Achievement Unlocked: God Seat Contest (Rock)
Special Reward Obtained
Boom!
The moment the contract was signed,
A muffled sound echoed from the void.
No one could hear this magnificent sound.
Only Jack.
Only he heard the world's congratulations.
Congratulations to him, the Unifier of all things, for taking another step forward.
"Is this your accumulation over 6000 years, God of War Morax?"
Unlike last time,
Venti's power was less than a tenth of what it once was, most of it used to maintain Mondstadt's current mild climate. Therefore, the achievement from the God Seat Contest brought him more authority than power accumulated over centuries.
Zhongli, however, was different.
As one of the oldest Archons, even without counting his 3700 years as one of the Seven, he was already a peak combatant standing at the pinnacle of Teyvat.
Therefore, when Zhongli unreservedly bestowed this power upon himself,
Jack also felt the weight of these 6000 years of memories.
So, to repay his generosity,
After gaining control of this vast power, Jack took out the "Beginner" spellbook, capable of shaking the laws of the world.
"Purify."
The consumption of magic was almost nonexistent, but the effect displayed was extremely astonishing.
A pure white light flashed.
Zhongli's entire soul seemed to be cleansed of its impurities. Past scenes flashed through his mind layer by layer, and those fragmented memories were integrated by an overbearing force.
After a long while,
"Guizhong, Bosacius… I remember them, I remember everyone."
Zhongli murmured.
Unknowingly, grains of sand slipped from the corners of his eyes.
This member of the Archons with the most resilient soul, after all, had borne too much alone.
Just then,
"Food's here!"
The enthusiastic Philgolette personally lent a hand, bringing a steaming hot Liyue dish.
Jack's Aralia Element Power concealed the scene.
The sight of the Archon's momentary loss of composure was overlooked by the person, barely helping him save face.
So Zhongli composed himself, once again assuming the air of a sage.
"Traveler, Guest Zhongli, and Adeptus Xiao, this is our restaurant's signature dish, Jade Parcels, made from the finest part of two-and-a-half-year-aged smoked ham, blended with freshly picked crisp lotus seeds, and a rich, thick broth like a twilight cascade. It is one of the few delicacies that can rival the legendary Adeptus' Temptation."
Facing her were either high-ranking Adepti or a formidable individual who had taken down the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing.
Philgolette had been watching in the kitchen for a long time.
She mobilized most of the chef team, and only then did they manage to prepare the best dishes in the shortest amount of time.
"Fresh and rich, with distinct textures. It is indeed a rare delicacy."
Zhongli tasted a bite and commented.
"To be praised by you, it must indeed be excellent. Owner, you've put your heart into this."
Jack could see that Philgolette was a bit tense, so he comforted her.
After hearing this,
The young and beautiful female owner patted her chest, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Then, with a professional smile, she said, "Hehe, as long as our esteemed guests like it. The rest of the dishes will be here shortly. I'll go to the kitchen to oversee them for you."
The door closed.
Jack looked at Xiao, who was still standing by the window, and said, "Your sense of taste should have recovered, right? Sit down, don't be shy."
"Indeed, such fine cuisine should not be wasted."
Facing the invitation from his close friend and benevolent father,
Xiao, unable to refuse the warm invitation, awkwardly sat down beside Zhongli.
But he didn't pick up his chopsticks, so Zhongli proactively served him.
After an hour, Xiao, who was being "tortured" by the two in turns, had a whole back full of cold sweat.
After the meal,
All the kitchen staff at Wangshu Inn were sprawled on the ground, exhausted.
Facing Philgolette, who re-entered the room,
Even Yan Xiao, who was once a notorious bandit, spoke with a stiff expression: "Boss! The brothers are all exhausted, they can't even lift a wok spatula now!"
"Hehe, it's alright, it's alright. This time I'm not here to rush your service. Those esteemed guests have finished their meal."
"Really? That's great! I almost felt like my hands didn't belong to me anymore!"
Philgolette was clearly in a very good mood, and she said directly, "Don't worry, I won't mistreat you. The esteemed guests enjoyed their meal very much, so your salaries will be tripled this month."
"Yay! Long live the boss!"
The chefs who were sprawled on the ground immediately stood up.
They cheered, vowing to be the dogs of Wangshu Inn for life.
...
After the gathering,
The three once again rode the Ice Dragon Safi, flying towards Liyue Harbor.
On the spacious back of the Ice Dragon, Zhongli obsessively kneaded the MC World ore that Jack had taken out, as if a pervert had seen an unparalleled beauty.
Jack sat cross-legged beside him, watching him mold the stone into that shape, finding it quite peculiar.
"Can you teach me this?"
"Hmm?"
Zhongli turned to look at Jack, seeing his gaze fixed on the Azhdaha he had sculpted, and smiled, "Why not?"
So, one taught, one learned.
Both of them possessed god-level comprehension abilities.
Before long, Jack evolved from a novice clay sculptor to a master craftsman.
In front of Zhongli, he sculpted a huge diamond into a 1/7 scale Keqing figurine.
The girl's heroic posture, holding a sword, was perfectly recreated, as if a real person were standing before them.
"As expected of the Traveler. In such a short time, you have already initially mastered the application of the Rock Element authority. I imagine it won't be long before forging divine artifacts at will will be a trivial matter for you."
Zhongli praised Jack's learning ability.
"It's just sculpting a small clay figure, how does that relate to forging…"
Mid-sentence, Jack thought of some of Zhongli's settings.
Zhongli's signature weapon, the Staff of Homa, seemed to have been crafted by himself.
And it was a weapon that could be "casually" thrown during the Archon War.
If he could casually create five-star divine artifacts, wouldn't that mean this Rock King Emperor was also a seasoned blacksmith?
Zhongli seemed to have seen through his doubts and nodded directly, "I have some slight knowledge of forging. Does the Traveler need any weapons forged?"
Here it comes! Usually, when someone says they have "slight knowledge," they are either a Grandmaster or at least a Grandmaster candidate.
"Indeed, there is a place where I need your help, Zhongli. First, take a look at this greatsword."
Jack eagerly took out the Netherite Greatsword from the Tetra module.
"Um… Rock King Emperor, Traveler, ahead is the Tianheng Mountain range."
Xiao reminded the two who were chatting happily.
Only then did Jack notice.
The group, riding the Ice Dragon Airlines, had already crossed thousands of kilometers.
So, following the direction Xiao pointed, Jack looked over.
Liyue's prosperous scenery came into view, and he unconsciously murmured a line.
"Painted eaves fly with Liyue clouds in the morning, pearl curtains roll up Tianheng rain at dusk."
Pavilions and towers, carved beams and painted pillars.
This scene made him feel as if he had traveled back to the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, seeing the majestic and magnificent Pavilion of Prince Teng.
"A fine poem. I didn't expect the Traveler to possess such literary talent."
Jack retracted his gaze and smiled, "It's merely borrowing a poem from a predecessor and replacing two place names."
"Hehe, even so, it is still a rare masterpiece, much better than Director Hu, who only writes doggerel poems."
"Hutao, huh."
A lively and active figure popped into Jack's mind, and a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
This person could also be considered a famous actress of MiHoYo.
Seeing this, Zhongli actively played wingman for his daughter.
"Speaking of which, during the time the Traveler was away, Hutao always talked about going to find you. Now that you've just returned to Liyue, if you don't have anywhere else you want to go, how about dropping by the Hall of Wangsheng?"
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