"The Jade Chamber?"
Roxas was already in pursuit of the floating palace before Paimon could even finish her sentence.
Gargantuan serpentine heads that glowed blue amid the stormy sky burst from the nearby ocean. Roxas landed on the porch of the Jade Chamber, dismissing his Naught Glider.
"Thank Kingdom Hearts we noticed it," he said to Paimon.
A familiar voice questioned him. "...Roxas? What are you doing here?"
Xiao stood behind him. Ganyu, Keqing, and Ningguang stood firm alongside Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, Cloud Retainer, and Madame Ping.
"The Adepti!" said Paimon. "I thought the Qixing were arguing with them!"
"We've agreed to put aside our differences and come together against this calamity," said Ningguang.
Moon Carver scoffed.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Roxas.
Paimon groaned. "Seeing this Osial guy is putting a pit in Paimon's tummy..."
"I can't say I disagree," said Roxas.
"You two aren't alone," Keqing assured them. "We've got newly enlisted Millileth shaking in their boots right now. They can barely stand at attention. And...to be honest, I'm nervous, too. But we can't let that god destroy Liyue!"
"But can we really stop it?" asked Paimon.
"We discussed that just earlier," replied Ningguang, "and our consensus was...not likely."
"Well, we've gotta think of something!" said Roxas.
"One certainly has," Cloud Retainer interjected. "One recalls the Qixing having researched the Guizhong Ballista when it piqued their fancy one day. And...as fate would have it, one, who crafted the Ballista with one's own hands...is here. For what could mortals learn of Adeptal mechanisms? Yet...it would take one but a little tinkering to turn this Guizhong Ballista from a turret...to a weapon of god-slaying destruction beyond your wildest dreams."
"We'll have to thank you for that," Ningguang remarked. "So be it...we will use the upgraded Guizhong Ballista to fight off that god."
"Yes," said Cloud Retainer. "And the Adepti present here will lend their strength to man it."
"We haven't a moment to spare," said Ningguang.
Roxas nodded. "Hope everyone brought a change of underwear...because this crap is about to go down."
BGM: Enter the Darkness - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Ningguang channeled energy from the Adepti in tandem with the power of her Vision, harnessing the workings of her beloved Jade Chamber. Glyphs of light came together in front of the floating palace to form a floating platform that glowed with azure. The Adepti channeled more of their power. From the platform of light, three gleaming turrets emerged. The Guizhong Ballista was at its full capacity.
Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer got to work; each of them mounted one of the three turrets. With a glow of gold, beams of Adeptal light shot forth as though bullets from a machine gun, peppering Osial like no tomorrow. The Overlord of the Vortex let out a furious roar.
A single Corridor of Darkness appeared near the Guizhong Ballista, flanked by several pools of white. Braig arrived on the scene with a few battalions of Sniper Nobodies at his back.
Keqing drew her sword and sprinted for the Ballista. Roxas followed close behind with Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand.
More Sniper Nobodies appeared, now accompanied by a legion of Dusks.
Wait a second, Roxas thought. Braig's been recompleted, and he can still command the Snipers. Does that mean...?
Roxas snapped his fingers.
In bursts of white, a battalion of his own came forth. The Samurai Nobodies each carried a pair of bleak white swords, advancing towards Braig's Sniper Nobodies.
Keqing prepared to attack one of the Samurai. Roxas stopped her. "They're on our side! I can control them!"
She nodded.
"The Adepti are manning the Guizhong Ballista!" Ningguang exclaimed. "Do not let the enemy disturb their work!"
Keqing issued an order. "All able Millileth, with me!"
Roxas pointed towards Braig's underlings. "Charge!"
Roxas's Samurai met Braig's Snipers in an all-out brawl. The Snipers had a significant numbers advantage and managed to dispatch several of the Samurai. The blade-wielding Nobodies, however, would not be deterred. Their superior close-quarters strength allowed them to tear through Braig's Snipers.
