"May I ask why Mr. Zhongli is here? If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work."
Lu Ze looked at Zhongli, whose gaze was fixed on the rankings. Why were they all so obsessed with the rankings?
The top five spots on the leaderboard were already occupied: Geo Archon Zhongli, Anemo Archon Venti, Electro Archon Raiden Ei, Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Hu Tao, and the owner of the Dawn Winery Diluc. This was…
"I've come to discuss opening a branch with you. Our Tianquan star is very interested in your little shop. However, due to her busy schedule, she cannot come to Mondstadt herself. So, we wanted to ask if you could consider opening a branch here?"
Zhongli calmly picked up a teacup and took a sip. The tea was surprisingly good.
"I see. I have considered opening branches, but not at this stage. Mr. Zhongli, please inform the Tianquan star that as soon as I decide to open a branch, I will contact her."
"That is excellent… However, you should know who I am, correct?"
Zhongli's ancient, golden eyes gazed at Lu Ze before he took another sip of tea, noting how good it tasted.
"If Your Excellency the Archon enjoys this tea, I wouldn't mind gifting you a few bags."
Lu Ze seemed to understand something. He took two bags of tea from behind the counter and placed them in front of Zhongli.
"That is thoughtful of you. Besides the matter of the branch, I have one more thing I wish to make a contract for. In the not-too-distant future, I will abdicate my divine position and live among mortals. However, if Liyue were to face a grave crisis, I had originally intended to intervene."
"But then I saw you. Your strength is immense; anything I might do would likely not threaten you. Therefore… I hope you can protect Liyue for me once, ensuring that the Geo Archon can die peacefully and disappear forever. Of course, everything has its price. You may name one request, as long as it is not excessive."
Lu Ze's brow furrowed as he listened to Zhongli. One condition for a bodyguard? Regardless of how one looked at it, both sides would profit.
However, he didn't particularly desire anything. He couldn't possibly ask for Zhongli's shed exoskeleton, could he? While impressive, it wasn't particularly useful, and he suspected the Tianquan star would have a fit.
"How about this? I will not state my condition for now, but the contract will still be in effect. When I have a need, I will inform you."
Zhongli nodded. In that case, his trip to Mondstadt wouldn't be in vain. The Rite of Descension was only a few days away, and he needed to return quickly. Hu Tao was simply too lively, sigh…
As he walked away, he discreetly pocketed the two bags of tea. This Archon was quite bold, actually taking them…
"Never mind, it's just a bag of tea. I'm not that petty."
Returning to the counter, Lu Ze looked at the figures on the table and silently patted one. Then, holding a blueprint, he prepared to leave. Wait… he returned once more, fiddled with something on the computer, and then left with satisfaction.
Across all the nations, the previously clear skies once again displayed a large screen. Having experienced it once, the residents were no longer as panicked, but instead watched the screen with anticipation.
The dark screen soon displayed an image.
"From the moment humanity possessed civilization, Honkai has always been its companion…"
The CG animation preceding the Xuanyuan chapter slowly played, roughly detailing how Xuanyuan sealed Chi You.
Zhongli, who had just left, looked at the screen in surprise. Chi You? That sounded powerful. He hadn't experienced that part during his last playthrough. He'd have to revisit it sometime.
Venti wandered through the snowy mountains, feeling helpless. Why did Zhongli always finish the challenges before him? He should still be in first place, right? He should be… he just wasn't very confident.
"I should go to the shop later. That old man is completely unreasonable. I'm really frustrated…"
Suddenly, he noticed the large screen in the sky. This… this must be content from a new version, right? So, would Himeko-sensei be able to obtain Stigmata this time?
Since the CG animation was very short, it ended quickly. However, there was a self-recorded video afterward.
"Hello everyone, my name is Wendy. I am the Herrscher of Wind in Honkai Impact 3rd. You might recognize me from the previous PV, right? Wendy wishes everyone good health and all the best. The Honkai Impact 3rd experience store is located in Mondstadt's Whispering Woods. Anyone interested can come and try it out. The best part is, it's free!"
After the video finished playing, a large "Honkai Impact 3rd" logo appeared on the screen, followed by the version's content: new Stigmata, stages, events, rules, and even footage of people drawing for characters, such as the adorable Klee.
The ability to enhance one's strength while also enjoying the game directly caused envy among some martial artists. While this would attract more people, it would also attract those with ill intentions, such as…
Tartaglia saw the large screen in the sky. Chi You? He wondered if it was as strong as the Geo Archon. You could draw Stigmata and weapons? And even obtain them in reality? Looking at it this way… what was this shopkeeper making money from? Or were they just a spokesperson? There couldn't possibly be free benefits in this world, right?
Since there were still three or four days before his plan began, why not go and take a look? This shopkeeper must be very strong, right? He'd love a one-on-one duel! Fighting with the strong would enhance his strength, and ultimately, he would stand atop the divine throne!
Meanwhile, in the Northland Bank, the Lady looked at the screen and let out a disdainful smile. She had no interest in enhancing her strength anymore; all she desired was revenge. Now that her great vengeance was achieved, she found herself with nothing to do. Perhaps she should go and take a look herself?
Wendy… how could her name be so similar to that drunken poet? In the previous PV, that person's plight was truly tragic… even more so than her own. She had only lost Rostam and her lover. But she had endured countless experiments, been used as a vessel, treated like trash…
She questioned herself internally: could she endure such immense pain? A simple lover's death had driven her to madness. With all of this added, she would have likely turned to ash long ago.
What Lu Ze didn't know was that this short CG animation had directly attracted two of the eleven Fatui Harbingers: Childe, Tartaglia, and the Lady, Rosalyne.
He, on the other hand, was busy organizing parts. After all, many of the parts salvaged from the system space were unusable. He sorted out all the unusable ones and began to reforge them. With such a large battleship, he could probably build seventy or eighty houses.