fter obtaining the Gnoses, Rosalyne turned to Tartaglia and said, "My task is complete. I will return to the Snezhnaya Palace to seek an audience with Her Majesty. Will you be staying here?"
"Of course! I have no intention of leaving on the same ship as you," Tartaglia replied without hesitation.
"As you wish." With those words, Rosalyne left.
Zhongyue watched her departing figure and asked Lora, "Who is she? Why is she so arrogant?"
"She's a Fatui Harbinger—the Eighth, La Signora," Lora answered.
"Only you, Morax, are patient enough to tolerate that. If it were me, she'd lose at least an arm or a leg for daring to take the Gnosis," Zhongyue continued.
Hearing this, Tartaglia asked curiously, "Hey… what's this kid's background? To say something like that—could he be an Adeptus too? Or maybe…"
He grew more guarded as he spoke, then asked, "A god?"
Zhongyue clasped her hands behind her back, puffed out her chest, and declared solemnly, "I am… Azhdaha, the Geo Dragon Sovereign!"
Her voice was soft and childish. But the presence she gave off was surprisingly convincing.
"Uh…"
Tartaglia looked at Zhongyue, gave an awkward laugh, and said, "Well then, please carry on. I won't intrude—I'll be going now."
As Tartaglia hurried off, Zhongyue turned to Lora again. "What's with him? He clearly didn't believe what I said."
"He didn't," Lora replied calmly. "Next time you see him, just find an excuse to beat him up. Don't worry—he's tough. You won't kill him."
She added, "And if you run into any Fatui in Liyue in the future, you can deal with them too."
"Really?" Zhongyue asked.
Lora nodded. "Absolutely."
"Good. Then I'd like to see what kind of ability these foreign interlopers have, coming to run rampant across Liyue's land a thousand years later!"
Zhongyue clenched her fist, a domineering aura bursting forth from her small body.
From the side, Zhongli watched Lora coax Zhongyue along and could only sigh helplessly, like an older brother watching an elder sister mislead an innocent younger sibling.
He said to Lora, "Enough. Matters here are settled. It's time for us to leave as well. Your friend is likely growing anxious."
High in the sky, the Jade Chamber still hovered in place. With the crisis over, the Millelith had already begun restoring order in Liyue Harbor.
Although the initial landing of the sea-borne monsters had dealt them a severe blow, the situation stabilized once Shenhe and the others joined the battle.
People emerged from their homes and stepped into the streets, every face filled with the joy of surviving the disaster.
Walking through the streets, Zhongli felt a deep sense of relief as he took in their smiles.
Shenhe and Yunjin left the harbor area and made their way into the city, where they encountered Lora and her companions heading toward the Jade Chamber. Yunjin waved eagerly. "Mr. Zhongli! Miss Lora! Over here!"
As she spoke, she ran toward Lora, pulling Shenhe along by the hand.
When she reached her, Yunjin looked at Lora with shining eyes. "Miss Lora, I saw everything you did just now! You're definitely not an ordinary person, are you? If I'm not mistaken, you must be an Adeptus?"
She didn't even consider the possibility of a god—that realm felt far too distant to her.
"I had planned to interact with everyone as an ordinary person, but I didn't expect to be found out so quickly," Lora sighed. "Yes, I am an Adeptus."
Shenhe looked at her and said, "My mission was fulfilled. Liyue Harbor remains safe, and the monsters were held back at the coast by the Millelith."
Yunjin continued excitedly, "Miss Shenhe was incredible! With a single thought, she froze the towering waves, giving the Millelith a chance to catch their breath. Otherwise, the casualties would have been enormous!"
"Well done, Shenhe," Lora said, nodding in praise.
Hearing this, Shenhe grew a little embarrassed. She lowered her head and replied, "As a disciple of an Adeptus, this is simply what I should do."
Yunjin then noticed Zhongyue standing between Lora and Zhongli. She paused and asked, "And this little girl is…?"
"She's—" Lora was just about to make something up when Yunjin blurted out, "Is she your child with Mr. Zhongli?"
It wasn't an unreasonable guess. Zhongyue's appearance seemed to combine traits from both Lora and Zhongli—long aqua-blue hair and rock-orange eyes.
"No!"
"No!"
Lora and Zhongyue both rejected the idea at the same time.
"Ah… she's not?" Yunjin was startled, looking between them in confusion.
At that moment, Zhongli spoke up. "She is the daughter of an old friend of mine. During her stay in Liyue Harbor, I am taking care of her."
Only then did Yunjin understand.
"I see… Still, to be honest, she really does look a lot like you, Mr. Zhongli, and Miss Lora. If someone didn't know better, they really would think she was your child."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yunjin and Shenhe continued on toward the Tianheng Mountain area.
When Lora and the others arrived beneath the Jade Chamber, Zhongli said to her, "You should go and explain the situation to them. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to appear before them now. The affairs of Liyue Harbor are concluded, and the Rite of Descension should begin its preparations."
It was also his farewell to the divine identity he had borne for six thousand years.
A farewell to the ancient body.
Lora went alone to the Jade Chamber.
Among the Liyue Qixing, only Ningguang remained to oversee the situation; the others had already dispersed throughout the harbor to handle their respective duties.
Ganyu had returned to the Yuehai Pavilion to deal with the backlog of documents.
The Adepti were all still present.
"Lora, you're back!"
Paimon exclaimed when she saw her, waving excitedly as she flew over.
"You were gone for so long—I was so worried! There was a terrifying tremor from the northwest just now, I thought something had happened to you!"
"I'm the Adeptus of Purifying Water and Judgment, a Liyue Adeptus. What could possibly happen to me?"
Lora replied with a smile.
The five Adepti behind Paimon looked at her in silence.
Stepping forward, Lora addressed them.
"The matter has been resolved. Liyue's greatest crisis has passed. What comes next depends on the Liyue Qixing—whether they can allow this land that once walked alongside the gods to be reborn in an age governed by humans."