Chapter 212: It's Not Necessary to Fake Death

Luo De wronged Venti.

That's why Zhongli noticed what he and Keqing said, and even specially came back to ask about it.

It's because Zhongli had already been paying attention to him.

This matter actually starts from when Sumeru welcomed the return of the Dendro Archon.

Before that.

At that time, Zhongli was strolling around Liyue Harbor when he happened to hear a merchant praise his subordinate: "You've done your duty well; go rest now."

At that moment, he had just experienced Keqing questioning him on the Rite of Descension about whether the Geo Archon could forever protect Liyue, and he immediately committed those words to memory.

"Has my duty been completed?"

After asking himself that question and receiving an affirmative answer, Zhongli began to entertain the idea of retiring.

This wasn't a sudden thought.

Nor was it an abrupt idea sparked by Keqing's words.

Having protected Liyue for over three thousand years, even though he is the world's most steadfast rock, he has begun to feel weary.

But he still couldn't put Liyue out of his mind.

Funny enough, it was also a coincidence.

Just as Zhongli was privately pondering how to retire appropriately and naturally, Sumeru sent over explosive news.

The Dendro Archon, imprisoned by the Academy, successfully broke free with the help of a mortal and regained control of Sumeru's governance.

This matter originally didn't particularly concern Zhongli.

At the time, he merely offered a polite blessing from the Geo Archon and ordered Liyue to dispatch a delegation to Sumeru to audience with the Dendro Archon.

However, just as he was looking at the information about Sumeru sent by Ningguang,

he unconsciously became engrossed in it.

Godless Sumeru and god-bearing Sumeru are worlds apart.

Such a change caused his intention to retire to involuntarily pause.

Ultimately, should he return governance to mortals, or continue bearing the wear and tear himself, maintaining Liyue's divine rule?

This put Zhongli in a dilemma.

During that period,

he kept his focus on Sumeru and Mondstadt.

Until Sumeru sent word that Luo De, representing the Dendro Archon, would come to audience with the Geo Archon, he then paid even closer attention to Luo De's movements.

The person responsible for receiving Luo De at the dock would be Keqing.

It was also arranged by him.

In Liyue.

There aren't many people like Keqing who deviate from the orthodox path.

At such a high position, only Keqing fits.

Thus he used Keqing's mouth to ask the question he wanted to ask.

As for Venti,

he was merely an accident.

Zhongli knew that Venti, who had disappeared for several hundred years, had now returned to Mondstadt.

But he had no time to see this old friend of his.

Moreover, given Venti's personality,

if he wanted to come see Zhongli, he would just come on his own.

As a matter of fact,

Indeed, that is the case.

After the Mondstadt envoy's official ship docked, Venti immediately sought him out and brought a bottle of wine he had treasured for five hundred years.

Unfortunately,

That bottle, which Venti treasured as a precious jewel—even when in Mondstadt he was considered a minor and no one would sell him alcohol, he still wouldn't drink a sip—after five hundred years has become bland and tasteless, no longer retaining its former flavor.

When Luo De entered,

Zhongli and Venti were still regretting that.

"Um"

Realizing he had misunderstood Venti, Luo De scratched his head embarrassedly and then said: "My view on the godless is that we need a leadership group capable of long‑term maintaining their original intent."

Before he finished speaking, Zhongli pointed and said: "Come sit here to talk."

The spot he pointed to

turned out to be the place where he sits cross‑legged alongside him.

If this were said to a Liyue mortal, that person would surely feel frightened and instinctively wonder if they had somehow provoked Zhongli's anger.

But for Luo De this is nothing.

He sat down openly, facing Zhongli, and said: "Your Majesty."

"Little friend, just call me Zhongli."

Zhongli was very courteous, not showing any lofty demeanor just because he is still the Geo Archon.

And by saying the name Zhongli,

it also represents his unreserved trust in Luo De.

After all, in Liyue, aside from a few adepts, basically no mortal knows that the mortal Zhongli is the Geo Archon Morax.

"Then"

Mr. Zhongli.

Luo De's expression relaxed even more; knowing full well, he asked: "You ask me this question—are you trying to follow in this person's footsteps and abandon Liyue?"

No.

Zhongli didn't mean to hide it; he nodded and said: "It's just that after several thousand years of erosion, even stone will occasionally feel weary."

