"What are you all talking about?"
"Xiao, tell your onee-san what you've been through these past years, and what's happened in Liyue all this time."
"I've been dead for so many years—what's Liyue even like now?"
Bonanus walked over with a beaming smile and tugged Xiao away.
Before she left, she even smiled at Rowan.
Rowan didn't say anything. As for "chasing after" Bonanus and Indarias, he wasn't joking.
If he ever got the chance, there was no way he'd let it slip.
Men… always eating from the bowl in their hands while eyeing the pot on the stove.
Never satisfied.
So he wasn't going to hide his desires.
There's no such thing as a perfect person—or a perfect god.
Even that slumbering Heavenly Principles—wasn't it said they stole Teyvat itself?
That's exactly what Before Sun and Moon recorded, which is why it was classified as a forbidden book.
Orobashi only read Before Sun and Moon, and in the end, to protect Enkanomiya's safety, he chose death of his own will—only to be struck down by Raiden Ei.
So if Rowan has weaknesses, it actually puts some people at ease.
Especially Snezhnaya.
They don't lack beauties over there.
Fatui, Eighth Seat: La Signora, Rosalyne—sure, she's arrogant and holds a deep grudge against Mondstadt, but it has to be said, her looks and figure are absolutely top-tier.
Fatui, Seventh Seat: Sandrone, the Puppet—though she's a doll-like automaton, she looks like a stunning beauty on the surface.
Fatui, Fourth Seat: Arlecchino, the Knave—no need to say more. A true beauty, and her personality is pretty good too.
Fatui, Third Seat: Columbina, the Damselette.
With four great beauties in hand, the Fatui could totally use them as bargaining chips, trading "beauty" for Rowan's help.
For an organization that'll accept even someone like Il Dottore, and stops at nothing…
They'd absolutely do something like that. Rowan wasn't surprised at all.
That was also why Rowan didn't care about the Tsaritsa's "face" in the slightest, and dared to turn on her directly.
As long as they still wanted to overthrow the Heavenly Principles, they couldn't afford to ignore Rowan's support.
Whether it was getting Rowan to stay out of it, or getting him to help…
Either way, they couldn't ignore him.
So Rowan sat steady as a mountain, just waiting for the day the Fatui came to him with beauties in hand, begging for his assistance.
After Bonanus left, Rowan carefully sensed the Command Seals on his right hand, and the flow of mana inside his body—then realized something.
Even if Bonanus wasn't by his side, she could still exist independently. That part was different from Fate.
As long as Rowan kept supplying mana, she could continue to exist.
That part was the same as Fate.
But the Command Seals weren't anywhere near as "broken" as in Fate—if anything, they were basically useless.
In Fate, a Command Seal order is absolute.
Even someone as strong as Gilgamesh, when he's a Servant, still has to obey the Command Seals.
At most, some can resist briefly, break free for a moment, or use certain Noble Phantasms to sever the connection.
But the Command Seals on Rowan?
Honestly, they had zero authority.
Probably because he made them himself—so they didn't carry the validity of Alaya and Gaia.
Still, that was fine.
Being able to bring the dead back—that alone was already absurdly broken.
As long as the ley lines still held the target's memories, Rowan could use the Heroic Spirit summoning method to convert them into a Servant…
And let them appear in the world once again.
They stayed at Wangshu Inn for the entire afternoon. Then Rowan led Lumine and the others onward toward Liyue Harbor.
Along the way, they took in plenty of Liyue's scenery.
After leaving Wangshu Inn, the next area was Guili Plains.
There were many broken ruins there—once, it had been where Liyue's people lived.
Guili Assembly.
The land was open in all directions, vast and boundless.
A wonderful place—perfect for living.
If the Archon War hadn't erupted here back then…
And if Guizhong hadn't died here later…
This place wouldn't have become a land of heartbreak for Liyue's people, and Zhongli wouldn't have moved Liyue away from Guili Plains.
Because when gods fall, the lingering resentment and filth they leave behind can harm the world.
Guili Plains had been one of the main battlefields of the Archon War, so the number of fallen gods here was beyond counting.
Just looking at how Xiao had been constantly cleansing remnants up to the present, you could tell how chaotic it had been.
And it was also a place Treasure Hoarders and archaeologists often roamed.
That was why the Millelith had a camp nearby—to deter Treasure Hoarders and help guard Guili Plains.
Wangshu Inn had plenty of people like that staying there too. That archaeologist Soraya was one of them.
Back then, just doing her quests had Rowan running all over the place several times.
Pure suffering.
When the Golden Ark passed the Millelith camp, the soldiers cast a few curious looks.
…They probably had orders from the Qixing already, and knew the one up there was Mondstadt's Knight King.
He'd come to Liyue for this year's Rite of Descension.
So they didn't say anything—just watched.
If it were anyone else, even passing by with a wind glider would get you questioned.
It was a completely different vibe from Mondstadt.
That's what a strong and prosperous nation looks like.
And Mondstadt—if Rowan weren't there…
Who knew how laid-back and scattered it would become.
"Um… Rowan, can we stop by a Statue of The Seven for a bit?"
"I want to obtain Geo!"
As they passed Mt. Tianheng, Lumine spotted a Statue of The Seven below. Her eyes lit up, and she wanted to go touch it.
Honestly, when they passed Dihua Marsh, she'd wanted to stop and touch the statue too.
But Rowan hadn't shown any sign of stopping then, so she didn't feel like bringing it up.
Now they were almost at Liyue Harbor. If she didn't say it now, once they got into the harbor, she probably wouldn't have time to go.
Lumine had already noticed that after obtaining Anemo, her combat strength had recovered a bit.
If she obtained Geo as well, her strength would definitely jump again.
And controlling two elements would surely change the way she fought.
"Oh—right. I almost forgot."
"Come on. Let's go down."
(End of Chapter)
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