He changed Tiwat

"Yes." Han Fulai was somewhat puzzled as to why Zhongli had suddenly brought this up, so he could only lower his gaze and look at the steam rising from the cup.

“Sometimes I get annoyed by my excellent memory. But most of the time, a good memory is quite useful,” Zhongli said. “The other day, you read a poem from the book you were telling me about. I still remember that poem.”

"Reeds fill the riverbank, and cold sand carries a shallow stream. Twenty years later, I return to the South Tower."

"The boat is still not firmly moored under the willow; how many more days until Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"The Yellow Crane Tower stands broken at the rocky shore; have my old friends ever been there? The old landscape is now filled with new sorrows."

"I wanted to buy osmanthus flowers and share wine, but it will never be like the carefree days of my youth."

“I remember you said the author’s name was Liu Guo, and he was ‘True Lord Huanghe of Dragon Continent’ under the command of the Salt Demon God.”

Zhongli said he had a good memory, which of course meant that he didn't remember a great hero named Liu Guo from the era of the Salt Demon God—of course! This was just something Han Fulai made up on the spot for his storytelling! Han Fulai wanted to explain, but Zhongli didn't give him time and continued talking on his own.

“But I have a good memory. I remember that the author of this poem is Gu Hua.” Zhong Li took a sip of tea and said, “From that day on, I knew that you and Gu Hua came from the same place. The poem ‘The Yangtze River’s back waves push the front waves, and the front waves die on the beach’ was also written by Gu Hua. He said it was a compliment to people.”

Han Fulai suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock. He knew Zhongli's identity, and he also knew that Zhongli knew his own identity as a transmigrator. After all, Gan Yu had said that she would tell the Emperor, and even if Gan Yu hadn't told him, Zhongli would have found out eventually if he wanted to.

But he never expected that the Gu Hua that Zhongli mentioned was actually his fellow Chinese!

Chapter Seventy-Five: It's all an act, but ultimately it's all about black and white.

According to the story of Gu Hua that Zhongli told him that day, Han Fulai, this fellow Chinese, was even stronger than Zhongli, and in the end, he even broke through the void to go to Sky Island to fight Tianli.

So... is it too late to join the Guhua faction now?

...It seems too late. Han Fulai remembered that Zhongli had told him that the Guhua Sect had declined, and that Miss Zhiruo, a member of the Guhua Sect, was now working as a waitress at "Three Bowls and No Port".

He was busy with work at Yuehai Pavilion for a while, and then there was the matter of the summoning ceremony, so he didn't have time to visit Miss Zhiruo even once. Now that he has made something of himself, he has the ability to help Zhiruo.

It was time to repay the kindness of Miss Zhiruo for the meal. Han Fu believed he was not an ungrateful person and that he should repay the debt of gratitude. Moreover, Zhiruo was a member of the Gu Hua Sect, so perhaps he could learn something about this fellow Chinese from her.

"Sigh, fellow countryman, you and I are separated by four thousand years of time travel, otherwise I would definitely follow you!" Han Fulai sighed inwardly, then felt a little annoyed—but fellow countryman, you're not being fair! You time-traveled here early and became a plagiarist, what am I supposed to do? I'm a Chinese literature major who makes a living this way, how am I supposed to survive?

As Han Fulai pondered this, he suddenly realized something else.

If Zhongli's high regard for him stems from his fellow townsman Gu Hua, does that mean he might also gain great strength like Gu Hua?

As if seeing through Han Fulai's thoughts, Zhong Li said, "Young friend Han, if we follow what Gu Hua said back then, perhaps your future is even more limitless than his."

"Hmm?" Han Fulai's heart stirred. "Mr. Zhongli, what did Senior Gu Hua say back then?"

He said that every young person in China who turns eighteen will take an exam called the college entrance examination.

"Indeed." Han Fulai nodded.

"This exam is divided into two categories based on the students' academic backgrounds: arts and sciences."

"Yes."

"In this major test, China will select young people with four different innate qualities—'Heaven,' 'Earth,' 'Mysterious,' and 'Yellow'—from the arts and sciences lists, and cultivate them accordingly," Zhong Li continued.

"Hmm...hmm?" Han Fulai realized that something was off about this style of writing. This senior Gu Hua must have read too many fantasy novels.

