In Suru, the villagers of Aaru Village watched the distant, sky-high sandstorm, an unshakeable worry gripping their hearts.
The commotion from the Desert of Hadramaveth had raged for a full day and night, and even now, it showed no signs of abating.
Whenever they looked in that direction, they could feel a terrifying aura emanating from it.
Now, the sandstorm's effects had even spread to their village. The sky above Aaru Village was entirely shrouded in a gray haze, and the village had already been battered by six sandstorms in a single day.
Candace gazed toward the Desert of Hadramaveth, her eyes filled with concern. According to her intelligence, the entire Desert of Hadramaveth was now completely engulfed by the sandstorm, forcing many tribes to evacuate.
From the evacuees, she learned that the current situation in the Desert of Hadramaveth was apparently caused by a battle between two transcendent beings.
Could one of them be Lesser Lord Kusanali?
Candace knew Nahida hadn't been seen for several days, so it was natural for her suspicions to fall there.
Candace had learned this information through her Akasha Terminal. Since the misunderstandings between the desert dwellers and the forest people had been resolved, the desert dwellers no longer resisted wearing the Akasha Terminals, and the conflict between the two groups was rapidly dissipating.
But if one of the beings is Lesser Lord Kusanali, then who is the other transcendent being?
Suddenly, at this very mont, an illusory, inverted pyramid materialized in the sky. Atop that pyramid, a majestic figure sat silently cross-legged.
When the desert dwellers saw the figure clearly, they nearly lost their minds!
"Deshret! That's Lord Deshret!"
"Thank the heavens! Lord Deshret isn't dead!"
"Lord Deshret, we have never abandoned our faith in you! Please guide us forward!"
Candace was stunned. Deshret had been dead for over a thousand years—a fact recorded on ancient steles and confird by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself. Yet now, she was seeing his figure in the sky once again.
Candace's first thought was that it was an illusion, a trick by soone with ulterior motives.
However, the aura emanating from the figure in the sky was as vast and profound as the abyss and the sea, utterly awe-inspiring.
Many others shared Candace's skepticism, but regardless of what the desert dwellers thought, it would not change the outco.
At that mont, the figure slowly opened its eyes, which shone like brilliant gold, and declared its return to all with solemn, domineering authority.
"My people, your emperor has returned!"
anwhile, feeling sowhat in the wrong, Neuvillette had never truly fought back, even though his power far surpassed Apep, the Dendro Dragon's. He had only passively dealt with Apep's various attacks.
But after being suppressed for so long, even Neuvillette was starting to lose his temper. After all, while he was connected to the matter, his involvent was truly minor.
"Apep, this farce should end now."
With that, Neuvillette stopped holding back. The terrifying power within him erupted completely, his body flickering with a blinding azure glow as a horrifying aura radiated from him.
In the next mont, countless torrents of seawater surged from the thousand-li of yellow sand, quickly transforming the entire landscape.
Neuvillette placed both hands on his cane and struck it heavily downward. The seawater imdiately churned into the sky, crashing against Apep, the Dendro Dragon's mountain-sized body.
Apep cried out in pain, then found herself unable to contain her utter astonishnt.
"Neuvillette, you've actually reclaid your power?!"
After saying this, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, finally couldn't hold on any longer. Her massive body crashed heavily into the vast ocean below, yet the seawater could only subrge less than half of her body.
"Neuvillette, you traitor!"
"As a dragon, it was bad enough that you befriended the humans who brought us to this state, but you even had a human help you steal my source of power!"
Realizing she was no match for Neuvillette and having vented much of her anger, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, had no intention of continuing the fight. However, her gaze toward Neuvillette remained hostile.
Neuvillette, now retracting his power, looked at Apep, the Dendro Dragon, with a complex expression and spoke.
"I did not orchestrate this matter."
"Afraid to admit it, Neuvillette?!"
"You have the guts to do such a thing, but not the guts to admit it?!"
