Chapter 115 - 115: The Gathering of the Primary Gods—The Crying Cryo Archon
Chapter 115 - 115: The Gathering of the Primary Gods—The Crying Cryo Archon
The voice of the ruler of the Teyvat Universe resonated in the ears of every Primary God and higher-ranked god.
Only gods of Primary God level or above were qualified to participate in a meeting of such magnitude—one dedicated to maintaining the order of the Teyvat World. Lesser gods merely needed to assist the Primary Gods in executing their duties.
…
Inazuma
Inside Tenshukaku, Raiden Makoto, who had been reviewing official reports and handling Inazuma's affairs, suddenly tensed. Her expression turned serious as she looked out the window toward Celestia, high in the sky, before shifting her gaze to her sister, Ei, who had just entered.
"Makoto, Lord Noah has summoned all Primary Gods and higher-ranked gods to Celestia for a divine assembly."
Makoto nodded, then asked in confusion, "Why?"
Recalling the events of her last visit to Celestia, she couldn't help but grow tense.
"Could it be that Lord Heavenly Principle has some urgent matter that requires gathering all the Archons again?"
It had been three months since Lord Heavenly Principle had last convened the four earthly rulers of Teyvat to initiate the World Assimilation Plan.
Makoto sighed as she looked at her younger sister, who was still so engrossed in martial arts and technology re
Celestia was no longer simply suspended above Teyvat. It now existed in an entirely separate dimension—what Teyvat saw was merely its projection.
This space was the divine realm of the Teyvat Universe, a domain where gods could establish their own divine territories and dimensional spaces.
The land of Teyvat itself had become a nested, garden-like structure.
And Celestia was the very heart of this divine realm.
As Buer, Malikata, Nahida, and Apep passed through the spatial barrier of the divine realm and entered Celestia's domain, more than a dozen other Primary Gods arrived at the same time.
Although the outer perimeter of Celestia remained a sacred complex of pure white pillars adorned with golden patterns, the interior space had expanded immensely.
Celestia was now equivalent to a small independent world. Several massive floating islands formed its entirety, with the largest one at the center. Divine auras permeated every corner of Celestia.
These divine auras were all projections of the divine thrones belonging to the Teyvat Pantheon. Even an ordinary human, upon setting foot here, could leverage these divine auras to forge their own path toward godhood.
More than a dozen Primary Gods arrived simultaneously at the vast white plaza of the Grand Hall of the Gods.
Each group of Primary Gods had arrived together, representing their respective nations.
Buer greeted the colleagues she recognized: "Morax, Focalors, Baal, Beelzebul, Barbatos—greetings to you all."
Then, turning to the unfamiliar gods, she extended her greetings: "Greetings to all my fellow gods."
Zhongli nodded with one hand folded behind his back. "It has been a long time, Buer… and to all my fellow gods as well."
A lively voice followed.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Guizhong—my divine name is Haagentus."
She looked around excitedly—after all, she recognized no one here, having perished long ago.
From behind Zhongli, a little girl with a dark expression stepped forward, her gaze locking onto a particular figure among the assembled gods.
"I am Azhdaha, the Dragon King of Geo. I can sense the presence of another of my kin."
Neuvillette, upon seeing the petite form of the Dragon King of Geo, felt a mix of joy and complex emotions.
"Greetings, Dragon King of Geo. I am Neuvillette, the Dragon King of Fontaine."
Azhdaha glared at him, eyes widening.
"You're a second-generation Dragon King, aren't you? Then why are you in human form? What in the world happened?"
Neuvillette had anticipated this question from the other dragons. After a brief silence, he explained,
"The dominant lifeform of this world has long since shifted toward humanity. When I was born, my form was shaped in accordance with the world's tendencies—there is nothing strange about that."
"At my core, I remain the Dragon King of Hydro."
Azhdaha's small face scrunched up in displeasure, as if deeply unsatisfied that a fellow dragon had been born under such vastly different circumstances.
Zhongli, sensing the tension, spoke calmly.
"Azhdaha, this is not something worth dwelling on. In the world as it is now, even elemental beings may eventually evolve into humanoid forms."
After all, the one who ruled over this world, Lord Heavenly Principle, also possessed a human-like form.
Azhdaha shot a dark look at Zhongli, revealing her small but sharp fangs.
"Shut up, Morax. If it weren't for the summons from Heavenly Principle, you'd probably still be keeping me locked away, wouldn't you?"
