[Main quest completed. Task rewards are being issued...]
Caelus easily obtained three secret past events from the veteran god of Teyvat, or rather, more than three.
It was just a pity that on this continent of Teyvat, some knowledge could not be known, so Caelus had no way to inquire about the more distant past.
Previously, when browsing history in the library, Caelus discovered that records regarding the origin of humanity and the beginning of the world were written very vaguely.
They were either extremely obscure fairy tales or vaguely glossed over, as if knowledge in this area was heavily sealed, and there was simply no academic discussion about it.
So just now, he specifically asked Mr. Zhongli in front of him, wanting to learn about it from the old man, but found that the other party only took a sip of tea and said nothing further.
From this action, Caelus understood that knowledge in this area also belonged to the type that could not be spoken of.
Under what circumstances would a world be unable to even discuss knowledge regarding the origin of creation?
Caelus was quite curious about this. Recalling what the system had mentioned earlier, using the power of Nihility on a large scale in this world would alarm the world administrators. From this, it could be inferred that such administrators existed, and that it was these administrators who prevented people from exploring the origin.
So why would the administrators block the pursuit of origins? Was it because some absolute secret was hidden within the origin, a secret that, once exposed, would inevitably cause great turmoil or even threaten the world itself?
Although he felt some curiosity, Caelus did not intend to pursue it. After all, he was only visiting another world. It would not be appropriate to cause too much trouble, and his own sense of morality would reproach him.
But thinking about it, why was the duration of his stay in this world not mentioned in the prompt this time? And what about the power of the Path of Remembrance? Why had he not received it yet?
Just as Caelus was thinking about this, the system's voice sounded in his ear.
[System: Host, because this mission was personally adjusted by me, the distribution of rewards must go through certain procedures to avoid being judged as a violation and receiving penalties. Therefore, you will need to stay in this world a little longer. Based on the time ratio, it will be at least three days and at most one week.]
"There will not be any problems, right?"
[System: Do not worry. This is only a small adjustment on my part. There will be no issues. Just treat it as a vacation after completing the mission. After all, in the next world you will return to your original universe, and you may encounter some troublesome missions.]
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
After finishing his conversation with the system, Caelus looked at Zhongli in front of him and said,
"Mr. Zhongli, I plan to stay in Liyue for a few days to experience the local customs. Do you have any recommendations?"
"If you do not mind, little friend, I have some empty rooms here where you can stay for a few days."
"Then I will trouble you."
Caelus followed Zhongli to his residence. He originally thought that as the temporary residence of the Geo Archon in the mortal world, it would at least be a grand courtyard, if not magnificent. Unexpectedly, it was only an ordinary two story building.
"There is an empty room on the second floor. I have people clean it regularly, so you can move in directly, little friend. I work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor not far from here. If you need anything, you can find me there."
"Mr. Zhongli, do you also need to work?"
"Of course."
The two walked into the building and went up to the second floor. After entering the room, Zhongli closed the door, and Caelus turned to look at him.
"Little friend, to be honest, I am currently planning something. I originally intended to carry it out soon, but because your arrival has become a variable, I must inform you in advance to avoid any mistakes later."
"Please go ahead."
"As you know, as Morax, I have led the people of Liyue for thousands of years. Due to erosion, it is impossible for me to lead them forever. Perhaps the people of Liyue should now try to move forward independently."
"Therefore, I have prepared a test. At the upcoming Rite of Descension, I will fake my death. Through this false death, I want to see how the people of Liyue will handle the subsequent troubles. I want to know whether they are ready to move forward on their own."
Caelus did not speak. In summary, it was just one sentence. Morax was tired and wanted to retire.
"Therefore, if you intervene, little friend, this test will lose its meaning. So I hope that before things reach the worst situation, you will not interfere."
...
Caelus touched his hair in confusion, then looked at Zhongli and asked,
"Why do you think I would intervene?"
Zhongli smiled and said, "Because, little friend, you are a good person."
Caelus gave Zhongli a puzzled look, but in the end said nothing and simply agreed.
The reason Zhongli regarded Caelus as a good person was because of the terrifying evil thoughts he had displayed earlier and the power to devour emotions. In Zhongli's view, this clearly meant that he was constantly fulfilling the role of containing those difficult things such as the remnants of gods, sealing them within his own body across different worlds.
And the reason he had lost most of his emotional memories, and even more, must have been due to long term accumulation, which had once caused his body to collapse.
Even so, he still continued on this path, relying on instinct to help others devour evil thoughts. Although his power was somewhat unusual, his nature was kind.
If danger arose during the upcoming trial, perhaps this child would intervene out of kindness, which was why Zhongli explained things in advance.
But in reality, if Liyue truly faced a crisis, without a mission trigger, Caelus would simply pass by indifferently, perhaps even sketching the scene along the way.
As for his morality, because it was very weak, his moral bottom line was extremely flexible.
Furthermore, combined with the story of the Salt God Havria, Caelus understood even more that giving others kindness would only make them take advantage of him and demand even more.
Therefore, he could not be a good person, nor could he indulge in becoming a bad person.
He had to become someone who was neither good nor bad.
Does that count as standing on the fence?
Caelus fell into deep thought, feeling as if he had just labeled himself.
Zhongli nodded and turned to leave. He needed to return to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to continue his work. At the same time, he needed to contact Xiao to ensure that if his fake death caused things to spiral out of control, Xiao would not come to Caelus to resolve the resentment carried by the remnants of gods.
At this moment, outside Liyue Harbor, a blonde outlander arrived together with her emergency food.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)