted from his voice would be.
Barbatos blinked his emerald eyes and gently plucked a string.
“Hmm…
Just that the gathering of Archons alone doesn’t feel grand enough, and you want to make it livelier?” He pondered the meaning of the Cryo Archon.
He plucked the strings again, and a more majestic and intricate power of the Anemo Archon spread out with him at the center.
Invisible winds wove through the high skies of Teyvat; although limited by distance, there was a delay of over ten minutes, but this was enough to establish a cross-regional Archon group chat.
Soon, different winds brought different styles of “messages,” blowing into the royal court of the White Tsar.
First, the group owner Barbatos spoke, the wind overflowing with the breath of freedom, poetry, and wine:
[Fellow Archons, the final venue is set in Liyue.
Do you have any suggestions?
I will bring the best wine and the best poetry to celebrate the end of the war.]
Immediately following was the scent of tilled soil, from the host of Liyue, Morax.
[Liyue will certainly fulfill its duties as a host to make everyone feel at home.
The location can be set in the vast plains east of Guili and by the Bishui River, which is easy to arrange and sufficiently solemn.]
The Electro element in the wind jumped slightly, carrying the gentle voice of the Electro Archon, Baal.
[I heard that this festival is to be held on a grander scale; may I bring my retainers and friends?
Several of my important retainers also wish to behold the grace of the Archons and celebrate peace together.]
Oh, oh, Makoto, the eldest of the Narukami sisters.
In the future, she will part with her sister Ei and die in the battle of Khaenri’ah; I should try to save her if there’s a chance.
Morgan thought while looking over official documents.
The fresh scent of vibrant plants followed, and the Archon of wisdom spoke in a calm tone.
[I have brought gifts and the wisdom of Sumeru for you all.
My flower carriage is ready to depart, and I wish to share the blessings of the rainforest with everyone.]
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata!
The regret of countless players in the Sumeru chapter.
After her death, her very existence was polluted by forbidden knowledge, and not even her name could remain.
I must save her too.
The moist water vapor brought an elegant inquiry: [The Oceanids long to accompany me to the banquet to show the respect and joy of Fontaine.
I wonder if there are enough clean lakes near the venue for them to rest temporarily?]
The first Hydro Archon, Egeria, who was also someone who “loved humans,” pulling off the ruthless feat of turning Oceanids into humans.
Now she is finally released from the cage of Celestia.
The scorching wind carried a hint of sulfur, but it was not violent, only straightforward: [I want to bring a Dragon-kin along; rest assured, he is gentle in temperament, likes humans very much, and will definitely not cause trouble.]
The Archon of Pyro from Natlan.
But Morgan’s mind was filled only with that song, the powerful music playing automatically in his head— [The only path left for us is the path of Xbalanque!]
I should save this one too; although he didn’t die in Khaenri’ah, after Xbalanque died, his good dragon friend went astray.
Finally, the frost and snow wind of the northern border also joined the “group chat,” and the fairy language of Morgan sounded: [I will play a special piece of music for you all as a gift for our first meeting, and to add a touch of musical beauty to this grand event.]
Following that, it seemed to be a private message sent solely to Barbatos, transmitted via another finer wisp of wind.
The content was roughly asking if he could compose music for the Anemo Archon’s poetry and discussing the possibility of collaboration.
The Archons discussed in the large group chat regarding the scale of the venue, the ability to bring important retainers or representatives of their people, and the specific time set for one month later.
And Barbatos replied to Morgan privately, and the voice sounded quite happy to him.
[Of course, I have long heard that the Archon of Art and Literature is extremely skilled in music; it would be an honor to have you compose for me.
If you don’t mind, you can come to Mondstadt before the gathering; we can meet up, rehearse the tunes, and have a chat.]
He attached the general location of Mondstadt and a wisp of guiding wind.
Soon, the frost wind replied: [Very good.
Then we shall meet in Mondstadt in fifteen days.]
In the “large group,” the Archons briefly confirmed some details, such as the way their respective people would participate in the festival.
Primarily through delegations, performances, and exhibitions to avoid chaos caused by large-scale population movement.
Security matters were to be handled by each nation, with the host, Liyue, providing basic assistance.
Morgan mostly just seconded or offered some trivial suggestions regarding art during this time.
Once everything was preliminarily decided, the divine power Barbatos used to maintain the “group chat” gradually faded, the wind network slowly dissolved, and the last thread of connection was severed.
