Ye Yun and Zhongli were chatting when suddenly, a phone rang.
"Riiing~ Riiing~"
Ye Yun took out his phone and saw the caller ID: "Herta."
He answered the call, and Herta's voice ca through:
"Send your location. I'm coming to buy sothing."
And with that, she hung up.
Ye Yun stared at the ended call screen, raising an eyebrow.
This Herta really does things her own way. But then again, that's how geniuses are, right? Eccentric by nature.
He sent his location to Herta, then continued chatting with Zhongli.
Zhongli set down his teacup.
"If you have sothing to attend to, I'll co back tomorrow."
Ye Yun put down his phone.
"No worries, just a client dropping by later. Nothing urgent. Now, where were we?"
Zhongli reminded him:
"We were talking about rule by man."
Ye Yun snapped his fingers.
"Ah, right. Rule by man."
Zhongli asked:
"What are your thoughts on it?"
Ye Yun paused and reflected on the world he once lived in.
"There are indeed rits to rule by man—it allows humanity to develop freely, without restraints. But that sa freedom can also lead people astray, cause them to lose their way, forget their purpose.I'm sure you've seen such people before."
Zhongli nodded.
"Indeed. Teyvat once had a nation like that. In the end, they brought a massive disaster upon the world."
Ye Yun continued.
"Exactly. In my view, rule by man is acceptable—but not absolute. Unchecked human freedom often leads to catastrophic outcos. Human nature is, at its core, greedy. In my holand, there were two great wars that swept across the entire world, each one claiming tens of millions of lives."
"It wasn't until humanity developed a weapon capable of mutual destruction that things finally settled down. And even then, only the countries with those weapons felt relatively 'safe.' The rest—those without—were still like fish on the chopping block, left to be slaughtered."
"In your world, Teyvat, the gods must hold a similar role for the nations under them, don't they?"
Zhongli fell silent, the weight of Ye Yun's words sinking in.
His decision to relinquish his godhood... might have been shortsighted.
Perhaps for the next century or two, Liyue would be fine—after all, the last two generations of the Qixing had been chosen by him and the adepti.
But what about the next generation? And the one after that? Who could guarantee they would not beco corrupt?
Ye Yun sipped his tea slowly.
"There's a saying: never place your hopes and fates in soone else's hands."
Zhongli nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand. Thank you for your insight."
Ye Yun chuckled.
"It's nothing. I get bored being in the shop alone anyway. It's nice having soone to chat with."
At that mont, the door to the shop opened. Ye Yun looked over—
Herta had arrived, with a pink-haired girl in tow.
"Shopping! Shopping! Shopping! Shopping!"
Herta rushed straight to the small bar, plopped herself onto a tall stool, one hand on the touchscreen, the other placing Stellar Jade onto the exchange scale.
She dove headfirst into shopping, leaving the pink-haired girl behind.
Hiko imdiately recognized her: it was Asta, the lead researcher from Herta Space Station.
"Asta!"
Asta turned to Hiko with a smile.
"Long ti no see, Hiko."
Hiko smiled and nodded.
"Here to shop too?"
Asta nodded.
"Mm-hmm. Madam Herta said I could find anything I wanted here, so I ca."
Hiko replied:
"She's not wrong."
At that mont, Ye Yun walked over.
"Hiko, brought a new friend?"
Asta looked at him.
"Hello, I'm Asta."
Ye Yun returned the smile politely.
"Hello, I'm Ye Yun. I own this shop."
Hiko added:
"Asta, if you're looking to buy sothing, just ask Ye Yun. He can make recomndations."
Asta thought for a mont, then asked excitedly:
"Do you sell battleships here?"
Ye Yun laughed heartily.
"Of course! Co with and take a look at the details."
He led Asta to the bar and sat beside Herta.
Ye Yun typed "battleship" into the touchscreen. The screen shifted, and dozens of different battleship options appeared.
The page navigation at the bottom? 99 pages.
"Here, take a look."
Asta began browsing the battleships one by one.
The more she looked, the more excited she beca—she wanted them all.
