Chapter 262: Zhongli's True Arrangement

How boring.

This is what Nafisi said, and it's also what others feel.

The Geo Archon is the god of Liyue, not the god of other nations.

No matter how great his achievements in Liyue, in the ears of people from other nations, Ningguang's current praises of his accomplishments are purely a waste of their time.

It's merely a matter of etiquette.

Even someone like Nafisi, who voices complaints, wears a false agreement on their face.

Luo De also felt bored.

But when he saw Zhongli appear, and even wave and smile at him, his brain short-circuited instantly.

Luo De's mouth twitched slightly, and he whispered to Nafisi and Juleshi beside him: 'Teacher, I'm stepping out for a bit; I have something to do.'

Go on, go on.

Nafisi and the others didn't notice the change in Luo De's complexion, casually waving him off to let him leave.

But Dixiya noticed that Luo De seemed off, and as soon as he left his seat, she followed up, asking: 'Did that thing you mentioned show up?'

Not.

More outrageous than that.

Luo De pursed his lips.

The Archon didn't appear, but the Geo Archon showed up.

That's outrageous.

Luo De didn't know how Zhongli had arranged this godhood succession ceremony.

But Zhongli, as the person involved,

He should have gone to the site to hand over duties with Xiao, so why would he idly run into the crowd of onlookers and call himself over?

Carrying such doubts.

Luo De and Dixiya left the delegates' reserved viewing seats and made their way to the teahouse where Zhongli was.

This wasn't the Harmony Abundance Teahouse that Zhongli often frequented.

But rather a high-end teahouse located on Jade Capital Terrace, directly across from the square where this godhood succession ceremony was being held.

Due to its proximity to Liyue's General Affairs Office and other key government departments, Jade Capital Terrace is the highest-priced wealthy district in Liyue Harbor.

Compared to the lively Hibiscus Slope of the commercial street,

The wine houses and teahouses that can be opened here cater exclusively to the rich or noble, so whether it's the lavishness of the decor or the high prices, they are enough to make even the no-longer-penniless Luo De click his tongue in amazement.

"Where does he get the money to spend here?"

Luo De muttered softly.

Given this teahouse's consumption level, even if Zhongli came once and ordered nothing, just the table fee would be enough to wipe out half his monthly salary as a guest official.

Not to mention the best private room in the teahouse that the attendant led him to.

"Who are you talking about?"

Dixiya heard Luo De's words and asked curiously.

"One. Um, a senior."

Luo De thought: 'The senior I know in Liyue is very learned, and can navigate both the white and black paths in Liyue, having helped me a lot before.'

"Oh."

"Then would it be inconvenient for me to see him?"

Dixiya's footsteps halted, stopping in front of the door.

Zhongli had just separately summoned Luo De, and she felt that rashly going over to meet such an important senior would likely be overly rude.

As for her idea,

Luo De shook his head and smiled: 'It's fine, come along; Mr. Zhongli isn't a strict person.'

Having said that,

He then directly pushed the door open and went in.

However, before he could even greet,

Luo De froze again.

Well.

It wasn't just Zhongli here.

All the immortals whom Luo De knew needed to be deployed across Liyue Harbor had gathered here, and the two gods, Nadixa and Venti, were also present.

When the door opened, those who were chatting enthusiastically turned their gaze toward Luo De and Dixiya.

This unexpected scene left Luo De momentarily unsure how to speak, and also unsure how to introduce Dixiya to the immortals and gods here.

And what baffled him even more was.

What exactly had Zhongli arranged to give Xiao a show of strength? He didn't even need helpers.

Yo, another new friend has come.

Sit.

Don't be formal.

The humanoid True Lord of Retaining Cloud and Borrowing Wind pointed to the empty seat beside Nadixa and said with a smile.

Nadixa, sitting with legs crossed beside Zhongli, also called out: 'Come quickly, we've been waiting for you.'

Until she spoke.

Dixiya, still unclear about the situation, suddenly realized that her own Dendro Archon was right here.

The Dendro Archon is here.

So what kind of person could be gathered here, able to communicate with the Dendro Archon as an equal?

In the panic.

Dixiya immediately prepared to salute, saying: "Greetings, Dendro Archon."

Don't think Luo De can communicate with the Dendro Archon as an equal.

That doesn't mean others from Sumeru can do the same as him.

Even someone as close to Luo De as Dixiya.

