I, the Geo Archon Morax with 2.1 Billion Mora, Have Joined a Chat Group [97]

Paimon and the Traveler’s questions were met with Ganyu’s solemn nods.

“Yes, I know that Rex Lapis’s mortal guise in Liyue Harbor is none other than Mr. Zhongli of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I also know that his staged death was meant to test the Liyue Qixing and its people.”

Ganyu’s tone was calm but unwavering. “The Lord of Geo told me he wanted to see if Liyue’s citizens could maintain order and face challenges on their own in his sudden absence.”

“Challenges?” The Traveler’s gaze turned toward the distant Guyun Stone Forest, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“That… I don’t know if releasing the Vortex God Osial was part of the plan,” Ganyu admitted, though her tone carried a natural certainty. “Even if Osial were unsealed—or even if he were at his full strength—it would pose no threat to the Lord of Geo. Perhaps the Lord included the adepti’s power in his calculations as well.”

“After all, he has always spoken of creating a world where adepti and humans coexist without distinction. It’s a difficult dream, but perhaps this is his way of uniting the people of Liyue with the adepti to face a shared danger.”

Ganyu’s words were filled with a deep, almost unshakable faith in Rex Lapis.

The Traveler, however, couldn’t shake a lingering unease. She furrowed her brow, exchanging a glance with Paimon before recounting everything she had witnessed at the Dust God’s Tomb. She repeated Zhongli’s words and the events that transpired in meticulous detail.

At first, Ganyu simply nodded along, but by the middle of the tale, her brow creased. By the end, her face betrayed unmistakable confusion.

“That’s impossible. The Lord of Geo never mentioned such matters to me,” she said, a rare hint of doubt in her voice.

“And… the items he took were not Remnants of the Past. To my knowledge, the Remnants of the Past required for the Rite of Parting must be personal belongings of the Lord himself. At most, the [Memory of Dust] could serve as an offering, but the Glaze Lily and [A Study on Iron and Civics] could hardly be called Remnants of the Past.”

“What is the Lord hiding?” Ganyu murmured, her unease growing.

“Could this staged death hold secrets even I don’t know about?”

Ganyu’s doubts mirrored the Traveler’s own.

As the Traveler pondered, her brow furrowing further, Paimon broke the tension with a sudden remark. “Uh… if Mr. Zhongli is Rex Lapis, then isn’t he right now at the Yiyan Temple, conducting the Rite of Parting? Why don’t we just ask him directly?”

The Traveler’s eyes widened in realization. Looking at the bright sky outside, she turned to Ganyu.

“It’s already morning,” Paimon added, glancing at the light streaming through the windows. “The Rite of Parting is happening as we speak!”

Exchanging a decisive glance with Ganyu, the two quickly set off for the Yiyan Temple.

---

Yiyan Temple – Rite of Parting

Zhongli stood calmly at the center of the ceremonial site, surrounded by carefully prepared offerings.

The tributes included the finest noctilucous jade, fragrant balms that would appeal to a young maiden, and seven kites, each representing a different Archon.

At the center of the altar rested the [Memory of Dust], a Glaze Lily, and [A Study on Iron and Civics].

Crowds of Liyue’s citizens gathered, whispering among themselves.

“So, the Rite of Parting is truly happening. Does this mean the dragon corpse from the Rite of Descension really was Rex Lapis?”

“No! No way! I refuse to believe it!”

“It can’t be true. Rex Lapis wouldn’t leave us like this!”

“Lord of Geo… Lord of Geo…”

“This must be a trick by the Qixing! How could Rex Lapis possibly ascend to the heavens? I don’t believe it!”

“Ah… to witness the passing of the Lord of Geo in my lifetime… It’s heartbreaking.”

“Grandfather… has Rex Lapis truly passed away?”

“They say it was a lightning strike that took him, but could that really be true?”

“No, I heard it was an assassination—some girl in an Inazuman shrine maiden outfit claiming to be a Third Apostle or something. It’s all so confusing.”

“Regardless, the Lord of Geo is truly gone. Liyue has changed so much in the past decades without his direct rule. I used to think he’d always be our safety net, but now…”

The crowd’s murmurs gradually shifted away from Rex Lapis, turning instead to idle gossip about the Qixing and their policies.

Zhongli stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly listening.

Finally, he glanced at the sun overhead, sensing that the time had come. Clearing his throat softly, he drew the crowd’s attention.

“Today, we gather to conduct the Rite of Parting for Rex Lapis…”

Before he could finish, a deafening roar erupted in the distance, cutting through the air.

The ground beneath the Yiyan Temple trembled violently, sending ripples of unease through the crowd.

All eyes turned toward the source of the roar, and gasps of shock followed as they saw it—a colossal, azure serpent with eight heads, writhing and twisting as it broke free from its bonds.

“What… what is that!?”

---

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!