Genshin Impact: Return of the Water Queen

"Of course. I don't need to remind you, Mr. Zhongli." Keqing nodded. However, Zhongli did not have any requirements, so she did not ask any further questions and returned to her seat.

The "Ceremony of Farewell to the Immortal" was coming to an end, but the people present had no intention of leaving. Many of them were still mourning the departure of Emperor Rock King.

In the past 3,700 years, Liyue has never lost its gods. They have never thought about the future after losing their gods, but at this moment, they have to think about it.

Zhongli and others came to a remote corner where they would not be disturbed by others.

Hu Tao was also sent away by Zhongli and went back to the Hall of Rebirth first.

Here, except for Luo Chaya, Qiqi in her arms, and Zhong Yue who had been watching the show, everyone else nodded to Zhongli. Their actions were all seen by Ying, who showed a look of understanding when she saw the behavior of the immortals.

"So, is this a gathering of immortals?" Paimon looked at the people present, and then set his sights on Zhongli. "Then why is Zhongli here too? Are you also an immortal?"

Zhong Yue looked at Luo Chaya and asked, "What is this guy floating in the sky? Why does he look not very smart?"

Not too smart…

Luo Chaya's mouth twitched, and she said: "She is Paimon, Ying's best friend!"

"And Luo Chaya's best friend!" Paimon continued, her eyes fell on Zhong Yue, and then said: "So, who are you, why do you say I'm not very smart right away! Don't you know that this is very rude!"

"I was praising you, saying that you have a kind of pure and kind beauty that has not been contaminated by knowledge." Zhong Yue said to Paimeng very seriously.

"Eh? Is there... is there?" After hearing Zhong Yue's words, Paimeng became a little uncertain. She asked Ying, "Hey, Ying, this little girl is talking so much. Is she praising me?"

Ying laughed helplessly. Her eyes fell on Zhongli. After a moment of silence, she continued, "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Zhongli should be the deceased Rock King, Rock God Morax, right?"

“Traveler, you are very smart.” Zhongli did not deny it. At this point, there was no need to deny it. Everything had been settled. Liyue, which had lost its gods, could now move on on its own.

"W-what? Zhongli is Prince Yan!?" Paimon widened his eyes in disbelief and stared at Zhongli.

If their place wasn't so remote, this sound would probably attract a lot of people immediately.

"I just found out from seeing the attitudes of several immortals towards Zhongli." Ying said slowly.

"Yes, he is the God of Rock, once upon a time." Luo Chaya nodded and said, "Ying, aren't you looking for the Seven Gods? Now look, is he the god you are looking for?"

Ying looked at Zhongli and shook her head, "No."

"Wait, wait! Why is Zhongli the Rock Prince..." Paimon was still a little confused, so she asked, "And if you were the Rock Prince, why would you hold your own funeral?"

"Because this was part of my plan." Zhongli said slowly, "To completely bury my past self."

Afterwards, Zhongli explained to Ying and Paimon why he did this. The other immortals except Luo Chaya also listened carefully. In the end, they all fell silent, not knowing what to say.

After a long while, Paimon spread his hands and said seriously: "I think that businessman is the culprit. If it weren't for what he said, you wouldn't have stepped down from the position of Rock God."

Luo Chaya on the side nodded in agreement.

She had this idea when she was completing a mission in the game. If it weren't for what the businessman said, Zhongli might not have thought about whether she should retire.

"Haha... your opinion is indeed different from others." After hearing what Paimon said, Zhongli chuckled and continued, "In short, my time has passed. The future belongs to them."

"Having said that, it feels like an honor for us to be able to travel with Prince Yan!" Paimon said.

After hearing this, Zhongli smiled and said, "But our journey together will eventually come to an end."

"Yes, now that we have met the God of Rock, we should continue looking for the other seven gods." Paimon nodded and continued.

Zhongli continued, "To get from Liyue to Xumi, you need to pass through the Layered Chasm, but the Layered Chasm is still blocked at the moment, so I'm afraid you can't get through. If you want to find the remaining seven gods, you can only go to Inazuma. It is Liyue's maritime neighbor, but the situation there has been very tense recently."

"What's going on?" Ying asked with a frown.

Zhongli told him about Inazuma's current situation, and finally said: "The will of the Thunder General has put Inazuma under blockade, and a thunderstorm has been sent down to seal off Inazuma's outer sea. So, if you want to go to Inazuma, you have to wait for an opportunity."

"What kind of opportunity?" Paimon asked curiously.

Ping'er then said, "There is a fleet in Liyue Harbor called the Southern Cross Fleet. Its captain is Beidou, a very motivated and courageous person. She should be able to take you through the thunderstorm and to Inazuma. But she is not in Liyue now, so you will have to wait for a while."

"That's good. Liyue's Lantern Festival is coming soon. Traveler, you have come across the starry sea and participated in many affairs of Liyue, but you haven't fully experienced the customs and culture of Liyue? Take advantage of this Lantern Festival to relax and enjoy yourself." Zhongli nodded slightly and looked at Ying.

"What is the Lantern Festival?" Ying looked at Zhongli curiously.

Zhongli continued, "The first full moon night of each year is the Liyue Lantern Festival. On this day, all Liyue people will celebrate, and it is a day to commemorate heroes. On this day, people will release "Xiao Lanterns" and "Ming Xiao Lanterns" into the night sky. It means "the torch is passed on, and virtue is immortal", and it also guides the spirits of past heroes to return home."

"Wow! It seems like a grand festival!" Paimon was very excited after listening to Zhongli's story, "Then we must participate!"

Zhongli looked at Luo Chaya again and asked, "What about you?"

"Of course I will participate! I haven't had enough of Liyue's delicious food!" Luo Chaya immediately nodded to indicate that she would stay in Liyue.

Zhongli nodded and said, "Okay, I hope you can be happy every day in Liyue. If there is anything that is not going well, you can tell me, and I will do my best to help if I can."

"Thank you." Luo Chaya looked at Zhongli and smiled slightly.

"This matter is over, you can all go back now." Zhongli looked at the other immortals again, "Rock God Morax is dead, the contract with the Rock God has ended, you can choose your own future."