The Second Archon War: Interlude 21 (Patreon)

Interlude 21: The House of Secrets

Once, the port of Shanghai had been the business port on Earth Bet. Even during the years when the Leviathan had been active, Shanghai had continued to be the largest maritime shipping hub in the world. The Chinese Union Imperial had been very eager to export Chinese manufactured goods for foreign currency they could spend on Tinkertech, and their reign had only expanded the harbors’ facilities.

Then came the Kamikaze. Shanghai had, of course, been a major staging point for the planned invasion of Japan. It had been there that the Raiden Shogun had personally appeared, and her wrath had fallen upon Shanghai first. The once bustling port was reduced to a storm-scorched wreck in moments. 

After that, the port had never truly fully recovered before the Day of Desolation. When Mówáng the Golden had destroyed the entire Chinese power grid with the help of his puppet, the Japanese She-Demon. There had been some repair work in the three years, but not enough to do much more than clear the wreckage. Now that the Chinese Union Imperial had fallen, there was very little trade taking place in the once bustling harbor. Instead, it was full of pirates, smugglers, and thousands and thousands of desperate refugees. 

“Um, is this really the place the Travelers want to go? The Raiden Shogun said she’d take us anywhere…maybe we could go somewhere nice?” Paimon said, looking dubiously at the ramshackle hovels and dingy fishing boats tied up at the wharf they were approaching. 

“Hey, you said you wanted to find another Archon, right?” the captain of their boat laughed, rubbing at her eyepatch. 

“It is what our plan is,” Lumine agreed, though she was dubious about approaching China as well. 

“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but the most powerful Archon is a first-rate bet to appear in China,” Captain Bukdu laughed, slapping Lumine on the back. “So, if you start looking now, maybe you’ll find him! Besides, your only other choice is to either wander around looking for the Hydro Archon, who is gods only know where, or go see the Tsaritsa! And you don’t want that, do you?”

“No,” Lumine said, shaking her head. Rumor had it that the Tsaritsa was licking her wounds from her fight with the Anemo Archon, but that her daughter was leading an army south to invade Kazakhstan within days or weeks. Still…the God of Love was said to know things the others didn’t, dark secrets that had made her an enemy of all. Lumine felt…pulled…in that direction, but she also knew that she’d been warned against ever going near the Tsaritsa. For now, she would try other paths. 

“It might be our best lead, especially if this Geo Archon really is the oldest and wisest of the Archons,” Aether agreed. He looked out at the shacks, and his expression softened. “Besides. It looks like people need help here. There has to be something we can do, right?”

“Well, OK,” their guide said, bobbing up and down slightly. She was dressed in an outfit meant for a toddler, a onesie that had a white skirt and a large silver bow that looked a bit like a pair of wings. “But Paimon is still nervous. What if the Devil King Scion comes back and attacks again!?” 

“I wouldn’t say his name, unless you want to get mobbed,” Bukdu said sharply, and both the Travelers and Paimon swallowed and nodded. “I’d also keep your hoods up. Blonde hair sticks out here in China, and foreigners are not in a good odor. Neither are Parahumans. Vision Holders are more accepted if they’re not Electro Vision Holders, especially since Iraq is shipping in a LOT of food relief.”

“And Electro Vision holders?” Lumine asked curiously.

“If we survive long enough to flee to Hong Kong or group up with a warlord, or become one ourselves, we usually do alright. No one fucks with me, but I also don’t go flashing my Vision either,” Bukdu said with a shake of her head. 

She went off to shout orders to have her ship tied up, and Lumine stood on the prow with her brother and Paimon. 

“So, still think this is a good idea?” Aether asked quietly.

Lumine lifted up the hood of her jacket and dug out a pair of sunglasses, slipping them on. “No. But I’m going to do it anyway. There is a way home. I know it. If we can’t find it, we’ll make it. This is just another step on that journey. I can feel it. This is the right move.”

“Alright. I trust you,” Aether said, and took Lumina’s right hand. Paimon floated over and took Lumine’s left, and nodded at her.

