Original God, But Chat Group

"So, you're going to live with Li Yue from now on, right?"

"Yes, I want to stay by Li Yue's side and learn how to become a qualified Dendro Archon."

Hmm?

Zhongli looked at Nahida with confusion. Are you sure following Li Yue will teach you how to be a Dendro Archon? Does he look like someone with experience in that role?

"The specifics are..."

"Alright, all done!"

Just as Nahida was about to explain, Li Yue walked in from outside, dragging an electrical wire.

"Nahida, how'd your chat with Zhongli go? Don't let his stiff, old-man demeanor fool you—he's easy to talk to. No need to be nervous; just ask him anything."

"Mm, I had a very pleasant conversation with Mr. Zhongli."

Nahida's reply pleased Li Yue immensely.

"And you, Zhongli—Nahida's a good kid who loves to learn. Since you're so knowledgeable and enjoy rambling, you should chat with her when you've got nothing else to do. She'll be a devoted listener."

"Mm, I can see that. Nahida is very sharp, and we get along well. If she's willing, I'd be happy to discuss topics that interest her."

Nahida's eyes lit up at that.

"That's wonderful!"

Though she had met the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt, during her time with him, he seemed to be constantly drinking—either in the middle of it or on his way to get more. The same was true in the Saekano world. If you said the Anemo Archon hadn't shown much skill, he'd still displayed an astonishing talent for conversation. Nahida watched as he chatted his way into becoming friends with Li Yue in just a few sentences, then effortlessly befriended the bar owner in another world—his success rate was incredible! It left Nahida unsure how to judge this senior Anemo Archon.

Now she had met the Geo God, the oldest and longest-ruling deity. Surely she could learn rich governance experience from him. From Li Yue, she'd learn Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's combat experience, and from the Geo God, statecraft. That way, under Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's watch, she could grow into a qualified Dendro Archon!

Seeing Nahida's joy, Zhongli smiled and nodded, then rose and walked over to Li Yue.

"Young friend Li Yue, there's something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

"Sure, let's step outside."

Li Yue understood Zhongli's intent. After giving Nahida a quick instruction, he followed Zhongli into the courtyard.

Zhongli looked at the solar panels Li Yue had installed on the roof tiles, puzzled, and quietly asked him.

"Young friend Li Yue, Nahida just said she's an orphan you adopted. What's that about?"

"She told you, huh. That kid's a lot more mature than most children."

Li Yue sighed with emotion.

"Zhongli, you know I awakened a special power, right? I've mastered it deeply. In Mondstadt, I discovered my blade could cut through space, opening portals to other places. The first time I tried it, I opened a door to a cell in an Evil Organization's prison and found Nahida locked up there."

"I felt sorry for her, so I rescued her."

"I see."

Zhongli nodded. From Li Yue's words, he gathered some information—roughly that the Dendro Archon had been imprisoned by the people of Sumeru, and Li Yue, unaware of her identity, had saved her. But Zhongli had a new question: why would Nahida choose to be Li Yue's daughter? Li Yue didn't look old enough to be her father—he couldn't have become a dad at ten.

Li Yue's next words cleared up Zhongli's confusion.

"Not long after that, I tried my ability again and ended up in a strange place. There was a huge tree, and inside it, a woman. I recognized her right away as Nahida's mother—she looked just like her."

The World Tree? Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?

Zhongli's expression shifted slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected Li Yue to reach the World Tree.

"And I was right. Her name was Aci, and she really was Nahida's mother. As for why she was in that tree, after careful analysis, I figured she and Nahida were both imprisoned by Sumeru's Evil Organization for experiments. She became a victim young, leaving Nahida as an orphan."

"Are you sure she was imprisoned by the Evil Organization?"

Zhongli couldn't follow Li Yue's reasoning. That was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

"Absolutely. I found a curse on her—clearly something nasty. So I used another power from this blade to strip the curse away and cured her."

"You cured her?"

Zhongli knew all too well about Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's condition. He hadn't imagined Li Yue could heal her—a power unheard of in all of Teyvat!

"That's right. Unfortunately, she'd been dead for at least ten years, leaving only a wisp of her soul. So I had to let her reside in my own soul."

