Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [555]

After wrapping things up at Stone Gate and dropping off the Millelith, along with Aether and Paimon, at Wangshu Inn, Gu Sanqiu rushed off to take care of other matters.

Did people really think he came all this way just to get a token from Beidou?

What a joke. Right now, he was carrying authorization letters from Tianquan, Yuheng, and Tianshu—and even a special operational permit jointly signed by the entire Liyue Qixing.

After all, with the Rite of Descension coming up, even if he, the Fragrance Bearer, wasn’t serving as the main officiant, it was only natural for him to help maintain stability and ensure Liyue Harbor had a smooth and uneventful ceremony.

The Rite of Descension was an ancient tradition, and since it was the day the Geo Archon made his appearance, the Qixing would never disregard it as they did with certain outdated festivals.

Liyue—the land of wealth, the land of contracts.

As Gu Sanqiu had pointed out long ago, prosperity often came hand in hand with restlessness. Liyue’s people… their mindset had already drifted far from what it once was.

The Lantern Rite, the Moonchase Festival, even smaller celebrations—all of them had been affected by the influence of merchants and capital. Anyone who understood the situation could see what was happening.

The old man had likely noticed these changes long ago. Perhaps, before stepping down, he wanted to guide the people of Liyue one last time.

"Tsk, tsk. This reminds me of the first time I met the Medicine Furnace Elder."

Back then, the very first thing Gu Sanqiu had said upon meeting him was that changing Liyue’s cultural landscape was simple—all it would take was a catastrophic disaster.

The Medicine Furnace Elder had immediately suspected whether he was truly a Fragrance Bearer.

But in a way… was the idea of a great calamity really so far-fetched?

As Childe had once said:

A nation without its god… could it truly avoid being swallowed by ancient malice once more?

"A heavy burden… and a long road ahead."

After finishing his work, Gu Sanqiu shared a meal with Aether before climbing to the rooftop of Wangshu Inn, gazing out at Liyue Harbor.

In that moment, he suddenly understood why Uncle Tian often stood before the sea, talking to himself.

When your heart was weighed down by burdens, yet there was no one to confide in, no right person to share it with…

It was tough.

"You seem particularly busy lately."

Xiao leaned against the rooftop railing, arms crossed. "Something happening in Liyue Harbor? Do you need my help?"

"No need. Just take care of yourself, Brother Xiao."

Gu Sanqiu sat on the rooftop. "The Rite of Descension is approaching—only a day or two away. I’m just making sure things run smoothly, keeping trouble at bay as much as possible."

"You don’t need to be that busy."

Xiao’s tone was calm. "As long as I’m here, nothing will go wrong."

"Oh, come on. You’re how old already? Can you stop being such a workaholic?"

Gu Sanqiu flicked a small rock infused with Geo energy at Xiao’s forehead.

"If you hadn’t, by sheer luck, saved a bunch of people and gained a few incense-burning shrines, I’d be worried about whether your divine form could even hold up."

"This isn’t something you can just patch up if it breaks. If something goes wrong, fixing it won’t be easy, you know?"

"Brother Xiao, work is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to keep fulfilling your duties, you have to take care of yourself. Got it?"

There was one more thing Gu Sanqiu wanted to say but didn’t dare:

"I already have one stubborn elder giving me headaches. Please, Brother Xiao, don’t add to my stress."

Otherwise, he might actually get Yeeted into the Stratosphere for eternity.

"Is that so? Very well."

Xiao didn’t seem to care about Gu Sanqiu’s "disrespect toward an adeptus." Instead, he simply dissolved into elemental energy and left, continuing his endless battle.

It was obvious he hadn’t taken Gu Sanqiu’s advice to heart.

I’d love nothing more than to yell that line out loud!

But I’m not strong enough to back it up… yet.

Gu Sanqiu sighed. Dealing with his group of stubborn, independent elders was proving to be an impossible challenge.

"So you’re ignoring me, huh? Fine. Let’s see what expression you make in two days, Brother Xiao."

He muttered to himself, but in the end, his concern won out. He remained on the rooftop, using his spiritual energy to track Xiao’s movements—just in case the adeptus decided to surprise him with some new crisis.

If Brother Xiao looks into the distance and suddenly sees a divine dragon crash-land in complete disgrace… well, that’d be a sight.

"I wonder just how interesting things are about to get."

After all, I’ve got some precious experimental material coming my way.

An experiment that could determine whether a god could truly die.

That alone would be enough to shake the world.

A sinister grin crept across Gu Sanqiu’s face. "Whether it succeeds or fails, I’ll gain valuable data either way."

If the experiment succeeded, he’d likely obtain some high-quality golden artifacts—ideal as trump cards.

If it failed, it would still give him an opportunity to test the limits of his mysterious golden finger ability. Maybe, just maybe, he could trace it back to its source and find something even more fun.

If this golden finger was linked to some mysterious warehouse, and he managed to pry open a gap in its walls…

To be honest, as long as he could grab six or seven things similar to those divine-demon pills—and actually get his hands on them—he’d be making an absolute fortune.

Rather than randomly drawing prizes like a daily login bonus, it’d be far better to stockpile trump cards.

Because in the end, what you hold in your hands is what’s real.

---

The Rite of Descension began.

The streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor bustled with life. The area around Yujing Terrace, where the ceremony was held, was packed to the point where "crowded" didn’t even begin to describe it.

Beyond the standard viewing areas, the Liyue Qixing had also reserved premium spots for the wealthy—at a price.

Purchasing a seat required not just money but also signing a series of cooperative agreements with Liyue. It was one of the nation’s many ways of expanding its influence.

After all, it wasn’t just Liyue locals who wanted to bask in the glory of their ruling Archon.

Mondstadt’s Anemo Archon never showed himself.
Inazuma’s Raiden Shogun remained atop Tenshukaku.
Sumeru’s god had changed hands.
Fontaine’s Hydro Archon spent her days watching drama.
As for Natlan and Snezhnaya? Forget it—those gods had no intention of ever meeting outsiders.

That left only one ruling Archon who appeared before his people year after year—the Geo Archon.

Naturally, countless people desired a glimpse of his divine presence.

Of course, those with more ambitious intentions wouldn’t dare act rashly. No outsider was foolish enough to treat the rest of Liyue as mere background characters.

"Here we go~ I wonder what’s going to happen."

Gu Sanqiu lounged lazily on his rooftop.

With his spiritual energy, he didn’t need a high vantage point to watch the show.

Besides, the most important part wasn’t just the ceremony.

It was what he had beside him.

Apart from food and wine, there was a neatly arranged row of cameras beside him.

He wasn’t taking any chances—one camera alone might not be enough.

Of course, he wouldn’t leave them all at home. If the wrong people noticed, they might start asking questions, possibly leading to uncontrollable consequences.

A little mental manipulation was all it took. Soon, his adorable little recording devices would take to the skies, discreetly capturing every single embarrassing angle of his dear old man’s final moments.

Hehehe.

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. 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!