The ship pulled up to the wharf, and Lumine resisted the urge to just teleport herself ashore. Instead, she waited for the gangplank to be lowered, saying one final goodbye to Captain Bukdu.

“You sure you kids don’t want a direction to somewhere to stay?” Bukdu asked. “Shanghai is more stable since the Nerds took over, but it’s still dangerous, even for you.”

“We’ll be alright,” Lumine said, bowing to the captain, who picked her up and hugged her with a laugh. 

“Don’t try to pull that formal crap on me! What about you, kid? You want to know where the best brothels are?”

Aether coughed, while Lumine laughed. “Ah, that’s alright, Captain. We’re just going to be in the city for a short time. Just long enough to get some hints about the Geo Archon that’s supposed to appear.”

“Well, he’s supposed to be the lord of precious metals and shit, so maybe go find an old mine or something. Anyway, if you get spooked, the Crux will be here for a day or two while I sniff up some intel. Take care!” 

With that, Bukdu went back to ordering her crew about, and Lumine headed down the gangplank. There was a bit of a crowd, though they stayed back, looking at Lumine and Aether suspiciously, though they had their hoods up and glasses on, so it shouldn’t be immediately obvious that they weren’t locals. Paimon attracted a few glances, but there were enough oddities on Earth Bet these days that the fairy wasn’t overly suspicious. 

Most of the crowd looked…worn. Dirty. Hungry. Lumine saw hollow eyes, gaunt faces, and worn, ragged clothing. She could see mistrust of outsiders warring with a desire to get something from strangers who had to have more than the starving wretches of Shanghai. Indeed, they hadn’t gone five paces when a scraggily orphan hurried forward and bowed to them, chattering away in Chinese, which Lumine couldn’t begin to understand. She’d learned English, and now Japanese, but most Earth Bet languages escaped her still. 

“He says his name is Yi Bao, and he’s offering his services as a guide. Should I just tell him no? Paimon is already the bestest travel guide!” the fairy said, looking a bit peeved that anyone would dare impinge on her sacred duty. 

Lumine was about to agree with Paimon and turn the scrawny kid down, but then she hesitated. There was more than a hint of desperation in the kids’ eyes. He didn’t even have on shoes, and from his hollow cheeks, he’d missed more than a couple of meals. 

“Paimon…tell Bao we’ll hire him, and pay for his meals, as long as he guides us through Shanghai,” Aether said. When Paimon looked hurt, he added quietly, “The kid looks like he’s about one more missed meal from starving. We can’t help everyone here…But we can help this kid.”

“Oh! Um, yes, Paimon agrees!” 

Their companion quickly translated their agreement, and the orphan’s shock and amazement were clearly visible. He had to fight back tears, and bowed repeatedly before grabbing some of their meager luggage and hurrying off, babbling excitedly and gesticulating wildly. 

“Um, Bao says he knows a good place to stay for a little while, and all the places to avoid so you don’t get beat up by gangs!” Paimon said, zipping after Bao. 

They were soon led to a flop house not far from the wharf by their enthusiastic new guide, who never stopped his endless stream of Chinese. From what Paimon was translating, Lumine would have thought that Shanghai was the most wonderful hub of adventure and mystery on the planet. But by the ramshackle buildings and suspicious eyes of the people on the street, Lumine somewhat doubted that was the case. 

“-Auntie Jin runs the best hotel in the city,” Paimon was translating, “And she always has tasty food if you can pay for it! She gives me a bowl of broth and rice every day for bringing her guests and information!” 

“So Aunty Jin sends you to the docks to recruit guests?” Lumine asked. 

Bao nodded when Paimon translated. “Yeah, it’s his main job! Aunty Jin says people who don’t work don’t eat!”

“What about your home?” Aether asked, then grimaced and lifted his foot. He’d just stepped in something that Lumine hoped was dog poop, but suspected came from somewhere else. 

Bao was immediately contrite, babbling apologies and coming over and offering Aether a rag to wipe his boot off with. Aether shrugged it off and laughed, but they hadn’t gone much farther before a passing cyclist clipped Paimon, causing her to spin in the air and nearly crash before Lumine caught her. Bao apologized for that too, looking a bit defeated, but Lumine assured him through Paimon it wasn’t his fault.

