Seeing the tension in the air, Luya quickly reassured:
"Hahaha, don't be nervous~"
"Dear guest, the duel I spoke of…"
"Isn't a real fight."
"No rush, later Young Master Xingqiu and Mr. Zhongli can give you a demonstration!"
With that, Luya invoked the system's power—his invincible authority inside the shop. Instantly, Xiao's polearm was taken from his hand and placed behind him.
Xiao felt his grip suddenly empty. He clenched his fist, yet found nothing there. He could only watch, paralyzed, as it happened.
His insides boiled. Facing Luya, he felt as insignificant as a mayfly, about to be crushed by a god's fingertip.
An indescribable helplessness filled him. He, who had mastered combat and slaughter, who could cut down demons with ease…
As a peerless adeptus, now stood powerless before a human!?
This man had no Vision, no elemental control—so how… He hadn't even seen Luya move. And yet his weapon was gone in an instant!
Xiao was shaken, his mind jarring awake:
'This man's strength… unfathomable.'
'He has no Vision, no elemental power—'
'Yet, he's too strong…'
In all his thousands of years of battle, across countless brushes with death, Xiao had never felt such powerlessness.
In his eyes, Luya had done nothing, yet his weapon obediently vanished.
If this was a 'duel'…
He had no chance of victory!
If he couldn't even react before being disarmed, didn't that mean Luya could kill him in an instant?
Luya, seeing Xiao dazed, didn't realize the adeptus was terrified. To him, he had only confiscated a weapon, nothing significant.
Xiao remained lost in shock and confusion.
'Such power… is he really human? Since when has Liyue had such a person…'
'Still… what is this duel he speaks of? And why does a card with my image lighten my karmic debt?!'
It was beyond comprehension.
Xiao pondered deeply. He couldn't understand why Luya would ease his burden without reason.
Regardless, Xiao repaid every kindness.
Once, young and ignorant, he had been enslaved by a demon god, forced to commit atrocities. He spilled rivers of blood.
Zhongli had freed him. To repay that kindness, Xiao pledged his life to guarding Liyue for millennia.
Now Luya had helped lessen his debt.
So… he would repay it.
Anyhow, what could he do? Xiao felt he could offer nothing useful.
If they truly fought, he believed Luya could finish him instantly.
So it wasn't he protecting Luya—it was Luya protecting him.
No wonder this man could run such a massive shop in Feiyun Slope alone.
Thinking of the shop, Xiao finally looked around. Customers flinched under his gaze, even children burying their heads to avoid notice.
He glanced at Zhongli, casting him a helpless look.
Zhongli knew Xiao's power well—within Liyue, nothing could match him.
Yet before Luya, he was helpless, like a slime awaiting slaughter.
That Luya could subdue Xiao in an instant shocked Zhongli. He hadn't even seen the move!
A human… could wield such power?
The calm Archon himself shivered. He began to reconsider the future of humans and Teyvat.
He had once planned his own funeral, entrusting Liyue to mortals, to test if they could govern well.
However, with Luya's presence, Zhongli reconsidered.
With Luya, perhaps no test was needed.
He himself wasn't confident of lasting even one round against the youth.
And the Duel Monsters system Luya had introduced also shook him—it was pure human technology and wisdom!
Technology… wisdom…
At that thought, Zhongli's hand touched the Lock of the Mortal World he carried.
The golden glow held ancient memories.
It drew his thoughts back to an old friend.
Six thousand years ago, when Zhongli was young—
A star fell, shaping The Chasm and bringing endless jade.
Thus began Liyue's millennia of mining, with Morax as the people's god.
He led his people around Mt. Tianheng, holding back tides, redirecting streams. The land thrived, no one went poor.
To the north of Tianheng dwelled a maiden—
The Goddess of Dust, Guizhong.
She led her people by farming.
They first met in a field of blooming Glaze Lilies.
Guizhong lamented humanity's frailty, fearing she lacked the strength to protect them.
She saw Zhongli's might and said, "Though my strength falls short, I wield technology and wisdom."
"If your power and my mind joined together—"
"This city could be magnificent!"
Zhongli simply said:
"…Mm."
She handed him a stone lock with a smile:
"This is our pact, and my challenge. All my wisdom lies within it."
That object—the Lock of the Mortal World.
Together, Guizhong and Zhongli led their people, uniting north of Tianheng.
They named the land Guili Plains.
Later, in the Stone Records, it was written:
There was a Dust God, Guizhong, friend to Rex Lapis, who built the Guizhong Ballista to guard Tianheng, who led her people to farm north of the mountain.
At its height, fields, and towns stretched as far as Stone Gate.
Guizhong once said to Rex Lapis:
"Now my people live in peace, as if they've come home. Let this land be named Guili Plains."
And so it was.
....
During the Guili Plains era, Zhongli, Guizhong, and adepti such as Cloud Retainer who followed Zhongli defended this paradise together.
