Does No One Have Any Shame? / This Immortal Is Not Good with Words

Zhongli wasn't lying; he was indeed quite familiar with Barbatos and knew that Barbatos would agree to this—or rather, if that lazy God of Wind were awake, he would definitely be eager to have his successor run the errand.

Wendy's eyes lit up immediately, and she slapped the table.

"I did it!"

The little Demon God on the other side looked shrewd, as if he had just made a profit.

To Zhongli, who had seen it all, it seemed rather silly and endearing.

However, he didn't believe that this little Demon God was really so naive and ignorant. His first reaction upon birth was to summon Thousand Winds to check on the situation in Teyvat. After discovering the actions of the Abyss Order, he decisively communicated with Dvalin and quickly went to Liyue to seek support. These actions all showed that the second God of Wind was a wise, rational god who cared about his country.

The reason she is so lively and innocent is probably because, when facing her seniors from friendly nations, she lets down her guard against the Abyss and unconsciously reveals her naive side.

"I'm Liyue, aren't I great?"

"Hmm, it's very prosperous. The population density and overall atmosphere are completely different from Mondstadt."

"So Wendy, which side do you prefer?"

"I'd still go with Mondstadt. I feel more comfortable Mondstadt at ease there."

Wendy blinked her innocent and beautiful eyes.

Zhongli's expression remained unchanged; what he was thinking was unknown. He simply said calmly:

"Then let's take a closer look. Liyue has countless charms and hidden depths that cannot be fully revealed at a glance."

"Yes, sir."

Wendy turned her head to look at Liyue Harbor again, her swaying gaze wandering from side to side, it was unclear where her eyes were settling on in Liyue Harbor.

'Those legs are so beautiful. This bear is awesome. Wow, that waist is so slim. Hmm, this one's a bit flat, but the face is really cute. Liyue is amazing~~'

Seeing Wendy's lively antics—sometimes filled with amazement, sometimes with longing, sometimes with silly giggles— Zhongli chuckled and shook his head. He wondered what sights in Liyue Harbor could elicit such a change in the little Demon God.

Then, Zhongli fell into deep thought again:

'Representing a nation's god and involving the secrets of the World Tree, Mondstadt has produced a second-generation God of Wind, so Liyue... the Seven Stars are clearly not qualified. The still-inexperienced junior immortals are also unsuitable. It seems we can only choose from among the Adepti, but which immortal is more suitable?'

"It's been a while since we've all gathered, and the visit of the Second God of Wind is a rare and auspicious occasion. Why not gather all the immortals together so they can all get to know each other? It would be good."

Zhongli is planning to take this opportunity to act as a matchmaker for the future relationship between Liyue and Mondstadt. They are neighboring friendly nations, and the Anemo God of Wind is the most well-informed Lord of the Thousand Winds, so it's always a good thing to build good relationships.

Zhongli extended an invitation, and Wendy, whose apparent goal was to curry favor with him, readily agreed.

The two flew together to the Jueyunjian and climbed Mount Aozang.

At the mountaintop lies a tranquil and beautiful place. Clear streams flow, ethereal mists swirl, and the scenery is breathtakingly poetic—the very place where the Cloud Retainer.

Here, two birds and a deer, a kind and gentle old lady, and a cold and aloof young man whom they see every day, are already waiting, and have prepared a sumptuous feast. Clearly, they have all received Zhongli's call in advance.

These beings are the currently active Adepti, and besides Zhongli, they are the people who best represent Liyue.

Zhongli at these familiar faces, Zhongli's usually calm heart softened. He stepped forward, intending to introduce Wendy and guide them to each other.

Then the little Demon God, carrying the gift box, walked past him and greeted him with a bright smile.

"Hello, hello, I'm Beiana, the new Anemo Archon from Mondstadt. Just call me Wendy. And what's your name, fairy bird?"

"Hmm? What kind of celestial bird? It's a crane! This immortal, Lord Cloud Retainer, is a friendly Demon God, and my Mount Aozang welcomes you with the utmost respect. You even brought gifts! How kind of you, how kind of you."

"Hello, hello, I'm Wendy. And what's this fairy deer's name?"

"The Xueyue Zhuyang Zhenjun..."

"Hello..."

"The Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun..."