Braig jumped away and landed on the roof of the Jade Chamber. He let loose a barrage of Arrowgun shots at Roxas. Roxas dodged every one. He used a burst of Flowmotion to shoot to the roof and smack Braig off the side of the Jade Chamber.
"That'll teach you." Roxas went to aid Keqing, only to find that the Sniper Nobodies had disappeared.
The Snipers, however, were soon replaced by an incoming horde of Unversed.
"We Adepti have not faced a god in several millennia," Cloud Retainer said to none but herself as Roxas and Keqing battled the Unversed. "Hmph...let one see what you are made of, then, Osial. What strength remains within you, one wishes to witness!"
Roxas and Keqing led their respective battalions in combat against the Unversed.
Osial lifted its heads and roared. A single, gargantuan orb of vortex energy began to take shape.
"That is Osial's divine power," said Xiao. "I...know it well. Roxas, be careful!"
"Got it!"
Corridors of Darkness emerged from near the Guizhong Ballista. Fatui soldiers poured out, allying themselves with the Unversed.
"The Fatui!" cried a Millileth commander. "They're commanding the monsters!"
"Daring of them," Ningguang seethed. "Snezhnaya's so-called diplomats will answer for this when we are done here. Every last one of them..."
Roxas's Samurai Nobodies had fallen.
"There's too many of them!" Paimon exclaimed. "Roxas can't-!"
Madame Ping laughed. "Were you about to say he can't hold them, child?"
"Um...yes?"
"Don't lose heart." Ping looked out to the battlefield. "Roxas! Allow me!"
Suddenly, each strike of Roxas's Keyblades erupted with a shockwave.
Having an idea, Roxas dismissed Oathkeeper and switched Oblivion for Dutiful Rose.
The shockwaves from his strikes damaged nearby enemies as well as his target. Now this is crowd control! he thought. "Thanks, granny!"
"Roxas!" called Ganyu. "With the Qilin blood in my veins, I guard you against evil! Cast your fear of injury aside and unleash your true power! I, too, did this during the Archon War!"
Roxas felt soothing energy flow through him. His racing heart calmed. Dutiful Rose tore through Unversed and Fatui as though both were thin sheets of paper.
"My name means 'swiftness,'" said Xiao. "Roxas. I entrust you with my power. Now...run like the wind!"
Roxas found himself sprinting at breakneck speed across the battlefield. The weight of Dutiful Rose hindered him no longer.
He bolted about and began mowing down enemies like a suburban father would his lawn on a Saturday morning.
"Child," said Madame Ping, "you possess great strength of body, spirit, and above all...heart. Perhaps you can withstand three forms of Adeptal energy at once..."
"This will hurt a little," Ganyu cautioned. "Please...stay with us, Roxas!"
"Not going anywhere!"
Despite his entire body beginning to throb, Roxas continued mowing down Unversed and Fatui.
"Everyone, be careful!" Ganyu exclaimed. "I fear that Osial's power has reached its peak...!"
"So if we hold out here, it'll only get better!" replied Roxas.
Vortex meteors battered the Guizhong Ballista. Roxas unleashed sweeping XIII Emblems, wiping out swaths of enemies. Magic Hour tore through even more.
"Their numbers are thinning!" said Keqing.
"Keep fighting!" Roxas called out. "If we can take 'em down, the Adepti can focus on dealing with Osial!"
Dutiful Rose ripped through a Fatui Hydrogunner.
The Adepti loosed another barrage from the Guizhong Ballista.
End BGM
"Now..." said Moon Carver, "...we may commit ourselves fully!"
Adeptal energy came together from the Guizhong Ballista to form a gargantuan beam of gold. An explosion lit up the stormy sky like daylight as the beam collided with Osial.
"Keep it up!" Paimon shouted. "Keep it up until Osial's dead!"
With a roar, Osial's heads let loose a combined beam of their own.
Burning blue meteors pelted the Guizhong Ballista and the floating platform.
The platform shattered. Millileth soldiers plummeted to the ocean below.
