After filling himself up, Jiang Bai leisurely picked his teeth, pushing his wheelchair along as he returned to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"With the Qixing already alerted, I doubt the Fatui will be causing trouble anytime soon," Jiang Bai mused confidently. He trusted Liyue's strength.
If there was one thing Liyue wasn't short of, it was adepti.
Each adeptus was at least as strong as Dvalin. If the Fatui dared cause trouble here, the adepti alone could crush them before the Geo Archon even lifted a finger.
However, Hu Tao was far more cautious than Jiang Bai. "Better safe than sorry. Since La Signora already got the Anemo Archon's [Gnosis], she won't linger in Mondstadt. Once she arrives, Liyue will have two Harbingers. Causing chaos would be child's play for them."
Jiang Bai tilted his chin upward arrogantly. "Hmph! If I see La Signora again, I'll definitely defeat her!"
Hu Tao rolled her eyes. "Stop bragging already…"
"It's not a crime to brag..."
---
In the early morning, Zhongli strolled through the streets of Liyue Harbor alone.
A gentle drizzle fell from the sky. He held no umbrella, allowing raindrops to slowly dampen his shoulders and hair.
On the surface, Liyue Harbor appeared as calm as ever. But that tranquility was merely superficial.
Beneath this calm, hidden currents were already surging, quietly awaiting the right moment to erupt.
He had already considered a certain idea, yet still awaited the perfect catalyst for letting go.
He had lived in this world for over six thousand years. It had been more than three thousand six hundred years since he founded Liyue.
Even the sturdiest rock, impervious to raging whirlpools, inevitably eroded under the relentless flow of time. He had always persuaded himself that the day erosion cracked his foundations had not yet arrived.
Yet the events of this past year had made him realize: the erosion had already begun.
Walking quietly, Zhongli suddenly overheard a merchant praising his subordinate:
"You've fulfilled your duties well. Now, go and rest."
He stood motionless for a long time, raindrops softly falling around him.
People bustled by, coming and going, yet he remained perfectly still.
Perhaps my duties have also been fulfilled, he thought.
It was as if the boot had finally dropped, allowing him to release the weight pressing down on his heart.
Like a parent watching their child mature, eventually deciding it was time for the child to face life alone.
Yet before fully stepping away, he needed to see whether Liyue could stand tall without him.
...
In a secluded room of a tea house, Zhongli slowly brewed tea at a table. Across from him sat La Signora, arms crossed.
Had Jiang Bai witnessed this scene, he would have exclaimed that he'd finally found proof of Zhongli conspiring with the Fatui to harm the Geo Archon.
And in truth, he'd be mostly right.
Indeed, it was Zhongli who had approached La Signora first and arranged this meeting.
Once his resolve was firm, there was no reason to delay any further.
Currently, Liyue harbored two Fatui Harbingers. Although Zhongli was more familiar with Childe, he had already seen through that Harbinger's nature.
Childe excelled at combat, but intrigue was not his forte. Even before obtaining the [Gnosis], he had foolishly sought to challenge Zhongli to a duel.
Faced with such arrogance, Zhongli could only remain speechless.
Since Childe was unsuitable, Zhongli instead chose the recently arrived La Signora.
Silence permeated the room, disturbed only by the bubbling of boiling tea.
La Signora leaned back leisurely in her chair, arms folded, legs elegantly crossed.
Her attire was rather revealing, the fullness of her chest clearly evident beneath her dress.
Yet Zhongli remained unfazed, meticulously brewing tea without sparing a glance for her charms.
Finally, after an extended silence, Rosalyne lost patience and spoke first.
"Did you invite me here just to watch you brew tea?"
She'd received a secret message from her subordinates claiming that an influential figure in Liyue wanted to meet her—a figure who could help her obtain the Geo Archon's [Gnosis].
Very few knew about their objective of obtaining the [Gnosis], so when someone supposedly influential offered assistance, she had come to see for herself.
But upon arriving, all he'd done was boil water and carefully brew tea for fifteen solid minutes.
Zhongli calmly poured tea into her cup. "This is high-quality Maojian Longjing. Please."
Rosalyne glanced briefly at the tea, curling her lip disdainfully, not intending to drink it.
"If you simply invited me here to drink tea, then I don't see any reason to continue this."
Zhongli chuckled softly, "Haha… Lady Signora's patience seems poorer than I'd imagined."
He raised his own cup slowly, blowing softly on the steaming liquid before taking a delicate sip.
It was clearly a frustratingly slow movement, yet something in his demeanor discouraged any interruption.
"Since you're so impatient, I'll get straight to the point. The item you seek is already in my possession."
"Oh?"
Rosalyne narrowed her eyes slightly, sitting up straighter and carefully observing this man whom people called 'Mr. Zhongli.' She couldn't quite discern his intentions.
Zhongli glanced meaningfully at her untouched cup. "Please."
This time, Rosalyne abandoned her earlier arrogance and took a careful sip.
For someone born in Mondstadt but who had spent centuries in Snezhnaya, Liyue's tea was simply flavored water. She couldn't detect anything particularly special.
But Zhongli didn't expect her critique anyway.
"In Liyue, business deals are often discussed at the dining table. But our conversation is better suited to tea," he said.
"How do you propose we proceed?" she asked bluntly.
"I once entered into a contract with the Tsaritsa. When she dispatched an envoy to Liyue to fulfill her end of our agreement, I would place my [Gnosis] upon the scales as my end of the bargain."
Rosalyne's pupils constricted sharply. "Then…you're Morax!"
That fool of a colleague had wasted so much effort searching, yet the Geo Archon had simply appeared before her now!
He hadn't chosen Childe, despite being more familiar with him. Instead, he'd approached her—a newcomer. Was this Childe's good fortune or bad luck?
"Indeed." Zhongli smiled faintly, not denying her realization.
"As an envoy of the Tsaritsa, were you aware of this?"
Despite discovering that the man sitting across from her was indeed the Geo Archon, Rosalyne showed little reverence toward divinity.
"Naturally. However, the fact that you're willingly offering your [Gnosis] and have sought me out directly—this does surprise me."
Rosalyne clasped her hands, leaning forward on her elbows. "So then, how do you wish to proceed?"
"In accordance with the terms of our contract, I require your cooperation."
Rosalyne listened intently, curious about the Geo Archon's intentions.
"During the upcoming Rite of Descension, I will fake my death…"
Nothing would shake Liyue more deeply than the sudden passing of the Archon who had safeguarded it for thousands of years. At that moment, the reactions of the adepti, the actions of the Qixing, and external threats would all come under Zhongli's observation.
Until he received a satisfactory answer, the [Gnosis] would remain firmly in his grasp.