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

Just thinking about it for a moment made the young master's scalp tingle.

The young master sighed and said, "I have lost. You may kill me or do whatever you want with me, but it is impossible for me to betray the Empress."

Ivan laughed and said, "I didn't ask you to betray the Queen; I just asked you to leave the Fools."

The young master paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Ivan asked, "Do you really think the Fools can still represent the Queen's will?"

The young master fell into deep thought.

In recent years, the Ice God's temperament has indeed changed drastically for some reason, and the Fools, who represent the Queen, have become extremely radical in their actions. Although the young master is the last of the eleven executive officers of the Fools, he has suspected more than once that there might be something fishy about all of this. Now, after hearing what Ivan said, his thoughts have become even stronger.

After thinking for a while, the young master said, "I can join your Huaxia, but my family is still in Zhidong Kingdom. If I suddenly betray the Fools, they will definitely use my family as leverage."

Ivan shook his finger: "You can secretly join our China, but on the surface you will still be an executive officer of the Fools."

The young master raised an eyebrow and said, "Would you like me to be your inside man?"

Ivan nodded and said, "You could say that."

China is not lacking in powerful forces, so keeping the young master within the Fools' Clan as an inside agent is naturally a better choice. In case a conflict arises between China and the Fools' Clan in the future, this will be Ivan's trump card.

"Okay, I promise you."

Ivan's lips curled slightly as he reached out and pulled the young master up from the ground: "Welcome to China."

......

Ten minutes later, the young master raised an eyebrow and said, "When I get back, I will try to find out why the lady used me. If it involves China, I will inform you as soon as possible."

Ivan said, "If the lady has a next step in her plan, you can follow her instructions first. If things don't go well, come find me."

"it is good."

Ivan reached out and patted the young master on the shoulder, saying, "Be careful."

The young master nodded and left.

Watching the young master's departing figure, Ivan revealed a confident smile.

Just now, when he patted the young master's shoulder, he stuck a device the size of a button on the back of the young master's collar.

That was a listening device.

Although the young master agreed to join China, Ivan remained vigilant, fearing that the young master might become a double agent.

After that, Ivan will arrange for someone to monitor the young master to see if he is truly committed to joining China.

Ivan and his group's trip to the Golden House was definitely worthwhile; they managed to turn one of the Fools' Enforcers against them, making it a very profitable venture.

By this time, the ceremony of sending off the immortals should be almost over. Before the Seven Stars could discover them, Ivan began to lead everyone back the way they came.

Chapter 112 Clues to the Demon God

The ceremony to send off the immortals was successfully completed.

Ivan and the others also managed to escape from the Golden House just before the farewell ceremony for the immortals ended.

The guards that the young master had knocked unconscious when he entered the Golden House were still discovered. Qi Xing quickly ordered the Thousand Rock Army to be mobilized to seal off the area around the Golden House, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. However, Ivan and Xiang Feng had already returned to the Sending Immortal Ceremony venue.

Ivan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the participants of the Sending-Off-the-Immortals Ceremony begin to emerge from the Jade Capital Terrace.

"Thankfully, I made it in time."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun was also mixed in with the crowd. Then she saw Ivan and Xiang Feng standing at the edge of the crowd and quickly walked over, asking curiously, "Where did you two go just now? I couldn't find you."

Ivan scratched his head and explained, "Oh, we were just pushed to the other side of the venue by the crowd, so we just stood there and watched."

"Yeah......"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun showed a hint of doubt, but since there was nothing wrong with Ivan's words, she didn't think much of it.

Just then, two or three squads of Thousand Rock Army soldiers hurriedly passed by and headed out of Jade Capital Terrace, which startled True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng.

"Something seems to have happened, I'll go check it out."

In front of everyone, True Lord Liuyun could not fly directly into the sky, so he simply followed behind the Thousand Rock Army.

Ivan said, "It seems that the guards that you knocked unconscious when you broke into the Golden House were discovered. Did we leave no trace when we left?"

Xiang Feng chuckled twice and patted his chest, saying, "Commander Yi, don't worry. Our Orca Squad never makes a mistake. We've carried out countless infiltration missions like this."

Ivan nodded: "Let's go back first. With the Golden House invaded, the scrutiny in Liyue might become stricter during this period."

As Ivan had predicted, the number of Thousand Rock Army soldiers patrolling the streets of Liyue Harbor suddenly increased, and people entering and leaving Liyue Harbor were also subject to inspection.

Ivan and the others quickly returned to the inn and temporarily ceased their activities, figuring that the Thousand Rock Army wouldn't associate it with them.

Just as Ivan was standing by the window watching the Thousand Rock Army coming and going on the street, True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng pushed open the door and walked in.

Ivan turned around and asked knowingly, "What happened? I see there are suddenly more Thousand Rock Army soldiers patrolling the streets."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun frowned and said, "The Golden House has been invaded. But this intruder is very strange. According to the information I have gathered, after entering the Golden House, he did not take a single Mora. He only left a pile of ice inside the Golden House... What exactly does this intruder want to do?"

Ivan laughed and said, "As long as we didn't lose Mora, there's no loss."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun nodded and said, "That's true..."

Ivan interrupted Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun's thoughts on the matter and asked, "Now that Liyue Harbor has completely parted ways with the Emperor, those hidden demon gods will definitely be restless. We need to hurry up and find clues about them."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun's eyes sharpened, and he nodded.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun quickly left to search for clues, while Ivan remained in the inn.

