I, the Geo Archon Morax with 2.1 Billion Mora, Have Joined a Chat Group [302]

—[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)] has joined the chat group—

[Kumoko]: Ah! Zhongli-senpai, ossu!

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: Ossu? Are you referring to the Ultraman greeting? I recently watched some Ultraman myself. Heroes of light from the stars—they are certainly awe-inspiring.

[Kumoko]: No, no, Zhongli-senpai! This ossu! is just how high school girls (JKs) greet each other nowadays. I finally made it back to Earth and returned to the blissful life of an ordinary Japanese high school girl—I'm so happy. I couldn’t help slipping back into Earth-style greetings.

[Kumoko]: So lately, I've just been thriving living here in Tokyo, Japan. Earth has way too many delicious sweets and so many types of BBQ—I finally feel like I’ve found the meaning of life again.

[Kumoko]: Life exists for all-you-can-eat BBQ! Life exists for all-you-can-eat desserts!!

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: As long as you're satisfied with your current life, then all is well. In this contract between you and me, I received more than I could have originally imagined. Your gains from our contract pale compared to mine—this imbalance contradicts the spirit under which I formed our agreement.

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: So let’s say I owe you one. Should you ever need help in the future, I will offer it freely, in accordance with the principle of equivalence.

[Kumoko]: What?! That’s a thing? Just by taking a nap in the dungeon, I got Zhongli-senpai to owe me a favor?! Ehehe, well, I did help maintain order in that Overthought Acceleration Domain a little... But still, thank you, Zhongli-senpai. Though honestly, I hope I never have to use that favor while living here on Earth.

[I am Natsuki Subaru]: What the heck?! Kumoko, you’re amazing—getting a favor from Zhongli-senpai!

[Imouto Slayer (Kyousuke Kousaka)]: Kumoko made it back to her original world? That’s incredible. Is your Earth really so close to the planet you reincarnated on?

[I am Natsuki Subaru]: Wait, wait—Kumoko, are you saying you actually made it back to Earth? Did Zhongli-senpai bring you back?

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: No. Kumoko returned by her own power.

[100k-Yen Shrine Maiden (Reimu Hakurei)]: Wait a sec... does that mean Kumoko’s gotten insanely strong?

[Kumoko]: Eh, hehe... I guess I’ve gotten just a tiny bit stronger. It's just that my desperate will to survive ended up elevating my soul into a divine being or something. Nothing special. Really.

[100k-Yen Shrine Maiden (Reimu Hakurei)]: A divine being...?

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: A god...?

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: Indeed. I can vouch for it. Kumoko went through an arduous soul ascension and ultimately became an immortal god, surpassing mortal limits.

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: That was fast. From the moment she joined the group until now, it hasn’t even been two standard months. I haven’t even finished summer break on my end.

[Imouto Slayer (Kyousuke Kousaka)]: I haven’t even finished assembling one leg of my exosuit.

[I am Natsuki Subaru]: Emilia still hasn’t become queen, and Rem still hasn’t woken up.

[Radiant Wings (Prisoner of Love)]: I still haven’t found the bald man Zhongli told me about.

[Avenger (Tendo Kisara)]: I still haven’t wiped out the Tendo family.

[Golden Fairy (Chtholly)]: My family... my family’s still alive and happy.

[Chocolate and Booze (Yuuri)]: I haven’t had my fill of chocolate yet!

[Principle of the Ring (—)]: I haven’t torn apart the Logic of the Ring yet.

[Megumi Katou]: I... I'm still making my game?

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: I mean this in the least offensive way possible, but... the “Doomsday Crew’s” wishes are seriously on a different level from the rest of us. In the face of apocalypse, everyone’s mental state collapses. Order vanishes. Even if it still exists, it becomes grotesque.

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: Whether it's Chtholly’s world overrun by the Beasts, or Tendo Kisara’s world devastated by Gastrea—the order in those worlds carries a weight of despair that leaves you breathless. Our real world has its own absurdities, sure, but in doomsday worlds, that absurdity is laid bare—naked, unfiltered.

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: It’s honestly... revolting beyond words.

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: I agree. Such twisted order is hard to tolerate. Many, when faced with it, would rather see it destroyed than endure it.

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: I will look into a solution. That is my promise—as Zhongli.

[True Substance (Yukinoshita)]: Thank you for your trouble, Zhongli-senpai.

[Imouto Slayer (Kyousuke Kousaka)]: ......

[Principle of the Ring (—)]: @Keeper of Contracts, Zhongli-san, there’s a matter I’d like to ask your help with. Of course, I’ll offer an equivalent price and form a proper contract with you.

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: If you're prepared to pay the price, I’ll gladly form a contract with you. But I may not have much time left—thanks to the rewards I reaped in Kumoko’s world, I’m soon entering a long slumber.

[Kumoko]: ?!

[I am Natsuki Subaru]: ?!

[100k-Yen Shrine Maiden (Reimu Hakurei)]: ?!

[Bratty Esper (Accelerator)]: What happened? I just joined and now you're telling me Zhongli’s going to sleep? Like one of those dragons in fantasy stories that sleep for hundreds of years?

[100k-Yen Shrine Maiden (Reimu Hakurei)]: Don’t go! I was hoping you’d become the dragon god at our Hakurei Shrine! Even just for a day, like a one-day honorary chief...

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: It’s not that serious. Don’t worry too much. My true body may enter slumber, but I can still project some incarnations into the world. That said, even recently, I haven’t used my true form to visit any of your worlds. Only incarnations.