Those with innate talent below the Yellow Rank are collectively called 'Sorcerers'. Those with innate talent above the Black Rank are collectively called 'Scholars'.

"...Although...but, well, what you said isn't wrong." Han Fulai reluctantly acknowledged the strange fantasy cultivation system in China. He roughly understood what Gu Hua was referring to. China's early university system originated from abroad, with undergraduate studies focusing on academics and associate degrees on applied technology, thus dividing education into academics and practical skills.

Zhong Li continued to recall: "Gu Hua said that Heavenly Rank Root Bones are also divided into four levels, but the names are very strange..."

Han Fulai roughly guessed what Gu Hua had said, and his lips twitched slightly.

"It is said that the Celestial Rank is divided into four levels: 'non-double-11,' '211,' '985,' and 'two-university,' with Gu Hua calling himself a 'Celestial Rank 211 Scholar in Literature,' specializing in civil and commercial law. However, when he arrived in Teyvat, it was during the era of the Demon God War, and his knowledge could not be applied to practical matters, so he embarked on the path of martial arts. The first edition of Liyue's 'Liyue Commercial Code' was compiled by me based on the regulations he taught me back then. Liyue's becoming a nation of contracts was also influenced by Gu Hua."

“I learned from the specialist at the General Affairs Department that when you registered for the Liyue civil service exam at the General Affairs Department, you claimed that you had the potential of a 985 university graduate, even surpassing Guhua.”

Han Fulai's lips were twitching wildly. So Zhongli was selecting people based on their academic qualifications... Fellow countryman Gu Hua, it's one thing to be competitive in China, but you've transmigrated to Teyvat and you're still being competitive, and in such a fantastical way, it's inappropriate! ...Fortunately, I was more ruthless than you back then.

However, what Han Fulai was most concerned about was how Gu Hua's combat strength had become so strong.

"May I ask, Mr. Zhongli, how did Senior Gu Hua learn martial arts back then?"

A look of nostalgia appeared on Zhongli's face.

"When I asked about this matter back then, Gu Hua left me with two sentences. The first was, 'Even a scholar can have literary courage; with literary courage, one can enter the path of enlightenment.'"

"And the second sentence has only eight characters: 'Enter the Way through literature, and the world will understand the origin.'"

Hey fellow countryman... you should speak like a normal person at a time like this, instead of indulging in some fantastical, chuunibyou-esque nonsense! What's "Wen Dan"? What's "Ru Dao"? What's "Tianxia Mingzong"? Can you give me a hint about which web novel these settings come from?

Han Fulai thought for a moment, then asked Zhongli with anticipation, "Did Senior Gu Hua leave behind... a more specific method, such as doing a hundred sit-ups every day?"

Zhongli shook his head and said, "No, he said I wouldn't be able to learn it even if he told me, so he won't tell me."

"Mr. Zhongli, don't believe his nonsense! He's clearly afraid you won't be able to beat me once you learn it!" Han Fulai thought to himself, cursing incessantly. Unfortunately, Gu Hua and Zhongli were like brothers, so Han Fulai didn't dare to complain to his face and could only grumble inwardly.

“However…” Zhongli remembered something else.

"However?" Han Fulai's eyes lit up, thinking to himself, "Mr. Zhongli, don't speak so slowly. If you have any secrets, just tell me quickly."

"However, Gu Hua also said, 'A hero is one who cannot distinguish between gratitude and vengeance, and a true man is one who can distinguish right from wrong. Just do good deeds and don't worry about the future.' He spent his life upholding justice and righteousness, and naturally became stronger."

"...I see. Thank you, Mr. Zhongli, for telling me about Senior Gu Hua. It has given me a direction to strive for." Han Fulai barely suppressed the urge to scold Gu Hua.

This is just like when a slacker asked a top student how to study, and the top student said that just listening attentively in class every day was enough, but actually he secretly stayed up late studying at home. Han Fulai remembered that he used to be that kind of person, and had no right to criticize others.

Zhongli smiled and said, "Young friend Han, there's no need to be so polite. This matter should have been told to you anyway."

"Actually, I have another matter to ask Mr. Zhongli today," Han Fulai said.

"Young friend Han, do you want to ask me about my retirement?" Zhongli smiled.

