Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Zhongli took it and examined it closely, as if it were the first time he had ever seen it. "So this is what the Frostfire Nail looks like? It does resemble a pillar."

"It also looks a lot like a pillar to me, but the name 'nail' is more descriptive."

"It should be completely destroyed by you now, right?"

"It's shattered, but the fragments are floating in mid-air, it's quite a mess..."

"Is it just floating?"

"Yes, it's floating there without moving. But those blue crystal fragments floating in mid-air are quite pretty."

“I see…” Zhongli handed the photo back to him, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just that it's the first time I've seen something like this, and I find it novel."

"Now there's a road to the top of the mountain, so it's easier to get there. If Mr. Zhongli has time, he can go to the top and take a look. We don't know what to do with those fragments, so we can only let them float in place."

"I will if I have the chance."

After chatting for a while, Jiang Bai took out a bag of dandelion seeds he had picked.

"When I went to Mondstadt this time, I originally wanted to bring Mr. Zhongli a bottle of Mondstadt's famous dandelion wine, but the head of the hall said that you prefer to brew your own wine, so we picked a lot of dandelion seeds for you. These should be enough for you to brew a large jar."

Jiang Bai chuckled and pushed the dandelion seeds to him, showing no shame whatsoever for shifting the blame to Hu Tao.

These dandelion seeds, if valued, would be worth at least ten thousand moras, enough to buy several bottles of dandelion wine.

Therefore, Jiang Bai was not at all guilty when he gave it away.

"That's very thoughtful of you, thank you."

Zhongli was in a good mood after receiving the gift.

Dandelions are only found in Mondstadt, and they mostly grow on steep, windy mountain slopes.

To harvest this, one must climb high mountains, and each dandelion produces only a few seeds. To harvest so many, they would probably have picked all the dandelions on that mountain.

He took some dandelion seeds out of the bag, sniffed their aroma, and looked somewhat nostalgic.

"It's been a long time since I've brewed wine..."

“We happen to have the ingredients. Mr. Zhongli, you can brew a little more. I also want to know what dandelion wine tastes like.”

"it is good."

"By the way, Mr. Zhongli, are you attending the invocation ceremony for the immortals the day after tomorrow?"

Zhongli glanced at him. "Are you very interested?"

"Of course! I've never seen the Rock God before, I'm really curious to see what He looks like!" Jiang Bai said expectantly.

"The form of gods is not fixed. If you want to know what the Rock God looks like, the Summoning Ritual will probably disappoint you."

"So what if I'm disappointed? I'm just here for the fun and to broaden my horizons. It would be great if I could see the Rock God, but it's not like I'm missing out." Jiang Bai was quite easygoing.

After all, he was just curious about what the Rock God looked like; he didn't actually want to find the Rock God.

Chapter 164 Humans Do Not Need Gods

"Mr. Zhongli, would you like to come with me?"

"No, thank you." Zhongli shook her head.

"Why?" Jiang Bai persisted.

"Not interested."

"Come on, we went just fine last time, didn't we? It won't cause any problems..." Jiang Bai tried to coax him.

Jiang Bai's trick doesn't work on everyone; it didn't work on Zhong Li.

He didn't dare to cling to Zhong Li's arm and act cute like Hu Tao did, so he could only try to change Zhong Li's mind with verbal attacks.

Although he was a bit more casual in front of Hu Tao, he still had to maintain a certain image in front of others.

"Don't go."

Zhongli's attitude was quite firm: she simply wouldn't go.

But Jiang Bai's relentless nagging puzzled him.

"You seem to really want me to go?"

"Yes, yes!" Jiang Bai readily admitted, having been seen through.

"Mr. Zhongli, what are your thoughts on this Rock King Emperor? Please give your evaluation!"

"How can I, a mere mortal, possibly comment on the gods?" Zhongli quietly sipped his tea, wanting to see what this fellow wanted to ask.

"Why did you suddenly ask me to evaluate the Rock King Emperor?"

"The hall master told me about some of the deeds of the Rock King Emperor. You are very knowledgeable, and I would like to hear your opinion."

Jiang Bai massaged his shoulders, trying to curry favor with him.

"Could you please speak to me privately? The Summoning Ceremony is approaching, and I'm genuinely curious."

Zhongli countered with, "What kind of deity do you think the Rock King Emperor is?"

Jiang Bai thought for a moment and said:

"Compared to the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt who only appears in times of crisis, the Geo Archon descends with divine revelation every year, guiding the development of Liyue. He can be described as diligent and conscientious. However..." Jiang Bai changed the subject.

"But isn't he interfering in Liyue too frequently?"

"Liyue has been around for over three thousand years, hasn't it? For such a long time, the Geo Archon has appeared every year to guide Liyue's development. It makes me feel like the Geo Archon is a worried old father, afraid that his 'son' will have problems, so he comes out every year to check on things..."

This is Jiang Bai's most genuine feeling upon hearing that the Rock King Emperor would send down divine revelations every year.

The Rock God has appeared every year for over three thousand years, demonstrating its diligence and dedication.

Before going to Mondstadt, he thought that the gods of other countries were similar, but after hearing Barbara talk about the deeds of the wind god, he realized that he was wrong.

Not every deity is as diligent and conscientious as the Rock King Emperor.

