Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

This is a huge hurdle for Zhongli, and Su Yu can only guide him; he still needs to cross it himself.

And the day Zhongli develops feelings, she will surely understand how to accept Gui Zhong's declaration of love from back then—

"The Demon God of Dust, you shall obey my command. I have long known your intentions. All things must be conducted in accordance with propriety. What do you require as betrothal gifts?"

However, the person has passed away, leaving the emperor alone in grief.

But the saddest thing is that Zhongli doesn't understand sadness yet, and it's probably a long time before she does.

Fortunately, Zhongli has now successfully taken the first step.

At this point, the auction reached its climax.

The auction price for the Earthly Lock reached an astonishing one billion Mora, and it continues to climb.

“Prince Zhidong, I have one last question for you. Guizhong once told me, ‘This is the token of the covenant, and also my challenge to you. All my wisdom is hidden within this stone lock. If I could unlock it…’”

"To be honest, for over a thousand years, I have been pondering what she was trying to say to me in her last half-sentence."

Su Yu mimicked Gui Zhong's tone, thought for a moment, and replied, "All my wisdom is hidden in this stone lock. If you can unlock it, I will wait for you in the mortal world."

If you can unravel this mystery, I will wait for you in this mortal world...

This time, Zhongli's face was no longer expressionless; he appeared somewhat pained.

"I don't know why, but I felt inexplicably sad. It was an emotion I had never felt before. Although it was fleeting, it left a lasting impression on me."

"Morax, don't worry about it. In the most passionate period of your life, the presence of a confidante like Gui Zhong gave that time a beautiful meaning. What makes humans extraordinary is that they can reflect on the past and present and look to the future. Gui Zhong, a mere woman, can see things clearly, so you should see them even more clearly."

Zhongli nodded and replied, "Prince Zhidong, your enlightenment to me today is no less than a life-saving grace. The people of Liyue and I must repay your kindness."

Chapter 65 The Auction (Part 8)

Reaching Zhongli's level means standing at the pinnacle of combat power on the Teyvat continent. Advancing further is harder than climbing to heaven. At the same time, one must be careful to guard against the wear and tear of the natural order. Although one has a long lifespan, one must be cautious at all times.

Today, Prince Zhidong's guidance opened a new window for his dormant heart.

From that window emanated the radiance of wisdom and surged with even greater divine power. All he had to do next was to push open that window and welcome a new and even stronger version of himself.

As the Rock King and God of Contracts, he wielded divine power and was full of vigor. He once believed that he had no shortcomings and never realized that he lacked emotional function.

For the gods, this is actually a very dangerous thing.

He deeply loves the land and people of Liyue, yet he cannot perceive the love of others. He only gives without receiving any spiritual reward. Over time, this will cause psychological imbalance, leading him to question the meaning of protection, and his consciousness will fall into numbness, confusion, and madness. This is an invisible and most difficult-to-detect form of wear and tear.

Throughout history, many benevolent demons have suddenly become cold and ruthless, abandoning their homes without warning and even destroying the territories they once protected. This is due to the loss of their emotional function.

Su Yu eliminated a huge hidden danger for him.

Therefore, Zhongli believes that Prince Winter has not only been kind to her, but also to the people of Liyue.

"Heaven is fair to everyone, granting me divine power, yet I lack emotional resonance. My seemingly long life may not be as exciting as the short decades of human life. Prince Zhidong, I express my gratitude to you once again."

Zhongli held up the teacup with both hands and offered tea to Su Yu.

"It's nothing. I'm different from you demons; I'm essentially human, which is why I saw the details you overlooked."

"Among the seven stars and eight gates of Liyue, some immortals have intermarried with humans, but no one has ever seen my problem like you have. I think this is not only because you are human, but also because of your unparalleled wisdom. What is even more surprising is that you are clearly a mortal but you are comparable to gods, which is incredible."

Having revealed their identities to each other, Su Yu no longer needed to deliberately hide his strength. A vast amount of ice elemental power emanated from him, enough to rival that of the Ice Queen.

Zhongli was able to make a basic assessment of the prince's strength from the winter solstice, and was immediately filled with respect.

It is often countless times more difficult for mortals to achieve the realm of gods than for demons and gods!

