Liyue, Feiyun Slope
Thousands of people gathered here, their faces filled with varying degrees of sorrow. They were the relatives of the fallen soldiers of the Qixing.
And now, it was their brothers', fathers', and sons' funerals.
Four soldiers of the Qixing carried sturdy yet unadorned coffins, containing their former comrades-in-arms.
At the forefront, Hu Tao wore a brown traditional robe, draped in white cloth, with a Qiankun Tai trigram hat on her head and a red cane in her hand, solemn and dignified.
Looking up at the sky, Hu Tao turned to the Qixing soldiers standing like statues.
"The time has come. Bury them!"
Like well-oiled machines, the Qixing soldiers stepped forward with heavy steps, placing the coffins they carried into the prepared graves in an orderly manner.
In the crowd of onlookers, the relatives couldn't contain their emotions, crying out in grief.
After all the hundreds of heroes were buried, Hu Tao raised her hand, and a crimson flame blossomed on her cane.
"Rite of Parting, commence!"
Dozens of officiants from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor surrounded Hu Tao, holding white sails, conducting the final ceremony.
On the distant mountainside, Wang Daoyi looked towards the site of the funeral.
In his field of vision, pure white souls emerged from the graves, wearing the same sorrowful expressions, looking towards their loved ones.
But not a single soul wanted to linger in the world of the living. Like when they trained together with their comrades, they formed a line and marched orderly towards the boundary between life and death.
Wang Daoyi knew that they had no regrets about their sacrifice in the disaster.
As the last soul entered the boundary between life and death, Hu Tao lowered the cane she held high. There was no color left on her face, as she struggled with dizziness caused by excessive blood loss.
"Inscribe the tablets, the ritual is complete!"
The officiants of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor escorted Hu Tao out, while the soldiers of the Qixing erected stone tablets in front of the graves. Then, they gathered and paid their respects to the cemetery before leaving in an orderly manner.
Next was the time for the families to pay their respects.
Listening to the increasingly intense cries of grief, Wang Daoyi withdrew his gaze and left.
---
Time is always the greatest force.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. On the surface, the departure of the Geo Archon and the grand funeral of the Qixing seemed to leave no trace in Liyue Harbor.
But in people's hearts, whether anything was left behind or disappeared, that was unknown.
Closing the book "Basic Pharmacology" in his hand, Wang Daoyi looked outside the teahouse and sensed someone observing him.
This "Basic Pharmacology" was given to him by Baishu. Half a month ago, Hu Tao, using the power of the Staff Of Homa, forcibly conducted the final rites for hundreds of people, burning almost all her vital blood with the "Unrestrained Flame," leaving her in a state of pseudo-death. Fortunately, Wang Daoyi brought her to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in time, and with the use of a large amount of precious medicinal materials by Baishu, Hu Tao's condition was stabilized.
It had to be said that Baishu's medical skills were truly strong. In these two days, the Hall Master Hu could once again promote her set meals throughout Liyue.
Looking outside the teahouse, Wang Daoyi quickly locked onto a person. It wasn't difficult to spot someone wearing winter clothes among a group of Liyue Harbor dockworkers.
Realizing that he had been seen by Wang Daoyi, the person in winter clothes didn't bother hiding and walked straight into the teahouse.
"You're from the Fatui?" Wang Daoyi took a look at the person and asked.
The newcomer nodded and handed over a letter.
"Yes, Lord Wang Daoyi, this is a letter from our Fatu executive, Doctor, to you!"
"Doctor?" Wang Daoyi was surprised. If it was a letter from the Tartaglia, he wouldn't react much, as he had already received several letters of challenge from Tartaglia in the past few days.
But a letter from Doctor, an executive of the Fatui, was truly baffling to him.
"What does Doctor want from me?"
Wang Daoyi asked.
The Fatui messenger shook his head. It wasn't something a messenger could know.
"Sorry, my lord, I'm just a messenger!" With that, he handed the letter to Wang Daoyi and then left directly.
Opening his elemental vision and confirming that there was nothing suspicious about the letter, Wang Daoyi curiously opened it.
[To the Knowledge Seeker:
Greetings,
It has been some time since our last encounter at the Quince Retreat. I hope you are well.
