Genshin Impact: A Red Teyvat Life Starting from Zero

"Later, the conflict continued to escalate, and even such divisive tactics became less effective. Or perhaps they felt it wasn't enough, so they came up with a new trick: chemical ecstasy. They legalized some addictive substances that were extremely harmful to the human body but could make people feel elated in a short period of time, in order to numb people."

"..."

Silence is Zhongli at this moment.

He held the cup of tea to his lips for a long time but didn't drink it.

"Those drug addicts are like walking corpses. They are thin, pale, and have lifeless eyes. They wander the streets in a daze. In our area, we often use the word 'zombie' to describe such people. Speaking of which, I don't know if you have ever heard of such a living...dead creature as a zombie."

Jiang Ming looked at Zhong Li, who had been frozen in one position for a long time.

"I've heard a little about it. When Ms. Alice visited Liyue, she mentioned it briefly."

I simply explained the concept of zombies to him.

Similar to the zombies of Liyue, they are neither alive nor dead, but they are also very different.

They really are living corpses.

Jiang Ming was somewhat surprised by this, but not entirely unexpected.

Surprisingly, Alice would mention zombies to the old man, but unsurprisingly, Alice knew about their existence.

After all, it was Alice who first proposed the concept of idols.

"Oh, right, I should add one more thing. That's the most powerful, advanced, and developed country on our planet, with ample material productivity. At the very least, it's no problem to feed these people without them starving. Liyue Harbor isn't far from reaching that level of development."

"Imagine a group of men dressed as Walmart shopping bags, who, after taking a packet of powder, become delirious and attack a group of women dressed as armed helicopters. The Thousand Rock Army comes to arrest them, resulting in a massive attack by a large number of similar groups. What would it be like to see such a scene on the streets of Liyue?"

This isn't unique to the US; it's a characteristic of all capitalist countries.

There are only so many ways to shift the blame; it's just a matter of some people taking the first step and others taking the second.

Zhongli lowered his head and did not speak immediately.

However, judging from the way Zhongli was gripping the teacup tightly, it was clear that he was having a hard time.

Based on Zhongli's understanding of human society over the past thousand years... even in Liyue, it would simply take a little longer, which is indeed a possibility.

In his memory, there were countless times when, if he hadn't intervened in time, Liyue would have inevitably suffered a period of turmoil.

This was while he was still alive.

He originally thought that after so many years of development, Liyue was mature enough and had a solid foundation, so even if he let go and some turmoil occurred, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Unexpectedly, they learned from the guests from another world about the game's profound and sophisticated aspects.

Man cannot imagine things he has not seen; he is nominally a god, but in reality, he is no different.

It is not the omniscient and omnipotent beings that ordinary people imagine.

He didn't know before, but he does now.

Liyue has developed over so many years, it's like his child, and every single person in Liyue can be considered his child.

Any normal father with even a tiny bit of conscience wouldn't watch his child turn into this horrible state.

"Moreover, this is under the premise of no unexpected events and normal development. I believe that we will eventually take this step, but how long will it take? Nobody knows."

"And in Teyvat, there is an unexpected factor."

"Ok?"

Zhongli cast a shocked glance my way.

This is already magical enough, but there are even experts here?

"Those robots. Ningguang doesn't know what to do with them right now, so she's temporarily limiting their use. They're a huge variable. When the truth comes out one day, Ningguang or her successor won't be able to suppress the voices and energy demanding their use. At that time, it might be an even more surreal sight."

"If the former is still a minority, then the latter, most people in Liyue Harbor, no longer even have the right to sell their labor and be exploited. Under the 'feeding' of robots, they receive food that is barely enough to fill their stomachs for free every day, and then numbly pass the days under the stimulation of chemical ecstasy."

"Some of them may be unwilling to accept this situation and want to find something to do to create something through their own labor, but they find that all the means of production have already been taken, and they are completely helpless without resources, and can only wait for handouts."

"Some people may be unwilling and will resist, but the first thing they will have to face is the robots they once created. When the power of machinery is developed to a sufficient level, it can be comparable to that of gods, making it difficult for mortals to reach."

"At that time, most people will really have no chance at all. Under the ecstasy of chemistry, they may not even have the chance to fantasize. Under the dissipation of their minds, even their desires will cease to exist. Do you think this is fair?"

"...This is the greatest injustice."

"That's right, this is the greatest injustice."

"Even without robots, with the massive influx of machinery into production, with the progress of industrialization, and with the separation of producers from the means of production, the extreme inequality mentioned earlier will soon arrive, within three to five years. At most, it will take only two or three generations to develop into the magical scene I described. If robots are used, it will happen even faster."

"Of course, humanity will slowly accumulate strength to change all of this, but how long will that take? A thousand years? Even if it's cut in half, five hundred years? Even if it's cut in half again, two hundred and fifty years? Are you prepared to face Liyue Harbor like this for the next few hundred or even several thousand years?"

"..."

At this moment, Zhong Li was already able to guess Jiang Ming's next move.

"You might as well put it more clearly."

"Give me the Heart of God. Even if it's just for a while, I will do my best to make Liyue skip this unnecessary magical process. This scene will not be repeated in Liyue."

