Seeing Azhdaha's sorrow, Zhu Yuan couldn't help but feel sympathy. With sincere earnestness, she comforted him, "Mr. Azhdaha, please don't worry. Once we bring them to New Eridu, they can all be repaired—and even fitted with brand-new parts."
Hearing that his Bangboo followers could be restored, Azhdaha's spirits lifted at once.
However, he had heard from his little brothers more than once about how terrible New Eridu was—how it had abandoned them, cast them out, and left them to fend for themselves in the Outer Ring. Because of that, Azhdaha had never held a good impression of the city.
At that moment, Cloud Retainer and Xiao, who were standing nearby, stepped forward to greet him.
Cloud Retainer spoke slowly, "Azhdaha, it has been a long time—"
Xiao said sincerely, "Mr. Azhdaha, I'm truly glad you've returned to your senses."
Azhdaha glanced around. "And where is that one—Bosacius? Why has he not come?"
At the mention of Bosacius, silence fell over the Adepti.
After a long pause, Mountain Shaper finally spoke, "Five hundred years ago, during the eruption of the Black Calamity, Bosacius perished in the Chasm while defending Liyue."
Azhdaha's tone grew somber. "And what of Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias…? Did they too…"
Even after a thousand years, Azhdaha remembered every name clearly—every comrade who had once fought beside him.
Cloud Retainer quietly explained their fates.
"Indarias, Bonanus, and Menogias all perished, consumed by the taint of lingering divine resentment."
Hearing this, Azhdaha fell silent, his heart heavy with mixed emotions.
He had thought that being sealed away for over a thousand years was the most tragic fate imaginable. But now he realized that his old companions had suffered far worse—most were gone, and only a few remained.
Azhdaha sighed deeply. "If I had not succumbed to erosion and lost my memories… Ah, forget it. There's no use dwelling on it."
Had he not been eroded and lost himself, he could have helped the Yakshas cleanse the taint of divine resentment...
And when the Black Calamity had descended, he could have stood beside the Geo Archon to defend Liyue...
But fate had not granted him that chance—he had fallen to erosion long before.
As Azhdaha sighed over the past, Sam Li suddenly spoke.
"Azhdaha, the New Eridu of today faces a crisis no less dire than Liyue did a thousand years ago. Will you fight alongside me once more?"
"Fight once more?"
Gazing at the calm, confident smile on Sam Li's face, Azhdaha was struck by a wave of nostalgia. It was the same expression he had seen over two thousand years ago, when he first opened his eyes and beheld Morax. That same unwavering certainty of victory.
Though time had changed everything, Azhdaha did not hesitate for a moment.
"Where your spear points, there shall be my battlefield."
A thousand years ago, those had been his exact words—and his unflinching resolve had been the same.
Hearing Azhdaha's answer, the Adepti—Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper—were all filled with joy.
Part of it was happiness for their old friend, who had finally regained his memories. The other part was the relief of having such a powerful ally once again.
Though Moon Carver had once said Azhdaha's strength rivaled that of the Adepti, in truth, Azhdaha's power at his peak far surpassed theirs. Even Moon Carver had to admit it.
...
While the Adepti spoke among themselves, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi stepped aside, searching the crowd of Bangboo for the Golden and Platinum Bangboo.
But after searching every corner, they still couldn't find the two.
Cloud Retainer turned to them. "What? You haven't found those two yet?"
Zhu Yuan exhaled, shaking her head. "No... I think they realized we were coming and decided to hide."
She had already questioned some of the other Bangboo. They all said the Golden and Platinum Bangboo had been here just before Zhu Yuan and Qingyi arrived—but vanished the moment the two showed up.
Cloud Retainer said calmly, "Allow this immortal to assist you. Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Xiao—you three, stop standing around and come help."
Moon Carver sighed helplessly. "They're just two little Bangboo. How far could they have gone?"
Mountain Shaper glanced around. "Let's check those ruins over there."
Bangboo Town had just endured a fierce battle—most of its buildings were reduced to rubble. Searching for two small, elusive Bangboo amid the debris was no easy task.
Still, soon enough, Sam Li, Azhdaha, and every Bangboo still capable of moving joined in to help Zhu Yuan and Qingyi in their search.
As they looked, Zhu Yuan kept glancing at Sam Li out of the corner of her eye, as if she wanted to speak but didn't know how.
When Sam Li had been just an employee at the Hare's House, Zhu Yuan could talk to him freely, without hesitation. But now that he was revealed to be a deity—the true God of Liyue—she suddenly felt distant, unsure of how to act or what to say, afraid she might offend him.
Noticing this, Sam Li smiled faintly. "Miss Zhu Yuan, if there's something you wish to ask, you can ask directly."
Zhu Yuan hesitated, then finally spoke. "Before, the Liyue Qixing said you were dead. The people of Liyue said the same... even Paimon did. Both Senior Qingyi and I couldn't understand—why would you, a god of Liyue, fake your own death?"
Sam Li had expected the question.
After a moment of quiet thought, he replied softly, "Retirement."
"Retirement?" Zhu Yuan repeated, stunned.
She hadn't expected such a simple answer.
A deity of Liyue—faking death, just to retire?
Sam Li continued, "Yes, retirement. Over thousands of years, everything is worn down by time. That's what we call erosion. Azhdaha's loss of memory and attack on Liyue, the Yakshas falling into madness—those are all forms of it. Adepti can erode. Yakshas can erode. Even gods can. Eventually, even a god will twist and break under the weight of it."
Once a deity succumbs to erosion, the consequences are unimaginable.
That was why the Geo Archon chose to let go—to entrust Liyue to its people, allowing them to learn how to live without divine rule.
Of course, all of this was only Sam Li's speculation—his understanding of the Geo Archon's decision from his own perspective.
As for the true reason the Geo Archon had chosen to retire and feign death, even Sam Li could only guess.
After hearing his words, Zhu Yuan fell silent, thoughtful.
In the end, she began to understand—at least a little.
In simple terms, the Geo Archon's feigned death had allowed Liyue to transition smoothly from the Age of Gods to the Age of Man.