The incident back then was a desperate plea from the members of the Fatui, and I almost made a grave mistake out of compassion.
Punished by the Geo Archon and taught by the Queen, I have since repented.
Guided by our colleague [Young Master], I have learned that you and I share a common interest in reading.
Feeling joyful and nostalgic, I wish to establish a friendship with you.
After much consideration, I remembered the land of wisdom, Sumeru.
In that land lies a crystallization of wisdom called 'Void Terminals.'
I am willing to explore it together with you.
If you are interested, you can come to the Northern Bank.
—
Knowledge Seeker - Doctor]
This half-letter half-white letter made Wang Daoyi's head ache.
But he still understood. Doctor invited him to Sumeru to pursue something called 'Void Terminals.'
As for 'Void Terminals,' Wang Daoyi also had some understanding. It was the legacy left by the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, relying on the Gnosis of the Dendro Archon to exist.
"So, Doctor wants to take advantage of the Gnosis of the Dendro Archon, and also wants to pull me onto the pirate ship?"
Supporting his chin, Wang Daoyi pondered silently.
Comparing the consequences of offending the Dendro Archon, and the weight of gaining knowledge of 'Void.'
Wang Daoyi quickly came to a conclusion: he could go.
Anyway, the current controller of the Void is the Great Sage, that guy isn't a good person, offend him if you want.
And the Lesser Lord Kusanali, now still semi-confined by the Great Sage, this young god does not have the same power as Zhongli, currently only possessing a portion of the authority of the dream world.
So, he wasn't afraid of being wiped out by the Dendro Archon with a single blow.
As for the legacy of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, 'Void Terminals,' Wang Daoyi crossed over just in time for the appearance of this thing. He knew that this was something comparable to a supercomputer. If he could gain control over it, even if only partially, he could advance further based on his current foundation.
However, although he could go, it would be best to inform his parents before leaving.
Leaving the teahouse, Wang Daoyi headed towards
Feiyun Slope, which was on the way to both the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and the Northern Bank.
Arriving at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor,
After greeting the attendant lady at the door and confirming that Zhongli had not left, Wang Daoyi walked straight into Zhongli's mansion.
"Why are you here? I don't seem to owe you any money recently?" Zhongli, who had retired from the position of the Geo Archon, became more human-like. Well, except for not being human in terms of his abilities, he was becoming more like a human.
With a frozen smile on his face, Wang Daoyi didn't know how to answer Zhongli's words for a moment.
"Heh, such a boring kid. Xiao is much better. At least when he comes to see me, he brings something!" Then, he looked disdainfully at Wang Daoyi, "Every time you come, you have a bunch of questions, as if you brought a pastry to me once. But that pastry was eaten by the Hall Master Hu!"
"Then I'll bring you some next time?" Wang Daoyi's eyes were full of innocence.
Zhongli waved his hand, not wanting to deal with Wang Daoyi pretending to be innocent: "So, what's the matter with you this time?"
"Hehe, Grandpa, Doctor from the Futui sent me a letter, inviting me to Sumeru."
Wang Daoyi put away his innocent and naive expression, took out Doctor's letter, and handed it to Zhongli.
Yes, Zhongli has retired, so he doesn't need to be called the Geo Archon anymore, just call him Grandpa, more intimate.
Taking the letter, Zhongli looked at it and frowned at the nice eyebrows.
"Why is this letter written half in prose and half in white? Does he want the reader to suffer to death?"
After making the same complaint as Wang Daoyi, Zhongli looked at him. "So, do you want to go?"
Wang Daoyi nodded and expressed his thoughts: "It is said that 'Void' is the legacy of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. If I can come into contact with it, it will be of great help to me. So I want to go!"
Zhongli nodded, stretched out his hand, a golden light condensed, turning into a dragon-pattern token.
"Then go, if you encounter a divine-level existence who makes things difficult for you, use this token!"
"Can I command them?" Wang Daoyi took the token.
Zhongli gave him a white look: "It can help you escape death, or make your death more miserable."
"Well, it's better than nothing!" Wang Daoyi is not a greedy person and just left with the token.
Watching Wang Daoyi leave, Zhongli seemed to remember something, showing a strange smile.
"Only through failure can one grow. You've expanded too quickly, so let you hit a wall!"
(End of this chapter)