Genshin Impact, starting from becoming the God of the Ocean

Chapter 28 Tuozi: A Thousand-Year Feud, Now Is Coming!

Ding, ding, ding...

The hammer struck the metal, scattering sparks of light, and a strong metallic smell filled the air.

Old Zhang, the blacksmith, was shirtless and working hard, smelting various ores and forging high-quality weapons in his hands.

As a long-established brand in Liyue, Hanfeng Ironware Shop has always been very popular and has a good reputation.

This is thanks to the blacksmith shop's technical expertise, and of course, occasionally special guests will visit to offer guidance on forging techniques.

At that moment, an unexpected guest arrived next to the blacksmith's shop.

Mr. Zhongli, the old salted fish, unusually did not go to listen to music or drink tea. Instead, he stood not far from the shop, quietly watching Old Zhang forge iron.

I spent half an hour looking at it.

Old Zhang was also puzzled. He naturally knew this Mr. Zhongli. Everyone knew about the Hall of Rebirth. Could he be here to solicit business?

He'd be more than happy to discuss business with the blacksmith.

If you're talking about business with the Rebirth Hall, don't blame him for turning his back on you.

However, while Lao Zhang had finished forging, Zhong Li remained standing quietly, seemingly lost in some kind of memory, motionless like a statue.

Even an average person would feel uncomfortable standing like that, holding in their urine.

But he stood ramrod straight, which surprised even Old Zhang, the blacksmith.

It wasn't until a handsome, sunny young man appeared in the distance that Zhongli's thoughts snapped out of her memories and returned to reality.

"Oh! Mr. Zhongli, so you've been here all along."

The young master walked over with a smile and raised his hand in greeting.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. How about it? Does Mr. Zhongli also enjoy forging?"

“I was just thinking of an old friend,” Zhongli said gently. “He also liked blacksmithing and was proficient in all kinds of exotic ores.”

"Is that so? So Mr. Zhongli has friends in this field."

The young master didn't seem to care and asked in a low voice, "How's the matter I asked you to do?"

"Yes, I've found out."

"Oh? What's going on?"

"They're definitely not here."

After saying that, Zhongli continued, "From a general rational point of view, the Heart of God is a symbol of the Seven Gods. Unless it is a succession of divine positions, it is impossible to hand over the Heart of God to someone else."

Of course, another possibility is that they don't want to fight Sky Island anymore, so they might as well give up on the Heart of God!

For example, a certain Thor is like that.

But Barbatos, the god of wind, clearly lacked the courage to do so, as severing ties with Sky Island could very well cause unnecessary trouble.

As everyone knows, the Wind God hates trouble the most.

"So she really isn't here. Could it be that Her Majesty the Queen's information was wrong? But it seems she wasn't sure in the first place..."

The young master pondered for a moment. The previous message had been that he should confirm it, which proved that the Ice Queen was only speculating. He understood; the Heart of the Wind God was not with Su Zhe.

It seems I still need to make a trip to Mondstadt.

"By the way, Mr. Zhongli, could you ask around for me again? I heard that the Heart of Thor seems to be with Su Zhe."

Zhong Li: "..."

He looked at the young master with a strange expression, as if he were looking after a child.

One minute you're talking about the heart of the wind god, the next you're talking about the heart of the thunder god. Do you think the heart of a god is a cabbage?

"Actually, I think the Heart of the Geo Archon is the most likely candidate."

At this point, the young master lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Zhongli, I consider you one of my own, so I'll tell you a huge secret: actually... Emperor Yan is not dead!"

Zhong Li: "..."

"This news is absolutely true, Su Zhe knew it, but he definitely won't say it, because it was arranged intentionally by that Rock God. As for the reason, the specifics are still unclear."

"But think about it, the Geo Archon has gone into hiding, perhaps he really has plans to abdicate and pass on his mantle... Pass on, haha~ I learned these two words in Liyue, and I was inspired by your words, Mr. Zhongli."

“Liyue values ​​inheritance, so the Geo Archon, as a god, will naturally inherit it as well, right? After all, he has protected Liyue for thousands of years.” The young master laughed heartily. “However, this is just a guess, but if I were the Geo Archon, I would definitely choose Su Zhe. He is too suitable.”

"But Her Majesty the Queen sent word that it's impossible. As for the reason, I don't know. Perhaps the Queen and he have some kind of agreement."

He knew nothing about the gods; he was merely an executor loyal to the Queen.

The task assigned by the Empress must naturally be carried out properly.

"Hmm? Mr. Zhongli, you don't seem surprised at all?"

Looking at Zhongli's calm expression, the young master was somewhat puzzled.

Normally, wouldn't the people of Liyue be jumping for joy if they knew that the Emperor was still alive?

"I'm just... too surprised, so I haven't thought of what kind of expression to make yet."

"Haha~ So even Mr. Zhongli has moments of confusion? That's right, everyone has situations they can't handle."

The young master laughed loudly.