Roxas landed on some falling debris. A burst of Flowmotion propelled him towards Keqing. He grabbed the Yuheng and shot himself back to the safety of the Jade Chamber.
Roxas set Keqing back onto her feet.
"Thanks for the save," said the Yuheng.
"Thank me later."
"The Guizhong Ballista is destroyed," said Cloud Retainer. "Without it, retaliation shall be difficult."
"But the Jade Chamber is our last line of defense!" said Ganyu. "We can't give another inch!"
Ningguang hesitated. "I have...another idea..." She took a breath.
The Jade Chamber floated to Osial, hovering right above the ancient god.
Ningguang exhaled. "I'm going to sacrifice the Jade Chamber."
"Oh no, you're not." Roxas stepped towards her. "I'm not letting you throw away your life's work. Besides...I've got an idea."
"Elaborate."
Roxas took a deep breath of his own. "Paimon...stay here, in case I don't make it."
"Wha...Roxas, where are you going!?" Paimon had tears in her eyes.
Roxas set his gaze on the Overlord of the Vortex.
"I'm gonna take him out from the inside."
Before anyone could stop him, Roxas leaped over the edge of the Jade Chamber.
A deep blue void surrounded him.
Roxas shot to his feet. Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in his hands.
He stood atop a stained glass pillar - a Station of Awakening.
It was Osial's.
"So...this is the heart of an ancient god." Roxas stretched. "Okay, big guy...show me what you've got!"
BGM: Forze del Male - Kingdom Hearts
A roar sounded from the void. Osial's heads emerged from the abyss.
The heads unleashed vortex beams, searing the area where Roxas had been not a second earlier.
Roxas leaped into the air with Flowmotion. One of Osial's heads shot out to devour him.
He lodged Oathkeeper into its jaws, wrenching it out and running down the neck. Oblivion and Oathkeeper diced up the neck like it was a carrot.
Blueish-green blood spurted from the cuts in the neck. The lacerated head let out a scream of agony, falling back to the void whence it had come.
The other three heads were enraged.
One of the heads slid its neck across the platform. Roxas jumped.
Another head swung out. Roxas couldn't dodge in time. He went flying off into the dark blue abyss.
White light engulfed his body. Roxas darted back towards the platform. Osial intercepted him.
Noelle's claymore cut down a slew of Unversed as she helped defend Liyue Harbor. To think I came here now, of all times, she thought.
Overhead, the Jade Chamber floated away from the multi-headed monster, letting loose smaller shots of Adeptal energy.
Multiple people dismounted the Chamber. Noelle had heard of one - Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Qixing.
Ningguang rushed into battle against the Unversed. One of the monsters, however, pounced at her from behind.
Noelle ran into action, cutting it down.
"Thank you," said Ningguang as she and Noelle stood back to back.
"Please, it's no problem." Noelle cut down a few more Unversed.
Ningguang eyed her. "...You're from Mondstadt."
"Yes, what about it?"
"What brought you to Liyue?" asked Ningguang. "Especially now."
Noelle hesitated. "A dear friend of mine. He's here. I happened to come here for my Chivalric Training since I'm training to be a Knight of Favonius. But my dear friend is the other reason. You...You may have heard of him."
It dawned on Ningguang. "He wouldn't happen to be a Keyblade Wielder, would he?"
Noelle's eyes widened. "Yes, he is! His name is Roxas!"
"Then I do know him," said Ningguang. She knocked down a swath of Unversed, leaving them for Ganyu and Keqing.
"Where is he?" asked Noelle.
Ningguang paused. "I...I shouldn't tell you."
Roxas barely dodged an incoming bite.
All three heads reared back to swing at the same time. Just as all three were about to tear him apart, Roxas raised his Keyblades. "Stopga!"
Osial's three remaining heads froze in place.
Roxas landed near one and started wailing away. He finished it off with a cleave through its neck.
"What's wrong, big guy?" Roxas quipped. "Didn't your mother teach you how to properly use your head? Oh...wait, scratch that. I don't even want to imagine what your mother looks like."
