Chapter 207

Zhongli was speechless after hearing Li Yue's words, and was asked to kowtow to the other party again. The first time he heard this was when he met Xiao, the second time was when he met Morax, and the third time was now, when he met the Azhdaha.

However, despite being speechless, Zhongli still agreed with what Li Yue said.

"From a purely rational perspective, the contribution of the Azhdaha to Liyue should be said to exceed one-third."

"Oh?"

Azhdaha looked at Zhongli with curiosity.

"The Emperor made a pact with the Azhdaha, and the Dragon King and the Emperor protected Liyue together. Later, the Dragon King and the Emperor fought together in Liyue, helping the Emperor defeat many Demon God and even protecting Liyue Harbor."

"But it really shouldn't be more than a third, right? After all, there are only three parties protecting Liyue: the immortals, the Emperor, and me. I haven't played any role in building Liyue at all. Why do you think my contribution to Liyue exceeds a third?"

"Because you are standing next to the Emperor, that already exceeds one-third."

Zhongli's words startled Li Yue and Azhdaha for a moment, but they then understood what Zhongli meant.

"According to what you've said, Zhongli, the Azhdaha's contribution to Liyue does indeed exceed one-third."

Li Yue spoke with a smile.

"After all, whether the Dragon King will build Liyue Harbor or not is not important, but it is really important that the Dragon King does not stand against Liyue!"

Azhdaha's combat power is too strong. As the Elemental Dragon King, once he goes berserk, even Zhongli said he couldn't handle him. So no matter what, the Dragon King joining Liyue is the greatest contribution to Liyue, because if the Dragon King and Liyue's camp were to become enemies, then Liyue's situation would definitely be extremely bad.

Therefore, it's safe to say that the Dragon King's contribution to the Emperor's faction exceeds one-third.

"That's right. The Azhdaha is able to travel with the Emperor is the greatest support for Liyue."

Zhongli looked at Azhdaha and nodded with a smile.

"So Zhongli, you should kowtow to the Dragon King properly."

Zhongli's smile froze on her face.

Hahaha~~

Azhdaha he saw Zhongli's stiff smile.

From the moment they met, Azhdaha saw through Zhongli's true identity and then imagined Zhongli's situation.

Good, good, Morax, you're quite the player. You created a humanoid version of yourself, then made your clone acknowledge you, and even made yourself a high-ranking official in Liyue Harbor, like a Grand Governor.

He thought he was some human who could be recognized by Morax, but he never expected that it would be you, kid, who was recognized by Morax!

Wanting to become an official as a human? Morax, you really know how to play the game!

If Zhongli knew what Azhdaha was thinking, he would be speechless. Did he want to become a high-ranking official in Liyue as a human? He was directly pulled in by Li Yue to become a high-ranking official. It was one thing for Li Yue to become the Geo Archon, but he himself was conscripted by Li Yue.

"Zhongli, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and kowtow to the Dragon King!"

Seeing Zhongli's stiff expression, Li Yue urged him again.

"Never mind, it's not necessary."

Seeing Zhongli's speechless expression, the Dragon King also spoke up to help him out. Although he found Zhongli's behavior amusing, as a good friend, he chose to help Zhongli out of the predicament. After Azhdaha spoke, Li Yue did not urge Zhongli any further.

"Alright, since the Royal Capital has said so, Zhongli, you don't need to kowtow anymore, but you must remember the Dragon King's kindness to you."

"I will remember this kindness."

Zhongli nodded helplessly. He could tell that Azhdaha had recognized his true identity, so he expressed his gratitude to Azhdaha for helping him out of the predicament.

"Alright, Zhongli, I've brought the Dragon King back to Liyue. He doesn't need to worry about his sanity anymore. Besides that, I plan to make him the Grand Marshal of Liyue."

"Oh? The Grand Marshal?"

Zhongli looked at Li Yue curiously, wanting to know what the Grand Marshal's position was.

"You are now Liyue Grand Governor of Liyue, responsible for both military and political affairs. Considering that you are too busy, I plan to split your duties."

You know I'm busy being the Grand Governor who oversees everything!

Zhongli glanced at Li Yue to express her dissatisfaction.

