I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

Ivan knew this person all too well.

Morax, the Geo Archon of Liyue!

"The Emperor?"

Ivan instinctively called out, but because of the noisy surroundings, no one else heard him except for Ivan and his friends.

The Emperor didn't seem too surprised that Ivan had seen through his identity. He smiled and said, "I heard someone from Mond mention you a while ago. You must be the Chinese ambassador."

Ivan raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Venti hadn't been in Mondstadt for a while; he'd gone out for a stroll and even visited Liyue.

"Also, there is one more thing I need to trouble you all with. I am currently traveling in the mortal world as Zhongli, a guest elder of the Liyue Hall of Rebirth. Please do not reveal my true identity."

In this situation, Ivan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhongli smiled gently: "This is not the place to talk. I heard you praise Wanmintang highly just now, and I also really like the dishes there. How about we go there for a chat?"

Ivan grunted.

"As you see fit."

Chapter 94 The Emperor's Request

Led by Zhong Li, the group headed towards Wanmintang, located in Chihuyan City.

It wasn't until the journey that Xiang Feng realized that Zhong Li was actually the King of Liyue Rock, and he was belatedly shocked.

"Commander Yi, why did you react so strongly just now...?"

It's no wonder Xiang Feng was surprised. Before, in Mondstadt and even after arriving in Liyue, the news he'd heard about the Geo Archon was all about how the Geo Archon, leading his immortals and the Thousand Rock army, had re-suppressed the demons that had broken their seal and wreaked havoc in Liyue with the power to move mountains and fill seas. Faced with such overwhelming power, it was difficult for most people to reconcile the image of the Geo Archon with the refined, gentle, and composed young man before them.

Ivan whispered a reminder: "When we arrive at the Hall of Ten Thousand People, you all wait outside for a moment. I'll go and have a private talk with Rock God."

Xiang Feng frowned and asked, "Commander Yi, will everything be alright?"

Ivan said, "Don't worry."

Ivan had a feeling that Zhongli must have something important to tell him or the Chinese people he represented, otherwise he wouldn't have found him before the Seven Stars. Ivan absolutely did not believe that his encounter with the Emperor as soon as he entered Liyue was a coincidence.

Since it's an important matter, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

"Oh my, isn't this Mr. Zhongli from the Hall of Rebirth? Welcome, welcome."

At the counter of Wanmintang, a middle-aged man greeted Zhong Li very warmly.

This man, known as Master Mao, is the head chef of Wanmintang Restaurant and also Xiangling's father.

"Mr. Zhongli, would you like to sit in your usual private room?"

Zhongli nodded and smiled, "Today I'm going to entertain this guest who has come all the way from China, so I'll trouble Chef Mao to prepare a lot of dishes."

Master Mao nodded and said no problem, then suddenly paused for a moment, and looked at Ivan with curiosity, asking, "Are you from China, sir?"

Ivan nodded.

"Do you know Mr. Ivan, the Chinese Ambassador to Monde?"

Ivan replied, "That is me."

"So it was you!"

Master Mao looked delighted: "My daughter Xiangling wrote to me before saying that she had become your apprentice and even visited your country. My child has caused you trouble."

Ivan waved his hand and said, "No, no, I'm not really a good teacher. Since Xiangling became my apprentice, I haven't taught her how to cook many dishes."

Master Mao laughed and said, "You're too kind. Xiangling said in her letter that you showed her many ingredients she had never seen before. I could feel her excitement even through the letter. Since Mr. Zhongli is hosting you, this meal must be extra special. Please wait, I'll personally cook some of Wanmintang's signature dishes for you and Mr. Zhongli!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Mao."

Upon arriving at the private room, Ivan and Zhongli each found a seat and sat down.

The private room was simply furnished with four or five chairs, a square table, and several pots of glass lilies in the corner and by the window.

While the interior of Wanmin Hall may not be as opulent as Crescent Moon Pavilion or Glaze Pavilion, it is comfortable, which is one of the reasons why Wanmin Hall is so well-received by the people of Liyue.

