Chapter 382 - 381: God of Dust Guizhong?

"I see, I understand. This cooperation with Inazuma is very important, and I will consider it carefully."

"Okay, then I’ll go back to work, Ningguang."

Ningguang nodded, watched Ganyu’s departing figure, picked up the pipe next to her and took a puff, constantly pondering what Miss Delezie’s words meant.

To actually stand with Inazuma and intercede for them, what exactly happened during their time in Inazuma? To make Miss Delezie go to such lengths for Inazuma.

Or perhaps, Miss Delezie just hoped that the people of Inazuma could eat their fill. Liyue has the saying "Food is the paramount concern of the people," no matter what, eating is the most important thing.

Miss Delezie understood the situation of the starving Inazuma people, and to deal with such a situation, she specifically instructed Ganyu to tell her these words.

If it was this possibility, then there was nothing to it. Doing Inazuma a favor would also benefit Liyue, and she intended to do so.

If it was the former, she had one more problem to worry about.

The nations protected by Miss Delezie... are there perhaps too many?

First, there’s Mondstadt, where she lived for a thousand years, which she might protect. She has also shown considerable affection for Liyue, and Shenhe, with whom she is bound, is also from Liyue. Miss Delezie will definitely protect the land where Shenhe grew up.

But what about Inazuma? Inazuma is so chaotic, and even the Electro Archon is a bit fierce. Logically, she shouldn’t appeal to Miss Delezie, so why is she concerned about that nation?

Could it be that Inazuma was so miserable that Miss Delezie couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to help?

Then what kind of dire situation is Inazuma currently in, that it has captured Miss Delezie’s attention to this extent?

Actually... how should I put it? Strictly speaking, Inazuma isn’t too bad at the moment. The main reason is the things Miss Delezie learned.

Leaving Narukami Island aside for now, the final outcome for Yashiori Island was relatively good, and the village eventually returned to normal.

But the story of Asase Shrine on Seirai Island, and the stories of A-Liu and Kapatcir on Tsurumi Island—just these two stories had already deeply moved Miss Delezie. To prevent such things from happening again, Miss Delezie paid a little more attention to Inazuma’s affairs.

...Should I find time to visit Inazuma? Or maybe not, even leaving for a day would leave a lot of things undone. I can’t leave during this period."

Looking at the piles of official documents on the table, even Ningguang couldn’t help but smile wryly. Sometimes she really admired Ganyu, who could handle so many documents beautifully every day.

She truly was a secretary who had been there since the first Liyue Qixing. In this regard, she was reliable. If Ganyu were to resign one day, Ningguang couldn’t imagine what kind of chaos Liyue would fall into.

While Ningguang was lamenting Ganyu’s importance to Liyue, Miss Delezie was having tea with Zhongli, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time... and Azhdaha.

They were having tea at the Heyu Tea House, listening to Yun Jin’s opera performance.

"Is that so, she was actually resurrected. I didn’t expect you to be able to do even something like that, it’s truly surprising."

As one of the parties involved in the incident back then, Zhongli naturally knew about Raiden Makoto’s demise.

He didn’t expect Miss Delezie to actually rely on the body of a God to reshape a physical body for Raiden Makoto and help her successfully resurrect. Such a feat, he believed, even the Heavenly Principles wouldn’t be able to achieve.

"Resurrecting a dead God..."

Azhdaha next to him repeated Miss Delezie’s words. His pupils flickered constantly. He recalled the Archon War period, when besides Zhongli and himself, there was another God who acted with them.

Recalling that God, Azhdaha felt regret. It wasn’t just him; the Adepti of Liyue, and even Zhongli, were in the same situation.

"Miss Delezie, since you can bring Raiden Makoto back to this world, can you bring Guizhong back?"

Zhongli’s hand, holding the teacup, stiffened slightly. He almost crushed the teacup in his hand because of Azhdaha’s words.

"Azhdaha..."

"Don’t you want to see her return? This city was created by you and her. She must also want to see Liyue as it is today, and wants to meet you again."

"...I understand."

Zhongli let out a long sigh. How could he not want to see her again, that slightly foolish but extremely important friend who, despite never making any formal contract, always acted alongside him?

"Miss Delezie also said that the reason she could bring Raiden Makoto back to this world was because she found Raiden Makoto’s soul. But... Guizhong’s soul has long since dissipated. Even if we insist that Miss Delezie create a body for Guizhong, it would be useless."

The most important part of the [resurrection] process is the soul. Even if it’s just a tiny bit, Durandal can try her best to bring the person back to life.

Raiden Makoto was like that, but Guizhong has long been gone, and her soul is nowhere to be found. Without even a trace of a soul, how could she be resurrected?