Osial roared at him. In his short, but high-octane experience down here, Roxas had somehow grown able to understand the Vortex god's dialect. "Shut up, I don't even have a mother."
Osial's rightmost head went for a strike. Roxas dodged to the side. The leftmost head came in swinging, ready to crush him between it and the other head.
Roxas leaped upward. The smack of sea monster neck against sea monster neck echoed through the void.
Oathkeeper became coated in light. Oblivion was shrouded in darkness. "See ya!"
Roxas hurled the two Keyblades downward.
With dual roars of agony, Osial's final two heads were severed.
End BGM
The storm clouds disappeared. Osial screamed in agony, falling back into the ocean with a resounding splash. Its heads lay motionless in the water, sinking back into the deep.
"Lady Ningguang!" exclaimed Ganyu as the last of the Unversed fell to her bow. "Did you-"
"I saw it," said Ningguang. "Osial has fallen."
Keqing frowned. "But...Roxas...he..."
"Wh-What happened?' said Noelle.
"I told you before," chided Ningguang, "I shouldn't-"
Xiao cut her off. "She deserves to know. She...could use some closure."
Ningguang sighed. "Okay...Noelle, was it?"
Noelle nodded.
Ningguang's face turned crestfallen. "Roxas...the last time I saw him, the Jade Chamber was hovering right over Osial. I was prepared to drop it onto the ancient god in a last-ditch effort to destroy him. But...Roxas stopped me. He told me he wouldn't let me sacrifice my life's work...and that he had a plan of his own."
"Wh-What did he do...?" Noelle looked worried.
Keqing answered for Ningguang. Tears had formed in her eyes. "He...He went to kill Osial from the inside. And...I don't think he made it out..."
Noelle gasped. Her eyes welled up with tears of her own.
Paimon had already begun sobbing. "R-Roxas..."
BGM: Sanctuary (Orchestra) - Kingdom Hearts 2
"You seriously thought I'd leave without saying goodbye?"
Everyone looked skyward. The Millileth all gasped. Noelle's tears became tears of joy. Keqing broke out into the biggest smile she'd ever shown. Ganyu was in utter shock. Ningguang breathed a sigh of relief.
Roxas soared overhead, engulfed in Anemo energy.
The Keyblade Wielder landed safely on the dock, greeted by cheers and applause.
"R-Roxas!" A familiar faerie shot through the air and clamped her arms around him. "P-Paimon thought you...you'd died!"
"Even if I had, it would've been better than Osial destroying Liyue." Roxas returned Paimon's hug. "Besides, I'm not gonna leave behind the best traveling companion ever."
Xiao approached with crossed arms. "Why did you do that? You had us all worried."
"Sorry..." said Roxas. "But I'm not just gonna let Liyue lose a part of what makes it so beautiful. Besides, I'm sure Liyue's merchants would rather ascend to the Jade Chamber than ascend to Ningguang's pimped-out office in a regular old building."
Ningguang laughed. "You've done it, Roxas."
"You scared me half to death..." said Ganyu.
Keqing finished, "...and you saved us all."
"We're going to have a bit of a discussion with the Adepti," said Ningguang, "but...in the meantime...someone wanted to see you."
The crowd parted, and from it emerged none other than Noelle. The maid-knight's eyes glistened with tears of joy.
End BGM
Roxas laughed. "Well, my time here definitely escalated quickly. I went from calming down a possessed dragon to killing an ancient vortex god by jumping into its mouth and inside its heart!"
Noelle cracked up, almost dropping her sea-salt ice cream.
"But, Noelle," said Roxas, "what were you doing in Liyue?"
"Oh, I'd come here for my Chivalric Training," replied Noelle. "The Reconnaissance Captain, Eula, recommended it. I was expecting to just walk the streets and help with basic tasks, but then I ended up helping fend off a horde of monsters! ...What were they called again?"
"Unversed." Roxas took a bite of his sea-salt ice cream. "Why they were with the Fatui is beyond me."
