Genshin Impact: I am the Great General of Liyue

"The rock that cannot be broken by the whirlpool will also be worn away by the erosion of time. It's just that I have been convincing myself that the day when it will be worn away and cracked has not come yet."

Zhongli glanced meaningfully at Huiyuan standing behind Ying, and continued, "Until one drizzly day, I was strolling along the harbor when I overheard a foreman praising his workers: 'You've fulfilled your duty. Now, go and rest.' At that moment, I stood for a long time amidst the passing crowd, constantly asking myself, 'Have I... fulfilled my duty?'"

As she spoke, Zhongli unconsciously revealed a tired expression. But it didn't last long before she recovered from the weariness.

"But when I began to consider whether I should abdicate... I realized that I still had many reasons why I couldn't leave. Is Liyue, the land that walks with the gods, ready to enter the next era? I must create an opportunity to observe carefully before making a decision. That's why I orchestrated this faked death, dragging the Prince, the Immortal, and the Seven Stars of Liyue into the chaos..."

Recalling the whole incident, Ying asked, "Even if you fail, you still have a backup plan, right?"

"Yes, that's why I have kept the Heart of God until now."

After Zhongli finished answering, Paimon tentatively asked, "So, if things get out of control, you'll personally step in and use your divine power to quell the crisis for Liyue one last time?"

Huiyuan, now in Lingling's skin, stepped forward and confirmed Paimon's guess.

"This is easy for the Emperor. However, if things really can't be resolved and he still wants to retire, he might let me inherit the position of the Geo God so he can go and enjoy himself. Alas, but now it seems that with Liyue's unimaginable growth rate, it's probably not my turn to take over the position of Emperor."

Zhongli couldn't help but smile after hearing what Huiyuan said.

Yes, once the heavy burden is lifted off one's shoulders, everyone feels relaxed and can't help but smile.

"I am more satisfied than I expected with the final resolution of all these events. The reclusive immortals... they knew the least information. But they first exercised the utmost restraint, then were willing to cooperate with the Seven Stars in times of crisis, and finally tried to understand the hearts of the people."

Zhong Li suppressed his smile, tilted his head and glanced sideways at the executive lady behind him, and continued speaking.

"This lady...as an envoy sent by the God of Ice to fulfill the 'contract,' at my request, kept the truth from her colleagues, young master, throughout the entire process."

Zhongli looked away and turned her gaze back to Ying.

"I myself traveled as the mortal 'Zhongli,' and ultimately, in this mortal guise, I upheld the traditions of Liyue. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, Traveler. All of the above was within my plan. The only thing beyond my expectations... was the actions of the Liyue Sept. My expectations of them were originally the same as the Celestials': simply to protect Liyue. But their final answer was: to seize this opportunity to replace the gods, using the vacuum created after my 'death' to quickly take control of all power in Liyue."

Hearing Zhongli's description, Paimon exclaimed in shock, "Huh? This doesn't sound like good news!"

Zhongli laughed when he heard Paimon's idea.

"Hahaha... I think it's great. This is something I've been both worried about as being too early and vaguely looking forward to eventually happening... It's a sincere practice of my old godhood."

Upon hearing this, D'Artagnan crossed his arms and became dissatisfied.

"Hey, what about me? You've made me run around like a fiddle, aren't you going to apologize to me?"

The woman responded to D'Artagnan with a mocking tone.

"Heh...how about I thank you? Your 'meddling' was actually part of the 'game,' and the Geo Archon should be thanking you for your brilliant performance. If you hadn't created the immense pressure of the battle between immortals and demons...then this piece of coal that the Geo Archon has been playing with for thousands of years—Liyue—wouldn't have become a dazzling diamond."

D'Artagnan frowned and retorted, "Huh? Why are you taking the stance of a god from another country to mock your own colleague? Want to fight?"

Ying looked at the young master, whose appearance was so different from when they fought, and she could hardly bear to look at him.

"Young master, you are truly shameful."

Upon hearing Ying's words, the young master's anger instantly subsided.

Unable to lose face, the young master feigned anger and said, "Ugh, how infuriating... 'Don't you know the saying, "See through things but don't say them"?... Ahem...

Seeing the young master lose face, the lady laughed.

"Hehehe... Well then, now that we have the Heart of God, there's no point in further conversation. Let's return to the Winter Palace to pay our respects to the Queen."

D'Artagnan calmed down, feeling disgusted but not showing it on her face, and responded to the woman.

"Sigh... alright, but I'll be going back later. I don't want to be on the same boat as you."

The lady understood the young man's meaning perfectly, and, too lazy to look at him again, left a single sentence and departed.

"Hmph, please do as you please."

As the lady left, she gave Ying and Huiyuan an arrogant look.

Ying also showed no weakness, glaring at the other party the whole time until she walked out of the North Bank.

After watching the lady leave, the young master went up to the second floor of the Northern Bank and disappeared there.

After the two executives left, Zhongli looked at Yingmei, who still had a puzzled look on her face, and asked, "Finally, is there anything else you want to ask?"

"What is worth sacrificing the heart of God for?"

Paimon nodded and pressed on, "Yes, Zhongli often says that transactions should be fair. But what in this world is worth exchanging the heart of a god for?"

Zhongli crossed his arms and replied confidently, "From a purely rational perspective, there really isn't."

Paimon let out a long, cute but confused "Eh???"

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Publicly available intelligence

Because she used Mora to enhance her mental strength, Huiyuan was able to work 25 hours a day without feeling tired.

During the period when Huiyuan was working 25-hour days straight, the foreman discovered this and hurriedly told Huiyuan to rest, saying, "You've done your job. Now, go and rest."

As Zhong Li was taking a walk, he came across Huiyuan, who had arrived in Liyue a few months earlier. He stopped and observed him. Then he saw the foreman carrying a large bag of Mora, handing it to Huiyuan and telling him to go and rest...

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