"Everyone thinks the Incense-Fire Divine Path is pretty mysterious."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Because it's a verified, workable, stable road—and a complete system."
"Taking the people as the foundation, taking the nation as the whole, it's a stable system that can run on its own."
"As long as the populace never dies out, it won't come to national ruin and the collapse of households."
"Then tell me—where do you think the pinnacle of the Incense-Fire Divine Path lies?"
"…"
Listening to Ningguang's explanation, Keqing folded her arms, frowned, and sank into thought.
"Here—take a look~"
Ningguang pulled several books from under the desk, along with a pile of miscellany and a notebook, and handed them to Keqing.
"I remember you once said that, to correct your way of thinking, Mr. Taro summoned a group of 'monsters' with white wings in an enclosed space, right?"
"Maybe in these, you'll find something you can use as a reference for those 'monsters.'"
"Records of Jueyun, Volume Four?"
"Bamboo Forest Moonlight?"
Keqing glanced at the titles, her brows knitting tighter.
"This stuff is just mountain-and-forest folklore. You believe it?"
"…"
Ningguang didn't answer. She only raised a hand and tapped the notebook beside them.
"You're serious?"
Keqing opened it and skimmed at high speed, reading line after line in a blink.
A moment later, her flipping slowed. She looked up at Ningguang, then calmed herself and opened Records of Jueyun and Bamboo Forest Moonlight as well.
Soon after, Keqing spread the notebook, the miscellany, and the books across the table and began cross-referencing them.
About the time it takes to finish a cup of tea passed in a flash.
Pa—
Keqing shut a book and set it down hard on the tabletop.
Her brows were drawn into a tight knot, and her expression turned strange.
"So what you're saying is… the white-winged 'monster' I ran into back then was actually—according to ancient legends—an 'angel' meant to guide humanity from the skies?"
"I don't know. It still feels hard to believe."
"Up to you." Ningguang smiled faintly. "Do you know where all these notes and rubbings came from?"
"They were originally copied from murals and steles in various ancient ruins."
"According to specialists, a considerable portion of these long-extinct kingdoms date back far enough that you can trace them to six to eight thousand years ago."
"I sorted and consolidated the material a little. The answer is right in front of you."
There were ruins you could trace, steles that recorded it, murals that matched it, and books of legend that echoed it.
With that many "coincidences," could it still be just coincidence?
"Fine. Even if I believe it~"
Keqing could already feel herself half-convinced, but—
"What does this have to do with your conclusion that Mr. Taro is the lord of a realm?"
Even if what Mr. Taro summoned really were angels…
The connection still wasn't clear.
"It's only speculation." Ningguang shook her head calmly. "I don't have hard evidence."
"But some things don't need evidence."
"You just need a single loose thread."
As long as the tip of the iceberg surfaced above the water, she could follow the thread and, piece by piece, infer the rough shape of the whole thing.
Peeling silk from a cocoon—this was what Ningguang was good at.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to memorize every statute in Liyue on her own and then gradually refine them.
That was something even Yanfei—a half-illuminated being whose profession was law—couldn't do.
"Or…" Ningguang continued, unhurried, "do you have something more detailed that can refute my guess?"
"I don't." Keqing shook her head. "But you really are absurdly idle."
"Sorting all this must've taken a lot of time, right?"
"Not that much~" Ningguang laughed softly. "Just because I don't have free time now doesn't mean I never did."
"Back when I had nothing to do, I was curious, so I organized it as a matter of convenience. I didn't expect it would become useful now."
"And what if you're wrong?"
Keqing glanced at the spread-out materials.
"What if this whole thing was wrong from the very beginning?"
"What if?" Ningguang replied, utterly unconcerned. "As long as you don't forget the goal I wanted to achieve from the start."
"These things don't need to be verified."
"Right or wrong—it doesn't matter."
Huh?
Weren't you showing me this to prove something?
Wait—
Keqing froze, as if she'd caught a blind spot.
What had they been talking about at the very start?
"You…"
"Thanks for waiting~" Ningguang cut in smoothly. "Come on. There isn't much time left."
Before Keqing could fully react, Ningguang grabbed her and pulled her toward the door.
"You—!" Keqing snapped back to her senses, flung off Ningguang's hand, and nearly stamped her foot in anger.
"You investigated 'Teyvat's angels,' and Mr. Taro's angels have nothing to do with that!"
"I almost got dragged in by you."
"You…" Ningguang sighed to herself and slowed her steps.
"Good thinking. Then here's the question: in Teyvat, who do 'angels' represent when it comes to enlightening the masses?"
"And Mr. Taro's angels… are they really just 'monsters'?"
"…"
Keqing's expression stiffened.
In her mind, an answer began to surface.
"Figured it out?" Ningguang turned and walked upstairs.
"In Teyvat, there's the concept of faith."
"And Mr. Taro proposed something similar—what he calls the Incense-Fire Divine Path."
"Mr. Taro doesn't just have one Cang Tian Small World. He also has something called… the Heaven Dimension."
"…"
So that was Ningguang's answer?
Had she really been thinking about all of this for that long?
Keqing blanked for a moment, then followed after her.
Her thoughts weren't keeping up. She'd have to find time to ask again.
"Ningguang. You're implying something."
"You're telling me all this because you want to give me three more layers of insurance, too?"
Catching up easily, Keqing's expression turned serious.
At first she hadn't reacted.
But now…
"You need to judge it yourself." Ningguang only shook her head. "I'm simply presenting possibilities."
"There's a possibility that Mr. Taro is a world-lord."
"As for everything that follows—I don't have even the slightest confidence."
"…"
And you still want to say you aren't?
Keqing took a deep breath.
"Then I'll ask you three questions."
"Ningguang—do you think Rex Lapis and the Adepti, with their wisdom, wouldn't have thought of these things?"
"Leaving aside how much they know that we don't…"
"Just looking at the present—don't trap yourself in the fog."
"Look—"
Ningguang smiled in understanding. "I haven't even reached a conclusion yet."
"And you already shoved me into the villain camp."
"Do I really look like someone who can't read the room?"
"Tch—"
Keqing clicked her tongue, forcibly swallowing the anger of being toyed with again.
"Then what exactly are you thinking?"
"Me?"
Ningguang turned her head and stood at the edge of the Jade Chamber's deck, looking down at Liyue Harbor below, her expression calm.
"I'm thinking about Liyue's future."
"You and everyone else are thinking in the direction of 'things will get better.'"
"Then naturally someone has to think in the direction of 'what if things go wrong.' That can only be me."
"In every path I consider, there is always a retreat."
"And Liyue's future is no exception."
"So, Keqing—this time, I won again."
"…"
A retreat?
Keqing stared, lost in thought, following Ningguang's gaze toward Chihu Rock in the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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