"At noon, everyone eats together," Guizhong explained to the two of them as she introduced them to the village.
Akio watched the talkative Guizhong, feeling deeply moved by her. In just a short while, her actions had already won his admiration.
"Since you've just arrived in the village, take some time to rest. I'll be in that small hut over there. If you need anything, feel free to come find me," Guizhong said before leaving.
Entering the thatched hut, Akio and Yoimiya looked around. The interior was extremely simple—a bed made of straw mats and a few scattered small items.
With a wave of his hand, Akio conjured a large, soft mattress that appeared on top of the straw mat. He and Yoimiya sat on the mattress, and he also brought out a few chairs.
"Akio, Guizhong is so gentle. Aside from Sister Makoto, I never imagined there could be such a kind deity," Yoimiya praised.
"As a deity, she carries no airs of superiority. She truly is an exceptional god," Yoimiya added.
"But Guizhong is really too weak. Can she really protect her people?" Yoimiya asked with concern.
Yoimiya could sense Guizhong's aura. Although she was a deity, her power was extremely frail—even weaker than that of a newly born god like herself.
Her strength wasn't even enough to kill a single monster! How could such a weak deity protect her people?
"That's why, in the original history, when disaster struck, she could only lead her people in constant flight," Akio said with a complicated expression. "It wasn't until she met Morax and formed an alliance with him that she and her people had a chance to catch their breath."
"But even then, she couldn't escape her fate of falling. In the end, it was because she was too weak," Akio sighed.
"Hmm… But we can't change history too much, can we? Does that mean we have to watch history repeat itself?" Yoimiya asked with a hint of sadness.
"Perhaps we can change small things, as long as we don't alter the major course of history," Akio sighed. Unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't intervene. His power wasn't at the level of the 「Tree」, and he couldn't forcibly control the timeline.
Rashly changing history would only harm all of Teyvat.
Akio now realized that his power wasn't as great as he thought. Even though he was invincible across Teyvat, he still had to tread carefully now.
Damn, this is really frustrating!
As if sensing Akio's frustration, the system's voice rang out.
"Ding~ Congratulations, Master, for meeting Guizhong of ancient Liyue. You've unlocked one chance to control the timeline and the SSS-level Herrscher of Flamescion template."
"Master, don't be discouraged. Once you fully master the Herrscher's authority, you will gain complete control over the 「Imaginary Tree」," the system comforted him.
"Sigh…" Akio sighed and asked, "What does 'controlling the timeline' mean?"
"If you alter the main course of history, you can use this opportunity to forcibly control the timeline once," the system explained. "But this chance is rare, so please use it wisely."
"Is that so? That's great!" Akio was excited. Even if he changed the course of history once, the system could forcibly control it.
"Akio, what's going on? You seem so happy," Yoimiya asked curiously.
"I've just regained the power of the Herrscher of Flamescion, and I can forcibly control the timeline once," Akio said with a smile. "If possible, let's try to change the tragic course of history."
"Alright," Yoimiya nodded.
After resting in the hut for a while, they heard a knock on the door.
"It's time for lunch. Please join us," a voice called.
Akio and Yoimiya exchanged glances, then left the hut and followed the person to the dining area.
The dining area was a makeshift shelter, crudely built with a few wooden poles and covered with thatch.
Beneath it were several simple wooden tables, some of which looked rotten.
"I'm sorry for the poor conditions. Please bear with us," Guizhong said apologetically as she sat there.
Her tribe was poor, with few resources. Compared to the tribe of the Geo deity Morax next door, it was like night and day.
"It's fine. We're wanderers, so we're used to this," Akio said as he and Yoimiya took their seats and looked at the food on the table.
In a small wooden bowl was a half-serving of vegetable soup, a fist-sized mixed-grain bun, and a few wild vegetables as side dishes.
Everyone had the same meal, including Guizhong. The only difference was that Akio and Yoimiya had a few slightly stale sunsettias placed in front of them.
There wasn't a trace of meat, showing just how poor Guizhong's tribe was. But then again, Guizhong couldn't even kill a monster, let alone the mortals.
Unless they went fishing, but the wilderness was full of dangers, and mortals couldn't stay out there for long.
In this world, the tribes of weak deities were extremely poor.
Yoimiya picked up the bun and took a bite, frowning slightly. The bun was dry and hard to swallow, and only by sipping the bland vegetable soup could she manage to eat it.
Yoimiya now realized how fortunate life was in the future and how much suffering people endured in this era.
"…" Guizhong noticed Yoimiya's frown and lowered her head in disappointment.
Recently, the frequency of deity invasions had increased, and with the constant harassment of monsters, she was feeling increasingly exhausted. Food was also becoming scarcer.
Even the sunsettias in front of Akio and Yoimiya were among the few good things they had left.
Moreover, this place was very unsafe. A wind deity nearby had been constantly harassing her territory.
If that wind deity invaded again, she would have to lead her people in another migration.
Life for her people would only get worse. Would she have no choice but to seek out the Geo deity.
Guizhong was troubled. The Geo deity was very powerful. If she, such a weak deity, went to him, would her tribe be absorbed?
"Akio, Yoimiya, if you're not used to life here, I recommend you go to the tribe at the foot of Mt. Tianheng. There's a deity there named Morax," Guizhong said to the two of them. "He's very powerful, more so than any deity I've ever seen. He can protect you."
There was a hint of sorrow in Guizhong's voice, as if lamenting her own weakness.
"It's fine. I'm quite used to this kind of life," Akio shook his head. "You've taken us in, so we're now part of this tribe, right?"
He was here to win over Guizhong, after all. Why would he go to Morax?
"Really? Will you pledge your faith to me?" Guizhong asked, overjoyed.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Akio poured cold water on her excitement. "I've said before, we don't worship any deity. But we can live with your tribe, and of course, I'll contribute to the tribe's development."
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