Cloud Retainer, or rather, the woman known by the pseudonym "Xianyun," returned to her residence in Liyue Harbor in a bit of a hurry, holding a thick stack of newly purchased books.
Unlike the secluded cave dwelling on Mt. Aocang, this residence felt more like it belonged to the world of mortals.
With a "thud," the books were all placed on the desk by the window, causing the teacup to give a slight shake.
That high stack of books were all works by the famous author Lovia!
She, Xianyun, wanted to see what kind of tricks could be played in this mortal world.
Then, Xianyun impatiently pulled out one, the cover of which read "Record of Shi Po's Wanderings, Part One: Lord Zhongli Didn't Bring Mora Today."
She opened the book, initially with the composure and scrutiny of an Adeptus, but as the plot unfolded where Lord Zhongli, having brought no Mora, unblinkingly asked the shopkeeper to send the bill to the Sea Gazers Pavilion, the corners of her mouth, which she tried to keep serious, twitched uncontrollably.
"How scandalous!" Xianyun whispered, as if seeing that child Ganyu's aggrieved yet silent expression when facing a mountain of bills; he completely ignored the name "Ningguang" mentioned in the next line of the plot.
That said, her hands seemed to have a mind of their own, swiftly reaching for the next volume, which was even more of a heavyweight.
Facing the "ten boxes for half price" deal, Lord Zhongli's conclusion that "infinite accumulation will eventually lead to a free item," along with his heroic act of ordering a hundred boxes of Scented Balm, nearly emptying the shop, almost caused Xianyun to lose her breath.
"Such... such unscrupulous merchant logic!" She slammed the table and stood up, but in the next second, remembering she had done the same thing, she suddenly covered her mouth, a strange sound—half-choke, half-laugh—escaping her throat.
She quickly looked around, fearing that some passing junior might hear her loss of composure.
There was no one around. Xianyun suppressed her surging laughter and continued reading.
When she saw Lord Zhongli distributing the Scented Balm among The Adepti, even that usually murderous and unapproachable young Yaksha receiving a box in shock, a grand drama had already begun playing out in Xianyun's mind. (She deliberately ignored the parts related to herself.)
That old fogey Moon Carver holding the Scented Balm—his beard would probably curl up to the sky; Mountain Shaper would likely analyze whether this item was beneficial to the mountain's vegetation with a straight face... At this thought, her last bit of Adeptal dignity finally crumbled, and her shoulders began to tremble slightly.
However, the laughter came to an abrupt halt when she reached the final scene.
Lord Zhongli, carrying the Scented Balm alone, walked to the Wordless Stele at the foot of the mountain, gently brushed away the fallen leaves, placed it down silently, and whispered softly... Xianyun's finger paused as she turned the page.
The setting sun, the mountain breeze, the lonely silhouette, the silent tombstone, and that lingering fragrance... it formed a stark contrast to the previous "blunders" that made one laugh or cry.
Xianyun remembered that Rex Lapis did indeed often stand quietly at high places, sometimes at Qingyun Peak, sometimes at Guyun Stone Forest; that silhouette... she and the other Adepti were not unaware, but that silence was too heavy, soaked in the smoke of the Archon War and loss, making it so that even old friends like them didn't know where to start asking.
Xianyun's fingers tightened unconsciously, and the edge of the page wrinkled slightly.
Her thoughts were uncontrollably pulled back to that blood-soaked past.
It was a tragedy of true mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
She had seen with her own eyes towering mountains collapse in the roar of Gods, seen prosperous settlements razed to the ground in an instant by powerful divine energy, and seen familiar, side-by-side fighting figures fall one after another, turning into dissipating element light particles or freezing forever in cold rock.
The initial hum of the Guizhong Ballista seemed to still be in her ears; it was a work of wisdom and ingenuity, but it ultimately fell silent along with the exploding dust.
She remembered that Damselette God who always wore a bright smile... he remembered how the God of the Stove, in order to protect the displaced people, scattered his own power into Liyue's mountains and rivers without reservation, leaving only a bit of ignorant instinct attached to the myriad lights of the hearth... and more, many more faces whose names had blurred over the long years.
They might have once drunk with her, or argued because of differing ideas, but in the end, they all burned themselves out for the survival of the land beneath their feet.
Rex Lapis... Morax... he was not merely the victor of the war; he was the "survivor" who bore all the sacrifices and contracts, walking alone to the end of that catastrophe that swept across Teyvat.
He had buried friends with his own hands, ended enemies, and watched countless lives extinguish like candles in the wind.
Rex Lapis... how many more than just one or two old friends had he buried with his own hands?