Zhongli: "…"
He understood why Azhdaha was angry—when reviving his old friends, he had forgotten to unseal her.
"That… was indeed my mistake."
Azhdaha folded her arms and huffed. "Hmph."
Neuvillette, seeing that Azhdaha had dismissed him as well, felt a slight pang of disappointment.
Beside him, Furina offered a sympathetic smile and teasingly reassured him.
"Ah, I never thought I'd see the day when even Neuvillette would be disregarded. Don't be too heartbroken, alright? If it starts raining over Celestia, Lord Heavenly Principle might get upset."
Neuvillette inexplicably felt a dull ache in his chest. With his usual composure, he responded, "Lady Furina, I have not been disregarded. Furthermore, I am not upset. Also, Celestia cannot experience rainfall—your concern is quite unnecessary."
Furina rolled her eyes. Neuvillette was just as rigid as ever. She quickly adjusted her hat and straightened her bow, eager to present her best appearance in front of Lord Heavenly Principle.
Venti glanced around, looking dejected. "Ah… I'm really not very popular, am I? Aside from the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, no one seems to pay me any attention. Even the old man won't spare me a glance."
Saying this, he dramatically rubbed his eyes, as if on the verge of tears.
Raiden Makoto chuckled at the Anemo Archon's antics. "Barbatos, even after two thousand years, you're still reeking of alcohol. Ei is afraid of being overwhelmed by your stench."
Raiden Ei nodded, her violet eyes showing a faint but unmistakable hint of distaste.
Venti scratched his head awkwardly. "Ehehe~ I'm a bard, aren't I? What kind of bard doesn't drink?"
Zhongli shook his head. The scene reminded him of two thousand years ago—just after the end of the Archon War, when Barbatos had abandoned his divine duties and run off to Liyue just to drink with him.
Even then, he had found his colleague's behavior utterly absurd.
But later, he had come to understand—this was merely the God of Freedom fulfilling his role in his own way.
As the gods conversed, they ascended the steps of the Grand Hall of the Gods.
The staircase was unimaginably vast—stretching upward for tens of thousands of steps.
In this sacred place where gods had gathered, none dared to risk the offense of flying.
Though some had only just met for the first time, a few polite greetings quickly turned into friendly conversation.
Even Havria found herself chatting with Buer, as their similar temperaments as gods of wisdom and life gave them plenty to discuss.
However, one figure stood alone—Tsaritsa, the Empress of Snezhnaya, walked in solitude up the steps, a faint sense of desolation surrounding her.
No one greeted her—not even the kindhearted Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who seemed to selectively ignore her.
It was the lingering resentment toward the Fatui for their past actions across the six nations. Moreover, her past defiance of Heavenly Principle, which had nearly led to the Divine Nail being cast upon her, had only further isolated her.
Unspoken yet undeniable, her fellow gods had marked her as someone temporarily unapproachable.
Tsaritsa felt wronged. I've changed now… Can't someone at least talk to me? This is making me seem so out of place.
At that moment, a surge of abyssal energy swept through Celestia.
All the gods ascending the steps reacted instinctively, their spirits trembling as they turned in unison toward the source.
A young man, eerily resembling a certain blond traveler, had appeared in the plaza—accompanied by three Abyss Lectors of divine rank.
Furina drew in a sharp breath, her heterochromatic eyes filled with trepidation. "The Abyss… That's the Supreme God of the Abyss! And those three—Abyssal gods!"
Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei's expressions turned instantly solemn.
A Supreme God was an entity on par with the Four Shades—and this one belonged to the Abyss.
Even though they knew that the Abyss was now a part of the Teyvat Pantheon, the once lively atmosphere still grew noticeably colder.
After all, Teyvat had long suffered under the corruption of the Abyss—even the previous Heavenly Principle, Phanes, had been gravely wounded because of it.
Five hundred years ago, during the Cataclysm of the Abyssal Beasts, half of the Seven Rulers of the Human Realm had perished on the battlefield.
Those who had met Aether before—the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Zhongli, and Barbatos—nodded toward him.
"It has been a long time, Traveler."
After the Cataclysm ended five hundred years ago, this traveler had long since resumed his journey across the Seven Nations.
During that era, he had experienced much within each nation and had even aided in purging the lingering forces of the Cataclysm.
Though Aether's later allegiance to the Abyss had caused them considerable trouble, the bonds they had once shared still remained.
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