Of course, they were not actually wrong to think that. It was just that the process by which they reached that conclusion had nothing whatsoever to do with sound reasoning. On a math exam, it would be a case of getting the right answer with all the wrong working, worth a token point at most.
But reality was not an exam. Sometimes, as long as the answer was right, it did not really make a difference.
In any case, the foreigners who knew nothing of the situation had now accepted that Mr. Zhongli, personally vouched for by the Traveler who had descended from beyond this world, was an important figure in Liyue. That meant whatever earth-shattering bombshell came up in the video next would actually shock them far less than it would the locals of Liyue.
On the screen, as the buffering icon gradually stopped spinning, the upcoming video finished loading and began to play.
Like the earlier video about the Anemo Archon fooling you, today's second video also showed actual gameplay footage. That much was clear just from the dialogue boxes beneath the characters on-screen.
The people of Teyvat were quite quick to embrace new things. Even concepts they had only just learned could immediately be put into practice and applied to the next video.
On-screen, Zhongli, dressed in splendid clothes and striking in appearance, faced the camera, while the Traveler Aether and Paimon had their backs to it. The three stood near Feiyun Slope.
From the prompts and contents of the dialogue box, it was clear that Zhongli was speaking as the video began.
"This is the first advance Childe gave us. If we run out, we can go back to him to have the subsequent expenses reimbursed."
"All right, let us set off. The first step in preparing the ceremony... is to obtain the finest Noctilucous Jade, of a quality worthy of a god."
[Lumine: Uh, so this should be gameplay footage where someone chose my brother as the playable character? How strange. People really do pick my brother in a game where you can choose your gender? I thought everyone would pick me. But come to think of it, does this count as a different sort of reunion?]
Aether, in the Abyss, very much wanted to say no. But he had already endured this for so long. He had even abandoned the plan in Mondstadt, which had been more than halfway carried out, because of his sister's unexpected intrusion. He could hardly let a lack of patience ruin the greater plan now.
Still, his sister's narcissistic, trollish personality really had not changed one bit.
[Xiangling: A ceremony? Worthy of a god? Hmm, what ceremony for a god needs Noctilucous Jade?]
[A Ping: It is the Rite of Parting. In the past, whenever those old friends passed on, Liyue would always hold a very grand Rite of Parting. But at some point, people gradually began to forget this tradition.]
[Mountain Shaper: Hmph. That is why I say the mortals of today truly are a sorry lot.]
The Millelith of old had likewise been made up of mortals, yet those mortals had been able to wear armor weighing a thousand jin, blessed with adeptal power, and wield the heavy stone spears personally bestowed by Rex Lapis as they fought at his side.
Granted, even so, an army made up of mortals could not play much of a role in battles among adepti, let alone gods.
But the mortals of that era had not relied on adepti for everything, abandoning the proper path all day long to run into the mountains and pursue some fated encounter with an adeptus day and night. They had truly put their words into action, lived by their oaths, and followed Rex Lapis into battle alongside the adepti.
And then there was the Millelith of today, who could only wear light armor and carry spears weighing a dozen or so jin...
Ah, what a cause for lament.
[Xianyun: Wait, that is not the point. This is a Rite of Parting for a god... If Liyue were to hold a Rite of Parting for a god, would that not mean-]
[Moon Carver: Cloud Retainer, have you forgotten that Footprint video yesterday, and the words Rex Lapis conveyed through dreams?]
[Xianyun: Hmph, how could I forget?! But why would Rex Lapis's Rite of Parting be organized by Rex... Mr. Zhongli? And funded by the Fatui, at that? Could this person called Childe, despite being a foreigner, hold boundless reverence for Rex Lapis?!]
[Childe: Uh... (gives up thinking) You're right.]
[Mountain Shaper: Hmph. Regardless, to leave the expenses of such an important ceremony to a foreigner, and the ceremony itself to Mr. Zhongli, without a single representative of the Qixing stepping forward to personally oversee the entire affair-what a disgrace!]
Seated in the Jade Chamber, Ningguang and the others exchanged wry smiles.
Come now, honored adepti. Are you not even going to bother hiding it anymore?
This is Rex Lapis's Rite of Parting, yet you are all discussing it so calmly. Instead of focusing on Rex Lapis's soul returning to the heavens, you are quibbling over the Rite of Parting... Is that not plainly telling everyone else that there is more to Rex Lapis's death, or, to put it bluntly, that it is fake?!
"The Footprint promotional video said Rex Lapis was murdered in full view of everyone. And there is only one occasion each year when Rex Lapis would appear in public: the Rite of Descension."
Unlike her colleagues, although Keqing was deeply shaken as well, she had now more or less guessed that Rex Lapis was actually fine. With the most unacceptable development thus averted, she could still analyze things calmly.
Ningguang nodded and picked up where she left off. "And this so-called story should follow that Traveler who is currently in Mondstadt. Judging by the timing, it should be this year's Rite of Descension. I am presiding over this year's Rite of Descension... Ah."
Ningguang sighed and said apologetically to the others, particularly Ganyu, "That was a failing on my part. I must have been caught off guard by Rex Lapis's assassination, lost my composure, and mishandled things in my panic."
Ganyu, who now knew some of the inside story-at the very least, Zhongli had firmly delivered a message to her yesterday after growing impatient waiting for her to finish working overtime-felt rather embarrassed.
Although Rex Lapis surely had a deeper purpose in everything he did, anyone in Liyue, even an adeptus, would panic if suddenly confronted with his assassination.
Ganyu imagined herself in Ningguang's place in that situation and felt that she might have handled it even worse.
"Miss Ningguang, you need not blame yourself too much. Surely Rex Lapis must have some deeper purpose in doing this."
Ningguang discreetly exchanged a look with the other members of the Qixing.
That settles it. Rex Lapis definitely was not really assassinated.
The words alone might not have revealed much, but there were simply too many tells in the expression of Miss Ganyu, the half-adeptus secretary to the Qixing before them.
Still, they had too little information at present. Hopefully, this video would provide more and let them know just what Rex Lapis was thinking.
Especially...
As they watched Zhongli in the video, although Keqing had yet to guess it, Ningguang, Uncle Tian, and a select few other members of the Qixing had already more or less deduced from the adepti's strange attitudes earlier that Mr. Zhongli was very likely Rex Lapis himself.
Although arranging one's own funeral was quite a mind-blowing thing to do-
The same thought still held.
Rex Lapis must have some deeper purpose in doing this.