Compared to other nations in Teyvat, attempting to become the god of Liyue was simply a hellish difficulty. In fact, for Liyue, this defensive battle where Skybracer sacrificed himself was not the end of the Archon War, but rather made the conflict even more intense. It also made Liyue the enemy of almost all the gods.
Barbatos asked curiously, "Old man, can you tell us the story of what happened next?"
Although he often visited Liyue to mooch drinks from Zhongli or the adepti, Barbatos did not know much about the Archon War there. He only knew there were many gods at the time, and the fighting was incredibly fierce.
After Barbatos finished speaking, all eyes turned to Zhongli, hoping he would share some details about the Archon War in Liyue. But Zhongli did not speak. Instead, he kept his head raised, looking at the frozen visual above the inn, as if lost in thought. Or perhaps thinking of someone. A faint longing showed in his gaze.
Barbatos couldn't help but urge, "Old man, what is wrong with you?"
Zhongli turned his head, his gaze returning to normal. "I am fine."
Barbatos: "Alright, but if you want to say something, we are all willing to be your audience!"
Everyone had already noticed something was off. Today's Zhongli was not acting normal. He seemed to have something heavy on his mind, his eyes carrying a trace of sorrow and faint longing. Just like Barbatos missing his friend. Just like Raiden Ei missing her brother. Just like Signora missing Rustam. The omnipotent Rex Lapis in the eyes of the people, the god high above, also had someone he missed.
Zhongli slowly spoke, "There is no need for me to say it. The storyteller on the stage will tell it for me."
Although not entirely certain, Zhongli already had a premonition that the storyteller would definitely reveal those tales. As soon as the words fell, Zhongli withdrew his gaze. He took the Hwamei bird out of its cage and reached out to tease it. It seemed that only when teasing the bird could he forget his sadness and the people he had lost.
Barbatos: "..."
Raiden Ei: "..."
Since Zhongli did not want to speak, everyone naturally would not force him. Just as Zhongli said, even if he remained silent, it would not be long before the storyteller made everything public. When that time came, the people of Liyue would definitely gain a new understanding of their Rex Lapis.
Just at this moment, Raiden Ei suddenly turned her head, looking at Tartaglia beside her. "Tartaglia."
Hearing Raiden Ei's voice, Tartaglia was startled. His expression stiffened, and he stood up reflexively. "I understand, please put it on my tab, do not worry about it!"
Tartaglia had completely realized he was no match for these gods. Since resistance was useless, he might as well pay the bill proactively.
Who knew Raiden Ei would shake her head. "No, not about paying the bill. I want to ask you, when will the Tsaritsa arrive?"
Tartaglia was instantly shocked. "You... how do you know Her Majesty is coming? No, Her Majesty will not come, please do not misunderstand!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tartaglia noticed he had misspoken. He hurriedly tried to backtrack, but it was too late.
Raiden Ei said coldly, "Do you really think your little tricks can fool us gods? Since the Tsaritsa is coming, let her come quickly. I have not seen her for many years."
To be precise, it had been five hundred years. Ever since the incident in Khaenri'ah, there had been no contact with the Tsaritsa.
Tartaglia: "..."
I am completely numb! I never expected that even my last trump card was already known by these damn gods.
But there was no need to worry. Tartaglia had enough confidence in the Tsaritsa's power and the military capability of Snezhnaya. When the Tsaritsa descended, she would definitely suppress everything.
...
Just as people were discussing.
At this moment, Yae Miko, who had been burying her head in writing, finally finished drafting the light novel manuscript for all the stories of the sixteenth life. As long as the manuscript was sent out, it would not be long before the story of Skybracer propping up the mountain with his antlers, and the story of Ganyu tumbling, spread across all nations.
Yae Miko put down her pen. She took the initiative to ask the Yae Publishing House staff member waiting behind her, "How is the establishment of the Snezhnaya branch going?"
The Yae Publishing House staff member said in a low voice, "The construction has been preliminarily completed, and we have printed many light novels of the previous stories and went door-to-door to promote them. Sales are very good."
In other words, Yae Publishing House had successfully opened the light novel market in Snezhnaya. Next, they would be able to earn a lot of Mora.
Yae Miko nodded in satisfaction. She organized the light novel manuscripts on the table and handed them to the staff member behind her. "Go make four copies of the manuscript, and send them to Liyue, Mondstadt, Inazuma, and Snezhnaya respectively, to be printed and sold in large quantities."
The Yae Publishing House staff member nodded. "Yes, I will go do it right away."
Just as the staff member was about to leave, Yae Miko spoke again, calling the subordinate back. "Also... we cannot give up on the light novel market in Sumeru. Have the people in the Liyue branch print more light novels and secretly transport them to the streets of Sumeru to sell."
In Sumeru, because of the existence of the Akademiya, it was not easy to establish a Yae Publishing House branch. But Yae Miko was unwilling to give up such a large market. The best way was to print them in Liyue and then transport them to the streets of Sumeru to sell under the guise of regular cargo. They would definitely sell a lot.
The staff member nodded seriously. "Understood! Lady Miko is wise."
Yae Miko reminded again, "Those stubborn old men in the Akademiya are very difficult to deal with. When selling light novels, you must be extra careful and not get caught."
The staff member: "Thank you for your concern, Lady Miko, we will be extra careful."
Immediately, this staff member took the light novel manuscript recorded by Yae Miko and sent it to the Liyue branch. They printed four copies at the fastest speed. One was sent to the Inazuma headquarters, the second to the Mondstadt branch, the third to the Snezhnaya branch, and the fourth was kept at the Liyue branch for printing.
It would not be long before the light novel recording the sixteenth life was sold to various countries, and the light novels of Yae Publishing House would break sales records once again.
...
When Yae Publishing House was printing with all its might, and brand-new light novels were born one by one.
At this moment, in Yujing Terrace, Liyue.
Ganyu, as usual, checked every document, and according to the content, delivered them to the hands of different Qixing members. So she had to walk through different office areas.
But along the way, Ganyu could always hear strange discussions. Something about tumbling. Something about a chubby figure.
Although Ganyu did not hear everything, she was still startled.
Did Master Cloud Retainer already spread those things?