Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“En route to Ritou, ETA of six hours!” 

The crew, who weren’t busy keeping the ship straight before, came out and resumed their work. Kazuha was off the ledge and assisting some of the crew when suddenly the door leading to the underside opened.

Footsteps loudly made their way up to where he and Beidou were. She shot him a worried look that was quickly masked by slight indifference. She seemed to be getting ready for round 2 of what happened no more than a couple hours ago.

Toshinori could tell that his coworkers were likely to begin telling again even before he could turn around. What he hasn't expected was that he'd be pulled back with Eraserhead’s capture scarf. 

He was pulled back into their rooms and had no recipe as they were immediately asking what he had uncovered. Truthfully? Nothing that would be sentencing Teyvat staff. He knew this would disappoint his fellow heroes as none of what he had talked about with Beidou was confidential.

Really, it had been pleasantries and the good views and food each nation had to offer. No matter what, Beidou was great for small talk. So much so, he forgot he was supposed to be digging for information. It didn't matter to him, however, he knew he would have to betray the Crux Fleet soon. 

Merely the thought had him wishing he had never come on this mission. But it was hours, and an entire portal, too late now. Still, Beidou’s description of Teyvat’s many views kept on coming back.

Mondstadt’s grassy cliff sides that overlooked seemingly endless oceans. The entirety of Liyue Harbor which, in Beidou’s opinion, was most magnificent at nighttime. Inazuma’s Grand Narukami Shrine and the marvel that was Tenshukaku. Watatsumi Island which might have looked more fitting in Fontaine than Inazuma.

The many subareas of Sumeru that came together harmoniously but were quite hard to navigate without a map or guide. Fontaine’s grand Opera Epiclese where trials came to life and where stars acted in magnificent plays. Natlan, where different tribes came together and were so colorful you'd never believe it held the title of Nation of War. And finally, Snezhnaya: A cold land ruled by an even colder ruler whose people's perseverance helped keep them warm through the endless winter. But that isn't to ignore the intimidating yet awe-inspiring Zapolyarny Palace where the Cryo Archon resides and rules.

Of course, there were two more, but they were more than likely to receive more information on those with the staff than with her. Toshinori could have pushed for more, but he didn't want Beidou to shut down on him. Not after all their pleasant talks.

He raises his head to his heroes, grimacing just a bit and lies right through his teeth. “Captain Beidou wouldn't tell me anything that was considered confidential even after prodding,” Sekijirou seems to frown at that, a tamer reaction than Aizawa who seems to nearly have an aneurysm at the news.

“Well get to digging in their rooms or ask the crew!” Aizawa hisses out to him. Toshinori just barely managed to push back the annoyance in his face but not his voice. “Aizawa, I’m trying to build a fucking rapport here, which you so obviously are intent on breaking apart. Building trust with Kazuha and Beidou is my way of trying to get some form of information. And unless you'd like to be hated and glared at every which way on this ship, then start acting polite,” Toshinori just manages to not spit back in his face. 

While not completely lying, he isn't exactly being truthful either. In the midst of Aizawa’s angry huffing, he had made up his mind not to betray the people on the Alcor. He wanted to cherish those memories, no matter if Teyvat was innocent or not, upon the Alcor.

Eventually he stood up and left, walking back to the outside of the ship. Just as he was about to open the door out, he was held back by a strong arm. He turned just to look back at Alhaitham and Cyno, side by side.

“Follow us,” Alhaitham said in that dreadful neutral voice of his. Toshinori reluctantly followed, extremely aware of Cyno, and his rather intimidating spear, following right behind him.

After a while they both let him go – unharmed, of course. All that he was asked was if he had received any confidential information from Beidou. He answered that he hasn't received nor asked for any. Cyno’s continuous glare and the sounds of Alhaitham’s non-stop writing served to unnerve him.

He was then asked if he had told anything to his fellow heroes. Toshinori told them that he believed they were truly good people. Isolationist? Sure, but aren't some countries still as such? He continued with telling them that in his mind, everyone on board the Alcor was innocent, no matter how much the others wouldn't believe it.