"Nothing can be hidden from Mr. Zhongli." Han Fulai returned the smile; talking to intelligent people was always easy.

Han Fulai could see what Zhongli wanted Liyue to gain from this matter—to curb the expansion of the Winter's forces in Liyue, to bridge the conflict between humans and immortals in Liyue, and to give the Thousand Rock Army, who had been out of battle for a long time, a chance to train, and so on.

But he could have done the same things while he was in office.

The cessation of production at the Golden House is indeed a very real reason; Zhongli's flesh and blood may truly have reached their limit. Even a demon god's life is precious, and no one can blame Zhongli for not wanting to die from overwork. Besides, he has indeed maintained peace on the Teyvat continent for 3,700 years by forging Mora; this achievement alone is more than enough to describe him as a hero.

—But it is precisely because of this that Han Fulai has a deeper question.

Why didn't Zhongli make arrangements for what would happen after his retirement? Since he understood how to maintain peace through Mora's hegemony, he must have known the devastating consequences of deflation. Given Zhongli's sense of responsibility as the God of Contracts, he couldn't possibly retire suddenly without making these arrangements. He couldn't allow his people and the continent of Teyvat to suffer new calamities because of his retirement.

Of course, Zhongli, as a native Teyvat deity, lacks modern political and economic concepts and may not be able to propose a method like replacing metal currency with paper money, as Han Fulai knew. However, he should have had enough time to remind the Seven Stars to restore the circulation of gold and silver currency.

—Unless something unexpected happens during this period that forces Zhongli to retire! So he simply doesn't have time to arrange everything! Being able to use his retirement to set up the schemes in the Summoning Immortals Ritual is already the limit of what Zhongli can do at the moment.

What Han Fulai wanted to know was what had happened during this time that made Zhongli so eager to retire.

Zhongli took a sip of "Rock Bone," and his golden pupils contained an emotion that Han Fu couldn't understand, like loneliness or sorrow of parting.

"Young friend Han, have you ever heard of wear and tear?"

Chapter Seventy-Six: Civil Servants Should Help Each Other

Zhongli asked Han Fulai if he knew about "wear and tear," and Han Fulai naturally knew the concept of "wear and tear."

In the game's storyline, "wear and tear" roughly refers to the long-lived demons gradually forgetting their original intentions over time. In more easily understood terms, it's similar to "Alzheimer's disease" or "senile dementia."

For example, one of Zhongli's close comrades in the Demon God War, the Dragon King Ruoduo, forgot his promise to protect Liyue because of "wear and tear" and wreaked havoc in Liyue. Zhongli ruthlessly sealed him underground.

Of course, Han Fulai couldn't say such things to Zhongli's face. Saying things like "mentally ill" or "dementia" would be too offensive. Saying "wear and tear" would sound much more elegant.

Han Fulai pondered for a moment, then translated the wear and tear into a more elegant way: "Years and time fly by, intentions fade with each passing day, and thus one withers and falls into obscurity, rarely surviving in the world."

Zhongli nodded. “That is indeed the case. I had an old friend named Ruo Tuo who gradually lost his mind under the influence of wear and tear. Although I tried to stop the wear and tear by diverting my power, it was all in vain. I suppose wear and tear is the way of nature, beyond my power. In the end, I had no choice but to seal him away with my own hands.”

“Every life will be worn down and deteriorate over time, and I am no exception. However, if I also wear down and deteriorate, I am afraid that no one in Liyue will be able to seal me away.”

"So, Mr. Zhongli, you mean that you retired to prevent damage to Liyue after the wear and tear?" Han Fulai asked.

“Yes,” Zhongli replied. “Furthermore, a few days ago I signed a ‘contract to end all contracts’ with the Ice Queen, and have already handed over the Heart of God and relinquished my divine duties. Traveling the world after retirement is also a pleasant thing.”

Han Fulai lowered his head, rested his chin on his right hand, and fell into deep thought—because Zhongli was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth.

While wear and tear objectively exists and will cause damage to Zhongli, this wear and tear is still in the process of quantitative accumulation and has not yet resulted in a qualitative change. The casting of Mora may indeed have been constantly wearing down Zhongli, but he has clearly been bearing this wear and tear for over three thousand years. It can't be such a coincidence that Zhongli just couldn't withstand it before he transmigrated this year, can it?