After sitting down, Zhongli smiled and said slowly in his magnetic voice and calm tone, "I didn't expect that Mr. Ivan would know Master Mao from Wanmintang."

Ivan explained, "Master Mao's daughter happens to be my apprentice, and today is the first time I've met Master Mao."

"I see......"

Ivan and Zhongli chatted for a few more minutes, when Zhongli suddenly asked, "I wonder if Mr. Ivan knows anything about the internal situation of Liyue?"

Ivan's eyelids twitched, and he thought to himself, "Here it comes; the Emperor really does have something to discuss with me."

The situation Zhongli described regarding the interior of Liyue was not referring to human culture, natural geography, or the like, but rather to its political governance.

Ivan thought about it for a moment and decided to tell the truth.

"On my way to Liyue Harbor, I heard that the current leaders of Liyue Harbor, the Seven Stars and the Immortal, seem to have some differences in their governance philosophies?"

Zhongli nodded without any hesitation.

"You're right, there is indeed a discord between the Seven Stars and the other immortals."

Ivan raised an eyebrow, waiting for Zhongli to continue.

Zhongli picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then strolled to the window. Looking at the bustling Liyue city outside, he spoke in a calm tone, as if recounting something ordinary, about the history of Liyue that was now unknown to most.

"I have lived for over six thousand years in this world, and it was three thousand seven hundred years ago that I established Liyue with the immortals. At that time, the world was in chaos and strife, with demons and gods rising up together. Although I had no intention of vying for power, I knew the suffering of the common people."

"Liyue is the land of contracts, and I am the god of contracts. I only wish to cleanse the four directions and protect this corner of the world—this is the first contract I established with the people of Liyue."

As Zhongli narrated, a chaotic world ravaged by war slowly unfolded before Ivan's eyes.

In the midst of chaos and calamity, countless lives were lost, people were displaced, froze to death in the wilderness, starved corpses littered the land, and bodies floated for miles.

A young demon god saw this world, which was like a living hell, and deeply understood the suffering of the people. So he picked up a spear and decided to protect the people of this land.

Amidst the strife, the young demon god single-handedly slayed countless evil spirits and monsters. As time passed, more and more people began to follow him, and more and more living beings found safe protection.

The young demon god made a pact with all living beings, using his powerful strength to protect them and create a safe haven for them in this chaotic world.

Thus, Liyue was established, becoming the oldest of the Seven Kingdoms.

"Since the chaos of the world has subsided, all living beings have lived in peace. Over the past thousand years, Liyue has made countless strides forward. The age of humanity is dawning. The immortals have stayed in Jueyun for many years, detached from worldly affairs, and now some of them have inevitably been left behind by the times. The immortals have followed me for many years, fighting in the world. Most of them are straightforward, but in some ways they can be quite stubborn."

"Many immortals believe that Liyue can only continue to prosper under my and the immortals' protection, but the era of the immortals is long gone, and the era of humans is becoming a reality. Liyue is no longer the Liyue of the past."

Zhongli slowly turned around, looked at Ivan and smiled calmly, "So I want to completely hand over Liyue to the people of Liyue themselves."

Ivan raised an eyebrow.

As always, the Emperor remained detached from worldly affairs yet deeply concerned for all living beings.

Ivan asked, "Mr. Zhongli, are you telling me this because you need my help?"

Zhongli nodded: "Yes. Originally, I also persuaded the immortals to hand over Liyue to the people in a relatively stable way, but some unexpected changes suddenly occurred."

"The Stone of Destruction appeared in Liyue, causing many demon gods to break their seals. I had no choice but to lead the Immortals and the Thousand Rock Army to fight against the demon gods. Although the demon gods have now been sealed again, the Immortals feel that if Liyue were to fall into such a crisis again, it would be a desperate situation for Liyue. Therefore, a conflict arose between the Seven Stars and the Immortals."

Ivan suddenly realized why Liyue was currently experiencing such turmoil, even more so than in the original game – it was because of the recent upheaval in Liyue.

"Given this situation, I'm not in a position to take any action. However, I do have a plan that can end this dispute, but I need Mr. Ivan's help."

