In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

The Rock King Emperor once created a giant stone whale to fight against the monsters in the sea.

There is a monster called "Eight Dragons" that is so powerful that even the Stone Whale could not defeat it.

The rock god then personally sculpted a kite from jade and rock.

As soon as the stone bird was created, it broke free from the shackles of the earth and soared into the sky.

Like a spear hurled by the blazing sun, it pierced the battlefield where the monsters and rock whales fought fiercely in the center of the ocean, driving the [Eight Dragons] into the dark trench.

From then on, the people of Liyue gradually escaped the clutches of the giant sea beasts.

The stone bird that the Emperor personally transformed has now become a long spear, named [Hepu Kite].

Thinking of this ancient story, Wang Yan looked again at the bewildered mechanical cube in front of him.

A somewhat absurd but very reasonable thought suddenly popped into my head:

"Morax... directly upgraded my creation to a five-star level?"

At first, Wang Yan only hoped that the Emperor could enhance the power of the immortal scrolls inside the magical artifacts.

But now it seems that the Emperor did more than just increase the power; he directly upgraded the item.

"That's awesome..."

Wang Yan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Chapter 129 Ziqiao: That's just how we are.

"Should I give you a name?"

Looking at the cube hovering around him, exuding affection, Wang Yan said with some emotion.

The cube seemed to understand; it swayed up and down, as if expressing anticipation.

"Then what should I call you?"

Wang Yan has always been terrible at naming things. Back in his hometown in the countryside, the way to name cats and dogs was the simplest method: color naming.

That is, rhubarb, white pepper, and flower.

He hesitated for a moment when asked to name the cube in front of him.

Speaking of which, the inspiration for making the cube must have come from Effelsberg's Heyjade polyhedron. Following the naming conventions of scholars, this could perhaps be called the "Heyjade polyhedron type II".

However, considering that the technology and runes used were very different, Wang Yan still gave up on the name.

"Although the Mechanism Technique was taught by my mentor, the core technology of this artifact is actually the Liyue Celestial Register. In addition... the Cube Energy Upgrade is also a power bestowed by the Emperor."

"So, how about we choose a name with a Liyue theme?"

Wang Yan pondered for a moment, then looked at the cube: "You transformed because of the Emperor's bestowal of a title; how about calling you 'Imperial Palace Radiance'?"

The cube was spinning around happily.

"Hmm? You have a large number of runes engraved inside, with endless variations. How about calling you the 'Myriad Manifestations Box'?"

The cube kept spinning, seemingly quite happy.

Wang Yan also understood. Although the cube in front of him had become intelligent after the Emperor bestowed the title, it was like an ignorant child who didn't understand anything.

Forget about giving it a nice name, I bet if Wang Yan called it "Er Gou" (Second Dog), it would agree, and might even get a little trumpet to blow on it.

"Alright, I'll call you 'Seventy-Two Celestials' for now."

The number seventy-two naturally refers to the seventy-two small cubes that make up the outer shell.

Xuanming, derived from the meaning of Xuanyu's radiance, symbolizes the core of Qingxuan and the brilliance of its runes.

The name, chosen by a scholar, is intuitive and also carries a hint of the Liyue style.

The cube... oh no, "Seventy-two Radiant Stars" continued to spin, completely unaffected by the king's naming.

Wang Yan took it as agreement.

His gaze then fell on the floor of the room.

The floor was a mess, if not a complete disaster, after all the carpentry and carving work.

As he raised his finger, about to inscribe runes and clean the room, Wang Yan suddenly froze.

Before I had any magical artifacts, I could draw the runes myself. Now that I've made the items, do I still have to draw them myself?

"Seventy-two celestial lights, clean the room."

"Seventy-two Xuanming" trembled slightly, accepting the command. The next moment, an invisible breeze quietly blew up, picking up the debris and trash on the floor and gently sending it into the trash can.

Once the trash can is full, it piles the remaining trash next to it.

This action doesn't seem like that of someone who's completely clueless; it's more like that of a sanitation worker with work experience.

Just a moment ago, he couldn't even choose his own name, but now he can clearly and logically carry out the king's orders.

Wang Yan couldn't tell whether it had intelligence or not.

All I can say is... the Rock God's gift is truly awe-inspiring.

That's how our Teyvat technology works.

Watching "Seventy-Two Xuanming" clean the room, Wang Yan looked out the window, where the sky was already shining brightly.

A new day has begun.

And today is... the Lantern Festival.

Although he had stayed up all night, Wang Yan was not sleepy.

The longer the blessing of the Flower Goddess remained on him, the stronger his physical qualities became, and his energy increased at the same rapid pace.

"Let's go out for a stroll."

Wang Yan reached out and summoned the "Seventy-Two Xuanming" sword, which flew towards his sleeve and quickly transformed into a wrist guard, attaching itself to Wang Yan's right wrist.

The reason he used seventy-two small cubes to form the outer shell of the magical artifact was to make it easy to transform and carry.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have any spatial equipment or the Eye of God right now. If the magical artifact doesn't have the ability to transform, it's really inconvenient to carry around.

After putting away the tools used in the mechanical arts, Wang Yan went out the door and downstairs.

The receptionist has changed to Xiuhua again.

Upon seeing Wang Yan come down, he greeted him warmly: "Good morning, guest, Happy Lantern Festival."

Wang Yan nodded: "Happy Lantern Festival. Please tidy up my room."

“Yes, sir,” Xiuhua replied.