If the goal is to prevent damage from wear and tear, Zhong Li appears perfectly clear-headed in everything he does, and seems far from needing to retire. Even if it's about preventing problems before they arise, why retire now of all times?

What's even more puzzling is that even if he made a pact with the Ice Queen, surrendered the Heart of God, and could no longer forge Mora, it doesn't explain why Zhongli didn't make prior arrangements for restoring the circulation of gold and silver. Nor does it explain why Zhongli chose to retire by faking his death.

Besides testing the abilities of the Seven Stars of Liyue, what other benefits could he gain from faking his death?

Completely relinquishing his management responsibilities? No, he is still secretly watching over Liyue, the country he built from scratch.

Was his death a strategic deception? No, the Ice Queen clearly knew he wasn't dead. In fact, everyone in Liyue's leadership and the immortals knew he was alive. Even in the other seven kingdoms of Teyvat, anyone with even a basic understanding of demon gods would know he wasn't dead, because Liyue hadn't experienced a power leak from the Geo Archon.

I really can't understand why Zhongli faked his death. He was clearly willing to mentor me, even telling me about Gu Hua and mentioning his retirement, yet he refused to tell me the truth and instead used some "official statement" about the wear and tear to deceive me?

Surely it's not... to make way for a newcomer? If the old Geo Archon doesn't die, the new Geo Archon can't take over. Does Liyue have a celestial being who has been the crown prince for thousands of years competing with him in terms of lifespan?

Han Fulai shook his head, realizing that his thoughts were starting to wander. Zhongli clearly said that he had given the Heart of God to the Ice Queen. Without the Heart of God, of course, no new Rock God would appear. After all, the Heart of God was given to the seven gods by Sky Island as proof of their rule over the mortal world, and the seven gods' ascension to godhood was recognized by the laws of nature.

From Han Fulai's perspective as a civil servant in Haiting this month, the Seven Gods are actually civil servants from Sky Island with divine status—

Wait a minute, if the Seven Gods are also civil servants, then did they also sign something like the "Sky Island Civil Servant Official Confidentiality Ordinance"? And was this confidentiality ordinance very effective, so Zhongli had to abide by it and therefore couldn't tell the truth?

However, Han Fulai's month in office at Yuehaiting was not wasted. Under Gan Yu's tutelage, he had learned how to circumvent official secrecy regulations—after all, secrecy regulations are not for protecting secrets, but for protecting the government.

"Mr. Zhongli, may I ask you a hypothetical question?" Han Fulai asked.

Zhongli smiled slightly.

"of course can."

"If there were a completely hypothetical government, with a hypothetical prime minister and seven hypothetical government officials..."

Han Fulai spoke while observing Zhongli's expression.

Zhong Li still had a smile on her face.

"These seven completely hypothetical government officials are in charge of seven hypothetical departments within this hypothetical government..."

"If one of the seven hypothetical government officials, for some reason, sees a confidential document belonging to the hypothetical prime minister, should he disclose it to the permanent secretary of his hypothetical department?"

“Of course it shouldn’t be done due to confidentiality regulations,” Zhong Li shook his head. “But from a generally rational perspective, any civil servant can make careless mistakes that lead to dereliction of duty. I think unintentional errors are forgivable.”

"Of course, no one is perfect," Han Fulai said seriously.

"This hypothetical civil servant was quite old, and as people get older, they like to tell stories. So, while chatting over tea with the permanent secretary of his hypothetical department, this hypothetical elderly civil servant casually told a hypothetical story, which, quite coincidentally, was very similar to the contents of that hypothetical classified document."

Zhongli calmly picked up the teacup.

Han Fulai calmly picked up his teacup as well.

"The story goes like this. Five hundred years ago, a group of hypothetical bandits caused a huge disaster that nearly destroyed the government. This hypothetical prime minister and seven civil servants managed to stop the disaster, but at a heavy cost. Two civil servants died in the line of duty, and the prime minister was seriously injured. After eliminating the bandits, he would fall into a deep sleep every now and then."

