si-mexico Chapter 536 The Winter Man's Beating Was Not Unjustified
Chapter 536 The Winter Man's Beating Was Not Unjustified
Zhongli stretched out her fair, jade-like fingers, picked up the "Thousand Leaves" cup, looked at the emerald green liquid inside, took a slight sniff, and poured it into her mouth to slowly savor it.
"It's slightly different from Buyer's power, yet it seems familiar..."
Seeing Zhongli lost in thought, Xu Ning couldn't help but be secretly shocked by the power of the World Tree. It could so easily erase the traces of a god's existence. In Xu Ning's eyes, the power of this world was becoming increasingly strange.
"...Tell me about your experience in Sumeru!"
Zhongli finally put down his wine glass and gave Xu Ning some instructions in a calm tone.
Xu Ning asked cautiously, "Should we mention things that never existed in the first place?"
The young woman from the Rebirth Hall standing behind Zhongli chuckled. "How do you know about things that don't exist? Are you just making it up?"
Zhongli carefully and earnestly explained Xu Ning's words, and after a long while, he nodded slightly, indicating that Xu Ning could begin at any time.
Xu Ning had been holding it in for a long time, and as soon as he received the Emperor's approval, he immediately poured out his heart, telling everything he had experienced.
“I once talked with Mr. Zhongli about the words life and death. At that time, Mr. Zhongli said that I would only understand after I witnessed life and death with my own eyes.”
Zhongli thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "I did say that."
"Thought is existence, and memory is evidence of existence. The matter that makes up this world will eventually perish, but it can endure in another way, and that is memory."
Xu Ning frowned and said, "But what's the use if only I remember it? I'm not the one guarding the World Tree, and I can't resurrect people or gods who never existed. Even if I get too old to walk in the future, I can become a storyteller and tell these amazing stories to passersby. If they even smile, I'll consider it a win..."
Xu Ning complained to Zhong Li with a pessimistic tone.
Zhongli looked at Xu Ning's expression, and his usually calm face revealed a hint of amusement, but it disappeared before Xu Ning could see it.
“You’ve been saying something wrong all along. People who disappear from this world don’t mean they never existed; they’ve just been forgotten by the world. But there are exceptions like you and the Traveler who can keep their existence in your sight. Be patient. As long as you keep going on this path, the world will soon meet you.”
Zhongli drank two cups of wine and spoke again: "Moreover, it is probably fate that we met on this Pearl-Inlaid Boat today. I was originally invited to participate in an event, but the person has not arrived yet. You might as well listen in for a while. It is very important for deepening your impression of this world."
Xu Ning asked curiously, "What kind of activity is it about?"
Zhongli said calmly, "Traces of a demon god who once lived in Liyue."
Xu Ning immediately sat up straight, focusing on adopting the posture of an auditor, no longer daring to ask any random questions, while also wondering in his heart which big brother was so brave, thinking of inviting the Emperor to discuss the topic of the Demon God of Liyue.
As darkness fell, the Pearl Pavilion became increasingly lively.
In a short while, three "knowledgeable" people appeared next to Zhongli's table.
“This Mr. Zhongli seems to underestimate the power of Lord Yan. You should know that we are talking about the first Mora created by Lord Yan, not the second... the 156th, the very first!”
An archaeologist named Hanxue excitedly said, "How could it be an ordinary object that is no different from other Mora objects, let alone something that the Rock King would casually spend?"
Another archaeologist named Wan Yan also strongly agreed with Han Xue's statement.
"Perhaps such a historically significant Mora will be secretly passed down as some kind of token, for example, to the Seven Stars who govern Liyue. Seeing this Mora is like seeing the Emperor, and wherever the Mora goes is like the Emperor himself!"
Xu Ning, who was listening nearby, almost couldn't help but spit out his drink.
I was so startled when I heard the Emperor talking about exploring the traces of demon gods. I almost took notes. But it turns out the so-called archaeologists who came were so unreliable. Listening to their discussion was more fantastical than listening to a novel.
Hanxue raised his hand to stop Wanyan, "No, no, no, according to my research, this first Mora is not just for the Seven Stars to use as a decoration, but has an extremely important position."
Seeing how serious he was, Xu Ning couldn't help but ask, "If it's not used for decoration, then its only practical use is to be spent, right? Isn't that the same as what Mr. Zhongli just said?"
Hanxue reached out and shook his head. "You're underestimating the age of Mora. As everyone knows, Mora can actually be used as a catalyst. There have been stories of using Mora to enhance weapons."
"Therefore, the world's first Mora, the catalyst with the most powerful force, was used by Lord Rock to enhance a sword and a blade!"
Xu Ning asked in surprise, "A slash? A sword?"
Hanxue chuckled and said, "If you want to know, you'll have to buy my latest book, but I can give you a little spoiler: obtaining that sword will make you the Supreme Ruler of Liyue, and drawing that blade will crown you the King of Liyue..."