"On a different note," said Noelle, "you said this ice cream is something you like to share with your friends, right?"
"Yep," Roxas affirmed. "We eat it all the time back home. Admittedly, I'm a little addicted."
"I can see why," Noelle remarked. "I love the taste!"
Roxas gazed out at the harbor before him, a wistful smile forming on his face. He glanced at Noelle.
But she wasn't there.
He saw Xion instead, enjoying sea-salt ice cream alongside Lea.
"Roxas?"
Noelle's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"S-Sorry," said Roxas. "Just...spaced out, is all."
Noelle had left for Wangshu Inn to help Verr Goldet with some tidying up.
"We've still got the Rite of Parting to attend," Paimon said to Roxas as they meandered through the streets of Liyue Harbor. "Let's go ask for Zhongli at the Funeral Parlor."
"Well, good thing it's right here." Roxas approached Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's front door.
"Ah, welcome," said a woman at the door. "Unfortunately, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor isn't exactly in the best state to be receiving guests right now."
"Oh, we're just looking for Mister Zhongli," said Roxas. "Is he here?"
The woman shook her head. "No, but I believe he said he was going to the Northland Bank."
"Then we'll head there. Thanks, ma'am."
I'd hate to be anywhere near that place after what just happened, Roxas thought, but I've gotta see Zhongli one way or another.
BGM: Thirteenth Discretion - Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
Roxas entered the Northland Bank and happened upon a rather unpleasant surprise.
"You call this cooperation!?" Tartaglia exclaimed. "Cooperation involves communication, you know!"
"You're one to talk," Signora shot back. "Braig could be dead right now and you never thought to confirm it. You were just too busy watching the chaos. I'm sure you were very happy to skip the formalities and skip right to what you call 'the good part.'" She noticed Roxas and Paimon. "Ah, your friends are here."
"Ginger-boy and I aren't friends, scumbag," Roxas seethed. "Never were. I didn't even want to come here, but I needed to find Zhongli."
"I believe we've met before," Signora crooned. "In the city of bards, I recall. Don't you remember my name?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. Monsters like you don't deserve that luxury." Roxas gritted his teeth.
"Ah, pity," said Signora. "I'm sure it must've been so hard watching your little bard friend lose something important to him."
Roxas summoned his Keyblades. "And I still have time to take it off your mangled corpse."
"Don't let her get to you!" Paimon chided. "You're strong, and you may be able to handle Childe...but there's no way you can take on him and Signora at the same time."
"I just killed an ancient god, Paimon," said Roxas. "I think I can handle these people-wait, no...not people. Monsters. That's what the Fatui are."
Tartaglia laughed. "So it really was you, Roxas. A little...awkward, isn't it?"
"I should've killed you the moment I saw you," Roxas seethed.
"Whoa, now!" said Tartaglia. "Don't say that. I may have misled you, sure, but I never had anything against you personally. Besides, we got along pretty well, didn't we?"
"In your dreams, ginger," Roxas growled. "Every second I look at your face is another second I have to resist attacking you."
"It was never personal," Tartaglia said in a suave voice. "We just have different views, that's all. You can hold this against me all you want. That's your choice."
"It's also my choice to not cut off your head right now," Roxas said through gritted teeth. "So be grateful."
"Oh, but the real deceivers here are Zhongli and Signora." Tartaglia scoffed. "Curse them for leading me on."
"Both of them?" said Roxas. "What did Zhongli ever do to you? Other than leech off your Mora."
Signora eyed Tartaglia. "Stop stalling, Childe. There'll be plenty of time for chit-chatting once I'm done here." She turned to Zhongli. "You remember our contract. Now...hand over the Gnosis."
"Gnosis!?" Roxas and Paimon exclaimed in unison.
Zhongli sighed. He held out his hand. A chess piece glowing with yellow light appeared in his palm. "The contract is fulfilled."
Signora plucked it from his hand. "Hmph. I thought Morax would be more sanctimonious, but that doesn't matter at this point."
