"Could it be that you are the Traveler who married Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing?!"
Philgolette carefully scrutinized Jack's appearance.
As the character attributes overlapped,
those once blurry memories gradually formed a picture.
Oh no!
Her boss's husband came to her establishment to eat, and not only did she not recognize him, but she almost charged him! Oh my, is this some Liyue folk tale plot?!
Philgolette, realizing her mistake, felt a wave of fear.
Her job was almost gone.
"Oh? My wife is indeed Ningguang. May I ask, what can I do for you, proprietor?"
"I wouldn't dare instruct you. This entire Wangshu Inn is Lady Ningguang's property. If I had known it was you coming to dine, then let alone a simple meal, it would be only right to clear out the entire inn for your private use."
It must be said.
No one on the entire continent can surpass the shrewd Liyue merchants when it comes to speaking to people in their own language and to ghosts in theirs.
However, with the Rock King Emperor present, to be so respectful to Ningguang's husband, aren't you getting something wrong?
Jack couldn't be bothered to comment on the drawbacks of Liyue's current system of governance with the Emperor offline. After telling Philgolette to hurry with the dishes, he dismissed her.
Thus, in the spacious, luxurious private room,
Jack and Zhongli sat opposite each other.
Xiao stood behind Zhongli, leaning against the window, absentmindedly watching the Ice Dragon Safi, whose tail occasionally appeared.
The atmosphere gradually grew heavy.
~Gulp, gulp~
Jack got up and refilled two cups of tea for himself and Zhongli.
He raised his cup and took a small sip.
"I just came out of Teyvat and met Mr. Zhongli. I suppose you've been waiting for a long time."
"I haven't waited too long. For these hundreds or thousands of years, it's not long."
After the pleasantries, the conversation flowed freely.
Zhongli gradually shed his reserved demeanor and chatted as if with an old friend.
"The Traveler has changed so much upon this return. An old man like me can no longer comprehend it."
Zhongli shook his head.
He couldn't understand Jack's strength.
In terms of quantity, it was less than his.
But in terms of quality, it was even more terrifying than the Heavenly Principles that had seized authority from the Seven Dragon Sovereigns.
That was something that could not be born in a single world.
Rather, it was an unnamable, unseeable origin formed by the entanglement of countless complex worlds.
"Even you can't understand?"
Jack's hand, holding the teacup, paused as he asked, "What do you see me as in your eyes?"
Zhongli glanced out the window, then slowly said,
"I see a god, a creator god, a god like the Lord of Creation who created countless worlds and unified all laws and things."
"You truly think highly of me. Even the Heavenly Principles of this world wouldn't be worthy of the title 'Lord of Creation,' would they?"
Zhongli nodded, "He cannot, but you can!"
"I'll take that as a good omen."
Taking a sip of tea, Jack drew a close to the topic.
He had realized this when he saw the 'Create New Save' option on the system interface.
If one save file was one world,
then when he possessed the authority over multiple worlds, wouldn't he transform from a creator god of a single universe into the unifier of all things in a multiverse?
"Ningguang mentioned the anomalies in Liyue to me. I wonder if you've been paying attention recently."
"Are you referring to those monster guests from other worlds?"
"Exactly. You've already encountered them?"
Zhongli took out a few items.
"Take a look. Are these the anomalies you speak of? Teyvat is not a stable world; there are quite a few unknown visitors from other realms."
Xiao kept his eyes down, pretending not to have heard the remark that directly touched upon Teyvat's greatest secret.
Jack, meanwhile, looked at the table.
Several glowing books lay there.
[Enchanted Book: Ender Shot III]
[Effect: Arrows return and restore durability after hitting a target]
[Enchanted Book: Moriel's Life Link]
[Effect: Restores equipment durability when health is restored]
[Enchanted Book: Berserker]
[Effect: The lower your health, the higher your damage]
"Indeed, these are characteristics of my world, and they are all enchantment books with good effects."
Jack introduced the effects of each of these books one by one.
Zhongli picked up the middle book, a repair-type enchantment.
"Truly wondrous things. Does this book's so-called 'restore equipment durability' have limitations? Does the material of different equipment affect the efficiency of restoration, and..."
"Stop! You have too many questions. Just sign this, and you can research it yourself later!"
Jack directly presented a contract.
He had basically explained Zhongli's questions to every one of his wives.
He had the patience with them, and he could even sneak in some physical contact while demonstrating the explanations.
But for a grand old man like Zhongli, it was better to let him learn the characteristics of MC through practice.
Knowledge gained this way would be more profound.
Zhongli wasn't annoyed by his attitude.
He picked up the contract and carefully examined it.
A few minutes later,
Zhongli put down the contract paper, his index finger tapping the table idly.
"The content of the contract is fine, or rather, I originally had no choice, but you have given me a more dignified way."
"It depends on how you look at it. Anyway, even if you don't agree, there will definitely be a battle between me and the one on the Sky Island in the future. By then, I will have already controlled my own world. Perhaps, to avoid trouble, I'll just drop a few Void Lord spawn eggs in Teyvat and end the battle at light speed."
Jack wasn't speaking idly.
As a challenging boss in the entire dragon adventure game, not a story progression boss,
the quality of the Void Lord was beyond doubt.
Take the Pyro Demon, which was powerful enough to rival Zhongli.
When a player picked up a Dreadsteel Greatsword and chopped the Pyro Demon (5k HP) to death in a dozen swings, the damage dealt to a Void Lord wouldn't even break double digits.
Zhongli believed the truthfulness of Jack's words.
But he didn't believe Jack would truly commit an act of world destruction. This person possessed a kindness that shouldn't exist in someone with such a level of power.
"Before signing this contract, may I ask a question?"
"Please speak?"
"Parallel universes… hmm, in your words, another save file… Is it possible to return to the time when they still existed?"
Jack fell silent, then replied after more than ten seconds, "I'm not sure. At least for now, I don't have that ability. Perhaps when more alternate worlds open up in the future, there might be something similar."
"I see, hmm, I understand."
Zhongli's emotions didn't fluctuate much.
Asking was merely due to a long-held thought.
Ultimately, due to the effects of erosion, his memories had long since fractured. Even if he were to travel to a parallel universe and meet them in that time, he would no longer recognize them.
"Rock King Emperor…"
Xiao looked at Zhongli, who had suddenly shown signs of weariness, feeling as if his chest had been struck by something heavy, making it hard to breathe.
Zhongli didn't remain downcast for too long.
Facing the Maid Charm offered by Jack,
He calmly took it into his hand.
He truly made his final contract as the God of Contracts.
"I shall exchange my eternal freedom for the continuation of Liyue. It shall avoid its fated destiny of sinking into the abyss with Teyvat, and be sheltered under the Creator of all things."
"Thus, the contract is made!"
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