Then, a few more paces away, as Lumine was still carrying Paimon, rickety old fire escape on a building suddenly cracked, snapped, and fell right for Lumine. She reacted instantly, teleporting out of the way with a pop, and landing next to Aether. However, a couple of people were hurt in the fall, and Aether and Lumine stopped to help dig them out.

“Shhh, it’s OK, Bao!” Paimon said, the bow now weeping as he sat on the side, still holding the luggage. 

“It’s not his fault, we don’t blame him,” Lumine said, coming over and checking to see if Bao had been hurt. “And no one was seriously injured.”

“Yeah, but they’re looking at us suspiciously. I think they saw you teleport, and know you’re a parahuman,” Aether said quietly.

Lumine looked around, and some of the locals were muttering and pointing at Lumine. She hastily pulled her hood up further and motioned to Bao. “We’d better go.”

Bao scrambled up, but not before a woman ran out with a broom, shouting. She swung it at Bao, and Lumine had her sword in her hands in a flash. However, before the woman could hit Bao, a cat darted out of a drain, and got tangled up in the woman’s feet. She fell and hit her forehead, then jumped up, blood streaming down her face as she wailed and shouted, pointing at Bao.

Several other locals were glaring at Bao, until someone got a good look at Lumine’s crackling blade. 

“Rìběn guǐzi!” someone shouted. Bukdu had warned them about that phrase in particular: it meant something along the lines of “Japanese devils.”

“RUN!” Lumine cried, grabbing Bao, then teleporting up to the roof, reappearing to grab Aether, and then jumping back above, Paimon zipping up to join them. The city was a warren of closely connected buildings, and they hastily scrambled over red roof tiles and wooden slats, Lumine liberally using her abilities until they’d gotten several blocks away, heading in the general direction Bao showed them. 

“Bao, you really need to stop apologizing, that wasn’t your fault!” Paimon told him. She listened, then frowned. “He’s telling us to leave him, that it was his fault. That he’s…bad luck, or something? Paimon isn’t sure he’s really upset, and he’s hiccuping so much she can’t understand everything.”

“Hey, it’s OK,” Lumine said, going over and using her hankie to clean Bao up as he shivered and hiccuped. “It’s just some bad luck. Could have happened to anyone.”

Bao didn’t look convinced, but he agreed to show them the rest of the way to Aunty Jin’s hotel. Apparently, she knew lots of things and could help Aether and Lumine in their search, though Lumine personally doubted that. For now, they just needed somewhere to rest for the night, and get some food. 

They dropped back to the street, though Lumine almost fell into a dumpster that seemed to come out of nowhere. She teleported away in time, but thankfully, this time no one noticed. Bao led through a few more winding streets until they came to a small inn in a section of the city that didn’t look quite so neglected. The people here were cleaner, and there were more vehicles. Plus, not as much garbage and filth. 

“Bao says this part of the city is controlled by the Architect and the Mathematician, whatever that means. The docks are run by another gang, but they place nice with the…scholars? Paimon doesn’t understand. But there’s Aunty Jin’s Hotel!”

The hotel itself appeared to be an older, three-story building, with a whitewashed wall around it, and a small garden inside. Out front, perched on the wall, a young girl a few years older than Bao sat with an assault rifle slung at her side. She was dressed in a black Koromi hat with little pink ears, and had on pink sunglasses, the rest of her outfit worn but clean jeans and a pink and white jacket. The sleeve of her right arm was tied off, and she seemed to be missing most of her arm below the elbow. She spotted Bao coming and hopped down, barring his way. 

“You can’t come in here, Bao,” Paimon translated. “You know that. Not after last time.”

“But I have customers! See, these two foreigners and their pet are paying guests. HEY! Paimon isn’t a pet!” 

The girl shot Paimon an odd look, but Paimon translated her own words with a huff, planting her hands on her hips and floating in midair. “Are you really paying customers?”

“Yes, we have money. Japanese Yen, or Iraqi Dinar,” Lumine said, flashing some of the readily accepted international currencies. According to Bukdu, Chinese Yuan was most valuable when used as a Kleenex or toilet paper, so Lumine and Aether had made sure to bring their hard currency. 