His words were quite implicit.

But it also amounted to an admission of his desire to abdicate.

Is that so?

Then what are you worried about?

Are you worried that Liyue will become the next Sumeru under the Academy's rule? Or that Liyue will become like Mondstadt during the old aristocracy?

These two time points Luo De raised.

They are regarded as the most brutal eras in the godless nations.

Under the Academy's rule, Sumeru employed high-pressure, cruel tactics internally, causing internal division and turmoil, while externally it presented a facade of peace and prosperity, revealing nothing of its internal chaos to other nations—essentially a duplicitous national image.

Mondstadt's old aristocratic period was even more consequential.

Led by the Lawrence family, the old nobility were not only cruel and oppressive domestically, imposing arbitrary taxes, but also arrogant and overbearing abroad, completely lacking the image of Mondstadt as a free city-state.

The most outrageous part is.

As one of the earliest families to follow the Anemo Archon, the Lawrence clan's original matriarch, Vaniella Rui, personally erected a towering statue of the Anemo Archon in the square, grateful for the miracles the Archon bestowed, and carved beneath it the oath sworn together with the tribal leaders of the time—still in tribal form—to eternally protect Mondstadt.

As a result, this unfilial descendant overturned that statue, personally shattering the spirit of their predecessors who guarded Mondstadt.

This is far more serious than anything the Academy has done.

At least the Academy's outward proclamation still follows the Great Merciful Tree King.

Mondstadt's old nobility, however, openly declared that they would no longer follow the Anemo Archon, thus freeing themselves from the Archon's faith and their family's ancestral teachings.

Luo De was absolutely right in what he said to Keqing.

If the Lawrence family, which truly holds power in Mondstadt, forgets the familial creed of eternally protecting Mondstadt, then the old nobility's revolt of the past could very well happen again.

This is also a point Zhongli is considering.

If he were to completely let go.

Not to mention him, even the current Liyue the Liyue the Liyue Qixing dare not guarantee they can forever remain true to their original intentions, always putting Liyue's safety first.

If they themselves are like this, then their successors are even harder to predict.

What if he doesn't completely let go?

Then his retirement would hardly have any great significance.

Seeing Zhongli not respond to this question, Luo De smirked: "I think you're overthinking it; just openly say you want to abdicate, go wander the world with the Anemo Archon Barbatos, and simply hand Liyue's authority directly to the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue Qixing—that's all there is to it."

That's just how simple it is.

As long as you're not dead, the Geo Archon will always be a sword hanging over the heads of Liyue's rulers.

Oh, right.

The person by your side happens to be the finest bard in Teyvat.

The Lawrence family's historical verses were written by him.

With a slight adaptation, it depicts how the Lawrence family forgot the Anemo Archon's teachings, brought chaos to Mondstadt, and finally suffered a thunderous strike from the Anemo Archon; even after a thousand years, they still endure the punishment of starvation.

However exaggerated it is, that's how you write it; however hard to believe, that's how you sing it.

You don't need everyone to believe it; as long as every ruler of Liyue believes it, that's enough.

And don't fear they won't believe such an overly exaggerated poem.

As the old saying goes, 'Better to believe that it exists than to believe it does not'; moreover, the fate of the Lawrence family is right before their eyes, which is enough for them to believe.

Luo De said all this in one breath, then added: "After you abdicate, Liyue still has many adepts; they, like you, are immortal. As long as they remain, they can, after your abdication, casually strike out once, using thunderous means to punish those nobles who violate Liyue's rules, and then no one would dare harbor ulterior motives like the Academy's people and the Lawrence family."

This

Zhongli fell into contemplation.

Venti also showed a thoughtful expression alongside him.

But compared to Zhongli, who was genuinely thinking deeply,

Although Venti was also thinking, his face looked somewhat comical, making it impossible to tell that he truly took Luo De's words to heart.

This silence.

It lasted a full half hour or more.

Luo De also just sat here keeping them company, not even having a drink.

Your words, young friend, do have merit.

After figuring it out, Zhongli nodded and then said: "I still have a doubt; I wonder if you, young friend, could help clarify it?"

To be honest.

Zhongli being so polite.

This made Luo De feel a bit uneasy.

But he still replied earnestly: "Mr. Zhongli, you say it's fine; there's no need for such politeness toward me."

Hmm.

What you said earlier, young friend, was to emulate that poet and simply let go.

I have pondered this for a long time.

Yet I still feel there is something improper about it.

Zhongli stared at Luo De's eyes and said, word by word: "If people know I am still in the world, mortals will inevitably retain some reliance on me; young friend, do you have a way to resolve this?"

Upon saying that.

Luo De couldn't help but frown.

Zhongli's meaning is very simple.

That is, with Luo De's current method, if the Liyue people encounter danger in the future, their reaction will be "Quickly go ask the Geo Archon!"

And Zhongli's own idea is that when the Liyue people face danger, their reaction should be "The Archon has died; we, the people of Liyue, must press forward!"

This is a bit troublesome.

Luo De's method actually just references Mondstadt's model.

Usually the gods don't intervene; moreover, aside from Mondstadt, you can see the Wind God's figure anywhere.

Once encountering a crisis that cannot be resolved.

The Wind God will then clear all obstacles and dangers for Mondstadt, grant it peace and stability, and then continue to disappear.

"Mr. Zhongli."

"I still think Mondstadt's model might be more suitable."

Luo De thought it over, chose not to answer Zhongli's question, but instead chose to stick to his earlier opinion.

He wants the Liyue people not to rely on the gods.

This is too difficult.

No matter how you think about it, only the path of the gods dying is feasible.

No wonder Zhongli then chose to retire under the guise of feigned death.

Although this method would greatly shock Liyue, Zhongli's feigned death is no secret to the other gods; everyone knows he is feigning death, so there would be no problem like Mondstadt suffering diplomatic bullying, nor would there be a situation of mortals overly relying on the gods.

It is indeed a plan that achieves two goals at once.

It's just this feigned death matter.

Luo De always felt that as soon as he proposed this idea, he would surely be forcibly tied to this plan just like in Mondstadt; if he didn't complete it, he couldn't even run away.

Therefore he still decided to try again, persisting with the Mondstadt route, to see if Zhongli would change his mind.

It's a pity.

Zhongli's answer was not the result Luo De hoped for.

He still insisted on having both.

Retirement must be reasonable, yet he cannot let Liyue continue to rely on him.

This attitude made Luo De feel very strange.

Why must Zhongli insist on a decision that could very likely cause great internal turmoil in Liyue?

You should know that if the Geo Archon dies.

Even if the other gods dread his feigned death, they will not cause any trouble for Liyue in diplomatic affairs.

But inside Liyue there will definitely be rivers of blood.

Those Liyue people who have revered the Geo Archon for dozens or even hundreds of generations will also fall into deep turmoil and panic.

"Tsk!"

Luo De secretly clicked his tongue, understanding why Zhongli tacitly allowed the young lord to unleash Osial, this Archon, to attack Liyue.

To deal with internal turmoil.

A powerful external enemy is obviously the best solution.

As for why Zhongli insists on making the Liyue people no longer rely on him.

Luo De speculates.

This probably has to do with wear and tear.

Zhongli is currently the oldest Archon on the Teyvat continent, without equal, his age already exceeding six thousand years.

Since ruling Liyue, he has diligently guarded it for over three thousand seven hundred years.

As he himself said, even the most solid boulder, after thousands of years of erosion, will also make one feel fatigued.

Zhongli himself may no longer be able to withstand such wear and tear.

Therefore he insists on cleanly severing ties with Liyue, freeing himself from the continuous wear-and-tear state, so that wear does not worsen further, leading to a madness like that of the Yaksha King, where one fails to recognize even close kin.

"O God of Contracts."

Luo De muttered a sentence.

The God of Contracts, this is one of Zhongli's titles, and also the domain of his authority.

【May I cleanse the four directions and protect a corner of the floating world.】

This is the original contract between Zhongli and Liyue.

And what he now wants to do is use a final contract to end all contracts, including this original one, thereby completely freeing himself from the bonds of the God of Contracts.

Upon thinking this through.

Luo De's mind flashed with inspiration.

Since it's about signing a contract to terminate all contracts, it doesn't necessarily require him to feign death.

With his thoughts opened, Luo De instantly thought of a method and decisively said: "Mr. Zhongli, I have a good idea here; would you like to hear it?"

(End of chapter)