"What a truly bountiful harvest."
At this moment, Xia Yu had returned to Liyue Harbor, strolling around while tallying his spoils: several heads of Osial, and a portion of Osial's soul.
Although it couldn't be called a massive haul, it could certainly be considered a moderate one.
Hmm... If another Archon breaks free next time, I should go join the excitement again. I wonder when the next Archon will break free... [Genshin Impact]@ [Gourmand Dungeon]: Brother, want to cook up an Archon?
[dark souls iii]: What, you want to offer yourself for us to eat? Such great kindness, I have no way to repay it except to eat you clean.
[Genshin Impact]: Can you please die somewhere else?
[dark souls iii]: La la la~ Hit me~
[Genshin Impact]: o(#▼dish▼)=O))￣⊿￣")o
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Archon flesh? Osial's?
[Genshin Impact]: How did you know? It's Osial's heads. They look like Sea Serpents. I wonder what they taste like.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Last time you said you wanted to grab some benefits when Osial broke free, and you even started a live stream. I'm not blind, so the benefit is Osial's flesh and blood?
[Genshin Impact]: Not exactly. The benefit I got is soul fragments, which you guys can't use, so I just chopped off a few heads.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Alright, but it's always me cooking weird food. While I don't dislike it, it gets a bit lonely. No one to discuss culinary arts with. I wish another Xia Yu from a cooking world would join the group.
[Genshin Impact]: Make an oath and see, maybe a new Xia Yu will enter the group immediately.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Forget it, I made the oath last time. It's someone else's turn this time.
[Genshin Impact]@ [dark souls iii]: Quick, it's your turn to make an oath.
[dark souls iii]: I am dead. If you need me, burn paper money. For minor matters, summon my soul. For major matters, dig up my grave. If you really miss me, come down and join me. If I appear online, it's purely a zombie reanimation!
[Genshin Impact]:...While Xia Yu was chatting in the group and wandering through the gradually repopulating Liyue Harbor, a golden-haired figure suddenly caught his eye.
"Yo, Aether and the mutated Hilichurl, hello! Are you in such a hurry for something?"
Aether and Paimon, who were heading toward the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, heard the greeting, turned their heads, and saw Xia Yu's leisurely figure come into view.
Out of politeness, Aether stopped and greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Xia Yu. I was just planning to go to the WangSheng Funeral Parlor to find Mr. Zhongli."
But the Little Mascot floating next to him became unhappy, puffing up her cheeks, "I am not a mutated Hilichurl! Paimon is Paimon!"
Paimon's rebuttal went in one of Xia Yu's ears and out the other as usual. Looking at the somewhat breathless Aether, Xia Yu smiled.
"Zhongli? He shouldn't be at the Funeral Parlor right now. I actually know where he is. Want to follow me?"
"Yes, that would be troublesome for you, Mr. Xia Yu."
"Hey—! Don't ignore me!"
Since he ran into Aether and Paimon, Xia Yu stopped strolling and led the two of them directly toward the Northland Bank.
Speaking of which, it was during this segment of the plot that the Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia, successfully achieved a new achievement.
The clown was me!
The ones kept completely in the dark were him and the tool Aether. Among them, Tartaglia suffered the most, not only gaining the clown achievement but also acting as a wallet sucker for a period of time.
It truly made listeners happy and listeners try to stifle their laughter.
A moment later, Xia Yu led Aether and Paimon to the Northland Bank. The Northland Bank was an asset of the Fatui. Aether's expression tightened upon learning this fact.
Could Mr. Zhongli be inside the Northland Bank right now? Wouldn't that be very dangerous?
"We're here. Zhongli should be inside now."
Hearing Xia Yu say this, Aether immediately said seriously, "This is a Fatui establishment. Mr. Zhongli might be in danger."
Hearing this, Xia Yu's expression was inexplicable. Zhongli in danger? It was probably those Fatui members who were in danger.
"Mr. Xia Yu, I need to go in and check. It might be dangerous inside. Why don't you wait outside for a moment?" Aether kindly reminded him.
"Right, right, the Fatui are all bad guys. Why don't you wait outside, Xia Yu? We'll bring Mr. Zhongli out soon," Paimon chimed in.
However, regarding Aether's suggestion, Xia Yu just smiled faintly: "Don't worry, I'm not weak, and there isn't a fight happening inside."
As he spoke, Xia Yu took a step and walked toward the entrance of the Northland Bank. Seeing this, Aether wanted to say something more, but seeing Xia Yu already heading for the entrance, he could only anxiously follow along.
But while following, he secretly made up his mind: no matter what happened inside, he would definitely protect Mr. Xia Yu.
After all, Mr. Xia Yu came here to lead the way for him, so he absolutely could not let the other party be harmed by the Fatui.
Meanwhile, inside the Northland Bank, three figures were conversing.
"You actually call this cooperation between Harbingers? Cooperation, at the very least, should involve mutual information sharing..."
