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

Subaru Natsuki asked in his mind.

Four hundred years ago, I was killed by the rampaging Witch of Envy, and then sealed in a tomb by a divine dragon to suppress her power. The other witches were probably in a similar situation to me.

The witches you saw in my dream garden are my friends—the five witches: Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust. They are all spiritual beings like me. That's why they reappeared in the dream garden.

The witch seemed to answer Subaru Natsuki's questions without reservation.

However, you were actually quite right. The one who drove me to my death wasn't the witch of jealousy, but someone else entirely.

---who?

Natsuki Subaru sensed that he seemed to be getting close to the heart of the matter.

The Melancholy Demon – Hector

[He played a mysterious role in the incident of the witch of jealousy going berserk. He was extremely powerful and attacked me for no apparent reason. He was one of the culprits responsible for my death.]

The first Roswaal fought him and was severely wounded.

So, your guess was correct.

Although in my memory, it was also the witch of jealousy who went berserk and caused my death.

[I always felt that the melancholic demon played a rather important role in all of this.]

If what we're experiencing were a novel, perhaps he's the final boss.

The hint given by the white-haired witch stirred something within Natsuki Subaru.

He nodded slightly to himself, indicating that he understood, and then asked about another matter that he cared about very much.

How do I retrieve the memories swallowed by the witch's "Gluttony"?

Of course, kill him.

[No matter what ability it is, it cannot be maintained upon death. If a being who has consumed your lover's memories dies, those memories will inevitably return to their original owner.]

--Then, that makes it simple.

Natsuki Subaru ignored some of the words in the witch's words and became excited.

Although this may only be part of the truth, and although it is only what a single witch said.

However, Natsuki Subaru's belief became even stronger.

---I will save them, including you, witch of greed.

I look forward to... that day. My... Subaru.

The witch's voice was elegant and pure, like a wind chime, slowly echoing in Subaru Natsuki's heart.

Volume 5, The Lawyer

Chapter One: Conversations with Travelers

The world of Teyvat.

Liyue Harbor.

After the Lantern Festival, the people of Liyue become even busier.

Early in the morning, the entire city of Liyue was already filled with a commercial atmosphere.

Whether it's street vendors hawking their wares, itinerant merchants carrying their orders, or even large merchant guilds operating out of the sea, everyone is racing against time to prepare for the shopping activities following the Lantern Festival.

This is one of the few major events for business people throughout the year, and it's also a big day that encourages ordinary people to spend more.

"So, traveler, what brings you here?"

Zhongli sipped the tea on the stone table, slowly asking questions as he carried it.

Beside him were weary travelers and the seemingly unreliable Paimon.

The traveler shook his head but didn't say anything, just buried his head in his tea.

Little Paimon, on the other hand, spoke listlessly.

"Hey, Lord Rock King. You should know Gan Yu's workaholic personality, right?"

Zhongli put down his teacup and nodded slightly.

"Of course, Gan Yu is very famous in Liyue Harbor as a seven-star secretary who often works 24 hours a day without sleep. Sometimes even I can't help but admire her hard work."

"Then you should also know that our Ying has been getting along very well with her lately."

Little Paimon said with a look of fear on his face.

“Of course, I am aware of that as well.” Zhongli nodded slightly again.

"So, the former King Yan must have known that our Ying was being dragged around by Gan Yu and kept asking her for work," Xiao Paimeng concluded listlessly.

"Ugh! About a month ago, when I was helping Wanmintang deliver food, I couldn't use the Wings of Wind, I couldn't run, I couldn't be tainted by elements, and I couldn't fight enemies. Most importantly, the people who needed the food were all stuck on cliffs. The most outrageous one was even squatting between waterfalls, waiting for our Ying to deliver the food. And this food delivery was also required to be free of water elements?! Is this some kind of joke?"

"About two weeks ago, suddenly another high-level elemental gathering place appeared on the land of Liyue. Good heavens, a group of [Hypogeans], stronger and with more moves than the [Hypogeans] in the wild. Gan Yu didn't have time to deal with it, so she asked Ying to do it. Good heavens, she gave me a good beating and almost killed me. Our Ying also worked herself to the bone to complete the task."

"And the final reward? Such a tiny bit, not even enough to fill a tooth gap."

