Tartaglia and Rosalyne exchanged a glance—finally, they understood the situation clearly.
With a bitter smile, Rosalyne sighed and said:
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa spent five hundred painstaking years building up her foundation—and yet Liyue…"
"In just over two months, it has already gained two top-tier demon god–level powers, not to mention Liyue Harbor itself—a colossal force with unfathomable strength."
"Two months… surpassing the fruit of five centuries of effort…"
Tartaglia shook his head, feeling a bit emotional.
"I wonder what the Tsaritsa would think if she knew… But whatever. The stronger Liyue is, the more beneficial it is for us."
"If we can cooperate in the future, that would be best. With the Tsaritsa, the Geo and Anemo Archons, and Liyue together… Maybe Mondstadt will grow as powerful as Liyue too."
"If Her Majesty can get involved, the chances of victory will be much greater."
"Even if we can't cooperate directly, this alliance between Liyue and Mondstadt alone… will already be the biggest enemy to Celestia. The Tsaritsa would face far less risk."
"But then again…"
Tartaglia glanced sideways at Rosalyne with a teasing expression.
"Didn't you once say you slapped the Anemo Archon? Now they're allies. What do you think—will he come for revenge?"
Rosalyne was silent for a moment, then said coldly after a pause:
"He owed me that."
Tartaglia shrugged, saying nothing more.
"Citizens of Liyue…"
After putting away the golden contract, Zhongli looked down at the people gathered on the Jade Chamber plaza with deep emotion.
"From this moment onward, Liyue belongs to all of you. Please remember the blood and sacrifices of countless ancestors poured into this land."
"No matter what kind of enemies you may face in the future—forge ahead without hesitation. This is a road of no return. You are the pioneers, and perhaps… the ones who must walk it alone."
"But I believe in you. You are my proudest children…"
"Please remember—when walking that lonely road, no matter the hardship you face, behind you stands a powerful Liyue."
"And I will always be watching over you…"
"From this day forward—the Geo Archon steps down!"
"Liyue shall have no god! In Liyue, every person is their own god!"
With those final words, Zhongli's dragon form shot straight into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
Zhongli let out a soft sigh.
At last, it had all come to an end.
Even though he had long imagined this day… now that it was here, he still felt a strange sense of reluctance.
After a brief silence, he took a deep breath and solemnly declared:
"The Rite of Parting begins—send off the Archon in his retirement!"
Ningguang, Keqing, the adepti…
Even the citizens of Liyue below, as well as the Mondstadt visitors who had just learned of the alliance—
All bowed deeply.
"We bid farewell to our Lord's retirement!"
The Rite of Parting ceremony had finally begun.
Ningguang and the others returned to the pavilion where Ryen was seated.
Below, only Zhongli and Lumine remained to carry out the rites.
The reaction from the people of Liyue… was unexpectedly good.
Though sorrow still showed on many faces, they had ultimately accepted it—and responded with heartfelt blessings and hope.
Had Zhongli followed the original plan of faking his death, and had Liyue barely managed to suppress Osial at great cost…
At that time, the people of Liyue would've been completely overwhelmed with fear.
But now…
Having witnessed Liyue's trump cards, they were truly brimming with confidence.
Even with the Geo Archon stepping down, they had still reached a point where they could face demon gods on their own.
More importantly—the Geo Archon had only abdicated, not died.
This, the people of Liyue understood very clearly.
Ningguang smiled with satisfaction.
Ryen, on the other hand, was unsurprised. Calm and composed, he sipped his tea.
"Power is the foundation of confidence—and it's because you all defeated Osial yesterday with absolute dominance."
"The people of Liyue now know: even without the protection of the Geo Archon, they will still be safe."
"In other words, if you hadn't handled Osial so easily yesterday—if even one of the adepti or Zhongli had to step in—today's outcome wouldn't have been so successful."
"Besides… Zhongli only stepped down, not passed away."
Ningguang gave Ryen a light slap on the arm, laughing.
"You really don't hold back when joking about the Lord himself…"
"What's there to hold back?"
Ryen rolled his eyes.
"To me, a person's title doesn't matter that much. No matter who it is, if I like them, they can be my friend."
Ningguang shook her head, a bit of melancholy creeping into her expression.
"The days ahead are going to be even busier…"
"Busy is good,"
Keqing replied with a hint of joy as she mentally planned everything out.
"Now that human rule has begun, we need to push forward and organize all the accumulated work from these past years."
"Reclaiming land from the sea at Liyue Harbor, completely renovating Qingce Village, replanning the territory of Guili Plains…"
"There's still so much to do—we can't afford to stop!"
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