I, the Geo Archon Morax with 2.1 Billion Mora, Have Joined a Chat Group [166]

The world of Teyvat.

Liyue Harbor.

After the Lantern Rite Festival, the people of Liyue became even busier.

From the early morning, the entire city buzzed with the scent of commerce.

Street vendors shouted their wares in the alleys, merchants hurried through the streets with order slips in hand, and even the grand merchant guilds that sailed the seas were all racing against time to keep up with the surge in shopping after the festival.

This was one of the few major events in the year for merchants—a golden opportunity to encourage people to spend more.

“So, Traveler, what brings you here?”

Zhongli sipped his tea leisurely, his movements unhurried as he inquired.

Beside him sat the weary Traveler and an obviously exasperated Paimon.

The Traveler shook their head without saying a word, instead burying their face in their teacup, drinking deeply.

It was Paimon who finally spoke up, albeit in a tone that lacked her usual energy.

“Hey, Rex Lapis, you should be well aware of Ganyu’s workaholic tendencies, right?”

Zhongli set down his teacup and nodded slightly.

“Of course. Ganyu, as the secretary of the Liyue Qixing, is famous for working tirelessly around the clock. Even I cannot help but admire her dedication at times.”

“Then you should also know that our dear Lumine has been getting along really well with her lately.”

Paimon’s expression twisted in horror as she continued.

“Indeed,” Zhongli nodded again.

“Well then, you must also be aware that our Lumine keeps getting roped into Ganyu’s never-ending workload, right, former Geo Archon?” Paimon sighed dramatically.

“Ugh! Take a month ago, for example! We were helping Wanmin Restaurant deliver food—no Wind Glider, no sprinting, no elemental energy contamination, and no fighting enemies. And to top it all off, every single customer needing a delivery was perched on some ridiculously steep cliff! The most absurd one? They were waiting in the middle of a waterfall! And the food order had to remain completely dry?! What kind of cruel joke is that?”

“Then, just two weeks ago, a new high-level elemental convergence zone appeared in Liyue. And guess what? A whole bunch of Hypostases popped up—stronger, with more abilities than their usual wild counterparts. Ganyu didn’t have time to handle it, so she asked Lumine. And wow, that was a disaster! I nearly lost half my life just trying to keep up! Lumine fought like crazy just to finish the task.”

“And the reward? Barely enough to count as a snack!”

“That does seem problematic,” Zhongli nodded for the third time. “As a matter of rational fairness, labor should be appropriately compensated. After all, not everyone possesses Ganyu’s level of intrinsic motivation.”

“Exactly! Intrinsic motivation—what a great phrase!” Paimon crossed her arms, looking smug. “So you have to make sure our Lumine actually gets some motivation too! How is she supposed to keep going when she gets almost nothing in return?”

At this point, Paimon suddenly floated closer, whispering in Zhongli’s ear, “You need to make sure they pay Lumine more Mora. Otherwise, what’s the point of me running around with her all the time, working my tiny wings off, if I don’t even get a decent cut?”

“You see, with the Lantern Rite over, there’ll definitely be all sorts of new tasks waiting for Lumine,” she added.

“However...” Zhongli hesitated slightly. “I am already deceased. Both as Zhongli, the man, and as Rex Lapis, the god. I even held my own funeral.”

His gaze was calm as he looked straight into Paimon’s eyes.

“A dead Archon has no way to influence the Qixing’s decisions regarding the Traveler’s payment.”

“Hmm...”

Hearing this, the Traveler gently tugged on Paimon’s sleeve and spoke softly.

“Actually… the reason I came to see you… is something else.”

“Please, go ahead.” Zhongli extended an arm slightly. “If it is within my power to assist, I shall do so.”

“Since I have already entered into a contract with you, helping with certain matters is only natural.”

“I… want to go to Dragonspine.”

Zhongli’s expression shifted to seriousness as he asked, “Are you sure?”

The Traveler nodded firmly.

“I heard… that there are Abyss Order members… in the mountain.”

“Indeed, that is true. Then, let us treat this as a simple contract.”

Zhongli extended his hand and lightly tapped Paimon’s forehead.

“Call upon me when the time comes.”

After concluding their discussion, the Traveler curiously peered around the courtyard, her gaze shifting here and there.

“...The God of Dust isn’t here?”

She asked softly.

“She had some matters to attend to,” Zhongli replied.

With that, the Traveler did not linger—there was still much work to be done today. Word had it that a photographer had arrived in Liyue Harbor, eager to capture all things strange and wondrous, and the Traveler had been asked to assist.

Unlike Zhongli, the Traveler’s life was quite busy.

After seeing the Traveler off, Zhongli returned to his quiet courtyard and let out a small sigh.

What he had said earlier about the God of Dust, Guizhong, being away was no lie.

However, her departure likely wasn’t what the Traveler imagined.

In truth, Guizhong had been invited by someone named Bell to visit his world and offer guidance.

She, too, was eager to witness the scenery of another world, so she agreed to the invitation without hesitation.

Based on the usual timeframe for such tasks, it would take approximately twenty-four hours in Teyvat before she returned.

Which meant that, for now, Zhongli was once again back to his familiar state of solitude.

He sipped his tea in silence, savoring the moment, before turning his attention to the various gains from his recent travels to both the Witch’s World and the Jujutsu World.

First, there was the Jujutsu World.

His journey there had not only allowed him to repay an old favor but also check on the progress of the seeds he had sown.

The results did not disappoint.

If the innermost seed of that world continued to develop at this pace—

It might take no more than fifty years before it broke free from its cocoon.

This entity, embodying the spirit of the entire Jujutsu world—an existence infused with its entire cursed energy system—could, in terms of hierarchy, become the very mother of the Jujutsu world's planet.

And then, there was that curse spirit known as Mahito—a being with an oddly intriguing power.

Representing the curse of humanity itself, Mahito stood as one of the most peculiar beings among all curses.

If one could extract its impurities…

Perhaps it could become a most unexpected piece on the board.

After all, in the depths of Zhongli’s ancient memory, there were still the names Alaya and Gaia—names that carried unfathomable significance.

---

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!