Yelan

Liyue's Ministry of Civil Affairs is an organization marked by transparency — from ordinary staff members of the Eight Trades to prominent officials of Yujing Terrace, every employee has their basic information documented in the Ministry's lists.

Yelan, despite claiming to work for the Ministry, is the sole exception. Most of her colleagues have never heard of her, nor is her name anywhere to be found on any rosters.

This does say something about her character — elusive, enigmatic, and erratic.

She is a ghost who walks in the middle of many crises under various names. But before the storms can come to an end, she has already disappeared without a trace.

Sometimes, she will pick a side in some conflict to offer her help, but those who receive her aid would be fools to celebrate prematurely, for they soon find that the same help has been extended to their opponents.

Having stepped into her trap, many have vowed to take revenge, yet none are able to tell what she is planning, let alone know where she stands.

Many believe that she is a spy who works for some mysterious organization, and that her forte is stirring things up in the dark, which she then relies on to attain what she wants.

Some even go as far as saying that she is a frenetic follower of disorder who neither serves any organization nor holds any meaningful purposes.

Even if she does, all she wants is to add fuel to the already spreading flame and drag everyone down into a world of madness created by her.

With so many theories and guesses circulating, she has become a mystery. As for the truth, you could only hope to get an answer from Yelan herself.

But unfortunately, this is no easy task either — for it is always she who finds you when she wishes to, not the other way around.

Pharmacies in Liyue Harbor occasionally receive curious patients.

On some days, it might be a Sumeru mercenary, on other days, a Fontaine adventurer, and there might even be some Mondstadt fisher who accidentally fell into water and bumped her head against a rock...

These people are of different ages, statuses, and origins, but there is something equally peculiar to them, that is, they all share a slight addiction to pain.

They like the stinging sensation when pharmacists apply herbal remedies to their wounds and enjoy the dull pain caused by pressure on their bruises.

They even seem to care little if anesthetic is used or not when they are put through painful therapies.

Surprised by their extraordinary endurance, novice pharmacists are sufficiently distracted, such that they fail to notice that all their patients are actually the same person.

They are, all of them, Yelan in disguise. A master in this art, she always manages to avoid attention.

As for the wounds on her person, these are the inevitable result of her constant exposure to danger from mission to mission.

Despite the curious job, Yelan herself is not very curious about the world.

She eats, sleeps, and lives just like everyone else, but few things can really pique her interest.

She is well-read, but she is no avid reader. She always knows what to say to achieve the best result, yet she takes no pleasure in playing mind games.

She travels far and roams the lands, yet the traveling and roaming are bland to her.

In Yelan's eyes, these things are not hobbies, but a means to an end.

She even prefers to roll the dice to decide how she will pass the time.

Just as someone who is so used to spicy food might lose the ability to enjoy ordinary dishes, Yelan finds that only spicy cuisine can bring her satisfaction.

"Blandness is synonymous with blindness, while thrills afford clarity."

Acting upon said philosophy, she chooses an acute style of life, venturing into many places while hiding in the shadows.

She dances with danger, secrets, and a strong sense of achievement — these are the vivid proof of her existence.

Shorn of her masks, Yelan is a special intelligence officer who reports directly to the Tianquan Ningguang.

The title itself is not entirely accurate, for it only covers the scope of her work but not her relationship with the Tianquan.

Deep in her heart, Yelan does not think of herself as anyone's subordinate. The way she sees it, she is not so much working for Ningguang as making good on her end of the deal, or rather... she is honoring a certain pact.

She plucks the fruits of intelligence from the tree of danger for Ningguang, and in return, all she asks for is danger itself and the sense of achievement.

None know when their collaboration began.

The only thing certain is that Yelan has long made her presence felt in lands outside Liyue.

From other nations in Teyvat to even the perilous Abyss...

Every secret and perilous demesne shall become a garden where orchids bloom.

Stealthily she roams the night, stars shining upon her in the skies.

Yelan spends much of her time patrolling and roaming The Chasm, where she often stares into the darkness deep below.

Her family's history dates far back into an ancient age, and her ancestors once fought in The Chasm against a great cataclysm.

