In Liyue, the name Morax carried the weight of thunder.
He was the Geo Archon, the Rex Lapis, the god who had protected Liyue for thousands of years.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
Hu Tao jolted upright.
"Black hair… tall… black-and-gold robes…"
Her eyes widened.
"That description…"
A familiar image surfaced in her mind.
"…Zhongli?"
[Hu Tao]: "My head's a mess. Why does the so-called Geo Archon heading to Inazuma sound exactly like our Consultant Zhongli?"
[Ningguang]: "Zhongli does know many things ordinary people shouldn't. When you put it that way…"
[Keqing]: "Don't tell me… Zhongli is Rex Lapis?"
[Venti]: "The Consultant is the Archon?"
[Hu Tao]: "Zhongli! Say something already!"
Third-Round Knockout Tavern
Zhongli froze.
But only briefly.
"This was bound to be revealed eventually," he said calmly.
"I was prepared."
Then his expression tightened.
"…What I wasn't prepared for is why I went to seek out the Fifth Descender."
The moment of calm shattered.
Aerin had explicitly said he had no plans to visit Liyue.
And yet—
Morax had walked straight into his path.
Wasn't this just picking up a rock and smashing one's own foot?
Inside the Imaginary Space
Not long after Raiden Ei withdrew, Sangonomiya Kokomi hurried in.
"Master," she said quickly.
"Lady Yae reports that a distinguished guest from Liyue wishes to see you."
"He calls himself Morax—the Geo Archon."
"He's waiting in the tea chamber."
Benelres nodded in realization.
"No wonder he felt strong."
"So he's an Archon, like Barbatos."
She frowned.
"But how did he learn of your existence?"
Aerin smiled faintly.
"Either Barbatos met him before dying… or sent word through the Thousand Winds."
"So," Kokomi asked cautiously,
"Does he think Barbatos' death had something to do with you? Is he here for revenge?"
Aerin shook his head.
"Morax isn't that foolish."
"He's the longest-lived god in Teyvat."
"If he came personally, then the situation must be urgent."
Both Benelres and Kokomi agreed.
Mondstadt had fallen.
Inazuma had been shaken to its core.
Liyue's Archon had finally lost patience.
"Let's see what he wants," Aerin said.
"I'm curious."
Tenshukaku – Tea Chamber
Morax paced back and forth.
Gone was his usual composure.
Sigh…
Sigh…
"So," a calm voice sounded behind him,
"why is the Geo Archon of Liyue sighing like an old man who's lost his pension?"
Morax stiffened.
He turned—
And instantly recognized the man described by Barbatos.
He bowed deeply.
"Morax of Liyue greets Lord Aerin."
"Barbatos once told me you were a god who had resided on Celestia."
Aerin paused.
"…Hm?"
From the audience's perspective, nothing Morax said was wrong.
Barbatos had mistaken Aerin for a former god of the Heavenly Principles.
Morax had simply inherited that misunderstanding.
Liyue Erupts
When Morax turned fully—
Liyue exploded.
[Hu Tao]: "It really is Zhongli?!"
[Ningguang]: "So that's why he knows everything…"
[Xiao]: "…Hah."
[Hu Tao]: "Zhongli, you're really Rex Lapis?!"
[Morax]: "Please… forget this."
[Venti]: "Even his namecard changed!"
[Chongyun]: "The Geo Archon works under Director Hu…?"
[Xiangling]: "He admitted it himself…"
[Guoba]: "!?"
Jade Chamber
Keqing's palms were slick with sweat.
"Lady Ningguang… what do you think the Geo Archon went to Inazuma for?"
"To plead for Liyue?"
Ningguang sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
"Who can possibly read the mind of a god?"
Back in the Tea Chamber
Aerin didn't linger on identities.
"To me," he said calmly,
"titles are irrelevant."
Morax spoke carefully.
"Some time ago, Barbatos sent me word."
"He said you were reshaping Teyvat—correcting the will of its people."
"I came to confirm whether that was true."
His attitude was respectful to the extreme.
World Tree.
Ley Lines.
Human will.
Everything Barbatos mentioned aligned with truths Morax himself had once glimpsed.
"And if that is all," Morax continued,
"then Liyue should pose no problem."
"Our people are diligent."
"They do not rely on gods as Mondstadt once did."
"Our governance is stable."
"Our Qixing are capable."
He explained Liyue's development across millennia in detail.
Aerin listened without interrupting.
When Morax finished, Aerin finally spoke.
"So that's why you think humans no longer need guidance?"
Morax hesitated, then nodded.
Aerin chuckled softly.
"Human will is fragile."
"If not for your guidance—and the watchful eyes of the adepti—Liyue would never have reached this point."
"Look at the Lawrence Clan."
"Look at the Kujou Clan."
"Once heroes. Now parasites."
Morax fell silent.
"I hear you intend to retire," Aerin continued.
"To fake your death at the Rite of Descension."
Cold sweat ran down Morax's back.
"…Yes."
"I planned to entrust Liyue's future to the Qixing."
"They are upright."
"The adepti remain as overseers."
"And if disaster strikes… I would intervene from the shadows."
Benelres frowned.
"If intervention is inevitable," she asked,
"why wait until things break?"
"In Inazuma, Beelzebul withdrew."
"The Commissions exploited her absence."
"Do you intend to repeat that mistake?"
She tilted her head.
"And if Bella discovered your intentions…"
"She'd probably say—"
"Why fake your death?"
"Why not die for real?"
The room went silent.
Morax broke into a cold sweat.
That was when he learned—
Barbatos had already died.
And Bella had orchestrated Inazuma's catastrophe.
Finally, Aerin spoke.
"If humans want to rule themselves," he said lightly,
"then let them prove it."
"Go ahead."
"Fake your death at the Rite of Descension."
"I'll personally test the will you're so confident in."
Then his tone turned cold.
"Remember this, Morax."
"If you don't fake your death—"
"I'll kill you myself."
"I want to see what Liyue does when its god is truly gone."
Jade Chamber – Aftermath
Keqing nearly fainted.
"So this is how it ends…?"
Ningguang exhaled slowly.
"Whether a god exists—or not—changes everything."
Keqing barely heard her.
Morax had gone seeking compromise.
Instead, he had accelerated Aerin's arrival in Liyue.
"Do you think… the Geo Archon will really step down?" Keqing asked weakly.
Ningguang didn't answer.
But she understood—
This wasn't coercion.
This was selection.
Zhongli, Alone in the Mountains
After his identity was exposed, Zhongli left the city.
He stood by a mountain stream, sighing.
Bella's words echoed in his mind:
Why fake your death?
Why not die for real?
Only now did he realize—
Aerin had once said the purpose of an Archon was guidance.
And yet he had walked straight up to that man—
And argued for human rule.
Zhongli laughed bitterly.
"…Barbatos definitely left out some details."
"If I'd known that—"
"I would never have brought this up."
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