[Funina: "You must be aware that the Rock God Morax ruled Liyue for three thousand seven hundred years. For a mortal to witness the passing of a god in his lifetime is a rare experience, let alone... personally arranging his funeral."]
Zhongli: "The Wangsheng Hall has been responsible for sending immortals throughout the ages. I was simply fortunate enough to conduct the ceremony for the Rock King Emperor. I'm not a special one. In short, it was all a coincidence."
"Coincidence? Humph!" Finina crossed her arms. "I once sent people to Liyue Harbor to investigate and gather evidence. Do you know what happened? Zhongli, as it happens, rose to fame in the years surrounding Morax's assassination. Before then, he was practically unknown."
"A person with such a suspicious background is actually on good terms with the executor, and is also from the Hall of Rebirth. Isn't this like provoking the Rock God and issuing a criminal notice - 'I will personally collect your body'?"
[Funina: That makes sense. Zhongli is quite old, handsome, and a close friend of the Fatui executive. This means he has a wide network of contacts. How could he have remained unknown before Morax's death?]
Ye Lan: Mr. Zhongli has always been quite famous. He's a famous idler in Liyue. He never haggles over prices, but he never carries money. He always keeps a record of his meals and tea, and he loves to make up stories about the Geo Prince.
[Funina: Isn't this even more suspicious? He spends so lavishly and doesn't work hard, so where does he get his money? I think he's either a hopeless loser or a long-awaited killer!]
Zhongli: As a guest official of the Wangsheng Hall, I often have to travel on missions for the hall. Things like sending immortals to ceremonies often involve things that are difficult for ordinary people to understand, but are unavoidable.
[Ye Lan: Just looking for an excuse to get reimbursed by Wangsheng Hall, right?]
[Esther: Actually, finding a reason to get reimbursed is also a form of wisdom.]
[Muraita Himeko: If Principal Theresa had this kind of wisdom, everyone in the academy wouldn't be so poor from time to time.]
Theresa: What can I do?! No matter what excuse I give, Amber at headquarters will see through me... She's my grandfather's secretary, so why is she in charge of the school's budget?!
Hu Tao marveled at Furninna's reasoning: "Oh my, little Hu Tao, I'm almost convinced. Zhongli, if you lose after such a big fight, I think... your life will be in jeopardy!"
Zhongli remained calm, "What do you think, Hall Master Hu?"
"You know we're having a special sale at Wangsheng Hall right now," Walnut said, revealing her true intentions. "And our employees get a 30% discount!"
Zhongli pondered for a moment: "Although the Hall Master often says to prepare for a rainy day, but right now..."
"Oh my!" Walnut said with a laugh. "You've been walking around all day, so this is a rare opportunity to increase your sales."
Zhongli nodded, "Master, you are right. As usual, all expenses will be recorded in the Wangsheng Hall account."
Hu Tao was surprised by Zhongli's response: "Oh my??"
[Navilette warned again: "Silence, silence! No frolicking in court is allowed."]
Walnut retorted, "This is business!"
[Nawillette: "It is forbidden to discuss business in court."]
Walnut: "Isn't it true that the dead are the greatest?"
Navillette: "It is forbidden in court to discuss business with the dead."
[Su Shang: Talking business with the dead...isn't there something wrong with this? But it also makes sense?]
[(Honkai Impact) Bronya: Logic Genius]
[Xingqiu: The clash between Master Hu and Mr. Zhongli was truly spectacular! In the end, Mr. Zhongli came out on top!]
[Topa: Wangshengtang's corporate culture is truly unique. I've only ever heard of insurance companies allowing employees to drive their own sales, but I never thought the funeral industry could do the same.]
[March 7: They can give discounts to employees and keep accounts. What a conscientious company...]
[Hu Tao: Our Wangshengtang is the oldest institution in all of Liyue, so naturally we have to shoulder our responsibilities!]
[Su Che: Wangshengtang is actively hiring! The work is stable and the workload is low, the interpersonal relationships are simple, the clients are easy to deal with and quiet, and most importantly, there's huge room for advancement!]
[Walnut: Well said!]
[Qingque: This is a really good job!]
[Fu Xuan: Are you envious? Then you can try to apply for the Ten Kings Division.]
[Qingque: I, Qingque, am a member of the Taibusi in life and a ghost of the Taibusi in death. I will never be a slave of those three surnames!]
Jing Yuan: Oh? Why is Qing Que suddenly so enlightened?
[Fu Xuan: She's been distracted lately, so I gave her a few days off.]
"Hey!" Finina brought everyone back to the point. "You're not going to give up just yet, are you? That's too boring."
Zhongli asks a question: "What motive do I have for assassinating the Geo King?"
[“Hehe…” Finina was already prepared: “I think you often call the Rock God ‘Morax’ instead of the Rock King, right?”]
Zhongli was puzzled: "Why does Lady Fernina say that?"
Finina pointed at Zhongli and announced, "Because you! Zhongli! You are the descendant of the followers of Heulia, the Demon Goddess of Salt!"