"Gechen Langshi Zhenjun..."

"Elf..."

Zhongli: "..."

The second-generation God of Wind seems to be an unexpectedly outgoing person.

But it's not entirely surprising; Barbatos is very outgoing and a social butterfly.

In short, before Zhongli could even speak, the immortals and Wendy were already chatting familiarly.

After a while, Zhongli and Wendy took their seats.

However, at the urging of the Cloud Retainer, the immortals gathered together on the side.

[Do any of you carry any magical treasures or similar items?]

[Cloud Retainer, what do you mean?]

[Are you truly oblivious, or are you feigning ignorance? What does this newly born Anemo Archon of Mondstadt represent? It represents that she is the next Wind God of Wind of Mondstadt, the most noble and virtuous being in the mortal world, whom even we should address as Your Highness.]

[Oh, that's true. And then?]

[This young prince paid homage to the Emperor before ascending the throne, and then befriended the other immortals. I just secretly checked the gifts; they were top-quality Mondstadt dried fruit, cured meat, and fine wine—extremely thoughtful. They've gone to such lengths; as the Liyue, shouldn't you reciprocate in kind?]

[... rational.]

The immortals looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

His status, to put it bluntly, is almost equivalent to that of the Emperor.

Her traveling a great distance to pay homage to the Vago Rock King already shows Mondstadt a great deal of respect to Liyue. To not reciprocate such hospitality would make Liyue seem uncouth.

After the exchange of magical arts concluded, the immortals gathered around the table and each spoke politely:

"This is Mechanical Bird that I made in my spare time. It can ride the wind and is connected to Elemental Power, sharing Mechanical Bird view it has in the air. With the Demon God Power, it could probably fly freely within a hundred miles. It's just a small item, useful for passing the time occasionally. If Your Highness doesn't mind, please accept it."

"This is Restoration Pill, a celestial medicine I recently refined. It has the effects of stimulating vital energy, increasing blood and qi, detoxifying all poisons, and healing external injuries. Although it is of no benefit to Demon God and gods, it can heal the wounded and bring the dead back to life for mortals. You may find it useful when you travel in the mortal world and interact with mortals in the future. Please accept it."

"This is the Serenitea Pot..."

"This is the Hundred-Step Flying Sword..."

The immortals returned the gifts one by one.

In the end, only Xiao remained standing there, his face stiff. He fumbled around on his person for a long time before awkwardly pulling out a dark-colored jade flute.

"I have nothing of value; this was something I acquired by chance while exorcising demons recently. Please don't find it offensive."

"A musical instrument? I'll give it a try!"

To Wendy's surprise, she showed an expression of delight.

"?~~"

A melodious and gentle flute tune echoed around, then quickly stopped.

Wendy's eyes lit up.

"Though the color is dark, the tone is clear and melodious. What a fine instrument!"

"I'm glad you like it, sir."

Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and forced a stiff but polite smile.

However, the most embarrassed person at this moment was not Xiao, but Zhongli.

Everyone else gave a return gift, but he didn't. Is that a bit inappropriate?

Chapter 53 This Immortal is Not Good with Words

Zhongli thought for a moment, then felt around on his person, but couldn't find a single Mora. He thought again, then raised his hand and tapped the table, and an ancient golden talisman token appeared beside Wendy.

Zhongli: "This is Unrestricted Talisman; please accept it."

Wendy: "Wow, thank you, sir."

Immortals: "..." x5

Do you think the Emperor arrived in such a hurry that he didn't bring any treasures with him in this avatar?

"The Cloud Retainer muttered using his immortal magic."

What is the "Record of No Taboos"? Others may not understand, but how could these immortals not?

To put it bluntly, it's just a talisman containing a trace of the Emperor's divine power. Perhaps if you gather thousands or tens of thousands of them, you might be able to extract some of the Geo Archon power from them, but in reality, it's practically useless.

The Unrestricted Talisman has only one function. When a mortal brings this item before an immortal, the immortal, out of respect for the divine power of the Emperor within the talisman, may patiently listen to the holder's request and grant it if necessary. That is all.

But who is Wendy? She's the newborn Daedric Demon God of Mondstadt, the next Anemo God of Wind. If she wants to see the Celestials or discuss something with them, she doesn't need the Unrestricted Talisman at all. Giving her this is no different from giving her a piece of paper that has no use or value.

