The next day.
"Zhongli?"
Xiangling planned to stay at Wanmin Restaurant to practice her dishes, while Lumine and Paimon followed her as Xiangling's assistants.
As for Raiden Makoto, she had promised her sister to go to the wilderness with her; as for what her sister was going to do in the wilderness, she wasn't quite sure.
While they were walking towards the wilderness, they happened to meet Zhongli coming out of the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor. Zhongli couldn't help but be a bit dazed upon seeing Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
"Makoto, Ei?" The corners of Zhongli's mouth curled up slightly, though his smile was not very obvious.
"Morax, are you also working at the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor like a mortal now?" Raiden Ei looked at Zhongli with some confusion, "They shouldn't know your identity, right?"
"Mm."
"Sometimes, as a mortal, one can see the other side of things... can't they?"
"In terms of universal rationality, everything has two sides. As rulers, we might not be able to see through them clearly." Zhongli spoke eloquently, which gave Raiden Ei a bit of a headache.
"But as a mortal, one can see more things." Zhongli's tone was indifferent; in the long years, he had seen too much.
She really didn't get along well with Morax either; she didn't even know how her sister used to chat so enthusiastically with Morax before; she didn't understand those things.
"Are you free? Zhongli." Raiden Makoto smiled gently at Zhongli. That smile and that appearance made the image of that charming Lady who was once in front of him surface in Zhongli's mind again.
He still remembered that afternoon, the Lady was also in front of him, facing him with a gentle smile, asking the exact same question as Raiden Makoto.
And his answer at that time was that he was not free.
Since then, he had never seen her again.
"I am." Zhongli nodded, "I happen to have no work today... I was planning to go to the market..."
"That's perfect. As the host, can you accompany us for a stroll in the outskirts of Liyue?" Raiden Makoto nodded. She could also take this opportunity to ask Zhongli if he wanted to be a judge for the Moonchase Festival Culinary King Competition with her.
"Alright."
How could he refuse an old friend's request? Old friends of the past had passed away one by one; who knew if there would be another chance in the future?
"Ah?" Raiden Ei blinked. She had originally intended to complain, but seeing her sister's happy look, she completely swallowed her words.
She thought she could have some quality time alone with her sister, but it turned out they had to be with Zhongli.
"What's wrong?"
"Um... let's go then." She couldn't just say those things too bluntly; that would be too embarrassing. She, at least, found it a bit hard to say.
"Mm."
"Let's go, Zhongli."
"Okay."
To be honest, the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor were not much different from Inazuma; the only difference was that there were more foreigners on the streets of Liyue Harbor.
And most people had happy smiles on their faces.
"Speaking of which, what are you going to the wilderness for?" Zhongli looked at Raiden Makoto beside him with interest. He found that Raiden Makoto had changed significantly compared to before.
Now, she was more like an ordinary Lady.
Although he had taken on a mortal form, it was difficult for him to integrate into mortal life.
"Ei is the one going to the wilderness; I don't know what he wants to do either." Raiden Makoto smiled. "Besides, don't we have plenty of time now? It's a good chance to have a good look around Inazuma."
"I... I want to catch two Electro Slimes... Can't we use Electro Slimes to generate electricity that way? Then the electric stove shouldn't have any problems, right?" Raiden Ei said very seriously, "With the weak electricity of an Electro Slime, it's impossible for another explosion to occur, right?"
"Oh?"
"By the way, Ei plans to participate in this year's Moonchase Festival Culinary King Competition. Keqing invited me to be a judge. Zhongli, do you want to join as well?" Raiden Makoto took the opportunity to ask Zhongli.
"The Moonchase Festival?" Zhongli looked at Raiden Makoto's somewhat expectant gaze and then nodded, "It's not impossible."
Keqing had also invited him, but he had refused at that time. After all, if he was going to retire, he should do it thoroughly.
His style of doing things hadn't changed much from before, and the Moonchase Festival was being hosted by the Qixing. If the Qixing found out he was Rex Lapis, his peaceful life would probably vanish again.
The threshold of the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor would definitely be worn down by the Qixing.
But if it was Raiden Makoto's invitation, he could accept it. He wasn't appearing as Rex Lapis now, but as the mortal Zhongli.
