"This decision of mine is not made in a moment of impulse, nor is it related to what the Yuheng asked me during last year's Rite of Descension."
"The truth is, I have considered stepping down for a very long time."
With his first words, Zhongli set the tone—
and at the same time took Keqing out of the equation. Otherwise, the people of Liyue might say unpleasant things.
Of course, perhaps Keqing herself wouldn't have cared.
The crowd said nothing, quietly watching Zhongli.
Today's gathering was nothing but an announcement.
Zhongli had already decided to retire, and no force under heaven could change that.
What remained was only to formalize it, then discuss the Rite of Descension's ceremony and deal with the aftermath.
Zhongli's gaze turned distant, tinged with emotion:
"I am the god who has walked through the longest years. Six thousand years have passed—if even stone can weather away, how could I remain unchanged?"
"Once, Azhdaha's mind was eroded by time, and he wrought a great disaster."
"Though I and the other adepti suppressed him and sealed him away, the deaths and suffering he caused were undeniable."
"This 'erosion'—to those of you who now cultivate immortality, perhaps it seems nothing. Immortals live long lives, after all. Even now, everyone here has at least hundreds of years ahead of them."
"But before cultivation existed, erosion was the most dreadful calamity all long-lived beings of Teyvat feared."
"Once eroded, reason and will are lost—and what remains will do terrible things."
"Just like Azhdaha. Once, he too was a hero of Liyue. He poured his heart into Liyue's founding… yet in the end, under erosion, he turned his blade upon the people of Liyue."
"And I am no exception."
This was the first time Zhongli spoke so openly of his true thoughts.
To him, speaking without concealment was… liberating.
A kind of release.
In his heart, he knew: once today passed, once the Rite of Descension ended—
the name Morax would die with history.
From then on, only Zhongli, First Seat of Mount Shu's Dragonhead Peak would remain.
And that was fine.
"Six thousand years have passed. My erosion is already deep. Bit by bit, I have begun to forget many things."
"Stories I once swore to remember for a lifetime now blur in my memory."
"And this is only the beginning. Later, I will forget more and more—forget why I exist, forget why I founded Liyue."
"Even forget my original purpose, until I become nothing but a mindless butcher."
"This future is inevitable."
Zhongli shook his head, sipping tea as if telling a story that had little to do with him.
But Liuyun and the others felt bitter at heart.
Zhongli had borne far too much pain, yet they had never considered this.
They stubbornly believed that only with Zhongli could Liyue remain Liyue.
Both the people of Liyue and they themselves had been selfish.
"One could say Azhdaha's fate is my future. Perhaps worse. For I could restrain Azhdaha—but no one could restrain me."
At these words, Zhongli's aura suddenly surged with self-assurance:
"I am the God of War. I am the Geo Archon. I am the oldest surviving deity."
"So once I lose myself, there will be no one in Liyue who can stop me. I would destroy with my own hands the Liyue I built with them."
"This is a future I cannot allow."
He sighed softly.
"Besides… I am tired."
That single sentence struck everyone's hearts. They all bowed their heads.
Keqing, especially, now felt ashamed for asking him days ago to delay retirement because of Mount Shu.
She realized she had been selfish.
"My original plan was to feign death during the Rite of Descension. To shed my draconic body, hand over my Gnosis to the Cryo Archon, and aid her great cause."
"In this way, my strength would wane, and the pace of erosion would slow."
"And in the end…"
Zhongli's gaze moved to Lumine, his voice quiet:
"When the time comes, when erosion cannot be turned back—
in my final madness, the Traveler, who walks Teyvat as fate decrees…
would possess the strength to kill me."
"And I would die by her hand, completing the last cycle of destiny.
That was my plan—Liyue's only safeguard."
"Once, I was Liyue's shield. But under erosion, I might become Liyue's greatest calamity."