“She says we can stay, but Bao has to go,” Paimon said, looking worried. 

Bao sniffed, scrubbed his face, then smiled. “He says it’s fine, and is sorry for the trouble. Paimon says it is not fine! Bao helped us!”

“If we stay, he stays, at least for dinner,” Lumine said. 

The girl looked uncertain, but bit her lip. “She has to go ask Boss Jin.”

The girl disappeared, and a few moments later, a much younger woman than Lumine had expected sauntered out, holding a long, carved, tobacco pipe. ‘Aunty’ Jin looked to be about 30, with shrewd eyes, a green robe, and jade hair ornaments. She eyed Lumine and Aether, then jerked her head. 

“Boss wants to see the money,” the girl said, holding her rifle and scowling. 

Lumien flashed the Iraqi Dinar, and Jin grunted. “You can stay. The boy can have dinner, he’s earned that. Then he has to leave.”

“Why can’t he stay the night if he spends it in our rooms?” Lumine demanded. 

When Paimon translated, it wasn’t Jin who answered, but Bao. He was scuffing his feet and looking down. “If I stay, you’ll find bedbugs in the room, or the bed will collapse, or there will be a leak in the roof, or a pipe will burst and it will flood.”

“What?! That’s crazy! Paimon doesn’t believe in that sort of bad luck,” their guide spluttered. 

“You should,” Jin said, startling Lumine when she said it in very good English. She took a pull on the tobacco pipe, and blew out the fragrant smoke, which made Paimon cough and splutter. “Bao is a yāo rén. You’d call him a parahuman. But he’s the worst kind of yāo rén. He’s about the only one in Shanghai I know of, there are almost no triggers these days. But his powers are terrible. He has bad luck.”

“So? What if I was a parahuman?” Lumine demanded, sticking her chin up.

Jin arched an eyebrow. “You, girl? I don’t believe…” Jin trailed off. In place of her pipe, she was now holding Lumine’s slightly damp hankie, while Lumine held her pipe. “Ah.”

The girl with the rifle gasped and pointed the rifle at Lumine, but Jin snapped, “Caomei!” and the girl lowered it, blushing. 

“Fine. But it costs you double to have the boy with you,” Jin said with a shrug. She started slightly, as her pipe reappeared in her hands. She shook her head, and walked away. 

“Can we afford that?” Aether asked quietly. 

“We’ve got plenty of money. Besides, we’ll only be here a day or two,” Lumine said with a shrug.  

The girl, who was named Caomei, showed the group to a small room. Paimon was circling Bao curiously, and the boy blushed, clutching the luggage to his chest. When they came to the room, Caomei demanded payment in exchange for keys, stating that it was on a day-to-day basis. Lumine paid for the room and dinner for four that night, she ushered everyone inside.

Bao Yi hastily set the luggage down, then shifted from foot to foot. He mumbled something, which Paimon translated. 

“He says you can just pay him and he’ll go, he can get food somewhere else, and knows a few mostly dry places to sleep. But Paimon thinks Bao should stay with us! He’s our friend!” 

“Does he really have bad luck?” Aether asked, going over to squat down in front of Bao.

“Hmmm,” Paimon touched Bao’s forehead with her hand, which made him start, but not pull away. “Paimon can feel something weird on his spirit. Just like what the Travelers had when they met Paimon! It really does seem to be giving him bad luck…it’s sort of a nasty little thing, like a leech, or something, sucking on his soul!” 

“Can you do anything about it?” Lumine asked.

“Hmm, Paimon thinks she can…ah-ha!” Sticking her tongue out and biting it, Paimon took Bao’s head in both hands. There was a flash of silver light, and Bao cried out, falling flat on his rear. 

“There!” Paimon said proudly, planting her hands on her hips and nodding as Bao lay on the floor, dazed. “That should help! It won’t eliminate the bad luck, but Paimon did the same thing to him she did to the travelers, so his life should be a little easier!” 

“You…you got rid of my bad luck?” Bao asked through Paimon. 

