I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

After saying that, he broke off one of his fingers and threw it to Gojo Satoru in front of him.

Yuji Itadori, standing to the side, stared at the finger with a startled expression, muttering under his breath, "Why is it a finger again?"

Gojo Satoru, who took the finger, held the strange finger that seemed like glass in the sunlight and looked at it again and again, saying something.

"Kudos! This is the perfect opportunity to teach you."

"In sorcery and curses, fingers are very important. [The ten fingers are connected to the heart], [the blood at the fingertips is the blood at the heart]. Fingers are the means of casting sorcery, and also the essence of sorcery."

After saying that, he tossed his finger to Hisahito Itadori.

"Hey, Itarana, this is your stuff. You got it by exchanging points from the chat group. I can't touch your stuff anymore, or I'd be a terrible teacher."

"Oh, oh!" Yuujin Itadori hurriedly took the finger, placed it in his palm, and tilted his head to look at it: "Does this also need to be eaten?"

"Uh, that shouldn't be necessary." Gojo Satoru looked at Zhongli beside him, somewhat bewildered.

The Rock King Emperor calmly explained, "Even if I leave this world, as long as you break your fingers, I can find the location of this world from the void and come to your side."

"However, you only get one chance. This means one task invitation that doesn't require chat group points."

"Hmm." Itadori solemnly put his fingers into his pocket. "Hmm, I understand. Thank you for your generosity."

“No, it’s just fulfilling the contract.” After saying this, Zhongli turned his gaze to Gojo Satoru.

"Now, let's get down to business."

As he spoke, he broke off another finger and threw it on the ground.

This finger was like the legendary ginseng fruit; it vanished without a trace the moment it touched the ground.

Then, as his fingers penetrated deeper, his consciousness suddenly leaped out of this shallow planet and universe, arriving outside the world, above the eternally flowing river of time.

He gazed at the river that symbolized the world, and its almost endless tributaries, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

His body had transformed into the form of a seven-headed dragon at some point, with fourteen pairs of different pupils staring intently at everything in this world.

What He just said—that there is something to say—is not a lie, but the truth.

What Gojo Satoru has given this time has already surpassed what Zhongli has given.

This is an unfair contract, which is why He must provide compensation.

All of this, naturally, is due to the unfolding of Gojo's domain: the boundless void.

This kind of spell, which places humanity at the bottomless depths of the world, is something even Zhongli hasn't mastered.

Generally speaking, this is the basic code that connects the universe, the abode of the Dirac Sea and the demon of Laplace, and the Akasha record that records everything in the eyes of the universe.

Even Zhongli had never been to this place.

He can only step outside the world to observe its flow and explore the secrets of the void, but he cannot enter the bottom layer of the world to see its mechanisms and secrets.

Originally, it would have taken Him at least a hundred to a thousand years to master this ability.

But now, the power that Gojo Satoru was using naturally pulled Him into it, a level He had never reached before.

At His level, once someone has been there, he will never forget how to get in.

That's why He said He needed to make amends again, and broke one of his own fingers—because he vaguely remembered that in the manga, Gojo Satoru and Itadori Yuujin seemed to have encountered some difficulties.

But he can't remember the specifics, or rather, he doesn't want to think about them anymore.

Their importance has not reached that level.

He is neither a nanny protecting everything, nor a tool for the people in the chat group.

He is no longer the Geo Archon who guards Liyue, but a demon god who travels between worlds in order to revive Qingli.

Therefore, He is not absolutely kind, but He is also absolutely not malicious.

He signs the contract, He executes the contract, and on the premise of fairness, He lets both parties of the contract get what they want, that's all.

This time, Satoru Gojo and Yuujin Itadori paid for the coordinates of the new world, 5000 points, and the method to travel to the inner beta of the world without limits.

Then, what He gave up was the foundation to turn the world upside down, and the opportunity to undertake another mission.

Only contracts based on equality can be enforced.

With this casual thought in mind, His seven-headed body gradually sank to the bottom of the river of time and space.

Down, down, down again.

These are the sand and stones that form the foundation of the world.

Downward, downward, ever downward.

His body gradually transformed as he descended, first from seven heads into a dragon, then from a dragon into human form, and finally, his very first self appeared before him.

Ding~!

It was as if the sound of a drop of water falling on a rock suddenly appeared in His ears, and He didn't know when, but the surroundings had become a void.

There was no light, no color, no sound whatsoever.

Only He opened His eyes.

His pale golden pupils scanned everything around him.

He then sensed the reality of this world.

I also learned why curses and spells exist in this world.

And the reason why this world is so different from the ordinary world.

Everything exists within the foundation of this world.

In this boundless inner world.

Chapter Fourteen: I will declare that the world will be governed by destiny.

This is the boundless inner world, a place that the physical body alone cannot reach.

Unlike jumping out of the world and hanging high above the river of time.

这 是

The very foundation.

It is also the foundation upon which the world is built.

In this world of magic, where Satoru Gojo and Hisahito Itadori reside, there is a world of curses.

What Zhongli saw here were fragments of "spirit".

The "spirit" is not the same as the "soul" or "spiritual energy." It cannot be described in words or written language.

If Zhongli had to say it, he would describe it as "all things have spirits".

Whether it's a virus or a microorganism.

Whether it's a paramecium or a mollusc.

Both humans and curses possess a spirit.

The more complex the animal, the more pronounced its "spirit" becomes.

Even human thoughts—fear, envy, jealousy, greed, desire, expectation, and love—have a spiritual aspect.

Therefore, when the "spirit" of thoughts gathers together, it will turn into a curse.

And naturally, planets also possess a "spirit," although it is incomplete. However, if it is mixed with human thoughts about the planet, it will come together to form the "spirit" of the environment.

The spirit of the ocean, the spirit of the sky, the spirit of the earth, the spirit of the volcano, the spirit of the forest, and even the spirit of the human race.

However, if these spirits, after being mixed with human thoughts, were to actually appear, they would take on the form of a curse.

Therefore, as long as humanity survives, the curse will never disappear.

Even if humanity is wiped out, the spirit will still exist.

Those things—the sky, the ocean, the earth, the volcanoes, and the forests—will still give birth to pure and flawless spirits.

But at that time, because there were no humans, perhaps they would not have been born with hatred for humans.

"That's really interesting."

Zhongli, who exists here in human form, narrowed his eyes slightly.

This was the first time He had ever seen such a scene at the bottom of the world, and the first time He had ever seen the foundation of one world that was different from another.

The reason this world is different from the baseline world is because it contains [spirit].

If we expand our thoughts like this...

The reason why the world of Teyvat is different from the baseline world may be due to the different fundamental properties of the seven elements and the abyss that exist in the world.

If that's the case, then upon careful consideration...

If the seven elements and the Abyss were removed at the very beginning of the world's creation, would Teyvat have been the baseline world?

To expand on this further, perhaps the so-called "standard world" is simply a dish made by adding various different seasonings to the "baseline world".

---Um....

With so little information available, even if a conclusion is reached, it cannot be confirmed whether it is correct, making such speculation unnecessary.

Bring your thoughts back from wandering.

Zhongli looked at the world again.

He stood in the endless void, with one hand around his chest and the other on his chin.

Above, below, and in all directions, there are things that cannot be spoken of or described.

After a few breaths, He sighed softly.

He reached out and broke off all ten of his fingers, leaving them scattered in the void.

Then, miraculously, a light began to appear in this endless, dark void.

The pale golden glow was both abrupt and ordinary.

It seems to have always been shining here, yet it also seems to have just appeared.

All the spirits that Zhongli could see were drawn to this light, like moths drawn to a flame, merging with it.