A promise for the future, in exchange for Zhongli's divine heart.

Chapter 184 The Heart of the Rock God, Obtained

On one hand, the Ice Queen is suspected of being under complete surveillance, and has fallen into a paradox of choosing between "unsuccessful" and "unnecessary".

On one hand, it presents an opportunity for Liyue Harbor to skip the dark ages of magic and step into the light, allowing all the people of Liyue to prosper, be happy, and run freely.

—Although he couldn’t fathom how this mortal before him could accomplish all of this.

It must be knowledge from outside the world; if that's the case, it's not impossible.

This is indeed something he could not do, or even imagine.

For Zhongli, this was a very difficult choice.

Both can be described as "contracts that end all contracts".

Only by overturning the laws of nature can one develop without restraint and have the possibility of ending all contracts.

This was Zhongli's judgment in the past, but the current situation is unpredictable, making it difficult to judge the possibility of his success.

The latter, the purpose of establishing a contract is for fairness. If the latter can skip the coming magical era and bring the whole society to that ideal level, to that ultimate form, then the meaning of the contract seems to be naturally realized.

Compared to the situation where most people are decadent and a few are enjoying themselves, the people of Liyue are working together and running at full speed to create miracles that even gods can hardly match and that are truly awe-inspiring. This is the scene he wanted to see.

Choosing the latter option may make this scenario a reality in the near future.

Based on the paradox of natural law, the former and the latter seem to be quite similar, except that the former is the guarantee of the God of Ice, while the latter is a one-step effect.

With one gaining at the expense of the other, Zhongli found it difficult to make a decision.

Zhong Li was conflicted, and Jiang Ming, seeing Zhong Li's thoughtful expression, also felt a pang of anxiety.

There aren't many powers in the game that can rival those of gods.

Compared to faith and willpower, which are invisible, intangible, and baffling under their current means, the Heart of God is the most likely thing he can acquire and master in a short time, a power comparable to that of the gods.

Moreover, it was the only power comparable to that of a god that he could successfully control and transform with human power, and it was even used by the Order of the Church to create an artificial god.

As the saying goes, "With a gun in hand, one has nothing to fear."

Isn't it a waste not to use such a powerful and convenient tool?

Regardless of the outcome, we have to give it a try; do our best and leave the rest to fate.

Secondly, as a fragment of the Teyvat elemental authority, the Eye of God already allows mortals who obtain it to directly enter the microscopic world.

If it is the Heart of God, a higher-level elemental core that Venti himself acknowledges, then what kind of effect would it bring?

Thanks to the convenience of the Eye of God, they have developed very quickly.

If we add a Heart of God, wouldn't that be like adding a light-speed engine to a spaceship?

Regardless of its purpose or effect, we need to get our hands on it and study it to find out.

This is precisely why he came to talk to Zhongli.

Anyway, the old man can't just suddenly fly into a rage because a business deal fell through, can he? He's not some kind of overpowered hero.

Even with the old man's unruly posture when he was young, he never sat like this.

From all perspectives, the old man still prefers to persuade people with reason rather than with logic.

"What if I choose to postpone my retirement and supervise the people of Liyue through this phase?"

Zhongli's question interrupted Jiang Ming's thoughts, drawing his attention back to Zhongli's question.

"In that case, there might not be such a fantastical scene as The Walking Dead, but injustice will still expand and become extreme. Most people will be numb like machines, a very small number will live in extreme luxury, and even fewer will look up at the stars. It will just take a few more years."

"Even if you change the frequency from once a year to year-round, it won't change the situation. It will only add some bottom lines and make the situation less bad, but it still won't be good. Then it will be another contradictory process of the devil being one step ahead of the saint."

"As long as development continues, this stage will inevitably be experienced. The nature of human society at this stage has already determined all of this. Even if you, sir, are the Rock King Emperor, Morax, or a god, you cannot change all of this."

"Or, you could do what Barzeb did and use absolute force to coerce society into stopping and ceasing to develop, but that would undoubtedly put you on the reactionary side of history. The final result would be the same as Inazuma's: even without me, someone else would eventually come to end this reaction."

Jiang Ming is one possible solution.

Even without Jiang Ming, there are still travelers, which is also a solution.

Even if neither of them existed, the Shabu-gō and Narukami Taisha would slowly accumulate power, which would only take three, five, eight, ten, or twenty years. They could change from resistance to admonition or some other means. In short, the result would be much the same.

Whether it's Jiang Ming or a traveler, they are simply accelerating this process.

This is the inevitable course of history, unless the Inazuma society ceases to exist.

That is to say, all the Inatsume people died.

But without a wife, Inazuma is meaningless.

Zhongli would certainly not choose to be on the reactionary side.

However, what he understood from her words was that there seemed to be other variables behind Jiang Ming.

Returning to the topic itself, Zhongli pondered the inevitability of this stage for a moment and confirmed that it was indeed the case.

Development is inevitable; failure to develop is a reactionary force that hinders progress.

It's true that his influence on Liyue was limited. He knew this long ago, which is why he chose to let Liyue govern itself so many years after the war, while he had always supervised from the sidelines. His role wasn't actually decisive, and now it's even showing negative effects.

Therefore, there is actually only one viable option.