[This little prince was born recently, and we are unaware of the details. We think it's a special gift from the Emperor, and we're quite happy about it. But if His Majesty Barbatos knew, wouldn't he laugh at us, Liyue, for fooling a child?]

[Cloud Retainer, this is your cave dwelling. Why don't you look around and see if you can find any other treasures to secretly pass to the Emperor during the banquet?]

[That makes sense, that's how it should be.]

[Ahem! The point of a return gift is the sentiment, not the formality. The Unrestricted Talisman represents my commitment, not just a perfunctory gesture. You're overthinking it.]

[...]×N

I almost forgot that the Emperor is the ancestor of immortal arts; he can hear everything.

But some things are fine to fool others, but it's pointless to fool your own people.

The immortals silently looked at Zhongli.

Zhongli calmly looked back at her pets.

Then the immortals had nothing to say. Fine, whatever the Emperor says goes. After all, you're the Emperor.

The immortals took their seats.

The Vago Rock King had not summoned all the immortals for a long time, making this a rare occasion. The only guest from outside was His Highness the God Prince from a friendly nation, whose status and rank were more than sufficient. As a result, the immortals were not at all reserved, and amidst the clinking of glasses, the atmosphere quickly became lively.

"Speaking of which, since His Majesty has rarely summoned us, besides entertaining Wendy, there must be some other important business, right?"

"Yes, this is how it is..."

Midway through the banquet, one of the immortals suddenly mentioned it, and Zhongli took the opportunity to talk about his trip to Sumeru.

He didn't mention any details about the World Tree; in fact, he didn't reveal any details even to Wendy.

The only information revealed so far is that the Sumeru Grass God protects the World Tree, and the World Tree is related to all beings in Teyvat —this is something that even immortals at this level would know to some extent, but that's about all they would know.

"The Grass God has gone into seclusion, chaos has arisen in Sumeru, and the situation of the World Tree is unclear... No wonder the Emperor summoned us. If anything goes wrong in this matter, it could be a great calamity. Indeed, Liyue should be concerned."

The immortals focused their attention, understanding Zhongli's meaning: he wanted them to decide for themselves which one would accompany Wendy to visit the Grass God.

They looked at each other, and Xiao shook his head first.

"I am burdened with karmic burdens and have a duty to protect the land of Liyue, to exorcise demons and ward off evil. It is not advisable for me to travel far."

"This old woman has lived in this world for a long time, and I... well, this matter..."

Even Madame Ping, now known as Gechen Langshi Zhenjun, is in a dilemma.

The remaining three True Lords pondered for a moment, and then Xueyue Zhuyang Zhenjun and Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun looked at Cloud Retainer.

The Cloud Retainer was momentarily stunned, then raised its wings and said:

"Why are you two old geezers looking at me like that? Especially you, Xueyue Zhuyang, you're the Emperor's disciple, and in terms of status, you're the most suitable match for Wendy."

"Cloud Retainer, you are mistaken. We immortals have no distinction of rank; everyone's status is the same, and we can all represent Liyue and the Emperor. So the important thing is who is suitable. Among us, aren't you the most skilled at communicating with people?"

"What are you saying? What kind of talk is that? Yes, I have indeed worked hard to find topics to talk about in order to take care of my disciples and communicate with them, and I have achieved some results. But that's all. In fact, I am not good with words, so how can I bear the responsibility of an envoy?"

Cloud Retainer flapped his wings, earnestly indicating that he wasn't very good at speaking and asked not to be chosen.

A Xueyue Zhuyang and a bird looked at each Water-Taming Mountain-Piling, shaking their heads in unison.

"But we're probably even less adept at it than you are. Comparatively, you're the most talkative, using Cloud Retainer.'"

"... If we're talking about choosing the tallest among the short, that's certainly true."

Cloud Retainer to retract its wings and nodded its head earnestly.

She considers herself not good with words, but she also agrees that the two old men next to her are probably even less talkative.

Cloud Retainer glanced around at his fellow immortals, then looked in the direction of the Emperor and Wendy, and finally nodded his bird head.

"Very well, if that's the case, then this immortal has no choice but to volunteer as Your Majesty's envoy. What does Your Majesty think?"