Wang Yan nodded and left the "White Steed Inn".

The Lantern Festival has added a festive atmosphere to Liyue Harbor.

It was much more lively than usual.

In addition to various breakfast stalls, the morning market now has many other stalls as well.

There are vendors selling toys, Spring Festival couplets, and lantern materials.

Many children were running around in twos and threes on the street, holding toys in their hands and laughing happily.

In reality, most children don't really understand what the Lantern Festival means or what stories lie behind it.

However, the children know that this day is often the happiest day of the year, with countless delicious foods and fun activities, and they may even receive some lucky money.

This simple joy adds to the festive atmosphere.

Although there were no travelers or Paimon by her side today, Wang Yan still had a great time, eating and drinking in Xiao City and occasionally participating in the Lantern Festival activities approved by the General Affairs Department. She was truly enjoying herself.

Until he encountered the familiar duo again in the crowd.

"Hey, Wang Yan, we meet again." Paimon waved and greeted him from afar.

Wang Yan looked at the two people, or rather, at the white-haired woman following behind them, and the angelic blessing within him seemed to come alive.

After a moment, Wang Yan turned his gaze away and walked towards them: "Happy Lantern Festival, ladies! And who is this?"

“Oh, happy Lantern Festival, she’s the White Horse Fairy… well, just think of it as role-playing.” Paimon was already used to introducing Tsz-Chiao like this.

Ziqiao's gaze fell directly on Wang Yan's wrist, which was hidden by his sleeve, and a smile appeared on his lips: "So that's how it is. No wonder Lord Yan asked me to come and see for myself. I didn't expect that it would be such a long-lost aura."

"Huh? What?" Paimon was taken aback. He looked at Ziqiao, then at Wang Yan, his gaze sweeping back and forth, his face blank.

Not to mention Paimon, Ying was also completely bewildered.

They had already taken Ziqiao to Wanmintang and Sanwanbuguogang.

When meeting other people, Ziqiao always acted as if he was there to listen to their introductions. However, he was a little different with that ancient poem. He not only explained its meaning but also gave it the name "Langfeng·Zibai".

But now, just by looking at Wang Yan for the first time, why does Zi Qiao look so familiar?

Could it be... that Wang Yan is also some kind of old thing?

Thinking about it carefully, Wang Yan got to know them because she was with Zhong Li.

If Wang Yan is Zhong Li's friend, then his age...

Seeing that Ying and Paimon's gazes were getting increasingly strange, Wang Yan quickly waved his hand and asked, "What weird things are you thinking about?"

"Uh... Ziqiao, do you know Wang Yan?" Paimon looked at Ziqiao beside him.

Ziqiao glanced at her: "Oh, you think I know this little person? Haha, well... I guess you could say I do."

“Hey…” Paimon looked at Wang Yan suspiciously again, “Wang Yan! You don’t have some hidden identity, do you?”

She had always thought Wang Yan was just an ordinary scholar.

But now it seems it's not ordinary at all.

"What are you thinking? I'm just a scholar in the Order of the Fathers. As for what this White Horse Immortal is saying, he's not referring to me."

Wang Yan casually offered an explanation, then looked at Zi Qiao: "I thought the Emperor would wait until Zi Bai returned before introducing me, but I didn't expect you to know now?"

“Recommendation? What do you mean?” Ziqiao was puzzled for a moment, then understood. “Oh, you misunderstood. Yan Jun didn’t mention you to me, but I recognized the thing on your wrist.”

She discovered the Rock Lord's bestowal on the "Seventy-Two Luminaries" and then sensed the angelic blessing on Wang Yan before she spoke those words.

Wang Yan mistakenly believed that Zhong Li had told Zi Qiao about his situation, thus leading to a misjudgment.

"Hmm... You have a promise with Yan Jun to introduce you to Zi Bai?" Zi Qiao's eyes were filled with amusement. "You have questions for Zi Bai? But I don't remember you."

"So, the question you're asking is related to something about you."

"You want to ask about angels."

She spoke slowly, one step at a time, until she was standing right in front of Wang Yan, no more than a palm's width away. Her breath could even reach Wang Yan's face.

Her breath was as fragrant as orchids.

For some reason, this word just popped into Wang Yan's mind.

Before Wang Yan could answer, Zi Qiao took a step back and smiled, "I can give you the answer you want. Why don't you ask me?"

Wang Yan hesitated. Was this person really that kind?

His hesitation had probably been noticed, and Ziqiao said somewhat irritably, "What, you don't believe me? These two are your friends, right? You can ask them. I never lie to little people."

Paimon and Ying looked at each other and finally nodded: "Ha, ha, that's true, she certainly doesn't lie."

Ziqiao always tells others directly that he is the White Horse Immortal.

That is, people don't believe her, so they think she's just playing a role.

"No, I'm just curious, why would an immortal help me?" Wang Yan said bluntly. "I sought out Zibai because I helped him, but for you, Ziqiao, I didn't help you in any way, did I?"

Although Ziqiao is part of Zibai, they are not entirely equivalent.

This white horse is not that white horse.

“Oh, that’s because… I like it.” Ziqiao raised his head and said, “When a little one has doubts, we guide him and give him the answers; it’s just our nature.”

Wang Yan could not refute this answer.

Because it's true.

Angels are indeed unable to resist the instincts that guide humankind.

Even after they degenerate into celestial beings, they will collect treasures and then guide humans to find them.