"Uh… if you're happy, that's all that matters!"
But every time something happened, the first one to step in was always you, Zhongli.
Seriously—such a classic tsundere. Saying one thing while doing another.
That was why Rowan said it in the first place, and Zhongli's silence also meant he wasn't denying he'd step in again.
In the end, he still couldn't let Liyue go.
"Alright then. As the price, let me take a look at the Geo Gnosis."
"Oh? Sure."
Even though he didn't understand why Rowan wanted to see the Geo Gnosis, to Zhongli it was nothing but a burden.
Once the Fatui finished their part of the play, the Geo Gnosis would be handed to them anyway.
Letting Rowan see it was no big deal—he could even give it to Rowan, if it came to that.
Worst case, the Tsaritsa could go to Rowan herself and demand the Gnosis back.
After all, Zhongli had agreed to give the Geo Gnosis to the Fatui, but he'd never said in what manner.
Let the Tsaritsa and the Fatui figure it out and suffer the headache.
Watching them get a headache wasn't a bad bit of entertainment, either.
Besides, looking at Rowan's attitude, he didn't seem interested in the Geo Gnosis itself.
A flash of light flickered in Zhongli's hand, and a golden chess piece appeared in his palm.
This was the Geo Gnosis—the symbol of the Seven's Geo Archon.
Rowan didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and took the Gnosis in his hand.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have touched the Geo Gnosis and obtained one Heroic Spirit lottery draw!
The moment he grasped the Geo Gnosis, the system's prompt rang out in Rowan's mind.
Compared to last time, this one clearly specified it was a Heroic Spirit draw.
Rowan had wondered before why his luck had been so absurdly good.
Even if Old Saber counted as "European luck," as a knight of Camelot, it still shouldn't have been that ridiculous.
Pulling a Heroic Spirit on a single draw—yet after sweeping all of Mondstadt's treasure chests, he hadn't drawn a single Heroic Spirit.
When he was "lucky," he only got a few Noble Phantasms.
But that time, it was a one-shot miracle—Gilgamesh, straight out of the gate.
Now it was clear: it hadn't been luck at all.
It was a system reward—guaranteed to produce a Heroic Spirit.
Otherwise, a Gnosis was proof of an Archon, something that precious—rewarding just one draw for it would be way too casual.
"Not bad."
He toyed with it for a moment like he was appreciating it, then finally handed it back.
"Here."
Even so, Zhongli still couldn't make sense of it.
What was that supposed to mean? He took the Gnosis, did nothing but touch it, then gave it back—what kind of operation was that?
Rowan didn't bother explaining. Light flashed in his hand, and a chess piece identical to the one in Zhongli's hand appeared.
Zhongli froze on the spot.
"Now you get it, right?"
Rowan didn't need to say another word. Zhongli would fill in the rest himself.
"Your abilities really are… bizarre in every possible way."
Zhongli's gaze turned complicated, his expression indescribable.
Rowan truly lived up to being a Descender—his powers were unfathomably strange.
He'd only arrived a month ago, yet he could face the Tsaritsa head-on without falling behind.
Now he was even pulling out a golden vessel that didn't lose out to the Jade Chamber.
And on top of that, he could copy a Gnosis.
This guy was downright outrageous.
If Zhongli guessed right, Rowan had probably copied the Anemo Gnosis already, too.
Would he end up doing the same thing as the Tsaritsa later—collecting Gnoses?
The Tsaritsa collected Gnoses to raise a banner of rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.
"Alright, Bonanus is revived. You should get going."
Rowan glanced at the side—Bonanus's form had fully solidified, already transformed into a Heroic Spirit body—and issued a blunt dismissal.
"Otherwise, if Istaroth shows up later, you won't be able to hide it."
"Fine. I'll continue collecting the tokens of the other fallen adepti. When the time comes, I'll leave it to you."
"As for payment… how about Guizhong?"
Since Rowan had said it himself—he liked beautiful women.
Then Zhongli would hand him a chance with Liyue's number one beauty.
Of course, only if Guizhong was interested in Rowan.
This wasn't a transaction. It was an opportunity.
An opportunity for Rowan to pursue Guizhong—provided Rowan revived her first.
Rowan paused, then looked Zhongli up and down with an extremely strange expression.
Zhongli's hair practically stood on end. He was about to say something when Rowan spoke first.
"Damn… Zhongli, you look all proper and serious, but you're actually into getting cucked?"
"What—so to revive your old friends, you're even willing to throw your own wife away?"
Zhongli's brows knitted into a deep frown.
"Wife? I've always been alone. Where would a wife come from?"
"Wait… are you talking about Guizhong?"
Once he understood, Zhongli could only feel helpless.
Rowan spread his hands as if it were obvious.
"Who else would I mean?"
(End of Chapter)
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