Hu Tao: Huh?! Zhongli Is the Geo Archon?!
So the Biggest Hater Was… Himself?!
Beneath the Azhdaha Tree
"MORAX—!!!"
"Aaaaargh—fight me!!"
Driven mad by erosion, Azhdaha rampaged wildly.
He slammed the earth again and again, fury burning in his heart as he cursed Morax's so-called betrayal.
And then—
A strange, virtual light screen suddenly appeared before him.
"…What is this?"
Even with his muddled mind, Azhdaha sensed something was wrong.
At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed in his head.
Ding! You have been invited to join the Transcendent Chat Group!
You may speak in the chat panel on the right!
Transcendent… chat group?
Speak?
Azhdaha's eyes widened.
Transcendent Chat Group
Azhdaha:
What is this chat group? Morax, is this your doing?!
Azhdaha:
You betrayed me a thousand years ago, sealed me away—
and now you use this thing to mock me?!
Azhdaha:
AAAAAH—MORAX! FIGHT ME!!!
Seeing this, Zhongli felt both nostalgia and sorrow.
"Old friend… we meet again at last."
"But this time… everything will get better."
The adepti—Cloud Retainer, Xiao, and the others—felt the same.
Azhdaha had once fought alongside them.
But—
The Geo Archon could not be slandered.
Even if the accuser was Azhdaha himself.
Cloud Retainer:
Azhdaha, it has been a long time.
Cloud Retainer:
First—Morax did not betray you. You lost your memories due to erosion, violated your contract, and thus were sealed.
Cloud Retainer:
Second—this chat group is not Morax's creation, but belongs to a higher existence.
She briefly explained the light-screen commentary system.
After listening, Azhdaha seemed to understand—at least a little.
Then he burst into laughter.
Azhdaha:
Commentary on Morax? Hahaha—good!
Azhdaha:
If that screen truly has such power,
it will surely expose all of Morax's deeds!
Azhdaha:
Then all of Teyvat will know of his betrayal!
Azhdaha:
Morax—how will you face the world then?! Hahahaha!
With this revelation, Azhdaha temporarily stopped rampaging.
If brute force couldn't avenge him yet—
Then exposing the "truth" would suffice.
Cloud Retainer and the others exchanged helpless looks.
…Didn't we just explain everything?
But given his erosion, they could only sigh.
Cloud Retainer:
Apologies to everyone. He was not always like this.
Moon Carver:
Indeed. Azhdaha once fought for Liyue beside us. Erosion changed him. (sigh.jpg)
Xiao:
When the commentary reaches him and the Geo Archon, the truth will become clear.
Venti:
Eh-heh, it's fine. Dvalin was like this earlier too.
Alice:
Yeah, just have Barbara and Jean beat him up once! (evil grin.jpg)
Jean:
...
Barbara:
...
Dvalin:
...
Lumine:
By the way… what exactly is "erosion"? You all mention it a lot.
Zhongli:
Erosion is a shackle imposed by Heavenly Principles.
Those affected gradually lose memory and reason, becoming beast-like.
Zhongli:
The stronger the being, the more dangerous erosion becomes.
Ei:
That is why I created puppets and secluded myself in the Plane of Euthymia.
Furina:
Huh? Then why haven't I felt it?
Venti:
You and the Dendro Archon are young gods. It won't manifest yet.
Wait a few thousand years—it'll be obvious.
Lumine:
Got it! So basically… Alzheimer's? (smart.jpg)
Paimon:
Hiss—
Alice:
Correct! You're such a clever one! (evil grin.jpg)
Venti:
...
Zhongli:
...
Ei:
...
Azhdaha:
???
Alzheimer's?
What in the world was that?
Azhdaha was utterly confused.
Just as he was about to ask—
The light screen on the left finally stirred.
Remembering the "commentary" everyone mentioned, Azhdaha shoved his doubts aside and stared ahead.
Blue Planet — Villa
Luo Chen started the livestream.
As usual, Blue Planet viewers flooded in instantly.
"Finally! The streamer's here!"
"Lunch doesn't taste right without the commentary!"
"As a native Mondstadter, I loved the Barbatos & Dvalin episode—eh-heh, go harder next time!"
"Streamer, where's our Geo Archon?"
"Streamer, what about Ei and that shady fox?"
"Streamer, what about the Dendro Archon and the Greater Lord?"
"Fake local detected—there is no Greater Lord!"
"Streamer, what about Furina?"
"Streamer, what about Heavenly Principles?"
"LOL even Heavenly Principles? You from Celestia?"
"That one's Mihoyo's problem!"
Luo Chen smiled and greeted them.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome."
"All gods will get their turn."
"Yesterday, we reviewed the Anemo Archon Barbatos and his dragon, Dvalin."
"Today, we continue the Genshin commentary series!"
Two familiar donation messages suddenly appeared.
Governor Venti donated 100 Mini-TV Starships!
Governor Dvalin donated 100 Mini-TV Starships!
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
Wait—
Didn't Venti say he had no Mora?
How was he casually throwing money around?
In truth, this was leftover funding from the Knights of Favonius.
After this donation—
They were officially broke.
If not for Hu Tao waiving lodging and food fees,
Venti might've had to go back to busking.