From cultivation-world spirit ships, to apocalyptic doomsday cruisers, fairy tale-thed vessels, and sci-fi star-destroyers—
As a battleship collector to the core, Asta was in heaven. She couldn't stop scrolling and wanted to buy everything.
Ye Yun noticed she wouldn't be making a decision anyti soon, so he turned to Herta.
"What are you getting this ti? How's the research going on that Qilin's Blood you bought last ti?"
Herta glanced at him.
"Still working on it. The composition is extrely complex—we haven't cracked it yet."
Then she added:
"But I did extract and dilute a portion.It's quite effective—it enhances all bodily functions and can extend an average person's lifespan by about 100 years."
Ye Yun wasn't surprised. Qilin blood was an incredibly potent elixir.
"So, what are you looking for today?"
Herta's fingers flew across the screen, scanning items at lightning speed.
"No idea. Just buying whatever catches my interest."
Ye Yun crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"Suit yourself. You know the process. I'll go help Asta."
Herta waved him off.
"Go, go. Don't interrupt my shopping."
Just then, Zhongli walked over.
"Excuse , miss. Did I hear you say you've developed sothing that extends lifespan?"
Herta turned to glance him up and down. Her eyes sparkled.
"Oho~ You're interesting. Let take a look at you."
She hopped down from her stool and started circling Zhongli.
"Fascinating! Fascinating! A long-lived species—at least a few thousand years old—still alive and well!"
"You want that elixir?"
Zhongli nodded.
"Yes. What's the price?"
Herta's lips curled into a sly smile.
"No money needed. Talking money ruins relationships. How about a little research exchange?"
She gave him a wicked grin. Ye Yun glanced over—Herta looked like a shady rchant.
Ye Yun cut in:
"Herta, Zhongli is a client of mine. Don't try anything shady."
Herta rolled her eyes at him.
"Tch~ I'm not the type to force people. I asked, didn't I?"
She turned back to Zhongli, compromising a little.
"Give so of your hair, blood, and skin tissue. I'll give you ten bottles of the elixir. Deal?"
Zhongli nodded without hesitation.
To him, it was a fair trade.
"The contract is sealed. Any breach shall invoke the Wrath of Rock."
***
Zhongli and Herta happily completed their transaction. Herta contentedly put away Zhongli's hair, blood, and skin tissue.
Zhongli also received the by-product of Herta's research on qilin blood—a potion that could extend an ordinary person's lifespan by about a hundred years.
After the trade, Herta plopped back onto her high stool and resud shopping.
Zhongli stored the ten vials of potion, bid farewell to Yeyun, Welt, and Hiko, and returned to Teyvat.
Before he left, Ye Yun gave Zhongli a teleportation portal to take back with him.
These past two days, Zhongli had been secretly following Venti to use the portal in Jean's office.
That couldn't go on forever. For such a "VIP custor," Ye Yun figured it was fine to gift a portal.
That way, it'd be easier for the client to shop—and after all, Liyue wasn't lacking in Primogems.
After passing through the portal, Zhongli returned to Teyvat.
As soon as he landed, he transford into golden light and flew toward Liyue Harbor.
Suddenly, the sky above Liyue Harbor changed dramatically.
"What's going on? Why did it suddenly get dark?"
"No idea—let's go ho and grab the laundry, looks like it's about to rain."
"This scene feels familiar... doesn't it remind you of sothing?"
"You're right! Isn't this just like when the Rex Lapis appears at the Rite of Descension each year?"
"Gasp!!"
In the next mont, Zhongli appeared in his dragon form, his divine power enveloping the ten vials of diluted qilin-blood potion.
"This is the elixir of longevity, granted to those who have greatly contributed to Liyue."
After speaking, Zhongli tossed the ten vials, sending ten beams of golden light flying across the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor.
The Jade Chamber, Yujing Terrace, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Bubu Pharmacy, the Qianyan Army garrison—ten locations in total.
At the Jade Chamber, Ningguang held the potion in her hands, filled with joy.
She hadn't expected the Archon himself to bestow upon her such a precious elixir.
Beside her, Baishi looked at Ningguang enviously.
"Congratulations, Lady Ningguang, on receiving the celestial dicine."
But Baishi felt no jealousy. In her eyes, Lady Ningguang truly deserved it.
