"Who goes there?"
Inside the Tenryou Commission prison, a guard heard the clatter of weapons outside.
But before he could even react to the intruder—
A sharp chop struck the back of his neck.
"You guys look competent, but you're useless,"
Childe waved his hand dismissively.
"At least the Fatui can tell who's attacking them.
You lot didn't even see my face."
He stepped over the unconscious guard and walked deeper into the prison.
Morax was here.
Back in Liyue, he'd searched everywhere.
Never once did he imagine the Geo Archon wasn't even in Liyue at all he'd been in Inazuma the whole time.
He had been played, and badly.
No one had ever made Childe hunt in circles like this.
Well—except that "genius."
That one he couldn't complain about.
Anyone else, and Childe would've beaten the truth out of them already.
But the genius?
Yeah… not someone he could beat.
Besides, the Doctor and the Jester were just as bad, so Childe didn't dwell on it.
Finding a Liyuean in Inazuma wasn't hard.
As long as they weren't wearing Inazuman clothing, they practically stood out like signboards.
And as an Archon, Morax should naturally be… eye-catching.
So Childe was confident he would recognize him at a glance.
"Hmm? Mr. Zhongli?"
Why was Zhongli here?
Childe's mind couldn't process it at first.
Wasn't Morax supposed to be in this cell?
A thought surfaced one he had always refused to examine.
But facts stared him straight in the face.
No matter how he tried to deny it…
Zhongli was Morax.
Morax was Zhongli.
"Childe?"
Zhongli looked equally surprised.
He never imagined the first visitor would be Childe of all people.
The man should've still been in Liyue.
Or, if everything had followed the contract, he should've already caused chaos and fled.
What was he doing in Inazuma now?
For Baal's Gnosis?
"Mr. Zhongli, you hid it well.
Really well."
Childe let out a breath.
Never would he have imagined the Archon he had yearned to meet, the Archon he had tried everything to understand and get close to…
Had been drinking tea with him all along.
He had even spent a fortune trying to get close to this man!
Yes, it was the Tsaritsa's money but it still hurt.
"…"
Zhongli stayed silent.
He had always known Childe's objectives, and had chosen to watch quietly.
Being exposed now…
Childe being upset was normal.
"So?
Has the genius' strength exceeded your expectations?"
Who else could have subdued Morax?
No way it was the Raiden Shogun even if Inazuma had three of them, Morax could at least escape.
So the one who defeated him could only be Su Ran.
"Indeed.
With him around, Snezhnaya's plans have far more hope."
Su Ran's power had surpassed even Zhongli's imagination.
Strength on par with the divine throne that was no exaggeration.
With the Heavenly Principles having weakened over the years, adding Su Ran to the Fatui's side made toppling Celestia less a dream, more a viable future.
"It's more than just 'hope.'"
Childe didn't know how strong beings beyond Teyvat were.
But he was certain the genius was above the Heavenly Principles.
"Mr. Zhongli, you want to return to Liyue, right?"
Even with newfound Archon-level strength, Childe knew:
experience-wise, he was nothing compared to a veteran like Baal.
He had never truly fought a god-level opponent before.
"What's the price?"
Zhongli asked calmly.
"Fight with us.
Help us defeat Baal!"
"…"
Zhongli was surprised.
"But as far as I know, that… 'genius' stands with Baal.
Are you sure we stand a chance?"
If defeating Baal were truly enough, he wouldn't still be locked up.
He would've already led Liyue's people back home.
"Don't forget—he's also on my side,"
Childe grinned, tearing open the lock on the cell door.
He stepped inside and casually ripped apart Zhongli's restraints.
"…"
Zhongli stared at the broken shackles.
That's it?
That's all it took?
This—
this was the restraint forged by someone who had subdued him in a single blow.
To think…
he could've left with Beidou and the others days ago.
Back at the hideout—
"Chief Editor, one more thing,"
Yelan said, "Why would that executive choose someone specifically to defeat the Raiden Shogun?"
Never mind whether the traveler could.
What puzzled her more was:
Why would Su Ran set up someone to defeat Ei
if the two were supposedly on the same side?
"That's simple"
Yae Miko flicked her wrist.
"This dream wasn't prepared for that Raiden Shogun in the first place.
So now he's letting us break it at will because that outcome happens to benefit him."
In her mind, Su Ran had designed this dream for fun.
But after playing with it for too long, Ei had turned obsessive, interfering with his freedom.
So the real cause of everything was Ei's extremism.
For the sake of her mental well-being, he had to shatter her obsession eventually.
Afterward, he would bring Raiden Makoto and Kitsune Saiguu back and treat it as compensation.
"But what is certain is you can safely rebel.
He won't interfere."
Yae Miko shrugged.
"Which means:
you cannot truly lose."
They could secure Archon-level support.
But Su-ran-level support?
Impossible.
"But Palace Priestess…
why would you choose to help us instead of helping the Shogun?"
Ayaka couldn't understand.
Yae Miko betraying Ei made no sense to her.
They were bonded by centuries of trust.
Why would Yae Miko stab her own Archon in the back?
"Because if we don't break the dream soon,
Ningguang is going to eat all the meat, and I won't even get the soup."
Yelan froze.
Ningguang did WHAT?
Not only had she cooperated with the Fatui executive but it sounded like she had joined some massive project.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer