Work Text:
It could be said that Zhongli loved to go shopping. He was fond of the crafts created by the hands of humans. To him, they were not mere humble trinkets manufactured by the mortals, but rather the fruits of the civilization which none other than Zhongli himself had sown thousands of years ago…
As a connoisseur, Zhongli knew the values of things, and because of that, he was easily convinced to pay a hefty price for the goods sold by merchants and the like. The price was not a problem, because as Rex Lapis, he had the ability to generate Mora at will. So for thousands of years, when he patrolled Liyue to observe, gather information and exercise the duty of an Archon, he often found himself purchasing many kinds of stuff in the process. Zhongli had no use for the overwhelming majority of the things which he bought, so he would donate most of them afterward.
As they usually said - old habits die hard. Even after having lost the ability to create Mora, Zhongli would still go on spending sprees, only to find that he didn’t even have nearly enough money to cover the cost. Like today for example, Zhongli looked forlornly at a round time-dial on a shelf of Wanyou Boutique, a store under the wharf at Chihu Rock, Liyue Harbor. The trinket was recently discovered and unearthed by an adventurer who sold it to Bolai - the owner of Wanyou Boutique.
With just a glance, Zhongli could tell that the time-dial was created hundreds of years ago, and in fact it belonged to the same series of time-dials that Zhongli himself had collected for centuries. Those were called Orichalceous Time-Dials - devices which were handed down by Rex Lapis to the Millelith soldiers who carried out the suicide mission in The Chasm more than 500 years ago…
Upon hearing the price of the Orichalceous Time-Dial, Zhongli put his right hand in his pouch, intending to generate Mora to pay Bolai. But a second later Zhongli recalled that he didn’t possess that ability anymore, and he didn’t bring enough Mora with him either.
As Zhongli was about to go home to get money, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a voice:
_ Mr. Bo, I want to buy this thing.
A newly arrived customer pointed at the Orichalceous Time-Dial:
_ Gentry Luo, you have an exquisite taste! This is a one-of-a-kind artifact with a rich history. I bought it from my friend, who in turn bought it from a man hailing from an impoverished aristocrat family that had kept it as their family heirloom for thousands of years...
Bo Lai lied with confidence about the origins of the Time-Dial, with the clear intention of hiking the price up so that he could make more profit from a customer who had a deep pocket and without any knowledge about antiques. Zhongli sighed, he quickly turned back to correct Bo Lai:
_ Didn’t you say previously that this would cost me 50000 Mora?
_ Dear customer, you have heard that wrong. I said 150000 Mora, not 50000.
_ Impossible!
_ I will take it.
Gentry Luo spoke while unfolding and waving his intricate hand fan back and forth.
_ No, I bought it first, and this gentleman had agreed to wait for me to come back with the money.
Zhongli protested.
_ That’s your problem, I have 150000 Mora right here.
_ Fine, then I am willing to pay 155000 Mora.
_ Then I will pay 163000!
_ Make it 18000!
_ 185000 Mora!
_ How about… 193000?
_ 200000!
Gentry Luo was temporarily speechless. He couldn’t imagine why Zhongli desired something like this Time-Dial to that degree. He paused, and after thinking for a while, it finally dawned on him. Luo suspected that this “customer” was in league with Bo Lai, trying to trick and making him pay more for this little object - in other words, a price anchoring ruse to bump the price up. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the Time-Dial didn’t even worth its initial price of 150000.
_ Fine, it’s yours then.
Luo spoke while pointing at Zhongli with his folded hand fan and immediately departed. When he was far away enough, Luo heaved a sigh of relief after being able to shake off what was essentially a scam.
Meanwhile, at the same time when Zhongli was about to go home, he was stopped by Bo Lai:
_ Zhongli xiansheng, what about the money?
_ I have said that I would need to go home first to get the money.
_ But what if you wouldn’t return to buy this artifact?
_ You don't believe me? I am a man of my word. I will definitely return with enough Mora.
Zhongli spoke to assure the store owner. But Bo Lai stared at him in disbelief and came up with a decision…
Zhongli walked as fast as he could to get home, trying his best to ignore the gazes from people on the street. So many people had noticed him, they pointed at him and gossiped about him, some laughed because of his ridiculous appearances. Zhongli was largely naked, wearing only his shorts. A Millelith soldier even stopped Zhongli to ask him about his situation:
_ Xiansheng, did something bad happen to you? Where are your clothes? Were you robbed?
_ No, I wasn’t robbed. Thank you, Xiangming.
Zhongli politely replied, and tried his best to ignore the attention from everyone else. But when he was near the place where he stayed, he was startled upon seeing a person he didn’t want to meet the most in this situation. It was none other than Zhongli's boss at his workplace - Hu Tao. In a moment, Zhongli had considered turning back, but doing so would be an equally bad idea because it would result in more people seeing that he was almost naked instead. Moreover, it was already too late to do that anyway, as Hu Tao had already spotted him.
_ Zhongli! Ehehe.
Hu Tao quickly ran toward him, as if she had prepared for just that. Zhongli turned his back at her as a reflex of self-defense. Hu Tao’s laughter became louder as she recognized the situation Zhongli was in. When she was near him, Zhongli suddenly spoke first:
_ Director Hu, you can make fun of me however you want, but I need to get dressed properly first.
Zhongli immediately walked toward his home while Hu Tao, grinning from ear to ear, took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime situation to chase after and teased him:
_ Old man, where are your clothes? Lemme guess, you bathed outdoor and someone stole your clothes, right? Or you gambled and then lost, so you had to pawn your clothes? Or…
Later on, as Zhongli returned to the living room, he was surprised to see Hu Tao hurriedly running toward the table in the middle of the room and sat down, as if she had just returned from deep within the interior of his house. Zhongli had a hunch that Hu Tao secretly peeped him when he was getting dressed… Trying his best to scrub that mental image from his mind, Zhongli wore a calm expression like as if nothing had happened and asked:
_ Why are you here, Director?
_ Well, uhm..., you know, your boss just wants to check out how her employee lives. Ain't returning home almost naked more than enough to justify my concern for you? Hehe, Zhongli…
Zhongli decided to spill the beans regarding the reason why he had to endure such humiliations in the first place. When he narrated to the part on which Bo Lai confiscated the clothes and would only give them back to Zhongli when he had brought enough money to buy the Time-Dial, effectively pawning the costumes which he usually wore, Hu Tao burst into laughter and slammed the palm of her right hand on the table’s surface in extreme exhilaration.
_ So, uhm, Director Hu, can I borrow you some money to pay for this? Initially I didn’t expect that the price would be inflated to 200000 Mora.
_ Zhongli, do you think that this thing you want to buy is worth it?
Hu Tao replied while wiping away the tears which resulted from her hard laughter.
_ Yes, because of its history…
_ What history?
_ Fine, if you insist, I will tell you about the story of this Orichalceous Time-Dial.
Teyvat, 500 years ago. The seven countries were in a state of total war. A great catastrophe had befallen the world after the fall of Khaenri’ah. Liyue was beset on all fronts by countless tides of monsters. And Liyue Harbor was chosen by Rex Lapis as the last citadel to mount the resistance against mankind’s dangerous adversaries.
_ You summoned me, my lord?
_ I am no longer your lord, yaksha.
The kneeling yaksha was shaken by the stone-cold voice which addressed him. He took that as a sign that Rex Lapis still hadn’t forgiven him.
_ I’m terribly sorry, sir!
The voice paused for a while, and then Rex Lapis continued:
_ I need you to fight together with the Millelith on an offensive to The Chasm. You and the Millelith will serve as a rearguard and holding the monsters back until the civilians have already been evacuated. Will you accept this mission?
_ With pleasure, sir! I ask only to serve!
After having instructed the nameless yaksha regarding what needed to be done, Rex Lapis said:
_ By the way, you will need this. Where you are going, there will be no light. With it, you will be able to tell the time.
Rex Lapis gave the yaksha something. It was one of the Orichalceous Time-Dials which were also issued to the Millelith force accompanying the yaksha. The yaksha received the Time-Dial with utmost reverence and gratitude.
When the nameless yaksha was dismissed and about to exit through the doorway, Rex Lapis suddenly spoke:
_ This is a one-way trip. Do you think that you can accomplish it?
