A unique pressure belonging solely to the God of Rock spread outward.
As the ruler of Liyue, Rex Lapis once again revealed the imposing presence of the Martial God.
"You—!"
The Cryo Archon clearly hadn't expected Morax to flare up so suddenly.
Wasn't this ancient god who had lived for over six thousand years supposed to possess the steadiness of stone?
The proud Cryo Archon seemed to have forgotten one thing.
Being calm did not mean lacking a temper.
"What? Does the mighty Geo Archon also bully those younger than him?"
The Cryo Archon had no intention of openly breaking relations with Morax.
After all, based on the current national strength of Snezhnaya and Liyue, Snezhnaya simply couldn't defeat Liyue.
Whether in top-tier combat power or mid-level military strength.
At best, the Fatui could only hold their own against the Millelith through the use of Delusions.
The main issue was that Morax had someone like Jiang Yan under his command—a bug-like existence.
According to the Tsaritsa's calculations, perhaps Morax wouldn't even need to act personally. Jiang Yan alone might be enough to overturn all of Snezhnaya.
"If your attitude were more proper, I naturally wouldn't need to resort to such measures."
Morax withdrew his pressure and spoke calmly.
"If you want the Geo Gnosis, that is possible."
"But you must offer me a condition that interests me."
Morax's tone remained indifferent, yet the Tsaritsa sensed an opportunity.
"Oh? Then what condition does the Geo Archon desire?"
she asked.
"My condition…"
Morax gave a faint chuckle.
"Only an equal exchange."
"I am the god of a nation founded upon contracts. What I seek is fairness."
His expression remained composed.
"An item equal in value to a Gnosis? Geo Archon, are you joking with me?"
The Tsaritsa suppressed her anger as she spoke.
"That depends on how you see it. Perhaps only you people care about something like a Gnosis."
Morax sounded entirely unconcerned.
The Tsaritsa paused, clearly choked by his response.
"Hmph. Very well."
"One day, I will come to you again."
With those words, the ice crystal shattered into fragments.
"Tsk. Foolish."
Morax sighed softly.
How could something like the Seven Gnoses ever shake the authority of Celestia?
He stood atop the mountain for a long while before finally turning and leaving.
…
World Tree Space.
A portal suddenly opened.
Jiang Yan brought Ganyu into the space of the World Tree.
"This place is…"
When Ganyu opened her eyes and saw the dreamlike scenery before her, she was instantly stunned.
Within this fantastical realm stood an enormous tree, gently swaying despite the absence of wind.
"This is the World Tree's domain," Jiang Yan explained.
As he described how the World Tree was the convergence of all ley lines across Teyvat, Ganyu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Other things she may have never heard of before, but the idea of a ley line aggregate completely surpassed her understanding.
"Ah Yan, have you been here these past few days?"
Ganyu asked.
"Yep."
Jiang Yan nodded.
He looked around but didn't see Nahida anywhere.
"Hm? Where is she?"
He led Ganyu closer to the World Tree.
"Nahida!!!"
Jiang Yan called out loudly.
The shout startled Ganyu.
"T-There's someone else here?"
She looked around, yet saw no one.
"B-Big Brother…"
A soft, timid voice suddenly came from above.
Both Jiang Yan and Ganyu looked upward.
A little white-haired girl peeked out from among the branches, staring nervously at Ganyu.
Since her birth, Nahida had only ever seen Jiang Yan.
Someone like Ganyu—with her qilin horns and half-adeptus appearance—was entirely unfamiliar to her.
Especially those horns.
To Nahida, they made Ganyu look a little like a strange creature.
That was why she had hidden herself behind leaves, too afraid to come out.
If Jiang Yan hadn't called for her, she likely would have continued hiding obediently.
"This is…"
Seeing Nahida's adorable appearance, Ganyu looked toward Jiang Yan.
"That's my little sister."
Jiang Yan smiled.
"Your sister?"
At first, Ganyu assumed Nahida was simply another child Jiang Yan had taken in, like Ningguang, Beidou, and Shenhe.
But then she suddenly realized something.
She looked at Nahida's white hair and pointed ears.
Then she looked at Jiang Yan's white hair and pointed ears.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"You…"
"You two…"
She pointed at them with trembling fingers.
"It's not what you think…"
Jiang Yan laughed helplessly.
"She isn't my biological sister."
"Eh???"
Now Ganyu was even more confused.
"Then why do you…"
"Well, how should I explain it…"
"Beings like us are born from heaven and earth. So… we aren't related by blood, but we belong to the same race."
Jiang Yan smiled naturally, without the slightest hint of dishonesty.
In reality, he was making everything up.
After all, he couldn't exactly explain that Nahida had been nurtured through the Soul Stone.
So he simply fabricated a reasonable excuse.