Upon seeing the god of Sumeru, one still unconsciously wants to bow.

Just as she had only halfway performed that bow, she found she couldn't bend her waist at all.

"You're Luo De's friend, so you're my friend—no need to be so formal."

Nadixa and Dixiya have met before.

In fact.

In Hope Town, Nadixa had already summoned Dixiya more than once to the Palace of Purity and Goodness to arrange work for her.

She had said those words before as well.

But Dixiya was always this solemn each time.

This left Nadixa feeling rather helpless.

By comparison.

Luo De, who had long been familiar with everyone present, no longer felt the uneasy sensation that Dixiya did.

He directly and openly took the seat beside Nadixa, pulled the bewildered Dixiya to sit down as well, and briefly introduced her to the identities of those present.

His first sentence startled Dixiya so much she almost jumped up from her chair.

"Geo Archon!!"

Gazing at the composed Zhongli, Dixiya's mouth hung open.

But before she could ask,

she heard another name that left her stunned, crispy on the outside and tender inside.

The Anemo Archon Barbatos.

Under the shock of these three divine names,

The names of those few immortals now seemed less unsettling.

"Little one, don't be so nervous; right now we're just ordinary tea guests."

Another immortal, Lishuiedieshan Zhenjun, seeing Dixiya so tense she couldn't speak, also offered a few words of comfort.

Faintly.

From his words, Luo De sensed a peculiar fluctuation distinct from elemental energy.

In such strangeness.

Dixiya's emotions indeed calmed down; she no longer had the urge to find an excuse to rush out of the room as before.

Luo De smiled, nodded to Lishuiedieshan Zhenjun, tugged Dixiya's hand to signal her to stay calm, then readily greeted the other immortals before asking his most pressing question.

"Archon, with you and the immortals all here, what should we do about Liyue Harbor?"

After asking that question,

Zhongli, who was sipping a smile while listening to Ningguang praise himself there, turned his head curiously and asked: "What do you mean, 'what should we do about Liyue Harbor'?"

"No." "You didn't arrange the Archon"

Before the two characters 'Archon' could be fully spoken, Luo De suddenly stalled, unable to continue.

Zhongli would release the Archon to intimidate Xiao.

He guessed that, ah."Holy cow!"

Repeatedly misjudging the situation made Luo De doubt himself.

He somewhat wondered if he had gotten stuck in a rut somewhere, or if he was too fond of reasoning by convention.

Otherwise he would keep making mistakes over and over.

Right now, Zhongli, Nadixa, and Venti—the three gods guarding the area—are all here; plus me, just about everyone in Liyue Harbor who could stand against the Archon is also gathered here.

Zhongli would gather all this formidable strength together.

That would mean he likely never planned any Archon attack on Liyue Harbor at all.

Or perhaps it's that Xiao, who has succeeded to the divine position, possesses absolute confidence.

Confident that this successor of his could easily crush even one or several Archons without damaging Liyue Harbor.

On the other hand,

Seeing Luo De start to speak then stop, Zhongli blinked and smiled: "Little friend, do you have some misunderstanding?"

"No, nothing."

Luo De sighed, not voicing his earlier speculation that had already been proven unreliable.

Such hemming and hawing also annoyed the straightforward immortal Yueyuezhuang Zhenjun, who said: "You little brat, we used to meet and speak frankly; why are you being all hesitant today? If you have something to say, just say it—though we may not be as capable as before, we can still lend a hand, so don't hold back, just speak."

"Actually, there's nothing."

Luo De scratched his head, embarrassed, and recounted exactly what he had inferred from Xiangling's words—that Zhongli would release the Archon to attack Liyue Harbor.

After hearing this, the immortals and gods exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.

Even Nadixa covered her mouth and giggled there.

This scene made Luo De even more embarrassed, and he blurted: "Don't laugh, I know I was being overclever."

He hasn't finished speaking yet.

He was interrupted by Zhongli, who still had a smile on his face: "No, little friend, your guess is pretty much spot on—I'm indeed preparing to help Xiao do a few things as you said."

Ah——?

Luo De exclaimed in surprise.

Then.

Then Zhongli continued to explain.

"What you guessed is basically correct."

"The only discrepancy is."

"It's that I never prepared to release the Archon of Lonely Cloud Pavilion."

Hearing this, Luo De's brows tightened slightly.

Not an Archon?

