Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver heard how Levi introduced them.
"The other two uncles."
It was obvious at a glance that he hadn't remembered either of their titles.
He had only remembered Cloud Retainer's.
'Wait!'
The two of them noticed something was off.
When Levi referred to Cloud Retainer, he seemed to have used the name "Xianyun."
Aunt Xianyun.
Back when Cloud Retainer introduced herself, she didn't seem to have mentioned the name "Xianyun," did she?
'How did he know...'
'Forget it.'
Thinking about how mysterious his origins were, how they still didn't know whether that Sustainer was real, and how he even knew things the Geo Archon had kept hidden,
it wasn't strange for him to know the name "Xianyun" as well.
Beside them, Ningguang quietly listened to everything Levi said. The way she looked at Zhongli gradually became interested.
Zhongli.
The mysterious consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
She had investigated him before, but found nothing. Since all he usually did was walk birds, admire flowers, and watch operas, without doing anything suspicious, she had stopped assigning people to keep an eye on this mysterious visitor.
"Little Rex Lapis."
She had held a seat among the Qixing for many years, yet she had never once heard that title.
Merchants were naturally suspicious. Even if Zhongli managed to shake off the title of "Little Rex Lapis" today, he would probably spend the rest of his life under surveillance.
"Little Rex Lapis is... Rex Lapis's son?"
"You only realized that now?"
Listening to the conversations among the bystanders, Ningguang's expression remained unchanged. The moment the title "Little Rex Lapis" was spoken, most people had probably realized what it meant.
Only the Geo Archon's child could possibly be given the title "Little Rex Lapis" by all the immortals.
Standing opposite the crowd, Zhongli lowered his eyes.
He no longer knew how to respond.
With this move, Levi had completely cut off his retreat.
If he continued denying it and defending himself, people would simply label him as rebellious or say he was throwing a tantrum.
Whether he admitted it or not, with Cloud Retainer and the other immortals involved, his identity had essentially been settled.
No matter how much he said, no matter how much evidence he produced to prove there was no such thing as "Little Rex Lapis," Levi only needed to say, "Do you understand Rex Lapis, or do I understand Rex Lapis?!"
And Zhongli would have no way to answer.
Normally, he would simply smile at words like that and not argue.
He couldn't exactly reveal his identity just to defend himself, could he?
That would be no different from admitting he was "Little Rex Lapis."
If his guess was correct, then his "will" would have him, this "Little Rex Lapis," inherit the position of the Geo Archon.
And continue protecting Liyue.
Zhongli looked up at Levi.
The smile on his face seemed never to have disappeared. Even when he had been worked up earlier, the corners of his mouth had still been raised.
Just where had this fellow come from?
Why had he gotten mixed up with Cloud Retainer and the others?
And when exactly had his plan been exposed?
Whether it was the identity he used among mortals or his desire to retire, he had never told anyone.
There shouldn't have been any way for it to leak.
"Immortals." At that moment, Ningguang spoke up, asking about the words "the will." "From what you are saying, did the Geo Archon foresee this day long ago?"
Otherwise, he couldn't have left a will.
"Gods are not immortal.", Levi answered calmly.
Not to mention how many gods had died during the Archon War, even after the war ended and the Seven Nations were established, gods had continued to die.
As long as one was still a lifeform bound by the rules, birth, aging, sickness, and death were topics that could never be avoided.
"The Geo Archon grew weary. Isn't it normal that he left a will early?"
Zhongli looked at him, seeming somewhat surprised.
'So you do know that I had grown weary.'
'And this is how you treat someone who's grown weary?'
Looking at Levi, if he could, Zhongli really wanted to lock him up together with Osial.
Ganyu stood to one side, looking completely dazed.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Zhongli and Cloud Retainer and the others, her eyes full of confusion.
"Little Rex Lapis..."
Her quiet murmur reached Zhongli's ears, making him let out a sigh.
"Could you tell us the details of this 'will'?"
After pondering for a moment, Ningguang spoke again.
Behind her, Cloud Retainer shot Levi a warning look, signaling him not to make up too much nonsense about this matter.
The Geo Archon himself was standing right in front of them. Even if you were forging his orders, you should at least show some restraint.
Otherwise, the Geo Archon might just snap and press you under a Five-Finger Mountain.
Levi nodded slightly to show he understood, then smiled.
"Of course."
"Hmm..." He lowered his head, pretending to recall it. "Build more relations with neighboring nations. For example, pay more visits to their Archons..."
'Relations with neighboring nations?'
'Mondstadt? Sumeru?'
'Or Inazuma across the sea?'
Levi continued making up a few harmless suggestions before finally getting to the important part.
Looking at Zhongli, who was pondering his words, he suddenly performed another knee slide.
It startled Zhongli so much he nearly kicked him.
The corner of Zhongli's mouth twitched without stopping.
"I-Immortal... there's really no need for this, is there?"
"The Geo Archon's final wish was for 'Little Rex Lapis' to inherit his divine throne and title after his passing, and continue protecting Liyue!"
'I knew it!'
Just as Zhongli had expected, his "will" really did include instructions for himself to inherit the position of the Geo Archon.
"My poor Geo Archon passed away at such a young age..."
As he spoke, Levi started sobbing with exaggerated theatrics.
He stood up, wiped away his tears, then waved grandly at Ningguang.
"Prepare the enthronement ceremony!"
"Isn't that a little too rushed?", Ningguang hesitated as she spoke.
The Geo Archon had only just passed away. Holding an enthronement ceremony now seemed rather disrespectful to the old Geo Archon.
Doing so might anger a considerable number of Liyue's people.
According to her thinking, the succession ceremony for Little Rex Lapis should be held after the Rite of Parting was over.
"A nation cannot go a single day without a god. Don't you know..." Levi wore a mysterious expression as he glanced meaningfully at the sky. "What people do, 'Heaven' is watching."
———
[Inside Liyue's Prison]
Lumine, Paimon, Xiangling, Hu Tao, and Kiana had neighboring cells. They sat on their beds with dejected expressions, waiting for the questioning to begin.
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! I'm really a Rex Lapis fan! You can't accuse a Rex Lapis fan of murdering Rex Lapis!"
Hu Tao stared blankly toward Lumine's cell.
She was clinging to the iron door, shouting nonstop toward the entrance.
After yelling for quite a while, she hadn't attracted a single Millelith. Instead, she had given herself a headache.
Before, she had only suspected there was something wrong with Lumine.
Now, she could be completely certain.
If there isn't something wrong with her, then my surname isn't Hu.
"Mmm... mmm... mmm..."
The sound of chewing reached her ears.
Hu Tao looked toward Kiana, who had asked the Millelith for ten servings of prison food as soon as she came in.
Seeing how happily she was eating, Hu Tao couldn't help becoming curious.
'Was Liyue's prison food really that good?'
"Um..."
She wanted a serving to try, but didn't know how to ask.
She only called out once before falling silent.
Kiana looked up at her, swallowed the food in her mouth, felt that she was nearly full, then handed her the last serving of food.
"Thanks, thanks, thanks! Once we're out, this Director will treat you to a meal at Xinyue Pavilion!"
After taking two bites, Hu Tao smacked her lips.
'The taste seems pretty ordinary.'
'Then why did Kiana make it look so delicious?"
She looked up toward Kiana.
Only to see her warming up inside her cell.