"So, gramps is the Geo Archon," said Roxas. "I mean, I had my suspicions...but..."
Paimon shouted, "Why are you giving your Gnosis to them!?"
"That's the whole reason we wanted to find the Exuvia!" Roxas exclaimed. He pointed at Signora. "That...thing stole the Anemo Archon's Gnosis, so we came here to Liyue because we wanted to warn you not to let yours fall into the Fatui's dirty hands! They played you like a violin!"
"They did not deceive me," said Morax. "I relinquished it per the terms of our contract - and I did not give it away for free. The entirety of this contract's terms...they are between the Tsaritsa and myself."
"But why fake your death?" asked Roxas. "They had the Rite of Descension all ready for you to come down, and then everyone lost their minds when a corpse fell instead!"
"Allow me to explain," said Morax. "As you know, I have dwelt in this world for more than six thousand years. I witnessed Liyue's birth alongside the Adepti around four millennia ago. But even bedrock can be turned to dust over time. I kept convincing myself that no cracks had begun to form...and that my time had not yet come to an end...Until, one drizzly day, I was strolling along the harbor when I heard a merchant say to a worker of his, 'You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day.' I stopped...and I asked myself...have I already finished my duties?" Morax sighed. "But, as I began to consider relinquishing my role as the Geo Archon, I discovered that many reasons remained for me not to depart. Was Liyue, the city in which I had dwelt for so long, already prepared to enter a new era? I decided that I would determine the answer with...a test, of sorts. As you saw, I feigned my death. I gathered the cast of Childe, the Fatui, the Adepti, the Qixing, and finally you. All played their roles on the stage that was Liyue."
"Did we pass?" inquired Paimon.
"Yes," said Morax, "but in the event that you didn't...I had another plan. If the chaos had reached the point of no return - and, to be frank, it nearly did - I would have appeared as the Geo Archon and righted the wrongs with my fullest power."
"And it would've been all too easy for him," Signora added. "Just as a child quickly matures after losing their parents, so too did Liyue mature after the 'death' of its Archon."
"I was pleasantly surprised with the finale of this 'show,'" said Morax, "so much so that I would even call for an encore. I feel that the Adepti deserve the greatest applause for their restraint, considering their years of seclusion...yet at the same time, you, Roxas, jumped into the bowels of the ancient god with no hesitation or concern for your own life. Brave. Foolish...but brave. Hats off, as well, to Signora, the emissary of the Cryo Archon. She was able to keep all her knowledge in strict confidence, far from Childe's eavesdropping. Just as I requested."
"But what about Braig?" asked Roxas. "Know anything about him?"
"Yes." Morax nodded. "He played a part...albeit a lesser one. I doubt he will be showing his face again anytime soon. And all the while, I lived as the mortal Zhongli and fulfilled Liyueren tradition in this mortal form. Roxas, I thank you for joining me on that path."
"Hey, what about me?" Tartaglia interjected. "Don't either of you even feel a little sorry for leaving me out of the loop?"
"I think thanks would be more appropriate," said Signora. "You played your part perfectly, wreaking havoc and turning Liyue upside down. The Geo Archon should thank you for your performance. If you hadn't created the tension of a potential battle between mortals and Adepti, the lump of coal that was Liyue wouldn't be the dazzling diamond it is now."
Tartaglia glared at her. "Whose side are you on!? Are you looking for a fight!?"
Roxas smirked. "You've really embarrassed yourself now, ginger."
"Be that as it may," said Tartaglia, "you've come out on top of this as Liyue's great hero, and I'm just a disruption of the peace."
"You deserve it."
Signora laughed. "Well...with the Gnosis where it belongs, I see no need for any needless chatter. We shall return to Zapolyarny Palace and seek an audience with Her Majesty. Come, Childe."
"Later," Tartaglia groaned. "I'm not sharing a boat with you if it kills me."