Who is it then? In Liyue, the few people who could threaten Xiao, the one set to succeed the Geo Archon, are all right here.

If the Archon isn't released.

Could it be that Zhongli has brought in outside help? "Just watch, little friend, and you'll see."

"No need to be anxious."

Zhongli slowly sipped the steaming tea in his cup: "The ceremony is about to begin; you'll know the details soon."

Upon hearing him say that.

Luo De then realized that Ningguang's pre‑ceremony speech had already ended.

And the previously calm sky also underwent a sudden change.

Specifically.

It was that the formerly clear skies, while Ningguang used the art of the Rite of Invoking Adepti to convey the people's will to the Geo Archon, in the blink of an eye began to shift with wind and clouds.

Dense clouds covered the high sun, shrouding the entire Jade Chamber in darkness; the howling wind, like a torrent of ten thousand troops, swept the banners on the Jade Chamber into wild motion.

On the Jade Chamber.

Ningguang was still manipulating the art, chanting unknown words.

As the clouds spread wider, the sky burst forth with an oppressive, immense pressure.

"God's Throne?"

Luo De, who had once observed the Dendro Archon's Throne up close, instantly recognized what this pressure came from.

He couldn't help but look toward Zhongli.

The Geo Archon sits here; how can Xiao ascend this God's Throne?

Zhongli, no longer calm as before, gazed with solemnity at the golden shafts piercing the clouds.

It wasn't just Luo De who could tell what was what.

When the Geo Archon's Throne displayed the Geo Archon's solemn majesty.

At the ceremony site, many people's faces turned pale or grew solemn.

Especially those who had previously been in contact with their own deities.

Their perception of the Throne's might was far more evident than that of ordinary folk.

No matter the reason.

At this moment, they all stared unblinking at the clouds afterward, trying to see the Geo Archon's Throne, which showed only light and no form.

Under the gaze of all the people of Liyue.

The Throne's light, at incredible speed, turned the formerly dark sky entirely gold.

Following that.

Was Xiao, who had finally manifested.

But this Xiao was not the usual Demon‑Subduing Great Sage who appears in human form.

Rather, he manifested as the Golden Peng General of the Adeptus Yaksha, in the form of a divine beast.

"Is this Xiao's true form?"

Gazing at the enormous Peng bird, as tall as a mountain and nearly half the size of Liyue Harbor, Luo De muttered to himself.

This was Luo De's first time seeing the true form of an immortal.

Before, he thought the legend of the Heaven‑Moving True Lord's antlers propping up Heaven Horizontal Mountain and the immortal's blood turning into the Azure Water River was a bit exaggerated.

Now, after seeing Xiao's true form.

Luo De felt that Liyue's records might actually be understating things.

The same shock left the Liyue attendees and foreign envoys at the ceremony awestruck, many even pulling out cameras to capture the formation of the new Geo Archon.

"Gnosis?"

Seeing the faint golden point of light in Xiao's hand, Luo De quickly recognized what it was.

"Wasn't I the one who gave that to the Lady?"

Luo De, who knew where the Geo Archon's Gnosis had gone, was stunned once again.

In the end, the way things unfolded was still hard to predict.

What Zhongli had told him before—that the God's Throne could be inherited without the Gnosis—was why Luo De felt safe handing the Gnosis over.

How did the Gnosis end up in Xiao's hands now?

"That one?"

"It's fake."

Zhongli tossed off a casual remark to Luo De.

"Huh?"

Luo De tilted his head, looking utterly confused: "Fake?"

Those who come to pay respects always know about the Gnosis; if we don't produce a fake to fool them, they'll surely get suspicious.

Just as Zhongli was speaking.

Luo De hadn't even had time to savor the meaning of those words when Xiao's divine succession ceremony was already over.

That's right.

That's how fast it was.

After Xiao appeared, the Geo Archon's throne transformed into a crown bearing the Geo Archon's Gnosis shape, which fell onto the head of the golden-winged roc; immediately, immense Geo elemental energy surged from the crown, and in an instant it smoothly changed Xiao from a favored one of the wind element into a god of the Geo element.

It happened almost at the same time.

A loud, soaring dragon's roar drew Luo De's attention from Xiao toward the direction of Yunlai Sea.

Upon seeing that familiar, massive golden form,

Luo De immediately gave Zhongli a thumbs-up, speaking in a tone he didn't know what emotion to use.

"You really are putting on quite a show."

(End of chapter)