Though not particularly convincing, Ganyu was currently too overwhelmed to question it deeply.
After all, something like the World Tree already existed.
Compared to that, Nahida's strange birth method seemed almost acceptable.
"So that's how it is…"
Ganyu nodded slowly.
Jiang Yan looked up at Nahida and waved.
"Nahida, come here."
"B-But she…"
Nahida pointed timidly at Ganyu.
"She's not a bad person."
Jiang Yan smiled gently.
"Don't you trust Big Brother?"
"No, I trust Big Brother."
Nahida quickly shook her head.
Then she climbed down from the tree and came into Jiang Yan's embrace.
"Nahida, this is your sister-in-law."
Jiang Yan pinched Nahida's little ghostly cheek.
"Big Brother has already explained what a sister-in-law is, right?"
"Mhm!"
Nahida nodded seriously.
"A sister-in-law is the person closest to Big Brother. She's Big Brother's partner!"
"Big Brother, am I right?"
She looked up at him with bright, watery eyes.
"Exactly right."
Jiang Yan smiled.
"So this big sister is your sister-in-law. She's not dangerous."
"You can trust her just like you trust me."
Nahida nodded vaguely.
Then she turned toward Ganyu and gave a sweet smile.
"Sister-in-law~"
The moment she heard the title, Ganyu's cheeks instantly flushed red.
"Y-You bad guy… what nonsense are you teaching…"
Jiang Yan chuckled.
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"You can't exactly say you're not her sister-in-law."
Ganyu found herself unable to refute that.
"Can I hold her?"
Ganyu looked at Nahida's soft and adorable appearance, suddenly wanting to hug her.
After all, Nahida was just too cute.
Perhaps influenced by Ningguang and the others, Ganyu now had almost zero resistance to adorable children.
"Of course."
Jiang Yan turned to Nahida.
"Nahida, can your sister-in-law hold you?"
Nahida tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Of course she can."
A moment later, she nodded.
Jiang Yan handed Nahida over.
Ganyu reached out to receive her, expecting a soft, warm sensation.
Instead, it felt like she was holding nothing at all.
She froze for a moment.
"Hm?"
Seeing Ganyu's puzzled expression, Jiang Yan suddenly remembered.
Nahida was still only a soul.
He had grown so accustomed to holding her that he'd forgotten she lacked a physical body.
"Nahida hasn't formed a body yet," he explained.
"She's still a spirit."
Ganyu nodded.
No wonder she couldn't feel any physical contact.
"So I can only pretend to hold her like this?"
She gently wrapped her arms around Nahida.
"Exactly."
Jiang Yan smiled.
As expected of Ganyu—her intelligence allowed her to immediately grasp the idea.
She looked down at Nahida's tiny round face and bright eyes gazing back at her.
Her heart instantly melted.
Too adorable!!!
Ganyu's cheeks reddened.
If Nahida had a real body, she absolutely would have rubbed cheeks with her right now.
"Sister-in-law~"
Nahida nestled against Ganyu and called softly.
Watching the two get along so harmoniously, Jiang Yan smiled warmly.
This was Nahida's first time meeting someone besides Jiang Yan.
Once she became familiar with Ganyu, she stuck closely to her, asking question after question.
Ganyu's gentle personality naturally made children adore her.
She listened carefully to every one of Nahida's questions.
Then answered them patiently.
But Nahida's curiosity often drifted into strange territory.
For example, she brought up yesterday's question again.
"Sister-in-law, do you know why people feel refreshed after going to the bathroom?"
Nahida asked with complete seriousness.
Ganyu froze.
Then she slowly turned toward Jiang Yan with a scrutinizing look.
Her eyes clearly asked:
What exactly have you been teaching her these past two days?!
Why is she asking things like this???
Jiang Yan slapped his forehead helplessly.
Who knew why Nahida was so obsessed with that question?
Maybe because his answer yesterday had been too vague.
After glaring at him, Ganyu still lowered her head and patiently explained it to Nahida.
Her explanation wasn't much clearer than Jiang Yan's.
But at least it finally satisfied Nahida.
"So that's how it works…"
Nahida nodded thoughtfully.
For the entire day, Jiang Yan and Ganyu stayed there accompanying her.
Only after Nahida grew too tired and fell asleep in Ganyu's arms did Jiang Yan gently pick her up.
Under Ganyu's gaze, he floated upward toward the highest branch of the World Tree.
He carefully laid Nahida back onto the branch.
Then returned to Ganyu's side.
"Shall we go?"
He smiled and extended his hand.
"Perfect timing—we can pick up Ningguang and the others from Cloud Retainer's place and have dinner there."
"Alright. It's been a while since I've seen Master too."
Ganyu nodded and took his hand.
A portal opened before them.
Together, they stepped inside.
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