"So I plan to divide your original duties into two parts. You will continue to be responsible for the administration of government affairs, while the military affairs will be handed over to the Azhdaha, who will be in charge of military command. In terms of status, the two of you are equal, one is the Grand Governor and the other is the Grand Marshal. The Seven Arbiter-Generals will be responsible for both of you. Is that clear?"

"Clear."

Zhongli nodded in affirmation, and Azhdaha nodded in agreement as well.

"Who are the Seven Arbiter-Generals?"

"They are the Three-Eyed Five Manifestations Adepti of Liyue. They used to live in the mountains. I used the Emperor's orders to bring them all to work in Liyue Harbor. Now they are responsible for supervising the human high-ranking officials of Liyue, namely the Liyue Qixing, and also help Liyue handle these political affairs. They are also responsible to Zhongli, the Grand Governor. But in the future, the people they will be responsible for will include you, the Grand Marshal."

"I see, those are my old friends from before, that's wonderful!"

Hearing that his old friends were also there, Azhdaha nodded with great satisfaction.

"Alright, now that Marshal Azhdaha's position has been decided, let's listen to Mr. Yun Jin's new play together."

Zhongli pointed to the stage, where Yun Jin was already preparing to perform.

"Then let's listen together."

365. Rock King visits Fontaine

The song Yun Jin sang was none other than the story of All That Glitters, also known as Shenhe.

Because of her chance encounter with Li Yue at Wanmin Restaurant, Yun Jin had also met Shenhe once. Her intuition told her that Shenhe, this seemingly ethereal woman, had a big story. So she went to Wanmin Restaurant again and chatted with Shenhe, thus learning about Shenhe's background. After some research, she realized that Shenhe was the prototype of the legend of the All That Glitters, so she created the story of the All That Glitters.

However, unlike the events he experienced with Blondie, Shenhe didn't carry a huge rock back from the wild, nor did he go seafood hunting with Blondie. So, the subsequent plot didn't continue, and only Shenhe's solo story remained.

However, the story is still quite good, at least from a singing perspective, Yun Jin's singing is still very good.

Li Yue, along with Azhdaha, accompanied Zhongli to the All That Glitters. Interestingly, Li Yue and Azhdaha didn't buy tickets, while Zhongli had pre-ordered VIP tickets well in advance. Li Yue and Azhdaha, on the other hand, entered through Portal before the performance, so they essentially had a package deal. However, no one would care that they had skipped the ticket check.

Just kidding. Putting aside Azhdaha, who's a stranger, Li Yue is now the Rock King. The Rock King has to buy a ticket to watch a play? The people of Yunhan Society are overjoyed.

The day after Azhdaha returned to Liyue Harbor, Li Yue convened a meeting with the Seven Arbiter-Generals and the Qixing.

The appearance of Azhdaha pleased the Seven Arbiter-Generals but also shocked the Qixing. They did not expect that Azhdaha had disappeared for a long time, would reappear. However, Azhdaha's appearance strengthened the power of Liyue, which they were happy to see.

In particular, Liyue's status is now completely different from before.

Liyue Harbor remains the same Liyue Harbor, but its status in Teyvat has risen considerably. The United Kingdom of Liyue and Inazuma Islands has expanded Liyue's territory significantly, and it has also formed an alliance with Sumeru, holding a dominant position within the alliance.

The rise in Liyue's status has led to a rise in the status of the Liyue Qixing as well. Although there are now many more Adepti above them, the status of the Li Yue Qixing in the Teyvat kingdoms has also risen along with the rise in Liyue's status, because they are the humans closest to the Geo Archon.

Azhdaha Geo Archon's order to appoint Liyue was announced throughout the entire Liyue, the people of Liyue learned of Azhdaha's return. They were overjoyed by his return, as it signified that Azhdaha had become stronger Liyue.

It's not just the Qixing who are happy about Liyue's current situation and status; the people of Liyue are also very proud. With Li Yue's various actions, Liyue has become a core country in southern Teyvat. To the southeast, there's Inazuma on the sea; to the west, there's Sumeru in the rainforest and desert; and apart from Mondstadt to the northeast and Fontaine to the northwest, two of the four neighboring countries have clearly followed Li Yue.

This instilled a sense of pride in the locals of Liyue.

The news of Azhdaha becoming Grand Marshal naturally had to be spread, so not only the people of Liyue, but also other countries on the Teyvat continent immediately knew that Liyue had gained another Grand Marshal, and this Grand Marshal Azhdaha from the Archon War.