In the royal court of Snezhnaya, Morgan was quite satisfied; it was finally time for an offline meeting.
“Must prepare well for this diplomatic mission; with the Seven Archons gathering, I must get at least ten light cones for my collection.”
He picked up a blank scroll and began to list items.
Among the entourage, Anastasia must be brought along; she was the Grand Duchess designated by Morgan.
Having been raised by him since she was small, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her his adopted daughter.
If one day Morgan were to leave Teyvat and return to the universe, this land of snow would have to be handed over to her to manage.
Hiss, come to think of it, wouldn’t that make Anastasia the Tsaritsa?
I won’t die during the Khaenri’ah war, will I?
I hope the Heavenly Principles will show mercy to me, a fellow Descender.
Forget it; it’s still far from that point in time, so I’ll worry about it later.
The Crown Prince of Snezhnaya should see the world.
The guard should be streamlined but elite; I can’t lose face.
The fairies are not lacking in handsome men and beautiful women, but those with presence also need to be selected.
Attendants, protocol officers…
a headache, but I can’t not bring them.
The fairies have different clans: humanoid, wolf-form, bear-form, and so on, and every clan needs to have a few representatives attend.
Otherwise, those fairy Grand Dukes would be crying before the throne again, claiming I am biased towards someone.
I really don’t understand why they are so noisy; sometimes, to compete for the chance to have a meal and chat with me every week, they would fight until their brains spilled out.
Anastasia often complains that those Grand Dukes are like concubines trying to gain the Emperor’s favor, wishing they could stick peacock feathers all over their bodies to display in front of you.
Do you really not know that gaining the favor of the White Tsar is a tremendous gift for them?
Morgan felt a chill; he was not a furry fan, nor was he gay, and he didn’t care for this kind of old-fashioned Western aristocratic court culture.
He also had no intention of finding a female fairy for himself; after all, romance would only affect the speed of his infrastructure building—where could a harem be more interesting than building houses?
But unfortunately, his personal charm was too great, to the point where the fairies were like characters in a dating sim, grinding for friendship in front of Morgan.
They were either giving this and that or kneeling, lifting the Tsar’s hand to kiss it in allegiance.
There was even one time, just as Morgan finished a day of official business and was planning to go out for a stroll, he encountered a bear fairy who was fanatically professing her love.
Disclaimer: Morgan does not discriminate against furries.
Since he distributed seats and power based on military merit during the Archon War.
The Hyperboreans created the fairies, favoring beautiful humanoid ones to serve their masters, usually as servants and lovers.
While the beast-formed ones were slaves for mining and cannon fodder to block the front lines during wars.
Beast forms were generally more advantageous in actual combat, unless the humanoid ones could use profound elemental power.
Morgan’s royal court had many noble fairies with beast forms.
But this broad-shouldered, bear-headed girl was bashful, saying she was willing to serve His Majesty the White Tsar.
Morgan’s scalp went numb and his face turned green; looking at the two “mountains” twice as tall as him, he ordered the guards to “escort” these two nobles out.
If any fairy were allowed in without his permission again, he would definitely kick the head of the guards in the butt with his boots.
Hyperboreans!
Look at the soldiers you’ve trained!
What have you been instilling in the fairies!
It’s too terrifying, too scary; these fairies are repressed to an outrageous degree.
Even the wine glasses and combs he had used could be stolen and sold for a high price outside.
Morgan had to establish a more standardized and ascetic set of court etiquette.
Domestic affairs were overseen by Grand Duke Filippov, who was skilled in shapeshifting, with other Grand Dukes supervising and assisting.
Why choose Grand Duke Filippov?
Because he was a meritorious official who had performed great service for Morgan during the war.
Most importantly, he had a very beloved wife, and the couple was harmonious; Morgan found it so purely loving that it was sweet enough to rot one’s teeth.
At the very least, he wouldn’t take advantage of his position to secretly take Morgan’s things for his “collection.”
Sigh, being too popular is also a kind of trouble; who asked him to be so well-liked.
Itinerary planning, festival programs, formal wear for the Archons…
The list grew longer and longer, and looking at the increasingly dense scroll, Morgan suddenly felt that this didn’t seem much easier than reviewing official documents.
“Ah—!” He let out a brief sigh and buried his face in his arms.
When will this work ever end?