"Please wait a moment, Knight King. Lady Ningguang will be here shortly."
At Yuehai Pavilion, Baishi respectfully welcomed Rowan inside.
After Ningguang shouted, "The Geo Archon has been assassinated, seal off the entire area," Rowan was brought here right away.
Meanwhile, Jean and Istaroth were taken away by Keqing.
As for Lumine and Paimon seeing this, they immediately ran off.
Mainly because the moment Lumine got nervous, she completely forgot Rowan's earlier reassurance. Instinctively feeling guilty like a thief, she bolted.
And Paimon, as Lumine's emergency food, naturally followed.
Even though she was extremely unhappy about it.
"The Geo Archon doing this… he's definitely got something wrong in the head!"
The instant Rowan saw the adeptal body drop, that was the only thought in his mind.
Even though he'd long known Morax would pull something like this, he still couldn't help it.
As for why Ningguang summoned him, Rowan had his guesses.
She was probably planning to sign a contract with him.
For Liyue's future, Ningguang had no choice but to find another pillar to rely on.
After thinking it through, only he, the Knight King of Mondstadt was suitable.
And the reason Ningguang still hadn't returned was simply because she was dealing with the fallout of the "assassination," and she also had to find a scapegoat.
As for whether the Geo Archon had truly been assassinated…
That had already become irrelevant.
Once the adepti came to question Liyue, if they couldn't produce a reason or an excuse, they would only face the adepti's fury.
Those adepti had contracts with the Geo Archon to protect Liyue. If they discovered the Geo Archon's "death"…
What would happen next didn't need to be said, Ningguang and the Qixing all knew the consequences.
And it wasn't just the adepti—Liyue Harbor's citizens also needed to be calmed.
If unrest broke out, things would get ugly.
Liyue had walked alongside its god for three thousand seven hundred years. Every year, the Geo Archon descended with divine instructions.
But this year, something this huge had happened.
She had to stabilize today's Liyue.
So she needed to steady both the adepti and the people.
Fortunately, Keqing and Uncle Tian were in Liyue right now. With the help of the Millelith, they had temporarily kept the situation under control.
Only then did Ningguang have time to think about why this had happened.
Then she remembered an intelligence report Baishi mentioned a few days ago:
The Fatui had obtained a "Sigil of Permission."
At the time, she didn't understand why the Fatui would want such a thing.
But now, thinking back…
It was very likely connected to this incident.
Could it have been the Fatui?
But that didn't seem possible.
Morax was a god—also a war god—the strongest god on Teyvat.
No one should be able to defeat him, let alone eliminate him so silently.
It was too ridiculous.
Unless…
This was the Geo Archon's test for Liyue.
Was it a response to Keqing's rebellious words last year?
If so, then Ningguang could basically understand everything.
Then the next step was to use this "assassination" gap to reclaim the power that had been sitting in Liyue Harbor.
The Qixing and the Eight Trades…
It was time for a change of sky!
If this is the result you want, Your Grace!
After she sorted everything out, Ningguang immediately began issuing orders through her confidants.
All the authority that could be controlled by the Qixing—she pulled it back into her hands.
That way, when the people of Liyue finally reacted, they wouldn't be able to stir up too much chaos.
Especially military authority the Kaiyang Star had to be kept steady.
Otherwise, who knew what could happen?
After everything was handled, only then did Ningguang have time to meet Rowan.
She had to meet him and she needed his support.
Because once someone used the Sigil of Permission to reach the adepti, Liyue would have to face the adepti's interrogation.
Would that really happen?
There was no need to guess. It definitely would.
Ningguang didn't believe the Fatui would obtain the Sigil of Permission and then do nothing.
If they did, they wouldn't be the Fatui.
Even if that Eleventh Harbinger "Childe" were an idiot, even a fool understood that only muddy waters let you fish.
And besides—Childe wasn't a fool at all.
Even if no one went to Jueyun Karst to report it, he would send someone.
What's more, Ningguang had already received news from Yelan:
Tartaglia had already made contact with the young girl who came to Liyue together with the Knight King.
He was likely approaching her precisely to stir the waters.
That girl might not have any real status…
But since she traveled with the Knight King, Ningguang couldn't touch her.
Otherwise, it would be picking a fight with the Knight King, and that would be disastrous for Liyue's future.
She needed to ask clearly what that girl's identity was.
If she handled it rashly, it could turn into hostility with Mondstadt.
Thinking that, Ningguang tidied her appearance and pushed open the meeting room door.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Knight King."
"There was a lot to deal with after the Geo Archon's 'assassination.' I hope you won't feel I've neglected you."
The moment she entered, Ningguang apologized first, afraid Rowan might be displeased.
There was no helping it.
If it were the Liyue of before, she still had the confidence to speak with Rowan on equal footing.
But the instant the Geo Archon "died," that confidence vanished.
That was exactly why Rowan said Zhongli's plan was foolish.
"It's fine. I didn't have anything urgent anyway."
"But I should make one thing clear first: this has nothing to do with me."
"And I'm sure you've already thought it through—this whole thing is your Geo Archon's own doing. It has nothing to do with me, alright?"
Rowan didn't mind at all. He even directly told Ningguang this was Zhongli's own performance.
As the Tianquan Star and head of the Qixing, Ningguang wasn't stupid she would realize it quickly.
So exposing Zhongli's plan was no big deal.
Besides, once the "story" ended, Zhongli would explain it himself in a dream anyway.
"Of course I wouldn't suspect you. In fact, I already realized it."
"I just didn't expect the Geo Archon would use this method to force us into rule by man… sigh…"
Ningguang sighed and sat down weakly in her chair.
It was truly too sudden, completely catching her off guard.
If she hadn't figured it out, she'd probably be just like the citizens outside—lost and panicked.
What a "gift" this was!
Keqing… Keqing, you really are…
"Knight King, the reason I called you here is because I have only one request."
"In Liyue's future days, I hope you can—out of respect for the Geo Archon—help Liyue once."
"I have a feeling… a great battle is coming to Liyue next."
(End of Chapter)
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