Bonus chapter for 100 powerstones
.....
Zhongli looked over with an apologetic gaze.
He spoke.
"I truly must apologize for this, Traveler."
Paimon stood with arms crossed. "Hmph, we won't hold it against you."
"But faking your death like that was way over the line! Everyone was in the middle of performing a ceremony to welcome you, and then—bam!—a dragon drops from the sky! Liyue Harbor descends into chaos, and it almost turned into a full-blown disaster!"
The recently victorious Shajin was once again pulled onto the couch by Rosalyne for a game of chess.
This time, the Rook had been replaced with the Gnosis of the Geo Archon.
Shajin drawled lazily, "Heh… gathering all the undercurrents beneath the surface, pushing them to their limit before detonating them—wasn't that exactly what He wanted to see?"
Zhongli shook his head with a sigh. "I suppose I should explain it myself."
"As you know, I've dwelt upon this world for more than six thousand years. I witnessed the founding of Liyue, together with the Adepti three thousand seven hundred years ago."
"Even a boulder that could withstand whirlpools will erode with the passing of time. I kept convincing myself that cracks had not begun to form and that the end of my time had not yet come."
"Until one drizzly day, I was strolling along the harbor, I heard a merchant tell one of his workers: 'You've finished your duty, go ahead and call it a day.'"
"I stood motionless among the crowds, asking myself: Have I… already finished my duties ?"
"But as I began to consider relinquishing my divine role… I soon discovered that many reasons still remained to not hastily depart. "
"Was Liyue—the city I had dwelt in for so long—already prepared to enter its next age?"
"I had to create an opportunity to observe it seriously, before making my decision."
Zhongli turned to glance at Shajin, who was stifling a yawn as he played chess.
"What truly convinced me, though, was a conversation I had with Shajin a few years ago."
"I asked him: What should Liyue's future look like?"
Shajin's reply: Human rule.
To be ruled by the people.
"That's why I orchestrated my own 'death,' dragging Childe, the Adepti, and the Liyue Qixing into a spiral of chaos…"
Paimon rested her chin on her hand.
"So basically, if things ever spiraled completely out of control, you were prepared to step in yourself and resolve the crisis with divine power?"
Shajin chuckled as he watched the veins pop on Rosalyne's forehead, her cheeks reddened in annoyance.
He answered casually. "Of course. For him, it would've been a trivial matter."
"But now that I look at it…"
"It's like a child maturing after losing their parents. This city named Liyue, in the face of its god's 'death,' has already begun to grow…"
Zhongli shook his head again. "To be honest, I never truly expected to step in."
"After all… as you've seen today, as long as Shajin acts, Liyue will never fall."
Shajin sneered. "Hah. No wonder they call you the old rock—so many backup plans, it's no surprise you're so fearless."
Zhongli didn't mind the disrespect. Or perhaps, he simply had no reason to.
"And the way this incident ultimately resolved exceeded even my expectations."
"The secluded Adepti knew the least of all."
"But they showed admirable restraint, and in times of peril, they chose to work with the Qixing."
"Originally, the Gambler wasn't even part of the plan. La Signora… sent by the Cryo Archon as the emissary for the Contract."
"At my request, she kept the truth hidden from her fellow Fatui—Childe—never revealing what she knew."
"Since the Gambler was involved, I decided to raise the stakes, summoning not just the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial…"
"But also the Demon God of Dreams, Harpas, and the Overlord of the Abyss, Baqiu."
"I myself walked the land as the mortal 'Zhongli,' and ultimately fulfilled Liyue's traditions in that very same form."
"This journey… thank you for walking it with me, Traveler."
"All of this was part of my plan. The only thing I hadn't anticipated… was the actions of the Liyue Qixing."
"My expectations for them were the same as for the Adepti—simply to defend Liyue. But the answer they delivered…"
"Was to use the opportunity created by my 'death' to seize power and rapidly take control of Liyue."
Shajin narrowed his eyes as he played with a Mora that flipped deftly through his fingers.
"Ah!?"
Paimon let out a sharp gasp. "That… doesn't sound like a good thing."
Zhongli chuckled softly. "Haha… But I think it's wonderful."
"It's something I had once feared was premature… and yet secretly hoped would eventually come to pass."
"A sincere response to the departure of an old god."
"Hey, what about me?" Childe jumped down from the couch in annoyance. "You ran me around in circles. Don't I at least deserve an apology?"
Shajin flicked the Mora with his thumb. It shot forward, bursting into golden sparks and fading into the air.
He toyed with the Gnosis of the Geo Archon as he smirked at Rosalyne, whose last king was cornered.
Rosalyne grit her silver teeth.
She turned to Childe with a mocking smile.
"Heh… maybe we should be thanking you instead? Your disruption was, after all, part of the plan."
"The Geo Archon should be grateful for your stellar performance~"
"If not for the pressure your meddling placed on both mortals and gods…"
"This piece of coal the Geo Archon has been toying with for millennia—Liyue—might never have turned into a dazzling diamond."
Childe narrowed his eyes. "Huh? Why are you mocking your own comrade like that? Are you itching for a fight?"
"Didn't Shajin ever teach you the rule of 'see through, but don't expose?'"
Rosalyne's eyes burned as she glared at Shajin, who had just toppled her king. She shot to her feet and marched toward the door.
"With the Gnosis in hand, idle chatter is pointless. Let's return to the Tsaritsa and report."
"Sigh… fine. But I'm heading back later. I haven't finished having fun in Liyue yet. Hey—Adventurine! What are you doing?! You wanna fight too?!"
A split second later, the couch Childe had just been sitting on was shattered by a flying Mora from Shajin. The floor even cracked open beneath it.
"Hahahaha…"
Watching Childe fume in outrage had Shajin laughing uproariously.
He casually flicked three cards toward Childe, Lumine, and Paimon.
Childe caught his.
"Huh? What's this?"
Lumine and Paimon looked down at the cards in confusion. Each was a sleek black card, with a single bold gold character: Gamble.
Shajin followed after Rosalyne. "That black card will let you into some… interesting places at 'The Gambler's Den.'"
"As for the sofa and the floor? Just bill it to Pantalone, mm~"
_
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