Wanton death was dealt during that battle, and even a yaksha met their end there. Only a few survived the grueling bloodshed.

One of her ancestors died, while the other went insane, constituting a huge blow to her family.

Yelan has always wanted to find out what happened back then. Despite her better judgment, she can't help feeling attracted to The Chasm.

It almost feels like something that runs in her blood — something inexplicably ominous — has been summoning her to The Chasm.

Perhaps she will plunge into that darkness one day, and the ill fate that once befell her ancestors shall find her too.

The ominous calling that runs in the family shuts down her fear and turns on her craving for danger. This may be the reason for the peculiarities in her character, Yelan presumed.

She had never doubted it until she came of age, until the seal on The Chasm was lifted.

With the help of her companions, she unveiled the hidden past of her ancestors.

That moment marked a new chapter in her life:

In the past, she was a wild beast driven by pure instinct. Drawn to danger, she walked into darkness.

From that moment on, she has found the true meaning of her instinct.

That which hides inside her, that constant calling, is not only a source of worry but also a light of guidance.

It is the blood of heroes which has been howling for 500 years.

She has no fear, for the courage within her makes her strong. She craves danger, for the heir of heroes is meant for a great adventure.

Some day, she will embark on the path her ancestors once took.

She is the descendant of heroes, and she shall become the hero for many who will come after her.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has a Special Attention List.

The list isn't long, but everyone on it is truly extraordinary:

For instance, the unbound and forthright leader of the armed fleet and the capable outland traveler with a broad range of skills.

The list even includes some reclusive adepti in Liyue whose names still bear great weight today...

These people could easily bring storms upon Liyue, their intentions notwithstanding.

As such, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, ever on guard against risk, still watches them closely.

On top of that, there is also a more classified Secret Intelligence List.

Those on it are the real threats to Liyue.

So who are they exactly?

The Fatui Harbingers? Figures from the Abyss Order?

Or perhaps, are even the names of gods listed there?

Other than the Qixing, Yelan is likely to be the only one who can answer these questions, for she is the very person who compiled the two lists.

The results of such work please her greatly, and day after day, she perfects the lists, as crows embellishing their nests with shining trinkets.

That said, while both are equally obsessed with collecting, Yelan must sweat and even bleed to secure what she is after, while crows need only flap their wings to achieve their aim.

Fortunately, this does not bother her at all, for she believes that the intelligence is worth whatever cost she is going to pay.

One day, the information will come in handy — Liyue will never plunge into disaster without any clue of the danger like it once did 500 years ago.

She will see to it that Liyue is not caught unprepared.

Don't play dice at Yanshang Teahouse.

If you can't help yourself, play with someone you know.

If a lady whom you've never seen before invites you to a game, just ignore her.

Heed this earnest advice from veteran gamblers.

Do not try your luck with that terrifying woman unless you want to have a gloomy day.

The invincible lady of Yanshang Teahouse is none other than Yelan herself, and one of her guises is that of the owner of this teahouse.

A while ago when she came back from abroad, Liyue had just weathered the Osial crisis, and the Fatui who had occupied Yanshang Teahouse were now largely out of the game.

Yelan seized the opportunity to take it over, turning the teahouse into a secret base.

On the one hand, with people from all walks of life to be found here, the teahouse serves as an ideal source of intel. On the other hand, as Yelan has no issue with occasionally giving herself a break, she will pretend to be a regular customer, drinking some tea and playing a few rounds of some game.

Every round of finger-guessing is a tiny adventure, and every roll of dice sends sporadic thrills down her spine. Even the smallest challenge is something she can never get enough of.

As an intelligence operative, Yelan takes pride in her skills — she is confident that she can read her opponents' eyes and roll the dice such that they fall outside the rules but well within her designs.

If there is a draw, that could only mean one thing: Her opponents are cheating too.

Don't try to reason with her. The very concept of "reasoning" is simply foreign to the Yanshang Teahouse, nor does it exist in Yelan's vocabulary.

Be good and choose between the pain of losing and the disgrace of cheating.

You want to have neither, huh? Then why don't you turn the clock back to the very beginning?

Don't play dice at Yanshang Teahouse!

