Rex Incognito

Rex Incognito is a Book Collection found in various locations throughout Liyue.
==Vol. 1==
Liyue is a land where all kinds of rare and exotic treasures congregate, and where there are precious treasures, one is sure to also find those with discerning eye.
The very first owner of Xigu Antiques — the unconventional collector, Min'gui — was just such an individual.
Xigu Antiques of Feiyun Slope was frequented by well-to-do customers. Closed during daylight hours, it only opened to customers once the moon began to rise in the night sky. The shop's customers were anything but ordinary: they were the wealthy and leisurely, people with outstanding taste.
A meticulously crafted timepiece from Fontaine, incense from Sumeru, a wine goblet once owned by an aristocrat of old Mondstadt, a wooden stool whose surface was once graced by the buttocks of an adeptus for all of one hour, a delicate jade teacup from which the Lord of Geo once supped a sip of tea, a priceless celadon vase that Liyue's neighbor deity, the Anemo Archon, once accidentally knocked the to the ground, shattering it to pieces... All these and more where laid out for the customers to peruse at their leisure, each item just waiting for that one person with whom it shared a certain affinity.
One night, a wealthy young man who was walking by happen to pause in front of the shop, and began carefully examining the items on the shelves.
The owner was struck by his long, black robes, dark and solemn as the looming mountain peaks, and by his eyes, which were the color of amber.
This was no ordinary young man. This Min'gui could tell with one look.
"Welcome to Xigu Antiques," she said. "Please peruse at your leisure, and let me know if you find something you like."
Her soft voice broke the dead silence of the night.
"Ah...? Oh, I'm sorry."
The young man smirked, and spoke in a subtly coy manner.
"I'm just rather taken with this exquisite counterfeit."
The item that had caught his eye was a damaged jade plaque.
The face exposed to the night sky was the one on which the pattern was slightly more intact, and as the moonlight shone down, it seeped into the intricate blemishes in the jade, exposing them, and cascaded down the ravines produced by the crisscrossing texture on the plaque's surface. The severe wear and tear on the front and the disintegration around the perimeter made it impossible to discern the words and images that had once been written on it. By all accounts, it seemed to have lived a turbulent life.
"Counterfeit, you say? What makes you so sure?"
Min'gui was quite used to customers making such provocative claims. But this young man spoke so bluntly and bitingly that she could not help but feel aggravated by his accusation.
Added to this was the fact that this particular item had been snagged by an adventurer from an abandoned palace deep in the heart of the abyss, who had then barely made it back out of that place alive, She recalled how she had haggled relentlessly with the adventurer to acquire the piece, and how in the end it had still cost her the better part of her fortune. If this truly was nothing more than a counterfeit, not only would it imply that she had lost an immense portion of her wealth, but it would also mean irrevocable damage to the reputation of Xigu Antiques as connoisseurs of quality.
Min'gui knew what she had to do: Not only must she somehow get rid of this calamitous customer who threatened to ruin her entire business, but she must also find a way to sell this jade plaque to him in the process.
"Please, continue," she said. "I would hope that you can give a detailed appraisal."
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"As we all know, Teyvat was plunged into chaos two and a half millennia ago when the gods declared war on each other, the ensuing conflict spreading to all people in all corners of the land. Teyvat may not have been divided into the same seven nations we know today back in that age, but then, just as now, the people had their own settlements, cities and civilizations..."
"Gods whose names have now long since been forgotten were once venerated, worshiped, even adored by their people. Our forebears took pearls and shells from the sea, jade from the mountains, rocks from the plains, and salt crystals from the earth, each to build idols in form of their gods.
"Jade plaques of this kind are relics of that era. They belonged to an ancient tribe who worshiped Rex Lapis... though, of course, the Geo Lord probably did not yet go by the name Rex Lapis at that time."
"This was an age where people watched their gods clash in bitter battles before their very eyes. Rex Lapis would not establish the currency of the seven nations and cast the first Mora coins for quite some time. So the tribes traded using pieces of ore they would chance across from time to time, with idols made in the likeness of the Geo Lord to ensure price stability."
"As you can see... Mortal wisdom is quite a fascinating thing. They were making their own way in the world even before Rex Lapis had made provisions for them to do so."
The young man paused as if to further contemplate the observation he had just made.
He stood there, cloaked in a veil of silver moonlight, which somehow served to make him every so slightly more diminutive in stature.
"This type of jade plaque is a rare find in this day and age. Most of them are buried in riverbeds up in the mountains. And since each one is hand carved, they are all unique... That is why they typically sell for astronomical prices. To claim that they are priceless would not be an exaggeration."
"So, it is quite a shame indeed that the one you display on your shelf is a recent counterfeit. By recent, I mean that it was probably made in your father's generation at the earliest."
"There is an industry saying, 'the jade without blemish is no jade at all.' This jade, for instance, has remarkably few imperfections, and the translucency is too good to be true... All of which points to the fact that it is unlikely to be a product of our forebears' making."
"As a side point, I would also add that the image carved onto this jade is that of a woman. This is a highly unusual thing to see among similar relics from the era in question."
