"Agarest…?"
At that moment, a woman standing beside Cloud Retainer spoke up.
She had waist-length white hair, her lower body wrapped in black gauze. Her aura was cold and distant, as if she were cut off from the world.
Her name was Shenhe—a solitary fate incarnate, and the only human present at this gathering.
Cloud Retainer, as her master, understood her confusion. Shenhe had lived in seclusion with her since childhood, and she had never mentioned this demon god to her before.
Thus, Cloud Retainer explained,
"Agarest is a great demon god of the same generation as the Lord of Geo. His strength was on par with the Lord of Geo himself. If one were to describe it—"
"If he were to fight the Lord of Geo," someone interrupted softly,
"it would trigger a second Archon War."
The speaker was Ganyu.
Her eyes shimmered with unmistakable longing and nostalgia.
Cloud Retainer nodded and continued,
"Speaking of him, one must mention his utterly un-demon-god-like personality. Despite being one of Teyvat's top combatants, there was a time when—because he couldn't eat the lunch Ganyu made—he threw a tantrum, rolling around on his bed and crying."
Shenhe: ʕ⊝⍛⊝ʔ ?
"Cloud Retainer!!"
Ganyu's face instantly flushed red.
Cloud Retainer smiled wistfully.
"He may have been carefree and unreliable at times, but he was undeniably a great demon god. During the era when both he and the Lord of Geo presided over Liyue, the nation was at its most prosperous and powerful—surpassing all others."
"We called that period Liyue's golden age."
"If he was so powerful," Shenhe asked quietly,
"then why did he fall?"
She already knew from earlier discussions that Agarest had perished.
Cloud Retainer fell silent, clearly reluctant to answer.
After a brief pause, Mountain Shaper stepped forward.
"Five hundred years ago, during the Khaenri'ah calamity, Agarest opposed the will of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles… and fought her directly."
"The Sustainer killed him," Mountain Shaper said gravely,
"but was gravely wounded herself, falling into a long slumber."
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles…?" Shenhe frowned.
Another unknown name.
Today's revelations were overwhelming.
"You don't need to know more," Cloud Retainer said curtly.
"To be frank, even I don't fully understand what she truly is."
Ganyu lowered her head, falling silent—clearly recalling those distant events.
Once everyone had digested the information, Zhongli spoke again.
"He has only just awakened. His power and memories are nearly gone."
"I ask that none of you seek him out until both have recovered."
"Why?!"
Ganyu was the first to step forward, her emotions spilling over.
Normally, she would never question the Lord of Geo's decisions.
But when it came to Agarest—
She couldn't restrain herself.
Zhongli did not reproach her.
Instead, he said calmly,
"This was his request five hundred years ago."
"He said that when he returned, he might lose everything—and that he did not wish to be disturbed."
"…Why didn't he tell us?" Cloud Retainer asked bitterly.
"That was also his request."
Zhongli paused briefly before delivering the final revelation.
"His current name is the same as before—Cael."
With that, Zhongli finished speaking. His body dissolved into golden light and vanished.
...
In truth, Zhongli could have conveyed all of this through telepathic means.
But out of respect for an old friend—
He chose to gather them all in person.
Partly because Agarest was his closest companion.
And partly because—
The current Cael was still willingly paying off his bills.
...
...
Only after Zhongli departed did the others fully process what they had heard.
The strongest demon god of the past…
Had truly returned.
Among them, the one most affected was Ganyu.
She clenched her delicate hands tightly, her expression dark and conflicted.
"Why…"
"Why can't I see him, even now that he's back…?"
She couldn't understand it. She couldn't accept it.
She had heard the name Cael before—but assumed it was merely a coincidence.
After all, in five hundred years, there had been countless people with the same name.
But this time—
It was really him.
Five hundred years.
She hadn't seen Cael in five hundred years.
Cloud Retainer gently patted her with a wing.
"Be at ease. Waiting for his memories to return is not too late. After all, you've already waited five hundred years—what's a little longer?"
Ganyu nodded on the surface.
But her heart remained restless.
Nearby, Shenhe watched Ganyu with a strange expression.
This was the first time she had ever seen Ganyu like this.
So…
Did Ganyu and Cael have a story together?
Meanwhile—
Cael was fast asleep at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Sleeping like a dead pig.
...
...
The Next Day
"System, open my status panel."
[Opening personal status panel]
Host: Cael
Age: 20 (?)
Vision: None
Element:Unlocking
Inventory: Dull Blade (Tier 4), paper, pen, Mora…
Assets: Wealthy
"…I'm rich now?"
Cael was thrilled.
But then he noticed—
His Dull Blade had jumped to Tier 4.
He froze.
Wasn't it Tier 1 just yesterday?
The system answered before he could ask.
[Yesterday, the Host completed the achievements "First Encounter with the Yuheng" and "Zombie: Past and Present."]
[Congratulations. You can now dominate Treasure Hoarders.]
"…I completed achievements yesterday? Why didn't you tell me?"
[Host negligence is not the system's responsibility.]
"Tch—forget it."
Cael wisely chose not to argue. He knew he couldn't win.
Time to get up and earn Mora!
Tomorrow was his day off!
Just thinking about it filled him with motivation.
...
Hu Tao saw him preparing to head out.
"Going to do commissions again? Be careful. I don't want to prepare another coffin for you."
"Director, is that… concern?" Cael asked with a grin.
Hu Tao crossed her arms, trying to look stern—but he only found her adorable.
Her face flushed red.
Realizing he was teasing her, she puffed out her cheeks and snapped,
"Hmph! What's wrong with caring about a friend?! Keep this up and I'll cut ties with you!"
"Alright, alright, my fault," Cael laughed, clearly not repentant at all.
Checking the time, he turned to leave.
Before stepping out, he smiled back at her.
"Thanks for worrying about me, little Hu Tao. Then… see you later, Hu Tao."
And with that, he left.
Hu Tao stood frozen in place.
"Hmph! Seriously… that Cael is so annoying."
She muttered—but then suddenly realized something.
"…Wait."
"Did he just call me Hu Tao?"
"And even little Hu Tao?!"
In an instant, Hu Tao's entire face turned bright red.
Steam practically puffed out of her head with an embarrassed pfft pfft sound.
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