Azhdaha also thought of this, covering his head regretfully and sighing. He had seen a glimmer of hope, but it was shattered before he could grasp it.

Durandal’s interest was piqued by Zhongli and Azhdaha’s conversation. Who was this Guizhong they spoke of? She seemed very important to Azhdaha and Zhongli, and even Zhongli showed such an expression, which was truly rare.

"Who is this Guizhong you’re talking about? Is she a very important person?"

"...Yes, a very important friend. You should know Guili Plains, shouldn’t you, Miss Delezie?"

Of course, having stayed in Liyue for a while, and Lumine often running around, how could she not be familiar with the places here?

"Yes, the name Guili Plains is taken from the ’Gui’ of the God of Dust Guizhong and the ’Li’ of the Geo Archon. Back then, there was a tribe there, jointly managed by Guizhong and Zhongli, named Guili Assembly. The current Liyue Harbor was also built by the remaining people who migrated here at that time."

Oh~ So that’s how it is. To be able to govern a tribe with Zhongli, this God of Dust sounds very powerful.

Azhdaha told Durandal about Guizhong. Zhongli, seeing that he couldn’t stop him, shook his head and sighed, knowing he couldn’t prevent it, he could only let Azhdaha continue the story.

Hmm? Wait a minute, why does it feel like Azhdaha isn’t trying to express that? This sounds like... like she had feelings for Zhongli?

After Azhdaha paused, Durandal raised an eyebrow at Azhdaha, pointing at Zhongli, who was drinking tea, and asked, "Is it what I think it is?"

"...Guizhong did have that idea, but at the time, it was during the Archon War, and she couldn’t express it properly. We were all waiting, thinking that after the war ended, she would properly confess her feelings. But... she fell."

"I see. She was indeed a very good God. Did she not leave anything behind? Are there only traces of her existence at the ruins of the former Guili Assembly?"

"That’s not true. When they first met, Guizhong hid all her wisdom in a stone lock and gave it to Zhongli. That was Guizhong’s challenge to Zhongli; as long as he could unlock the stone lock, he would understand many things."

Speaking of this, Azhdaha’s expression paused. Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Zhongli with ecstasy. If it weren’t for the fact that this was a public place, with Yun Jin singing on stage, he would definitely jump up and pound the table.

"chisel-lock of the dust! chisel-lock of the dust! That’s it! The key to breaking the situation is that! Zhongli! You... you haven’t opened it yet, have you?"

"Dust... of remembrance (seal)?"

That was a token Guizhong gave him. With his wisdom, opening it would naturally be quite easy.

But he was unwilling to open it, not because he looked down on the wisdom Guizhong placed inside, but because he was afraid... afraid of seeing certain things, so he stored it away.

Reminded by Azhdaha, Zhongli also seemed to have thought of something.

With Guizhong’s wisdom, the chisel-lock of the dust surely didn’t just contain wisdom, but other important things.

If... if there was even a tiny bit of soul inside, then... does that mean...? Thinking of this, Zhongli suddenly stood up from his seat. He, who usually was among the last to leave, left early today without finishing the opera.

Azhdaha saw that Zhongli wanted to retrieve the chisel-lock of the dust and also got up and left, leaving only Durandal sitting there, completely unaware of what was happening.

"These two guys... When did Azhdaha learn bad habits from Zhongli?"

Wasn’t Azhdaha supposed to pay the bill? Now both of them are gone, and she’s the only one left here, so who’s paying is obvious, isn’t it?

Of course, she could also have the bill sent directly to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but Durandal would never do such a humiliating thing. Considering it a Reward for listening to a rather interesting story, she would pay for the tea this time.

With this happening, Durandal no longer had the mood to stay and listen to the opera. After paying for the tea and the appreciation for the music, she got up and left Heyu Tea House.

If she wasn’t mistaken, Zhongli and Azhdaha should have gone back to prepare.

The chisel-lock of the dust Azhdaha mentioned was the stone lock Guizhong left him. Currently, Zhongli had not yet unlocked the chisel-lock of the dust, and what Guizhong placed inside was still unknown.

All answers would only be revealed when Zhongli opened the chisel-lock of the dust. If everything could go as they wished, then Durandal couldn’t just be invited; she had to be there in person to intervene the moment an unexpected situation occurred.

Speaking of which, if this really succeeds, how big of a favor would Zhongli owe her?

Not just Zhongli, but also Azhdaha and the mysterious Guizhong. Three Gods owing her a favor; this was equivalent to Liyue owing her.

Hehe~ Things are really getting more and more interesting.

Durandal, lost in thought, didn’t notice a figure backstage watching her departing back, those beautiful eyes filled with unwillingness.

"Does she not like my opera?"

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