Zhongli couldn't deny Jiang Bai's words, "What you said is really apt."

The relationship between the Geo Archon and Liyue is truly like that of a worried father and son.

Even though his "son" was already three thousand years old, the old father was still worried.

"My understanding of the Geo Archon is limited, so these words are certainly biased, but as an outsider who has only recently arrived in Liyue, this is all I can see."

Jiang Bai recounted the tales of the Wind God he had heard in Mondstadt, and spoke with emotion:

"...Although I can't quite remember things from the past, the world I lived in before probably didn't have gods, so naturally there were no gods to guide me on how to develop."

"The people of Liyue are happy. They have a god who cares about everything for them, and they are also protected by the immortals. They are protected by these powerful people."

This is a good thing, but in some cases, it is also a bad thing.

"But when this deity disappears, and these immortals vanish, they may very well lose the ability to cope with crises..."

Zhongli blew on the hot tea in her cup, took a sip, and chuckled softly:

"You're underestimating the people of Liyue."

The people of Liyue are not a race that would panic if their gods and immortals disappeared.

They were resolute, intelligent, sincere, and brave, creating countless miracles with their frail mortal bodies.

"Five hundred years ago, a catastrophe swept through Teyvat. A dark tide of beasts surged into the territories of various countries. At that time, the Geo Archon was not in Liyue. It was the Thousand Rock Army and the immortals who protected the people of Liyue."

When talking about events from five hundred years ago, Zhongli's expression darkened.

Too many things happened five hundred years ago, and they had a significant impact on the entire Teyvat.

Fortunately, the Thousand Rock Army and the immortals stayed behind to guard the rear; otherwise, Liyue would have suffered an unbearable catastrophe.

He drank the tea in the cup, leaving only steam rising from the empty cup.

"However, you are right about one thing: perhaps humanity does not need gods."

"Huh? That's not what I meant!" Jiang Bai was stunned.

Zhongli's words immediately rendered him unable to do it.

Humans don't need gods? That's not what he meant!

“Everything has its own meaning, and since gods exist, they must have their own meaning. Mr. Zhongli, what you're saying is a bit treasonous!” Jiang Bai’s eyes were filled with obvious suspicion.

He was just testing the waters, but Zhongli revealed himself directly!

Look at these words, isn't this an attempt to overthrow the rule of the gods?

Zhongli chuckled and threw the question back at him, "So what do you think? Do humans need gods?"

"Gods can protect humanity, guide humanity, and give humanity greater power. Of course, humanity needs gods!" Jiang Bai said with unwavering conviction.

What a joke, he's from the sect leader's faction.

The hall master revered the Rock King so much that he also thought the Rock King was a good deity who diligently protected the development of Liyue.

Such a good god, he would never want to overthrow His rule!

Mr. Zhongli, don't even think about getting him on board!

Zhongli poured Jiang Bai a cup of tea at a leisurely pace and said slowly:

"But what you're saying, humans can do themselves. Humans can provide protection for their own race, and they don't actually need the guidance of gods. As for great power, what do you think of the power you used to destroy the Frostfire Nails?"

Zhongli had no idea what Jiang Bai was thinking, but this was the first time he had ever spoken to anyone about these things.

Do humans need gods?

He pondered this question for a long time, and when he saw the Frost Nail being destroyed, he found the answer.

Humans don't actually need gods.

Perhaps to put it more simply, gods are not a necessity for humankind.

That old friend in Mondstadt must have realized this long ago, and has always let Mondstadt develop freely.

Jiang Bai was truly stumped by Zhong Li's question.

Indeed, there are some things that humans can do without gods, but that does not mean that we can deny the achievements of gods.

Jiang Bai scratched his head, trying to persuade Zhong Li, "But this is different! If there were no gods, how could humanity have survived in that ancient war between demons and gods?"

"But the war between demons is already a thing of the past..."

"It's in the past, but that doesn't mean the gods' achievements don't exist, nor can we say that humanity no longer needs gods just because the world is at peace!"

Chapter 165 The Ceremony to Summon Immortals is About to Begin

The two people were thinking completely differently, yet neither of them noticed, and they were talking about things that were totally unrelated.

"I'm not denying the achievements of the gods; I'm just stating a fact. Have you ever considered that the so-called disaster of the war between demons and gods was actually brought about by the demons themselves?"

Hearing Zhongli's words, Jiang Bai had only one thought.

Zhongli's obsession runs deep; it's impossible to change his mind with words.

But giving up like this was obviously not an option, so Jiang Bai decided to try a different angle.

"Mr. Zhongli, do you believe that humans are the most important beings in Teyvat? Otherwise, why do you say that humans don't need gods, rather than that gods don't need humans?"

Upon hearing this, Zhongli gave a strange smile.

How do you know that gods don't need humans?

Jiang Bai was startled, and his gaze toward Zhong Li became increasingly dangerous.

No wonder Zhongli had the courage to overthrow the gods' rule; he had already caught the gods red-handed!

Zhongli's words are clearly saying that the gods need humans!

But why would gods need humans?

Is it because humans are the source of divine power? The stronger the people's faith in the gods, the more powerful the corresponding gods are?

But if that's the case, why doesn't the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt ever show up? Doesn't He need the power of faith?