For once, the glares and writing halted. Cyno seemed genuinely surprised and Alhaitham… well, he still seemed the same, but there was slight confusion brimming in his eyes. 

“A satisfactory conclusion, though a very thought proviking final statement,” Alhaitham had said after seconds of pin-drop hearing silence. Cyno was slightly smiling, Toshinori felt as if he had passed a surprise test with top marks.

If he had just been playing a part, he no doubt would be overjoyed at having them in the palm of his hand. But he had decided to side with the Alcor’s people and thus he felt at ease. He had, tentatively, gained another two people’s trust. 

And quite frankly? That was all that mattered.

───※ ·✥· ※───

Beidou, for a slight moment, thought that Toshinori would immediately turn his back on her. However short their interactions may be going forward, it would, predictably, hurt 

Still, it wouldn't be out of left field for him to have ulterior motives. He was a hero who was supposed to save the poor Teyvatians who were brainwashed into believing in gods and thinking they could be something bigger than their quirkless selves could ever be. 

As hurtful as it was, she knew of the outside’s perception of them and their completely quirkless society. Nonetheless, a girl could hope. 

She passes the wheel over to Furong and leans over the side of the ship. Her qipao and hair both flow with the wind. She closes her eyes for a moment, savoring the salty sea breeze, before she hears a door opening. 

Toshinori exits and waves at her, she lightly waves him over to her side. As they both lean over the ship, he wonders what she might be thinking about. He wonders if she thinks he's betrayed them. 

He wonders if perhaps he's overthinking her silence. 

Suddenly, her voice pulls him from his doubts. “Say, what did your hero friends need you for, anyways?” Or perhaps he hadn't been overthinking. 

“They wanted to know if I had gotten any confidential information to relay,” best lay it out straight and hope for the best and not her possible wrath.

Beidou hums and laughs a bit, “Well, if whirlpool-like portals are confidential, then sure,” she pulls out what seems to be a flask Chinese baijiu. He balks at this and looks at her in disbelief. She swallows before reassuring him that it's only water in there, not alcohol.

“Don’t drink when I'm on the job, and I still have another leg to go before I can rest,” Toshinori nods, opting to stay silent for just a while longer before Beidou spoke up yet again.

“Say, you hero bunch don’t know much about the Archons and Visions, right?” Toshinori nodded. While he himself shared the belief of brainwashing the rest of the world had, he was more eager to see if there genuinely were gods walking among the Teyvatians. 

“No, we got the elemental abilities and there are no gods spiel back in Japan but I’m far more interested in seeing how your people interact with both than knowing if they are real,” Toshinori would keep his biases in check, information without it would be far more reliable than whatever his other two fellow heroes could scrounge up.

“Mmm, alright then, you want me to give you a sparknotes version or the long one?” Toshinori thought about it. The short version would give a summary of the information but leave out details, whereas the long one would confuse him but give them all a wealth of information that could arm them well for the infiltration.

Both of which could do well for them as they gathered information. But wait, something felt off.

Wait… hold on, he had been so focused he hadn’t even realized he’d slipped up a while ago. 

“They wanted to know if I had gotten any confidential information to relay,”

He turned around as inconspicuously as possible and stared at her in horror. He had lowered his guard so much he had given them away. Oh gods, this mission was over before it even started and they were already in Teyvat.

As these thoughts raced through his head, Beidou simply sipped on her drink, seemingly unaffected by the fact she had managed to sniff them out so quickly. If she told her superiors they’d be done before they even reached Inazuma

“You pick which one just yet? I can do long, we got nearly 3 hours to go, after all,” Beidou dragged him from his thoughts. Even if he was to get the short version, he’d be far too distracted to remember any information to relay to UA.

Beidou seemed to catch on to the fact that he’d given himself away. She, however, looked at him as if it had been obvious from the very start. 

