The next evening, the Geo Archon came again.
Yes—the Geo Archon this time.
Not Zhongli.
"Oh? The Geo Archon has countless incarnations, and you actually went and made a female one?" Lin Ze said with visible surprise as he looked at the figure before him, clad in divine regalia.
He wasn't foolish enough to believe this was the Archon's true body.
Divine attire was just that—attire. There was no rule stating only the original body could wear it. A god could put it on whomever they wished.
And although this incarnation was female in appearance, her movements still carried habits formed from millennia of existing in a male form. It gave off the faint impression of a hardened warrior—yet her looks and bearing contradicted that completely.
The result was a strange contradiction.
Clearly, the Geo Archon hadn't fully adapted to the sudden change in gender.
"Archons do not possess fixed genders," she said calmly as she took a seat opposite Lin Ze.
"And this so-called opportunity—even you speak of it evasively. Naturally, it invites curiosity."
"Since you pointed out a possible path, it would be irresponsible not to attempt it."
She had used female incarnations before, long ago. Still, it had been a while, and the unfamiliarity lingered.
"You're really that curious about this 'opportunity'?" Lin Ze asked, genuinely puzzled.
From his perspective, it hardly seemed worth it.
To go as far as creating an uncomfortable incarnation—and even dressing it in divine regalia—just for something so uncertain?
Even if it was the Diary System, so what?
At least for now, Lin Ze hadn't seen Ningguang or the others gain anything particularly outrageous from it.
Unlike most diary-type novels he'd read, this so-called diary didn't seem to grant rewards—at least not yet. Maybe the timing simply wasn't right.
Even so, chasing something so vague with this much seriousness felt unnecessary.
"An opportunity is an opportunity," the Geo Archon replied after taking a measured sip of tea.
"In both Liyue and your homeland, the meaning of that word should be the same."
"Didn't you once say that Liyue closely resembles the ancient era of your own world?"
Her reasoning was calm, logical, and difficult to refute.
Indeed—机缘 carried the same implication in both cultures.
Lin Ze couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
No wonder this god had maintained Liyue's stability for thousands of years with only a single annual appearance.
That kind of intellect wasn't exaggerated at all.
"It's not that I'm deliberately hiding things," Lin Ze said.
"I just figured there was no point in explaining if you couldn't obtain it anyway. It'd only be frustrating."
"But since you're taking this so seriously… who knows? Maybe you actually can."
"Alright. I'll give you a simple explanation."
Lin Ze had already tested the limits of the Diary System.
Frankly speaking—it didn't amount to much.
To the diary holders, it might seem mysterious, powerful, even terrifying.
Heavenly Principles likely thought the same.
But to Lin Ze?
A paper tiger.
The system didn't dare do anything to him.
Because he possessed Black Flag Authority—a will-based power that was fundamentally unreasonable.
As long as Lin Ze believed his Black Flag Authority could suppress the system—and truly accepted that belief—it would happen.
Belief defined reality.
Soon enough, Lin Ze explained what the Diary System actually was, and how—at least for now—it had no divine functionality. Its only real ability was allowing its holders to read what he wrote.
"In other words," the Geo Archon summarized thoughtfully,
"this so-called opportunity is simply information you intentionally—or unintentionally—expose through your diary."
"If I truly wished to understand something, I could come directly to you, and you would explain it."
She nodded slightly.
She wasn't underestimating this at all.
Lin Ze possessed an alarming number of secrets. Especially the diary's function that allowed its holders to instantly comprehend unfamiliar concepts—that alone was invaluable.
Even if Lin Ze explained things personally, it wouldn't necessarily be as complete or as precise as the system's forced comprehension.
And there was another key difference:
Lin Ze was the host.
The system would never harm him.
The diary holders, however, were not.
That was why Ningguang and the others felt fear.
That was why they dared not speak openly.
That was why Lin Ze had blocked her divine perception earlier.
Viewed this way, the Diary System behaved more like a machine—operating under rigid rules.
Lin Ze might omit details, simplify explanations, or grow impatient.
The system, however, would not.
It would provide a full explanation—every time.
Which meant… she still wanted it.
"Basically, that's it," Lin Ze said casually.
"I could replicate the system's effect myself—instant understanding and all. I'm just lazy."
"So it's not that important. At best, it gives first-hand access to whatever information I happen to casually leak."
He took another sip of tea, then smoothly shifted topics.
"By the way, I've already met Heavenly Principles."
"She said that anyone who uses one of my Gnoses to ascend will be personally escorted to Celestia to repair spatial rifts."
"As for Ningguang wanting to use Gnoses as weapon cores—Heavenly Principles doesn't mind. As long as they aren't used too frequently, she won't interfere."
"If that's the case, then the final decision rests with you."
He paused, looking her up and down.
"…Given your current appearance, I think I'll call you the Geo Archoness instead."
"So—pricing, sales, whether Ningguang gets them at all—that's up to you."
Heavenly Principles didn't object.
Zhongli—now her—had even less reason to.
Ascending gods would be taken away.
Weapons could be researched.
No excessive interference.
And what god wouldn't want their nation to grow stronger?
Especially a god who was about to step away from direct rule.
"Call me Zhong Li," she replied after a brief pause.
"Different character. Same pronunciation."
"I'll be Zhongli's elder sister—the sibling of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant."
"As for the Gnoses' price…"
She shook her head.
"I won't interfere."
"Even if you sell them for a hundred Mora each—it makes no difference."
"Decide as you see fit."
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