"Or rather," Severin continued calmly, "I'm asking all of you—leaders of your respective nations—to prepare yourselves mentally."
His gaze swept across everyone present, unhurried yet oppressive.
"Teyvat has known peace for over five hundred years. Too many people have forgotten what war truly means, grown accustomed to comfort and indulgence. It's time you woke up."
He paused.
"Does anyone still have questions?"
The Snezhnayan prince's steady voice echoed in every heart.
Ningguang hesitated, then finally asked, "Your Highness… when the Lord of Geo summoned us, he mentioned more than appointing you as regent. He also said he would enter seclusion for a time. His absence alone is manageable, but without his divine power, the Golden House will come to a halt."
Her expression grew grave.
"Liyue will be unable to mint Mora. This has never happened in our history. Has the Lord… abandoned us?"
She couldn't help recalling Mondstadt, where Barbatos had vanished for over a century.
Severin replied evenly, "Perhaps he wishes to temper your abilities. So work hard—and don't disappoint him."
It was clear that Zhongli was preparing for abdication, testing the governing capacity of the Liyue Qixing. Inviting the Snezhnayan prince to act as regent had likely been part of that trial.
But Severin had already refused the position. From the beginning, he had been planning something else—something aimed at the Geo Archon's Gnosis.
After answering their questions, Severin finally revealed his true intent.
"What you'll face next isn't merely the Golden House grinding to a halt," he said. "You'll also face my challenge—in business."
"This isn't a game. It's a gamble."
"The stakes?"
"Everything you own, Ningguang. No—everything owned by the entire Liyue Qixing."
Shock rippled through the hall.
A commercial war, with total ruin as the price of defeat.
Yet this was Liyue—their home ground, with every advantage of timing, terrain, and influence. On Severin's side stood only Pantalone.
It didn't seem unwinnable.
After a long pause, Ningguang asked, "And if I win, by some stroke of luck?"
"I once advised Morax to replace you as Tianquan with Keqing," Severin said flatly. "If you win, I'll withdraw that suggestion."
The words stung more than Ningguang expected.
"So… in your eyes, Keqing weighs more heavily than I do."
She drew a breath, then spoke decisively.
"If the Liyue Qixing wins, you must accept the position of regent—and reform Liyue with the same dedication you showed in Snezhnaya."
"I have no objection," Severin replied without hesitation.
At that moment, Baizhu and Pantalone returned from outside. Their expressions made it clear—the brothers' reconciliation had been anything but smooth.
At Ningguang's prompting, Baizhu asked a question he had clearly pondered for a long time.
"Your Highness… should mortals pursue immortality?"
Severin answered calmly, "All long-lived beings in Teyvat suffer erosion under the Heavenly Principles. Even the Geo Archon cannot escape it. Adepti have their freedom; mortals have their joys. Follow the natural course."
"Life's meaning lies not in its length, but in its depth."
Baizhu bowed in thanks, though his complexion looked troubled.
The white snake around his neck, Changsheng, looked delighted.
With that, Severin rose.
"My thanks to Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing. Let's end tonight's banquet here."
As the Qixing and the Eight Trades stood to see him off, the earlier ease was gone. Pressure weighed heavily on every face.
This visit had been courtesy before coercion.
First, Severin had answered their doubts. Then he had laid out a commercial war.
Open. Fearless. Absolute confidence.
Descending from the Jade Chamber to Yujing Terrace, Severin walked beside Pantalone beneath the moonlight.
"Your Highness," Pantalone said quietly, "my brother and I disrupted your evening."
"You resent Baizhu for what he became after joining the Qixing," Severin said calmly. "In your eyes, he pursued power and neglected family."
Pantalone clenched his fist. "He changed. He's no longer the brother who protected me."
"Perhaps," Severin replied, "he has his reasons."
He stopped briefly.
"Did you notice? Your brother always carries the scent of Mist Flower Grass."
Pantalone froze. "He handles medicines daily… but tonight, at our parents' graves, the scent was unusually strong. Only frequent users of a Delusion carry such a smell."
Severin nodded. "Your brother is too frail to withstand a Delusion's backlash. The one using it is Changsheng."
"What? She's just a pet snake from our childhood!"
"Go to his office and ask him yourself," Severin said gently. "Tonight is rare. Don't waste it."
Pantalone bowed deeply and hurried away.
Watching him go, Severin sighed softly.
Changsheng had likely swallowed a Delusion in the wild, awakened intelligence through elemental power, and used it repeatedly to sustain Baizhu's failing body.
But that truth was not his to reveal.
Some answers must be discovered personally—only then do they truly move the heart.
Severin continued through Yujing Terrace into the Moonlit Pavilion district.
As he passed a brightly lit office, a gentle voice drifted out.
"Xiao Hai, could you grind some ink for me? Looks like another late night. Thanks for staying with me."
Through the doorway, Severin saw a blue-haired girl with small crimson horns, seated alone amid towering stacks of documents—quietly working beneath warm lamplight.
Ganyu.
After a brief pause, Severin pushed the door open and stepped inside.
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