Wait, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is in your soul?

Zhongli felt the shock of the day piling up!

"Oh, that's my true awakened ability—something related to souls. I can absorb other souls and let them lodge in mine, borrowing their power. That's where all my strength comes from."

So that's it! No wonder they couldn't analyze the nature of Li Yue's power before—he was borrowing from others.

Zhongli nodded silently.

"I promised her I'd help raise Nahida and let her watch her daughter grow up through my eyes. In return, she lent me her power. That's about it."

Now Zhongli understood why Nahida was willing to be Li Yue's daughter. She probably knew Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was inside Li Yue, which was why she said she'd learn to be a Dendro Archon from him.

Zhongli looked at Li Yue, who had spread his hands, his expression softening. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata hadn't fully perished and was now residing in Li Yue. Though she lacked her own body, it was still a decent outcome. Zhongli stared into Li Yue's eyes and noticed faint green lights flickering within.

Indeed, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was watching the outside world through Li Yue's eyes.

Zhongli smiled faintly and gave Li Yue a slight nod, conveying his respect to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

Someone who had stripped away the Forbidden Knowledge, saved Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and the World Tree, and earned her recognition—Zhongli naturally acknowledged him too. If before, Li Yue's actions at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had made Zhongli see him as merely a young friend from another world, now he regarded Li Yue as family in the truest sense.

"In that case, you should take good care of this child. If you run into any trouble, feel free to tell me."

"Really?"

Li Yue's eyes lit up.

"Indeed."

Zhongli nodded firmly.

"Then, Zhongli, how about you find a way to get me a Geo Vision?"

Zhongli was left speechless.

You really are fixated on Geo, aren't you.

67. Zhongli, Let Me Introduce You to a Big Shot

In the end, Li Yue still didn't get a Geo Vision, because Zhongli couldn't agree to it. He was merely a humble guest consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—what right did he have to help someone obtain a Vision, let alone specify the Geo element? So Zhongli had to temporarily refuse Li Yue's request. But knowing how much Li Yue craved the power of Geo, and considering the peculiarities of Li Yue's soul along with the new abilities he'd recently displayed, Zhongli suddenly had a different idea. Since Li Yue wanted Geo so badly, why not just give him a soul that could wield Geo? That way, Li Yue would gain the Geo element! This could also serve as thanks for Li Yue saving Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

Yes, that was the plan!

Li Yue had no idea what Zhongli was thinking. He'd only been teasing Zhongli as usual—if someone actually handed him a Vision now, he wouldn't even want it, because what he really wanted was a Geo Demon God!

After sharing the story he'd crafted with Zhongli, the latter believed him without a shred of doubt, which pleased Li Yue immensely. It meant he'd have even more room to play with in the future.

After that, Li Yue had Zhongli go chat with Nahida while he set about installing the household appliances.

With the solar panels in place, it was time to install the rest of the appliances. In the entire Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Li Yue was the only one who understood this stuff, so he had to handle it himself. For the sake of his future quality of life, he'd just have to put in a bit more work.

"All done, feels great."

After half an hour of arranging and installing the appliances, Li Yue plopped down into a chair, picked up the tea Nahida had poured for him, and downed it in one gulp.

"The solar panels are generating power now, so all these appliances can be used. I can even charge my phone later."

Li Yue's phone, though barely used, had been on standby for days and was nearly out of battery.

"Where did all these things come from?"

Zhongli stared at the refrigerator and massage chair that had appeared in the living room, deeply curious. They didn't look like anything from the Teyvat continent.

"Oh, these? I bought them from another world."

"Another world?"

Zhongli fixed his gaze on Li Yue.

"Did I not mention that earlier?"

"Did you?"

"Alright, I guess I didn't. To put it simply, my ability isn't just limited to opening Portals on Teyvat—I can also open them to other worlds. So I took Nahida and Venti to another world. It's a very peaceful place, with highly advanced human technology. I bought these appliances to bring back and use, especially this one!"

So that was it—another world. No big deal; Teyvat had seen its share of travelers to other worlds.