"It's just going with the flow; the main thing is your own doing. Morax, as I told you before, when you reburied the Lock of the Mortal World in Guili Plain and transformed into Zhongli, a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, it showed that you had begun to gradually understand the good intentions of the God of Return to the End, but you were just hesitant."

"Now that you know the secret of this mortal lock, it has no value in keeping you. It is better to let it return to the mortal world. The relic of the God of Destruction will be passed down from generation to generation because of your fame, and the life of the God of Destruction will continue in another form."

"Furthermore, you don't have nearly enough Mora to participate in the bidding. That's why I'm advising you to give up the bidding."

Zhongli agreed with Su Yu's suggestion, and he also believed that the Lock of the Mortal World should circulate in human hands.

Judging the value of this relic by Mora's standards seems vulgar, but perhaps that was his final wish—

The fireworks in the world touch the hearts of mortals.

"Liyue cannot live under my protection forever, nor can it rely on my personal strength forever. After this auction, I will disappear for a period of time to carefully consider the future direction of Liyue and my own path."

"Once I have figured out these important issues, I will return power to the people, step down from the position of King of Rocks, and devote myself to the mountains and rivers, traveling through the world for all eternity."

Zhongli regained her previous confidence and arrogance.

Just as Su Yu was about to ask about the Heart of God, a lively commotion suddenly broke out at the auction. It turned out that the Lock of the Mortal World had been auctioned off for a record-breaking 5 billion Mora, setting a new record for the Wanwen Collection Auction.

The final buyer was none other than Bai Shi, the secretary of Ning Guang of Tian Quan Xing.

Although Bai Shi only quoted prices throughout the entire process and never communicated with the people around her, everyone present knew that she represented Ning Guang.

Ningguang is the wealthiest person in Liyue and one of the richest women in Teyvat. Once she makes a move, no one can compete with her for the auction items.

This has been proven once again; she will buy anything she wants, anything that money can buy, no matter how high the price.

“Ningguang has good taste, Morax.”

Su Yu did not see Bai Shi before the auction started. She arrived at the auction midway through, which means that Ning Guang sent her subordinate after receiving the auction information.

Ningguang enjoys collecting valuable items and then reselling them at the right time to earn the price difference.

However, the value of the Earthly Chains is at most around 3 billion Mora. After all, it is a relic of a demon god that does not possess any power and only has ornamental value. Ningguang bought it for 5 billion Mora, naturally to please Zhongli.

Although Zhongli was persuaded not to participate in the auction, whoever bought the relic would naturally attract his close attention.

Ningguang recognized this and acted promptly.

The 5 billion Mora was not just about buying the Lock of the Mortal World, but also about buying the Emperor's trust and attention.

"Compared to Keqing, who dares to say anything, Ningguang, also a member of the Seven Stars, is more like a typical businesswoman. Although she is kind, you can't be sure that she is 100% sincere."

However, Zhongli took Ningguang's attempt to ingratiate herself quite indifferently.

"In that case, why not let Keqing take the position of Tianquan Star?"

Su Yu really wanted to see Ningguang's expression when she was replaced.

During her mission to Liyue, she ordered Beidou to fire cannons halfway through the journey, giving the Winter Solstice delegation a show of force; upon arrival at the port, she did not personally greet them.

They probably thought that using these clever tricks would make them seem very capable. Perhaps this is an effective method for most people, but it looks very clumsy in front of Su Yu, the Prince of Zhidong.

"I will consider it carefully."

Zhongli readily agreed.

Su Yu's relationship with Zhong Li is now extraordinary. Zhong Li feels a sense of regret for not having met him sooner and a mutual respect for heroes. Su Yu's words carry great weight.

After the auction of the eight exhibits was completed, Su Yu went backstage to settle the bill and collect the auctioned items.

The proprietress, Ji Fang, said enthusiastically, "Mr. Su Yu, the giant serpent you bid for costs 50 million Mora, and the murals at He Guan cost 5 million Mora. The total payment is 55 million Mora."

