So, it's best if I keep this thing to myself.
Gu Sanqiu began to ponder. If this glove could truly affect divine authority, it might become a trump card against those overwhelmingly powerful beings in the future.
At the very least, he could beg his old man to reforge it into some kind of hidden weapon—one imbued with the strength of "Morax's power."
Imagine a weapon that guarantees a hit—who could possibly dodge it?
He smirked with satisfaction at his unexpected gain, fully appreciating the effectiveness of starting high and negotiating down.
Of course, for this approach to work, you had to hold enough leverage. If he hadn't cornered those two Harbingers and demanded the Gnosis outright, there was no way this glove would've landed in his hands.
"Not bad. Finally, I've got something high-level of my own."
Given how things were developing, even great figures like Azhdaha or Morax might eventually find their influence waning. While strengthening Liyue as a whole was important, his own combat prowess was just as vital.
As long as I grow strong enough, I, Gu Sanqiu, could become the second Morax! (Well, maybe not…)
---
Three days later—
In a luxurious suite at the Goethe Grand Hotel, Gu Sanqiu was bundled up in blankets, lying in bed. Beside him was a spread of takeout from the Good Hunter restaurant, delivered by the Fatui.
Living the life of a salted fish felt so comfortable—it reminded him of his idle days back in Liyue.
Well, as long as my sister doesn't drag me into something…
"No drama to witness this time. Guess it's about time to head back."
He should probably check in and assure everyone he was safe. Truth be told, this trip had been quite dangerous. If not for Decarabian's intervention, the Bloodshadow Dragon would've been a nightmare to handle.
Even if Venti had eventually stepped in, the delay would've been enough to push them to the brink of death.
The dragon's combat style might have been rigid, even simple-minded, but it would've been deadly enough to wear them down bit by bit.
Gu Sanqiu rolled over, cocooning himself even tighter in his blanket. Mondstadt should be peaceful for a while.
Unless, of course, the Lawrence Clan suddenly all fell off a cliff, stumbled upon some bizarre inheritance from a mysterious master, and started wreaking havoc with their newfound powers. Only then would they pose a threat.
Otherwise, given the current strength of the Church and the Knights of Favonius, even the most ambitious Lawrences would think twice before endangering their clan's survival.
And then there was the matter of Gu Shaochong—the ancestral patriarch of the Gu family.
This man, who had witnessed the Chasm catastrophe firsthand five hundred years ago, was a critical figure. It was hard to imagine someone who had seen such horrors disappearing without reason.
Over the years, Gu Sanqiu had come to one unavoidable conclusion: the Gu family had a knack for producing eccentric geniuses. And these geniuses, for some reason, seemed to live exceptionally long lives.
He couldn't help but wonder if their family had once mastered some pseudo-immortality technique. But given how ancient the Gu lineage was, there were no records left to confirm such suspicions.
Perhaps this longevity was why the elder matron of the Gu family remained convinced that Gu Shaochong wasn't dead—only missing.
The Chasm.
A place tainted by the horrors unleashed by Khaenri'ah's apocalyptic beasts, where divine will clashed in an unparalleled calamity. Such a disaster was terrifying enough to make any mortal's heart quake.
It wasn't the kind of problem that a couple of heroes could solve on their own. It demanded the unity of an entire nation to suppress the catastrophe.
So where was Gu Shaochong during all this?
Gu Sanqiu lay there in a half-daze, replaying the elder's words in his mind. She had claimed that the Adepti themselves had searched Liyue far and wide, yet failed to locate Gu Shaochong.
Unbelievable. Impossible, even.
Xiao could traverse Liyue in an instant. Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver—these Adepti were deeply familiar with every corner of the land.
Failing to find a living person—or even their remains? Ridiculous.
So where had he gone?
"Honestly, I already have a guess."
Kicking off the blankets, Gu Sanqiu sat up, his expression suddenly serious.
"Old man, if it wasn't you, then who else could it be?"
There was no way that, in the territory of Liyue, the Adepti couldn't uncover the truth. At the time, Azhdaha had already been sealed, leaving Morax as the only plausible figure with the power and knowledge to orchestrate such a disappearance.
Even if Morax hadn't directly acted, he must've been one of the few who knew the truth.
But why?
No matter how much Gu Sanqiu thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. By all accounts, Gu Shaochong had been an impeccable figure, aside from his obliviousness to romantic matters.
He had hosted grand banquets to foster understanding between mortals and Adepti, working tirelessly to resolve tensions. He had led the Millelith to repel threats and calamities, achieving unparalleled harmony between the realms of gods and men.
If the modern Gu family was lying low, then Gu Shaochong's era was the pinnacle of their legacy.
Why would someone like him vanish without a trace?
"It's possible he didn't vanish at all. He must've had a purpose—and entrusted his whereabouts to someone he trusted implicitly."
Gu Sanqiu's eyes glazed over as his thoughts spiraled deeper. His mental focus was pushed to its limit, paying no mind to the dazed expression spreading across his face.
His old man had once said, "You're a child of the Gu family. Of course, I trust you completely."
By that logic, how could the family's unwavering loyalty to Morax—the god who had protected Liyue for millennia—be anything less than absolute?
"Ha… unraveling this thread bit by bit, I've finally found a clue."
Perhaps Gu Shaochong had intentionally left the Adepti out of the loop, not just to prevent leaks, but also to ensure others believed he was genuinely missing.
Whether it was to preserve a secret weapon hidden in the shadows or to carry out some undisclosed mission, only Morax would have known the full story.
Knock, knock.
A sharp rap on the door broke his train of thought.
"Sir," came a voice from the hall, one belonging to a Fatui agent. "There's a blond boy asking for you. He says his companion seems to be in trouble and urgently needs your help."
A blond boy?
His companion?
The information sent a shiver down Gu Sanqiu's spine. If someone like that was in trouble, the stakes were unimaginably high.
"Send someone to clean the room. I'll head down to see what's going on."