Under that Wordless Stele, it wasn't a specific person who was laid to rest, but all the departed souls who failed to make it to today; it was a corner in his memory that was too heavy to easily speak of with others.
The lonely silhouette under the setting sun in the book, the gentle action of placing the Scented Balm—in Xianyun's eyes now, it was no longer just a fictional sentimental scene.
It reflected the immense void and loneliness hidden beneath the composure of that God of Contracts, who had stood alone in the torrent of time for thousands of years, looking back at the piles of white bones behind him.
Rex Lapis's usual calmness, his occasional interest in the mundane world... was it a way to combat this long loneliness? Was it a moment of respite he sought for himself amidst endless responsibility and memories?
Xianyun slowly exhaled. The lighthearted laughter born from the previous funny stories had long since vanished, replaced by a heavy bitterness.
This author... who is it? To have even glimpsed a bit of this deep-seated loneliness and remembrance? Could it be another Adeptus? Or was it merely a mortal's coincidental artistic embellishment?
Xianyun gently closed the book in her hand, her fingertips lingering on the words "Zhongli" on the cover, her eyes filled with a complex, unreadable expression.
"Hmph... it's not entirely made up." She whispered to herself, her tone no longer purely critical, but instead carrying a trace of her emotions being moved by the story.
Xianyun waited for a long time until her emotions calmed down slightly before turning her gaze to the third book in the stack.
But the title on the cover made her heart, which had just quieted down, race again—"Regarding the Matter of the geo archon Being a Synthesized God Who Caused His Wife's Death."
This author... why is he always obsessed with making up stories about Rex Lapis?!
"Such talk is simply outrageous!" She barked out, but her fingertips seemed to be pulled by something invisible, involuntarily flipping open the pages.
The opening had the tone of an ancient legend, describing two powerful beings standing side by side in the Liyue lands during the era of the Archon War—the indestructible God of War "Kexi," who governed rock and earth, and the gentle God "Mora," who could create the value of all things.
"Kexi... Mora..." Xianyun whispered these two names, her brow furrowed.
This was not any orthodox record she knew regarding Rex Lapis's origins, but the idea of deconstructing the name "Morax" into two independent entities was itself startlingly bold.
She continued reading, seeing the book describe how "Kexi" and "Mora" were born, how they went from being allies fighting side by side to lovers who deeply loved each other, how [Censored/Muted], and how, under those cruel laws of war, they faced the desperate choice where only one could remain.
Soon, she read about "Mora" smiling as she actively embraced "Kexi," merging her own divine soul into his rock body, leaving only the words, "From now on, you are 'Morax'."
[...You must remember for me, what true "value" is...]
Xianyun's pupils shrank, and she slammed the book shut, her chest heaving violently.
This is too strange!
Rex Lapis's power originates from himself; how could it be... from merging with another? And that talk of "causing his wife's death" is simply a desecration of the geo archon's majesty!
However, the question she had somehow come to believe and which troubled her surfaced again: Why does the God who holds the clearance to create Mora no longer create Mora?
Xianyun took a deep breath, suppressed the turbulent waves in her heart, and opened the book again, skipping through the subsequent chapters with an urgency as if seeking proof.
Chapter Two stated that after the fusion, Morax lost the clearance unique to "Mora" to create true Mora currency.
He could only use his own powerful geo archon power to perfectly replicate "Rock Mora" that looked real to put into market circulation. And every time he touched these cold imitations, he was reminded of that eternal loss, which was why he was unwilling to touch it and never carried it... "Counterfeit coins..." Xianyun murmured to herself.
She recalled that Rex Lapis did indeed show an extraordinary indifference toward Mora itself... Could it be that there truly was such a... heartbreaking truth hidden behind it?
"Impossible! There is absolutely no such possibility!" Xianyun shook her head, trying to drive away this appalling idea, but felt as if her brain had been hit by a group of Slimes, becoming a mess.
She put down the book that had shaken her soul, exhaled a long breath of turbid air, and remained speechless for a long time.
But this book, "Regarding the Matter of the geo archon Being a Synthesized God Who Caused His Wife's Death," along with the previous two volumes of "Record of Shi Po's Wanderings," had already stirred waves in her heart that were difficult to calm.
Xianyun looked at the remaining unread books. In her eyes now, those books were no longer merely mortal tales and gossip, but "dangerous" items that might hide more things to subvert her understanding.
The Troubles of the Guardian Yaksha, secret tales of feiyun, Secret History of Wanmin Restaurant... this "Lovia"... is truly something else.
And... truly knows how to torment an Adeptus!
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