"Good, good, so this is how we're playing it?"
"Then why didn't you just kill me from the start and resurrect me right away?
Why did you first have to 'torture' me, and only now come with this plan?"
"Morax…"
Azhdaha's forehead veins bulged, his teeth gnashing.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Cough."
Zhongli gave a dry cough. "Of course not. It was just an unavoidable lapse."
"Not on purpose? A lapse?"
Azhdaha's gaze turned dark. "So, a deliberate accident, then?"
"…"
How could he explain this? There really was no way.
"Forget it."
Azhdaha turned his head away, gloom written across his face.
"I lost, after all. Winner is king, loser is nothing. However unwilling I am, it doesn't matter.
The state of the heavenly order now… none of it really matters anymore."
His eyes shifted to Taro, who was casually munching melon seeds nearby.
"Taro-dono, may I have some time to think this over?"
"Sure."
Taro nodded. "Relax, the materials I just got will take a while before I can use them. No rush.
And don't worry—I'm quick and painless. Dead or alive, I can handle it.
Anyway, if dying and reviving once is the only way to fix it perfectly, you'll just have to accept it."
"…Could you not say it in such a creepy way?"
Azhdaha's mouth twitched.
"'Just go to sleep and it'll be over'? Do you have to make it sound like that?
If I close my eyes and suddenly wake up dead, that's scarier than death itself."
Death wasn't frightening.
But dying silently, without warning—that was terrifying.
Better not dwell on it.
Maybe better to just die once now, rather than brood endlessly later.
"Cough cough."
Zhongli cleared his throat. "Azhdaha, this isn't urgent. We can observe for a while.
If nothing happens, good. If something does, I can send you back to the seal before you harm anyone."
"…Fine."
Azhdaha sighed, nodding.
"We'll leave the formation here, just in case.
For safety, I'll walk outside only in an avatar. If nothing goes wrong, my true body can come out later."
With Morax by his side, if trouble arose, he could react at once.
If nothing did, all the better.
It wasn't that he feared death.
It was just… watching his former body get used as crafting material was more than a little depressing.
Sigh… better not think about it. All tears.
"Taro-dono, I have a question. May I ask?"
Zhongli, having confirmed Azhdaha's condition, turned toward Taro, eyes probing.
"You're asking about Nibelungen, aren't you?"
Zhongli gave a small nod. "Taro-dono, as sharp as ever."
"As you think—it's possible."
Taro smiled. "If I wish, I can do it anytime. If I can make him live, I can also make him obey."
"Hss—"
Even someone as steady as Zhongli sucked in a cold breath.
"Wait. Nibelungen?"
Azhdaha's dragon eyes shrank. "What about him? Didn't he lose to the heavenly order, destroyed completely—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence, swallowing the rest.
Thinking back over their words, a terrifying possibility surfaced.
His breath hitched.
This Descender could revive Nibelungen. In his full prime.
That meant he had the power to overthrow Celestia itself and rewrite the order of heaven.
Good grief…
"Morax, have you used up all the luck of your lifetime?"
Azhdaha clutched his chest, his head spinning.
"Not quite."
Zhongli shook his head firmly. "It was only chance.
To have met Taro-dono is my fortune, and Liyue's as well."
"…Forget it."
Azhdaha muttered, turning aside.
"Give me a moment. I'll condense an avatar to return to Liyue with you."
"Good."
Zhongli nodded lightly.
"That will be all for tonight."
Seeing this, Taro put away his claws and stood.
"You two head back slowly. If anything comes up, find me.
And if he makes up his mind, tell me—I'll sneak in quietly, and slip away quietly."
"…Guaranteed painless!"
"…"
Zhongli almost didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Azhdaha, you've been marked by Taro.
Taro vanished in a flash, teleporting straight home.
Next came Zhongli and Azhdaha's time to reminisce.
No need for an outsider to hang around as a third wheel.
There would be plenty of chances later. No need to rush.
When Taro returned, the lights in the hall were still on.
Huo Liya and Yingda hadn't gone to bed.
Understandable. Neither was an ordinary mortal—one a god, the other a Yaksha.
Sleep was optional for them.
"Master, welcome home!" Yingda rushed forward at once.
"Mm. It's handled, so I came back." Taro nodded slightly.
"Boss, want some late-night snacks?"
Huo Liya smiled brightly, raising a tray of pastries.
"I picked this up from a little sister from Mondstadt at the docks today. It looked good, so I learned how to make it. Want to try?"
"What the—? Looks familiar… whatever."
Taro didn't think too much, just grabbed two pieces and stuffed them in his mouth.
Flavor unknown.
Drunken Peony.
Anyway, whether he slept or pulled an all-nighter wasn't certain.
"Not bad."
Taro figured they had stayed up on purpose, waiting for him.
"The taste is good. Mondstadt cuisine, huh. Different from Liyue's."
But he wasn't a gourmet with a god's tongue. If it tasted good, that was enough.
"Master, tea."
Yingda poured a cup swiftly.
"Mm."
Taro downed it in one gulp, "cow-drinking," as Zhongli would say.
Setting down the cup, he spoke:
"I still have research to do tonight. I don't know how long it'll take.
Also, don't go upstairs tonight. Something will happen.
Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading out, so don't go up then either.
Wait until I come out."
Tonight's work was crucial to Taro.
Precautions had to be in place.
"…"
At his words, Huo Liya and Yingda's expressions turned serious.
They nodded silently.
(End of Chapter)
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