Chapter 53: Destiny is the Ultimate Knowledge

The Next Day,

Wang Daoyi woke up in the guest room of Wanmin Restaurant. He realized that he had underestimated Chef Mao. Although he managed to knock him down, Wang Daoyi had also consumed quite a bit of alcohol. In the end, he had to help Xiangling carry Chef Mao back to his room and ended up sleeping at Wanmin Restaurant.

"Brother Daoyi, wake up and come eat breakfast!"

Xiangling was still the earliest riser, and she had already prepared breakfast.

"Rumble~"

Guoba, on the side, stealthily reached for the steamed buns on the table.

Chef Mao had not yet woken up. After eating breakfast with Xiangling, Wang Daoyi returned to the Dockside Tea House. He remembered the encounter with Zhongli yesterday and Zhongli's request for him to visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Back at the tea house, after freshening up and getting rid of the smell of alcohol, Wang Daoyi transformed into a dashing young man.

Taking along a bottle of apple cider given by an unknown Wind Spirit, as well as some gifts prepared for the officiants at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Wang Daoyi headed towards the funeral parlor.

Although it was still early in the morning, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had already opened its doors. Once a department responsible not only for funeral rites but also for dealing with plague and diseases in Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had gradually shifted its focus to funeral services as more medical clinics emerged in the city.

Despite no longer handling plague-related matters, the tradition of opening early was still maintained.

Upon arriving at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, an unnamed officiant was already at the entrance.

"Oh, Daoyi is here. Are you here to see the Chief or Guest Consultant Zhongli?" 

As Wang Daoyi had been a frequent visitor to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the officiants were already quite familiar with him. After all, in all of Liyue, there weren't many people who frequented the funeral parlor.

Respecting the final journey of the deceased, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was both respected and avoided by the people of Liyue. Keeping a respectful distance was considered the best approach.

Wang Daoyi was one of the few who enjoyed visiting Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

"I'm here to see Guest Consultant Zhongli. I have some questions to ask."

Wang Daoyi politely replied and then handed the gifts he brought to the officiant. "I just returned from Mondstadt yesterday and brought gifts for everyone. Please distribute them."

"Wow, more gifts! Brother Daoyi is so kind, thank you!"

The officiant graciously accepted the gift bag from Wang Dao and then pointed towards the backyard. "Mr. Zhongli has already woken up and just returned to the backyard. You can go find him there."

Nodding, Wang Daoyi carried the apple cider and headed towards the backyard. He had visited Zhongli's residence many times before, so he didn't need an officiant to guide him.

After Wang Daoyi left, the officiant sorted and categorized the gifts Wang Daoyi brought, calculating their value and recording them in the register.

As the largest and monopolistic industry in Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had its own set of rules in every aspect. While it didn't prohibit clients from giving gifts, all gifts received would be recorded. When the client needed the services of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor later on, these gifts would be converted into corresponding prices and used for their rituals.

Yes, these gifts would be considered as part of the funeral expenses Wang Daoyi had prepaid to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Arriving at Zhongli's residence, Wang Daoyi knocked on the door. Courtesy was still necessary, especially when dealing with someone he couldn't overpower.

"Come in!"

Zhongli's voice was as calm as ever, as if nothing in the world could move him.

Wang Daoyi pushed open the door and entered the backyard. Zhongli was sitting there, savoring tea. Wang Daoyi thought for a moment; Zhongli indeed seemed to enjoy drinking tea. Out of the ten times Wang Daoyi had seen him, eight times he was drinking tea.

Placing the apple cider he brought on the stone table, Wang Daoyi didn't hesitate and sat down on the stool next to Zhongli.

"It seems like you had a fruitful trip to Mondstadt this time!"

Zhongli glanced at the bottle of apple cider on the table and recognized its origin.

"Thanks to your blessings, I didn't encounter any danger and encountered many interesting things."

Wang Daoyi then roughly recounted his trip to Mondstadt to Zhongli.

Just like the stories he told to Xiangling, Wang Daoyi told Zhongli the same stories.

However, the story he told to Xiangling didn't include the Anemo Archon, Barbados.

But in the story he told Zhongli, he explicitly told him that the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt now assumed the form of a bard named Venti and lived as a drunkard in Mondstadt.

"That bard drunkard, it's been many years since I last saw him."

Zhongli didn't interrupt Wang Daoyi's narrative. Instead, he sighed after Wang Daoyi finished telling the story.

"Mr. Zhongli, both Barbados and the Anemo Dragon referred to me as the Guardian of Morax. What does this mean?"

Wang Daoyi asked his question, although he knew it was definitely related to Zhongli. But as he interacted with Zhongli more and more every day, it couldn't be that everyone he interacted with was a Guardian, right?

Zhongli took a sip of tea from his cup, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "I believe you should have the answer to my identity already."

"Yes, from the very beginning, I knew you were the Geo Archon."

Wang Daoyi didn't lie; he indeed knew Zhongli's identity from the start.

Zhongli nodded. He also knew that Wang Daoyi knew his identity, especially considering how sudden the antique gift was.

"I ignited your Constellation. The Constellations symbolizes the fate of the people of Teyvat, so in the eyes of Barbados, your fate is filled with my aura, and he naturally considers you my Guardian."

Zhongli gave his answer. "In fact, you are indeed my Guardian. You should have noticed that your Vision was also granted by me."

Wang Daoyi didn't care much about the properties of his Vision; it was just an external magical organ. As long as he had it, the properties didn't matter.

What he cared about was the word Zhongli mentioned in his speech: destiny.

"Can gods see a person's destiny?"

Wang Daoyi asked, his eyes filled with a thirst for unknown knowledge.

However, to Wang Daoyi's question, Zhongli shook his head and denied it.

"Among the Seven, only Barbatos and I are the oldest. We can discern the general direction of a person's destiny, but we still cannot see the entirety of a person's destiny."

"Destiny is the ultimate knowledge. Perhaps only the Archon of Dendro, who completely controls the Erminsul, has the possibility of grasping such knowledge!"

Wang Daoyi fell silent. He knew what Zhongli said was true because Zhongli never lied, at least not to someone of Wang Daoyi's level.

"Do you know the God of Storm?"

(End of this chapter)