"Though I do not know the process, I know the result…"
Zhongli looked at Qiu Nian beside him and sighed softly.
"Yes…"
"I failed."
"No matter how close I came to success, I still failed."
Qiu Nian sighed, then smiled with quiet acceptance.
"You shouldn't have returned, my old friend."
Zhongli closed his eyes slightly.
"But this is my home."
"Since fate allowed me to leave it once, I had to search for answers beyond it."
"After all… my home may one day be swallowed completely by the flood."
Qiu Nian smiled faintly.
"In another world, I found a method."
"Perhaps it is only a faint hope, but it is still hope."
"The laws governing two universes are entirely different. Just the power required to locate and return to this universe…"
"…has greatly diminished my strength."
Qiu Nian spoke slowly.
"What method?"
Zhongli asked.
"A method so small it is almost negligible."
Qiu Nian replied.
Zhongli fell into thought.
"From the beginning of this world until now, no being in Teyvat has seriously contemplated such a matter."
"For even if one were to think about it, there would be no solution."
"The extinction of all things… is the natural order."
"It is the ultimate fate every world in the starry sea—including Teyvat—must face."
"But you, my friend, not only contemplated it…"
"You challenged it."
"And even found a possible method to resist it in another universe."
"Even if that method is incredibly small."
"That alone is already remarkable."
Zhongli spoke with genuine admiration.
"In the previous world, someone once resisted it."
"When that sword was last raised, people sought to save a world on the verge of destruction."
"But to wield that blade against the universe's law—that all living things must perish…"
"…is perhaps as ridiculous as charging a windmill with a spear on horseback."
"As expected, that world was destroyed."
"But I still admire that person."
"At the very least, they possessed the courage to challenge the destiny of the world."
Qiu Nian looked up at the blue sky as he spoke.
"…Indeed."
"If one compares the Abyss to the power beyond the world…"
"The Abyss might not even amount to a speck of dust."
Zhongli turned and gazed into the sky.
Qiu Nian smiled.
He had never taken the so-called Abyss seriously.
Even if his current strength was insufficient to confront it.
He still wouldn't treat it as something worthy of attention.
Yes—perhaps it was stubborn pride.
If an ant that once meant nothing to you suddenly became stronger while you yourself weakened…
Would you suddenly begin to respect it?
Besides, his strength was gradually returning.
And there was still the help of that so-called system.
At the thought of the system, Qiu Nian frowned slightly.
Because in a certain sense…
The system itself had been created by him.
The logic behind it was far too tangled.
So he chose not to think about it any further.
"I can sense your current strength."
"It is far weaker than during the Archon War."
"That will not affect your plan, will it?"
Zhongli asked calmly.
"No, it won't."
"But speaking of such matters now is still premature."
"For now, we should focus on the present."
Qiu Nian shook his head with a smile.
"Well said."
"Just like the situation before us."
"The prosperous Liyue of today no longer requires a god to guide them…"
"But before that, both the people and the adepti of Liyue must undergo a trial."
"A trial that will allow me to finally lay down my burden."
"When everything runs smoothly for too long, emotions gradually erode."
"And when erosion accumulates…"
"One must reassess oneself."
"If handled poorly, cracks will form in the soul."
"Cracks that cannot be repaired."
"I have walked this world for more than six thousand years."
"Even stone that withstands the crushing of whirlpools will eventually wear down under the flow of time."
"I have simply been convincing myself that the day my own cracks appear has not yet arrived."
"I was once the god of humanity."
"Perhaps once this matter is concluded…"
"I can finally rest, and simply watch the rise and fall of the age of mankind."
"That is why I chose to feign my death."
Zhongli looked toward Liyue Harbor in the distance.
Though humans and adepti had not yet passed his trial…
It seemed he could already envision the day they would.
"So you truly believe in the Liyue of this era."
"But this erosion…"
"Is it the erosion imposed by Heavenly Principles?"
Qiu Nian asked.
Zhongli nodded slightly.
Qiu Nian chuckled.
Then he stepped forward and raised his hand toward Zhongli.
White energy mixed with faint crimson strands emerged around him.
In the next moment, the same aura briefly appeared around Zhongli's body—before fading away.
"My current power cannot erase the erosion you have accumulated in the past."
"But preventing it from worsening…"
"…is not difficult."
Qiu Nian explained.
"Even with your power diminished to such an extent…"
"You can still accomplish such a thing."
"My thanks."
Zhongli said sincerely.
"That is because my status within Teyvat has not disappeared."
"And between you and me…"
"There is no need for thanks."
Qiu Nian waved his hand dismissively.
Zhongli laughed softly.
"Still, we must prepare for the worst."
"You and I have both ended eras."
"I often wonder how I should record the history of those ages I have ended."
"Time possesses immense power."
"History will inevitably distort with the passing years."
"Even stone that appears eternal… even the world itself… even you and I…"
"…may vanish one day."
"I have long wondered how such histories should be preserved."
"Even if this attempt ends in failure…"
"We may still leave behind the most precious thing."
"So that it may endure until the final world in the starry sea."
As Zhongli spoke, he turned to look toward the distance.
Qiu Nian followed his gaze.
Two figures were approaching.
One was a golden-haired girl dressed in blue and white garments.
The other was a small floating child with shoulder-length white hair, wearing a star-shaped obsidian hair ornament and a crown hovering above her head.
Lumine and Paimon.
They waved happily from afar.
"Come to think of it, you could also be considered one of Liyue's adepti."
"Now that you have returned…"
"You should also take part in the trial I mentioned."
"At the very least, when the final moment arrives, you must lend a hand."
Zhongli said to Qiu Nian after nodding toward Lumine and Paimon.
"When did I become one of Liyue's adepti?"
"I don't remember that."
Qiu Nian asked, confused.
"Have you forgotten?"
"During the Archon War, you formed a contract with me."
"You agreed to remain in Liyue as an adeptus."
Zhongli reminded him.
"I think I only stayed in Liyue for about ten years."
Qiu Nian's mouth twitched slightly.
"Haha…"
"My friend, whether it was ten years or one year…"
"You remained in Liyue as one of its adepti."
"And when we formed that contract…"
"We never specified an end date."
Zhongli explained with a smile.
"That counts?"
Qiu Nian looked helpless.
"But haven't you already fallen?"
"So that contract should no longer be valid."
He said with a grin.
"When did I fall?"
Zhongli turned toward him.
One hand crossed his chest while the other opened outward slightly.
His expression was genuinely puzzled.
Hearing Morax say this—
Qiu Nian froze.
For a moment, he didn't even know how to respond.
…So that's how you want to play it?