"Director... perhaps we should focus on reading for now?"
"Moreover, by universal reasoning, foreign funeral customs are likely quite different from ours, no?"
Zhongli's words struck a chord with Hu Tao.
"Ah, right! As always, you're so thoughtful, Consultant."
Just as Zhongli thought Hu Tao had finally abandoned her idea of expanding into international markets—
Hu Tao leaned over the back of her chair, resting her chin on her small hands as she gazed at him and said,
"Then we should hurry and study foreign funeral traditions! You know the most about these things, so you'll teach me, right?"
"?" Is that what I meant?
Zhongli thought to himself, 'Maybe I should take a vacation to Fontaine soon...'
Zhongli fell silent and instead picked up the novel written by Lucian, beginning to read.
Seeing that Zhongli was ignoring her, Hu Tao pouted but didn't disturb him, instead focusing on her own book.
[The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles hereby ends the arrogation of 'mankind.']
An explosive opening.
"How does Lucian know about the Heavenly Principles?" Zhongli wondered.
Though Lucian was more knowledgeable than most and had many fascinating stories in his mind, the tales he had shared with Zhongli before were all fabrications of his imagination.
But this story was real—and contained truths ordinary people should not know.
"Quite intriguing." Zhongli grew interested.
Well, the Heavenly Principles were asleep now. It wouldn't hurt to read a little.
"Huh? I feel like I could be friends with this girl named Amber."
Hu Tao read faster because she didn't know what the "Heavenly Principles" were, so she didn't dwell on it.
Amber? Zhongli also reached the part where Amber appeared. He felt this child wasn't quite as eccentric as the Director.
Compared to this girl named Amber, the green-clad youth caught Zhongli's attention more.
He immediately recognized this person as Barbatos.
So my old friend has finally woken up, huh? The days ahead are bound to get livelier.
Thinking back, shortly after the Archon War, Venti had suddenly come looking for him, putting Zhongli on high alert.
He had even assumed Venti was there to request aid for some crisis and had prepared to mobilize the adepti for support.
Turns out, the guy just wanted to drink with him.
Zhongli didn't doubt the book's contents. After all, Lucian had mentioned the Heavenly Principles—something ordinary people would never know.
"Ah, the dragon disaster seems really dangerous. I hope the people of Mondstadt don't get hurt."
Hu Tao had already reached the part where Dvalin ravaged Mondstadt.
She wasn't treating Lucian's writing as prophecy—she was simply immersed in the story.
Zhongli didn't respond to Hu Tao's words, lost in his own memories. That was about a month ago, wasn't it?
Back then, Zhongli had seen Lucian standing alone by the sea, gazing at the water, and curiously approached him.
"What's on your mind?"
"I'm thinking... whether it's good or bad to let more people know the truth and the future."
Lucian sat cross-legged by the shore, propping his chin on one hand as he watched the sea.
At the time, he hadn't yet decided to write the story of Teyvat, because its contents would make many things uncertain.
Zhongli stood silently behind him.
"Mr. Zhongli, aren't you going to give me any advice?" Lucian found it odd. He had expected Zhongli to share his perspective.
This was the Geo Archon, who had lived for who-knows-how-many millennia. His insights were invaluable to humanity.
Hadn't Liyue Harbor operated under Zhongli's guidance all these years?
The prosperity of Liyue Harbor today was proof of Zhongli's wisdom.
But Zhongli shook his head, his gaze drifting toward the sunset as he said softly,
"Your thoughts should not change because of me."
As a god, Morax had lived for thousands of years, witnessing countless rises and falls.
As a human, Zhongli had only lived a few short decades.
Yet these past few years had led Zhongli to let go of many things and to place greater faith in human potential.
"I believe in humanity's possibilities. I also wish to see the future they create."
"Speaking as if you're not human yourself." Lucian pretended he still didn't know Zhongli's true identity.
Zhongli smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
He had long since recognized that Lucian was no ordinary person.
Zhongli was the god of Liyue. How could he not notice when a stranger suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began lingering around him?
But Zhongli had no intention of exposing Lucian, for he sensed no malice in him during their interactions.
===✧✦✧===
Returning to the present, Zhongli snapped out of his reminiscence.
"So the 'truth' he mentioned back then... was this."
Zhongli chuckled softly as he read the contents of the book. "How bold."
This truth, this future—even he, as the Geo Archon, had no way of knowing it.
Perhaps only a few members of the Hexenzirkel could glimpse the future, but surely not in such detail.
Though he wasn't sure what answer Lucian had ultimately arrived at, there must have been deeper meaning behind it.
"Ah, growing old makes one prone to reminiscing." Zhongli shook his head and continued reading.
Meanwhile, the "deeply meaningful" Lucian was currently at the Opéra Épiclèse, admiring Furina's beauty.
He had come purely to collect emotional value, with no real interest in the trial itself.
So he barely paid attention to the case, focusing almost entirely on Furina instead.
Furina naturally noticed Lucian's gaze.
Truth be told, even someone as accustomed to being watched as her felt somewhat unsettled.
It wasn't because Lucian's gaze was particularly intense or because the pressure of being stared at bothered her—Furina was long used to that.
The reason she felt uneasy was—
She sensed something different in Lucian's gaze. When others looked at her, it was with "trust" and "reverence."
Lucian's eyes held those same emotions, but Furina also detected something else: pity.
Furina was highly sensitive to gazes and expressions. She was certain she hadn't misread it.
Trust and reverence were one thing—as the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, she was more than familiar with such emotions.
But why pity? What about her performance made her seem pitiable?
Furina had always played the role of a great god—omniscient, omnipotent.
Why would such a deity evoke pity in anyone?
"Could he actually know something?"
Her heartbeat quickened, a mix of anticipation and fear.
Anticipation—that someone might understand her, that she might finally have someone to confide in after all this loneliness.
Fear—that if he truly knew something and exposed her, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?
It didn't matter what happened to her, but what would become of Fontaine?
"Is he... a good person?" Furina fretted, stealing glances at Lucian.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but Furina also detected a hint of lewdness in his gaze, making her subconsciously tighten her bare legs.
But that didn't make sense—from his angle, he couldn't even see her legs. What exactly was he leering at?
"Definitely not a good person... (˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ )" Furina suppressed her embarrassment.
===✧✦✧===
Zhongli had finished reading this familiar yet unfamiliar story.
Unfamiliar—because of the Mondstadtians he no longer recognized.
Familiar—because of the clues buried deep within Teyvat's history.
Beside him, Hu Tao, untroubled by such thoughts, seemed fully immersed.
At times she laughed, at others frowned, and sometimes she appeared deep in thought.
Seeing his Director so unusually quiet, Zhongli couldn't bring himself to disturb her. He quietly took the book and left.
He merely didn't want to interrupt Hu Tao's rare moment of focused reading—it certainly wasn't because he feared she'd snap out of it and start chatting with him again.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Zhongli: About Lucian
"Lucian is a rather enigmatic individual, but in my eyes, he bears no ill will toward this world. His actions must carry some deeper meaning."