Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Chapter 537 Liyue's Alternative Archaeology

When Zhi Dongren saw that none of the three people at the table seemed to be willing to speak up for him, let alone lend him a hand, he realized that none of them were prepared to do so.

He could only manage a wry smile, and then, holding onto the stool, stood up on his own.

"Um, let's get to know each other again. My name is Clement. This is the official archaeological permit from Liyue. All the results of my exploration in Liyue will be shared with the authorities."

Clement displayed his official credentials, then smiled obsequiously at Zhongli and said, "Moreover, I heard in Liyue Harbor that the most learned person here, the one who can be called an expert in both ancient and modern times, is Mr. Zhongli of the Hall of Rebirth. So I paid the Hall of Rebirth a lot of money to specially hire Mr. Zhongli as my archaeological consultant."

"If it's work for the Hall of Rebirth, then as a guest elder, I can't refuse."

Clement was overjoyed. "Then let's set off now!"

Seeing that everyone was about to leave, Wan Yan became anxious, "I still have something to ask Mr. Zhongli..."

"If you don't have anything else to do right now, you can come along too. We can talk as we walk."

Zhong Li was very considerate of Wan Yan's feelings and directly extended an invitation to her.

Xu Ning thought this might be because of the "one of us" he mentioned.

Although Clement was somewhat reluctant, he immediately agreed when he heard that Wanyan was also an archaeologist.

"Mr. Zhongli, please take care. I apologize that I cannot see you off any further."

Xu Ning bowed respectfully, only to see Zhong Li glance at him.

"You come too."

Xu Ning was stunned. "Me... going too? Can I go find Cui'er first..."

Clement wasn't sure why Zhongli had brought so many people along, but since he needed their help, he didn't dare to voice too many opinions.

"Let's go now, and we'll arrive at our destination—Lonely Cloud Pavilion—just in time for dawn. I won't wait for you until dawn, and besides, I know that Cui'er has been in a bad mood lately and hasn't received any guests for days. You won't have a chance to succeed..."

Xu Ning glared at the guy, as if he thought she was a lecherous glutton.

When the Emperor is waiting for me, would I dare to take advantage of him first and then come back?

Fortunately, Zhongli nodded directly and said, "Go and come back quickly." Xu Ning hurriedly ran off to find Cui'er.

As expected, Cui'er did not entertain any guests and was alone at the stern of the boat enjoying the wind.

When Xu Ning found her, Cui'er greeted her with great joy and asked, "You saw him?"

"He has already perished at sea," Xu Ning said calmly.

Cui'er's face turned pale instantly, and she said in disbelief, "You're lying to me! You must be lying to me. That's right, it was him, he's the one who made you lie to me, isn't he?"

Xu Ning shook her head. "It wasn't him. I lied to you. Actually, he... is married."

Cui'er staggered, seemingly unable to stand, and reached out to grab the gunwale, panting as she shook her head, saying, "No, I don't believe it..."

Xu Ning scratched his head. "I at least gave you two options, so just pick the one you like. If you really can't, I'll give you another one."

Cui'er raised a hand. "No, you don't need to give me the answer. I will ask him myself. I believe he will tell me how to choose."

Xu Ning had originally thought that if Cui'er became too heartbroken and tried to kill herself, he would simply give her the letter from Chao Xi.

However, seeing how strong she is, Xu Ning now only hopes that Chao Xi will be rational when helping her make a choice, and not let Cui'er choose option one, otherwise Si Si might become a widow.

After dealing with Cui'er's matter, Xu Ning rushed to the ship's side, boarded Clement's large ship, and slowly sailed towards Guyun Pavilion.

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, everyone chose to return to their rooms to rest.

Xu Ning was still not used to sleeping on the ship, so he used the excuse of inviting Mr. Zhongli for a drink to invite him to rest at Chenyin Cave.

Fortunately, there was no chaos this time. Apart from Qingyi stomping her feet on the ground in the distance, Wendy blended in with the grass as always, and remained peacefully drunk as always.

After Zhongli entered, the first thing he looked at was the ice block on the floating island. Seeing that it was floating there steadily, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

Xu Ning gestured with his hand, "Your Majesty, this way please."

After leading Zhongli to Qianye Wine Spring, Xu Ning stood quietly to the side and remained silent.

Zhongli walked closer and looked at the white saplings standing gracefully beside the wine spring. He seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes gentle.

After a long while, He said softly, "Old friend, it's been a long time."

The white sapling seemed to understand Zhongli's words, and it shook its body with a look of delight.

Zhongli turned around and said to Xu Ning, "This time... you really did a good job."

Xu Ning was genuinely delighted to receive the Emperor's praise and couldn't help but ask, "The Great Compassion Tree King's will is currently attached to its branches. If it can take human form one day, would I dare to let it appear on the Teyvat continent?"

