"Celestia, hm?"
Zhongli nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand. Don't worry—we won't casually observe areas beyond Liyue."
"Good. I'm not forbidding you from watching Teyvat—it's just that doing so drains the mirror too quickly. It was made to assess talent, not as a treasure-weapon."
"And more importantly… though the one on Celestia is badly injured and slumbering, she's a Spirit-Refining and Returning to the Void. If you provoke her by watching, she might awaken."
The gentleman gave a few more reminders before his voice faded completely.
The Jade Chamber was quiet for a long while. Eventually, Keqing asked softly:
"Emperor… has the gentleman really left?"
Zhongli smiled wryly. How would he know?
After a moment's thought, he answered,
"I would think so. He hasn't the time to watch us constantly."
Hearing that, the others let out a breath.
The gentleman had shown no malice, but his ability to be… anywhere, anytime, was unnerving.
It made everyone feel they had to speak with extreme caution.
Still, this was their first real contact with him, and now they believed without doubt what Zhongli had said—his strength was unfathomable.
Keqing, for her part, was quietly pleased.
Even if her spiritual roots were still unknown, the gentleman had called her a once-in-ten-thousand sword body—and seemed genuinely eager for her to join Mount Shu.
Perhaps she truly was suited for the immortal path.
If cultivation went well, she might one day surpass Zhongli, protecting Liyue with her own strength.
The thought made her itch to join Mount Shu right away—
but she held back. After the gentleman's remark, Cloud Retainer's aura had turned positively resentful; no need to provoke her further.
"This one's strength truly is beyond measure…"
Granny Ping sighed.
"A domain the size of Liyue is already hard to imagine—yet he's made one the size of all Teyvat."
"And in a blink, he went to the Dark Sea to catch demon gods as trial beasts."
"More importantly, Teyvat's barriers can't restrain him at all—he can leave anytime he pleases."
"Such an otherworldly visitor… unheard of."
No one wanted to speculate further—there was no point until they understood cultivation realms themselves.
Instead, Ningguang said quietly:
"Emperor, Mount Shu's founding of their domain marks a first step. Should we pay our respects tomorrow?"
Zhongli nodded. "As is proper. As for the gift—he said animals would suffice."
"A few… may not be enough," Ningguang said tactfully, thinking of the domain's size.
"Send distinctive ones," Zhongli replied. "Just a few seeds, and an ecosystem can be built from them."
That seemed manageable. Ningguang quickly dispatched Baiwen to arrange the capture of animals—an odd task for the Millelith, but orders were orders.
"And the Xuanyuan Mirror?" Ningguang asked again.
Zhongli saw through her at once, but only said,
"Keep it here in the the gentleman. To monitor Liyue, at least two Qixing must be present. To watch the world, an adeptus must be present."
Ningguang's eyes lit up. She carefully stowed the mirror away, unconcerned by his restrictions—keeping it was victory enough.
Zhongli, however, made sure to add:
"Never, without my leave, may you observe an Archon—and never Celestia."
"Of course." Ningguang nodded solemnly.
He was about to say more when the comm device linked to Alice suddenly rang insistently.
Zhongli's expression darkened—he hesitated to answer. But the device popped itself into the air, the connection forced open.
Alice's voice poured out in a rapid-fire torrent:
"Hey hey hey! Morax! Guess what I just saw!"
"It's unbelievable! Absolutely insane! You'll never imagine—"
Before she could finish, Zhongli said calmly,
"The gentleman went to the Dark Sea. There's no need for such excitement."
"Oh? The gentleman—that cultivator? Wait, how do you know?"
"We just spoke," Zhongli said mildly. "He said he was catching demon gods to serve as… trial opponents for his disciples."
There was a long pause. Then Alice said dryly,
"Cultivators are even crazier than the novels. He's not even an immortal yet, right?"
"So you've heard about him grabbing thirty-some demon gods in one go, and then heading to the Quantum Sea?"
Thirty… demon gods…
The Jade Chamber collectively despaired.
Even during the Archon War, had Zhongli fought that many personally?
"He did mention the Quantum Sea," Zhongli allowed, "but he didn't say how many he caught. And he calls them 'beasts'…"
Alice burst out laughing. "Ah! He thinks demon gods are like cultivators' ferocious beasts? Well… they do look odd. Fair enough."
Zhongli felt… vaguely insulted. Was she implying something about his own dragon form? Handsome was handsome, was it not?
But Alice barreled on:
"You didn't see it! It was glorious! I was fighting two top-tier demon gods—yes, I could win, but it takes time, you know?"
"Then he—on a flying sword… wait, maybe it was your Vortex Vanquisher? Eh, whatever—he zipped over my head, glanced at the two demon gods, said they were 'decent in strength and kind of cute,' then slapped them both half-dead."
"Next thing I know, he sweeps them into his sleeve—I swear, that's the legendary Universe-in-Sleeve technique! Then he flits across the Dark Sea, slapping every demon god he passes into unconsciousness and stuffing them away."
"Later, the Hexenzirkel counted—thirty-two demon gods gone from our regular nuisance list."
"You can't imagine it, Morax! Those arrogant demon gods are now cowering—too scared to leave the Dark Sea in case he slaps them and takes them away. I even saw one shrink itself and hide in a crack in the seafloor."
"Ha! Priceless! Oh, and thank him for me—our witch coven can finally enjoy some peace. I can even go home to see Klee."
Hearing the joy in her voice, Zhongli was genuinely pleased. Alice might be flighty, but she guarded the borders well—at the cost of rarely seeing her own daughter.
This "beast hunt" of the gentleman's had, in truth, set her free.
"Congratulations," he said softly.
"Hehe! Save that for when we meet!"
"…Meet?" Zhongli echoed.
"Oh, didn't I say? Oops—too happy! I'm coming back to take Klee to Liyue. With such a powerful backer, I'd be a fool not to!"
"I'm gonna have Klee cultivate immortality—make her the number one demolition loli under Master Jiang himself! Who knows, maybe she'll even learn the Great Desolation Heaven-Imprisoning Finger or Six Paths Reincarnation Fist!"
"Alright, that's it! Bye! I'm packing! Klee—wait for Mama! Mama's coming home to take you to become an immortal!!!"
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