Throughout Yelan's intelligence career so far, there has been one memorable operation that fuses both failure and success together.

One could say that it was a failure because she lost a family heirloom named the "Fascinating Bracelet" during that operation.

The inside of the jade bracelet is engraved with a spell passed through her line that turns the heirloom into a simple communication device. However, the spell requires a pair of such vessels to work. Now that only one bracelet is left, it is no more than a mere accessory.

However, the operation also proved a success for Yelan because her enemy did not get the upper hand, either. And this enemy of hers was no ordinary character — it was none other than "Regrator," Ninth of the Fatui Harbingers.

Yelan infiltrated a secret trade route that was run by Regrator behind the scenes, intercepting the goods and picking the most precious one of them as compensation for her bracelet.

Now, there once existed a strange mystical beast in times of old. A robe made from its fur would be worth a fortune, and due to its rarity, such a robe is exceptionally hard to procure.

In fact, the beast is so powerful that although it died centuries ago, its body remains intact today, and its fur still emits a mysterious fragrance.

Regrator had intended it as an offer to the Tsaritsa, yet Yelan unexpectedly intercepted it.

Not only that, she also rejected the style that Snezhnayans had chosen for their Tsaritsa — she yanked the fur off, combined it with Liyue's Ramie yarn, and made a rather fashionable sleeved mantle for herself.

This series of happenings could be seen as significant or insignificant — depending on one's perspective. Ultimately, it all boils down to three words: gains and losses.

The cycle of gaining and losing is a rather accurate summary of Yelan's life.

None of that really bothers her though. Instead, she takes immense pleasure from it.

Yelan wasn't always on her own. Many years ago, she once had a team who watched each others' backs.

There were a small group of people who for various reasons chose to tread a path in the dark with her.

But back then, Yelan had not yet realized that her clever tricks and ingenious traps, the skills that she took pride in, could not solve everything for her.

Enemies with a strong sense of self-control would not bite her bait, opponents with cunning and calculating minds would not fall for her schemes, and those with overwhelming power would simply strong-arm their way out of her traps.

Therefore, Yelan and her team paid the price — one by one, they perished along the way, though they had long foreseen and prepared themselves for such a fate...

Still, after a mission to investigate the Abyss, Yelan eventually found herself left alone. For the first time in her life, she stopped, for a long, long time.

This state of affairs persisted until one day, when Ningguang visited her in her wood hut personally.

"You haven't been back to Liyue Harbor for a while. Something must've happened. I can understand if you want to quit."

Ningguang stood outside the door, with a serious look on her face but her voice still casual and relaxed.

"But it's alright. I work with those I trust, and I trust those I work with. I'm willing to believe that you're here trying to find a way out. All postures, aggressive or defensive, are all means to an end, anyway."

There was no response, but only a suffocating silence. A long time passed before Ningguang finally heard an answer from behind her:

"We both made a mistake: We shouldn't have involved ordinary folk in what we do."

"Ordinary folk?"

Even as Ningguang was formulating thoughts, a flash of blue shot towards her, stopping as it passed her by.

In a display of great control from the archer, the arrow quickly shattered into pearls of water and broke into glistening shards of light before touching the ground.

Ningguang turned around and saw Yelan walking up, a bow in hand, blood dripping down from her fingertips.

One could only imagine the days and nights of grueling training in archery Yelan had gone through for all her fingers to bleed.

Knowing Yelan well, Ningguang also understood that she must have been through an uncommonly tough situation. Only that could explain Yelan's uncommon determination to lock herself up for this grueling re-training.

Yelan aimed at the mountain in the distance, a gesture that was also an answer to Ningguang.

She released the arrow. Like lightning it shot into the skies, piercing through clouds with might that could shatter the dome of heaven itself. As if responding to the call of an unknown power, waters in the mountains growled and howled, then swirled their way upward in the form of countless arrows.

When they met halfway in the sky, they exploded into a curtain of water, bringing down a squalling shower like those that adorned summer nights.

As the sky cleared, there was no rainbow, no butterflies to be seen, only a faint pillar of light that fell into Yelan's palm.

According to Ningguang, the Vision carries a message: "From today onward, leave all matters to the extraordinary Yelan."