The Rite of Descension had finally passed.
But that night in Liyue Harbor, calm was nowhere to be found.
In the past, there were always ripples after the ceremony, but things still stayed within the bounds of order.
This time—
an unprecedented earthquake.
The Geo Archon would no longer deliver divine decrees.
From now on, Liyue's future reforms would be decided by the Seven Stars and the Yuehai Pavilion alone.
The most explosive news, of course, was that the Archon himself had abdicated.
The land that walked with gods—Liyue.
Since its founding more than 3,700 years ago, the Geo Archon had never left his people.
Now, he had stepped down.
The blow to countless Liyue citizens was visible to the naked eye.
Without Rex Lapis leading them...
what should they do in the days to come?
And what of this new Archon, this "Dust God, Hagenti"? Who was she?
The fog of uncertainty swept over Liyue with no time to prepare.
It left people feeling lost.
Of course, those lost in confusion were mostly small clans and commoners.
The truly ancient families, however, sat in their brightly lit halls.
Doing what?
Naturally—pulling out ancient records and histories.
If the clan had scholars familiar with history, then the dusty scrolls weren't even necessary.
"The Annals of Liyue record this:
Over 3,700 years ago, before the Archon War began, Liyue was first founded in the land now known as Guili Plains.
Its name then was the Guili Assembly.
Its founders: the Geo Archon, and the Dust God, Hagenti.
Together they commanded countless adepti, safeguarding a pure land and co-governing the Guili Assembly.
When the Archon War erupted, the Dust God was defeated and fell in battle. That was more than two thousand years ago."
"What? Elder, are you certain of this?"
"Nonsense. Who studied history, you or me? You understand it or I do? If you don't want to listen, get out!"
"Yes, yes, Elder, don't be angry. It's just...today, when the Geo Archon stepped down, he gave the divine seat to this Dust God Hagenti. But how can the throne of a god be given to one who has already perished?"
"How should I know? Go ask the Archon yourself!"
Ask the Archon myself?
Do I look like I have the qualifications? Or the guts?
"Wait...could it be that the Dust God never truly died, but merely slept—and now, upon awakening, the Archon remembers his old ally, wishes to honor their pact, and so passes the mantle on?"
"That...actually makes sense. After all, the Guili Assembly was co-ruled by them both. This explanation isn't impossible."
The God of Contracts—nothing mattered more than honoring a pact.
If Rex Lapis had yielded his throne to the Dust God for this reason, it wasn't incomprehensible.
But still...something felt off.
And could this Dust God truly govern Liyue as flawlessly as Rex Lapis had?
What if she was cruel or tyrannical...?
"No matter what, there are too many unanswered questions. We must watch this closely."
"And besides, the ones truly in trouble aren't us. The Seven Stars are the ones in the hot seat."
"Indeed. Now that the Archon has stepped down, they're nothing but former officials...whether they can hold their posts is uncertain."
"Not necessarily. Each of the Seven Stars is formidable in her own right, each a peerless talent in her field. But if this Dust God lacks the skill to command respect, then..."
"..."
Conversations like this played out in every great family.
The details varied, but not by much.
There simply wasn't enough information.
To draw conclusions was near impossible.
And so most of the powerful clans resolved to watch and wait.
Northland Bank – Secret Chamber
"Lord Childe, these are all the materials we've been able to collect."
A Debt Collector cloaked in robes stood respectfully at the side, waiting for orders.
"Books? Why are you handing me books?"
"I wanted organized intelligence. What I want are results, concise and clear. Do you understand?"
Staring at the pile of ancient texts, Tartaglia's brows knitted. His hand slammed down on the table.
These fools had wasted nearly half a day—and gave him this?
"We do have a conclusion, but...it seemed so absurd, we feared—"
"Feared what? Even absurd conclusions must be reported!"
"Hand it over!"
Snatching the document, he glared at the Debt Collector, then flipped it open.
Moments later, Tartaglia leaned back, squinting down at the paper.
Old man discovering smartphones.jpg.
Damn it—each conclusion more ridiculous than the last.
No wonder the underling hadn't dared bring it earlier.
Even he found it hard to believe.
"This is it? These conclusions? What kind of nonsense is this!"
He flung the document back onto the table, scattering the old books. His fingers kneaded his brow in irritation.
The back office's professionalism wasn't in doubt—they had simply compiled data and drawn inferences.
If the results were absurd, the fault lay in the records themselves.
A god, dead and resurrected?
Unheard of.
But it had happened here in Liyue.
And Rex Lapis himself had confirmed it.
Absurd? Yes.
But when you stripped away the impossible, what remained was the truth.
This was serious.
Tartaglia disliked politics, but he wasn't stupid.
This news was explosive.
"Take my seal. Deliver both the report and these books back to Snezhnaya, with all possible speed.
Personally hand them to the Tsaritsa."
"I don't care what it costs—these must reach her hands."
"And one more thing. In the next seven days, I want everything about this Dust God. Everything.
Her history, her strength, her personality—everything you can dig up."
"Now. Immediately. Go!"
"Yes, Lord Childe!"
The Debt Collector seized the seal, gathered the records, and hurried out.
Plans carefully laid for weeks had all collapsed.
Tartaglia's mood was as foul as storm clouds.
Staying here left him on edge.
"Troublesome..."
He exhaled. With the errands delegated, he turned to leave as well.
He needed to calm his nerves.
And for him, there was only one way:
find monsters, and fight.
Battle was the only way to drown out all the noise.
For now, all he could do was wait—
for Snezhnaya's response,
for the Tsaritsa's command.
The matter now involved the resurrection of a god.
Would this change her stance on Liyue?
He didn't know.
Until her will was clear, the wisest move was to do nothing but gather information.
If he acted rashly and ruined everything—
he'd pay with his life.
(End of Chapter)
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