“So you’ve finally caught onto the fact that you gave away yourself and your friends. I’ll be honest, everyone in Teyvat knows why you’re there. Even if you try to cover it up as ‘diplomatic relations’, the higher ups have already told everyone to be on guard. No confidential information, and with the way your friends have acted so far, no public information will be given to you either,” Toshinori gaped as he realized they were heading for a trap that the Japanese government would not be able to get them out of.

“Hmm, doesn’t matter, there’s plenty of security if your friends decide to not follow the rules and laws. And they’re not very kind either, just so you guys know,” Beidou drawled out in a bored voice. He stood stock still as he processed the information.

“Anyways, I’ll give you some basic info so you can take it back to your little group,” Toshinori had been more grateful for a distraction, even if the information wasn’t confidential, it would still put those two overly eager ones to rest.

“First, there are seven nations, seven Archons, seven beliefs, and seven elements. An Archon rules over solely one element and nation. Barbatos, Archon of Mondstadt, Anemo and Freedom. Morax, Archon of Liyue, Geo and Contracts. Beelzebul, Archon of Inazuma, Electro and Eternity. Buer, Archon of Sumeru, Dendro and Wisdom. Focalors, Archon of Fontaine, Hydro and Justice. Haborym, Archon of Natlan, Pyro and War. Tsaritsa, Archon of Snezhnaya, Cryo and Love.

Furthermore, there are more nations that no longer hold people but remain as is. These are Khaenri’ah, Enkanomiya and Remuria. Aside from that, there are some organizations that aren’t public or are more on the morally grey. Something I’m quite sure your hero partners there will call villainous and try to arrest. However, they are all under the protection of either an Archon or Celestia itself so I would not be trying that. 

I’m quite sure you guys also haven’t seen what a vision looks like either, so here’s mine to start. This casing changes depending on what nation your vision came to you. My casing reflects that I received it in Liyue and the element I wield is Electro, hence the purple glow. They also come in different sizes. Some are near impossible to see and others are noticeable enough. They also tend to blend in with clothes, making it hard to know if someone holds one or not.

That’s kind of it, really. I hope the information serves you well. Oh, and yes, you can give that to your heroes, it’s just common knowledge, really,” Beidou walks away to Kazuha and strikes a hushed conversation. Toshinori takes a minute to digest the information given, before walking back to their rooms to debrief with Aizawa and Sekijirou.

Safe to say, Aizawa and Sekijirou were happy enough to get any sort of info as long as it’s useful. They grow worried when he tells them of the goddess of war and downright – though, to their credit, silently – hysteric when he tells them that Teyvat and its very residents know why they are there. They know this will make everything harder.

It only serves to remind them of where they truly are and their position within. The very bottom.

Just a couple of hours later, the crew starts to call for disembarkment. The heroes gather themselves and their luggage to leave the Alcor. Beidou and Kazuha see them off on Ritou’s docks as they move towards a shed with some of the crew. Likely to grab their next shipment.

Alhaitham and Cyno signal them to walk to a small stand no more than 5 minutes out from the docks. Several lines of people move forward and leave even before they step in to line up.

Suddenly, Cyno taps his polearm on the ground and Alhaitham signals them to a separate stand with shorter lines. Well dressed individuals move to and from the lines, some stopping to stare – or rather, glare – at them before they take their leave.

The person behind the prior individuals spot them and bow to Alhaitham and Cyno as they let them go ahead. All four move ahead as a lady clad in a green sweater and light brown kimono waves them over.

“Inspector Kageyama, thank you for fitting us in ahead of schedule. I know your schedule is already rather tight as is,” Cyno tells the young woman, Kageyama, in an apologetic tone. Inspector Kageyama waves him off.

“It wasn't a problem at all Mr. General Mahamatra, sir. I'm merely here to ensure that this proceeds as smoothly as possible for our guests and our Acting Grand Sage and Scribe here,” she says as she nods to Alhaitham, who returns it before taking back his identification and credentials.

