What Lanyu saw was a figure clad in brown Geo armor, with a resolute gaze and long brown hair fluttering in the wind. A two-handed stone sword was thrust into the ground before him, one hand gripping its hilt.
An aura of an unstoppable defender holding the pass against ten thousand enemies emanated outward. Looking at this image, Lanyu's head practically floated with three question marks.
When on earth had he taken this photo? He was holding The Unforged, and he even had a Geo Vision. Just as Lanyu was wondering, a caption popped up beside him.
"Lanyu (Geo), Geo Constellation. Host has not unlocked the Geo element and cannot use it."
Lanyu looked at these words. The Geo element was something he had seen among the reward list for his journey to Liyue; it could be obtained once the mission completion reached fifty percent.
As for Constellations, he remembered they were things that could significantly boost a character's abilities, and he had one too, though currently he only had the Constellation for his Electro element. But right now he hadn't unlocked the Geo element yet, so this thing was completely useless to him—at least for the present.
Lanyu felt somewhat disappointed. It was something he couldn't use right now, but once he unlocked the Geo element, it should be a considerable upgrade. After all, this thing gleamed with golden light no matter how you looked at it.
On the other side, Keqing arrived at her office. Looking at the mountain of scrolls piled upon her desk gave her a headache; it seemed she would have to work overtime again today. But before that, she had things to attend to.
Although she greatly admired Lanyu, she didn't really know him. She knew nothing other than his name, and she wasn't even sure if that name was real.
She instructed some people to look into Lanyu. Though her intelligence network might not match Ningguang's, investigating an individual was still a breeze for her.
As for Lanyu, she didn't actually think he was a bad person—that was her intuition. But she wouldn't rely solely on gut feelings either; if Lanyu's background truly proved innocent, she would naturally be glad to meet someone who shared her own views.
And if it were the other way around...
Her secretary was very efficient. Not long after, Lanyu's file was delivered before her—though of course, part of the reason was that this information was no secret at all.
"Lanyu Lawrence, seventeen years old."
The file wasn't long, and Keqing finished reading it in no time. How should she put it? Lanyu's background wasn't entirely spotless; he had a few blemishes. First, he was born into the Lawrence family, slave-holders of Mondstadt.
That wasn't a huge deal, however, because the report also noted that Lanyu didn't subscribe to the mindset of the old aristocracy and had desperately wanted to integrate into Mondstadt, only to fail.
There was also the fact that he had used a Delusion. Keqing had actually guessed this earlier, but dismissed the thought upon seeing his Vision. She hadn't expected it to be true.
Subsequent notes explained that he had done so to save Mondstadt.
Having read through the file, Keqing had a rough understanding of Lanyu. He had wanted nothing more than to integrate into Mondstadt, but his identity made that impossible, so he left Mondstadt to seek a living elsewhere. The fact that he had used something like a Delusion for the sake of Mondstadt showed that he was a good person—it was just a pity he was born in the wrong place.
The things he had experienced were rather pitiful too. It seemed he had no one to rely on, and was even loathed and ostracized by those around him. Through all this, Keqing felt she finally understood a bit of what he had meant by his words earlier.
"A pitiful person worth befriending." Thinking of what Lanyu had said when introducing his background today, Keqing finally reached a conclusion.
She let out a sigh of relief. She admired Lanyu, so naturally she didn't want him to be some heinous criminal. As things stood, although his family background was somewhat unpleasant, it wasn't a major issue.
After all, this wasn't Mondstadt. If you went out and asked, some people here probably wouldn't even know what a Lawrence was. With that thought, she very naturally went back to dealing with her various duties. Some matters simply couldn't be delayed for too long.