“There is indeed a problem.” Zhongli nodded for the third time: “From a general rational point of view, labor needs to be compensated sufficiently. After all, you can’t expect everyone to have the same subjective initiative as Gan Yu.”

“Yes, initiative, that’s a good word.” Little Paimon crossed his arms, looking completely matter-of-fact. “So you have to let our Ying have that initiative. What can you do with such a small amount of stuff at a time?”

At this point, Paimon suddenly flew over and whispered in Zhongli's ear, "You have to get them to give Ying a raise. Otherwise, what's the point of me running around like this and not earning any Mora, working myself to the bone?"

"You see, there will definitely be all sorts of work to be done during the Lantern Festival, and our Ying will need to do it,"

“But…” Zhongli hesitated slightly, “I am already dead. Both Zhongli himself and the god Yan Wang Dijun are dead. I have already held the ceremony to send off the immortals.”

He looked calmly into Paimon's eyes.

"The dead Geo Archon cannot make the Liyue Seven Stars increase the Traveler's reward."

“Hmm…” Upon hearing this, the traveler girl immediately tugged at Paimon’s clothes.

She said softly, "Actually... I came to see you... because of something else..."

"Please speak," Zhongli said, extending an arm. "If there's anything I can do to help."

"Now that I have entered into a contract with you, it is only right that I ask you to help me with some things."

"I... want to go to the snow-capped mountains."

Zhongli's expression turned serious, and he immediately asked, "Which snow mountain? The one in Mondstadt?"

“Hmm…” The traveler girl nodded heavily: “I’ve heard people say… there are people from the Abyss Cult in the snow mountains…”

“Yes, that’s true. Then let’s proceed with this simple contract.” Zhongli reached out and gently tapped Paimon’s forehead. “Just call me when the time comes.”

After finishing their conversation, the traveler curiously peered into the courtyard a couple of times.

"The Demon God of Dust... is not here?"

She asked softly.

"I had to go out," Zhongli replied.

Having said that, the traveler didn't linger any longer—she still had a lot of work to do that day, and she had heard that a photographer had come to Liyue Harbor, and she wanted to ask her to help photograph all the wondrous sights.

Unlike Zhongli, the traveler's life was very busy.

.....

After seeing off the young female traveler, Zhongli returned to her own courtyard and basked in the sun.

He just said that the Demon God of Dust had something to do and had to go out, and that wasn't a lie.

However, this "going out" may not be the same as what travelers think of as going out.

In fact, the Demon God of Dust was invited by Nabel to go to his world to give him some guidance.

Gui Zhong also wanted to see the scenery of different worlds, so he readily agreed to the invitation.

Based on the typical mission timeline, it should take approximately 24 hours in Teyvat for the journey to return.

In other words, Zhongli has once again returned to his previous state of solitude.

He took a few sips of tea, sat quietly for a while, and then began to examine what he had gained from his trip to the witch's world and the world of sorcery.

First, there is the world of sorcery.

This trip to the world of sorcery not only allowed him to repay the favors he owed, but also to check on the development of the seeds he had casually planted.

As it turned out, it did not disappoint him.

If the seed at the innermost part of the sorcery world continues to develop at this rate...

Perhaps it won't take fifty years for it to emerge from its cocoon.

This [spirit], which contains the entire world's [spirit], is also a powerful being containing the power of the world's magic. In terms of its status, it can already be considered the [mother] of the magic world, Earth.

This time, the curse called "True Man" also possesses a strange power that caught Zhong Li's attention.

The curse he represents, representing "humanity," is arguably the most wondrous of all curses.

As long as the impurities are removed.

Perhaps it can become an unexpected pawn.

After all, in Zhongli's distant memories, there were still the names of the so-called Alaya and Gaia.

Chapter Two: The Chat Group Remains Harmonious

In fact, Zhongli's arrangements and plans in the world of sorcery go beyond this.

He vaguely had a plan in mind, though it wasn't fully developed yet, and this world of sorcery was the starting point of his plan.

Then, there's Zhongli's harvest in the witch's world.

Having witnessed the jealous witch's return to the world up close, Zhongli had roughly figured out her abilities.

That was not the time reversal he had originally imagined.

The Witch of Jealousy is not a snake on the timeline; she did not acquire the ability to manipulate time at will—the ability that only comes after spreading herself to the source and end of time.