“Now then, you three, passports, licenses or country IDs will serve as you are classified diplomats for your month’s stay. Pass them forward, any fakes will be taken care of and turned away. Illegal contraband in your luggage will be disposed of after inspection and will result in your immediate deportation back to Japan, you will also be blacklisted from ever entering Teyvat again. Please know that your devices do not connect to the Outside Mainland and you will be given new ones,” Inspector Kageyama continued to stare at them as they were in shock of just how easily they could be blacklisted or deported from Teyvat.

Kageyama raised her brow as Alhaitham took their luggage and let men standing to the side look through it. Toshinori was the first to break out of his shock and present his civilian ID and passport. Aizawa followed as he reluctantly let Inspector Kageyama scan his hero ID.

Sekijirou on the other hand decided to go out the hard way and make a bit of a scene. He was practically spitting in the inspector’s face before he was held back by one of the soldiers nearby. He set his sights on Alhaitham and began to scream, asking why they weren't made aware of this.

Aizawa was looking incredibly tired and completely over it as he stared at Sekijirou, flashing his quirk to keep him from harming any of the soldiers. Toshinori took his ID and passport back before quickly and silently apologizing to Inspector Kageyama.

Sekijirou was held in Aizawa's capture scarf as he went to grab their luggage and take back his identification. He was stopped and told that their luggage would be sent to their lodging while they were to attend meetings. Aizawa nods and turns his head around to glare at Sekijirou.

“Kan Sekijirou, if you don't give over your identification so we can start and end these meetings today I will ensure that you’re sent back,” Toshinori says, venom seeping into words. Sekijirou deflates and ceases his yelling, before turning around, taking out his UA teacher’s ID and slamming it in front of Inspector Kageyama.

She glares at the man and scans it before slamming it in front of him. She yells out “Next!” and starts the same speech they received.

Cyno grumbles under his breath of just how tiring this entire thing is. Unsurprisingly, he is able to keep a neutral face the entire time. As soon as Customs is over with, a whopping 40 minutes since they’ve decided to cause a scene – and after their luggage is seen being transported on an armored ship to their lodging – they make their way to inner Ritou. 

Cyno glances at Alhaitham, they nod in sync and Cyno leaves to enter a large building. Alhaitham leads them over to benches and sits down, only briefly glancing at them as they seem to look around to take in their surroundings. A young man with blond hair and a red outfit approaches them.

“Acting Grand Sage Alhaitham, how are you doing?” he says in a cheery tone, Toshinori looks at him up and down before finding a pyro vision at his hip, he notes the difference in casing compared to Beidou’s. He’s snapped back to reality when he hears Alhaitham speak to the young man.

“Doing just fine, and you, Thoma?” The two go back and forth on business and pleasantries before Alhaitham mentions the wellbeing of the Yashiro Commission. Aizawa looks at him, confirming that he, too, heard that. Sekijirou, still put off from the Customs incident, ignores both of them and the information that is practically being given for free right now.

Somehow, they both know it will boil over soon and become quite the ugly mess to clean and cover up.

Thankfully, at the very least, Cyno comes back out of the building, citing that ‘Yurika’ -- another inspector, Aizawa suspects -- has handled everything else. Cyno and Thoma greet each other and he gives Thoma a slip of paper, Thoma takes it and smiles. Aizawa recognizes it as a ‘ pleasure doing business with you’ smile.

Whether those three were colluding or if the meeting was coincidence will not ever be known to the heroes.

Thoma says his goodbyes and heads off to a building to the right of them, the guards greet and bow to him. And he’s not seen thereafter. Alhaitham continues to write in his notepad, small inconsequential notes being put down on the paper. 

Cyno turns to them, “Be prepared to show your IDs once more, we’ll be going through the Ritou and Konda Village checkpoints before making our way to Tenshukaku for your meeting with the Teyvat higher ups,”

Aizawa and Sekijirou groan quietly as they prepare to pull out their IDs once more. The group of five make their way to the first checkpoint, ready for the meeting that will bring them closer to serving justice to Teyvat and even closer to going home. Toshinori can only hope that the higher ups do not include the Archons themselves.