"What kind of wish would work?" Lin Mo couldn't help but feel a spark of anticipation.
[No, no, of course there are limits.]
[I can't just let you wish for power that surpasses the Heavenly Principles and instantly clear this life's mission, can I?]
[Overly outrageous wishes would go against the purpose of the task.]
[In short, as long as it's not too absurd, I can make it happen.]
The system's reply left Lin Mo a little troubled.
"Then what kinds of wishes are possible?"
"Why don't you give me some big examples? I'll take inspiration."
[Hmm… for instance, reviving a certain person?]
[Or granting you an ability like the Abyss Prince's—summoning spatial gates to freely travel across Teyvat.]
[Or perhaps… rewinding time in this life back to a specific moment?]
…
As Lin Mo listened to the examples, he nodded inwardly.
Not bad.
Though they were called "small wishes," they all sounded extremely practical.
Especially the one about turning back time.
If the plot ever went off the rails in the future, that would be a perfect way to fix things.
The spatial gate ability wasn't bad either.
In the original Genshin storyline, when Lumine reunited with Aether, he used spatial gates to bring the Abyss Herald back to the Abyss.
It was an incredibly convenient power.
Just then—
"Do you go by Lin Mo, or Venti?" the Heavenly Principles asked calmly.
Lin Mo hurriedly replied in his mind, "How about this—I've got things to deal with right now. I'll save the wish for later and call you when I need it, okay?"
[Fine. Then I'll go back to sleep.]
[Call me when you need something.]
With that, the system vanished without a trace.
Lin Mo's thoughts returned to the present.
He realized that the Heavenly Principles was watching him closely.
In her beautiful eyes, there even seemed to be a hint of admiration.
"Reporting to Lady Heavenly Principles, my name is Lin Mo. 'Venti' is merely a pseudonym I used."
"Mm. Lin Mo, you are quite remarkable."
She nodded in approval and continued,
"Although you haven't fully mastered Morax's power, from that strike just now, I could clearly feel it."
"You are already capable of unleashing combat strength on par with Morax at his peak."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted briefly toward Zhongli.
Recalling Zhongli's governance of Liyue over the years—
Three thousand years.
And every single year, he only worked on the day of the Rite of Descension.
For a ruling Archon of the mortal realm, that was utterly irresponsible.
She then turned back to Lin Mo and said calmly,
"I originally intended to make you an acting Archon. Once you fully mastered the Demon God's origin, Morax would reclaim his role and preside over Liyue again."
"But now that I look at it, you may be even more suitable for the position of a ruling Archon."
"Eh? More suitable? How so?" Lin Mo asked, puzzled.
"Even if you were to slack off, surely you wouldn't work only one day a year, would you?"
As she spoke, her eyes flicked lightly toward Zhongli, the disdain in her gaze unmistakable.
The moment Zhongli sensed that look, his eyes dropped to the ground. He simply stared downward, refusing to meet her gaze at all.
The Heavenly Principles frowned.
From Zhongli's indifferent attitude, she could clearly sense it—
He truly didn't care about the position of one of the Seven.
In fact, he even seemed to regard it as a burden.
"Well… let's discuss this later," Lin Mo said with a wry smile.
"Letting me serve as an acting Archon is enough for now."
"After all, Liyue owes everything it has today to Morax."
"And besides, my power comes from Morax. I'll have to return it to him eventually. I'm really not suited to shoulder the full responsibility of governing Liyue."
His words were logical and sincere.
The Heavenly Principles nodded quietly, finding no reason to argue further.
She extended the Geo Archon's Gnosis toward him.
"Then for this period of time, Liyue will be entrusted to you. I hope you won't disappoint me."
"I'm honored by your trust, Lady Heavenly Principles."
Lin Mo accepted the Gnosis with a smile.
"Mm."
She nodded again.
"This disaster has caused significant damage to Liyue. There will be many repairs and arrangements to handle."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Her gaze swept over the three of them in turn—
Yet not a single person responded.
They all looked like they wished she'd hurry back to Celestia and retire already.
Seeing no one speak up, her final gaze settled on Lin Mo.
It was as though she wanted to engrave his appearance into her memory.
But her eyes lingered only briefly.
She slowly turned around and vanished into the descending pillar of light.
After the Heavenly Principles departed, the three of them remained silent, gazing toward the floating island of Celestia above Liyue, watching it gradually drift away.
When Celestia finally disappeared beyond the horizon—
"Haa~"
Venti let out a long breath of relief.
"Whew, at least I worked hard this time. Didn't even get scolded~"
But the very next moment—
"Hey!"
He turned toward Zhongli, grumbling in displeasure,
"Morax, how could you drag Lord Venti into this? I was never planning to take that job in the first place!"
"If I'd had even the slightest interest, I'd have handed over the position of Anemo Archon long ago!"
"The matter is already settled," Zhongli replied calmly.
Then his gaze shifted to Lin Mo, and he smiled.
"My old friend, the future of Liyue is now in your hands."
Lin Mo knew this well.
Zhongli rarely smiled—
Unless he was genuinely, exceptionally happy.
This guy was clearly delighted to have stepped down as the Geo Archon, free of all burdens.
Trying to dump everything on me?
Dream on.
Lin Mo gave a mischievous grin and reminded him,
"Lord Rex Lapis, what about your contract with Rosalyne? Does it just not count anymore?"
At those words, the smile on Zhongli's face slowly faded.
"…Sigh."
He sighed softly, gazing toward Liyue Harbor in the distance.
"Given the circumstances and forces beyond my control, failing to fulfill the contract… should not be considered a breach."
"Your Excellency, you can't go breaking your own rules," Lin Mo said with a grin.
As he spoke, he raised the Gnosis in his hand.
"I can give you the Gnosis, allowing you to complete your contract with Rosalyne."
"But in exchange, you must agree to one thing."
Zhongli's eyes lingered on the Gnosis in Lin Mo's hand, clearly tempted.
He had upheld the spirit of contracts his entire life.
He had thought this would leave a permanent stain on his record.
Now that there was a way to erase that blemish, he was naturally more than willing.
So Zhongli lifted his head, looked at Lin Mo, and asked calmly,
"Speak. What is it you want me to agree to? I will do my best to fulfill it."
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T/N:
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