"Old Man, how do you feel?"
Jesse's mask was askew as he sat opposite Zhongli, crossing his legs.
Their table was the only one left in the entire Three Bowls Not Enough Port—the waiter had fled so quickly that he hadn't even managed to pick up the teapot, which was overturned on the table.
Zhongli elegantly took a sip of tea.
"To speak in general terms, well done."
"Huh?"
A question mark appeared on Elliot's mask.
"Old Man, aren't you angry? We completely ruined your retirement plan..."
"I am merely a Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor consultant."
The corners of Zhongli's mouth curved into a subtle arc, his teacup concealing the upturned line of his lips.
"As for Rex Lapis's affairs... what do they have to do with me?"
the quartet's masks simultaneously turned toward the Jade Chamber—where chaos was reigning:
"The God War is over? Why did you become like this, Ruotuo? Wait! What are you doing?!"
The giant dragon's furious roar shook the signs of Liyue Harbor.
Little Azhdaha was riding on its neck, cheerfully tying bows into its mane.
Ningguang led a dozen Millelith soldiers circling the giant dragon, while Yelan's Kamera flash never stopped; Ganyu followed behind, clutching documents stacked as high as she was.
"Oh, right."
Zhongli suddenly put down his teacup, a trace of cunning flashing in his eyes.
"What is the current status of that 'Rex Lapis'?"
A muffled laugh came from beneath Zane's mask: "The setting I gave him was—he suddenly collapsed during the Rite of Descension due to erode, nearly going mad."
He pulled out a crumpled script.
"After our 'treatment,' his memory reverted to the God War period."
Matt added sheepishly, "So now he's desperately complaining about you."
Ripples spread across the tea in Zhongli's cup.
the quartet realized in horror—the six-thousand-year-old God's shoulders were subtly trembling, and the reflection on the tea surface was clearly a face struggling to hold back laughter!
"Although the plan to test Liyue was ruined..."
Zhongli's voice held a rare lightness.
"But, Morax, has returned."
"However..."
Zhongli looked at the four and smiled, "It seems Morax is coming over. How do you plan to handle this?"
"The younger Morax isn't so easy to deal with."
A crack simultaneously appeared on the quartet's masks.
Jesse: "We're screwed..."
Elliot: "We've gone too far this time..."
Zane: "We'll improvise."
Matt: "Uh, well..."
At the Jade Chamber, Ningguang sighed, holding her forehead while facing the complete mess on the ground.
Ganyu, holding a stack of documents scorched by dragon breath, quietly explained, "Lord Rex Lapis merely... reverted to his younger state..."
"His younger state?"
Yelan shook her Kamera, sounding confused.
"It should be due to erode. Thanks to the treatment from those four, Lord Rex Lapis didn't go mad, but instead became like this."
Ganyu explained the situation.
Just then, a streak of golden light suddenly descended upon Three Bowls Not Enough Port.
Morax, in his Divine Regalia, stood beside them, geo element Crystalizing into dazzling gems around him.
"Just as expected."
The deep, authoritative voice caused the four Hilichurl to instantly hide behind Zhongli.
Morax's golden eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze lingering for a moment on Zhongli's Cor Lapis earring.
A strange silence permeated the air.
"I am not the true Morax."
Morax spoke suddenly. He could sense that within the "mortal" holding the teacup opposite him, there was a Geo Elemental Power far more ancient and profound than his own.
Zhongli gently set down the teacup, the starlight of six millennia flowing in his eyes: "To speak in general terms..."
His voice held a touch of helpless amusement.
"We are both real."
Morax's white robe billowed without wind: "So this is..."
Zhongli didn't speak, but a golden light appeared on his finger and tapped Morax's forehead.
Instantly, Morax's body stiffened, and he then glared at the quartet with unfriendly eyes.
the quartet immediately felt their hair stand on end.
"Regarding this situation..."
Zhongli slowly stood up, the phantom image of the Vortex Vanquisher appearing behind him.
"We need to have a serious discussion..."
Morax picked up the Vortex Vanquisher from behind Zhongli and walked toward the four.
"Run!!!"
the quartet fled for their lives once more.
This time, a golden shooting star was chasing them, and wherever it passed, Ley Lines erupted and rock pillars sprang up.
Hu Tao popped out of nowhere, holding a huge megaphone: "Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor's newest service! Lord Rex Lapis Beating Emergency Package! Book now and enjoy a fractured price!"
the quartet's mournful wails came from the sky:
"We were wrong—"
"We'll never dare again—"
"Help us—"
"We're going to die, going to die, going to die—"
The residents of Liyue Harbor looked up, watching this spectacle rarely seen in a thousand years. Someone started laughing first.
Soon, cheerful laughter spread throughout the entire harbor.
Five minutes later, on the ruins of Guili Plains.
"Damn, I'm exhausted!"
Zane's mask was tilted to the side, and the rat talisman in his hand was still smoking.
As the light faded, Morax reverted back into the Exuvia, which slammed into the ground with a "boom," kicking up dust everywhere.
Jesse took off his mask and exhaled a puff of steam: "How is this guy so resilient!"
Throwing down the RPG, he complained, "He only collapsed after taking three Thousand Years of Death! And he still wasn't unconscious!"
Matt's mask had a few dragon scales stuck to it, and he added, "He also took one of my Mount Tai Crushes..."
As he spoke, he pulled a flattened Geo element Shield out of his pocket.
"Look, I sat on his shield and broke it."
Elliot lay sprawled on the ground, relieved: "Fortunately, we had Bai Luo's Sunsettia..."
He pulled out a bottle labeled [Acidity MAX].
The late-arriving Zhongli descended, bathed in golden light, and slightly raised an eyebrow at the scene—the Exuvia's dragon tail had a bow tied to it, its horns were painted pink, and most unbelievably, its claw was tightly clutching Zane's thunder hammer.
"To think you resolved it so quickly..."
The corner of Zhongli's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"The four of you young friends truly are..."
"Give me a break, Old Man!"
Zane tossed the rat talisman directly over.
"This thing is yours now!"
The talisman traced a perfect parabola through the air.
The moment Zhongli raised his hand to catch it, the rat's eye on the talisman suddenly blinked.
"This item..."
"It's the rat talisman. It Turns Stillness into Motion."
Jesse dusted the dirt off his cloak.
"Your 'retirement substitute' was created using it."
Matt added, "You have to write the settings yourself..."
He suddenly lowered his voice.
"Whatever you do, don't write 'Hunt down Hilichurl'..."
Elliot pulled out a copy of the "Character Setting Guide" from somewhere: "I recommend this! The 'Gentle Lord Rex Lapis Rearing Manual,' Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor exclusive..."
Zhongli stroked the talisman, then suddenly displayed a smile that made the four shiver: "To speak in general terms..."
"Wait!"
the quartet uniformly backed away.
"That smile of yours is dangerous!"