In Genshin Impact: I accidentally ruined the Seven Gods

"Why did you take back the Heart of God?"

Looking at the Heart of God that had vanished from his hands, Shiraki asked Zhong Li in confusion.

In Bai Mu's own understanding, he simply wanted to delve deeper into the study of the Heart of God. Then Zhong Li arrived and took the Heart of God back, leaving Bai Mu completely bewildered.

Looking at Bai Mu's innocent expression, Zhong Li finally couldn't help but say, "You really have no common sense at all!"

"Don't I have common sense?" Bai Mu couldn't help but retort. Although he hadn't paid much attention to the plot when he played Genshin Impact in his previous life, he still had a general understanding of Teyvat.

Seeing Zhongli's somewhat angry and helpless expression, Bai Mu simply retorted in a low voice: "Actually, I do understand basic common sense such as the theory of elemental reactions."

Zhongli: "".

Faced with this guy who could also be considered a friend, Zhongli could only helplessly explain to Bai Mu, "You just tried to use your 'authority' to attack my 'authority,' which is why I stopped you."

“I can sense that your ‘authority,’ though incomplete, is powerful enough. If the two ‘authorities’ were to collide, neither of us would fare well.”

Hearing Zhongli's explanation, Baimu finally understood how dangerous it had been. Just as Zhongli had said, Baimu guessed that if Zhongli hadn't stopped him, Zhongli might have had to retire early.

Bai Mu learned from Zhong Li that his "point" was "authority".

Shiraki also had some understanding of the concept of "authority".

"Authority" is something that only some powerful demons can possess. Rather than saying that, it would be more accurate to say that there are no weak gods who possess "authority".

This shows the importance of "authority" to a deity.

Today, Bai Mu openly attempted to attack the authority of a deity. Fortunately, Zhong Li understood Bai Mu well and knew that Bai Mu was unaware of these matters. If it were any other deity, a great battle would likely have been inevitable.

"What do you mean by saying my 'authority' is incomplete?" Bai Mu asked Zhong Li.

Logically speaking, "authority" is something that either exists or it doesn't exist, so why is there talk of it being "incomplete"?

"Well, in terms of general rationality, this 'authority' of yours has never appeared in this world before, so you are the creator of this 'authority.' However, you haven't fully developed your authority, so right now it only has a framework and seems somewhat unstable. But this doesn't obscure the fact that it is extremely powerful."

After explaining, Zhongli looked at Baimu, waiting for Baimu's reaction.

After hearing Zhongli's explanation, Bai Mu realized that what Zhongli said seemed to be similar to his own situation.

Originally, Shiraki didn't possess any such thing as "authority"; at most, he had a rudimentary form of "authority" related to "water." But Shiraki also knew that it didn't belong to him.

Because the Water God exists among the Seven Rulers, as long as the Water God's "authority" is not lost, one's previous rudimentary form will forever remain just a rudimentary form and can never become true authority.

But things are different now. Although his current "authority" is still in its infancy and even more unstable than the previous one, it is truly Bai Mu's own "authority".

Moreover, Zhongli just said that his "authority" is extremely powerful, which Baimu could tell from Zhongli's fearful expression earlier.

If his "authority" were very weak, Zhongli would not have shown any fear after taking back the Heart of God.

After realizing the immense power of his "authority," Bai Mu wanted to complete it, but he didn't know how. While pondering, he saw Zhong Li standing before him—a god with complete "authority" standing right in front of him.

……

In a private room at Xinyuexuan, Zhongli looked at the dishes on the table with satisfaction. This was how one should ask a question.

The people he used to meet at those flower, bird, and antique markets never bothered to bring him here for a meal; they just bombarded him with questions. While he enjoyed it, it wasn't as quick as asking questions here.

After all the dishes were served, Bai Mu picked up some food with his chopsticks and asked Zhong Li, "How can I replenish my 'authority'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhongli pondered for a moment and replied, "Actually, I don't know anything about supplementing 'authority' either. For gods, 'authority' is something they are born with, so I can't offer you any advice on this."

After a pause, Zhongli seemed to feel it would be impolite not to offer some advice since he had come to eat with Bai Mu, so he continued, "Although I don't know how to complete 'authority,' I can tell you what complete authority is. Furthermore, you yourself need to discover your own 'authority'; others' advice is ultimately just advice."

Bai Mu largely agreed with what Zhong Li said. Advice from others is ultimately just advice, and besides, one's own "authority" is entirely self-created, which almost completely eliminates the possibility of learning from others.

Seeing Bai Mu deep in thought, Zhongli continued, "You can try to recall when this 'authority' of yours was formed; this might help in completing your 'authority.'"

"When did it form?" Bai Mu fell into deep thought.

He remembered that it was when he first studied the creation of the world by "earth, wind, water, and fire" that he fused the four elements in his body, which formed this "authority".

However, due to the different elemental strengths of each element, this "authority" is somewhat unstable.

"The 'Authority' of Creation!" Bai Mu suddenly exclaimed, startling Zhong Li, who was sitting next to him. Bai Mu, who had been sitting there quietly contemplating, suddenly made such a move, which caught the over six-thousand-year-old man off guard.

But then Zhongli looked at Bai Mu with some surprise and asked, "You figured it out?"

“That’s right.” Shiraki nodded.

“I have named this ‘authority’ ‘Creation’.”

Bai Mu then gave Zhong Li a brief account of the origin of his "authority." After listening, Zhong Li couldn't help but marvel at the "authority" of creation, which truly lived up to its name.

After learning about his own "authority", Bai Mu set his sights on Zhong Li's Divine Heart.

This time, Zhongli didn't hesitate and decisively refused Bai Mu. Bai Mu wasn't surprised; instead, he looked at Zhongli with a smile.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't want everyone in Liyue Harbor to know your true identity, would you? You wouldn't want your identity to be exposed no matter how many times you change it, would you?"

Afterwards, Zhongli left Xinyuexuan expressionlessly, leaving only Baimu, who was still eating, and the Heart of God in Baimu's pocket in the private room.