[Hu Tao and Zhong Li stood in awe]
"Legend has it that during the Demon War, the Rock King assassinated the Salt Demon. As descendants of the Salt Demon's followers, they are determined to avenge their god in the same way. Isn't this..." Finina spread her hands, "the most plausible motive for committing this crime?"
Navilet looked at Fernina and asked, "Ms. Fernina, do you have any evidence to prove that Mr. Zhongli is a descendant of a follower of the Salt Demon?"
"Of course! There's no such thing as unfounded confidence," said Finina confidently. "According to a man from the Winter Solstice named Clement, Mr. Zhongli, you've been to the Underground Salt with Miss Wanyan, a fellow Salt Demon follower, right?"
Zhongli nodded in agreement, "That's true, but at the time, I was merely serving as Clement's advisor, conducting an archaeological survey. Records of my work are also kept at Wangsheng Hall."
[“This is also one of the few work records of a guest official.” Walnut added]
Chapter 43: Do you understand the Geo King or do I understand the Geo King?
"What a coincidence that you brought a follower of the Salt Demon?" Finina asked suspiciously. "And after arriving at the ruins, why did you beat up your employer, Clement, and then drive him out?"
"Mr. Clement violated the contract first, and due to privacy and contractual principles, what happened during this trip cannot be disclosed." Zhongli said.
Finina immediately gained the upper hand: "Using the contract as a shield to conceal the truth is a common tactic used by you Liyue people!"
[Funina: Your defense is weak and feeble. You're using the contract as an excuse to refuse to reveal the truth. Zhongli, you've made all the mistakes you shouldn't have made. Haha~ The truth is obvious. You, Zhongli, are the descendant of a follower of the Salt Demon!]
Xingqiu: However, the cause of the Salt Demon's death remains a mystery. There are many theories. The theory that the Rock King assassinated the Salt Demon is only a minority theory, and it's only circulated among the Salt Demon's followers.
Xiao: With the power of the Rock King, I can easily defeat the Salt God head-on. There's no such thing as an assassination attempt.
Keqing: As far as I know, after the Salt Demon's death, his followers left the Salt of the Underworld and came to Liyue, where they found refuge under the Rock King. They later established one of the Seven Stars and Eight Gates—the Silver Origin Office, which oversees the salt industry.
Keqing: Mr. Zhongli has been a guest of the Wangsheng Hall for decades, and no one has ever witnessed him interacting with anyone from the Yinyuan Hall. Therefore, there is no evidence to prove that he is related to the Salt Demon.
[Funina: But what's so shameful about just exploring the ruins? Concealing what happened to the Salt Underground is the biggest question!]
[Funina: In my opinion, Zhongli must be a killer trained by the followers of the Salt God from childhood. He received strict training from a young age, hiding his identity and severing ties with the followers of the Salt God, just to kill Morax at the critical moment!]
[Kanoin Heizo: It seems the key point now lies in what happened to the salt in the ground. Mr. Zhongli, could you please explain this to me?]
[Zhongli: I have never been to the Salt of the Earth]
[Funina:?]
[Chongyun: The seal of the Salt of the Earth has never been broken. When I passed by before, the seal was still there. Clearly, the events mentioned in the video never happened. They must be something that will happen in the future.]
[Funina: This is strong evidence that Zhongli is a descendant of the Salt Demon's followers!]
[Paimon: Huh? Why?]
[Funina: Assuming all this is happening in the future, then why did Wanyan ask Zhongli to go to the Salt of the Earth even though she knew there was a seal? Why is it that Zhongli was able to break the seal when no one else could break it for so long?]
[Funina: Because the seal was set up to prevent treasure hunters from disturbing the Salt Demon, only Zhongli, the highest-ranking believer, knows how to break the seal! He successfully assassinated Morax, then returned to the Salt Underground with his accomplices to commemorate the Salt Demon with the news of Morax's death. This is the truth!]
[Paimon: That seems to make sense!]
[Xing: I am convinced]
[Kiana: Looking at this, Zhongli is indeed very suspicious!]
[Xiao: Impossible]
[Funina: Humph~ If you want to refute me, then come up with a more reasonable hypothesis.]
Navelette began to urge: "A reminder, Mr. Zhongli. If you do not make a valid rebuttal, Furninna's claim that you are a follower of the Salt Demon God may be enforced."
Zhongli pondered: "This is a bit difficult."
At this point, Hu Tao, who had been on the verge of becoming OP, spoke up: "Hey, Zhongli, you said the Water God just met you for the first time, and yet he praised you to the Sky Island! If it comes to praising someone to death, I, Hu Tao, can't lose."
Zhongli asked, "What brilliant ideas does the Hall Master have?"
"For example..." Hu Tao turned to Villette and said in a clear and loud voice, "Actually, our Zhongli is the Geo King!"
[Funina was stunned: "Wha...what?!"]
Zhongli was also shocked by Hu Tao's "flattery" and was almost petrified.
"Ridiculous!" Furninna said anxiously, "Then what evidence do you have?!"
