Whether a god can create a stone that even they themselves cannot lift.
This is the famous God Paradox.
If God is omnipotent, then in terms of strength, He should be able to lift the stone.
But lifting it would in turn prove that His power of creation is not truly omnipotent—and the reverse is also true.
Used here, it was the perfect counter to Signora's words.
Moreover, the gods of Teyvat were never truly omnipotent to begin with.
They were simply powerful.
At this moment, upon hearing Bai Ge's question, both Signora and Tartaglia fell into deep thought.
However, Signora did not ponder for long.
"There is no omnipotent god in this world," she said coldly.
"But to humans, gods are omnipotent. Your question is meaningless."
"Indeed, such a question has no meaning."
To her surprise, Bai Ge nodded, acknowledging her words.
"But since gods are not omnipotent, then just as human strength has its limits, so too does divine power."
"A god is merely a stronger being—not all-powerful—and thus cannot protect humanity at all times."
"Humans should possess the strength to brew dandelion wine themselves, to solve their own problems."
At this point, Bai Ge no longer tried to hide what he truly wanted to convey.
Meeting his gaze head-on, Signora seemed to understand something.
"So," she demanded, "you mean to deny me?"
"No," Bai Ge replied calmly.
"I only want to ask this: since you have already burned away everything in the past, why must you still inherit the twisted hatred of those remaining ashes?"
Signora fell silent.
Then she laughed—brilliantly, dazzlingly.
She understood Bai Ge's words.
To be honest, the idea that Signora herself was a new life was something no one had ever told her before.
But the Crimson Witch—what remained of her—could not accept that everything she clung to was an illusion.
Her final ideal was simple: to fight for the Tsaritsa, until this body burned away a second time.
Normally aloof and contemptuous of all, the argument sparked by dandelion wine had already pushed her to the edge of her remaining reason.
Signora refused further dialogue.
"So you think I'll listen to you?"
"Who do you think you are?"
She spoke with icy arrogance.
As her elemental power surged, the air itself began to tremble.
Sharp ice lances condensed one after another!
"I have never needed salvation!"
With a sweep of her hand, countless razor-sharp ice spikes blasted toward Bai Ge like heavy artillery!
In this world—
Ideals are proven by strength.
Only the strong can defend their truth.
"I knew it… I talked too much."
Watching the ice lances streak toward him, Bai Ge smiled bitterly to himself.
Signora was exactly his type—an elegant, powerful elder sister. He had been fond of her even back when he watched the story unfold in his previous life. Getting emotional today, he had overstepped.
"But in the end," he thought,
"was it really talking too much… or was I craving a battle deep down?"
As the thought crossed his mind, Bai Ge drew the Thousand岩 Ancient Sword, taking the opening stance of the Ancient Thousand岩 Sword Art.
Earth-yellow elemental energy—almost identical in color to the blade itself—wrapped around the greatsword.
The moment he chose to fight, Bai Ge finally understood his own heart.
That proposal he and Ganyu had created would inevitably shake Liyue and attract immense attention.
When that happened, he would enter the sight of Liyue's upper echelons, and many things—his strength included—would be hard to explain.
Compared to suspicious bureaucrats, Rex Lapis was broad-minded and magnanimous.
He would not pry into Bai Ge's secrets.
But before that—
Strengthening himself was never wrong.
Without even realizing it, Bai Ge had already chosen either Tartaglia or Signora as a whetstone.
After all, they could not cause a scene or go all out.
That was his advantage.
Swinging the Thousand岩 Ancient Sword, Bai Ge charged forward.
The earth-yellow greatsword collided head-on with Signora's massive ice lance!
Boom—!
A dull, bell-like crash echoed through the teahouse.
An enormous shock—enough to shatter an ordinary person's grip and numb their bones—surged back through the sword!
"So heavy… such dense ice!"
Forcing himself forward against the lance, Bai Ge's expression changed.
And this was only a slightly serious normal attack from her.
But—
It's doable!
"Break—!"
Using Spirit Blade: Chonghua's Layered Frost, adapted into a Geo-element form, solid rock shattered equally solid ice!
Crack—!
Like glass breaking, Signora's ice lance exploded apart.
At the same time, the spirit blade slammed down, and a wave of Geo energy spread outward from the floor toward Signora!
"Tch—troublesome."
Watching the Geo shockwave race across the ground—clinging to the floor yet causing no damage whatsoever—Signora frowned.
At this stage, she had not yet ambushed the Anemo Archon, nor reached the point of "Morax and I are equals."
She was arrogant—but not that arrogant.
Having just arrived in Liyue, she did not want to cause a major disturbance.
And in her eyes, Bai Ge was the same.
Thus, this battle was less about raw power and more about technique.
And Bai Ge's move—
Was a very refined technique.
Unfortunately, such finesse was something Signora—who fought with sweeping force backed by the Tsaritsa's power—was clearly lacking.
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