The young man held the plaque up to the moonlight to inspect it in more detail.
"Although there are plenty of rumors to this effect, the claim that Rex Lapis once took the form of a woman is not attested to by any of the historical records, and there is no physical evidence of it ever occurring..."
Though young, the man had the air of an old and infuriating pedant about him.
"Ah, well this is where you're wrong..."
Min'gui smiled faintly, much as a fox does when toying with an inexperienced hunter.
"Perhaps you'd be willing to listen to my story before making your final verdict?"
The shop owner narrowed her eyes and began the process of reeling out her story...
==Vol. 2==
Back in the age when the gods still walked upon the earth, the deity whom we now worship as Rex Lapis was but one among many.
In those days, the rumor among the common folk was that the Lord of Geo was a cold and unfeeling god. His conduct was just in all things and his judgments were rational and dispassionate, but he lacked normal human sentiment. Like the rocks, he was without warmth or softness.
Despite this, people revered and placed their faith in him all the same. This was because his laws served to guarantee that trade was fair and that life was safe and orderly. The Geo Archon grew in strength and stature because of the people's belief in him.
But even gods are powerless to control the beliefs and doubts of their mortal followers. And even a god who is the guardian of justice has no means of instilling the words of his rules and regulations into the heart of every individual.
In Mingyun Village there was an incorrigibly irreverent jade craftsman who loved to jest. Whatever job he took on, he would complete it in the most unorthodox means imaginable, and would always finish the job on the very last day before it was due.
If the customer ordered a statue of a hunter dominating a ferocious beast, they would receive a miniature statue of a distressed boar running for its life.
And when the customer demanded an explanation, he would tell them:
"When a formidable hunter closes in on a fierce beast, he may not show his face, but his imposing presence is enough to frighten the beast to its core."
If the customer ordered a carving in the likeness of a powerful and mighty ruler, they would probably receive a statue of a majestic throne.
And when asked about it, he would reply:
"No ruler takes the throne for more than one hundred years. The throne has more longevity than he."
The craftsman quickly developed a reputation as an eccentric in Mingyun Village. But the wealthy merchants in the prosperous commercial port of Liyue Harbor were most amused and were only too willing to place orders with him ー if only to experience for themselves what it was like to be on the receiving end of this mischievous man's antics.
——————
One night, a woman came to his workshop.
She was dressed in a long, slender black gown and her eyes shone a brilliant amber in the light of the crescent moon hanging in Liyue's sky that night.
The craftsman had never met her before, but he quickly found himself deep in conversation with her. It was strange, she seemed acquainted with every vein of ore and deposit of jade in the village. She talked about the wonders of the world like they were her sisters, and spoke of jade and precious metals with a fondness one would normally reserve for their beloved daughter...
The only topics she brushed over were culture, customs, and social interactions.
Perhaps she was not wise to the ways of the world, or perhaps she did not wish to discuss them. Regardless, there was certainly something out of the ordinary about this woman.
At least, the craftsman thought so.
"I would like for you to make me a jade plaque bearing the likeness of the Lord of Geo on its surface."
The woman finally stated her request once their broad-reaching and lengthy conversation had reached its end, and she was all but ready to leave.
"But I have one condition: You may not conjure up our Lord's likeness from your imagination. You must carve the true likeness of our Lord relying on what you have seen with your own two eyes."
"Otherwise," she said, "I'm not paying a single Mora."
And so a deal was struck between the two, with an agreed turnaround of three days.
On the first day, the craftsman dined and drank with his good friends. He did not take a single new job on that day.
On the second day, the craftsman climbed a mountain to view the jade there, not seeing a single customer or acquaintance for the entire day.
Only on the third day did the craftsman close the doors of his workshop and begin carving away at the uncut jade, working from dawn to dusk, until finally it was complete.
When the crescent moon once again began to ruse in the Liyue night sky, the amber-eyed woman returned and approached his doorstep.
The craftsman proudly handed over the fruits of his labor:
A jade plaque bearing the likeness of their god, in female form.
The woman was puzzled. She frowned, and demanded an explanation.
And this was the explanation that he gave:
"On the first day, I sought counsel from every wise and learned person that I know, and learned the principles of our Lord and how they work. But this was just the skeleton."
"On the second day, I visited the mountains and spent a whole day observing the mountain rocks, listening to the ebb and flow of the elements, and pondering all that our Lord had created. But this was just the flesh."
"On the third day, I covered both my eyes and began to carve from the heart, starting when it felt like the time to start, stopping when it felt like the time to stop. At last, this was the spirit."
The craftsman smiled awkwardly, then added:
"But even I'm not sure why it came out like this."
The woman tilted the item back and forth in her hand, as if contemplating something.
"Interesting," she finally responded. "Incidentally, this reminds me of another story..."
She looked up at him with her amber-colored eyes and began the process of reeling out her story...
==Vol. 3==
Liyue is a land where all kinds of rare and exotic treasures congregate, and where there are precious treasures, one is sure to also find those with a discerning eye. At the height of Liyue Harbor's prosperity, a myriad goods and treasures flowed endless in and out of the land like the rising and falling tides.