"Your human has already exposed your existence. How else do you think I learned your na in the mortal world?"
As she said this, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, felt a surge of resentnt.
Look at the life Neuvillette was living, then look at the life she was living.
Its power had already been gouged out by Celestia, leaving a hole in its body.
Then, after the Forbidden Knowledge was purified from Irminsul, another hole appeared in its body.
Now, even a group of ordinary humans dared to challenge it, carving another large hole in its body. The pain was excruciating.
It had been ntally and physically exhausted from millennia of tornt by the Forbidden Knowledge. Just as it finally felt better and dozed off, it was jolted awake by the pain.
This was too much, too humiliating for a dragon!
Although it had annihilated most of those humans, the hatred in its heart still burned.
As those people died, they kept shouting things like "Long live Monsieur Neuvillette!" and "Teyvat belongs to the Hydro Dragon Sovereign!" It imdiately understood who the true culprit was.
Coincidentally, it sensed Neuvillette's aura and directly manifested to fight him.
But it couldn't even win. Who could it possibly complain to about this injustice?!
And look at Neuvillette: living a comfortable life after his resurrection, even regaining his full power, with so many followers willing to die for him. Even the Dendro Archon, who had obtained its source of power, was just his little follower.
The difference between one dragon and another can sotis be greater than the difference between a dragon and a dog!
The more the Dendro Dragon thought about it, the more aggrieved it felt. Looking back on its life, its lush green holand had been struck by a nail from Celestia, instantly turning it into a desert.
It made a deal with Deshret, only to be treated like a trash can, tornted by the Forbidden Knowledge for millennia.
Now, for so unknown reason, the harmful part of the Forbidden Knowledge had vanished. Before it could even master the remaining portion, it was stolen.
And the one who instigated them was its own kin, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
"Neuvillette, you traitor to dragonkind!"
Hearing this accusation, a look of helplessness once again crossed Neuvillette's face.
"I've already told you, I did not orchestrate this."
"I had no knowledge of this matter beforehand."
"Of course, those people are Fontainians. On their behalf, I apologize for their actions, Apep."
"At the sa ti, I will find them as quickly as possible and return your source of power."
"Are you telling the truth?"
Having vented its anger, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, managed to calm down slightly. It knew that Neuvillette's power now surpassed its own, so he had no need to deceive it on this matter. Hearing the certainty in Neuvillette's tone, a flicker of doubt arose in its heart.
But at that very mont, both of their expressions changed.
Because they sensed a god's aura suddenly appear in a corner of the vast Gobi Desert, and a giant phantom also materialized in the sky above.
A closer look revealed that the phantom was a projection originating from the top of the largest pyramid in the desert.
When Apep, the Dendro Dragon, clearly saw the figure, its eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"It's the human who made a deal with ."
"How is this possible?! Isn't he already dead?! And I devoured him millennia ago..."
Suddenly, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, froze. It abruptly recalled that this portion of its source of power had been stolen.
Just then, Deshret's phantom slowly began to speak.
"...My people, at this mont, I, Deshret, declare my eternal allegiance to Monsieur Neuvillette!"
"From this mont on, the desert secedes from Suru and joins Fontaine. Monsieur Neuvillette will be your new god!"
Neuvillette: "..."
"And you still dare claim this has nothing to do with you?!"
Hearing this, Apep, the Dendro Dragon, erupted in fury.
"So you were after my territory all along!"
"Co on! Unless you kill today, your treacherous sche will never succeed!"
Apep, the Dendro Dragon, erupted instantly, launching an even more ferocious attack on Neuvillette at the cost of its own energy. This ti, even Neuvillette felt the pressure, because in its fury, Apep was fighting with reckless abandon!
Although Neuvillette tried to explain several tis, he was interrupted by Apep's relentless follow-up attacks.
Moreover, Neuvillette knew that in its current state, Apep wouldn't listen to anything and would never believe his explanation. In the end, he could only re-engage in the struggle with Apep.
anwhile, when Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata saw Deshret's phantom in the sky, they were also stunned.