These past few days, Ivan has decided to stay away from the Golden House for the time being, mainly to avoid the limelight and also to wait for news from the group searching for clues about the Demon God.

After a day or two, the demon god's whereabouts finally became clear, but the person who provided this information surprised Ivan.

"Sir?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow: "He's here?"

Xiang Feng said, "Yes, and since he was wearing a cloak, he must have come alone."

Ivan said, "Then let him in."

Ivan hasn't been idle at the inn these past few days. Besides using his phone to remotely monitor the progress of China's construction in Mondstadt and occasionally having long phone conversations with Qin, he also occasionally eavesdrops on the young master.

After several days, Ivan did not discover that the young master had any disloyal thoughts.

Ivan overheard through the listening device that the young master had been dealing with matters concerning the Fools and the Northern Bank, and that he had met with the lady once during this time. Just as Ivan had told the young master in the Golden House, the lady was not surprised to hear that the young master had not obtained the Heart of God, but instead indicated that there was a next step in the plan, instructing the young master to create as many unrestricted talismans as possible.

Although the young master was filled with suspicion towards the lady, he still agreed to her request for the time being, as Ivan had instructed him to.

Inside Ivan's room, the young master removed his hood, revealing his handsome face, and waved with a smile, saying, "Oh, I've arrived."

Ivan asked, "Has something happened?"

Because Ivan hadn't been constantly eavesdropping on the young master these past few days—after all, people need to go to the toilet, eat, and sleep—Ivan didn't know why the young master had come to see him.

The young master smiled and mimicked Xiang Feng's way of addressing Ivan, saying, "I've just joined the Chinese camp, so of course I have to make a contribution to show my worth. Otherwise, if Commander Ivan treats me as a double agent, wouldn't I be unjustly killed?"

Ivan touched his nose, his eyes slightly unfocused, because that was indeed what he thought.

The young master said, "After I returned, I met the lady. Indeed, as you said, she was not surprised at all when she heard that I had not obtained the Heart of the Rock God. She even asked me to make more Talismans of No Taboos."

Ivan nodded. He had already speculated about these things in the Golden House and had overheard them.

The young master continued, "I agreed to her plan, but I slowed down the production speed of the Unfettered Talisman by citing the fact that the production process was too complicated and the efficiency could not be improved. In the past few days, the lady has come to me several times to ask me to speed up, but I have made excuses to her."

"After that, I sent a trusted confidant to follow the lady, and they discovered that she had secretly met with a group of strange people outside Liyue Harbor. They seemed to be discussing something. This group included men, women, the elderly, and children, and they acted in a daze, looking extremely strange. What was even stranger was that this group was led by a little girl wearing glasses. Later, my confidant told me that, except for the little girl, everyone else had been taken away by the lady and taken to a hidden cave in Lonely Cloud Pavilion. My confidant also sneaked in and then discovered that the cave was filled with Destruction Stones."

"what?"

Ivan was startled: "You mean the Stone of Destruction? The entire cave is made of it?"

The young master nodded and said, "Yes, that's why I felt things weren't so simple, and that's why I came to find you."

Ivan frowned in thought, "What is the lady trying to do with so many Destruction Stones? And who is that little girl she met...?"

Thinking of this, Ivan suddenly widened his eyes.

A little girl wearing glasses!

Ivan instantly remembered the little girl with glasses who was in the South Heavenly Gate in the original game.

This little girl is the incarnation of the Naga King Ratna!

Chapter 113 The Cunning and Shrewd Emperor

As the saying goes, "When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you." Just at this critical moment, the Rock King Emperor received the help of a remarkable person...

In front of the teahouse and book stalls where the trouble was taking place at Tiger Rock, a storyteller stood in front of a screen, holding a folding fan, and recounted the past stories of the Rock King Emperor in a melodious and rhythmic voice. When he got to the exciting parts, he would draw cheers from the audience, making it a lively and extraordinary scene.

Among a group of audience members, Zhongli sat at a tea table, listening calmly as if the storyteller's tales on stage had nothing to do with him.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out behind Zhongli.

“I went to the Hall of Rebirth to look for you, but the girl at the door said you weren’t there, so I guessed you were here.”

Zhongli turned around and saw Ivan walking over with a smile and sitting down at the table.

Ivan said, "Don't you find it strange to hear other people talk about their own lives?"

Zhongli shook his head and looked at the storyteller on the stage, who was speaking with great enthusiasm. He said, “In the long river of time, wear and tear is something that no one can avoid. Although I have lived for a long time and consider myself to have a good memory, time will always make me change my views on things, including past memories. Although there are some artistic exaggerations, listening to others tell my past stories can also help me find a trace of the feelings I had back then.”

Ivan smiled and said, "Let's get down to business. My visit to you today is related to the Fools."

Upon hearing Ivan mention the Fools, Zhongli wasn't surprised, and simply said, "Oh? You know about my pact with the Ice God?"

"That's it."

Ivan was not surprised by Zhongli's calm attitude. Zhongli had lived for so many years and had always been in this calm and composed state in the face of anything.

"My investigation revealed that the woman who executed the contract appears to be colluding with a hidden demon."

Zhongli let out a soft exclamation: "A lady and a demon god are together?"

Ivan nodded and said, "Yes, so can you cancel the contract between you and the Ice God?"

Zhongli shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that's not possible. A contract is a contract because once it's made, it cannot be changed until it's completed."

Ivan was speechless. Zhongli had lived to such an old age and experienced so much, how could he be so stubborn at a time like this?