"Let's not talk about that. Mr. Zhongli, could you ask him for me when you have time? Since we succeeded once, it shouldn't be too difficult the second time. Hmm... This time, the Empress herself sent a letter of greeting, and the Seven Stars had no choice but to release the Lady. Now, we, the Fools, are well-equipped and powerful. All we need to do is find the right opportunity."

At this point, the young master lowered his voice.

“Mr. Zhongli, I know you like Liyue. I guarantee that we, the Fatui, will not pose any real threat to Liyue this time. Our goal has always been simple: if Su Zhe has the Heart of Thor, we will find a way to get it; if not, then so be it.”

"As for that Emperor, the gods always have their own considerations. Look at Liyue, they haven't done anything to us Fatui so far, which shows that the gods don't care about these things at all."

Zhongli pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "If it will not harm Liyue, I will grant your request."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I actually really like Liyue too. After staying here for so long, I don't want to go back, haha~"

The young master clapped his hands and said, "Alright, Mr. Zhongli, I wish us all the best in achieving our goals."

He sent Zhong Li to confirm the matter of the Heart of Thor, while he secretly investigated the Heart of the Rock God.

Based on his previous deductions, he still felt that there was a high probability that Su Zhe possessed the Heart of the Geo Archon. However, since the Geo Archon involved Liyue, Zhongli would definitely not help, so he did not plan to seek out Zhongli.

Just then, the lady came out. It seemed that the Fools had a new plan, but it had nothing to do with him. His current task was to determine as soon as possible whether Su Zhe had the Heart of God.

Thinking this, several figures walked over from a distance.

"Zhongli!"

Zhongli turned around and saw Ying and Paimeng returning from Tianqiu Valley, as well as another person.

—Sweet rain.

After Ying returned, she told Ningguang about the situation in Tianqiu Valley. Ningguang realized the seriousness of the situation and sent Ganyu to accompany them.

As the secretary of the Seven Stars, Gan Yu's work scope is quite extensive.

From the tax situation of individual businesses to the crisis in Liyue, she can be seen everywhere.

However, this Miss Coconut Sheep doesn't talk much and is too busy. When she has some free time, she usually just finds a sunny place to take a nap.

Therefore, it is generally difficult to see her.

Even Shen He, who was her 'fellow disciple', had never met her. However, Shen He learned a lot about Gan Yu's 'secrets' from True Lord Liu Yun. Some were small things, while others were incredible feats, which made Shen He feel respect for his senior sister whom he had never met.

At this moment, Ying told Zhongli what Su Zhe meant.

"Mr. Zhongli, do you know why this is happening?"

"This must be the ancient Dragon King, who restored his strength by transferring power through elemental creatures derived from the earth's veins."

"Yes, yes! Su Zhe also guessed that, but he was not sure what to do next, so he wanted to come back and ask you if you knew that Miss Ningguang had already mobilized people to guard the area and try to prevent those rock dragon lizards from harming Liyue."

Zhongli pondered for a moment: "The most urgent task is to cut off the transmission of power. The transmission of earth vein power requires the accumulation of sufficient earth vein power through natural geographical advantages. As far as I know, there are several secret realms in Jueyun that meet this condition."

"Zhongli, do you mean that the place where the ancient rock dragon lizard stayed is also a secret realm?"

"That's right. It used to be covered by mountains, and it was only recently exposed after the earthquake damaged the surface."

Paimon patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, otherwise we would have had no idea that the dragon lizard was secretly doing such a thing... But, since it's a secret realm, could there be treasure inside?"

She spoke the last sentence very carefully, and Ying and she exchanged a glance, as if they had reached a tacit understanding.

Having learned the location, they decided to take action immediately after seeing the details.

The Qianyan Army had already set off ahead of time; they only needed to go and meet up with Su Zhe.

As for why people feel that following Zhongli's advice will solve the problem, perhaps it's just a habit, since Zhongli truly knows everything.

To their surprise, the young master volunteered to join the team. As soon as he heard that it was the Dragon King Ruotu who was in charge, he immediately thought of the Rock King Emperor.

Who knows, we might have a chance to meet that Rock God.

We'll have another heart-to-heart talk then. I can't guarantee success, but everyone needs to have dreams. It's free anyway, so I'll give it a try.

Zhongli did not refuse. The commotion caused by the Dragon King Ruotu this time was too great. Even if the young master did not travel with them, he would most likely sneak over there.

Since that's the case, why not bring him along openly and honestly? That way, we can have another free laborer.

...

Liyue Wharf.

The woman was walking briskly towards the sea.

"Madam, Madam, please wait a moment."

Several members of the Fools followed her.

"The young master said he wants you to stay here and help him. If you leave like this..."

Hey!

The shoes made a crisp sound as they stepped on the ground.

The woman snapped out of her daze, her face turning cold as she said, "I'll say it one last time: I'm leaving Liyue! As for what's going on with you, young master, your presence is enough. Mondstadt's plan failed; they destroyed our base, so I must go there to take charge and try to rebuild it as soon as possible!"

Thanks to the Ice Queen's personal intervention, the lady was finally released from the Liyue prison.

But she doesn't want to stay here for even a quarter of an hour longer!