The Millelith soldiers stood solemnly at the Yujing Terrace. They were the force which would march straight from this square to The Chasm. In front of them stood all 7 members of the Liyue Qixing. Suddenly, a brown dragon gracefully descended down from the sky. All of the soldiers and Qixing members immediately sank to one knee. The dragon’s proclamation reverberated throughout Liyue Harbor:
_ My people, sons and daughters of Liyue. It is in dire circumstances that we are here today celebrating the day Liyue was founded. At the moment, the wretched monsters have already flooded the countryside of our country, and here too, they are besieging our heartland - Liyue Harbor. But I want to remind you that back then, we were in an even more difficult situation.
We evacuated to here after the devastation of Guili Plains, with little more than the shirts on our backs. And yet we have survived, and thrived, and triumphed against all odds. We have built the most prosperous country all across the world from scratch.
Today we are definitely in a far better condition than back then. Liyue now is many times greater in terms of population, wealth, industry and military might compared to Liyue then. So, is there any reason to doubt that this time we won’t achieve victory against the enemies once again?
My people, sons and daughters of Liyue! Can you hear the Motherland calling? Calling for the survival of mankind! Calling for the total eradication of all monsters! Under my banner, forward to victory!
The soldiers and Qixing members stood up and cheered like as if they had never cheered in their entire life. They were absolutely entranced and invigorated as they basked in the supernatural charisma of their Archon.
Shortly afterward, the Millelith soldiers marched straight from Yujing Terrace to the front line of the war. When they approached the great bastion guarding the choke point at Mt. Tianheng, they could witness the divine war machines called the Guizhong Ballistas in action, which automatically shot salvos after salvos of withering fire at the seemingly endless stream of monsters throwing themselves at the gate of the bastion. The soldiers couldn’t advance any further because the monsters had already blocked their way.
Then suddenly the sky turned black, even though it was just noon. Soon after, the brown dragon descended down from the sky and growled with a thunderous roar, signaling that the wrath of the Geo God had been unleashed. Subsequently, several spheres of lights punctured the dark sky as giant meteors split through the atmosphere and crashing down upon the ravenous monsters. When it was all over, the soldiers who were manning the bastion celebrated and expressed gratitude for their Archon as all of the monsters within sight beyond the walls were completely wiped off the surface of the earth.
Not wasting even a second, the Millelith soldiers immediately set out for The Chasm through the now-opened gate. The nameless yaksha didn’t travel together with the human soldiers because the karma which he exuded may contaminate his mortal companions and brought them harms, so he kept a distance from them, instead served as an advance guard of the entire force, being the first to engage and quickly eliminating any monster they encountered en route.
After having paid for the Orichalceous Time-Dial at Wanyou Boutique and received back his ransomed clothes, Zhongli treated Hu Tao to a meal at Wanmin Restaurant. He kept thanking her for sponsoring 100% of the fund which was needed to purchase the artifact, instead of merely lending Zhongli the money like what he initially proposed. Hu Tao didn’t say much in the process, which was rare, as she was still moved by Zhongli’s story. She never suspected anything Zhongli said because she trusted him the most.
When they were back at Zhongli’s home, Hu Tao waited for Zhongli to get back to the bedroom and secretly peeked through the window. She saw Zhongli caressed the Orichalceous Time-Dial they bought earlier, then he held it in his hands and stayed still.
Some variations of rock could store memories within it, and Zhongli - who was formerly the Geo Archon - had the ability to hear such memories. Even though over time, those stored memories would gradually dwindle until none was left, but Zhongli still wanted to believe. “Maybe this time...” - he thought.
Closing his eyes, Zhongli tried his best to concentrate. There were noises that couldn't be mistaken for anything else other than the deafening sounds of a battle. Then there was silence. Zhongli continued to patiently wait until he could hear his own voice echoing:
_ This is a one-way trip. Do you think that you can accomplish it?
And the last of the words which the nameless yaksha spoke to him:
_ I will try, sir!
Zhongli’s heart was gripped with both happiness and grief at the same time. He had awaited this very moment over the last 500 years. Even though it had never been explicitly announced, but in truth, he had already forgiven the nameless yaksha... and yet Zhongli could never forgive himself...
After having lost in thought for a while, Zhongli finally stood up. He slowly opened a chest and put that Orichalceous Time-Dial inside it, among several other Orichalceous Time-Dials which Zhongli had collected over the centuries. Those Time-Dials used to belong to the Millelilith who fought alongside the yaksha... Zhongli had vowed that he would retrieve every intact Orichalceous Time-Dial as a way to pay tribute to their sacrifices, and with this, he had finally fulfilled it.