Zhongli rested his chin on one hand, eyes fixed on the Prince of Snezhnaya before him.
Severin's words replayed rapidly in his mind, as though a sudden flash of insight had pierced three thousand years of confusion.
Yet some crucial thread still eluded his grasp.
"Your Highness," Zhongli said solemnly, straightening his posture,
"please enlighten me."
A question that had plagued him for millennia—perhaps it would finally find an answer here.
"I wouldn't dare call it instruction," Severin replied calmly.
"But since you regard me as a friend, I'm happy to exchange thoughts. Consider it a meeting gift for my visit to Liyue."
Zhongli responded politely,
"The Prince's arrival brings great honor to Liyue."
"After you met Guizhong," Severin asked,
"did you often feel that, as a god, she was… different? Out of place among the other gods, frequently holding ideas at odds with yours?"
"…That is true."
Severin continued,
"Guizhong once told her close friend, Cloud Retainer, that the human heart is delicate and ingenious, and that their intellect and perseverance shine brilliantly. One should never underestimate human potential—given only slight guidance, they can unleash astonishing power. One day, humans may even rival gods themselves. At that point, gods and humans should learn from one another and serve as mutual examples."
Zhongli nodded slowly.
"She later relayed this to me… but I never fully grasped its meaning."
"Morax," Severin said gently,
"that is because you always regarded yourself as a god, while Guizhong regarded herself as human. As the Geo Archon, you lacked human emotion. That is why you never understood why she smiled so often."
"To this day, you still maintain a distance from your people. You often feel lonely—unable to find a sense of belonging."
"…Human emotions?"
Zhongli repeated the words softly.
"Guizhong saw this flaw in you long ago. She wanted to help you become more complete. The secret of the Dust of Realms Lock was never what lay inside it—but what it represented."
"You mean… the lock contains no secret at all? That it is empty?"
"She gave you the lock so you could bind yourself to the mortal world—to let the world itself become your bond. Put simply, she wanted you to experience the many faces of mortal life, to feel more human emotion and shed some of a god's cold detachment."
"Only when the Geo Archon loves the mortal world can he truly love humanity. Her wish was for you to protect Liyue's people, protect the humans of Teyvat, protect all living beings. That—was the meaning of the Dust of Realms Lock."
As Severin finished, Zhongli's expression shifted several times in the span of mere seconds.
The confusion in his eyes slowly dissolved into clarity, calm as still water.
With Severin's guidance, the fog clouding his heart had largely lifted.
He bore the title of God of War, yet lacked human emotion—something Guizhong had noticed from the very beginning.
But back then, he had been consumed by endless war, living each day on the brink of death. He had no patience to listen.
So Guizhong devised a method both foolish and ingenious—presenting the lock under the guise of an alliance, claiming all her wisdom and passion lay within it.
How clumsy—yet how brilliant.
In Zhongli's mind, Guizhong's smiling face resurfaced.
That so-called tagalong, always mocked by the others, seemed to stand beside him once more.
"Your Highness," Zhongli said after a pause,
"there is something else I wish to ask. When Guizhong formed that alliance with me, she said: 'This is a token of our pact—and my challenge to you.' She was never skilled in combat. Why would she challenge me?"
"That was Guizhong's kindness and gentleness," Severin answered.
"She was preparing an excuse—for you to kill her."
"The Archon War was, at its core, a game of elimination. In the end, only one god per nation could obtain a Gnosis and be crowned among the Seven. The rest would be slain, sealed away, or—like the Stove God Guoba—exist after dispersing all their power."
"She likely foresaw the day you would stand opposite her. She knew you would hesitate, unable to strike her down. So she called it a 'challenge' in advance—so that when you killed her, it would be justified."
"If that moment came," Zhongli said firmly,
"I would not kill her. She could have lived on—like Guoba."
Severin sighed helplessly.
"Morax, this is precisely why you're so lacking in emotional understanding."
"You know very well that when a god loses their power, they also lose their memories. Guoba is proof of that. And Guizhong—she would rather die by your spear than forget you."
Zhongli frowned.
"I still don't understand. Why would she choose death over losing her memories?"
"Strictly speaking," Severin said quietly,
"it's not that she couldn't forget—but that she couldn't bear to. To Guizhong, the memories of accompanying you were the most beautiful things in her life—worth more than her own existence."
"I… don't understand," Zhongli admitted.
Explaining love to a god devoid of emotional comprehension was like playing a lute to a cow.
Guizhong's admiration, reverence, and unspoken love—until Zhongli stepped down from the seat of Rex Lapis and entered the mortal world, he would never truly comprehend them.
He loved Liyue's people deeply, yet failed to understand Guizhong's heart.
This was a towering threshold he would have to cross himself. Severin could only guide him.
And when Zhongli finally gained human emotions, he would understand how to accept Guizhong's long-ago confession—
"Dust God Guizhong, I have long known your feelings. Formalities must be observed—what dowry do you seek?"
But the one he should have said it to was already gone.
Most tragic of all—Zhongli still did not understand sorrow. Even if he ever did, it would be far in the future.
Still, he had taken his first step today.
At this moment, the auction reached its climax.
The bidding price of the Dust of Realms Lock had soared to an astonishing one billion Mora, and was still climbing.
"Prince of Snezhnaya," Zhongli said,
"I have one final question. Guizhong once said: 'This is a token of our alliance, and my challenge to you. All my wisdom is hidden within this stone lock. If you can unlock it…'"
"For over a thousand years, I've pondered what she meant to say with that unfinished sentence."
Severin paused, then gently mimicked Guizhong's tone.
"All my wisdom is hidden within this stone lock. If you can unlock it—
I'll be waiting for you in the mortal world."
If you can unlock it… I'll be waiting for you in the mortal world.
This time, Zhongli's face no longer held calm detachment. Pain surfaced unmistakably.
"For reasons I cannot explain, my heart feels… uncomfortable. An emotion I have never experienced before. Though fleeting, it lingers in my mind."
"Morax," Severin said softly,
"don't dwell on it. In the most passionate years of your life, having someone like Guizhong beside you is what gave that era its beauty."
"What makes humans extraordinary is their ability to reflect on the past while still gazing toward the future. If Guizhong could see this clearly, you—of all beings—should see it even more so."
Zhongli nodded slowly.
"Prince of Snezhnaya," he said with sincerity,
"today's guidance is no less than the grace of rebirth. Both Liyue's people—and I—owe you a debt of gratitude."
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