"Hmm." At Cloud Retainer's words, Zhongli nodded and then continued,
"That is precisely what worries me."
Zhongli knew very well that retiring would be easy; he could find any excuse.
But whether the mortals of Liyue could walk their own path after his retirement was something he couldn't yet be sure of.
"Rex Lapis, you... are you really going to abdicate?" At this, Moon Carver, who was standing to the side, asked in surprise.
Although what Rex Lapis had said and the questions Cloud Retainer had asked had basically confirmed this fact, it was only now that Moon Carver was completely certain.
The situation was now clear: Rex Lapis was worried about whether the people of Liyue could manage on their own after his retirement.
But...
Why would Rex Lapis suddenly choose to retire?
Moon Carver was completely baffled by this question.
In his eyes, everything seemed perfectly normal, so he didn't understand why Rex Lapis would suddenly choose to retire.
Wait!
That girl?
That girl who came from that place?!
Just as Moon Carver was finding it impossible to comprehend Rex Lapis's intention to retire when everything seemed normal, he suddenly remembered that girl.
If that girl hadn't appeared in Liyue, then the Liyue of today would be no different from the Liyue of the past. But she had appeared.
And it was during the time of that girl's appearance in Liyue that Rex Lapis suddenly decided to retire. There had to be an unseen connection.
"Yes, it is time for me to... hmm... to use the words of mortals, 'retire'," Zhongli nodded.
"Is it because of that girl?"
Like Moon Carver, Cloud Retainer also attributed the cause of Rex Lapis's retirement to Kiana.
Turning his head to glance at Cloud Retainer beside him, Moon Carver couldn't help but think the same.
He had been about to ask that very question, but Cloud Retainer beat him to it.
"Yes and no." Zhongli's reply this time was quick, but a bit ambiguous.
However, to him, it wasn't ambiguous at all; it was simply the truth.
"Yes" because the two of them were currently collaborating on an act; "no" because he had long had this intention, and it wasn't a plan he'd made just because of Kiana.
Yes and no?
This...
What did that mean?
After hearing Rex Lapis's answer, Moon Carver couldn't help but ponder its meaning.
Although he himself would often say things to mortals that seemed ethereal but contained some hidden meaning, this was Rex Lapis he was dealing with. He had to be cautious and couldn't just guess at the meaning and voice it aloud.
Hmm...
Do those mortals feel the same way I do now when they hear what I say?
For some reason, Moon Carver suddenly felt just like those mortals.
"So... Rex Lapis, you've wanted to retire for a long time?"
This time, Cloud Retainer wasn't as cautious as Moon Carver. She gave it a moment's thought and then directly voiced her idea.
In her view, the meaning of Rex Lapis's last statement was that he had long had the idea of retiring.
It was just that before he could implement this idea, that girl appeared, and that girl also wanted him to retire. Thus, the origin of the strange "yes and no" answer.
"That's right. I've had this idea for a long time." Nodding again, Zhongli affirmed Cloud Retainer's conclusion.
"In that case, does that girl also hope that Rex Lapis will... retire?"
Moon Carver, who had been listening silently to the conversation between Rex Lapis and Cloud Retainer, immediately understood.
It was obvious now: Rex Lapis himself wanted to retire, and that girl also wanted him to retire.
"I was starting to think Moon Carver wouldn't figure that out."
Turning to look at the two adepti, Zhongli offered a rare smile.
"Why does that girl hope..."
"Knowing this much is enough for you. Do not concern yourselves with the rest."
Knowing what Cloud Retainer was about to ask, Zhongli stopped her before she could finish.
He couldn't help it. After all, he couldn't just come out and say that he and Miss Kiana were actually putting on an act.
More importantly, acting this way would make Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver even more convinced of Miss Kiana's identity.
No matter what, the plans of someone from that place were not something even the adepti could know casually.
Sigh...
It seems Rex Lapis is really going to retire...
Exchanging a helpless glance with Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver knew that Rex Lapis's retirement was now a fact.
As for the rest, they truly were not qualified to know too much.
"You should return. It's getting late."
After saying this, Zhongli vanished from before Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver.
In an instant, only Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver remained atop Mt. Tianheng.
Shenhe?
That child...
Just as Cloud Retainer was about to say something, she suddenly noticed that Shenhe had arrived.
___
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