Zhongli pondered for a moment, “Even though you obtained the purest branches, the Great Tree King’s will still contain the shadow of forbidden knowledge, which is not tolerated in the world of Teyvat. Once she reappears in the world, the calamities that have disappeared may return.”

Xu Ning turned to look at his Dust-Hidden Cave and said with some regret, "It's a pity that my place is a bit small. If she lives here, she might be able to tolerate it for a short time, but I'm afraid it will become much more boring in the long run."

Zhongli looked at the Dust Hidden Cave Heaven, which had become noticeably more prosperous and vibrant since his last visit, and smiled, “Although the art of the Cave Heaven is based on the transformation of mental images, it will gradually become a real world after obtaining abundant elements. Although you cannot perceive it now, as time goes by, you will know the wonders of this world. And my old friend was once the original form of the World Tree. The benefits she brings you are probably beyond your imagination.”

Xu Ning heard that his grotto-heaven might develop further, and he wanted to ask a few more questions, but it was too late and he didn't dare to disturb the Emperor's rest, so he put the question aside for the time being.

However, Zhongli ultimately declined Xu Ning's request to stay in Chenyin Cave and returned to his room on his own after leaving the cave.

"Look, I've created an opportunity for you. You could have gotten a bed that the Emperor slept in, but what a pity..."

After seeing the Emperor off, Xu Ning returned and saw Qingyi standing there in a daze, so he couldn't help but tease her a couple of times.

"You still dare to laugh at me? If we really want to know the reason, isn't it all because your reputation is so bad? Go out and ask around. Apart from Ningguang and Beidou, those two silly girls, who, regardless of gender, would dare to spend a night alone with you in a room? You may not care about your reputation, but others do!"

Xu Ning was furious, but he felt that the reason the Emperor left earlier might really have had this intention, so he couldn't help but feel a little dejected.

I have always acted uprightly and honestly. When did everyone start to misunderstand me?

Xu Ning stood there for a while, his gaze falling on a pair of slender legs in white stockings on the grass.

"It seems to have started after we met this guy. Yes, he's the culprit."

He tied the drunken Wendy back to the pillar, gagged him, and told Qingyi to tie him up for two days to vent his anger before finally going to sleep peacefully.

The next day, Xu Ning got up early and had a nice breakfast drink with Wendy before leaving the cave feeling refreshed.

"This place looks so ordinary, it doesn't seem like there's anything of value here."

Upon hearing this, Zhongli laughed and said, "Legend has it that Lord Yan once used a rock as a spear and threw it into this sea area, piercing the demon god and suppressing it at the bottom of the sea. If you want to study the demon god or the history of that period, this is a good starting point."

"Oh, I see. So, if you look carefully, you can still find many treasures?"

Xu Ning noticed that Clement seemed unconcerned about what Zhong Li was saying, which was hardly the attitude of a scholar.

Moreover, this guy seemed to use words like "profit" and "treasure" in every sentence. In Xu Ning's opinion, this guy was probably much more adept at doing business than he was at academics.

"How about we split into two teams to search? That way, we'll have a better chance of finding the treasure, right? Hmm, I'll choose Miss Wanyan. I'm sure the two of us archaeologists can complement each other and find the treasure the fastest."

After Clement left, Xu Ning and Zhong Li wandered around at their leisure.

Following the Emperor's instructions to quickly identify the elemental vision blocks, Xu Ning soon found something resembling a stone slab.

A group of small animals, formed from water elements, gathered around the stone slab, looking quite happy.

"It seems that the thing in the middle still retains some of the power of the demon god, which is why it attracted them. But I didn't expect it to be an aquatic shapeshifter. It's really... Oh well, the mission is more important. Let's just send them away and make sure they don't come to this island again."

Xu Ning carefully chased away the group of shapeshifting beasts, took out the stone slab they were surrounding, and handed it to Zhong Li.

"Nothing special, but the demonic power attached to it is still worth studying. Let's go back to find Clement!"

"You call yourself an archaeologist? You don't know anything..."

"That's still better than you being a money-grubber. You're better off as a businessman than a scholar..."

As soon as I got back, I heard those two already arguing.

Xu Ning had realized from the very beginning that neither of these two were archaeologists.

After all, he had just come from the so-called country of scholars and was very familiar with those scholars.

How should we describe these two?

They are just too approachable, lacking the arrogance, thirst for knowledge, and desire for self-expression often associated with scholars. Those who call themselves archaeologists are probably just trying to cover up their true identities.

Now that you understand this, I'm afraid you came here with ulterior motives.

Xu Ning glanced at the Emperor, thinking that the Emperor had probably already figured it out, but since the Emperor hadn't said anything, there must be a deeper meaning behind it. It would be best for him to wait and see.