Hadn't Deshret already died?
Who was this Deshret that had suddenly appeared?
And this Deshret, upon appearing, imdiately declared that the desert would join Fontaine, speaking with profound respect for Neuvillette. It was all too strange.
"Oh no! If Apep hears this, it will definitely bla Monsieur Neuvillette!"
Nahida's expression suddenly changed, and she spoke with worry.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, can you sense Apep's current location?"
"No need. It already knows."
Sensing the sandstorm beginning to intensify, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata gazed at the phantom in the sky and spoke softly.
-
Liyue.
Today, a new household moved in near the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
After the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's clientele beca a little too specific, many nearby residents had already moved away, scared off by the implications.
This was the first person to voluntarily move into the area, which naturally piqued the curiosity of those who heard the news.
Later, after so inquiries, people t the newcor: a young woman nad Xianyun, who wore glasses and possessed an ethereal, almost immortal aura.
At first, everyone assud from her aura that she might be cold and difficult to approach, but surprisingly, she turned out to be quite skilled at conversation and even warm-hearted, completely changing their initial impressions.
When asked why she moved here, Xianyun would only shake her head and refuse to elaborate.
Furthermore, no one seed to see Xianyun go out to work; she spent most of her days locked inside her ho, leaving everyone to wonder what she was tinkering with.
However, judging by the novel contraptions she occasionally revealed, she seed highly skilled in chanics, perhaps conducting research at ho.
As the area around the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor grew increasingly deserted, Xianyun's arrival brought great joy to the few who refused to leave—with one exception.
Every ti Zhongli left his ho, he ticulously checked his aura-concealing arts for any flaws, even adding several extra layers if he felt they weren't stable enough.
Although the newcor was an old acquaintance he had known for a long ti, he really didn't want to see her right now.
This is unbearable, he thought. All I want is to enjoy my retirent. Why is it so difficult?
Zhongli couldn't help but glance at the frowning Hu Tao beside him. The past two days had been the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's mont in the spotlight; business was absolutely booming.
The groundwork laid earlier had paid off, and not just because the parlor had gained many new clients recently.
While the living dreaded Hu Tao suddenly brandishing a "Yama's Notice" at them, families with recently deceased loved ones would travel from afar to book the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services. The parlor's reputation made it clear to everyone that they had connections in the afterlife—and very strong ones at that, the kind where you'd beco sworn brothers with Yama himself.
The people of Liyue placed great importance on rituals. Unless they were truly destitute and had to opt for a simple ceremony, nearly everyone chose the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
This left the other funeral parlors in dire straits. They had already been struggling to survive under the shadow of Wangsheng's fa; now, their livelihoods were completely gone.
With no other choice, they had to quickly shut down and switch professions.
Given this overwhelmingly positive situation, Hu Tao's smile should have been wide enough to reach the heavens. So why did she look so utterly miserable?
This was because Hu Tao had run back and forth between several Treasure Hoarder camps these past two days, so Liyue's largest Treasure Hoarder groups fled Liyue overnight and went to other nations.
How could Hu Tao possibly be happy when major clients who could have contributed thousands, or even tens of thousands, of future orders to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had just slipped away?
Because of this incident, people felt much safer traveling in the wilderness, and even Hu Tao's reputation improved significantly.
Many who had heard that Hu Tao's focus was no longer within Liyue Harbor quickly moved back from outside, and the city's operations finally returned to normal.
Lately, the most talked-about topic was the promotional event for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, organized with the help of the Liyue Qixing, scheduled for tomorrow.
Rumor had it that this event would be quite grand, sparking curiosity among many about what tomorrow would bring.
Hu Tao was also paying close attention to it, but her mood soured again whenever she thought of the lost business.
So, Hu Tao sought out Chen Feng once more. She knew he was as clever as she was, with an endless stream of ideas, and believed he would surely have a solution!
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