“Um, sort of? I made your demon back off a little! I’m not really sure how, but Paimon can…shine a light on it, I guess? And it will mostly leave you alone now. Though, er…I think you’ll still have bad luck. Paimon might be able to remember how to do more…but if she does…she’s worried…” A tear trickled down Paimon’s cheek, and Bao hastily assured her it was fine. 

“Are you OK, Paimon?” Lumine asked as Aether checked Bao over. 

“Yeah, Paimon is OK, it’s just…Paimon likes being Paimon. She’s worried that if all the things in her head come back…she won’t be your Paimon anymore,” the little fairy sniffled. 

“No matter what, you’ll always be our Paimon,” Lumine whispered, and gave Paimon a tight squeeze, which Paimon returned, surprising Lumine at how strong she was. 

At dinner time, they went down to the first floor, where there was a desk and lobby. A black cat sat on the desk and meowed at Lumine, who stroked the creature and was rewarded with a happy purr. 

Caomei reappeared, informing them that they would not be dining with the other guests, but in the back with Boss Jin, and showed them to what looked like the private dining room for Jin and Caomei. The room was lit with reddish light, and had a long, low wooden table, with cushions around it on a plain wooden floor. 

“Have a seat,” Jin ordered in English as Caomei hastily set about preparing bowls of fish and millet soup. “I’m afraid our food might not be up to the standards of the Imperial Japanese court, but it is all we have.”

“That’s OK! Paimon will miss eating with Stelle and Caelus, but she will take any food!” Paimon said, eagerly accepting a bowl. 

“Stelle and Caelus. The Enlightened Beasts, retainers to High Priestess Yae Miko,” Jin said, blowing out a puff of smoke.

Lumine and Aether both groaned, and Paimon blushed, hastily slurping down some soup to hide her embarrassment. 

Jin took a long pull from her pipe, and Caomei posted herself behind her boss, rifle in her arms and looking nervous. “Two parahumans, reported to have been close confidants of Raiden Ami, trained by the head of the Tenryou Commission, the Electro Dragon himself. Rumored to have spoken with both the Anemo Archon, and the Dendro Archon as well. Aether and Lumine. The Traveling Twins. What are you doing at Miwen Guan?”

“The Secret Hall? That’s a weird name for an inn,” Paimon commented, frowning at Jin. 

“And how do you know who we are?” Lumine demanded hotly.

“Lumine…if she had any doubts…you just confirmed everything,” Aether groaned, and Lumine blushed in embarrassment. Paimon and Bao were both competing to see who could empty their bowl the fastest, though Lumine hadn’t touched hers. 

“I keep an ear to the ground,” Jin said idly, peering at Lumine through half-lidded eyes. She barked something in Chinese, and before Paimon could swallow, Caomei produced a bottle of something, and poured three small glasses of a clear liquid. Lumine sniffed at it, then downed it. The burn made her cough and her eyes water, and reminded her of the sake she’d tried with Caelus.

Well, at least Jin didn’t think they were just a couple of kids. 

For her part, Jin knocked her liquor back, then held her glass up to Caomei, who started to pour. She let out a sudden yip, the bottle slipping in her one handed grasp, and clumsily tried to use her stump to catch the bottle. Instead, it dropped and shattered, spilling liquor and shards of glass everywhere.

Caomei glared at Bao, who tried to get up and clean it up, babbling so rapidly even Paimon seemed to struggle to understand him. 

“Sorry, sorry, Paimon tried to fix you, but it looks like the jinx is still there…” Paimon sighed.

“Tried to fix him?” Jin said, her eyes snapping to Paimon.

“Ah, ah, I mean, P-Paimon would-”

“You can alter a demon?” Jin demanded, standing up suddenly, her face going pale. 

“Um…yes?” Paimon managed. 

Instantly, Jin grabbed Caomei and shoved her down into a kowtow, pressing her head to ground, even as the young girl cried out and waved her hands in a panic.

“Forgive us, Lord of Geo, we did not mean to insult you or your retainers,” Jin gasped. 

Lumine and Aether blinked in shock, while Paimon looked very confused. 