Indeed, when Liyue made its announcement, it specifically emphasized that Azhdaha was the Azhdaha during the Archon War, and also recounted the Azhdaha's achievements, so that people from other countries on the Teyvat continent would clearly know that Liyue had gained another super general.

There are currently four countries on the Teyvat continent that don't have any special relationship with Liyue: Fontaine, Winter, and Nata. Fontaine doesn't seem to have any particular feelings about this; in fact, their Anemo Archon is considering how to join the Grand Alliance. Nata, on the other hand, remains isolated from the outside world. As for Winter, they are very worried. With the capture of the Scatter Soldiers, the two Hearts of Gods in Li Yue's possession—the Hearts of Thor and the Hearts of Grass God—are now in Li Yue's hands. The Doctor dares not negotiate with Aizen for the Hearts of Gods.

But Fontaine is different; the Hydro Archon of Fontaine is in a panic.

Every time Liyue grows stronger, Fontaine worries more. Furina is currently waiting for news from outside in Court of Fontaine every day because Charlotte only told her that Li Yue would be visiting her with the Thunder God and the Dendro Archon, and that he planned to have a good talk with her about her previous careless remarks. However, Charlotte did not tell her when Li Yue would be visiting her.

This led to a situation where Furina was worried every day that Li Yue would suddenly come knocking on her door. She was on high alert every day at Court of Fontaine, thinking about how to deal with Li Yue and what to say if she came.

As a result, she spent less time at the opera house during this period, and sometimes she even missed the Neuvillette trial.

This is a big deal for the Fontainian!

Lady Furina, who used to be so enthusiastic about watching trials and then offering sharp commentary, has suddenly lost interest in them! What's going on?!

In reality, it wasn't that she had no interest in the trial; she was simply terrified by the current situation.

Li Yue never came, so she had to stay nervous. Not only was she nervous, but her anxiety kept growing. Li Yue's refusal to visit her only increased her anxiety. Yes, it increased day by day.

Just like facing an exam, the closer you get to the exam date, the more nervous you become. But the situation that Furina is facing is even more troublesome because she is facing an exam that will suddenly come at any time, and the time will not even be notified to her, which means that she has no way to prepare.

She couldn't tell anyone about this anxiety; she couldn't tell Clorinde, much less Neuvillette all alone. She had silently endured it for the previous 500 years, but the anxiety she had felt then wasn't as great as it was now.

Previously, all she had to do was play the role of the Hydro Archon in front of the Fontainian, and no other Archon Meeting come looking for her. But now it's different. Three gods will come looking for her. The Fontainian and Neuvillette are not very clear about her true nature as the Hydro Archon, but what will happen if other gods come?

Wouldn't the other gods immediately see through her true nature as a Hydro Archon?

Unfortunately, no one told her whether the gods of other countries could see through her true identity.

After many anxious days, she finally received news that the Rock King was preparing to visit Fontaine!

366. Heading to Fontaine

The Geo Archon's visit to Fontaine is a major event for both Liyue Fontaine.

After Liyue issued the notification, Fontaine also received it, and upon receiving the notification, Fontaine immediately prepared to receive them with the highest level of etiquette.

When the gods of Liyue arrive, the gods of Fontaine naturally have to come out to receive them, since they are all equals, and apart from the Hydro Archon, no one else is qualified to receive a god.

The Hydro Archon himself will be there to receive you; the scene will be quite lively.

However, this did alleviate some of Furina's anxiety, because at least she knew when Li Yue would arrive. But what followed was the tension of facing three true gods. Would her identity be exposed? And what would they do if they were?

But no matter what, she has to face Li Yue; it's unavoidable.

While Furina was mentally preparing herself to face Li Yue, a group of people gathered on Li Yue Liyue Harbor and arrived at Chenyu Vale.

The area bordering Liyue and Fontaine is the northwestern part of Chenyu Vale, which was once the territory of several Adepti, such as Ganyu's second uncle and Jinli.

However, the koi fish hasn't woken up yet, and Ganyu's second uncle is secretly planning to stir up trouble to wake the koi fish up.

However, it doesn't affect Li Yue and the others passing through here. Although Ganyu's second uncle is very strong, he is still a bit outmatched when facing three gods.

