"Xueyue, come with me, let's give that guy Morax a surprise!"
The Osial Dragon King swallowed the rest of the flatbread in one gulp, then roared and prepared to reveal his true form.
"Wait, Ruotuo, let me think about it again..."
"What's there to think about? Trust me, it won't be wrong!"
As soon as the words fell, the Osial Dragon King transformed into his colossal rock dragon form, appearing in the sky and eclipsing the sun.
Everyone was shrouded in a hazy shadow. When they looked up, they froze in place.
"Ah, this... such a big, round stone..."
"Ignorant, this is not just any stone. I heard from my aunt's cousin's uncle's neighbor that this should be the legendary Osial Dragon King, who once fought alongside the Geo Archon against the Archons and was the Geo Archon's closest comrade..."
"Hearing you say that, now that the Osial Dragon King has appeared, could the Geo Archon on the stage be fake?!"
"Wait, look quickly, besides the Osial Dragon King, there are other Adepti too!"
The crowd stopped their discussion and looked up again, discovering that beside the Osial Dragon King, there was also an Adeptus in the form of a celestial deer, seemingly the legendary Moonshaper, Jade Seal.
"The Geo Archon has truly been revived!!"
"This is simply a miracle! Liyue is blessed by the heavens!"
Now, there was no need to think. The person on the stage was definitely the revived form of the Geo Archon.
The Osial Dragon King seemed about to say something more, but Zhongli quickly transmitted a message to Moonshaper, Jade Seal, asking him to pull it away.
"Zhongli, it's a good opportunity, quickly say your lines!"
Hu Tao, standing nearby, hadn't expected to coincidentally meet passing Adepti. It truly was effortless. Of course, such a good opportunity had to be seized!
"Alright! Citizens, you need not fear. I have descended this time to tell you all that though my body is gone, my spirit endures forever..."
Zhongli began reciting his lines with utmost seriousness. Ruotuo's earlier stunt had almost ruined his retirement plan.
Possession and descent were still easy to brush off. If he were truly confirmed as being resurrected by Ruotuo, what kind of retirement would he even have?!
Would all his previous efforts be in vain?
Wasn't Osial, the Vortex God, also just smashed by the Jade Chamber for nothing?
Osial: Some are smashed lightly as a feather, some are smashed heavily as Mount Tai. Ruotuo Dragon King, I advise you to be mindful of yourself!
"You all need not shy away from death, nor fear it. Be brave..."
Zhongli suddenly faltered, then calmly and openly took out his script and continued reading:
"Be brave in accepting and facing it. As long as you purchase a service package from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, I will always protect you..."
Feng Yi: Simply a reading machine devoid of emotion, a pretentious Archon who reads woodenly.
However, despite saying so, he still had to cooperate properly.
Feng Yi, hidden among the onlookers, now cupped his throat and shouted loudly:
"The Archon speaks such sense!"
"We must all obey the Archon!"
"..."
Changing his voice with each shout and moving to a new position, he employed the essence of guerrilla warfare to its fullest extent.
"Oh my, oh my! Purchasing a Wangsheng Funeral Parlor package now not only comes with a buy-one-get-one-free high-value discount event, but you can also receive the exclusive protection of the Geo Archon! This promotion is only valid for today, with limited spots available. It's an opportunity that won't come again!"
Hu Tao seized the opportunity to scatter promotional flyers to the crowd below, enthusiastically introducing the package's discount activities.
"Wow! This is too good a deal! I'm buying it all!"
"Buy it all!!!"
It was still Feng Yi, acting as a supporter from below, who swayed the crowd.
"I want to buy!"
"I want to buy too!"
The onlookers below, once influenced, impulsively placed orders.
"Heh heh, don't rush everyone, there's enough for everyone, everyone..."
Hu Tao jumped off the stage and frantically collected money, her eyes full of Mora. This wave was a massive profit!
With so much reserve capital, her grand plan to open Wangsheng Funeral Parlors all over Teyvat could finally commence.
Mondstadt already had a branch, and the next target was Inazuma across the sea.
"Hall Master, how should we wrap this up now?"
Zhongli suddenly thought of this crucial question. The onlookers below seemed a bit too enthusiastic. Their original plan for withdrawal was completely unusable.
"Uh... Don't worry, there will be a way. Just stay put for now and wait for me to find Feng Yi so he can think of something..."
Hu Tao also sobered up from the allure of Mora. Seeing the excited, burning-eyed crowd, her heart pounded. It seemed she had played a little too much, and the situation had gotten out of her control.
However, as long as she found Feng Yi, whom she had arranged to be in the crowd, there would surely be a way.
"What? How to wrap this up?!"
Hearing Hu Tao's question, Feng Yi was stunned.
He remembered that Hu Tao had prepared a withdrawal plan.
"Heh heh, how could I have imagined everyone would be so enthusiastic? The originally planned withdrawal method should no longer be feasible..."
Hu Tao scratched her head somewhat sheepishly.
"Since that's the case, then we can only resort to unconventional means. Follow me!"
Feng Yi pondered for a moment, looked at Zhongli standing alone on the stage, whispered a few words, and called Hu Tao to join him on the stage.
"Zhongli, you'll do this and that..."
"Is this really going to work?"
"There's no other way!"
"Then let's try it."
Zhongli finally agreed to Feng Yi's plan.
He took two steps forward, then raised his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
"Everyone, my time of descent has come. I hope you will work together to build Liyue's glory... Ah, what's wrong with me? Why are there so many people here?"
Zhongli's aura dissipated, as if the possessed Geo Archon had left. He then pretended to know nothing, holding his forehead, looking at the crowd with a slight headache.
"..."
The air instantly fell silent.
Feng Yi slapped his forehead. He shouldn't have had any expectations for Zhongli's acting skills.
Stiff, incredibly stiff.
Even a random extra would have performed with more emotion than Zhongli.
He quickly came to the rescue, manipulating the clouds in the sky to disperse, allowing sunlight to shine on the land again, diverting the onlookers' attention.
"Faint, quickly pretend to faint."
Feng Yi secretly winked at Zhongli, signaling him to feign unconsciousness and leave the rest to him.
"Guest Associate Zhongli, what's wrong? Did the Archon's possession just now strain your body?"
Feng Yi grabbed the feigning- Zhongli and asked loudly.
Although it seemed like he was asking Zhongli, it was actually directed at the crowd below.
"Everyone, please make way. I'll take Guest Associate Zhongli back to rest..."
Feng Yi carried Zhongli on his back, then tugged Hu Tao, and swiftly jumped off the stage to escape.
Taking advantage of the crowd's bewildered state, before they could react, they quickly slipped away.