"Azhdaha, how do you feel?"
"…Still alright, but also not good at all.
The ley lines? Erosion? Or… the Abyss?
All of them."
Azhdaha, the Dragon King, was born of elemental creation—the spirit of Teyvat's earth, the progenitor of the ley lines.
The ley lines were his very lifeblood.
Once they were damaged, no matter how, he would inevitably suffer.
That was why, in the past, when Liyue's people mined and disturbed the ley lines, Azhdaha flew into a violent rage.
Erosion was the law of Celestia, imposed to limit all long-lived beings.
Only Descenders were exempt.
And as for the Abyss, there was little more to explain.
It was a foreign force that invaded the living realm, the root cause of Teyvat's endless calamities.
Now, though Azhdaha had regained his sanity, his state was far from stable.
Liyue's ley lines were damaged—an unchangeable fact.
The Abyss had invaded the land—an unchangeable fact.
The erosion imposed by Celestia could not be removed, only suppressed and relieved.
Even with his mind restored, it was only treating the symptoms, not the cause.
"Morax… perhaps I should remain sealed here.
You know well that erosion is only one of the reasons.
Suppressing it doesn't mean removing it.
If my true body is released and I lose control, that would spell disaster for Liyue."
Azhdaha's face was grave.
Even if there were those who could subdue him with ease… what if they weren't there when he raged?
They could hardly watch him day and night.
He was, after all, one of the elders present at the founding of Liyue.
He could not allow himself to be a potential threat to it, even if no signs appeared now.
Zhongli said nothing.
He knew Azhdaha was right.
But at this stage—
"My old friend, don't think too much about me."
Azhdaha chuckled, shaking his head.
"I am a being of elemental creation, Azhdaha the Dragon King. This is my fate.
Even if my body cannot go free, it matters not.
As long as I still have reason, come visit and speak with me when you can.
Or, I can simply condense an avatar to walk outside, leaving this body to slumber.
Unless… you have a better solution? One that satisfies both sides."
Of course, he didn't truly wish to remain sealed forever.
But for now, it was the most prudent choice.
This time, however, Zhongli's answer was different from a hundred years ago.
"…Alas.
Where in the world can one find a perfect solution?"
He sighed, helpless.
To truly resolve Azhdaha's afflictions, there were indeed ways.
But nearly all of them were impossible to achieve.
First, the erosion.
That did not need to be solved completely. Suppression would suffice.
This would not count as defying Celestia, nor would it draw notice.
It was simple enough.
The difficulty lay in the next two problems.
Second, the ley lines.
To cut off their harmful influence on Azhdaha, the first step would be to shatter the Geo Archon's seat of divinity, returning to Azhdaha the ancient authority that Celestia had stolen.
Only then could his power be whole, allowing him to command the ley lines rather than suffer their backlash.
But that would mean rebelling against the Seven's order. It would be tantamount to directly turning against Celestia.
Even in Celestia's current slumber, the consequences would be dire.
Third, the Abyss.
The power Nibelungen brought back from it gravely wounded the Primordial One, causing the collapse of most of the heavenly order.
Thus, the heavens had to reforge the Seven's system as a substitute.
That was the origin of the Archon War.
If even the heavens could not erase the Abyss entirely, how could they?
Perhaps "Taro" could, but…
His contract with Taro was already fulfilled.
For him to act again, another contract must be signed.
And the cost?
In the last round, everything that could be offered had been given.
This time, they had nothing.
Sell himself?
Sell Azhdaha?
Even selling both might not be enough.
This was open defiance against Celestia itself—an entirely different level from reviving the dead.
Zhongli did not believe he had the face, nor that he and Azhdaha had the value, to demand such.
Even all of Liyue together could not pay the price.
As he pondered, suddenly a wild idea struck him.
"Azhdaha…"
Stroking his chin, Zhongli suggested decisively:
"What if… you killed yourself once?"
"…What?"
Azhdaha froze, his whole dragon body stiff.
What did he mean, kill myself?
Suicide?
What kind of absurd idea was this?
Morax, has your head been slammed in a door?
"I am not speaking nonsense."
Zhongli explained calmly:
"To have Taro solve this at the root is beyond what we can afford.
But I thought of another method.
Taro can resurrect the dead. Those revived keep their memories, keep their power, but all negative states are cleansed.
This has been proven on Guizhong and the fallen Yakshas.
Whether it is erosion, the ley lines' backlash, or the Abyss's influence, all would vanish.
If you were to die once, then be revived by him—wouldn't that be perfect?"
Perfect indeed.
After death and resurrection, every negative state erased.
Memories and power preserved.
Was this not the double perfection he had always sought?
Only… it would be bitter for Azhdaha.
For death was never pleasant.
As Zhongli explained, Azhdaha's eyes widened.
Unconsciously, he turned to look at Taro, who was cracking melon seeds.
"This method… is it truly feasible?"
"Mm."
Taro nodded lightly. "Zhongli isn't wrong. Theoretically, it works. In practice, it works too.
As long as you have the courage to kill yourself, it's a hundred percent success.
If you can't do it, I can kill you instead—for just a small extra service fee."
Service fee?
Naturally, the Dragon King's body.
After all, the highest-grade resurrection magic didn't even need a corpse.
Letting it go to waste would only breed resentment.
Better to give it to Taro as raw material for reforging.
Zhongli really was reliable.
He'd thought to use this very method on Nibelungen, though he hadn't begun.
He hadn't expected Zhongli to hit upon the same idea.
Azhdaha fell silent for a long while, then turned to Zhongli.
"Morax… you've changed."
"The only perfect solution I can think of… is this."
(End of Chapter)
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