Lady Ningguang had always worked diligently for Liyue, wholeheartedly devoted to its people.
At Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu sat slumped in his chair, one hand limp, holding an empty vial.
Tears stread down his face in excitent. After drinking the potion, his illness had been completely cured.
Now, he no longer had to worry about his condition.
Qiqi looked at Baizhu in confusion.
She gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Don't cry, Doctor Baizhu... Qiqi is... here with you..."
Baizhu snapped out of it and patted Qiqi's hat.
"It's okay now, Qiqi. I'm fine. The Archon just gave a divine dicine that cured my illness.
Co, let's head out and visit patients. I must live up to the Archon's expectations."
Qiqi nodded stiffly and ran behind the counter to get Baizhu's dicine box.
Then Baizhu slung the box over his shoulder, took Qiqi's hand, and they left the pharmacy to make house calls.
At the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—
Hu Tao was flopped on Zhongli's special rocking chair, swinging it wildly.
She was bored to death!
Then, she saw the Archon appear and bestow divine dicine.
To her surprise, one of the vials ca her way! Hu Tao leapt out of the chair.
"Whoa! Didn't expect to get one too!"
She carefully stored the vial.
"I wonder where our guest consultant went? He hasn't been back in two days. I wanted to share this happy news with him."
Just as she said that, Zhongli walked in from outside.
"Director, I've returned."
Hu Tao imdiately rushed over and circled him, checking him up and down for any injuries.
"Where have you been these past two days? I wanted to ask you about an ancient funeral ritual."
Zhongli walked to the chair and sat down.
"I was visiting a friend recently."
Hu Tao gave an "oh," then suddenly rembered the divine dicine she had just received. She quickly took it out and waved it in front of Zhongli.
"Look! The Archon gave this elixir—heehee~"
Zhongli feigned surprise.
"I didn't expect the Director to receive one too. Congratulations."
Hu Tao was very pleased by Zhongli's complint and patted him on the shoulder.
"You really know how to talk."
Looking at the potion, Hu Tao suddenly said,
"Hey, let's split this. Didn't the Archon say one vial grants a hundred years? So fifty years each."
As she spoke, she handed the potion to Zhongli.
To Hu Tao, Zhongli was like family—a respected elder.
He'd practically watched her grow up and had been friends with her grandfather.
She wanted him to live longer, so he could stay with her a little longer.
Zhongli was surprised but deeply moved by Hu Tao's gesture.
He felt genuinely comforted.
"Alright, thank you, Director."
This was her heartfelt gift—he had to accept it. But whether he drank it or not... that was sothing he could quietly handle himself.
Hu Tao handed the potion over.
"Hold onto it. I'll go grab a couple of cups."
Then she dashed into the house, returning shortly with two cups.
Hu Tao poured the potion evenly into the cups, making sure the bottle was completely emptied—there wasn't a single drop left, even when she shook it hard.
She raised her cup.
"Cheers, guest consultant! Heehee~"
Zhongli smiled and accepted the other cup.
"Cheers."
They both drank it down in one go.
On the surface, Zhongli drank it—but secretly, he used divine power to transfer all the potion from his cup into Hu Tao's.
Hu Tao sipped and sipped before finally finishing her cup.
She set it down and burped.
"Burp~ Why does it feel like I drank a lot? The cup wasn't that big..."
She lifted the cup to inspect it curiously.
Zhongli said calmly,
"After all, it's a divine elixir. Perhaps that's just how it works."
Hu Tao thought about it.
"Hmm, maybe. Oh well, it's already drunk. Guest consultant, how do you feel? I don't feel much."
Zhongli smiled.
"You're still young, so it's natural you don't feel anything. As for , I feel warm all over."
Hu Tao believed him.
"Alright~ Oh, by the way—co with to Wuwang Hill tonight. I want to ask you about a ritual."
Zhongli opened his fan and sat back in the rocking chair.
"Very well. Co fetch when it's ti."
Seeing Zhongli agree, Hu Tao cheered and skipped off to her room to prepare for the evening's event.
Zhongli watched her go, a strange warmth in his heart—like watching his own granddaughter growing up.
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