[100k-Yen Shrine Maiden (Reimu Hakurei)]: That’s... amazing!

[Kumoko]: Zhongli-senpai, you’re so cool.

[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)]: Then, everyone—I'll be offline for a while. I hope that when I awaken, we’ll meet again.

—[Keeper of Contracts (Zhongli)] has left the chat group—

...

After logging out of the chat group, Zhongli was immediately greeted by none other than the Dust Archon, Guizhong, storming into the courtyard with righteous fury.

She wore flowing white robes, ethereal and elegant, like an immortal descended from legend. Her footsteps tapped sharply across the stone path as she approached.

Those eyes—clear and bright as autumn water—scanned Zhongli’s face with scrutiny, as if trying to draw out the truth from the lines of his expression.

After a long, silent stare, she finally took two steps back, brow furrowed in visible conflict.

“You’re really going to sleep?”

“Of course.”

Zhongli sipped calmly from the tea before him, eyes resting on Guizhong’s lovely face as he replied gently.

“It’s the inevitable step forward.”

“After resurrecting you, and uncovering a lead on Qingyun’s whereabouts, my resolve has only grown stronger.”

“To put it rationally…”

He paused a moment.

“Whether mortal, Archon, or even beings of higher order—we all move forward for the sake of our desires.”

“To lose that drive is to stagnate… or worse, to fall.”

“For Archons like us, without natural enemies on Teyvat and living in an age of peace, stagnation is… all too common.”

“Back then, with you and Qingyun in mind, I had no choice but to seek greater power, to reverse time itself and bring you both back.”

Guizhong’s expression softened further.

“I know… You’ve worked hard.”

Zhongli shook his head. “Refining my strength and realm—it brings its own joys. At the very least, it allows me to face the tragedies of this world, this universe, this boundless void… without being powerless.”

“Mm... perhaps I digress.”

He took another sip of tea, then continued with deliberation:

“Let’s return to the topic of forward momentum.”

“Now that you and Qingyun have both been revived… I’ve lost that driving force.”

“And that loss mustn’t be underestimated. If I stagnate and some calamity arises that my current self cannot resolve…”

“There’s already a threat approaching: the coming Great Silence Tide of the cosmos. According to the [Dimensional Multiverse Chat Group], signs of it have already begun emerging on the fringes of distant civilizations. In roughly 97.3 sextillion standard time units, it will reach the boundaries of this multiversal domain.”

“And as I am now, I can do little to resist it. Mortal, god, even elevated beings like myself—it silences all.”

“But if I ascend once more, the group’s research suggests I may be able to shield one or even several universes from the tide. And if I ascend twice—to a realm spoken of only in legend, one even the chat group has never observed—then perhaps I can protect the entire civilization cluster.”

He paused again, then looked earnestly at Guizhong.

“Only then… will I be able to protect you and Qingyun in this ever-shifting world.”

“Me and Qingyun...?”

Guizhong brightened, nodding with a hint of delight. “If you’re that serious, I’d look pretty petty to protest.”

“Besides, it’s just your true body that’s sleeping. Your incarnations on Teyvat will still be around. Honestly, your real body hasn’t stepped into Teyvat in ages, has it?”

Zhongli nodded. “Indeed. Teyvat is just a world-bubble between truth and illusion. It’s become increasingly incompatible with my true form.”

“Hmph~~ Fine. I get it.” Guizhong gave a haughty flick of her sleeve, then turned slightly, glancing back with a sidelong smile. “Sleep well, alright? I’ve got something to tell you when you wake.”

“You can tell me now.”

Zhongli’s expression remained placid.

“I’m not ready yet.” Guizhong chuckled softly. “You’ll be asleep for a few decades. I’ll use that time to gather my thoughts. For Archons like us, what’s a few decades? Just the blink of an eye.”

“Mm.”

Zhongli said nothing more, merely nodding.

Moments later, Guizhong left the courtyard. Zhongli quietly finished the last sip of his tea.

Then, he opened the [Multiverse Chat Group] interface.

This time, he didn’t open the main chat—but a private message labeled [Red Kite Immortal].

[Hello, Red Kite Immortal. Are you there?]

Barely a moment passed. As if she’d been waiting, messages flashed in immediately:

[I’m here, Zhongli. What happened? Why is your true body going into slumber?]

[Were you injured in Kumoko’s world?]

[Or… is it truly like you said? Are you sleeping to grow even stronger?]

Zhongli smiled faintly as he read Fu Hua’s words.

After a brief pause, he typed his reply:

[What I said in the chat was true. I gained much in Kumoko’s world. The slumber is for further ascension.]

Fu Hua seemed to ponder her response. Then:

[I understand.]

[By the way, while you sleep, I’ll try to earn some points and repair this body of mine. Perhaps when you awaken, you’ll see… a familiar face you haven’t seen in a long time.]

Zhongli stared at her words, visibly dazed for a second. But he didn’t hesitate.

[I’ll look forward to it.]

After that, he quietly closed the chat with Fu Hua.

He sat in the courtyard, lost in thought for some time, then drew a deep breath—as if preparing to make an important decision.

A moment later, he opened the [Multiverse Chat Group] again.

This time, he didn’t navigate to any chat.

He clicked the [Customer Support] icon directly.

[Multiverse Chat Group Customer AI is connecting you to a support agent. Please wait...]

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T/N: VBolume 8!!

This is a fan translation of 我，21亿岩王帝君加入聊天群 by 大一统. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!