In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

"Okay~~ Okay~~"

Hear this.

Rod couldn't help but spit out the mouthwash with a "pfft".

As expected of you, Master Hu!

Putting aside Wendy's identity as the wind god, let's hire a bard to sing for your funeral parlor.

Even more powerful.

Wendy actually dared to agree!

do not know why.

Their conversation reminded Rod of the famous scene where he said, "With this little money, I can sing all night."

"This is truly a conversation between gods."

Rod shook his head, wiped his face, and quickly went out.

Zhongli and Wendy both came.

I was the last one to get up, which is a bit much.

"Sorry, I overslept."

As soon as he stepped outside, Rod apologized.

"It's alright, there's still plenty of time."

After speaking with Rhodes, Zhongli turned to Hu Tao and said, "Master, Rhodes, Wendy, and I have some personal matters to attend to, and we may not be able to return tonight."

"Alright, alright, go ahead."

Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively and said, "Anyway, there's not much to do in the next few days. Just remember to take care of your own business and get back to the important matters."

"Thank you, Master."

After expressing their gratitude, Zhongli and the other two left the Hall of Rebirth together.

With the speed of Rod and his two companions.

Even though they had breakfast first, they didn't waste much time before arriving at Guili Plain.

This was the first time Rhodes had ever seen this former granary of Liyue.

The desolation here made him frown.

Guili Plain is very large.

The only place that could be called prosperous was the wide official road that connected Liyue Harbor and Wangshu Inn, as well as the many villages and post stations that sprang up around it.

The situation is similar to that of Liyue Harbor.

These villages built around the official road are also primarily commercial. Everywhere you look, there are all sorts of shops, some selling local specialties of Liyue, some providing food and lodging, and others selling weapons and other self-defense items.

Moreover, the villages were built along the road, unlike other villages which were clustered together and included farmland.

This is thanks to the trade volume between Liyue and Mondstadt.

These long, narrow villages, where people make a living through commerce, are thriving, and there are an exceptionally large number of people who come here early in the morning and return late at night.

But you only need to walk a little further away.

What comes into view is a desolate wasteland covered with weeds.

Compared to the barren desert, the situation in Guili Plain is slightly better.

However, it only got a little better.

Rod grabbed a handful of soil and squeezed it, and he had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He can hardly be considered an agricultural expert.

But having farmed in Aru Village for so long, the theory of life was the subject he studied the longest and achieved the best results in.

Relying on their own experience and knowledge.

He astutely identified the problems in this land.

Just as Zhongli said.

There are very faint traces of divine power remaining in the soil of Guili Plain.

Think back to Zhongli's tone at the time.

Perhaps the Kitchen God had foreseen this outcome, but in order to restore the land of Liyue, he had no choice but to sacrifice Guili to ensure that the main transportation routes of Liyue would not be completely destroyed.

"Is the soil like this throughout Guili Plain?"

Rod shook the dirt off his hands and asked casually.

"Ah."

Zhongli nodded: "After the war ended, the entire Guili Plain was shattered."

He didn't say anything more after that.

"."

To this, Rhodes could only sigh, "That war between the demon gods was truly brutal."

It was able to completely shatter such a large area of ​​land as Guiliyuan.

Rhodes simply couldn't fathom just how terrifying the strength of the two sides in the battle truly was.

Moreover, according to Zhongli...

At that time, the entire Guili Plain was shattered. If it weren't for Maxius's repairs, geographically speaking, Liyue would have become a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides and jutting out outwards.

This terrain is somewhat similar to Mondstadt.

The difference is.

Mondstadt is surrounded by lakes on three sides, while Liyue Harbor is surrounded by the sea on three sides.

This terrain is not ideal, as the area west of Liyue is mostly mountainous and hilly, making transportation extremely inconvenient.

Once this terrain is formed, it can be said that Liyue Harbor has been transformed into a peninsula city with few natural barriers and forced to rely solely on maritime trade.

Even if a city is large in scale, it does not have enough capacity to withstand risks.

Therefore, Maxius's actions in repairing the Orion were out of necessity.

Fortunately.

The divine power left behind by Maxius was not very strong. Based on the previous experience of Sumeru in managing the desert, Rhodes quickly came up with several solutions.

“Mr. Zhongli, let’s use the Heart of God first. I have some ideas, and I’ll explain them to you in detail later.”

"no problem."

Zhongli smiled and said, "No rush, young friend, you should focus on your own affairs first."

Given the strange occurrences that occurred when he used the Heart of God in Mondstadt, Rhodes ventured even deeper into the Gori Plains.

Until he reached a place where he could no longer hear any noise.

He then stopped and took out the Heart of the Rock God.

Unlike Wendy's Heart of God.

Zhongli's Divine Heart gives people a profound, mysterious, and elusive feeling.

Holding it in your hand and standing on the land of Liyue, you feel a sense of solidity and connection to the earth, a feeling that is deeply rooted in your heart.

"call--"

Rhodes let out a long breath and tried to activate the Heart of the Rock God by activating the Heart of the Wind God.

Wendy and Zhongli are not ordinary people.

He didn't need to worry about whether he would cause any earth-shattering phenomena, so he went all out to attract the attention of Sky Island and remove the rock element shackles from himself.

just

As time passes by.

Sweat beaded on Rod's forehead.

No response.

No matter how he manipulated it, the Heart of the Rock God did not react at all, as if it was completely unable to recognize Rhodes.

Even if Rhodes used the power of Hermanubis.

The result was still the same.

"."

Rhodes became a little impatient.

It's unreasonable.

Based on his previous deductions.

He should be able to activate this elemental force that hasn't been unleashed, so why isn't there any reaction?!

"Little friend?"

"Little friend!"

Zhongli's call brought Luo De back to reality.

There was a long silence.

Rhodes handed the Heart of God back and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, it seems I was overthinking things. This Heart of God is useless to me. I have to find another way."

"Not urgent."

"I don't need the Heart of God right now, so please keep it, young friend. You might need it someday."

Zhongli did not take back his God's Heart, but instead pushed it back into Rhodes' hands.

Rod naturally wouldn't take on such a hot potato.

He shook his head and said, "Your Majesty should know that the God of Ice is collecting the Heart of God. Their envoys should be coming to make a deal with you soon. If they find out that your Heart of God is in my hands, I'll be in big trouble."