Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Long time no see, Buer."
Zhongli personally brewed a pot of his treasured fine tea. With an old friend visiting, his mood was naturally good.
"It has been a long time—more than five hundred years, hasn't it?" Buer said, nostalgic.
Even though Sumeru and Liyue bordered each other, gods didn't visit back and forth too frequently in ordinary times. Only when the Seven gathered could they rarely all sit together in one place.
Buer also held deep respect for Zhongli. Even among the original generation of gods, he was exceptionally formidable.
There were many things the Geo God knew—things even Irminsul had never recorded.
"This one should be the Little Lord Kusanali, yes?" Zhongli nodded, looking toward Nahida.
"Senior Geo God."
This was Nahida's first time meeting the Geo God. Of all the Seven, he could be said to be one of the oldest. At a glance he looked like a well-read senior, and compared to him, she—this so-called God of Wisdom—felt like a complete country bumpkin.
"Just call me Zhongli. That is my name now." Zhongli shook his head.
He didn't want to expose his identity. Otherwise, every time he went out, he would have to endure the people of Liyue staring at him.
"Mr. Zhongli…"
Nahida connected something in her mind. Her gaze turned a little strange. This kind of alias… Barbatos also used an alias—Venti.
No way…
A hard-to-believe suspicion rose in her heart. This senior should be more reliable than the Anemo Archon… right?
Koji read Nahida's micro-expression and smiled.
Congratulations. You guessed right.
Zhongli had now completely become a societal slacker. As long as nothing major happened in Liyue, Zhongli would just listen to stories and sip tea, with not a trace of the majesty a god should have.
"Zhongli, how about holding a gathering of the Seven?" Buer asked.
Hearing that, Zhongli paused with his teacup in hand and said, "As far as I know, the Seven will not all be able to attend. The Tsaritsa also won't participate in such things now."
He had time, but the other gods… especially the Tsaritsa. Besides, Natlan's Pyro Archon was still dealing with the Abyss's attacks on Natlan.
This was no longer five hundred years ago. Back when the Archon War had just ended, the Seven could all attend the gatherings.
"I have met the Tsaritsa before. At present, she will not take part in a gathering of the Seven," Zhongli said.
Buer nodded. "It's a pity, but we can still get together a bit."
Zhongli had no objection.
"Boss, I'll be leaving for a while next," Zhongli said to Hu Tao, very casually.
He was no longer Rex Lapis. He was just a small consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Buer and Nahida were a little surprised. They could tell Hu Tao was simply a girl with a Vision—yet she was the superior of the famed Martial God Morax. It really felt dramatically ironic.
"Go on. It's not like there's anything going on lately. Just remember to bring me some local specialties from other nations," Hu Tao said, waving her hand.
Zhongli smiled and nodded. Naturally.
"Wait—Old Zhongtou, bring Guizhong-jie with you," Hu Tao suddenly remembered something and added.
She didn't want to get a notice that their consultant had eaten a meal without paying in some other nation and gotten locked up to serve time.
Zhongli frowned, not understanding why Hu Tao was bringing it up out of nowhere.
"You're leaving Liyue. Wangsheng doesn't have branch offices in other nations, and you don't even like carrying Mora. There won't be anywhere for you to put it on the tab," Hu Tao said, exhausted.
Her chest was so flat—she was probably "flattened" by Zhongli's antics.
Zhongli: "…"
Even he couldn't help but feel awkward now. Boss… in front of so many old friends, couldn't you leave him a little dignity?
Guizhong couldn't hold it back and laughed. Zhongli not bringing money was something she'd watched for quite a while too, and she still couldn't figure out the reason.
"Isn't Mora the currency you invented?"
Buer's mouth twitched. Was this erosion? Even a steady, dependable god like Morax had now become a societal slacker who only knew how to keep tabs.
"By common rationality, although I invented Mora, that does not mean I have Mora to spend without limit. That would affect currency circulation," Zhongli said.
"Stop using that tone. Sure, Old Zhongtou, you didn't create Mora just to use it yourself, but Wangsheng pays your salary on time. You just don't like carrying money. That excuse is outdated," Hu Tao directly pierced through Zhongli's reasoning.
"Ah…"
Zhongli let out a tired sigh. He truly couldn't handle this girl. She always managed to leave him speechless.
The two Dendro Archons were momentarily stunned.
This was eye-opening.
Even if Zhongli was a "mortal" now, he was still ultimately a god. After learning Zhongli's true identity, Hu Tao still showed not the slightest fear—she really was an extraordinary person.
Hu Tao snorted lightly, having given Zhongli at least a little face, and then left the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
There was no shortage of things to do at Wangsheng—many of them required the boss to handle personally.
"Sorry you had to see that," Zhongli said with an indulgent smile, not showing any displeasure at all.
"It's fine. Your relationship is very good—looks like Zhongli, you take good care of this human," Buer said, shaking her head. Even if there was a bit of a "roles reversed" vibe to it, watching them still gave off an ordinary kind of warmth.
Zhongli only smiled and said nothing.
The group set off, heading for Inazuma. As for the most troublesome place, that was Natlan.
This time, the gathering's location was chosen to be Natlan.
…
"You all…"
Zhongli saw four extremely similar faces and couldn't help but freeze.
The Raiden Shogun, Raiden Ei, Raiden Makoto, and Raiden "Two-Two."
Acheron didn't leak any aura, but Zhongli still sensed a deadly threat from her—dangerous and terrifying to an extreme.
"This is the Raiden Shogun, a puppet made from Ei's former divine body. And this is the sister we just recognized—Acheron," Raiden Makoto introduced.
"So that's how it is." Zhongli nodded.
Turning a divine body into a puppet… truly a shocking idea.
But the craftsmanship was flawless. You couldn't tell at all that she was a puppet.
"Nahida, you're so cute. Want some candy?" Raiden Makoto took out a piece of candy.
"Thank you."
Nahida replied politely—refined and courteous, leaving no room to criticize.
Makoto sighed inwardly. Look at other people's "little sisters," and then look at her own shut-in little sister at home now.
Raiden Ei scratched her head. Why did her sister's look change? Had she done something wrong?
Buer explained their purpose in coming. Makoto thought for a moment and agreed.
It had been over five hundred years since they'd properly gathered like this. It really made her miss those times.
As demon gods who had stood to the end in the Archon War, there were only a few of them left on Teyvat now—naturally, they had plenty to talk about.
(End of Chapter)
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