Having left Tianheng Mountain, Elliot wandered without any real purpose, strolling leisurely through the surroundings. This ninth life—it wasn't entirely good, nor was it entirely bad.
The good part was that it allowed his weary body and mind a chance to breathe. The bad part was that too much comfort might one day erode his determination to return.
So every day, Elliot drank tea. Each cup was a moment of reflection, a way to relive his past eight lives, recalling every detail, every promise. Decades had passed, yet he had forgotten nothing. That conviction remained deeply rooted within his heart.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You say you're a Qilin? Do you even believe that yourself?"
"If anything, you're more like a ball with horns."
The voice came before the figure.
Following the sound, Elliot passed through a forest until he saw it: a round, blue-furred sphere, with an god standing beside it.
"I really am a Qilin, I'm not a ball." The blue sphere spoke in a sweet, childish voice, almost indistinguishable from that of a little girl.
"No Qilin looks like that. I'd say you're just a furball who managed to become immortal. Let me see if those horns are real or fake." The god stepped closer to the blue sphere as he spoke.
"These are horns—you can't just touch them..."
The blue sphere suddenly lifted itself higher. From beneath, four stubby little legs emerged, an irresistibly cute sight.
The god froze on the spot.
"Pfft!…" He burst into laughter.
The absurd image of a ball with four chubby legs was just too much for him to hold back.
Though Elliot already knew this was Ganyu, and had expected her current plump form, the sight still brought a faint smile to his face.
The god laughed so hard he rolled on the ground. Ganyu, seeing this, grew flustered and annoyed, but with no way to fight back, she could only endure it with her cheeks burning red.
At that moment, Elliot slowly walked toward them.
Sensing his approach, the god quickly scrambled to his feet. Though the smile still lingered on his face, his eyes revealed a clear wariness toward Elliot.
Ganyu, confused by his reaction, turned around. Even the way she turned looked clumsy yet cute, but the god paid her no mind, his focus fixed on the masked figure in black robes.
"You're an god too…?" he asked cautiously.
"Mm."
"I suggest you leave immediately. This is my territory!" His tone was threatening, elemental power already stirring within him.
"Sorry, but now it's mine," Elliot said gently.
"You think you can—"
Before he could finish, Elliot vanished into thin air.
In the next instant, a suffocating terror engulfed him like a monstrous tide. A cold, gleaming blade was suddenly at his throat.
"No… don't…"
"I'll go. Don't kill me. I'll leave right now…"
As Elliot eased the blade back, the god let out a sharp breath and gasped desperately for air. In that moment, he had truly stood at the brink of death. If Elliot had even the slightest intent, his head would already be rolling on the ground.
"Thank you for sparing me… I'll leave now…"
Without another word, the god turned and bolted.
He knew full well just how vast the difference in strength between them was. His escape was only possible because Elliot hadn't wanted him dead.
Those sudden counterattacks people pulled when the protagonist let their guard down—those only happened on TV. When a gun is pressed to your temple, when a blade rests against your throat, the body's only instinct is fear—endless, overwhelming fear.
Elliot hadn't killed him because he didn't want to leave Ganyu with a bad first impression. Killing that god would have brought no benefit, only trouble.
Beyond marring Ganyu's first impression, there was also the danger that the god's essence might resonate with the karmic burden inside him.
Elliot's karmic burden came from all the gods defeated and sealed in Liyue during the Archon War. He didn't know if the one just now was among them. Better not to kill if it could be avoided—too many unforeseen risks.
Besides, he was not a man who delighted in slaughter. It was the karmic burden and the Abyss that had shaped him into this Dark god.
"So… strong…" Ganyu murmured in awe as she watched the god flee.
"You're a Qilin?" Elliot asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes…"
"More accurately, I'm a half-immortal beast. Half my bloodline is human, the other half Qilin."
Innocent as she was, Ganyu revealed her identity so easily. Knowing it wouldn't help anyone, it would only invite suspicion. But from the way she spoke, it was clear she was desperate for others to accept her for who she was.