"Oh, really?"
Nolan felt a spark of interest upon hearing Childe's words.
With nearly 200,000 Adventure EXP in his possession, all of which he could use to level up and improve his skills, perhaps he could really stand a chance against The Lady.
As this thought crossed his mind, his eyes slowly took on a golden hue.
Back when he encountered The Lady in Mondstadt, his level wasn't high enough to gauge her strength, but now he was determined to get a read on her true power.
His golden eyes of judgment locked onto The Lady without restraint, and a bright marker appeared above her head.
[Level: 86]
Oh, level 86.
As expected of the Eighth Harbinger, much stronger than Childe, who was the last of the Fatui Harbingers.
But that was fine.
If his Adventure EXP continued to increase by just 100 points per level, his nearly 200,000 points would be enough to push him to level 90.
Even without upgrading his skills, his combat strength would still be substantial.
With a level higher than The Lady's, even if she transformed into her Crimson Witch of Embers form, Nolan believed he could fight her on equal footing.
But that was the ideal scenario.
In games, after a character breaks through to level 80—after their sixth ascension—the experience required for further leveling increases drastically.
Since Nolan's abilities came from a fan-made game based on the original work, he wouldn't be an exception.
Perhaps his 200,000 Adventure EXP wouldn't be enough to push him to level 90. But even if he only reached level 80 and used the remaining points to improve his skills, his combat strength would still be significant.
Either way, if The Lady thought she could easily escape, she had another thing coming. He was determined to give her a tough fight!
"Of course, if you guys want to fight, I'll just sit back and enjoy the show," Childe said with a mischievous grin.
Though he doubted Nolan and the others could defeat Rosalyne, he had fought alongside them before and knew they could at least hold their own for a few rounds against her.
For some reason, as The Lady looked into Nolan's eyes and saw his eagerness to fight, she had a bad feeling.
The mocking words she had originally planned to say got stuck in her throat.
What is this feeling...
The Lady was puzzled.
Could it be that in just a few short months, this young adventurer had grown strong enough to be on par with her?
But that couldn't be possible!
She dismissed her doubts, convincing herself that it was the presence of Morax—Zhongli—watching from the side, which instinctively made her want to avoid provoking him.
With that thought, she huffed dismissively.
Ignoring Nolan, Childe, and the others, she said coldly, "If you want to chat, wait until I've finished my business!" Then, she turned toward Zhongli and said:
"Morax, according to our agreement, you can now hand over the Gnosis to me!"
"What?"
Paimon thought she had misheard. Zhongli had agreed to hand the Gnosis over to the Fatui?
"Yes, the contract has been fulfilled. This is what you seek."
Zhongli nodded, and a small object, resembling a chess piece, appeared in his hand. He handed it to The Lady.
"Hmph." The Lady snatched the Gnosis from Zhongli's hand, her expression finally softening slightly.
"Zhongli, so you really are the Geo Archon... but why are you giving the Gnosis to the Fatui?" Lumine asked, bewildered by what she had just witnessed.
"This was a transaction based on a contract between me and the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya," Zhongli answered calmly, shaking his head slightly, clearly not willing to elaborate.
"But even so, why did you have to fake your death?" Paimon still couldn't understand. "There's no way handing over the Gnosis required you to fake your death first, right?"
"Not to mention, it caused so much chaos in Liyue! That's really going too far!" Paimon added.
Rosalyne smiled. "Isn't that exactly what he wanted? Without stirring up trouble, how else could all the hidden currents rise to the surface and clash?"
"What do you mean?" Paimon pressed her small hands to her forehead, now completely confused.
"Well, since you want to know, I'll explain briefly," Zhongli began, starting to clarify the cause and effect of everything.
He paused for a moment, as if recalling something from long ago, and said:
"As you know, I have lived for over six thousand years, and it has been 3,700 years since I founded Liyue alongside the Adepti.
"Even the hardest rock, though it may not shatter from the force of a whirlpool, will slowly erode over time.
"I've merely been convincing myself that the day the erosion turns to cracks hasn't come yet."
"So... you're thinking about retiring now?" Nolan asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Yes. On a drizzly day, I was walking along the harbor," Zhongli nodded slightly, then continued, "I overheard a merchant say to his employee, 'You have done your duty well, now go and rest.'
"In that moment, I wondered: Have I fulfilled my duty?"
Zhongli then revealed the full reason for faking his death.
In short, he felt that he had completed his mission as a god. But when it came time to actually retire, he realized there were still too many reasons he couldn't leave right away.
He needed to create an opportunity to observe things carefully and make a final decision.
So, he staged his own death, involving the Fatui, the Adepti, and the Liyue Qixing in the ensuing chaos.
"I see... And are you satisfied with the outcome?" Lumine nodded, understanding that this was a test designed by Zhongli to assess whether Liyue could continue without its god.
After all, he needed to see if Liyue could maintain its normal operations, thrive as usual, and defend itself from powerful threats. Only then could he feel secure in stepping away.
"Very satisfied, beyond my expectations," Zhongli smiled.
When the Adepti learned of his "death," they didn't rush to seek vengeance. Instead, they showed remarkable restraint and, in times of crisis, cooperated with the Qixing to protect Liyue.
The Fatui didn't slip up either. Even when The Lady learned the truth, she didn't reveal the details to Childe.
As for the Liyue Qixing, they fulfilled their duties perfectly.
"Sigh, I guess that means I'm the only one who got completely played," Childe grumbled. "I'll probably end up being wanted in Liyue!"
After all, he had tried to steal the Gnosis and had even unsealed a god.
No matter what, the Qixing would likely put him on their blacklist to appease the people of Liyue.
"Exactly. You'd better escape before the Millelith arrive. Anyway, since we've got the Gnosis, it's time for us to return to Snezhnaya and report to the Tsaritsa," Rosalyne said, crossing her arms.
Childe sighed helplessly. He did need to lay low for a while, or he'd end up in jail.
"Traveler, I remember you saying you wanted to ask the Geo Archon something while we were gathering materials for the Rite of Parting.
"The effects of unsealing the god will take some time to settle, and the Rite of Parting will be held on another day.
"So, to thank you for your companionship throughout this journey, how about I invite you all to 'Third-Round Knockout' for a meal and a chat?" Zhongli offered to Nolan and the others.
"Yes, yes!" Paimon immediately nodded enthusiastically.
After all, it was a personal invitation from the Geo Archon. Not many people get that kind of privilege!
(End of Chapter)
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