But neither Venti nor Dvalin minded.
Compared to rewards and commentary—
This was nothing.
Soon, more messages appeared.
Venti:
Eh-heh~ Greetings to the great one behind the screen!
Thanks for the commentary on me and Dvalin.
I really love the Strange Wine Gourd.
Ahem—though I still prefer recognition of my "upright" character.
Dvalin:
Thank you for the commentary and reward.
I feel reborn—lighter than ever.
Dvalin:
By the way, Barbatos is fundamentally lazy and never does his job.
Your judgment was spot-on.
Luo Chen chuckled.
One claiming to be upright.
One exposing the other as lazy.
This archon–dragon duo really was something.
"Thanks for the donations."
"As for whether Venti is a 'serious person'…"
"I think Teyvat has already seen my verdict."
"We can always let them vote~"
Dvalin's eyes lit up.
Voting?
Brilliant idea.
Venti's mouth twitched.
If there was a vote—
He was doomed.
These people lived for chaos.
And why?
Eh-heh—because he was one of them.
Luo Chen straightened.
"Now, onto today's main topic."
"Genshin Character Commentary—"
"Today's subject is—"
"The Geo Archon of Liyue: Morax!"
"And his companion: Azhdaha!"
Speculation had circulated after yesterday's episode.
But guesses were guesses.
Now that it was confirmed—
Excitement exploded.
Ordinary Chat Group (Liyue)
Iron Tongue Tian:
Haha! Finally our Geo Archon!
Great—new storytelling material secured!
Scholar Han:
I need to take notes—let's see how Zhongli argues now!
Chef Mao:
The Geo Archon will surely be praised!
To celebrate, Wanmin Restaurant is FREE today!
Ying'er:
Boss Mao is generous!
Zhi Qiong:
Good timing! Everyone will finally learn Morax's crimes!
Uncle Tian:
Zhi Qiong, slandering the Geo Archon is a grave offense!
Zhi Qiong:
Slander? Heh—you'll see soon. (cold laugh.jpg)
Lan:
History speaks for itself.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
"As expected."
Zhongli relaxed, smiling faintly.
He had long awaited his commentary.
With rewards—
He could finally pursue certain plans.
"Congratulations, old friend~"
Venti smiled knowingly.
"Likewise. Let's hope luck is kind."
Zhongli shook his head.
If his luck matched Neuvillette's—
…best not imagine it.
Before Venti could say more—
A cheerful shout rang out.
"Wow! It really is the Geo Archon!"
Hu Tao bounced excitedly.
A true Liyue native—
of course she adored Morax.
Then she remembered the "little hater" at home.
Grinning, she leaned toward Zhongli.
"Hehe, Zhongli—today they're reviewing the Geo Archon."
"There'll definitely be 'not-so-serious' commentary."
"You, the Archon's biggest hater, must be thrilled, huh?"
Zhongli: "..."
Venti and Dvalin exchanged strange looks.
"Archon hater?"
…Technically accurate.
They wanted to laugh—
But remembered whose territory they were in.
Best to hold it in.
For now.
Elsewhere—Tenshukaku.
"Yae! It's Morax! It's Morax!"
Ei was excited—not for him, but herself.
Yesterday: Anemo Archon.
Today: Geo Archon.
Tomorrow—
Her turn?
Yae Miko smiled slyly.
"But Ei… are you ready for the embarrassment?"
Ei's smile froze.
She knew exactly how vicious the "not-so-serious" reviews were.
No one escaped unscathed.
Still—
She clenched her fists.
"Whatever!"
"They'll review companions too!"
"If I'm doomed, we're doomed together!"
Yae Miko: "..."
Transcendent Chat Group
Lumine:
Whoa—Geo Archon!
Dori:
Morax?! Great God of Mora, bless my profits!
Paimon:
Wait—you can do that?
Great God of Mora, bless Paimon too!
Nahida:
Study time again! The Geo Archon must have much to learn from.
Alice:
Oh? Did you learn anything from the Anemo Archon yesterday? (doge.jpg)
Furina:
Easy—drunkard, trickster, lazy— (evil grin.jpg)
Dvalin:
Are those things worth learning?! Barbatos is corrupting children!
Ei:
Agreed. Morax is far more reliable.
Yae Miko:
Is he though?~ (snicker.jpg)
Ei:
...
Venti:
???
Where's the serious commentary?!
And why assume the old man is more serious than me?
What if he's even worse?
Lumine:
Eh-heh~ that "even" was interesting~
Xiao:
Impossible! Everything the Geo Archon does has meaning!
Cloud Retainer:
Indeed!
Azhdaha:
Heh. You'll soon learn of Morax's betrayal.
Zhongli:
...
Blue Planet — Villa
At last, Luo Chen spoke.
"First—Morax."
"Let's start with background."
"Morax—founder of Liyue, god of contracts, one of the Seven."
"Liyue's people respectfully call him Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon."
"He bears many titles."
"God of Contracts."
"God of Gold."
"God of Wealth."
"Martial God."
"That is his divine identity."
"As for his mortal identity—"
"He is the mysterious consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor…"
"Zhongli."
An image appeared on the screen.
The figure was unmistakable.
Hu Tao: ???
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