"Morax, you've made another girl sad."
Upon hearing these words, Zhongli shuddered, almost losing control of his emotions.
This voice, even after hundreds of years, was still as fresh in his memory as if it were yesterday.
Logically, she should have returned to dust and earth. Why, why would her voice appear again?
Could it be that a deceased Archon could revive in another world?
Just a single voice was enough to leave Zhongli in a daze, standing still.
In front of Zhongli was a mechanical artifact called the "Memory of Dust."
Zhongli made no sudden movements, his eyes fixed intently on the Memory of Dust, afraid of missing any detail.
The Memory of Dust was a gift from a dear friend before her death, who said it contained her wisdom...
He had never attempted to unlock it, fearing it would sever his last connection to her.
He vaguely remembered the solemn yet joyful expression of the girl with wide sleeves as she presented the "token."
"This is the token of our covenant, and also my challenge to you. All my wisdom is hidden within this stone lock."
At that time, Morax thought the girl with wide sleeves was truly foolish!
The girl with wide sleeves: "..."
There was no formal contract, just actions taken together on their own accord...
Why was she so sentimental?
...
As time passed, wild Glaze Lilies had almost disappeared.
Every year, the Glaze Lilies planted in Liyue would bloom, but the one that belonged to her never withered.
"Haagentus..."
Zhongli's voice trembled slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of anticipation.
If possible, he would rather believe that Guizhong had not died.
"Morax, five hundred years, and you've never unlocked the Memory of Dust. It seems my wisdom has won."
The Memory of Dust, untouched for five hundred years, opened on its own at this moment.
A somewhat ethereal figure appeared before Zhongli.
Her appearance remained the same as it was five hundred years ago. Though she looked somewhat illusory, she still smiled as she gazed at Zhongli.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, Zhongli found himself at a loss for words.
His heart was racing, his hands trembling.
Haagentus had not died, or rather, she had died but had returned once more.
It turned out that when Zhongli and Paimon had crossed over, Haagentus, also known as Guizhong, had crossed over as well, as a part of her soul was within the Memory of Dust.
When she had delved into forbidden knowledge, she knew she might perish, so she had left a contingency.
With her wisdom, achieving this was not difficult.
Forbidden knowledge was explicitly prohibited by the Heavenly Principles. Those who touched it were destined to vanish.
But the wise were often unbound, or perhaps by the time she realized it, it was already too late.
The False Sky...
With her wisdom and Morax's strength, they should be able to overthrow the Heavenly Principles, right?
All that was needed was for Morax to unlock the Memory of Dust...
Unfortunately, this "stone" was too "dumb"!
After crossing over to the Douluo Continent, the "curse" of the Heavenly Principles disappeared, and her soul gradually solidified, allowing her to use her wisdom to unlock a corner of the Memory of Dust and observe the outside world.
Unexpectedly, she had crossed over to another world with Morax!
Good heavens, she had heard of travelers, like the twin stars who were said to be travelers, but she never thought they would become travelers themselves.
Morax in this new world was quite leisurely, but could you just unlock the Memory of Dust already!
The girl with wide sleeves screamed inwardly, but Morax outside couldn't hear her.
Seeing Morax again, she wanted to vent her frustration, but didn't know how to start.
These years, he hadn't had it easy...
"Welcome back, Haagentus!"
After a long pause, Zhongli finally managed to utter these words, as if the eloquent Geo Archon had died, leaving only the stone Morax.
Seeing this, Haagentus swallowed the words she had been about to say.
This guy was just a stone; why bother arguing with him?
She was dust, he was stone; they were meant to complement each other, weren't they?
Without hesitation, she wanted to give her old friend a welcoming hug, but her arms passed through him.
"I'm still in a soul state. The long-awaited hug will have to wait until next time."
The girl with wide sleeves said without a hint of embarrassment.
Zhongli: "..."
In the world of Teyvat, resurrection or reshaping a body was quite difficult.
But this was the Douluo Continent!
He could think of using the best "materials" to resurrect this dear friend!
The world dimension of the Douluo Continent was still too low. Resurrection would require going to a higher dimension.
The Divine Realm, where there was said to be immortal energy, would be just sufficient to resurrect his friend.
Thinking of it, he acted.
"Dear friend, go back and rest. I'll take you somewhere."
"???"
Even Guizhong, known for her wisdom, didn't know what Zhongli was planning.
But she chose to trust him unconditionally.
Nodding, she returned to the Memory of Dust.
Zhongli looked at the floating Memory of Dust, lost in thought, feeling somewhat bewildered.
It was as if he were dreaming.
After a moment, Zhongli carefully stored the Memory of Dust and vanished in a flash.
This time, he didn't bring Paimon or inform Xiao, but left alone.
In an instant, he arrived at the seaside, gazing at the endless ocean. Zhongli shivered slightly, recalling unpleasant memories of the boundless seafood.
Though these creatures were weak, they were slimy and endless.
Even with his strength, it took him days to kill them...
This was why Zhongli detested seafood and the ocean.
It wasn't fear, just disgust.
Gritting his teeth, Zhongli seemed to make a decision and set off again, flying over the vast ocean.
Inside the Memory of Dust, the girl with wide sleeves covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.
What could have made Morax overcome his psychological barrier?
Could it be love?
Zhongli: "..."
"No, I must be mistaken. This guy is just a stone; what does he know about love?"
For the kind, wise, and benevolent goddess to curse, that was Morax for you!
"Achoo..."
At sea, Zhongli sneezed, muttering, "I really can't get used to the salty sea breeze..."
The mighty Morax sneezing for no reason? Besides not being accustomed to it, he couldn't think of any other explanation.
This time, he was heading to Sea God Island!