There are some times when one must take in consideration of all the things going on and make a final decision on their next course of action.
A decision which may bring an end to suffering but also damn the nation to smithereens.
Being a leader, Ninnguang, The Tianquan must make such decisions.
Not long ago, she had received a report that there are possible spies in the ranks of Liyue. And in these desperate times. That news is something she does not want to hear. And also that there was a masked vigilante who saved the spy delivering this information. Another big obstacle was the adepti themselves.
It was being kept a secret, but the adepti are currently confined inside their own home and those who are not are ailed by a mysterious alignment that induces them into a coma of some sorts. It was headaches after headaches for her.
Ningguang was not one to lie, but Adepti are the only force capable enough to get this war to a standstill. Milleneth are the verge of collapsing, the trade routes are in shambles and the emergency supplies are running low to levels that she would never have thought them to be.
Liyue was about to lose.
"Lady Ningguang, spymaster Yelan is here to see you." Confusion fills her head of why the spymaster would like to meet with her rather than go in the frontlines and find a way to retake the supply routes. She motions her assistant to let the vision holder in.
"So, what brings you here? Any change in the behaviour of the Fatui?" The Tianruan asks with a subtle hint of anxiety in her voice. And Yelan let a strange expression cross her face. A mix of wariness and a little merriness.
"The central supply line has been successfully reclaimed this afternoon." What? "The main base of Fatui overseeing that area was completely obliterated by an unknown force. We suspect a vision holder, mainly of the geo element, but given the saturation of geo in the area, it appears to be an unidentified elemental entity."
The retaking of the main supply route is indeed a significant strategic victory. However, the power required to obliterate a formidable Fatui force is a double-edged sword. It brings to light a potential new threat—one that possesses the capability to wield destruction on a massive scale. Such a force, especially if it's a geo elemental, could pose a serious risk not only to the Fatui but to any who stand in its path. The implications are clear: while the immediate benefit is undeniable, the long-term consequences must be carefully considered. Vigilance and preparedness will be crucial in facing whatever challenges this new player may bring.
"Have you checked the surrounding vicinity for any clues for the assailant?" There was flicker of something in Yelan's eyes. She did find something. What could it be that it made the vision holder hesitate to tell her?
"Our forces, currently setting up a base to guard the territory have found wreckages of other Fatui outposts. It is a bloodbath. However, out suspicions of the perpetuator being an elemental entity has been confirmed. Alongside geo, there are also traces of pyro and cryo being used, too." Ningguang sighs and massages her head. One problem ends and the other begins, doesn't it?
"Set up recon outposts and fortify the area. Do what you must to make sure the troops are safe. Rally any vision holders you can find and tell them to stay vigilant. And await further instructions." Yelan nods and dismisses herself and the leader of Liyue got herself to think of her next course of action.
Maybe she can use this entity to her benefit after all.
Her eyes glanced at Liu's report sitting on her desk.
Or maybe, it does not need to be manipulated in the first place.
"Call the ministry of defence!"
…
Maybe it was his delusions, but Zhongli was experiencing flashes of Archon War as he slaughtered his way through the Fatui outposts. The feeling of blood on his weapons, the need to make every movement count, the rush of adrenaline through his veins. It was all to familiar.
And he hated it.
He hated how he felt at peace in this blood bath.
At the end of the day, he had erased all of Fatui presence from the supply routes of the east and some parts of the north. He can see Liyue acting immediately and flagging the decimated battlefield.
It was all too familiar.
The rest of the day was spent scouting the vicinity of the area his adepti live in. And just as he thought, he can feel a strange presence lingering in the air. It was crude, like it was diluted and tampered with a trace of corrupted divinity. No. Eroded divinity.
Not to say, the positions were heavily fortified, perhaps even more so than the supply routes. And there is a significant amount of Milleneth presence in the area too, so he has to act discreetly otherwise a chance will arise of his identity being discovered. Or even make a connection towards it.
On the note of the presence, he took a trek towards Sal Terrae. The purpose of his visit was of sentimental purpose as well as of experimental purpose.
"How are you, salt goddess?" He intones as he reaches the tomb, or rather, the dying place of the goddess of salt. It was just as he remembered the last time he visited this site with Lumine. Cold and desolate.
A strange sensation pierced his heart, he tries to ignore it, but weariness gets a hold of him anyway. And before he knew it, he began speaking.
