I, the Geo Archon Morax with 2.1 Billion Mora, Have Joined a Chat Group [238]

"Time is such a fascinating thing."

"Time is such a profound mystery."

"I am deeply curious about what transpired on the snowy mountain recently."

"Would you be willing to tell me what you know?"

The boy named Eck spread his arms slightly, his voice carrying a strange air of leisure—

As if nothing in this world could concern him.

Difficulties, obstacles, and treacherous paths; towering peaks and abyssal depths—none of it seemed to matter to him.

His tone was like that of a sage hidden outside the flow of the world, offering guidance to heroes in storybooks. Or perhaps, he was more like the reader of the story—one who gazed down upon the pages of a book titled Teyvat.

This boy, who called himself the Echo of Time, spoke with the ease of someone simply narrating a tale.

Fu Hua and Guizhong both tensed.

Fu Hua could feel the strangeness of this Eck.

Though he spoke with a smile, it was not the kind meant to convey friendliness. Nor was it a smile of joy.

It was a detached, indifferent smile—one belonging to someone who held no real concern for strangers.

Fu Hua was no stranger to such a smile.

Zhongli, at times, had worn the same expression.

It was the kind of change that inevitably came with overwhelming power.

"...."

Zhongli silently observed the boy before him, contemplating something yet choosing not to speak.

Since he remained silent, Fu Hua and Guizhong naturally refrained from revealing what had transpired on the snowy mountain.

"You don’t know?" Eck furrowed his brows slightly, pausing for a moment before shaking his head. "What a shame. It seems my wish will have to wait a little longer."

He sighed, as if suddenly lost in thought.

"I wonder how much longer I must wait. A thousand years? Ten thousand years? Waiting truly is a long and tiresome thing."

Ever since Eck had arrived, the [Gold] Alchemist had remained uncharacteristically quiet.

Rhinedottir, whose true form was that of a young girl, stood beside him, her expression solemn and unreadable.

Above them, the sky burned with flames—at some point, the red-haired witch who had previously fled had emerged once more. And in her grasp, she dragged a blond-haired boy—

Aether.

As the witch descended, landing gracefully beside Eck, a voice rang out from the distance.

"Wait… Aether!"

It was Lumine’s voice, carrying urgency, as if she was sprinting toward them.

Eck and the others, however, showed no impatience.

Having spoken his piece, the boy simply stood still, waiting for the Traveler to arrive.

...

Two minutes later—

With all parties now gathered, Eck had yet to speak when Zhongli broke the silence first.

"Mr. Eck… May I ask why you seek a person or object capable of reversing time?"

"As far as I know, time is a rather peculiar force. For you to pursue it so eagerly… is there something of great urgency?"

Zhongli’s voice echoed like the steady, unshaken earth itself, resonating through the space around them.

"Ah… Mr. Morax." Eck leaned slightly on his staff, bringing a hand to his chin as he pondered the question.

"How should I put this…?"

"Hmm… I suppose I could tell you a story. Would you care to listen?"

"Of course," Zhongli nodded slightly. "I have plenty of time to hear your tale. Also, allow me to remind you—Morax, the Lord of Geo, has long since perished. The one standing here is merely a wandering mortal named Zhongli. Please do not use the wrong name."

"Oh… my apologies then, Mr. Zhongli."

Eck nodded politely, a small, amused smile playing on his lips.

"Very well, I’ll keep it brief."

"Once upon a time, there was a boy. He had three close friends."

"…I’ll skip the details—you’ve surely heard similar stories before."

"Let’s go straight to the ending."

"At the conclusion of his adventures, the one he loved most fell into an eternal slumber. Desperate to awaken them, he sought the aid of those connected to him—a witch, a sage of the starry seas, and a princess from a distant kingdom."

"Together, they conspired to use the sage’s power to turn back time and bring back the one he loved."

"But alas, the laws of equilibrium that govern the world were a force greater than even the sage’s magic. Their attempt to reverse time, to rewrite history, ended in failure."

"The boy and the sage tried countless times—nearly perishing in the process—before reaching a conclusion: Only the future can save the past. The past cannot be altered to create a future where she lives."

"Though the sage had once declared that the future was the key to saving the world… deep down, even he knew that was merely a consolation for the boy’s heart."

"So, burdened with confusion, despair, and the faintest glimmer of hope, they set forth on a journey toward the unknown future…"

At this point, Eck paused.

A smile tugged at his lips again—

But unlike before, it was no longer detached.

It was no longer the smile of an indifferent observer.

Instead, it was the smile of an ordinary person—one carrying a simple, genuine happiness.

"They found hope."

"In this world, there exists something—or someone—capable of fixing time in place and restoring it."

"Something beyond what they ever expected."

Eck’s gaze locked onto Zhongli’s eyes, his previous mirth slowly fading.

"You must understand—"

"Not even the sage himself could do such a thing. At most, he could traverse past timelines, witness history, and make minor adjustments. But those changes would always be corrected by the equilibrium of the world."

"But now—"

"Something new has appeared."

"A force that can anchor a moment in time and overlay it upon the present."

"And if that’s possible… doesn’t that mean the past can be rewritten?"

"Perhaps history can be changed, and the dead can be restored."

"Perhaps it isn’t that history cannot be altered, but rather that the sage’s power was simply insufficient."

"Maybe… just maybe… changing the past can change the present. Maybe the conclusion we once reached was… wrong."

"……"

Zhongli listened to Eck’s words in silence.

Then, crossing one arm over his chest, he brought a hand to his chin and gently shook his head.

"I’m afraid, Mr. Eck…"

"Your wish cannot be granted."

---

T/N: oof

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!