It wasn't just Liyue Harbor or the Liyue Nation—anywhere in the universe where True Gods existed, rain began to fall.
It was as if snow blanketed the entire universe. All sentient beings gazed skyward at the descending Gift Game parchments.
As the parchments fell, sentient beings scrambled to pick them up. Only divine-level beings could grasp them; excess parchments would vanish two seconds after hitting the ground.
"Participants: all sentient beings who have obtained a Gift Game parchment."
"Victory condition: participate in the observation of a new cosmology by the entire divine collective, and succeed in the observation."
"Failure result: all participants of the divine collective will suffer backlash from the new cosmology."
"What is this… a cosmology?"
"All gods in the universe are participants, and all sentient beings are witnesses?"
"What kind of Gift Game is this?!"
At this moment, regardless of what the gods throughout the universe were doing, they all stopped to solemnly examine the Gift Game parchment that appeared in their hands.
"A golden parchment… All previous ones were white. This is the first golden one."
Each rank of deity received a different parchment.
Only the highest gods of a pantheon could receive the most complete and original version of the Gift Game parchment.
At the Heyu Tea House, Zhongli was sipping celestial brew while watching an opera. He paid no attention to the growing discussions around him, focusing instead on the parchment in his hand.
"It's finally begun… and so suddenly."
"Though sudden, it matches the current state. A Gift Game like this could never be pre-announced."
To Zhongli, activating the cosmology Gift Game was not only a chance for many pantheons to unite into a divine collective—it was a tribulation.
To pass meant ascending the universe. To fail meant elimination.
Zhongli set down his teacup. Golden eyes gleamed with cosmic insight.
"We must unite Mount Sumeru, the Heavenly Court, Daoism, and Liyue—the four pantheons' True Gods—to explore and observe our own cosmology, witnessed by key worlds and lives of our pantheons."
"Only then can we perceive the cosmology and manifest the Pseudo Star Map Creation. It's a tremendous challenge."
He felt an unprecedented sense of difficulty.
These four pantheons would combine forces to explore an alien cosmology—a domain completely unknown.
To be omniscient and omnipotent, one must observe the unknown. That is the key to unlocking omniscience.
So far, no one had signed the parchment.
To officially initiate the Gift Game for the Liyue Divine Collective's cosmology, the supreme gods of all four pantheons must sign—each pantheon's True Gods must unify their will.
Zhongli quickly reached out to the supreme gods of Mount Sumeru, the Heavenly Court, and Daoism:
Zhongli: Gentlemen, the Gift Game to activate cosmology and manifest the Pseudo Star Map Creation has begun. When shall we sign and begin?
Jade Emperor: I'm ready at any time. The Heavenly Court's True Gods have been prepared for this moment for a millennium. I've long awaited this day.
Taishang Laojun: Daoism is ready as well. We await your lead, Sovereign.
Indra: "I have no objections."
Zhongli: "Then let us each gather our pantheon's True Gods atop the highest peak of Liyue Nation. We'll initiate the Gift Game together."
Jade Emperor: "Understood. I'll summon the Heavenly Court's gods immediately."
Indra: "This day has finally come."
Yuanshi Tianzun: "Indeed it has."
At this moment, not all pantheons were capable of initiating a cosmology.
Only a few had the conditions necessary to do so.
Currently, those capable included the combined forces of Liyue, Mount Sumeru, the Heavenly Court, and Daoism—the Liyue Divine Collective.
As well as the Divine Collective formed by Buddhism and the Indian pantheon.
In mythology, the Buddha Gautama is one of the ten avatars of Vishnu, part of the Trimurti. The other avatars each represent different cosmologies.
Buddhism and the Indian pantheon possess multiple cosmologies.
However, only Buddhism's Three Thousand Realms cosmology is mature. The others are incomplete and cannot be activated—doing so would require eons of universal development.
Additionally, there is the Snezhnaya-Slavic pantheon and a portion of the Christian pantheon forming the Snezhnaya Divine Collective.
Christianity is highly unique. Currently, it is the most powerful pantheon, as it is an extension of the Kabbalah faction.