"Wow, this isn't archaeology, it's novel writing! And you're calling yourself the Supreme Ruler of Liyue..."
While complaining, Xu Ning couldn't help but think of the Blade of the Peak in his hand. This sword was actually a gift from the Emperor. When he received it, he promised to take on all the contracts of Liyue on behalf of the Emperor. Thinking about it this way, it seems a bit like becoming the Supreme Ruler of Liyue...
Xu Ning unconsciously moved closer to Zhong Li. "That makes a lot of sense. Um... do you think that when Prince Yan was making swords, he used Mora to enhance them?"
Zhongli looked at Xu Ning, who was about to get confused, and said helplessly, "Mora is money. Its original purpose was to be a kind of bargaining chip to facilitate the signing of contracts. It is used to guide transactions and has nothing to do with swords."
Hanxue retorted disdainfully, "Come on, do you understand Prince Yan better than I do? According to you, Prince Yan acts simply and straightforwardly, without any far-reaching plans. Do you think that makes sense?"
"Moreover, thousands of years ago, when Liyue Harbor underwent a major construction project, the Geo Archon taught people architectural skills, and the demonstration models he used were all cast from Mora, right?"
Zhongli nodded and said, "That is indeed true."
"If Lord Rock didn't value Mora's divine power, then why do you think he would use such an extravagant method to demonstrate his skills?"
"This is easy to explain, because for the Emperor, Mora is actually the easiest material to obtain and the cheapest material."
Hanxue was stunned by Zhongli's conclusion. He wanted to refute it, but found that it seemed to make perfect sense.
After holding it in for a long time, Hanxue finally stood up and flicked his sleeves, saying, "I will not admit to what you said."
But he strode away.
The remaining people at the table looked at each other blankly. Another person felt that the conversation had become rather boring, so he got up and left.
However, the archaeologist named Wan Yan stayed behind.
She looked at Zhongli and asked, "I think your evaluation of the Rock King Emperor is objective and fair, without any random hype or speculation. So I have some questions about archaeology that I would like to ask you. I wonder if you could answer them for me?"
Zhongli nodded and said, "The people left here are all our own. Please feel free to speak up."
Xu Ning glanced at Wan Yan, then at Zhong Li, somewhat confused by his use of the term "one of their own."
It's understandable that the scholar from earlier wasn't one of us, but what kind of person is Wanyan?
Wan Yan, however, didn't think as much as Xu Ning had, and directly asked, "Sir, do you think that all the demons killed by the Rock God were evil and deserved to die?"
Xu Ning was startled. Was Wan Yan trying to exonerate some demon god?
He said, "The situation at that time was like a warlord seizing power, with the people suffering. What does the Rock King Emperor's punishment of the wicked have to do with the good or evil of the demon god himself? Moreover, the Rock King Emperor would never do something like indiscriminately killing innocent people!"
Wan Yan seemed to disagree with Xu Ning's statement and turned to look at Zhong Li, waiting for his answer.
Zhong Li said, "Putting aside good and evil for now, what the Rock King Emperor respects is the contract. Therefore, any demon god who dies at his hands must have broken some kind of contract."
"A contract? I don't really understand. When I was doing archaeology, I discovered a salt goddess named Heureia. She was an extremely kind goddess, but she was still assassinated in the war by the rock god Morax using dishonorable means..."
Hearing this, Xu Ning couldn't help but interject, "Where did you get this ancient information from? The Rock God killed the Salt God, and he even had to resort to dishonorable means, like assassination? You probably don't know that our Emperor always confronts people head-on, and no one dares to say they can stand against him. Why would he need to resort to such methods..."
Wan Yan bit her lower lip and said, "I've investigated for a long time, and I'm sure I'm right. Tell me all the history you know."
Zhongli said seriously, "This is a piece of history from a long time ago, but the truth of the story may not be what you want to know. Even so, do you still want to hear it?"
Wan Yan nodded heavily.
"Let me think, where should I begin?"
Just as everyone held their breath, waiting for Zhongli to reveal the long-buried history, a hand suddenly reached out and patted Zhongli's shoulder.
"So you've been here all along! I've been looking for you for so long."
Xu Ning glanced at it. This attire? The Fools?
Without even thinking, Xu Ning reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, then with a flick of his wrist, the man rolled on the ground like a gourd.
"Holy crap, what's going on? Why are they attacking me?"
Xu Ning looked down at the man and asked, "Tell me, what is your status within the Fools?"
The Winterborn man smiled wryly and said, "This outfit of mine is very common in Winterborn. It's not that only the Fools can wear it. Besides, although I am a Winterborn, I am also a registered archaeological researcher and have collaborated with Liyue a few times. Can you please not be so sensitive?"
Xu Ning snorted and sat back down. "All I know now is that Zhi Dong's attacks are just that—attacks. He's usually pretty good."