Chapter 22: Two thousand years of the past! Luo Li and Guizhong!

In the morning light, the three were speechless for a moment.

Even though they each harbored many secrets, they buried them firmly in their hearts.

In the end, it was Luo Li who broke the silence first.

"Morax, have the adepti and the Liyue the Liyue Qixing withdraw."

The Geo Archon met his gaze, seemingly seeing some hidden circumstances within, remained silent for a moment, and waved his hand to signal his subordinates to obey him.

The adepti wouldn't feel dissatisfied because the gods were hiding things from them, so they left proactively and tactfully.

With the area cleared, Yujing Terrace, which had been bustling just a moment ago, suddenly became cold and quiet.

"The embers after the excitement are inevitably lonely."

Morax said, moving to the railing of the high platform, gazing at the panoramic view of Liyue Harbor in the morning light.

This was the treasure he had guarded for over three thousand years; although it was still a rough stone that had not yet been polished, it faintly revealed a dazzling light. ===== CHAPTER 38 =====

With just the right amount of polishing, it would become the most shining pearl.

Quietly walking to his side, Luo Li echoed, "Indeed. When the prosperity fades, even if you and I still have the chance to drink like today, old friends might only exist in memories, gradually blurring with the erosion of time."

Once these words were spoken, Morax vaguely guessed what Luo Li wanted to say.

As the saying goes, one understands the elegant meaning upon hearing the strings.

As the longest-surviving god, he had lived for nearly six thousand years and knew some extreme secrets that ordinary people, and even other gods, could not know.

"What are you two talking about in riddles for no reason?" The half-drunk Venti squeezed between the two, spraying alcohol fumes and playing dumb.

Luo Li glanced at him; this guy was also a riddle-maker.

The four shades originally divided by the Heavenly Principles, the God of Time, Istaroth, was also known as the God of the Thousand Winds.

The Thousand Winds Temple was located within Mondstadt, and Venti himself had manifested from a wisp of the thousand winds.

To say the two had no connection—if he didn't know anything, then even ghosts wouldn't believe it.

However, looking at his feigned ignorance, even if he pressed him, it would be of no use.

Morax was silent for a long time before saying, "There are some things I cannot speak of clearly. If you truly wish to know the truth, then walk more on this land."

Realizing that his old friend of many years was unwilling to tell him directly, Luo Li did not continue to press.

Just like the god Orobashi, knowing some things was not a good thing.

Whether it was the teller or the listener, perhaps both would face unimaginable crises.

At this moment, Venti interjected, "I think Morax is right. Luo Li, come back to Mondstadt with me in a couple of days. You've been gone for hundreds of years; it's just the right time to go back and see what the city we led the early people to build has become. It will definitely surprise you!"

Luo Li was quite moved and agreed.

"After I finish visiting my friends in Liyue, I will go back with you to take a look."

The establishment of ancient Mondstadt had at least some of his own contributions, so he certainly wouldn't be without any feelings for it.

It was just that the philosophy Luo Li held was the same as Venti's: human history must be created by their own hands, and the gods should just silently act as witnesses.

Because of this, he could leave Mondstadt as freely as this drunkard and drift back and forth between Liyue and Inazuma.

"Then it's a deal."

Venti was in a very good mood, patted his chest, and said, "By the way, I'll wait for you in Liyue for a while, just in time to purify the karmic debt that the yaksha has accumulated for so many years."

"Good, after everything is arranged, I will notify you."

Luo Li knew the yaksha he spoke of was "Xiao."

He still remembered that Xiao didn't have that name back then. Thousands of years ago, he was a subordinate of a hostile god, devouring people's beautiful dreams, causing much slaughter, and possessing many unbearable, painful memories.

But in the end, that god was defeated by Morax and Luo Li, and Xiao was finally liberated, given a name by Morax, and fought to protect the people of Liyue ever since.

Perhaps, this could also be considered a form of atonement.

However, to some extent, this experience could also be called a blessing in disguise.

Precisely because he possessed a dark past, Xiao could remain clear-headed and not be corrupted in the future Abyss disaster.

Unlike his colleagues, who were either killed in battle or fell into madness due to erosion.

Stretching comfortably, Venti yawned and said, "No, I have to go to sleep. You two chat slowly."

After the erosion imposed by the Heavenly Principles, gods would also slowly weaken.

Even if it hadn't reached the state it would be in five hundred years later, it wasn't much better.

Not only energy but also divine power dissipated bit by bit as time passed.

Watching Venti stagger into the depths of Yujing Terrace, where the Geo Archon resided, Luo Li and Morax stood at the railing, silently gazing at the harbor that had gone from empty to bustling.

Come to think of it, the establishment of Liyue also had a part of his effort in it, but back then, Liyue was just a tribe near Mingyun Village, living by mining, and the people were quite wealthy.

It wasn't until later, during the Archon War, when the great flood struck.

Luo Li, Morax, and the God of Dust, Guizhong, who had approached them voluntarily, gathered the people of the two tribes together and migrated to the place now known as Guili Plains to live.

At that time, Morax had walked the earth as a sovereign, manifesting in a hundred forms and a thousand faces.

The three of them drank and made merry all day, intending to watch the people grow slowly, but unfortunately, the war that broke out later was too fierce.

In Liyue, gods rose everywhere; in the sea was the Vortex God Osial, in the mountains was Chi, and on all sides, other demons were eyeing them like tigers.

Although the God of Salt did not like fighting, she had no way to prevent friction with the people of ancient Liyue.

Until the war was on the verge of breaking out, Luo Li and Morax went south and north, slaughtering the gods who coveted the divine throne, most of whom fled to the Dark Sea.

But even if the two had enough force to suppress all directions, they couldn't take care of everything.

In the end, in an accident, Guizhong fell into a desperate situation to protect her people.

Luo Li still remembered what the quirky young girl had said to him with a smile.

"There is only one divine throne. If I have to compete with you for it, I'd rather die in this war, so as not to make things difficult for you."

Whether she was truly unwilling to compete with him for the throne and sought death voluntarily, or if it was an accident, Luo Li no longer knew.

But sooner or later, Luo Li would ask her this question himself.

PS: Seeking flowers! Seeking evaluation tickets! Seeking comments! ===== CHAPTER 39 =====