"Phew… finally over."
After finishing his battle with Morax—then making that meaningless little "agreement"—Su Mo was sent straight back home by the system.
Wait.
…Good thing no one's here.
This stupid system…
Just as he was about to collapse onto his bed and sleep, a terrifying thought hit him—
If someone had entered his room while he was gone, and he suddenly appeared out of thin air…
Yeah.
That would be impossible to explain.
"My lord, did you hear that huge boom just now?"
"No idea. I only heard it came from Lingju Pass… scared me half to death."
"You two don't know? The whole city's talking about it! Didn't you see the strange lights in the sky?"
"Then tell us! Stop being mysterious!"
"Yeah, spit it out!"
"Ahem—fine, fine. I'll tell you."
"I heard that strange sight in the sky was connected to the Lord of Geo himself. They say he was locked in battle with a demon god in the mountains. And that giant golden spear piercing the heavens—that was his weapon! I don't know what happened next, but the Lord of Geo's lance collided with several streaks of strange white light… then both shattered into countless fragments. Those fragments fell like a meteor shower and smashed Lingju Pass to rubble! If you go there now, there's barely anything left standing."
"And the ruins? They say a bottomless abyss opened up beneath them, and a massive golden mountain was cracked apart like a broken blade. The fight was… insane."
"Then Lord Rex Lapis must've won, right? He's the God of War! Sea monsters, mountain beasts—nothing can withstand his spear!"
"Well…"
"Say it!"
"They say… he might be dead."
"What?! Impossible!"
…
Just when Su Mo was ready to sleep, the lively chatter outside reached his ears.
Forget it.
Might as well take a look.
As for whether Morax was dead—Su Mo obviously knew better than any of them.
Because this entire incident was part of the "contract" between him—posing as "Heavenly Principle"—and Morax.
To prove that Liyue's people had nothing to do with the deal between the Geo Archon and the Tsaritsa, Morax would "die" in today's battle and hand over his Gnosis to the "Sustainer."
And the "Sustainer" would quietly observe Liyue Harbor's reaction and act as the final arbiter.
Honestly?
If Morax hadn't confessed the deal himself, Su Mo wouldn't have known about it at all.
No wonder Morax spoke so cryptically at the start.
He had completely misunderstood Su Mo's presence in Liyue.
Su Mo didn't want to kill anyone.
He wasn't the Heavenly Principle.
He didn't even care about the Gnosis—it was useless to him and might even drag him into trouble.
He didn't want to act in this farce at all.
But as "Heavenly Principle," he had no choice.
If Morax began doubting him and somehow alerted the real Sustainer…
Yeah.
That would be the end.
Even with Herrscher powers, he wasn't sure he could fight the real thing.
Finishing a mission and still having to deal with this?
Life was too hard…
Still sighing, Su Mo stepped outside.
"Welcome, honored guest!"
Before he even entered the teahouse, the waiter rushed forward to greet him.
Su Mo was used to this by now.
Teahouses were the best place to hear rumors—perfect for what he wanted today.
And maybe… to see if Mister Zhongli was here.
The man was a bottomless well of knowledge.
Zhongli?
The moment Su Mo walked in, he spotted him sitting by the window.
"Oh? Su Mo, my friend—you're here as well. Sit. Waiter, another cup!"
"Right away!"
Zhongli gestured for him to join.
The two often exchanged invitations; they knew each other well.
"Mr. Zhongli, have you heard? Something big happened at Lingju Pass. People say the Lord of Geo fought a demon god there. No idea if it's true."
Su Mo sat down and pretended to ask casually, even though he knew the answer better than anyone.
"I have heard… though rumors twist truth tenfold.
It's best to listen with a storyteller's mind."
"No problem. Whether true or not, I love a good story—especially one told by Mr. Zhongli."
That wasn't flattery.
Su Mo genuinely loved hearing tales—ghost stories, legends, rumors, anything.
"Before I speak, Su Mo… tell me the version you heard.
Then we can compare."
"Of course."
Su Mo took a sip of tea and recounted everything he overheard—golden spear, strange lights, meteor-like fragments, the devastation… and the rumor that Rex Lapis died.
"Mm."
Zhongli nodded, expression unreadable.
"So what about your version, Mister Zhongli? Is it the same?"
Su Mo leaned forward with visible excitement.
"It differs little.
But yours lacks several details…
Including how the Qixing determined the Lord of Geo had passed."
"Oh?
Then please tell me!
You definitely won't exaggerate like the others."
Su Mo straightened, eager.
Zhongli finally set down his teacup.
"In truth, those 'lights' were not mysterious beings—they were enormous stones."
"Stones?!
Then why were they in the sky? Did they come from outside the world?"
"No.
At Lingju Pass lies a bottomless crater now.
Those stones likely originated from there.
The golden lance shattered them before they hit the ground, preventing a catastrophe."
"Then… how did they get into the sky?
They don't fly up by themselves."
"Su Mo, have you ever visited Lingju Pass?"
"No. I'm not fond of adventure. Since arriving in Liyue, I've rarely left the city."
"In that case—listen closely.
At Lingju Pass stands an ancient ruin.
No scholar has deciphered its origin.
No one knows who built it or why it was abandoned.
Its age likely extends back to the Archon War."
Instead of answering directly, Zhongli began telling history.
"So you mean—a demon god was sealed there?"
"Correct.
Even though the Lord of Geo won the Archon War, countless demon gods once roamed Teyvat.
Some fought for territory, some for pleasure, some simply because they could.
Those defeated were not all slain—
many hid, waiting for revenge.
Some fled beyond the Dark Sea.
Thus, yes… the Lord of Geo could still be threatened."
He spoke calmly, sipping tea again.
"So those stones were thrown by a demon god?
And the Lord of Geo intercepted them with his spear?"
"Su Mo, your reasoning is sharp.
Exactly."
Zhongli nodded with rare approval.
"So… Rex Lapis really died?"
"Perhaps.
They found his golden 'shed husk' among the rubble.
But the truth will be announced by the Qixing in due time.
Until then, we simply wait."
Zhongli said it as if discussing the weather.
Su Mo quietly admired the man's composure.
If only he knew…
"By the way, Mister Zhongli… who told you all this?
Feels awfully detailed…"
"Hm, that—"
"Oh? Mister Zhongli, you're here too?"
A cheerful voice cut in from the door.
"Childe."
Childe? Who?
Su Mo blinked.
He wasn't familiar with Liyue's people yet.
"This one is Mister Zhongli's friend, yes?"
The young man with chestnut hair sat down without hesitation.
"You can call me Childe. Just a codename."
"You can call me Su Mo.
But… your clothes…"
The young man's clothes were tattered, his face dust-stained—he looked like he'd just crawled out of a collapsed mine.
"Hahaha!
My line of work gets a little… messy.
As long as I'm alive, everything else can be replaced."
He laughed, though his eyes flickered at the memory.
He had nearly died under falling meteorites, after all.
And now that Rex Lapis was confirmed dead…
Childe actually felt a hint of regret.
A duel with the Geo Archon—
that would have been glorious.
A shame it would never happen.
"Since both of you were present," Zhongli said suddenly, "I would like to trouble you with something."
"Oh?
Didn't think I'd ever hear Mister Zhongli ask me for help.
I should cherish this."
"If I can help, I will," Su Mo added quickly.
Zhongli slowly lifted his eyes.
"I believe… the Lord of Geo has indeed fallen.
So I would like to ask the two of you—
to help prepare the Rite of Parting."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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