Creating a God

"Do you really want to know?"

From what Babel said, the Eremites' collection of clues and intelligence about gods, and even their attempts to gather samples, were hardly closely guarded secrets.

"Of course I'd like to hear the details. There are no eternal enemies in this world, nor eternal friends, are there?"

Lin Yi's words were fairly reasonable, and even Xiao nodded thoughtfully.

"Sister, don't believe him! I tried to take his life with One-Leaf Wheel just now, but he dodged it. He must be trying to buy time so he can kill us both!"

"So you really were trying to kill me, huh, you little brat... Fine, I'm adding another condition. You can have a blood sample, but this hula-hoop girl has to be my maid for a month!"

"You're the one playing with a hula hoop! Your whole family plays with hula hoops!"

Lin Yi and Dancer immediately launched into a furious argument.

They looked exactly like two children bickering.

But Babel noticed that Xiao remained on guard beside them. At the slightest threat to Lin Yi, he would strike without hesitation.

He could kill her and her sister on the spot with ease, just as casually as he wiped out a demon god's followers.

Suddenly, Babel understood something.

It seemed as though Lin Yi had offered them a chance to make a deal, but in truth, the sisters no longer had a choice.

He could easily force us to submit through brutality and extract useful information. But what makes him think I'd actually exchange information for a sample?

Winning over the heart was the superior strategy.

It was only because of Lin Yi that they had a way out of certain death.

Without even realizing it, Babel and Dancer already owed Lin Yi their lives...

At that thought, a chill ran down Babel's spine.

Perhaps she could understand why the oracle had placed such importance on Lin Yi's arrival.

The more beauties Teyvat had, the better. They were a pleasure to look at, too. Wouldn't it be a shame for them to die here?

That was what Lin Yi thought.

"Do you need me to step in?"

Xiao did not want to delay any longer. The longer they waited, the greater the risk of complications.

The Eremites of Sumeru had gone to great lengths to reach Liyue. Surely Dancer and Narrator were not the only two who had come.

"No need. I can handle this myself. Don't worry!"

When they looked again, Dancer was gasping from the barrage of insults. Under Lin Yi's relentless verbal bombardment, which never repeated itself, she finally burst into aggrieved tears and buried herself in her sister's soft, ample bosom.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi leisurely fiddled with his handgun. Seeing the object, Xiao also stared at it curiously.

"Your little sister doesn't know how to behave. I'd rather talk to you, Babel. Don't wait until I change my mind, or your fate won't be as simple as dying."

Babel smiled. Every expression she made was graceful and alluring, though she still fell a little short compared to his wife, Ningguang.

"If you truly want to know, I can tell you. But we Eremites are about to leave Liyue for the next region, so I can only give you a general account."

Lin Yi gestured for her to continue.

"The Fatui collect Gnoses for a different purpose than we Eremites collect god blood. Our employer is Sumeru's Akademiya. According to rumors I've heard, the Akademiya wants to..."

"Wants to do what?"

"They want to... create a god. Not one chosen by Celestia, but an artificial god."

Xiao was shocked!

Gods were beings mortals could never hope to catch up to, even over countless lifetimes. An artificial god was utter nonsense!

And yet, the world held endless possibilities. Perhaps a stairway to godhood existed in some dark corner.

Lin Yi remained calm. What Sumeru did had nothing to do with him, and he was not some idiotic bleeding heart who proclaimed his desire to save the world at every turn.

Still, viewed in the long term, this could very well affect his own territory.

Gods were the objects of the people's faith.

If an artificial god gained that faith, there was no telling how it might be exploited.

"Does Sumeru's Greater Lord Rukkhadevata know about this?"

Babel shook her head.

Years ago, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had been reduced to a withered tree by a mysterious person's fire.

Without divine authority to guide it, Sumeru had soon fallen under the control of the Akademiya, which held Lesser Lord Kusanali in its grip...

Naturally, Lin Yi knew that part of Sumeru's history.

In short, the Akademiya wanted to create a god. If it could create one, it could create a second and a third. Once divine authority fell into chaos, Teyvat would face a new era of upheaval.

After careful consideration, Lin Yi also understood the gravity of the matter.

So the Akademiya's ambitions were even greater than his!

"I've told you everything I know. Can you let us leave now?"

Xiao waited for Lin Yi's response.

After all, he was the current Geo Archon and had already mastered divine power.

In front of outsiders, Lin Yi still had to take the lead.

Lin Yi smiled, his expression looking just like a shady merchant's.

"If I'm not mistaken, your next destination should be Inazuma, right?"

"That's right. We're crossing the ocean to Inazuma."

Lin Yi then proposed a partnership to make up for Dancer's offense against him.

"Your band keeps sailing overseas and traveling everywhere. I need a copy of your internal, high-precision nautical charts."

"They must include every island at sea, the distances between regions..."

Babel agreed. She did not even ask what Lin Yi wanted them for.

She could sense that Lin Yi was not making demands of them as a victor.

He genuinely wanted to cooperate. The particulars of that cooperation seemed to be written in the nautical charts already, merely waiting for Liyue and the Eremites to set them in motion together.

Half an hour later, Lin Yi and Xiao watched as members of the Eremites collected the two young women.

As she left, Dancer still made sure to pull a face at him.

Lin Yi ignored her, merely watching the Eremites' party with a meaningful look.

"All right, Xiao. Thanks for your help today."

"As a fellow citizen of Liyue, it was my duty."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two found themselves feeling a little awkward.

Two grown men really did not have much to chat about.

"I know you must have questions right now, don't you? Why did Morax fall, and how did I become a god?"

Xiao was somewhat surprised that Lin Yi brought it up himself. He had thought Lin Yi would avoid the subject.

Now that he had witnessed Lin Yi uncover earth-shattering intelligence with just a few words, his opinion of him had improved somewhat. There was a reason he had been able to become the New God.

Still, he found it a little hard to accept.

"If you want to tell me, I'm all ears. If you don't, I won't force you. It's not as though I can hold a spear to your throat and demand answers."

"That's true. If you want to know, I'll take you to meet someone. Then we can clear up every misunderstanding."

And so, Lin Yi brought Xiao along with his exploration party.

It took them some time.

At last, they caught up with the merchant caravan.

They successfully reunited with Xiangling, Keqing, and the others.

"Everyone, I'm back!"

"That voice-it's Lord Lin Yi!"

Everyone came out of the camp.

There before them were the Geo Archon and the Conqueror of Demons, approaching side by side.