As the two of them—plus one emergency food—came upstairs, the three who had already been discussing matters on the second floor all turned to look.
Aside from Zhongli, who remained calm and unperturbed as ever, it was clear that Signora and Childe had clashed. The two looked thoroughly displeased with one another.
Luo Li raised an eyebrow slightly and stepped forward. "What happened here?"
Rosalyne shot Childe a sidelong glance, a hint of mockery in her tone. "Nothing much. Someone just realized he was being used and feels uncomfortable about it."
Childe glared back at her.
What kind of colleague was this? Both of them were Fatui Harbingers—weren't they supposed to cooperate with one another? Yet in reality, she hadn't provided him with so much as a scrap of help. At the very least, they should have shared information.
Instead, she had secretly signed a contract with Morax and told him nothing, letting him run around like an idiot searching for the Exuvia, racking his brains over how to obtain the Gnosis.
In the end, everything had already been decided. All his efforts had been pointless.
Though there hadn't been any real losses, being toyed with like a fool left an extremely bitter taste.
Before he could vent his frustration, however, Lumine and Paimon suddenly cut in, seething with anger.
"Childe, you jerk! You tricked us into unsealing the demon god!" Paimon shouted, pointing straight at him.
She had even thought he was a decent guy—generous with Mora, different from the other Fatui. Turns out they were all the same!
Childe stiffened and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Uh… how should I put this? Sure, I did deceive you a little earlier, but I didn't have any ill intent toward the Traveler. Look—weren't our previous collaborations pretty pleasant?"
"Our positions are just different. Of course, if you hate me for it, that's fine. Honestly, I'm a victim too—Signora and Mr. Zhongli had me spinning in circles as well."
The slightly boyish Harbinger rubbed his forehead and sighed. At this point, there was nothing he could do about it.
Lumine's anger faltered. "What do you mean?"
"Specifically, it's just that—"
Before Childe could finish, Rosalyne cut him off. "Enough. If you want to chat, do it after the important business is done."
Watching Signora speak so casually at Luo Li's side, Childe couldn't help but doubt which side she was even on.
Weren't they supposed to be allies? Why did she seem so close to outsiders?
As he questioned his life choices, Rosalyne turned to Zhongli. "As agreed, now that the dust has settled, I've come to take your Gnosis—Morax."
Childe: "???"
Lumine: "???"
Paimon: "???"
Three faces, utterly stunned.
Wait—was that just said?
Did that mean… Zhongli was Morax?!
Luo Li chuckled softly. "You're only realizing it now?"
Lumine turned toward him, meeting his teasing gaze, and couldn't help but look aggrieved.
This guy had known everything from the start—and just like in Mondstadt, he'd said nothing.
Absolutely infuriating!
Could all riddle-speakers please just drop dead?!
At this moment, Zhongli also looked at Luo Li. He couldn't say he was fully satisfied with how things had ended.
In the end, this man had interfered far too much. What was supposed to be Liyue overcoming a crisis had turned into a training exercise for his disciples.
Wasn't he supposed to stay out of it?
So much for that.
"…Enough. A contract is a contract. As you requested, I shall grant the promised item."
With a quiet sigh, Zhongli finally upheld his end. He produced a golden-yellow chess piece-like object from his palm and handed it to Rosalyne.
No matter what, Liyue's handling of the situation wasn't perfect—but it was more than adequate.
During this ordeal, he had witnessed humanity's own brilliance—the courage to face the future head-on.
Because of that, he could finally entrust Liyue's future to humankind itself.
Paimon gasped. "Wait! This is already shocking enough, but why are you giving your Gnosis to the Fatui?!"
"It is not a gift," Zhongli corrected calmly. "It is a transaction based on a contract—between the Tsaritsa and myself."
That single clarification left Paimon speechless.
His fake death had been outrageous enough—holding a Rite of Descension only for a dragon to suddenly fall from the sky, throwing Liyue into chaos and nearly causing a catastrophe.
And all of that… had been under the Geo Archon's tacit approval?
Noticing Luo Li smiling faintly, Paimon complained gloomily, "You knew too and didn't tell us. We've known each other for so long!"
Luo Li shrugged as if it had nothing to do with him. "That was Morax's decision. Liyue has long since had little to do with me. Everything I built now lies buried in the ruins of Guili Assembly."
The words might have sounded a bit cold, but the truth was that Liyue Harbor had inherited only a fraction of Guili's legacy—and very little of his will remained.
What bound him to this nation now were only certain people… and lingering emotions.
Paimon reluctantly accepted the explanation, but another question soon popped up.
"Then why did Zhongli suddenly decide to step down?"
"Even the longest-lasting stone is worn away by time," Zhongli said softly. "And even the mightiest god will one day weaken. After accompanying Liyue for three thousand seven hundred years, my duty had perhaps reached its end."
He let out a quiet sigh. "Thus, to observe whether Liyue was ready for an age without gods, I needed to create an opportunity—and then make my decision."
Paimon finally understood. "So that's why you staged your own death and threw Liyue into chaos."
"Indeed. Though there were some unexpected variables, the actions of the Liyue Qixing were a highlight," Zhongli said, casting a glance at Luo Li.
Should he blame this man—or thank him?
Many of his arrangements for the adepti had been disrupted, yet at the same time, Yuheng Keqing had been given confidence and support. Taking advantage of the power vacuum after the god's 'death,' she had decisively seized authority and brought Liyue under control.
All in all, gains and losses balanced out.
That was precisely why Zhongli felt… reasonably satisfied.
With such a Qixing, Liyue would surely walk into an era truly belonging to humanity.
And that answer—
was the most sincere farewell tribute to him, an old god of a bygone age.