Lumine and Paimon had speculated about Qiu Bai identity before, but no matter how they guessed, they never expected him to be the Immortal Lord.
Not only that, but Zhongli, the one who had helped them plan the Rite of Parting, turned out to be none other than the Geo Archon himself.
Although they had already suspected that Qiu Bai was far from ordinary, they never imagined that the sword strike that split the heavens had been unleashed by their own friend Qiu Bai.
Meanwhile, Signora, drenched in cold sweat, slowly got back on her feet.
She snatched the Gnosis from Zhongli and left in a disheveled state, barely keeping her composure.
"Sorry, Lumine. Sorry, Paimon."
"I've been keeping this secret from you for so long."
Qiu Bai watched as Signora figure disappeared before turning back to face Lumine and Paimon.
Feeling a little awkward, he rubbed his nose and continued:
"As for why I hid my identity and didn't reveal myself to the Adepti or the Qixing…"
"You should ask Zhongli. I know you both have a lot of questions."
Qiu Bai then turned his gaze to Zhongli, giving him a small nod.
Zhongli chuckled softly.
"Qiu Bai concealed his identity and refrained from revealing himself to the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti…"
"Because I wished to test this generation of Qixing and Adepti."
"If our identities were made known, how could we properly observe whether Liyue Harbor was truly capable of standing on its own without its god?"
Zhongli golden eyes locked onto Lumine and Paimon as he slowly explained.
"And as for the Gnosis it was not a gift, but rather a transaction based on a contract."
"A matter between me and the Tsaritsa alone."
"The land that walks with god Liyue, has it truly prepared itself for the next era?"
"I needed to create an opportunity to observe seriously before making my decision."
Paimon listened to Zhongli explanation, then shook her head.
"So, you faked your death and Qiu Bai disappeared all to test Liyue?"
She waved her hands in frustration before looking at both Zhongli and Qiu Bai.
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I said what I did to Ningguang on the Jade Chamber?"
Qiu Bai casually waved his hand, his tone calm.
"You… You tricked us so badly!"
Paimon crossed her arms in frustration, glaring at Qiu Bai.
"And I was wondering about all those strange techniques of yours—so this is the truth!"
Zhongli glanced at Qiu Bai before shifting his gaze back to Lumine and Paimon.
"That is why I orchestrated this entire false death."
"By doing so, I ensured that Childe, the Adepti, and the Liyue Qixing were all dragged into the chaos together."
Zhongli gestured lightly as he continued his explanation.
"So even if things failed, Qiu Bai was there to catch the fallout."
"And since you could fake your death, Qiu Bai could also claim to be 'asleep' and avoid getting involved in worldly affairs?"
Lumine narrowed her eyes slightly as she processed the whole scheme.
"Then was the outcome satisfactory?"
She asked curiously.
"If it weren't for the Fatui Harbinger, Dottore, who released the suppression power of the Stone Lance…"
"If he hadn't completely lifted the seal on the Vortex God, Osial…"
"I believe that the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti would have been capable of sealing the god back into the depths of the ocean."
Zhongli slowly spoke to Lumine and Paimon before him.
"The way this entire incident was resolved has exceeded my expectations in the best way possible."
"The Adepti, who have long remained in seclusion… they had the least information, yet they displayed the greatest restraint."
"And when the crisis struck, they were willing to cooperate with the Qixing. In the end, they even sought to understand the hearts of the people."
"Moreover, that lady just now, at my request she concealed the truth from her colleague, Childe, and did not reveal what she knew."
Zhongli paused for a moment and turned to look at Qiu Bai, who stood beside him.
"Morcius and I have walked this path as mere mortals, as Zhongli and Qiubai."
"And in the end, we upheld Liyue traditions in our mortal forms."
"This journey… thank you for walking alongside us, Traveler."
With his eyes slightly closed, Zhongli recounted everything that had transpired. Then, his gaze returned to Lumine and Paimon.
"All of this was within my expectations. The only thing that truly surprised me was the actions of the Liyue Qixing."
"I originally held the same expectations for them as I did for the Adepti—simply to protect Liyue. But the answer they gave was different."
"They seized this opportunity to replace a god, using the gap left by my 'death' to swiftly take full control over Liyue authority."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Zhongli spoke slowly to Lumine and Paimon.
"Eh~! That doesn't sound like a good thing at all!"
Paimon held her chin, looking surprised by Zhongli's words.
"Haha… but I think this is quite wonderful."
"This was something I had long feared would come too soon… yet, at the same time, I had faintly looked forward to it."
"It is the most sincere farewell one could give to an old god like me."
Zhongli chuckled softly and spoke to Lumine and Paimon.
"Besides, who could refuse retirement?"
Qiu Bai waved his hand casually.
"Hey, you!"
"That's not what Zhongli meant at all!"
Paimon turned to Qiu Bai, visibly annoyed.
Of the two, the one who had deceived her and the Traveler the most… was undoubtedly Qiu Bai.
Back in the Golden House, they had thought Qiu Bai was about to be killed.
Yet not only was he completely fine, making them worry for nothing, but he also ended up slaying the Vortex God with a single strike! How could she and the Traveler not be mad about that?
"Heh, well… calling it retirement isn't exactly wrong."
Zhongli simply smiled, waving his hand dismissively.
"Hey! And what about me?"
"You two played me for a fool this whole time!"
"Don't you think you owe me an apology?"
Childe folded his arms, looking at Qiu Bai and Zhongli with frustration.
"Childe, you're being pathetic."
"Besides, I was tricked just as much as you were."
Lumine looked at the frustrated Childe, covered her mouth, and let out a soft laugh before turning to Qiu Bai with a slight pout.
"Ugh… how annoying… Haven't the people of Liyue taught you the saying: If you see through something, don't expose it?"
"Ahem…"
Childe coughed awkwardly. Now that Lumine had said it out loud, it only made his embarrassment worse.
"Sigh… fine, Mr. Zhongli, Mr. Qiu Bai."
"I'll take my leave first. You two really played me for a fool."
Childe held his head, feeling a little humiliated. He never expected that Qiu Bai, who had fought him on equal footing in the Golden House, had been acting the whole time.
"Let that woman, La Signora, leave first. I have no intention of sharing a boat with her."
With that, Childe turned and walked toward the entrance of the Northland Bank.
As he recalled the moment when Qiu Bai sword strike brought down the Vortex God, he felt a cold sweat creeping up his back. Just now, he had even considered challenging Qiu Bai to a fight again… What was he thinking?
Zhongli watched Childe departing figure for a moment before turning back to Lumine and Paimon, his gaze calm.
"Lastly, do you have any other questions?"
Seeing that Lumine still seemed to have some doubts, Zhongli asked her directly.
"What did you mean by using the Gnosis as the price?"
Lumine asked curiously.
After all, the Gnosis was the very symbol of the Seven. What could possibly be worth exchanging it for?
"Yeah! Zhongli always says that transactions must be fair."
"But what in this world could be valuable enough to trade for a Gnosis?"
Paimon propped one hand against her chin, looking at Zhongli in confusion and waving her hand dismissively.
"From a purely rational standpoint, nothing."
"Eh?!!"
Paimon looked even more confused. She had no idea what Zhongli meant.
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