Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"She really cares about you."

After Barbara left, Albedo suddenly spoke.

"You didn't know?" Gu Sanqiu asked, puzzled. "That girl's just like that. Even I, an outsider, can tell."

"I don't interact with others much," Albedo explained. For him, the people he saw most often were Sucrose and Timaeus. He wasn't particularly familiar with the other members of the Knights of Favonius.

"Not much for getting out, huh? Yet, the two times I've come to Mondstadt, you've shown up to block me both times. Should I feel honored?"

"In a way, yes. But also, no," Albedo replied. "To put it simply, my feelings—or rather, my attitude toward you—are... complicated."

"At first, I just found your existence highly unusual and wanted to uncover something from studying you," Albedo continued. "But over time, I realized something else. The world doesn't turn according to my will. I need to redirect my research toward understanding what it means to be truly human."

"As for this time, perhaps it's like what you say in Liyue: a battle between friends."

Gu Sanqiu flopped back onto the bed. "If that's what you call a friendly duel, our intensity was off the charts. Have you ever seen two people beat each other into the hospital for the sake of 'friendship'?"

"And let's be real, you barely got hurt, didn't you?"

Albedo shook his head. "Would you like to know my true identity?"

"Of course. I love gossip."

"You know how I mentioned my joints are unusual when you were using that power? That was a lie," Albedo said slowly. "It's not that my body is built differently. It's that I'm not human. I'm an alchemical creation."

"My stay in the hospital is just a cover—to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. I had to act the part of an injured party."

Gu Sanqiu gave Albedo a mock "shocked" glance. "An artificial human?"

"Correct. Though judging by your expression, you don't seem all that surprised."

Albedo added, "For me, interpreting facial expressions is a straightforward task, and I can usually guarantee accuracy."

"Next time Mondstadt has diplomatic talks with another nation, I'll recommend you to the Knights as their representative," Gu Sanqiu quipped, yawning. "So, by your logic, you're trying to figure out how to think like a real human, right?"

Classic advanced AI existential crisis arc?

"Not quite," Albedo replied, shaking his head. "Thinking and problem-solving like a human—that's something I've already achieved. What I'm working on now is adjusting my perspective."

"I want to view the world and handle problems as an ordinary Vision wielder would."

Albedo looked at Gu Sanqiu. "And in that regard, perhaps you can offer some insight. As someone who is also extraordinary in certain ways, how do you manage to live with a 'normal' perspective?"

The firestorm of meteors, the abyssal power, and that enormous Demon-Subduing Cudgel—this man was clearly no ordinary person.

"What's there to care about?" Gu Sanqiu rolled over lazily to face Albedo. "My family is part of Rex Lapis's mortal kin. These days, we've fallen to the point of being con artists. Why should I care?"

"Con artists?" Albedo echoed. The contrast between being connected to Rex Lapis and being labeled a "con artist" was so vast it boggled his mind. He couldn't fathom how Gu Sanqiu's family ended up this way.

"Don't overthink it," Gu Sanqiu said with a grin. "The more you worry, the more unnatural your actions become. Just go with the flow. Don't let books or other people's opinions dictate your personality."

He chuckled. "It's like a boy secretly in love with a girl. To him, his actions to distance himself or act cold might seem subtle, but to bystanders, it's blatantly obvious."

"But for someone like you, studying your nation's laws might actually be a good starting point."

"Don't stress over it. Live your life your way. The world's filled with all sorts of people. We're not all cut from the same mold. Personalities will naturally differ."

"Rules and laws are rigid constraints. But before those, everyone is born unique, with only slight similarities here and there. Just like Visions."

As everyone knows, Pyro Vision wielders come in two categories: Diluc, and everyone else (strikethrough).

To be precise, even wielders of the same element differ in personality and combat style, let alone when viewed as humans with their own individuality.

"Mondstadt is a city of freedom. Don't turn into one of those stick-in-the-mud sages from the Akademiya in Sumeru. If you do, the Anemo Archon might just shut himself in."

"You don't seem particularly fond of the sages at the Akademiya," Albedo noted.

Gu Sanqiu waved dismissively. "Not really. It's just that Liyue is constantly flooded with Akademiya students whining about unfinished theses. Dealing with them is a real headache."

"Why's that?"

"The word 'thesis' alone raises my blood pressure. Their attitude toward knowledge is completely opposite to Liyue's."

In his family, ancient texts and records were casually tossed into archives, freely accessible without requiring any form of payment or obligation.

The Hu family, pioneers in medical science, never monopolized the healthcare industry. They openly shared their findings.

Liyue's synthesis tables were freely available to the public, accompanied by basic blueprints and cheap alchemical materials provided by the state. Theft wasn't an issue because no one would stoop so low.

If you were a decent, law-abiding citizen of Liyue, you could live comfortably. Maybe not rise to the level of the Qixing or the top sects, but life in Liyue Harbor was certainly good.

Put simply, Liyue's open attitude toward knowledge extended from top to bottom.

"If you're as brilliant as you claim, go study. Excel, even surpass your mentors. No one's going to cause you trouble for it. It's all up to your ability."

"Though, let's be real—social dynamics and factions are unavoidable. Even the Old Man can't fix that. It's just how the world works."

"If you have exceptional talent, the state might even help you access the archives. Whether you can make it in is up to you."

"Hmm. I haven't interacted much with Sumeru's people, but if what you're saying is true, it makes sense why you don't get along with them," Albedo concluded. "By the way, there's something I haven't told you. After our duel, someone came by. I noticed them."

Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow. "We came here supporting each other, didn't we? If someone saw us and didn't help or report it to the Knights, that's odd. Why hasn't anything come of it?"

"Because the person who came was no ordinary individual," Albedo said slowly. "It was Mondstadt's protector, the Anemo Archon—Barbatos."

Gu Sanqiu: ?

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T/N: lookie here, i posted an original thingie called uhh 'What The World Leaves Behind' it's just for practice for my upcoming original fic but all the stories take place in the same world so if you feel like reading some short stories take a little peak please? uwu