Among the three, Tartaglia, the Harbinger, spoke dissatisfiedly to a woman wearing revealing attire.
Regarding Tartaglia's dissatisfaction, the woman let out a light laugh: "Hehe, don't dwell on those details. Harbinger, in the end, you ignored the transaction and the scheming and just caused a massive ruckus. Wasn't that quite enjoyable? It fits your style perfectly."
As she spoke, the woman glanced at the room's entrance and casually reminded them, "Wait, it seems an acquaintance of yours has arrived."
As the woman spoke softly, Xia Yu, leading Aether and Paimon, happened to walk in through the entrance.
The moment Paimon saw the three people present, she exclaimed, "It's Zhongli and Tartaglia, and... you! You're that Fatui Harbinger!"
"The Fair Lady!"
Aether hissed softly, immediately stepping in front of Xia Yu and adopting a defensive posture.
Seeing Aether and Paimon floating in mid-air, The Fair Lady scoffed, "Heh, it's you two. We met once in the city of Bards, didn't we? Not bad, you remembered my name well."
"Ah—after all, the feeling of watching a friend have something important taken away while being powerless... is hard to forget, right?"
"It's not too late to take it back now!"
With a soft shout, Aether was about to summon his weapon when a hand suddenly patted his shoulder.
"Don't be rash. It doesn't look like a time for fighting, and there are two Fatui Harbingers present."
Hearing Xia Yu's words, Aether glanced at The Fair Lady's provocative smile and Tartaglia's somewhat awkward one, gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and calmed down.
Xia Yu was right. Dealing with Tartaglia alone was already his limit; adding The Fair Lady now, he probably couldn't win.
Moreover, Zhongli and Xia Yu, two ordinary people, were present. He couldn't protect them while fighting right now.
As if noticing Aether's gaze, Tartaglia waved in greeting, "Yo, Aether. It's the first time we've met since that incident. How should I put it, the atmosphere is a bit... hmm... awkward?"
As he spoke, Tartaglia glanced at Xia Yu standing behind Aether and shrugged, "It seems only you and I were kept in the dark this whole time, Aether."
"Hmph, I won't believe a single word from you Fatui Harbingers," Paimon declared, hands on her hips, glaring unhappily.
"Don't say that," Tartaglia offered an apologetic smile. "Although I deceived you slightly, I had no ill intentions myself. It's just that our positions differ. On the other hand, The Fair Lady and Zhongli... they tricked us badly."
Upon finishing, Tartaglia held his forehead and shook his head. Aether looked towards Zhongli, but Zhongli showed no intention of explaining.
The Fair Lady spoke coldly, "Stop wasting time, Tartaglia. If you want to chat, wait until I finish my business."
The next moment, The Fair Lady looked at Zhongli, "As agreed, I have come for your Gnosis, Morax."
"Gnosis?" Aether was confused about the situation.
Zhongli nodded in response, "The contract is fulfilled. As you requested, I bestow upon you the promised object."
As Zhongli extended his hand, a rock-yellow Gnosis, resembling a chess piece, materialized in his palm. Seeing this, Aether and Paimon's eyes widened in astonishment.
"What! So you are the Geo Archon?!" Paimon exclaimed in disbelief.
"Rex Lapis is Zhongli?" Aether was also surprised. Although he had suspected it before, the truth now was undoubtedly more astonishing.
"Hehe, it is indeed quite surprising," Tartaglia suddenly interjected. "I didn't expect even this friend to know. From beginning to end, it seems only the two of us were kept in the dark, Aether. I suddenly feel a sense of shared misfortune."
This friend? There were only five people present, excluding Paimon, so that only left... "Xia Yu, so you also knew Zhongli was the Geo Archon?" Aether asked, turning to Xia Yu, who looked completely calm.
"Well..." Xia Yu gave an apologetic smile. "I did know. I'm sorry for hiding it from you all this time."
"Hey—! What about me?" Paimon suddenly flew in front of Xia Yu and stomped her foot in displeasure. "You actually kept this from us too."
"Hehe, my apologies, little mutated Hilichurl."
"Ah—! Paimon is not a mutated Hilichurl! I'm mad! I'm going to give you an unpleasant nickname."
"Oh?" Hearing Paimon say that, Xia Yu smiled wryly, "Then what nickname are you planning to give me?"
"Hmm... How about calling you?" Paimon looked down in thought, but quickly showed a blank expression, "What should I call you?"
Thinking about it, they hadn't met Xia Yu that many times. Thus, Paimon suddenly couldn't think of any defining characteristic for Xia Yu and became momentarily speechless.
"Alright, alright, we'll talk about these things later," Aether suddenly stepped in to mediate. "Isn't Mr. Zhongli's situation more important right now? Mr. Zhongli, why are you giving your Gnosis to the Fatui? And why the fake death?"
