Lumine and Paimon had speculated about Qiu Bai's identity before, but no matter how much they guessed, they never expected that he was actually the Immortal Lord.
And Zhongli—the one who had worked with them to prepare the Rite of Parting—turned out to be none other than the Geo Archon himself.
Though they had always known Qiu Bai was no ordinary person, it had never crossed their minds that he was the one who had unleashed that world-splitting sword strike.
...
La Signora slowly pushed herself up from the ground, drenched in cold sweat. Without a word, she hastily grabbed Zhongli's Gnosis and staggered away in disgrace.
Qiu Bai watched her leave, then turned back to Lumine and Paimon. Scratching his nose awkwardly, he sighed.
"Sorry, Lumine, Paimon."
"I kept this from you for so long."
"As for why I hid my identity from the adepti and the Qixing..."
"Well, you'll have to ask Zhongli. I know you have a lot of questions."
With that, Qiu Bai turned to Zhongli and gave him a nod.
Zhongli smiled faintly.
"Haha, Qiu Bai chose to conceal his identity from the Liyue Qixing and the adepti," he explained.
"That's because I wished to test this generation of Qixing and adepti."
"If our identities had been revealed, how could we have properly judged Liyue Harbor's ability to stand on its own without its god?"
His golden eyes rested on Lumine and Paimon, his voice steady.
"And the Gnosis—it was not a gift, but a contract-based exchange."
"That matter is between me and the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya."
"Liyue, the land where gods once walked… was it truly ready to step into a new era?"
"I needed to create an opportunity to observe carefully before making my decision."
...
Paimon shook her head, trying to process it all.
"So, you faked your death… and Qiu Bai disappeared… just to test Liyue?"
She threw up her hands in exasperation.
"Of course," Qiu Bai replied. "Why else would I have said what I did to Ningguang on the Jade Chamber?"
"You tricked us good, you know that?"
Paimon crossed her arms, still fuming.
"All those little magic tricks of yours—I knew something was off!"
Zhongli watched their exchange before turning his gaze back to Paimon and Lumine.
"That is why I orchestrated my own 'death.'"
"To drag Childe, the adepti, and the Qixing into the chaos together."
His tone remained composed as he explained.
"So even if everything fell apart, Qiu Bai would be there to pick up the pieces."
"And you could fake your death while Qiu Bai could use the excuse of a deep slumber to avoid interfering with mortal affairs?" Lumine asked, piecing things together.
Zhongli nodded.
"Exactly."
"So… was the outcome to your satisfaction?" Lumine asked curiously.
Zhongli let out a small sigh.
"If it weren't for the Fatui Harbinger, Dottore, who disrupted the seal placed upon the rock spear..."
"If he hadn't completely lifted the suppression on the Vortex God, Osial…"
"I believe that the Qixing and adepti would have been capable of sealing the god back into the depths of the sea."
He turned to Lumine and Paimon.
"The way this situation was handled exceeded my expectations."
"The adepti, who knew the least about what was happening, showed remarkable restraint."
"And when the crisis came, they chose to cooperate with the Qixing—and, in the end, even sought to understand the will of the people."
He paused briefly before adding,
"As for La Signora… at my request, she kept her fellow Harbingers—and Childe—completely in the dark."
"She never once revealed the truth she knew."
Zhongli glanced at Qiu Bai, his expression unreadable.
...
"Meleaus and I walked as mortals—Zhongli and Qiu Bai."
"And in these mortal roles, we upheld Liyue's traditions."
"For this journey, I thank you for walking alongside us, Traveler."
Zhongli spoke with his eyes half-closed, as if reflecting on everything that had transpired. Then, he turned his gaze toward Lumine and Paimon.
"All of this was within my plan. The only thing that exceeded my expectations… was the actions of the Liyue Qixing."
"My expectations for them were the same as for the adepti—to protect Liyue. But the answer they gave was far beyond that."
"They saw an opportunity to replace the gods, using the power vacuum left after my departure to quickly take full control over Liyue."
Zhongli crossed his arms and spoke slowly.
"Ugh… That doesn't sound like a good thing," Paimon muttered, resting her hands on her chin in surprise.
"Haha… I think it's great."
"This was something I once feared would happen too soon… yet also something I quietly hoped for, knowing it would come eventually."
"For an old god like me, it is the most sincere farewell."
Zhongli smiled as he spoke.
"Well, after all, who would turn down the chance to retire?"
Qiu Bai waved his hand lazily.
"Hey, you!"
"That's not what Zhongli meant at all!"
Paimon turned to glare at Qiu Bai, clearly annoyed.
Between the two of them, he was definitely the one who had tricked her and the Traveler the most.
Back at the Golden House, she and Lumine had thought Qiu Bai was done for.
But not only had he been perfectly fine—he had let them worry for nothing. Then, in one strike, he had killed a god of the sea. How could she and Lumine not be mad?!
"Haha, well, calling it 'retirement' isn't exactly wrong," Zhongli chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.
"Hey, and what about me?"
"You two tricked me the most! Shouldn't you at least apologize?"
Childe crossed his arms and shot a glare at Zhongli and Qiu Bai, clearly disgruntled.
"Wow, Childe, that's embarrassing."
"Though… I suppose I was tricked just like you."
Lumine stifled a laugh, covering her mouth as she glanced at Childe. Then, she turned to Qiu Bai with a pout.
"Ugh, damn it… If you see through a trick, you're not supposed to call it out! Didn't the people of Liyue ever teach you that?"
Childe coughed awkwardly, clearly even more embarrassed now that Lumine had said it out loud.
"Fine, fine… Mr. Zhongli, Mr. Qiu Bai."
"I'll be heading off too. You two really got me good," Childe grumbled, rubbing his temples.
He still couldn't believe it—back in the Golden House, he had fought Qiu Bai as an equal. And all along, Qiu Bai had been acting.
"Let that woman, La Signora, go first. No way am I sharing a boat with her."
With that, Childe turned and strode toward the entrance of the Northland Bank.
As he walked, he recalled the sheer force of Qiu Bai's sword strike—the one that had brought down Osial.
The memory alone sent a cold sweat down his back.
And I actually wanted to fight him just now…?
…
Zhongli watched Childe's departing figure for a moment before turning back to Lumine and Paimon.
"Now then. Do you have any other questions?"
He looked at Lumine, who still seemed deep in thought.
"What could possibly be worth trading a Gnosis for?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
After all, a Gnosis was the symbol of the Seven. What could be valuable enough for Zhongli to willingly give his up?
"Yeah! You always say that a fair trade is essential, Zhongli."
"But what in the world could be worth exchanging a Gnosis for?"
Paimon rested a hand on her chin, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at Zhongli.
Zhongli simply gave a calm, measured response.
"In terms of universal reason… nothing."
"Huh?! What?!"
Paimon stared at him, utterly baffled.