“Uh, Paimon isn’t the Geo Archon. That’s Morax. Paimon is just Paimon. Morax is…bigger, Paimon is pretty sure, and from Liyue. Paimon is…well, Paimon is also from Teyvat, she thinks, because she can remember things about Teyvat…just, not who Paimon is. But Paimon is definitely not an Archon!” 

Jin looked up, confusion clear on her face. “You…are not the Archaic Lord we await?”

“Uh, no?” Paimon said, looking very lost now. 

“Hmm. Cǎo méi, qǐlái ba!” Jin barked, and her very confused assistant scrambled up and began to clean again, shooting glances at her boss that made it clear Cao Mei thought Jin had gone crazy. 

“Er, that was…quite the reaction. You are…expecting the Geo Archon? We’re looking for him,” Lumine said. 

Jin grunted. “That was more information than I should have given out for free. Normally, I charge through the nose for that sort of thing.”

“We can give you some of what we know, too,” Aether offered. “Or, well, what Paimon knows. Who are you, exactly, Boss Jin?”

Jin took a long pull at her pipe, then sighed and ordered the confused Cao Mei to sit and have dinner herself. Caomei dished herself up some soup, glanced at Bao, who had finished his, then sighed and gave him her bowl before making another one for herself. 

“My name is Zhen Jin. Most people call me Boss Jin. You don’t need to know my full history. Just know that I’m the best information broker in Shanghai. Possibly all of China, though things are still such a mess that’s hard to know. This is Caomei. My…employee. Bao does odd jobs for me sometimes. A lot of orphans in the city do. No, it’s not charity. It’s business. They do work for me, I feed them. Simple as that. I’m not nearly rich enough to give something as valuable as food away in times like this,” Jin sniffed. 

Lumine glanced at the crippled Caomei, and Bao. Both of them were eagerly polishing off the stew. Now that she thought about it, she’d seen a few other kids around. Maybe Jin was more of a softy than she let on, but Lumine wouldn’t say anything.

“As for the Geo Archon…I know very little. A contact I have has me keep an eye out for him. I have a description. Normally, a tall, dark man, who appears to be Chinese. Hair in a long queue down his back. The most striking feature will be the amber eyes. Refined and elegant bearing, who usually appears to be in his mid-thirties, but when he speaks, comes off as much older. Though that is all subject to change. He’s apparently an accomplished shapeshifter and can take the form of a dragon, an old woman, a young boy, or anything in between. But always, the amber eyes.”

“So, people are expecting him to appear in China?” Lumine pressed. 

Jin shrugged. “There are two Archons left. Based on what my contact has said, one of them, the Geo Archon, is very likely to appear in China. This isn’t common knowledge, but those close to the Archons say that they’re all sending out feelers. They’re also on the lookout for the Pyro Archon, but apparently, there have been dozens of them over the years, and where they will appear is completely unknown.”

“That’s what the Raiden Shogun told us,” Lumine recalled. “She called him the Archaic Lord as well.”

“That’s valuable information,” Jin mused, and gave Lumine a nod. “I’ll consider this a fair trade in turn. Now…you, little fairy. You can exorcise demons? Did you do something to Bao? The bad luck…isn’t as…well, shall we say, destructive, as normal.”

“Um, Paimon did what she could…but Paimon isn’t an Archon,” Paimon reiterated.

“Hmm. You’ve mentioned that, and I have had no word of Geo Visions, or Pyro Visions, appearing,” Jin mused. She frowned at Lumine and Aether. “You wouldn’t know anything about the Hydro Archon, would you?”

“We were there, with the Shogun, when she appeared. The Shogun noted that her constellation was…different. She called it…Animula Choragi,” Lumine supplied.

Jin shook her head. “That is old news. You’ll have to give me more if you want more.”

“She stated firmly it wasn’t Egeria, or Focalors. But the image looked like that of Focalors. The Hydro Archon is still the God of Justice, according to the Shogun,” Aether said.

“Hmm,” Jin tapped her chin, then shrugged. “Very well. What is it you want, exactly? Why do you seek the Geo Archon?”

“We…we’re from another world,” Lumine admitted.