Ningguang looked at Zhongli with mixed feelings, her tone softening:
"So your original plan was to feign death at the Rite, shed your draconic form—thus weakening yourself, while also…"
"…leaving your dragon body as Liyue's last protective relic?"
Zhongli did not deny it.
His draconic body was his strongest vessel. Without it, though still formidable, he would no longer be invincible.
This was no boast—his title God of War was no accident.
He had once fought four great Archons alone.
During the Khaenri'ah war, when even Celestia was wounded into slumber, he had merely suffered injuries—recovering quickly enough to still preside over the next year's Rite.
His strength was simply beyond measure.
If such a being fell into madness, Liyue would be doomed.
Thus, to him, casting off his dragon form and Gnosis was necessary.
In the end, Lumine would fulfill her destined role and end him.
That would be his final gift to Liyue.
And even then, his draconic body would remain as protection.
But now, with Mount Shu…
such grim plans were no longer needed.
"…Why did you never tell us before?" Liuyun asked, voice heavy.
Compared to them—living secluded in Jueyun Karst—it was Zhongli who had truly borne Liyue's weight.
"Why should I?" Zhongli countered.
"I know you as you know me. If you knew, you would have stopped me at all costs."
"You would have said there must be another way."
"You would have dragged all Liyue into finding a cure for me."
"But erosion cannot be solved. That would only drain Liyue's strength."
"We built Liyue not for ourselves, not for one person, but for all its people."
"The people have fulfilled our hopes, developing Liyue to this day."
"So why should I, its founder, become its burden?"
Silence fell.
He was right—if they had known, they would have done exactly that.
For Zhongli, Liyue was most important.
But for the adepti, Zhongli himself was most important.
"…But that is all past," Zhongli said, easing the tension.
"With the Sect Master's appearance, with Mount Shu revealed, I was granted cultivation. You as well."
"The erosion that all long-lived beings once feared has been eradicated."
"Even so, I should still step down. Once, it was for Liyue's sake that I had to.
But now…"
His voice softened, almost pleading:
"I wish to live for myself, just once…"
The others looked at him with complicated emotions.
"Liyue now has martial cultivation, and the most cultivators among the nations. From the moment Mount Shu appeared, we established ties."
"Tianquan, Yuheng, Ganyu, and you, the Qixing—all have become inner disciples of Mount Shu."
"In the vast new world to come, Liyue already stands at the forefront, riding the tide of the age."
"I know your abilities. I trust and respect them."
"With you here, I believe Liyue will not be crushed beneath the wheels of history."
"You are immortals now, with long lives, able to guide Liyue into a brighter age."
"The revival of spiritual energy is more opportunity than disaster for Liyue."
"I know now—Liyue can stand on its own.
And I… as I said, am weary."
"Economically, my mind is no match for Tianquan. In strength, the future you will not be weaker than I."
"I can now leave Liyue to walk its own path. And so…"
Zhongli paused, eyes filled with longing:
"I wish to experience, in this six-thousand-year life, something I have never known."
"To live for myself…"
Moon Carver pressed his lips together, sorrow in his gaze.
"Geo Archon…"
Having said this, Zhongli seemed to shed all burdens. He spoke lightly:
"I owe the Sect Master a debt for freeing me from erosion. Under Mount Shu's protection, Liyue too may thrive."
"That grace is something I can never repay."
"And now, entrusted by the Sect Master, I have become acting First Seat of Dragonhead Peak."
"This responsibility is not Morax's duty to his people, but mine—Zhongli's—choice as an individual."
"For the first time in six thousand years, I have made a decision of my own."
"And I must honor it."
"This is not demanded by Mount Shu, nor by the Sect Master.
It is my will—the will of a single living being, finally free to choose."
He looked at Ningguang and the others, voice full of quiet emotion:
"You cannot know what this means to me."
"All I ever did was pushed by the age, carrying ever more dependents. Every decision I made had to put others first."
"This time… I can choose for myself."
"As Venti said—
this god of contracts, at last, is about to truly know freedom."
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