"This place isn't convenient for talking. How about we find somewhere else?" Yu Xie hesitated for a moment.
"Alright," Zhongli replied.
The two then moved to a quieter corner of the harbour.
Unlike the bustling activity during the day, the harbour at night was peaceful, as if it had fallen asleep. The sea reflected the pale moonlight, with the moon's reflection in the water appearing crystal clear.
"That night, you came to see me," Zhongli gazed at the shimmering waves on the sea. "You said it was hard to imagine what I would be like thousands of years later."
"And you said that if there were no wars thousands of years later, you might take on a name no one knew and quietly live out your days," Yu Xie recalled.
"That's correct," Zhongli nodded. "I also wanted to use this opportunity to see if Liyue was truly ready to embrace an era of human rule—to see if Liyue could continue moving forward without the Geo Archon."
"And if the outcome doesn't meet your expectations?"
"...Then we'll address that when the time comes," Zhongli exhaled slowly. "But I choose to believe that Liyue is now prepared to face a future without the Geo Archon."
"Yes, I believe that too," Yu Xie said with a nod.
......
Early the next morning.
Yu Xie woke up very early.
After his long conversation with Zhongli the previous night, he had spent quite a bit of time reflecting after returning home.
Yu Xie made a decision in his heart: while efficiency was important, some steps were absolutely essential; otherwise, the desired outcome might not be achieved.
Amidst the looming crisis, it was crucial to see if the people of Liyue could unite as one to face the danger.
At Yu Xie's suggestion, the adepti voluntarily revealed their identities to Ningguang and Keqing.
Ningguang invited Yu Xie and the adepti to the Jade Chamber to discuss their next steps. However, Yu Xie declined the invitation.
"Let's get straight to the point," he said as he left Liyue Harbor and headed south to the outskirts.
The weather was clear, with not a cloud in the sky.
Yu Xie arrived at a tall structure south of Liyue Harbor, the only mint in all of Teyvat—the Golden House.
On his way there, Yu Xie intentionally slowed his pace, fearing that a certain someone hiding in the shadows might lose track of him.
When he reached the entrance to the Golden House, there was no sound, nor a single person in sight.
The place was eerily quiet, as the minting operations had been temporarily halted.
As he pushed open the doors and stepped inside, a dazzling golden light filled his vision.
The ground was covered in glittering Mora, radiating an enticing glow.
Looking deeper inside, he could see the Adeptal Remains hidden here by the Seven Star.
Yu Xie walked straight toward the Adeptal Remains.
When he stopped and was about to reach out to touch it, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Thank you for leading me here, Yu Xie."
As expected, Yu Xie turned to look at the source of the voice.
"Childe, you followed me all the way here?"
"That's right. Thanks to you, I wouldn't have found these 'Adeptal Remains' so easily," Childe said with a smile. "This was even smoother than I imagined—it was worth the money I spent treating you to dinner last night."
"You're looking for the Adeptal Remains to find the Gnosis? If that's the case, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Yu Xie said, turning back to face the Adeptal Remains.
"What?" Childe stepped closer with a slight frown, then looked carefully.
The Gnosis wasn't here at all.
"…So that's how it is?" After a moment of silence, Childe's expression shifted to one of irritation. "You deliberately led me here to trap me?"
"You could say that. But don't misunderstand—we have no personal grudge. It's just a difference in perspective, wouldn't you agree?" Yu Xie said calmly.
"Heh…" Childe let out a cold chuckle. "I do agree. In that case, I'm curious—since we stand on opposite sides, will it come to a fight between us? I can sense it… even though you don't have a Vision, your strength is far from ordinary."
"If possible, I really don't want to fight you," Yu Xie said, furrowing his brow slightly.
"Sometimes, people don't have a choice, do they?" Childe's gaze sharpened, as if his eyes were blades, and at the same time, two short blades appeared in his hands.
Yu Xie hesitated for a moment, and with a flash of golden light, Cloud Cutter appeared in his hand.
[Name: Yu Xie][Age: 21 years old]
[Physical Condition: Young]
[Skills: Mastery of All Weapons (Epic), Asura Flash (Epic), Pure Soul Blessed Land (Epic), Imperial Defense (Rare), Erasure]
The system's prompt flashed in Yu Xie's mind.
"I hope you'll let me enjoy this fight, let me have some fun," Childe said, his excitement evident, before leaping forward.
The sharp sound of blades clashing immediately became the dominant sound in the Golden House, as sword and blade danced in the air.
Yu Xie did not take the initiative to attack; he was focused on defending and dodging Childe's strikes.
He was wondering, as the situation sped up, whether there might be any unintended consequences, such as a catastrophic butterfly effect.
At that moment, Childe distanced himself from Yu Xie, and with a shot of his arrow, a whale made of water appeared, letting out a distinct whale cry as it charged toward Yu Xie.
Yu Xie remained calm, initially standing in place. Just as the whale was about to touch him, he cleverly dodged to the side.
It seemed that Childe had already anticipated this moment. He quickly stepped forward, and his bow transformed back into two short blades, which he gripped firmly, rushing toward Yu Xie with speed.
"Yu Xie, if all you do is defend and dodge, you won't win this fight!"
"You're right," Yu Xie replied indifferently.
In the next moment, Childe suddenly felt a powerful pressure descend, as if the air around him had grown heavy. The immense pressure filled every corner of the Golden House.
Under this oppressive force, Childe immediately halted his attack.
He looked at Yu Xie, his brows furrowed.
Yu Xie's entire aura had shifted. At this moment, Yu Xie no longer appeared as a mere mortal, but rather as a god.
This overwhelming pressure was such that an ordinary person would not be able to endure even a second of it.
"Yu Xie... it seems you're even stronger than I imagined," Childe, enduring the intense pressure, smiled. His eyes gleamed with even more excitement than before.
He was eager to battle with a strong opponent; after all, he was a martial enthusiast at heart.
"This fight... seems like it will be quite satisfying!"
With that, Childe's body slowly began to levitate.
Lightning started to swirl around him.
Within the storm of lightning, black armor immediately covered Childe's body, and he donned a deep red mask.
This was the battle armor made for combat, the Foul Legacy Transformation.
It came with side effects, but clearly, Childe didn't care about that. All that mattered to him was whether he could enjoy a truly fierce battle.
End of chapter
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