These Adepti were all survivors of the Archon War.
Naturally, they were no strangers to the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial.
Back then, he had been suppressed by the Lord of Geo with a single spear and sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest.
And now… he was going to revive again?
"Ningguang, what do you mean by saying the Fake Peace Stone awakened Osial?"
At this moment, Xiao stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.
As the only remaining Yaksha in Liyue, he had always upheld his contract with the Geo Archon, endlessly battling the remnants of defeated gods from the Archon War that still threatened Liyue.
Thus, the mention of a demon god's revival immediately caught his attention.
But what exactly was this Fake Peace Stone?
How could it awaken a demon god that had slept for thousands of years?
"This matter… begins with Boss Han's manga shop."
Ningguang explained everything she knew, holding nothing back.
If Osial truly revived, Liyue would need the Adepti's help, especially now that the Lord of Geo had been 'assassinated'.
"So the reward came from that manga shop…"
Madam Ping sighed emotionally.
She herself had visited the shop once and obtained a peachwood sword for home protection.
But she had never imagined that something so terrifying could come from there—
Something capable of awakening a demon god suppressed for thousands of years!
Xiao and several other Adepti, however, looked doubtful.
"Does that manga shop truly possess such miraculous items?"
Xiao's face was full of disbelief.
He had heard Cloud Retainer mention the shop before, but the Lord of Geo's situation had been far too important to care about anything else at the time.
And yet, after going around in circles, everything still led back to that same manga shop.
"This Adeptus is already like this—what reason do you still have to doubt?"
Cloud Retainer hopped in front of them and said irritably.
Unlike the others, she believed it instantly the moment Ningguang mentioned the manga shop.
Because she had personally experienced it.
A single experience card had turned her into a slime.
Awakening a demon god was hardly impossible in comparison.
Seeing the hopping slime before them, the others fell silent.
A living example stood right in front of them, there was no room left for doubt.
"Honored Adepti, even this Jade Chamber was modified using the Fake Peace Stone.
The object attached to the highest tower is precisely that Fake Peace Stone."
Ningguang spoke again.
"So that's how it is! No wonder the Jade Chamber suddenly grew so much!"
Cloud Retainer finally realized the truth.
She had been wondering, it definitely hadn't been this large the last time she saw it.
"So if the Fake Peace Stone can awaken a demon god, then surely its effects on the Jade Chamber go beyond just making it bigger?"
Xiao looked at Ningguang, puzzled.
If that were all it did, he would have to reassess just how powerful this 'reward' really was.
"Of course not."
Ningguang shook her head and continued:
"Beyond increasing its size and area severalfold, the Jade Chamber's defenses were also enhanced.
More importantly— the Jade Chamber is now alive."
"Alive?"
The Adepti froze.
What kind of 'alive'?
"Come—why don't you greet the Adepti?"
Ningguang said with a smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, a somewhat feminine mechanical voice echoed through the Jade Chamber.
"Greetings, honored Adepti.
I am Lady Ningguang's exclusive palace.
Welcome, esteemed guests."
"It can actually speak?!"
The Adepti's faces filled with shock.
This was even more astonishing than a slime speaking.
After all, a slime was still a living creature, low-level, perhaps, but speech wasn't completely impossible.
But the Jade Chamber was an inanimate object.
To bring a lifeless object to life—
In a sense, this was the creation of life itself.
Could the Fake Peace Stone really possess such terrifying power?!
If that was the case…
What about the real Peace Stone?
Wouldn't it be even more incredible?
Thinking of this, Xiao immediately asked:
"Ningguang—what about the real Peace Stone?
What does it do?"
Hearing this, the other Adepti also turned their gaze toward her.
"The real Peace Stone can grant wishes.
It will fulfill them directly."
Ningguang replied.
"Then if we obtain a Peace Stone, could we directly revive the Lord of Geo?"
Xiao said excitedly.
"Th-That… actually sounds possible?"
Ningguang's expression instantly turned strange.
Good heavens!
Why hadn't she thought of this earlier?!
Instead of worrying endlessly here, why not just send people to Boss Han's shop to read manga?!
If they obtained a real Peace Stone and revived the Lord of Geo—
Then none of the current problems would even matter!
"Xiao, you're a genius!
To come up with something like that!"
Cloud Retainer was so excited she could hardly contain herself.
With a possible revival in sight, the Adepti all relaxed significantly.
Even if the chance of obtaining a real Peace Stone was low, it was still far better than having no hope at all.
"That's certainly good news."
Keqing also let out a sigh of relief.
Though she had long criticized the idea of 'Liyue being ruled by the will of the Geo Archon alone', she still didn't want Liyue's god to vanish so suddenly.
If Zhongli were present to witness this scene, he would be utterly speechless.
He had faked his death precisely to see whether Liyue could stand on its own— to test whether humanity was ready for self-governance without a god.
And yet his followers' reaction was—
The Lord of Geo is dead?
No problem, let's just revive him!
Zhongli: ???
Once they learned that revival was possible, everyone visibly relaxed.
Even the tense atmosphere eased considerably.
As for the murderer?
There was no rush to investigate anymore.
Once the Lord of Geo was revived, they could simply ask him directly.
"In that case, we should head to that manga shop right away.
The sooner we go, the sooner we might revive the Lord of Geo."
Xiao proposed.
After learning how miraculous the shop was, he also wanted to see it for himself.
Perhaps he might even obtain something that could ease the karmic debt burdening him.
"Then this Adeptus shall lead you there!
I'm practically a regular customer already!"
Cloud Retainer volunteered eagerly.
She had already been planning to bring her old friends there anyway.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
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