Chapter 37

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 opportunity to drink like this today, our old friends may only exist in memory, becoming increasingly blurred as time wears them down."

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 Archon, he had lived for nearly six thousand years and knew some extreme secrets that ordinary people, and even other gods, could not know.

"What kind of riddles are you two speaking for no reason?" Barbatos, half-drunk, squeezed between the two and pretended to be stupid while breathing out alcohol fumes.

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

The four shades divided by the Heavenly Principles at the beginning, the Time Archon Istaroth, was also known as the Thousand Winds Archon.

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

To say the two had no connection, and that he knew nothing, was something even a ghost wouldn't believe.

However, looking at him pretending to be stupid, it would be of no use to press him.

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, walk more on this land."

Realizing that his old friend, whom he had known for a long time, was unwilling to tell him directly, Luo Li did not continue to press.

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

Whether it was the teller or the listener, they might both face unimaginable crises.

At this moment, Barbatos interjected, "I think Morax is right. Luo Li, come back to Mondstadt with me in two days. You've been gone for hundreds of years; it's time to go back and see what the city we led the first 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 founding of ancient Mondstadt had at least some of his 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 Barbatos': human history must be created by their own hands, and the gods should just silently act as witnesses.

It was precisely because of this that he, like this drunkard, could leave Mondstadt gracefully and drift between Liyue and Inazuma.

"Then it's a deal."

Barbatos was in a very good mood, patting his chest and saying, "By the way, I'll wait for you in Liyue for a while, just in time to help that Yaksha purify the karmic debt he's accumulated for so many years."

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

Luo Li knew the Yaksha he was referring to was "Xiao."

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

But eventually, that Archon was defeated by Morax and Luo Li, and Xiao was finally liberated, given a name by Morax, and from then on fought to protect the people of Liyue.

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 Abyssal disaster.

Unlike his colleagues, who were either killed in battle or eroded and fell into madness.

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

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

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

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

Watching Barbatos 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 founding of Liyue also had his contribution in it, but at that time, 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 Dust Archon Guizhong, who had taken the initiative to find them, 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 in the form of a maiden, manifesting in a hundred faces and a thousand forms.

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

In Liyue, Archons rose everywhere; in the sea was the Vortex Archon Osial, in the mountains was the Chi, and on all sides, groups of demons were eyeing them covetously.

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

Until the war was on the verge of breaking out, Luo Li and Morax, one in the south and one in the north, slaughtered the Archons who were eyeing the divine throne, most of whom fled to the Dark Sea.

But even if the two had enough force to suppress all directions, they had no way to take care of everything.

Finally, in an accident, Guizhong fell into a desperate situation to protect her people.

Luo Li still remembered what the quirky 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 to avoid making things difficult for you."

Whether she was willing to die to avoid competing with him for the divine throne, or if it was an accident, Luo Li no longer knew.

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

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