It was completely different in nature from Barbatos looking for him to drink two thousand years ago. Besides, the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor didn't have work every day.
He was also quite curious why Raiden Makoto was resurrected with her memories. As a God, he knew very well that even if a God was resurrected from death, they should become a completely new existence.
If he figured out why Raiden Makoto was resurrected, could he also resurrect her? In his memory, the Lady's voice and smile still remained.
"Zhongli... that 'her' you mentioned before... is she your beloved?" Raiden Makoto was also a bit curious. Some questions could only be thoroughly investigated by asking in person.
She didn't know why she was being a bit gossipy.
Maybe because Morax was such a "straight man of steel," she found it hard to believe that Morax would also have someone he loved?
"Beloved?" Zhongli couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, "She... is the Dust God, Guizhong."
"Like you, she was also a gentle and intelligent Lady." Zhongli smiled. Because of the erode, he could no longer know his feelings for Guizhong at that time, and now what he felt more of should be regret.
"She was one of my friends." Zhongli added another sentence, "She passed away during the Archon War..."
"Mm."
Zhongli was still somewhat indifferent when he said those words. However, a woman's intuition told Raiden Makoto that he... seemed to care about the Dust God, Guizhong. There was regret in Zhongli's tone.
As for Raiden Ei, she looked at Zhongli with a bit of wariness. Zhongli had just said that her sister was somewhat similar to that God... she couldn't help but suspect if Zhongli was after her sister.
Especially since Zhongli actually accepted her sister's invitation.
While chatting with Zhongli, they also walked out of Liyue Harbor, and what they saw in the outskirts were the ruins of those buildings.
"Do you see those ruins?" Zhongli said calmly, "That used to be a tribe... her tribe."
"It was just the disaster back then... the people of Guili Plains also migrated to Liyue Harbor..." Zhongli said calmly.
"Mm."
Raiden Makoto was a bit curious; Zhongli's tone was very calm when he said those words.
"So, is she not your beloved?" Raiden Makoto looked at Zhongli in confusion, "Guizhong... in your heart..."
Zhongli just smiled at Raiden Makoto and didn't answer her question, as if he were tacitly admitting it, or perhaps denying it.
Knowing that Zhongli was unwilling to answer, Raiden Makoto stopped asking and continued, "erode's impact on you is really big. Since you are no longer the Geo Archon now, why not just let go completely?"
"Some things... cannot be explained clearly in a short time." Zhongli said calmly, "Aren't you the same?"
"Mm."
"Sister, there are two Electro Slimes over there... I'm going to catch them." During the chat between Raiden Makoto and Zhongli, Raiden Ei had been searching for traces of Electro Slimes.
"Right, let me ask you another question." Raiden Makoto suddenly remembered, and then she looked at Zhongli somewhat seriously, "The Guoba next to Xiangling... is that God of Stove, right?"
"You mean Marchosias?"
"Mm..." Zhongli nodded, "Guoba is the God of the Hearth, Marchosias... The Moonchase Festival is about to start soon, so it's normal for them to know about the God of Stove."
"Marchosias was also a friend of mine... but later, to help the people resist the disaster, he finally integrated all his power into the earth." Zhongli's words made Raiden Makoto fall into deep thought.
In a sense, she was somewhat similar to Marchosias. At that time, she had also completely integrated her power into the Ley Lines of Inazuma to block the invasion of the Abyss and protect the people of Inazuma.
"In terms of universal rationality, you are also somewhat similar to him, aren't you?" Zhongli looked at Raiden Makoto with interest. In his impression, Raiden Makoto should have also integrated her power into the earth in the end to ensure the peace of Inazuma.
"Mm."
"It's just that Marchosias will probably never recover his memories and power again... He can only follow that Lady like a shadow as Guoba."
That was exactly what Zhongli was curious about. Why was Raiden Makoto reborn?
In fact, it wasn't just Marchosias who integrated his power into the earth; Guizhong also turned into dust and completely integrated into the land of Liyue back then.
Since Raiden Makoto could be resurrected, then what about her? She should be able to as well. How could he not have understood the Lady's feelings back then? But at that time, he was more focused on the Archon War.