"Perhaps that was the wrong question. It was my attempt at as mortals would call it, lightening the situation." Placing his polearm back in his inventory, Zhongli takes a seat on one of the ruins and simply looks at the dark stillness that permeated the cavern.
"I do not know why I am speaking with someone long gone. Perhaps it is my guilty consciousness talking, so take no heed of the ramblings of this old man, goddess." May it be the erosion finally setting in on him.
"When Guizhong and I first started the Guili Plains, you called me a kind god. But I was far from it. I thought of you as nothing but a weak and foolish goddess. You will not integrate with us even after we gave you the offer. Instead, you opted to remain neutral. In this small island, you raised the moratals with your kindness and compassion. Unable to give them anything despite their worship. You stood strong. And you finally met your end at the hands of those you cherished. We were a bit too late, weren't we?" Zhongli's hollow laugh echoes through the silence of the resting place of the dead god.
"Always too late." He says after. "After 2000 years, I think maybe it was not you that was weak, but the people. You stood strong against the cruelty of the world. Not letting your kindness dwindle in the slightest. Guizhong admired you for that. Now, I do, too. And cannot help but feel angry towards it." Taking a deep breath, he speaks further.
"You called me a kind god. I am far form it. It is that one thing that hasn't change about me. I am not saying this to appease my own conscience, but as a statement. And also, as a way to apologize for what I am about to do next. Forgive me, for my people, I have to do this." Moving to the heap of sand that stood at the centre of the cavern, Zhongli takes a handful of it and pushes his geo energy into it. He felt disgusted by what he was doing, he was mixing his essence with the ashes of a dead goddess.
His geo energy saturated the salt. Filling every grain with a dance of golden and silver radiance, that can only be called as beautiful.
An impulse of energy rips through the rocky terrain around him and strings of gold and silver began to traverse towards the salt below. And within a blink of an eye, the entire cavern lights up with a golden glow. And then the only thing that remained for Zhongli was a colourless world.
It was for a moment, but the ex-archon saw the salt goddess standing right in front of him and giving him an encouraging smile.
Colour returns and he lets go of the salt in his hand letting it fall below with the rest. Kneeling in front of the heap, he uses his telekinesis to gather all of it a container made of geo crystals.
"Thank you, Havria." The ground rumbled as earth rose from his will and mended and curved itself into a small statue of the goddess of salt as tribute provided by the god of Liyue.
Now the only thing remaining was to test the purifying salts.
You really are kind, Morax.
Zhongli immediately turned towards the statue he created and swept his vision around the empty cavern, but no one was there.
Shaking his head, he makes his way out of the tomb.
Feeling for his adepti through his link with them, he lets the world blend and dissolve in myriad of colours. There are several threads that originated from him, however almost all of them had no end indicating his adepti had cut off their connection with him. But they all pointed in different directions.
And a certain teal green thread floated towards a particular direction which Zhongli began to follow. It was his next destination, Wangshuu Inn. The Sun was just about to set; the night would be a good camouflage to move in.
...
Power was something everyone wanted. The rush and excitement of dominating over those who oppose you was an addicting feeling. No matter who you are, what you are. Power will always bring forth the sin within oneself.
That is the absolute truth of reality.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Maybe that is the reason why he was always so fascinated by the adepti of Liyue. They wield such capability inside of them. The rushing winds were at their disposal without even a Vision. They can split mountains, bring tornadoes with the blink of an eye, make the ground quake with mere steps, and yet, they do not exercise that power. And that is what makes him so angry.
It was their hubris to think that mortals are below them to exercise their powers. Not even worth to experience what it felt like to wield elements so naturally as breathing. Holding all that power to themselves and hiding it so that mortals are not privy of them.
What a waste.
"Sir, subject seem to be trying to wake up." His assistant spoke up. And his attention was captured by the sound of a grunt coming from the operation bed set up at the middle of the room.
"Fascinating", he spoke with a genuine curiosity in his voice. "Didn't Lord Dottore said that it will suppress the adepti indefinitely?"
"He did, sir. But ever since this afternoon, the adeptus was showing signs of awakening. It was faint at first and easily suppressible, but now physical actions are possible. There are even hints of him able to respond external stimuli to some extent. On one note, the other adepti are also showing signs resistance against the Dreamweaver."
"Fascinating indeed." He mutters under his breath.
And just as he spoke those words, a explosion shakes the entire structure of the Inn.