Five Hundred Years Later

On a cliff somewhere in Jueyun Karst.

"Thank you, Immortal Lord, for dispelling the black aura from us."

"We are ashamed. We ought to help the people of Liyue rebuild their homes. Afterward, we will retire to the mountains and forests, withdrawing from worldly affairs."

The gathered monsters cupped their hands in farewell to Qiu Bai, then flew toward Liyue Harbor.

"It seems you're not in very good shape either."

Qiu Bai looked at Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Ganyu, and the many other adepti as he teased them.

Qiu Bai had little time left. He needed to do what he could as quickly as possible before falling asleep again.

"Please don't tease us, Immortal Lord. But why did you suddenly awaken?"

"Yes, Immortal Lord, are you truly all right?"

Cloud Retainer and Ganyu looked at Qiu Bai with concern.

Qiu Bai said nothing. Instead, he infused Yang Qi into the many adepti behind him, healing all their injuries.

"I was forcibly awakened. I have little time left and will soon fall asleep again."

"Go to Liyue Harbor and the other regions to help the people."

With that, Qiu Bai entered his Cave Abode, cleaned it up, and sealed the entrance once more.

Watching the Immortal Lord disappear into his Cave Abode, Ganyu and the others were filled with mixed emotions.

"Come, Ganyu. The Immortal Lord will be all right. Let us go to Liyue and tend to the victims first."

Cloud Retainer comforted Ganyu, who was standing there in a daze.

"All right."

Ganyu answered softly.

The three of them likewise flew toward Liyue Harbor.

Inside his Cave Abode, Qiu Bai lay on the cor lapis with his eyes gently closed.

System, let me sleep.

Qiu Bai spoke silently in his mind.

Ding! The host is about to enter slumber. When the host awakens again, his physical capabilities will be increased to ten times their peak level!

At that point, the host will no longer need the system! The system will automatically unbind.

Automatic unbinding and tenfold physical capabilities? Damn, won't that mean I can do whatever I want in Teyvat?

Qiu Bai thought to himself in delight, then fell asleep.

Seven days later...

Morax returned to Liyue from Khaenri'ah. Seeing one giant beast after another, some shaped like butterflies and others like horses, using their powers to help Liyue rebuild, he was somewhat bewildered.

"Who are they? I don't recall Liyue having these adepti."

Morax asked in confusion.

Cloud Retainer appeared before Morax.

"My lord, these great demons were all redeemed by the Immortal Lord. They volunteered to help the people of Liyue."

Morax looked at Cloud Retainer in puzzlement.

"Great demons? The followers of the Demon Gods defeated during the Archon War? Didn't they flee to the Dark Sea?"

Cloud Retainer told Morax everything that had happened during his absence...

"Old friend..."

After listening, Morax fell silent for a short while, then flew to a mountaintop.

Standing there, he gazed at Liyue as it began to regain its vitality.

"I would buy osmanthus blossoms and bring wine along, but alas, when will I see my old friend again?"

The seasons came and went, and time flowed past like running water. Five hundred years passed.

Over the course of a thousand years, tales of the Immortal Lord had spread widely among the people of Liyue.

As a result, Qiu Bai's standing in their hearts was now nearly equal to that of Rex Lapis.

Ding! The host's strength has recovered!

Ding! The host's strength has increased tenfold! System unbinding.

Qiu Bai awakened from his slumber.

"Has it already been five hundred years? My power has increased tenfold."

"I should be able to do whatever I want in Teyvat now."

Feeling the power within him, Qiu Bai murmured to himself.

"Let's go outside and take a look first."

Qiu Bai stretched, dispelled the seal on his Cave Abode, and stepped outside. Bright sunlight fell across his face.

With a transformation, Qiu Bai's hair was secured with a bamboo hairpin, and he held a black-and-white fan painted with mountains and rivers.

He wore a snow-white, straight-lapeled robe that draped beautifully, cinched at the waist with a broad, moon-white sash patterned with auspicious clouds.

Only a piece of exquisite black jade hung from it. A few strands of hair at his forehead fluttered loose in the breeze, dancing together with a silver ribbon and lending him an airy grace.

At first glance, one could only wonder whose young master this was, so strikingly handsome.

He concealed his aura and altered his appearance.

"No one should recognize me like this."

"Fresh air!"

"Let's take a look at Liyue Harbor first."

With a single teleportation, Qiu Bai arrived in a deserted corner of Liyue Harbor.

Walking along its streets, Qiu Bai was filled with emotion.

"Central Plains offal! Delicious and affordable!"

"Half price at Xinyue Kiosk for a limited time!"

Familiar cries rang out one after another, overlapping with Qiu Bai's memories.

"It looks a lot like I remember. I wonder whether the story has started yet."

Qiu Bai pondered.

Suddenly, a certain unnamed consultant sitting inside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor jolted.

He set the tea he had been about to raise back on the table.

"Director, please excuse me for a moment."

He rose and started toward the exit.

"Oh, go on, go on. Honestly, Zhongli, stop eating at places like Xinyue Kiosk."

"You can eat out, but stop sending the bills to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. We haven't had any business in ages!"

Hu Tao lounged lazily over a stool, looking at Zhongli with some puzzlement.

Zhongli looked so young and handsome. He knew everything yet seemed concerned about nothing, like some old relic.

"Director, I am going to see an old friend this time, not to dine."

Zhongli looked at Hu Tao and explained.

"Go on, then. Remember to bring me something from Wanmin Restaurant."

"I haven't eaten all day. Your director is starving!"

Hu Tao clutched her stomach as she looked at Zhongli.

"Understood, Director."

Zhongli then left the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and headed toward Qiu Bai.

Qiu Bai was wondering where the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was. After all, this was not the Liyue Harbor from the game; it was far larger.

Just as Qiu Bai was about to continue forward, someone with a familiar face approached him.

He wore clothes in a golden-ochre hue, with an upper half resembling a suit and a lower half resembling a tailcoat, adorned with a dragon pattern.

"Old friend, it has been a long time."

Zhongli greeted Qiu Bai.

"Morax?"

Qiu Bai looked at Zhongli and recognized him immediately.

"Let us talk as we walk, Morpheus."

"I now go by Zhongli."

Zhongli and Qiu Bai walked through the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor, talking as they went.

"Zhongli? That's a fine name."

"Liyue today is very different from how I remember it."

Of course Qiu Bai already knew that he now went by Zhongli.

"By the way, my name is Qiu Bai now."

Qiu Bai likewise told Zhongli his current name.

"Your power seems to have grown considerably."

"I can sense that your strength now seems to be about equal to mine."

Zhongli asked with some puzzlement.

"Yes. I wasn't doing nothing during those thousand years of sleep."

"Liyue truly is flourishing now."

Qiu Bai sounded wistful.

"I intend to step down as the Geo Archon during the Rite of Descension the day after tomorrow."

"I intend to test this generation of the Liyue Qixing."

Zhongli paused, then continued.

"Even bedrock that whirlpools cannot shatter will wear away beneath the passage of time.

"I merely kept convincing myself that the day when Erosion would leave cracks had yet to arrive.

"Until one drizzly day, while strolling through the harbor, I heard a merchant praising one of his subordinates.

"'You have fulfilled your duties. Now, go and rest.'

"At that moment, I stood amid the bustling crowd for a long time, asking myself over and over.

"'Have I, too, fulfilled my duties?'

"But when I began considering whether I should step down from my divine seat, I realized there were still many reasons I could not leave.

"Was Liyue, the land that walked alongside its god, ready to enter the next era?

"I had to create an opportunity to observe it carefully before making my decision."