Starting from Liyue Harbor, go directly to Mt. Aocang where Cloud Retainer is located. Then, enter the Chenyu Vale area from Mt. Aocang. Take a boat from the dock south of Qingying Village, pass Jademouth, and arrive at Yilong Wharf, which is the port town in Fontaine Valley facing Chenyu Vale. Unlike Liyue, although the buildings are all in the Liyue style, all the buildings here are closer to the Hui-style architecture in reality. Especially with the watery environment of Chenyu Vale, it gives people a feeling of the Jiangnan water town.

"The scenery here is amazing, Li Yue. Thank you for inviting us to come along. This scenery is much better than the Sumeru Desert."

On the dock, Paimon floated in mid-air, smiling as she spoke to Li Yue, waving her little hands excitedly. Beside her, Ying nodded with her hands on her hips in strong agreement, indicating that Paimon's words were indeed true.

"Do you know that we've been in the Sumeru Desert for many days without a decent night's sleep or a decent meal?"

"There's no way to survive in the desert. Those places are not suitable for humans to live in for a long time. Even if you could survive, it would be in an oasis. Otherwise, life would be extremely difficult, or even in an oasis, life would be very tough."

After all, the water resources of the oasis are limited, and Nahida, now the Dendro Archon of Sumeru, naturally knows about this.

"Ying and Paimon, thank you for your hard work."

"It's alright. We went to the desert on a commission anyway, and we also learned about the ancient stories of Sumeru in the desert, which was a pretty good experience."

"Most importantly, we received very good compensation, a lot of Mora, so our hard work was worth it."

After Paimon finished speaking, she proudly put her hands on her hips, while Ying, standing next to her, crossed her arms and looked at Paimon with disdain.

Clearly, what the master meant was that she was the one who did all the hard work, so why was Paimon being so proud?

As Paimon said, after Nahida ascended to the Dendro Archon of Sumeru, the entire Sumeru was quickly unified by Nahida, and the tribes in the desert were the same. Li Yue built a huge Las Noches in the desert, which became a city in the desert. Correspondingly, it was also brought under Nahida's management, since they could not fight against a hundred-meter-tall Wood Person who could directly demolish the Las Noches.

After the war ended, peace was restored to Sumeru. Ying also resigned from her job as Dianazade's bodyguard and started taking orders at the Adventurer's Guild. She then received a commission to go to the desert and followed an archaeological team into the Tomb of King Deshret. She then went through the entire Desert Book and learned about the history of the King Deshret and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

After spending so many days in the desert, Paimon and Ying were both fed up with it. The environment there was really terrible; it was unbearably hot during the day and freezing cold at night. You had to eat sand the whole time you opened your mouth, making it unsuitable for human habitation.

Upon returning to Sumeru City, they received an invitation from Nahida, or more precisely, an invitation from Li Yue through Nahida, inviting them to travel to Fontaine together. Li Yue was a good friend of theirs, and Ying was also preparing to go to Fontaine, so they returned to Liyue together and set off together.

"I wonder what Fontaine is like, and if there's anything good to eat there."

Now that Fontaine are about to set off for Fontaine, Paimon begins to fantasize about what Fontaine things he will find there.

"There must be delicious food in Fontaine, and it's definitely something you've never eaten before."

Li Yue answered with a smile.

"Then Li Yue, you must treat us to something delicious when the time comes!"

"No problem!"

Li Yue naturally agreed to Paimon's request.

"Yay, we get to eat a big meal again!"

Paimon stomped his feet in the air with delight, while Ying looked at Paimon with disdain once again. "You idiot, all you know is eating. You can eat more than a wild boar."

"Speaking of Li Yue, can Fontaine be like it was before?"

After confirming that Li Yue would be treating everyone to dinner, Paimon turned his attention elsewhere.

"Paimon, which version are you referring to?"

"Just like when we were in Liyue and Sumeru, we'll be treated well!"

In Liyue, thanks to Li Yue's words of respect for her brother, Luminous and Paimon received excellent treatment, with everyone willing to give them face. The same was true in Sumeru Liyue. Later, as Nahida regained her position as the Dendro Archon of Sumeru, Luminous and Paimon also received certain preferential treatment, as instructed by Nahida. Moreover, the Millelith Millelith stationed in Sumeru, and they all knew Luminous and Paimon. So, whether in Liyue or Sumeru, as long as they weren't in the wild, the two of them lived quite well.