End BGM
Once the Harbingers had left, Zhongli turned to Roxas and Paimon. "Now then...is there anything else you wished to say to me?"
"Yeah," replied Roxas. "What in the name of Kingdom Hearts could possibly be worth a Gnosis!?"
Zhongli sighed. "Realistically speaking, there is no such thing. However, I am the God of Contracts, and I have made many over my thousands of years of life. If a deal did not benefit me, I simply declined it, as one does. I chose to make my contract with the Cryo Archon my last - the contract to end all contracts. As for the bargaining chip the Tsaritsa used to balance the scales...you will uncover that answer yourself in your future travels. Now, I am aware that the Rite of Parting is for an Archon who is, in fact, still alive, but...it would be a shame to let it go to waste after all your hard work, wouldn't it?"
A Millileth stood guard outside of Yujing Terrace, in front of a crowd of people. "Hear ye all, the words of the Qixing: ageless though the dragon soared among the mountains, it, too, must return to dust. This is common knowledge. Gods and Adepti live glorious lives, but both light and darkness have their seasons. So, too, must they face trials of the divine. Rumors and gossip abound in the streets that Rex Lapis was a victim of murder. But now...let the truth be revealed. Having been thwarted in his divine trial, Rex Lapis's heart and soul have recouped to the heights of the heavens. Our Lord beseeches us to mourn no more, and let not our hearts lament. Nor are we to believe street-borne rumors or indulge in groundless speculation."
The Millileth departed.
"Uh...that went in one ear and out the other," said Paimon.
"They're saying Rex Lapis wasn't murdered and that he died in some sort of 'divine trial,'" Roxas replied. "Now come on."
Maybe Zhongli told them the truth in secret after giving up his Gnosis, Roxas thought as he entered Yujing Terrace.
"...As said previously," declared Ningguang, "the return of Rex Lapis's soul to the heavens is the end of a contract, and the end of an era. We, the people of Liyue, were indeed prosperous. However, that prosperity clouded our vision, and we forgot that time does not care for the feelings of humanity. Now that we have cleared our sight...it is time for us to say farewell. Will you stand with us as we reestablish our contracts - as we build a new era of humanity?"
"So concludes the words of Her Eminence, the Tianquan," Ganyu announced. "Does Her Eminence, the Yuheng, have anything to add?"
Keqing scanned the crowd. Her eyes met Roxas. She nodded at him. "There is someone here with us today. Someone I would like to acknowledge. During the battle with the ancient god, Her Eminence the Tianquan made a decision to sacrifice the Jade Chamber to destroy the enemy. But this individual...he stopped her. And without a second word or any thought of his own safety, he leaped into the bowels of the ancient god...to slay it from the inside. And soon...he emerged victorious. Roxas...step forward, please."
The crowd cleared a path for Roxas to approach, murmuring as he did so.
"Him...he's the one who slew the ancient god!?"
"So...So young!"
"Does he really wield the Keyblade...?"
"The people of Liyue - and perhaps all of Teyvat - owe you a lot for your valor, Roxas," said Keqing. "So...name your price."
Roxas thought for a moment. He eventually responded. "I don't have one."
Gasps and whispers buzzed through the crowd.
Roxas continued. "I didn't come to this world looking for treasure, fame, fortune...nothing like that. I came here because I want to learn more about my heart. And I've learned that the best way to know your heart...is to connect your heart with other hearts...other people. And...as a dear friend of mine from Mondstadt unintentionally taught me...the best way to connect with others is to help them. I don't need a treasure trove of Mora, I don't need a banquet, and I don't need free food from Liuli Pavilion for the rest of my life. All I ask is that I can continue helping people...so that I can know all about my heart."
Applause resounded from the crowd.
Keqing sighed, but smiled. "I offer you anything you want, and you say you don't want anything. Roxas...in all seriousness, I'd...I'd feel a little guilty for not rewarding you."
"Y-Yes, as would I," said Ganyu.
Roxas laughed. "Well...if you really insist...I wouldn't mind some sea-salt ice cream."