He couldn't accept the Lady's feelings.
"But that's fine too. Guoba seems quite happy." Raiden Makoto nodded, "Sometimes, losing memories is a good thing."
"Mm."
While Raiden Makoto and Zhongli were chatting, Raiden Ei caught the two Electro Slimes and brought them back. After all, she is the Electro Archon, in charge of the world's lightning; the Electro Slimes had no room for resistance in Raiden Ei's hands.
"Sister, mission accomplished!" Her purpose for going to the wilderness was also completed. Now what she had to do was hurry back, then make good use of the Electro Slimes to continue completing her new invention.
"Let's go back!" Raiden Ei was a bit excited. At this time, she didn't pay much attention to the conversation between Raiden Makoto and Zhongli, but was wholeheartedly working hard to win the championship of the Culinary King Competition.
"Mm."
...Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor.
"Zhongli... why are you with them again..." Hu Tao happened to come out of the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor and saw Zhongli saying goodbye to Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
Wasn't Zhongli an old stick-in-the-mud? How could he have two Inazuman twin sisters as friends? And looking at Zhongli's expression just now, he seemed very happy.
She had never seen Zhongli looking happy.
Then Hu Tao discovered a peculiar phenomenon: Raiden Ei was actually holding two small Electro Slimes.
"..."
"Won't you get shocked?" Hu Tao looked at Raiden Ei blankly. Even if she touched an Electro Slime with her bare hands, she would be shocked, right?
Why did Raiden Ei look like someone who had no problem at all? And those two Electro Slimes looked very well-behaved.
"Can I touch them?" For a moment, Hu Tao even forgot that she was going to talk about Zhongli being idle again, and she walked toward Raiden Makoto with a curious face.
Zhongli also entered the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor at this time.
"Mm." Seeing Hu Tao's curious look, Raiden Ei nodded, "Go ahead... they're just two Electro Slimes anyway."
However, when Hu Tao touched the Electro Slime, with a "crackle" sound, Hu Tao immediately pulled her hand back.
"Ow!"
"So numb..." Hu Tao frowned slightly. It clearly felt so numb and even a bit painful to the touch; how could Raiden Ei look like she had no problem at all?
But she didn't have time to say much to Raiden Ei, instead she said somewhat hurriedly, "Sister Makoto, Sister Ei, I have something to do, I'll be going now."
Looking at Hu Tao's rushing back, Raiden Ei couldn't help but shrug. Both she and her sister were of the Electro element; how could mere lightning affect her?
"Sister... what were you and Morax talking about just now? I see Morax like that, he..." Raiden Ei was a bit curious, and of course, she also felt a sense of urgency.
That guy Morax, he wouldn't be after her sister, would he? Her sister was indeed very outstanding, but she could only be hers!
"Does he have feelings for you?" Raiden Ei finally asked the question she was very curious about.
The next moment, Raiden Ei was met with a flick on the forehead from Raiden Makoto. Raiden Makoto was a bit speechless, "What exactly is going through your head right now?"
"What could Morax be after me for? I don't have anything..." Raiden Makoto was truly a bit speechless. Since she came back, she found that her sister was getting more and more silly.
"Ugh..."
If she hadn't been holding two Slimes, Raiden Ei would have wanted to pretend to be in "pain" to get her sister's pity.
Boohoo, she was so pitiful.
"Sister... wasn't I just concerned about you? It's not like..." Raiden Ei said aggrievedly, "I was just curious."
"Stop overthinking in the future," Raiden Makoto glared at Raiden Ei, "I just feel that Morax is too seriously affected by erode and was seeing if I could help him, that's all."
"In any case, Morax agreed to help us, so we have to give him something in return."
"Reciprocity." Raiden Makoto sighed deeply, "erode really is a..."
"Alright."
However, just as Raiden Ei was about to speak, a somewhat rushing figure suddenly bumped into Raiden Ei, but that figure sat directly on the ground.
"Ow..."
"Why aren't you guys moving?"
The Lady sitting on the ground wore a red legal miter, pressing down her coral-colored waist-length hair, with deer horns extending outward from both sides of her head.
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