Over the next few hours—
With the arrival of the Anemo Archon, it was as if a signal had been given.
One by one, the remaining Archons arrived.
"Let us go down as well."
Seeing each god take their place, Morax descended from the pavilion and walked toward the long table designated for him.
To distinguish between the Seven Archons, each table had been crafted to reflect its owner's personality and domain.
The Geo Archon's table radiated steadiness and gravitas—yellow-gold panels adorned with dragon motifs.
Barbatos followed him, sitting almost directly beside him.
He placed his beloved dandelion wine at the edge of the table and greeted his colleagues with the ease of a natural-born socialite.
Whether the other gods were cold or warm, he treated all the same.
Only after six seats were filled did someone notice—
one was missing.
Barbatos looked around dramatically.
"Where's Baal? If she doesn't get here soon, I'm starting without her!"
Across from him, the Cryo Archon replied in an icy tone:
"It is still early. She may yet be on her way."
Though she looked the hardest to approach, she was the first to answer—
none of the Archons found it strange.
After a thousand years, they were extremely familiar with one another.
Cold outside, warm inside—that described the Cryo Archon perfectly.
The Pyro Archon laughed heartily.
"Barbatos, you're the same as ever—never changed a bit!"
"Ehe~ When the greatest joy in life is sitting right in front of you, being forced to wait is nothing short of torture."
Barbatos inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma of the amber wine in the ornate decanter before him.
The fragrance alone sent him nearly floating, and he'd already forgotten about the dandelion wine he personally brought.
Seeing him drool like a lecher spotting a beauty, even the Hydro Archon couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
Morax chuckled softly and explained:
"This wine is brewed by the Adepti from morning dew gathered in Jueyun Karst. Mixed with qingxin blossoms from Gaoling, noctilucous jade lilies, glaze lilies, and dozens of rare flowers. It is sealed beneath the earth for ten years before yielding a single jar. Its name: 'Hundred Flowers Fragrance.'"
Hearing how elaborate the process was, the Dendro Archon from Sumeru sighed appreciatively.
"No wonder its fragrance clears the mind while remaining sweet and refreshing. Might you share the specific craft involved?"
Before Morax could answer, the adeptus Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun stepped forward and replied respectfully:
"It is but a small matter. Since the Dendro Archon has asked, I would not dare conceal the details."
"Hey hey hey—don't forget about me!"
Barbatos immediately squeezed in, afraid he'd miss learning the recipe for this divine wine.
Everyone burst into laughter.
The topic shifted, and the gods began sharing amusing stories from their domains.
The Adepti accompanied as respectful attendants, playing the perfect supporting role.
Meanwhile, the normally high-ranking Liyue Qixing were reduced to the humble tasks of pouring wine and arranging plates.
As the atmosphere brightened, Barbatos pulled out the Sky Harp, intending to treat everyone to a performance.
But before he played, he suddenly looked at Morax.
"Right—Morax, how is that Yaksha doing? Has his karmic burden improved at all?"
"Since we last parted, thanks to your music, much resentment and karma were cleansed. For that, I must thank you."
Barbatos waved it off.
"Aww, don't mention it. If there's any problem, come find me anytime—just keep the wine flowing."
"You have my word."
The Pyro Archon teased:
"Morax, you've just given him a perfect excuse! You'll be seeing this drunkard far more often."
Morax smiled silently.
Barbatos puffed up, offended.
"How dare you underestimate me!? I, the Anemo Archon, embodiment of freedom, would never be tethered by something as trivial as a bottle of wine!"
As he argued indignantly, he suddenly noticed—
A black vortex abruptly materialized in the center of the gathering.
The atmosphere of the Seven Archons' meeting shifted.
The attending Qixing paled and were about to summon the Millelith—
but Morax raised a hand.
No need.
The Qixing glanced around and finally understood—
the other five Archons looked utterly unfazed.
With the seven most powerful beings in Teyvat gathered here, what assassin would dare attempt anything?
Anyone who came would be courting death.
What the Qixing did not expect, however, was this—
From the dark portal emerged only three people.
Before they could see clearly, Barbatos's eyes lit up.
He set aside his harp and ran forward happily.
"It's been ages, you rascal! You finally came this time!"
Stepping through the portal were none other than the Raiden twins and Lori.
Seeing the wind god greet Lori so familiarly, none of the other Archons reacted with surprise.
They were used to it.
But the Qixing were stunned—
they recognized the Raiden Shogun perfectly,
but the young man with her… they had never seen.
After all, the last time Lori attended a Seven Archons meeting was a century ago.
For mortals with short lifespans, surviving that long wasn't impossible, but extremely rare—
and most of the Qixing had only served for twenty or thirty years.
"Apologies for the delay."
Makoto led her sister to her designated seat and bowed politely to her colleagues.
But Ei did not sit.
She remained standing behind Makoto—performing her duty as the shadow warrior.
Makoto had tried many times to convince her otherwise,
but Ei never accepted the idea.
In Ei's rigid understanding, only Archons qualified to sit at the main seats.
She was but a shadow warrior—how could she sit equal with gods?
Even if the other six Archons didn't mind, she refused to break the order.
However—
When she saw Lori being pulled by Barbatos to sit right beside the Anemo Archon,
she did not utter a single objection.
Lori sat with complete composure, unfazed by the curious or puzzled gazes of the Qixing.
Instead, he extended his hand toward Morax with practiced familiarity.
"Morax, where's my cup?"
Having known each other for over two thousand years, he didn't bother with polite phrasing.
The Geo Archon took no offense.
With a flick of his finger, he sent a magnificently crafted wine cup drifting toward Lori.
Lori caught it with ease and filled it with the amber liquid.
A rich floral fragrance burst forth instantly.
He took a sip and commented casually:
"With this wine and this cup, I suppose they barely match."
This "cup" was no ordinary vessel.
It was carved from stone personally taken from Liyue's immovable mountain ridges, sculpted with jade veins and crystalline cores—
one of eight cups named:
「The Chiseled Chalice of Stone and Jade」
A top-tier relic—
Lori remembered clearly that it belonged to the set known as Archaic Petra.
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