"Although the bandits were wiped out, their families were innocent. However, the Prime Minister decided to eliminate them completely. A hypothetical kind-hearted civil servant couldn't bear it and, while the Prime Minister was asleep, secretly kept the bandits' families and placed them in his hypothetical department. The other civil servants, based on the principle that civil servants should help each other, helped to keep this a secret from the Prime Minister."

“Everyone originally thought that the hypothetical prime minister would remain asleep for many more years, but for some reason, this prime minister has shown signs of waking up.” Zhongli took a sip of tea.

"And that kind-hearted civil servant decided to rebel against the Prime Minister, and even... take his place, in order to protect those she was protecting. The other civil servants all helped that kind civil servant to varying degrees, but they were afraid that if the Prime Minister woke up, he would hold them accountable and dismiss their departments. So they chose to sever ties with this civil servant who rebelled against the Prime Minister, at least on the surface."

"After the elderly civil servant finished telling his story, he realized that he might have inadvertently violated the confidentiality regulations. Although it was unintentional, the Prime Minister will still punish him, and the punishment will also affect the departments under his jurisdiction."

"Oh dear, what should this elderly civil servant do?" Han Fulai asked with a worried expression.

“This elderly civil servant is too old and suddenly fell seriously ill. The whole government department knows about it, so he has to retire early. He asked that kind civil servant to help him return his civil servant's documents to the prime minister. The prime minister shouldn't make things difficult for an elderly person who has resigned due to a serious illness, right?” Zhong Li said.

"That's... hard to say," Han Fulai pondered.

“But early retirement at least gives him a chance to recover from his illness, and maybe he can regain some of his strength,” Zhong Li said with a smile. “I just wonder if that permanent secretary who has heard the story will be able to help this elderly civil servant take care of his hypothetical department?”

Han Fulai remained silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup and drank the "rock bone" in it in one gulp.

"We're all civil servants, so naturally we should help each other."

This is how Han Fulai answered.

Chapter Seventy-Seven is, the Emperor

Hearing Han Fulai's reply, Zhongli smiled and nodded, saying, "If young friend Han can say that, then my offering of a cup of 'Rock Bone' today has not been in vain."

Han Fulai gave a wry smile, realizing that there really was no free lunch on the Teyvat continent, especially since Zhongli was offering to treat him; the price must be terrifying, and he might even lose his life in the process.

Before coming to the Rock Tea House, Han Fulai thought he was there to curry favor, show off his value to his boss's boss, and pave the way for future promotions and raises. Who would have thought that Zhongli would so readily offer him such clung-to-the-legs gestures, waiting for him to fully embrace the offer before telling him, "Congratulations on joining the Teyvat rebels. From now on, be careful something doesn't fall from the sky and hit you on the head—whether it's a meteorite or a frost nail, it's definitely not a windfall."

In the "story" Zhongli had just told him, he had explained almost everything about the current situation in Teyvat. Combined with his knowledge of the game's plot, he now understood the crisis facing Liyue, or rather, the entire Teyvat continent.

Five hundred years ago, Heavenly Principle and the Seven Gods joined forces to destroy the ancient kingdom of Kanria. The God of Grass and the God of Thunder perished, and the Keeper of Heavenly Principle fell into a slumber afterward. Whatever their reasons, while the Keeper of Heavenly Principle was asleep, the Seven Gods did things that might incur Heavenly Principle's punishment.

The Ice Queen has taken in the remnants of the Kanria race from five hundred years ago and is determined to defy the laws of nature. Now, the maintainer of the laws of nature may be awakening ahead of schedule, and the other six gods each have their own plans.

Zhongli's actions involved creating a major scandal at the grandest event in Teyvat—the Summoning Ceremony—by faking his death, announcing his retirement, and severing ties, thus securing a way out for himself and Liyue. He then entrusted the Heart of God to Barnabas, the Ice God. As for what the Ice God intended to do with the Heart of God, Zhongli simply asked him to deliver it to Tianli. The delivery company's unethical practice of opening a customer's package was none of Zhongli's concern.

At least on the surface, Zhongli's actions were very much in line with the Sky Isle civil servant exemption procedures: he first took sick leave and then resigned, then handed his work ID to a colleague for safekeeping, and he would never abuse his power or violate work discipline before Sky Isle appointed a new Geo Archon... This set of tai chi was simply impeccable, no wonder he was the longest-serving civil servant in Teyvat.