At Wangshu Inn, in a corner of the venue sat Makoto, Ei, the Raiden Shogun, Barbatos, and Zhongli. After a thousand years, three archons had gathered once more.
Now, all eyes were fixed on the storyteller on stage, each silently speculating about his identity.
Barbatos watched Li Mo and murmured to himself, "Should I go ask him who he really is?"
"He doesn't seem like a bad person. Probably not with the Abyss Order."
"He looks more like one of your Liyue adepti."
Barbatos was almost certain that the storyteller, like the seven archons, was one of Teyvat's most ancient beings. Otherwise, how could he know so much?
Zhongli said slowly, "He has nothing to do with the Abyss. I sense no Abyssal energy from him."
Ei scoffed. "Who cares who he is? One strike of the blade and we'll know."
Seeing her sister so eager to act, Makoto, newly resurrected, could not help but smile.
"Ei, after all these years, your temper hasn't changed at all."
"Now that I've been brought back, before we get to the bottom of this, let's not act rashly."
"After all, there are not many in this world who can withstand one of your strikes."
Though Makoto, Ei, and the Raiden Shogun looked identical, their personalities and expressions differed.
Makoto was gentle, often wearing a kind smile.
Ei was proud and confident, never far from her blade; anyone who defied her orders would taste the Musou no Hitotachi.
The Raiden Shogun was a puppet, rarely showing emotion.
Zhongli nodded in agreement. "Five hundred years of meditation, and it was all for nothing."
"Put down the blade."
"Listen to the story first."
...
Now, most of the audience inside the inn were still half-dazed.
Rex Lapis of Liyue had only recently been laid to rest, his soul not yet at peace.
Yet Barbatos, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, had come to Wangshu Inn with his companion Dvalin.
The Raiden Shogun of Inazuma had also come—and there were three of her.
For so many archons to appear in Liyue Harbor at once, it was hard not to be suspicious.
Could Mondstadt and Inazuma be plotting against Liyue now that Rex Lapis was gone?
It was not only the ordinary listeners. Even Keqing, one of the Liyue Qixing, was on high alert, watching Barbatos and the Raiden Shogun closely.
Soon, Hu Tao, who had gone to investigate with Zhongli, returned.
She said confidently, "Who would have thought that Zhongli, young as he looks, actually knows the Anemo Archon and the Electro Archon. They seem on good terms."
"He said they're only here to listen to the stories. They pose no threat to Liyue's safety."
In Hu Tao's eyes, though Zhongli was mysterious, he was a reliable consultant. She trusted him.
But Keqing was still uneasy.
"Zhongli may be mysterious, but we can't take his word for everything."
"I have a feeling there's something important he's hiding from everyone."
From the first moment she saw Zhongli, Keqing had felt this way. But no matter how she thought about it, she could not guess what he was hiding.
Hu Tao blinked. "Something important?"
"He's young, but he acts like an old man, going to operas and playing with birds all day. If anything, he's probably hiding his age."
"Maybe he really is an old grandpa, hahaha."
Keqing was speechless.
No matter how she looked at him, Zhongli appeared young. The idea of him being an old man was absurd. Only the eccentric Hu Tao would think such a thing.
Hu Tao looked at the storyteller on stage and suddenly said, "Look, he's drinking water again. He's about to continue."
"It's strange. Why does he always drink tea before starting a new story?"
Hu Tao, sharp-eyed as ever, had noticed Li Mo's habit.
...
Now, on stage, Li Mo cleared his throat softly, picked up his cup, and took a sip of bitter tea, preparing to begin the story of his fifth reincarnation.
He glanced at the audience. They were sitting upright, ready to listen.
He wasted no time.
"As with the previous lives—"
"When the black dragon Durin was slain by Dvalin in his fourth life, his soul did not enter the underworld. It entered the cycle of reincarnation once more."
"In his fifth life, he was reincarnated in Liyue, as a young boy."
"But before I tell that story, I must first tell another."
"The Divine Damsel of Devastation."
"A story of a girl who became a hero."
The Divine Damsel of Devastation was a tale that had long circulated in Liyue Harbor. Some had adapted it into opera, others printed it in books, others used it as material for storytelling.
Almost everyone in Liyue knew the story.
It told of a time long ago when a powerful monster appeared in Liyue. It told the villagers, "If you want to live, offer me one of your children."
The villagers were reluctant to give up their own children.
But the monster was too strong. The villagers were terrified. They had no choice but to obey.
As the villagers debated whose child to sacrifice, a young girl stepped forward.
Hiding a demon-slaying sword, she approached the monster, pretending to be frightened.
Then, with bold courage, she fought the monster for three hundred rounds and finally slew it.
A young girl became the hero who saved the village.
Later, it was said that an adeptus, impressed by the girl's extraordinary talent, took her as a disciple. She left the mortal world and never returned.
Thus, a legend was born in Liyue.
That, in brief, was the story of the Divine Damsel of Devastation.
Some said it was a true story, personally experienced by the adepti.
Others said it was a tale the adepti invented.
With the passage of time, the truth could no longer be verified.
...
Now, below the stage, upon hearing this story, Hu Tao sighed.
"What a pity Yun Jin isn't here to listen. She would surely turn this story into an opera—it's right up her alley."
At that moment, no one noticed the tear that appeared in the corner of Shenhe's eye.