Until…
The Archon War erupted.
Around Guili Plains, demon gods rose one after another…
An age of chaos was about to begin.
At that critical moment, Zhongli gathered the adepti and forged a contract, establishing the city of Liyue at Guili Assembly.
Together, they would defend it.
This was Liyue's very first contract…
Then, the Archon War began in earnest.
The lands around Liyue became perilous.
The oceanic demon god Beisht, the vortex demon god Osial, the chi at Qingce, the dream demon god who corrupted minds, the great beasts roaming Jueyun Karst—Liyue was like a living hell.
As the texts say:
"At that time, Liyue was beset by demons: leviathans in the sea, wicked chi in the mountains. Rex Lapis summoned the adepti to sweep clean the four corners and restore peace."
Before setting out, Zhongli declared:
"In these times when demon gods rise, though I seek no conquest, I know the people's suffering.
I will sweep the land clean, to guard one corner of this mortal world."
After fierce battles, Zhongli and the adepti held Liyue.
Albeit Guizhong, the Goddess of Dust who had built Guili Assembly with him and fought at his side for millennia, perished in battle.
The Guili Assembly she built with Zhongli was destroyed.
And to this day, the Lock of the Mortal World—the token of their pact—remains unopened.
The fields once filled with Glaze Lilies vanished without trace.
Even now, Zhongli still carries the Lock of the Mortal World by his side, sighing:
"Alas, old friend… when shall we meet again?"
After Guizhong's death, Zhongli led both his and her people away from Guili Assembly.
Crossing Mt. Tianheng, they rebuilt their home where Liyue Harbor now stands.
For centuries, Zhongli battled—south to Tianheng, east to Yaoguang, west to Jueyun, north to Qingce.
Finally, he pacified all threats.
The Archon War in Liyue ended. Morax ascended the divine seat as one of the Seven, bearing the duty to guide humanity.
A new Liyue was born.
Zhongli looked at Luya, deciding he must one day let him attempt to unlock the Lock of the Mortal World.
For if a human had created something like Duel Monsters with such technology and wisdom, surely he could.
And Luya's power already exceeded his own.
Unsealing the Lock of the Mortal World had been his wish for millennia. Yet even he had never solved it.
Xiao, seeing Zhongli unmoved, was drenched in sweat.
Luya thought Xiao was simply unfamiliar with the shop's equipment and offered to guide him.
Xingqiu and Zhongli's duel would be perfect for him to observe.
Luya stepped closer. Xiao instinctively stepped back, thinking in alarm: "Don't come any closer…"
The customers gasped:
"What?! The shopkeeper made an adeptus back off?!"
"Could it be… he's some mighty adeptus himself?"
"No way… the shopkeeper's too strong!"
Hearing their nonsense, Luya replied:
"I'm no adeptus! I'm a genuine human!!!"
Xiao sensed Luya simply didn't want to reveal his strength, and said:
"I… was only tired."
"Not… afraid."
"You… do not disrespect the adepti."
The customers quickly backtracked:
"No, no, you misheard us, hahaha!"
"Yes, yes, we never disrespected the adepti!"
Luya led Xiao to the Duel Stage where Xingqiu and Zhongli played.
"See? The duel I meant isn't violence… but this, a battle using these cards."
He handed Xiao the freshly made [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao].
Xiao looked at the card in his hand, then at the one summoned on Xingqiu's field. It felt strange and mysterious.
Luya smiled at Xingqiu:
"Young Master Xingqiu, don't worry. Continue your duel. This guest won't be angered."
Xiao nodded to Xingqiu:
"I will not be angry. Continue."
To Xingqiu it felt more like a threat—but since Xiao himself said so, he resumed.
"Next, I Normal Summon [Obnoxious Celtic Guardian]."
Xiao, confused, watched him place a card on the Monster Zone.
[Obnoxious Celtic Guardian] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1400 ATK / 1200 DEF
With a sound, a blond elf youth holding a sword appeared beside [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao].
Xiao's pupils shrank.
"What… is this!?"
Seeing Xiao's shock, the customers laughed.
"Hahaha, even an adeptus can be surprised!"
"Anyway, Xiao doesn't seem so scary after all."
"Yeah… maybe he just looks scary."
"Exactly, especially with that mask—it's terrifying."
"Scared me half to death…"
Hearing this, Luya teased:
"Why not take off that fearsome mask once in a while? You're scaring the customers—how am I supposed to keep business going?"
The customers perked up, curious.
What face lay beneath Xiao's mask?
Since Luya had helped him, Xiao was obedient. Without hesitation, he removed the mask.
The customers gasped:
"No way—the shopkeeper actually convinced an adeptus?!"
"Amazing! He even made him take off the mask!"
"Is the shopkeeper secretly a god?"
"No, he already said he's human—stop guessing."
"I can't wait to see the true face of the Conqueror of Demons beneath that mask!"
"Me too!!!"
...
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