"From what I just heard, Mr. Lin Ze," Zhongli said calmly,
"it seems you plan to show Hu Tao how those exquisite clothes are made from leaves. May I observe as well?"
Even under the name Zhongli, Morax was still the same—courteous, refined, and impeccably polite.
"Of course," Lin Ze replied without hesitation.
"If neither of you is busy, I can show you right after we finish eating."
When the Geo Archon himself made a request, how could Lin Ze refuse?
After all, as a rank-eight Genshin newbie, Lin Ze had always kept one thing firmly in mind:
What he knew was Zhongli, not the full breadth of Morax.
And people often forgot—
Among all the Seven, only one statue depicted its god sitting casually, posture relaxed and almost reckless.
That alone said enough about what Morax had been like in his prime.
Lin Ze wasn't afraid of a younger Morax—not with his current power—but he respected him.
After all, this was the god who once said:
"When the gods and demons of this world rose in strife,
I had no desire to rule, yet I understood the suffering of the people.
I wished only to sweep the land clean and preserve a corner of the mortal realm."
If Zhongli wanted to see—
Then Lin Ze would show him.
"Excellent," Zhongli said, clearly pleased.
This Descender truly didn't hide his capabilities.
Asked—he answered. Clean and direct.
Zhongli liked that style.
As it happened, both Zhongli and Hu Tao were free.
Hu Tao had originally planned to continue promoting Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services—
and if that failed, maybe go bother Qiqi for fun.
But something this interesting?
The sales pitch could wait.
After the meal, the three of them returned to Lin Ze's residence.
Under Zhongli and Hu Tao's curious gazes, Lin Ze casually plucked two leaves from a tree in the courtyard.
He rolled them between his fingers.
In the very next instant—
A nameless, indescribable energy surged outward.
It wasn't blinding, but it was unmistakable.
The leaves twisted, stretched, reshaped themselves—
fabric taking form, seams emerging, structure locking into place.
When the faint glow faded, an exquisitely tailored outfit lay before them.
A men's set.
One Lin Ze had prepared as a spare.
"So amazing!" Hu Tao's plum-blossom eyes sparkled as she stared at him.
"Are you secretly an adeptus?"
"This wasn't really made from leaves, was it?
Did you just use adeptal arts to transform them?"
After all, Liyue was a land that walked alongside gods.
Adepti were real, and stories of immortals waving a hand and turning objects into treasures were common.
"Adeptal arts? No, no," Lin Ze waved his hand quickly.
"This isn't that."
"The power you just sensed—I call it Black Flag."
"A mind-over-matter, rule-type authority.
And in my hands, it's already leaning toward conceptual territory."
"Mind-over-matter? Rules?" Zhongli murmured, contemplating the meaning.
Before he could finish, Hu Tao perked up proudly.
"I know! I know!"
"I read it—it's power that overrides rules!"
She planted her hands on her hips and glanced smugly at Zhongli.
Finally—something even Consultant Zhongli didn't immediately understand.
The diary was off-limits.
But Lin Ze's power?
That, she could talk about.
"That's the end stage," Lin Ze said calmly.
"Put simply—it's a very unreasonable way of interacting with the Heavenly Dao."
"Understand rules. Learn rules. Master rules. Then… stand above them."
"For example—"
He raised his hand and clenched it in midair.
Nothing happened.
He clenched again.
A faint breeze appeared.
Another motion—
wind condensed, elemental energy swirling into a sphere.
Again.
This time, a miniature Anemo Hypostasis—barely ten centimeters tall—formed in his palm.
"A tiny Anemo Hypostasis?" Hu Tao blinked.
"That's a first in Liyue!"
She reached out to poke it—
Lin Ze dodged instantly.
"Don't be fooled by its size. It's only small because it's in my hand.
Release it, and it's full-scale—with full power."
"Better not test it. If you're curious, I'll make you a harmless one later."
As he spoke, the hypostasis dissolved.
A moment later, Lin Ze shaped a non-lethal version, handing it to Hu Tao to play with.
Then—
He clenched his hand again.
This time, under Zhongli's widening eyes, an exquisitely carved chess piece appeared.
At the same moment, Lin Ze felt it—
A gaze.
Cold. Distant. Absolute.
He looked up.
Celestia.
"…Ah."
"So kneading a Gnosis by hand really does attract attention."
"Tsk. Fighting is such a hassle. Why did I have to show off?"
With a flick of his wrist, the chess piece—
No, the Anemo Gnosis—
Dispersed into nothingness.
Far away—
"Hmm? The Gnosis?"
"…Still here."
"Did I oversleep?"
"Eh. I'll grab a drink."
A certain tone-deaf bard stumbled toward Mondstadt.
Zhongli, of course, had noticed Celestia's attention.
But his focus remained entirely on Lin Ze.
From an ordinary man with no Anemo control—
To condensing wind—
To forming a Hypostasis—
To creating a Gnosis by hand.
So this was Black Flag.
Mind-over-matter. Rules. Concepts.
"…Absurd."
Zhongli didn't know what else to say.
No wonder Lin Ze hid nothing.
There was no need to.
With power like this, concealment was meaningless.
If they fought—
Zhongli suspected he would lose.
And with Lin Ze's growth rate?
He might even become experience.
"That power really is ridiculous," Hu Tao nodded seriously.
"But what was that chess piece?"
"I thought you were about to ascend and become a god on the spot."
She cheerfully put away her Kamera.
Moments like Zhongli losing facial control were rare.
And now that she knew his true identity?
This picture was priceless.
"I'm keeping this safe."
"…Send me a copy," Zhongli said flatly.
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