“Yeah,” her brother agreed. “We’re trying to get home. We have met the Anemo and Dendro Archons too. They…well, they acted sort of like they knew us? At least, Venti and Ei did, Nahida said she never met us before, which was weird.”

“Really,” Jin’s eyes flashed. “Tell me more.”

After several more sips of the white liquor, which Jin called ‘baiju’, Lumine and Aether spilled their guts to Jin, who was very easy to talk to. In the end, they had to have Bao help them back to their rooms, where they quickly passed out. 

When they were gone, Jin wrote a hasty message, sealed it, and gave it to Caomei. 

“Take this to Ivan, down at the docks,” Jin ordered.

“You got it, Boss Jin,” Caomei agreed. She hesitated, then asked, “Do you…do you think that, if they fixed Bao…he could stay with us?”

“No, he’s still a Jonah; an albatross around our necks,” Jin said.

“Uh,” Caomei cocked her head to one side, her eyes confused. “Jonah? What’s that? And what’s an albatross got anything to do with me?”

“Never mind. Something from my past,” Jin said with a shake of her head. How to explain she’d once spent an inordinate amount of time infiltrating Christian churches, then exposing them to her comrades in the CUI secret police? That was in her past. 

Caomei hadn’t been gone long, when the door banged open. Jin was on her feet in an instant, a knife in her hands that glowed with power. However, the woman who staggered in, taking a swig from a bottle and reeking of alcohol, made her relax.

“Eyyyy, Jin! My old drinkin’ buddy!” Budku laughed, collapsing onto a cushion. “How’s life in Shanghai these days?”

“Quieter, until you showed up,” Jin said primly, taking a seat and hiding the evidence of her letter writing. 

Bukdu laughed. “Ah, the Nerds doing their jobs, then?”

“It’s become much more hospitable since the Mathematician and the Architect took control of most of the city. We don’t have to boil our water, and I’m saving a great deal of electricity for my generator,” Jin said with a shrug. 

Bukdu let out a sonorous belch, which made Jin wrinkle her nose, and nodded. “Great! Hey, got a favor to ask of you.”

“I don’t do favors,” Jin said, giving Bukdu a narrow glare. 

“Hey, I pay for my favors! Listen, there’s a couple of kids, foreigners. Pair of twins, blondies. I want you to find ‘em, point them towards somewhere safe, OK? They’re looking for the Geo Archon. Point them to, shit, I don’t know, that wacky school who think they’re a bunch of Cultivators or some shit. Where are they again?”

“The Meili Snow Mountains in Yunnan,” Jin supplied, her face utterly neutral.

“Yeah, that! Urp. Anyway, they’re good kids. Strong, too! Beat Ami in a duel!”

“You don’t say,” Jin said, filing that one away, and quietly congratulating herself for not attempting any sort of force. Not that she and Caomei could do much against a pair of parahumans. Jin had killed more than a few people, and Caomei was defter than she appeared, but neither of them could actually fight a cape. They survived by having powerful friends, and keeping their heads down. 

“Yeah, just like, point them in that direction. Make them, I don’t know, your agents or some shit.”

“Hmm. And will you be spending the night?” Jin asked, loosening her robe and letting it fall down to her elbows, exposing a good deal of her breasts. 

“Hey! None of that! I’m a married woman now, you know!” Bukdu said, her drunkenness apparently vanishing in an instant, her one eye glaring at Jin. 

“Of course,” Jin said, drawing her robe back up instantly. 

Bukdu grunted, and took a drink from her jug. “Alright. What’s your report?”

Jin quickly outlined what few dregs of interesting gossip she had, and gave Jin an envelope with a written summary and more thorough explanation.

“Good. Pleasure doing business with you. Remember, find those kids,” Bukdu ordered.

“Of course. A pleasure as always,” Jin agreed amiably. Bukdu departed, and Jin let out a sigh.

Then counted the money that Bukdu had passed her. She could feed, no, employ, a lot of kids with it, at least until Ivan and the Fatui paid up. She had a lot of balls to juggle. But she’d keep them in the air, as long as she could. And somehow, survive until the Geo Archon finally arrived.