Ivan's eyelids twitched, and he asked, "What plan?"

Zhongli smiled slightly.

"I would like to ask Mr. Ivan to help me fake my death."

Chapter 95 The Emperor's Plan to Fake Death

suspended animation?

Ivan opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Zhongli's sudden words made him feel both reasonable and quite surprised.

In his previous life, on Earth, the Geo Archon Zhong Li orchestrated and used a fake death to bring the conflict between humans and immortals to the forefront. His fake death was also a major test for humanity. In the original storyline, humanity met Zhong Li's expectations and passed the test, showing the immortals that Liyue could face any storm and maintain peace under human rule.

Now back in reality, Zhongli clearly also had high hopes for the people of Liyue. Therefore, Ivan had anticipated Zhongli's plan to fake his death, but what he didn't expect was that Zhongli would actually try to get him to join the plan.

Although Ivan had a great fondness for the character Zhongli when he was still on Earth, he remains wary of Zhongli in person.

Ivan believed that if he hadn't come to Liyue, Zhongli would have carried out the plan alone, just like in the original game storyline. However, his appearance caused this series of changes, so Ivan also wanted to know why Zhongli wanted him to assist in carrying out the fake death plan.

So Ivan asked directly, "If you want to fake your death, Mr. Zhongli can do it himself, so why are you seeking our help?"

Zhongli sighed softly.

Seeing this, Ivan was stunned. Whether in the game or in reality, this was the first time Ivan had seen Zhongli sigh like this. He suddenly had a feeling that things might be very troublesome.

"Initially, although the Ascendants had some doubts about the Seven Stars and the people, the balance between the two sides was still relatively stable. At that time, I did have the idea of ​​faking my death on my own. But things changed. The sudden appearance of the destructive energy caused the Demon Gods to break through the seal, which broke this balance. Now, not to mention the Ascendants, even many people in Liyue have begun to question whether Liyue can continue to function normally without the Ascendants. If I were to fake my death now, the Ascendants would inevitably put pressure on the Seven Stars in order to find out the truth about my 'death,' and with the support of some people in Liyue, they would probably take over the governance of Liyue directly. However, the Ascendants' philosophy of governance is no longer suitable for Liyue today. At this time, if a force that is not involved with any party and maintains absolute neutrality appears, and announces the news of my death through this force, then everyone's attention will be drawn to this force."

Ivan was dumbfounded, thinking to himself, "Your Majesty, aren't you setting me up?"

"Wait, wait..."

Ivan rubbed his temples: "If we do that, not only will the pressure from the immortals come at me, but the pressure from the Seven Stars will also come straight at me, right?"

Zhongli smiled and said, "As an absolutely neutral third party, China will naturally feel pressured by the announcement of my death. However, I have heard Mondstadt mention the situation in China before, and I believe that this pressure is nothing to worry about for you."

Ivan sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Well, it turns out that two gods teamed up to scam people.

Ivan secretly decided to halve Wendy's beer supply starting today.

Now that we understand the reasons, the next step is to address the more direct issues of stakeholder involvement.

Ivan asked, "What's in it for us?"

Zhongli said, "After you announced that I faked my death, the Seven Stars and the Immortals will inevitably have more frequent contact with you in order to find out the truth. I know that China wants to establish good relations and trade with Liyue. This can be considered as helping you to communicate better with the Liyue leadership."

Although Zhongli spoke lightly, it was indeed a very good offer for Ivan.

Establishing diplomacy, opening trade, and strengthening ties are not things that can be accomplished simply by sitting down and having a few words exchanged before signing an agreement. Trust and understanding are the most basic foundations. The cooperation with the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt was also based on the premise of jointly fighting against the Fatui.

For the Chinese people, represented by Ivan, to establish a foundation of trust with Liyue's governing class for the first time will be an extremely long process, and the extent of the sacrifices required is still unknown. However, if Zhongli's faked death can motivate all the governing forces in Liyue to actively strengthen their ties with China, this process can be greatly shortened.

At this moment, Zhongli spoke again.

"In addition, as a reward, here is this."