Zhong Li, standing to the side, said, “Boss Ji, the rough stone I entrusted to your auction house sold for fifty million Mora. You don’t need to pay me for the fee that covered my friend’s bid for the giant serpent in the ruins. The handling fees will be deducted from my salary. If the lecture fee isn’t enough, I can escort you on your next treasure hunt expedition. If that’s still not enough…”

“That’s enough, of course it’s enough. With Mr. Zhongli’s knowledge and skills, our auction house is actually getting a good deal. Mr. Su Yu, you only need to pay another five million Mora now.”

"Swipe your card."

Su Yu took out the bank card from his pocket.

Ji Fang initially thought it was a savings card from one of the money shops in Liyue, but when she received it, the golden snowflake pattern and the logo of the Northern Bank reminded her that this was no ordinary savings card.

She suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in shock, "I was at the Northern Bank a few days ago, and the teller there told me that the Northern Bank headquarters specially made a Supreme Gold Card for their Prince Zhidong! Mr. Su Yu, are you... Prince Zhidong?"

Seeing Su Yu nod, the proprietress Ji Fang felt extremely ashamed.

She had previously guessed that Su Yu was the offspring of a powerful figure from one of the other six kingdoms, but she was completely wrong!

Chapter 66 The Pure White Kingdom

"Your Highness."

Ji Fang bowed respectfully.

Previously, they did not know Su Yu's identity and only regarded him as an honored guest. Now that they know that the other party is Prince Zhidong, they must treat him with the highest courtesy.

Moreover, Prince Zhidong's reputation was legendary among these businesswomen.

The fact that Zhidong Kingdom became the most economically powerful country within three years is inseparable from Prince Zhidong.

"The Winter Mission arrived in Liyue this morning, and His Highness the Prince came to our auction house at noon. We are truly honored. To express our welcome, we would like to present two small gifts to His Highness."

Several waiters brought over two gift boxes.

"The first item is the perch at Heguan. The Thunderbird once stopped at the ancient site of Heguan, and the plants it touched formed a perch, which contains the Thunderbird's aura and power."

Compared to the eight items auctioned today, the perch is less valuable, but it's still worth at least several hundred thousand moras, enough for Ji Fang to use as a gift.

"The second treasure is an ancient coin unearthed from an ancient tomb. It is so old that even archaeologists cannot determine its exact age."

Su Yu picked up the ancient coin and looked closely; the surface was engraved with Celtic patterns.

Zhongli pondered and said, "I have seen this kind of coin before. It dates back to at least before the War of Gods and Demons."

Su Yu smiled and said, "There's no need for the perch; I'll keep this ancient coin."

Before the current Seven Gods civilization, there was a unified civilization on the continent of Teyvat, and the Celtic patterns on the coins are a symbol of that era.

The triangular symbol on Paimon's chest is also known as the Celtic triangle.

Celtic patterns can also be found in many ancient civilization relics.

"Mr. Ji, the bill please." Ningguang's secretary, Baishi, walked in and greeted Zhongli, "Mr. Zhongli, you're here too."

Ningguang had instructed that Zhongli should always be treated with courtesy whenever she saw him.

We dare not be negligent in our duties.

Zhongli asked directly, "Are the salt ruler and salt cup, relics of the Salt Demon God Heuria, forged by Ningguang? Don't lie, or I will ask her myself."

"This... sigh, Mr. Zhongli's insight is indeed as shrewd as ever. Recently, a rumor has been circulating in Yinyuan Hall that the Emperor is the murderer of the Salt Demon God. This matter is detrimental to the Emperor's reputation, so Lady Ningguang came up with this plan to attract those who spread the rumors to show themselves. Judging from today's auction, Wanyan is just one of them, and the entire Yinyuan Hall may be the driving force behind the rumors."

Zhongli then asked, "What is Ningguang's opinion on this rumor?"

"Lady Ningguang naturally doesn't believe it and wants to wipe out all those who maliciously slander the Emperor. The Thousand Rock Army will soon take action to arrest Wanyan and the others. Although fabricating evidence is dishonorable, for the sake of the Emperor's reputation, Lady Ningguang has no choice but to violate the business contract, and she is willing to bear the corresponding fine."

Zhongli sighed softly and said, "Go back and tell Ningguang not to arrest Wanyan or any of the others. The descendants of the Salt Demon God are smearing the Emperor because they don't know the true cause of Heulia's death."