Eyes of Perception

Chapter 5

"The case? Do you mean the one regarding the increased number of deaths as of late?" Zhongli interrupted, drawing the guard's attention to him. 

Vlad did a double take, as if he didn't expect Zhongli to know what he was talking about, before turning to Childe with a questioning look, almost as if he was asking for permission to speak. Only when Childe nodded did he clear his throat before replying, suddenly a lot quieter. "Yes, precisely. One of the investigation teams found more information regarding the most recent victim. I-I'm sorry, Mister Zhongli, but you aren't authorized to receive this information. It's confidential Fatui intel. I hope you understand."

The consultant replied with a curt nod. "Of course. I apologize for overstepping my boundaries. Mister Childe, until next time. Let me know how you enjoy the books." With that, he left, posture perfectly straight, and for some odd reason, Childe really wanted to call him back. 

Instead, he motioned for Vlad to follow him, taking the fastest route back to the bank and only relaxing once they were in the safety of his office. "So. Explain."

Vlad visibly flinched. "M-maybe it would be better if Ekaterina was the one to explain? She has more of the details a-"

"If you are competent enough to interrupt my meeting with Mister Zhongli then you are competent enough to explain why," Tartaglia cut him off, his voice cold. "Now. Explain. I won't ask again."

"R-right. One of the groups was investigating the most recent corpse when Felix, one of the agents here, said he thought he recognized the body. We did some digging and turns out it matches a loaner that Felix collected debts from a few days back," Vlad explained.

Tartaglia's eyes narrowed. "The most recent victim is someone directly associated with Northland Bank?"

Vlad's attention drifted to anything but him. "About that. We decided to look into the other deaths as well, only to realize that each of the victims had once been debt loaners of Northland Bank."

Oh shit. That wasn't good. At all. If word got out that all of those deaths had coincidentally happened to those who loaned mora out of Northland Bank, not only would the business be screwed over, but the Fatui as a whole would be kicked out of Liyue and Tartaglia's mission from the Tsaritsa (praise her!) would be over before he even had the chance to properly start. He had to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible.

"And you didn't notice that correlation sooner because?" He asked, tone cold, because seriously, how the fuck could an entire organization of well-trained killers not have noticed that the deaths of dozens of people in the city were closely connected to the very business they worked for?

"Well you see, uh," Vlad mumbled, "not that I want to blame you, of course, Lord Tartaglia, but the funeral parlor here is very strict with who they allow to see the bodies. Something about respecting the souls of the deceased? Up until you called for the investigation a few days ago, you were the only one who could have free access to the parlor."

So Zhongli took his job at the parlor seriously, then. Shit. How could he have forgotten about that? Even back in Snezhnaya, where the fact that he was a Harbinger was something that just about anyone knew, he often had trouble with accessing morgues or funeral parlors without proper reason. It was no surprise that the rules would be even more strict here in Liyue, especially since someone like Zhongli was on the job.

(The consultant had once explained the proper rites of passing for the deceased. That lecture was perhaps one of the longest that Childe had ever received, and although he didn't learn much from it, he did understand one thing; Wangsheng Funeral Parlor took funerals very seriously and treated them with only the utmost respect. Looking back, the only reason he was allowed to see the bodies in the first place before he'd ordered the investigation was thanks to his personal connection to Zhongli.)