"It is not a gift," Zhongli turned to look at Aether and said calmly, "but a transaction based on a contract, a matter between myself and the Tsaritsa of Ice."
"As for why I faked my death, that's a long story. After this is over, let's go to the teahouse, and I will explain it to you slowly then."
While Zhongli was explaining to Aether and the others, The Fair Lady also looked at Tartaglia.
"Now that the Gnosis is secured, further idle talk is meaningless. You and I should return to Snezhnaya to report to the Tsaritsa of Ice."
"Sigh..." Tartaglia sighed. "Fine, but I'll be going back later. I don't want to share a boat with you."
"Hmph, suit yourself."
The Fair Lady lifted her chin and walked towards the entrance with a runway strut. Seeing this, Tartaglia shrugged, bid farewell to Aether, and followed her out.
At this point, only Zhongli, Aether, Xia Yu, Paimon, and one mascot remained in the room.
"Then, let's go to the teahouse for a detailed discussion," Zhongli suggested, looking at Aether who had come to find him.
"I actually have one more question," Aether hesitated but finally asked, "What kind of transaction is worth the price of a Gnosis?"
"That's right, Zhongli always says that transactions must be fair, but... what in this world could possibly be worth exchanging for a Gnosis?" Paimon chimed in.
"By general rational standards, there is indeed nothing," Zhongli gently shook his head. Hearing this, Aether and Paimon were shocked, but Zhongli continued speaking.
"But I am the God of Contracts. Over thousands of years, I have established countless contracts. If a transaction is not profitable, I would absolutely never act lightly."
"The transaction with the Tsaritsa was the 'Contract to End All Contracts' I established at my final moment as the God of Geo."
"Not revealing the contents of this contract is part of the contract itself, so I must ask your forgiveness for not being able to tell you what it is."
Xia Yu, listening from the side, pursed his lips. It sounded grand, but translated, it just meant the miHoYo scriptwriters hadn't figured out the subsequent plot yet, which is why they made Zhongli a riddle-speaker.
However, based on the plot progression, he could guess it definitely had something to do with the Tsaritsa of Ice opposing the Heavenly Principles.
He wasn't sure what the Heavenly Principles actually were, but they seemed somewhat similar to the greater will in the Elden Ring World—both looking down on the mortal realm from a high position, restricting the world and controlling its development.
As the saying goes, when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. In the Elden Ring World, the Tarnished Xia Yu was the tall one, so he could only strive forward. But on the continent of Teyvat, although Demon God Xia Yu was also a tall one, he could crouch down, so he chose to lie flat.
No matter what happened later, he could ensure his own safety. He just wondered if the first flame could treat the Heavenly Principles as kindling too. If it could, he would just burn everything away in one go.
"If you truly wish to know the answer, then uncover it yourself during your future journey," Zhongli concluded with these words.
Seeing that Zhongli didn't want to say more, Aether didn't insist. After chatting a few more sentences, Zhongli led everyone towards the teahouse.
He still had to explain why he faked his death next, which was a long story... [Gourmand Dungeon]: Demon God meat dishes are ready, pan-fried, stir-fried, boiled, deep-fried, steamed, braised, stewed—everything is available. I even made sashimi.
[clash of clans]: Slurp, slurp, I'm coming! Quickly agree, I want to come over and eat.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Maybe not, my kitchen isn't big. Forget it, I've sent it to the group chat. If you want to eat, claim it yourself.
[Genshin Impact]: The Demon God meat didn't cause you any trouble, right? After all, it's a Demon God's flesh.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: It was fine, not too troublesome to cook. By the way, quickly make an oath to see if any new members can join the group.
[Genshin Impact]: Huh? Why me?
[Genshin Impact] @ [clash of clans]: You do it! I killed the meat, and a zombie cooked the dishes. You freeloader, hurry up and make an oath!
[clash of clans]:?
[clash of clans]: Superstition is unreliable. Fine, I swear that if a new member joins the group, I will abstain from lust for... half a month.
[clash of clans]: See, no new members, so superstition is unreliable... [Xia Yu has joined the Chat Group!]
[clash of clans]:...[clash of clans]: Holy crap!
[Xia Yu]: Chat Group? There's another way to travel? Now I finally don't have to be a small porter for the food wholesaler.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Food? Alert!
[clash of clans]: A small worker under a wholesaler? Brother, your life sounds pretty miserable. Which game world is so bad?
[Xia Yu]: Game? Isn't it a manga? I transmigrated into a certain Japanese manga world.
[clash of clans]: Manga!!
[clash of clans]: It doesn't seem that unusual, haha. After all, that guy Evil Spirit was also from a manga. What manga world are you from?
[Xia Yu]: Try to guess?
[Xia Yu]: Here's a hint: Food, very amazing food, super amazing food, immensely amazing food, planet-level food, universe-level food, parallel universe-level food!
[Xia Yu]: Food Wars!