Hu Tao narrated, "Didn't you say Zhongli appeared right around the time that Prince Yan was assassinated? Perhaps... Prince Yan wanted to retire, so he faked his death and transformed into Zhongli."
"And he was particularly particular. Worried that others wouldn't be able to perform the sending-off ceremony properly, he joined the Wangsheng Hall and did it himself! Finally, to avoid being recognized, he disguised himself as... a follower of the Salt (Rock) Demon God."
[Funina: "Wait a minute! You're just paraphrasing my testimony!"]
Hu Tao: "That's a coincidence! But doesn't this also mean that the Water God's testimony points to a different direction? Zhongli isn't the only possible follower of the Salt Demon who assassinated the Geo Lord."
"This... is pure sophistry!" Finina raised her eyebrows. "And it was you, the Liyue people, who said that the Geo King was dead!"
Hu Tao: "That's right! Even the children in Liyue know that Prince Yan died from failing to overcome the tribulation."
"But as a descendant of the Rock God, don't you find this cause of death shameful... Ugh, shameful!" Finina angrily slammed the fence.
[Hu Tao pinched her waist: "That would be much more dignified than being assassinated by our guest official who wanders around all day!"]
[Paimon: I see, there's a possibility!]
[Shinoin Heizo: If Mr. Zhongli is the Rock God, then everything makes sense. Mr. Zhongli was able to remove the seal of the Underground Salt because that seal was used by the Rock God to limit the threat of the Salt Demon. And the reason he went to the Underground Salt must be to completely eliminate this threat before retiring.]
[Funina: How is that possible! The great Rock God faked his own death just to retire? How humiliating it would be if someone accidentally discovered this... God-shameful! I can't believe he would do such a thing!]
[Zhongli: …]
[Ying: God is sometimes quite...free.]
[Aha: Indeed]
[Wendy: I agree with Ying. The winds in Mondstadt are very free!]
[(Genshin Impact) Maple Leaf: The Gods' Thoughts Are Hard to Predict]
[Hu Tao: Are you serious? My guest is indeed knowledgeable and well-versed in Liyue history. I sometimes suspect he might be a demi-immortal, but the Rock Prince? It's better to believe I'm the God of Fire~]
Ningguang: "Failed to survive the tribulation" is our current most inclined conclusion. The Rock King Emperor is known as the "God of War," and it's hard to believe anyone in this world could assassinate him without a trace. I think the only thing that could kill the Emperor is a heavenly tribulation.
[Funina: What does it mean to fail to transcend the tribulation?!]
[Su Che: Lady Funina has transcended the laws of nature and naturally doesn't need to worry about such matters. However, Emperor Yan Wang is still bound by the laws of nature. As a powerful being second only to Lady Funina, it is inevitable that he will suffer the jealousy of the heavens. In his lifetime, he will have to endure hundreds of heavenly tribulations before he can achieve the right result.]
[Funina: Please don't treat me like a fool! I've lived for so many years and have never heard of the concept of overcoming a heavenly tribulation!]
[Su Che: Ugh! Lady Funina, come on, is it you who understands the Rock King, or me?]
Chapter 44: The Mysterious Life Story of March 7th
[Funina: I am the God of Water, how come I don’t understand?]
[Paimon: One of you is a foreign god, and the other is an unknown creature from another world. What are you arguing about in front of the people of Liyue?]
[Su Che: What the hell is this? I'm a legitimate human!]
"As the Hall Master said," Zhongli clenched his fists. "Ms. Finina's testimony is ultimately based on my assumption that I'm not a normal person. There's no definitive evidence of the assassination. And since the Seven Stars of Liyue have already determined that the Geo Emperor died from a tribulation, I naturally cannot be the murderer."
"Of course, it wouldn't be the Rock King either."
"Wait a minute! Could it be..." Furninna seemed to have suddenly discovered something.
The scene switches to Wendy visiting Fonnerna at Fontaine to discuss the murder of Morax. First, there's a picture of the Immortal Ancestor's molt falling to the ground, followed by a picture of Zhongli in a black suit, making a "V" sign in front of a tombstone inscribed with "Emperor Rock." Finally, the conclusion is drawn that Zhongli is the murderer.
[At this moment, Fininna finally realized that Zhongli would look perfectly fine in the Geo God costume. She immediately understood and was shocked. "I was tricked by that guy..."]
Navelette gave a timely reminder: "Ms. Funina, can you provide more direct evidence to support this accusation? Such as the modus operandi, the crime process, and the evidence at the scene?"
“Ah… well…” Furniture seemed to see rock elements condensing around Zhongli, and she immediately stuttered, “It seems… there is…”
[Navilette: "Ms. Furninna?"]
[“It’s… a little hard to say.” Finina admitted defeat.]
Navrette was silent for a moment. "Then it seems the trial has concluded. The evidence provided by Ms. Funina in this case has some validity to the charges, but it still lacks sufficient and crucial evidence to support the charges. Therefore, Mr. Zhongli should be found not guilty."
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