Mio is the God of Christianity. With many worlds practicing Christianity, its expansion caused it to splinter into numerous minor pantheons.
Catholicism, Protestantism, and others—all worship the same God, but their doctrines and worldviews differ so greatly they cannot unify.
This divergence has given rise to multiple cosmologies within Christianity.
...
Among these, Eastern Orthodoxy and the Snezhnaya-Slavic pantheon share the same origin, thus can merge and activate their cosmology.
Sumeru is a separate matter, but Fontaine shares a similar origin with the Celtic pantheon.
Likewise, Mondstadt shares a root with the Celtic pantheon.
However, Mondstadt and Fontaine do not share a common origin.
This is easy to understand. The Celtic pantheon isn't a coherent system but rather a composite of various myths, a patchwork of disconnected stories.
Much like Andersen's fairy tales—a collection of separate tales sewn together—its cosmology has been torn apart.
Aside from the original seven nations of Teyvat, only Olympus and Christianity are currently capable of activating a cosmology.
The rest either lack the power to activate one or have incomplete cosmologies that cannot be triggered.
...
The impending activation of cosmology through the Gift Game stirred the entire universe into a frenzy.
Yet the highest gods of each pantheon did not rush to start the Gift Game. They all waited for the first to take the plunge.
That pioneer had already emerged—Liyue. Unsurprisingly, as it was Liyue that discovered the cosmology Gift Game.
Divine Collective Supreme Gods' Chat Group:
[Rex Lapis: I am preparing to merge the four pantheons and ascend as a Divine Collective, to activate our cosmology. All are welcome to witness the occasion.]
[Barbatos: Old man, starting the Gift Game the moment it appeared—just like you. I'm heading to your place now. I won't miss this chance to observe.]
[Buer: Indeed, the first Gift Game to activate a cosmology—every first holds decisive meaning and sets direction for those to come.]
[Raiden Makoto: Congratulations, Morax. With the foundation of the Liyue gods, I'm sure you'll be able to activate your cosmology.]
After a millennium of grand cosmic expansion, the strength of the pantheons has advanced significantly.
Liyue's foundation had grown many times stronger than a thousand years ago. Gods who had recently ascended to True God have since stabilized their power—some are even close to becoming Primary Gods.
The grand cosmic expansion produced abundant merit, enough for True Gods to ascend to Primary Gods, and for Primary Gods to rise to God-Kings.
All those who achieved godhood through Visions in original Teyvat are now True Gods.
[Focalors: Right now, only Inazuma has a cosmology. I wonder how Liyue's will differ from theirs?]
[Guizhong: Even I don't know what Liyue's cosmology looks like. It's a completely unknown domain—we'll only understand it once observed.]
[Odin: To be the first to initiate the Gift Game… Ah, I wonder when Her Highness Greater Lord Rukkhadevata plans to begin hers?]
[Buer: Be patient, God-King of the Norse. Once the birth of the Liyue Divine Collective concludes, I will initiate Sumeru's Gift Game.]
[Buer: From higher up, I've heard that establishing the Sumeru Divine Collective will activate two cosmologies. At that point, your promotion to Supreme God will be natural—and becoming a Primordial God in the future won't be a problem.]
[Odin: That's wonderful news!]
Odin trembled with excitement. Though he longed for a cosmology, he knew his chances of receiving one were low.
He had learned from Olympus that those qualified for a cosmology could sense its presence—yet he felt nothing.
His only hope was that once the cosmology was activated, he could resonate with a portion of it and become a Primordial God.
Hearing from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata that such a future was possible nearly made him faint with joy.
A Primordial God—second only to the God of Gods.
To him, that would be more than enough.
[Athena: Lord Rex Lapis, if you plan to activate the cosmology Gift Game, does the Liyue pantheon have any qualified individuals who can sense a cosmology?]
She was still just short of reaching God-King level, yet she could converse casually with Supreme Gods—because she was a cosmology-qualified individual.
[Zhongli: That… I'm not certain yet. I haven't sensed a cosmology, so I may not be qualified.]
[Zhongli: But I believe someone in Liyue must be. Without a qualified individual, the Gift Game parchment wouldn't have appeared.]