Li Yue pulled Zhongli over to the massage chair and patted it.

"Come on, Zhongli, sit down and give it a try."

Urged by Li Yue, Zhongli sat down on the massage chair.

"Just lie back."

Li Yue pressed Zhongli fully into the chair and activated the massage function.

Hum—

A faint vibration sounded as the chair began to work. The vibrating massage on his back, the pushing massage on his waist, the squeezing massage on his legs—all of it sent a wave of comfort through Zhongli.

A brand-new experience like never before!

This old geezer, who'd lived for thousands of years, had his eyes light up on the spot.

"Hmm, this is quite good!"

For the first time, Zhongli learned there was such a way to relax. He let himself go completely, allowing the chair to give him a thorough massage. A thought even popped into his head.

I've worked hard for thousands of years—can't I enjoy myself a little?

Oh, I was about to retire and fully embrace leisure anyway? Never mind, then!

Zhongli lay back in the massage chair, clearly comfortable, his expression one of pure bliss.

"Do the rest of these things work the same way as this chair?"

"The rest are a refrigerator and a washing machine. The washing machine is for laundry, so you don't have to scrub by hand—it speeds things up a lot. As for the refrigerator, it's for keeping fresh food for a long time, like fruits, vegetables, and meat. That way, you can buy groceries once and have them last. Of course, it's also for chilling drinks, so you can have a cold beverage anytime."

Originally, Li Yue had bought the refrigerator mainly to have cold drinks on hand, but now that he'd obtained the Cryo element, he no longer needed that feature. So the fridge's purpose shifted to preservation. As for the air conditioner, Li Yue had asked Kasumigaoka to return it, saving her some money.

"Mm, those sound like fine items too."

Zhongli closed his eyes as he listened to Li Yue's explanation. A brief moment of thought was enough for him to see the value in these things called refrigerators and washing machines.

"These things can save the girls at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor a lot of unnecessary work, like washing clothes and going out to buy groceries every day."

Even though Zhongli and Li Yue rarely ate at the parlor, there were other employees there who still needed their daily routines. Whether it was the washing machine or the refrigerator, both were excellent additions to their lives.

"Indeed, for the others at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, these are items that can provide ample convenience in daily life. Your consideration is very thorough."

Zhongli was quite satisfied with Li Yue's approach. Going to another world wasn't just about buying entertainment or luxury goods—he also purchased items that could make others' lives easier. This thoughtfulness was far better than that witch from before, who only knew how to stir up trouble!

Truly a young man worthy of my, Zhongli's, recognition!

Zhongli selectively forgot how Li Yue had teased him earlier—that was only because Li Yue didn't know his true identity! How could he blame Li Yue for that?

"How much do these items cost?"

After praising him, Zhongli opened his eyes and asked Li Yue.

"What? Zhongli, you want to buy these things?"

"I don't know much about items from another world, but this massage chair is indeed excellent. However, there's only one here. I have a few old friends, and I'd like to give them one as well. I wonder if you could help me purchase it."

"You want me to act as a purchasing agent? No problem, but it might take a while. I don't have any currency from that world on hand right now, and I'm figuring out how to earn some over there. Once I do, I can buy it for you. This thing needs electricity, so I'll get you a matching Solar Panel set."

Li Yue knew who Zhongli's old friends were—the Adepti, including Xiao.

Xiao probably wouldn't care for something like this, but that woman would definitely be interested, since she loved tinkering with mechanisms.

"Then I thank you, young friend."

Zhongli nodded in satisfaction, closed his eyes again, and resumed enjoying himself.

Speaking of Adepti, Li Yue thought of someone. Watching Zhongli relax, a grin crept onto his face.

"Oh, by the way, Zhongli, there's someone I'd like to introduce to you."

Hmm? Introduce someone to me?

Zhongli opened his eyes again, staring at Li Yue with confusion. Aside from bringing back the Dendro Archon, who else had he met?

Considering Li Yue had come back from Mondstadt, could it be that drunkard from Mondstadt?

"Come on, come on, get up and head to the courtyard. Nahida, you too—come with us to the courtyard. I'm going to introduce you both to a big shot!"