That age belonged, as does the current one, to the wealthy merchants and ship owners. It was an age in which the ones who reigned supreme were those who dared wrestle with the tumultuous tides of the market and the wrathful beasts of the ocean.
Likewise, then as now, the port was constantly abuzz with sailors and laborers.
Legend has it that Rex Lapis, when appearing in mortal form, does not always take the form of a distinguished gentleman fraternizing with the well-to-do of Yujing Terrace. Sometimes, it is said, he takes the form of a commoner and mingles with the miners, the fishermen, the sailors, and the peddlers.
Back in that day, there was a certain fishing vessel owner who was notoriously harsh and critical in his temperament. He was always rude towards those who worked for him, and whenever something wasn't to his satisfaction, he would jump to conclusions and start scolding them, even docking their wages, without giving them the opportunity to explain their side of the story.
One day, the fishing vessel owner met a young man.
He had just been hired by the fishing vessel owner, and his attire was indistinguishable from that of any other seafarer of the day: a loose-fitting brown shirt and trousers, and a bandana around his forehead. But from his tanned skin and the rugged, karst-like contours of his facial features, it was clear that he was a commoner from Qingce Village who had come down from the mountains into the city in an attempt to reverse his fortunes.
Like most mountain-dwellers of his day, he was a simple-minded and unsophisticated fellow. But what dismayed his new boss more than this was his reluctance to go anywhere near the catches of the slimy and tentacled variety.
"You don't make money by being choosy! Who do you think you are, lord of the manor?"
This was the only justification the ship owner gave for docking the newly hired mountain's man pay.
The youngster simply smiled bashfully and continued with his work. This set the tone for many of the interactions between the two.
But one day, the youngster responded instead with a question:
"Everyone has likes and dislikes, so why should we do the things we hate the most?"
The fishing vessel owner was taken completely by surprise by this random question. Incensed, he slapped his simpleton apprentice on the head and barked back at him:
"Them's the rules of the world, you moron! Listen good: You'll get yourself nowhere in this world if you won't do a job you don't like!"
"But maybe that wasn't what Rex Lapis meant when he made the rules..."
"Shut up, you idiot!"
"Hmm, maybe you'll understand better if I tell you a story."
The young man's eyes shone like amber from the mountain mines in the light of the setting sun.
"Oh? So you're a storyteller now, are you?"
At the thought of this simpleton from a sleepy mountain village telling him a story, the fishing vessel owner found himself suddenly quite curious.
"Go on then... But I expect you to work and talk at the same time!"
A mischievous smile flickered across the youngster's face, and a twinkle flashed in his eye.
"Well then, let me tell you a story about a certain jade plaque..."
And so, the young man proceeded to tell his tale. His boss listened so intently that he never noticed the anonymous pair of hands that were sneaking into his pocket — hands which subsequently pilfered the money he had made from all the wages he had docked before distributing it back out to the laborers.
==Vol. 4==
It was a time when countless exotic curios and items would flow into Liyue Harbor.
This night, Min'gui, mistress of Xigu Antiques, was researching relics and narrating ancient stories with an unnamed son of nobility.
The focal point of their debate was a jade plaque.
As many knew, creating a counterfeit jade item was not a matter that cost much capital in Liyue. Creating a beautiful fake might be a shade more expensive, but it was a cost that most merchant houses could absorb.
The real trick lay in weaving an intricate but spurious tale.
Like a jade smith wandering deep into the mountains, or the youth of the fisherfolk whose habits are strange, those considered deviant often in fact strike closer to the heart of things.
Rex Lapis laid down rules and contracts, but never forced the ordinary folk by his authority to live by them as a perfect template, for he knew that laws and stipulations were a means, not the end. The timeless balance lay, in truth, in a person's awareness and their ability to make choices for themselves.
The harsh boss of the fishing vessel did not understand this principle, and so earned the fear and mockery of his hired help.
As humans are, so too are antiques. Artistry, quality, quality and perfection are limiting factors, yes, but the worth of a relic lies in its backstory.
The picky young noble seemed not to wholly perceive this idea, and so had no qualms about calling the jade plaque a fake, denigrating its value.
But if all of Xigu Antiques' treasures were to be scrutinized with such a piercing and empirical eye, their worth would have been ground into dust.
Like the tears of a maiden for her captain, which became eternal pearls, or a mortal king who himself carved a portrait of his deceased queen, before sealing his own soul into it...
These stories, these legends that should have faded with time were preserved, and thus teemed with life under the outer husk of those relics.
"A fine story, I'll take this fake, then."
The noble son nodded, his golden eyes smiling.
"After all that, you still think this is a fake?"
Min'gui sighed lightly.
"Of course,"
The young noble could not help but smile, and indeed had never seemed happier since entering her shop.
"After all, the story you told about jade plaques being ancient currency — it's nonsense. Nonsense that I made up."
==Other Languages==
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es:Rex Incognito
fr:L'Archon invisible
id:Penyamaran Rex
ja:帝君遊塵記
pt-br:Rex Incognito
ru:Властелин Инкогнито
vi:Đế Quân Vi Hành