[Guizhong: Exactly. Pantheons without a cosmology or the qualifications to activate one don't receive any Gift Game parchments.]
[Lumine: Wait! I didn't get a parchment! Can someone tell me if my Traveler Pantheon has a cosmology or not? You're all seriously discussing these lofty matters while I'm freaking out!]
Sweat dripped down Lumine's face.
Golden parchments blanketed the universe—but none she could pick up.
[Zhongli: This is…]
[Buer: Lumine, your Traveler Pantheon…]
[Aether: My foolish little sister~ Your pantheon is completely pieced together.]
[Aether: First, it lacks a structured mythology. Second, you've just wandered aimlessly through the universe without forming anything that civilizations can observe.]
[Aether: How could such a pantheon hold the authority of a cosmology?]
[Lumine: Impossible, Aether, don't spout nonsense—I definitely have mythologies!]
[Lumine: Paimon! My dear friend Paimon~ As a God of Gods, tell me: does my Traveler Pantheon have a cosmology or not? I'm panicking here.]
The chat group fell silent. Barbatos and Focalors twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Such blatant name-dropping to call in favors was frowned upon among gods.
Everyone knew she had powerful backing, but calling someone out like this in a public group was seriously lacking in divine decorum.
After all, those eight were the supervisors of the universe—they had the authority to oversee every pantheon. Mentioning their names so openly was bound to draw attention.
Sure enough, every god in the group instantly went quiet.
It was like students going silent when they spotted their teacher peeking in from the hallway.
[Ruler of Death Paimon has joined the chat group.]
[Lumine: Paimon, Paimon! All the major pantheons across the universe are starting their cosmology Gift Games—why doesn't my Traveler Pantheon have one? sob sob~]
[Paimon: Uh… well…]
[Lumine: Why are you hesitating? Don't tell me my pantheon really doesn't qualify…]
Panic overtook Lumine. She had been eagerly anticipating something as grand as a cosmology.
This was the path to ascend in one step—if even the Abyss had a cosmology, how could she not? How was she supposed to flex that she was protecting universal peace?
Without a cosmology, she'd have no prestige. When every pantheon began pulling out cosmologies like single-universe-level trump cards, she'd be stuck, maxing out at Primordial God.
She had a clear grasp of her own potential.
Achieving omnipotence purely through her own power? That wasn't something even gods could manage.
[Paimon: Um… Lumine, don't be discouraged. You may not have one now, but that doesn't mean you won't get one in the future!]
Lumine instantly became dejected. If she didn't have one now, the odds of getting one later were next to nothing.
[Aether: Tsk tsk, my foolish little sister~]
Lumine's eyes suddenly lit up at his words, her face blooming with a smile.
Back on his throne in the Abyss, Aether shivered: "Tch… why do I suddenly feel like something bad is coming?"
While discussions raged across the major Divine Collectives—
At Liyue's highest peak, Qingyun Peak, a refined and sacred palace complex stood serenely.
Countless shooting stars descended from all directions—these were the major gods from Liyue, Mount Sumeru, the Heavenly Court, and Taoism.
Wearing a Tai Chi Trigram hat and dressed in a dark red outfit, her red twin-tails swaying behind her, was none other than Hu Tao, who had become the Primary God of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Hu Tao skipped cheerfully with her hands behind her back.
"Aiya, this is the second time Zhongli has summoned all of Liyue's gods, huh? A cosmology Gift Game, heehee, who would've thought I, Hu Tao, would get to join in."
"But lately my head's been so fuzzy. Even though I'm a Primary God now, I've still been spacing out constantly. Not even Baizhu, the God of Healing, can figure out what's wrong."
"But… it seems like it's actually a good thing."
For centuries now, Hu Tao had been experiencing strange lapses—visions of ten suns crossing the sky, of the sun tracing the celestial equator.
At first, these visions alarmed her. But every time they occurred, her power would grow.
Since they didn't seem harmful, she eventually accepted them as a quirk of her divine authority.
"It's just been happening way too often lately. I should probably ask Zhongli about it later."
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