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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 492: Zhongli’s Request (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-06-22 07:44:11 +0000 UTC“Huh? Zhongli? What a coincidence.”
Nolan spoke with mild surprise.
Now that he thought about it, that black serpent had been sealed here by the Geo Archon himself—could it be that breaking the seal attracted Zhongli’s attention?
“Hehe, it is quite the coincidence indeed. I just happened to be passing by, and upon seeing the lake’s clear beauty, I thought I’d stop and take a look.”
Zhongli clasped his hands behind his back and smiled calmly.
“Uh, haha... we were exploring the domain earlier and accidentally broke a certain seal, releasing the monster trapped inside. But don’t worry—it’s been sealed again.”
Nolan awkwardly tugged at his collar. Seriously? “Happened to be passing by” in the middle of nowhere?
But knowing Zhongli didn’t want his identity exposed, he casually glossed over the details as if chatting with an old friend.
“I see. So, it’s possible to do that…”
Zhongli stroked his chin thoughtfully. He hadn’t sensed any disturbance that would suggest the ancient God-level creature had escaped the domain, so he simply nodded and said:
“It’s just past noon—how about joining me in Liyue Harbor for some tea?”
“Oh? Is this your treat, Zhongli?” Nolan raised an eyebrow.
“Naturally… It’ll be billed to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”
Zhongli shifted his hands from behind his back to cross his arms, speaking with the same composed expression as always.
“…”
Did not expect such a proper man like you to crack jokes so deadpan, Nolan thought to himself.
He nodded lightly.
“All right then. We were planning to go to Liyue Harbor for lunch anyway. A rare chance to have Zhongli treat us—how could we say no?”
“I wouldn’t consider myself stingy,” Zhongli said with a helpless shake of his head, then turned his gaze toward the two girls beside Nolan, asking curiously:
“And these two young ladies are?”
“Ah, nice to meet you! I’m Barbara, a Deaconess of the Church of Favonius.”
“I’m Noelle, an apprentice knight of the Knights of Favonius.”
Barbara and Noelle were slightly nervous in front of Zhongli—his mere presence gave off an air of wisdom and composure that was clearly out of the ordinary.
“The Church of Favonius and the Knights, hmm? Visitors from Mondstadt—very welcome indeed. I am Zhongli, a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
“As a member of Liyue, I must of course offer you proper hospitality.
“Let’s dine at the Liuli Pavilion today. Allow me to represent Liyue and entertain our esteemed guests from Mondstadt.”
Zhongli nodded slightly, stroking his chin as he spoke.
“You, treating us to a fancy meal at the Liuli Pavilion? There’s no way you don’t have a favor to ask,”
Nolan said, as if seeing right through him.
“…There is a small matter I’d like your help with. But let’s talk over food.”
Zhongli returned his hands behind his back again, unfazed by being called out, and began walking down the path on his own.
“E-esteemed guest…?” Noelle shyly twirled the hair by her cheek. She didn’t feel worthy of such a title.
“Haha, sure.”
Nolan laughed, signaling that he had no problem with it.
He then led Barbara and Noelle to catch up with Zhongli, who had gone ahead.
“Mr. Honorary Knight, is that gentleman your friend?” Barbara asked curiously.
The soft outlines of her knees peeked from under the white thigh-high stockings, flowing down shapely calves and disappearing into the folded tops of her short boots.
Meanwhile, Noelle’s armored boots clinked softly as she walked, also glancing over with curiosity.
“Uh…” Nolan looked at Zhongli, paused briefly, and then said,
“Yeah, he’s a friend. He introduced himself earlier—he’s a consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and his name is Zhongli.
“But that’s just his public identity. In truth, he’s…”
As he trailed off, a mischievous look appeared on his face, as if he were teasing a secret.
“What is he?”
Barbara and Noelle both leaned in slightly, their fair faces showing genuine curiosity.
Nolan nodded in satisfaction, then cleared his throat and said:
“Zhongli is secretly a highly learned scholar—well-versed in astronomy, geography, and the full breadth of history from ancient to modern times.
“Who knows? Maybe he even knows the identity of that monster sealed in the ruins we explored earlier.”
“Eh? Really?!”
Hearing Nolan praise Zhongli so highly—even suggesting that he might know about such a hidden underwater ruin and the sealed monster within—left the girls wide-eyed in amazement.
Barbara and Noelle couldn’t help feeling a bit curious.
“Of course. Right, Zhongli?” Nolan patted his chest confidently and turned to ask the man walking ahead.
Zhongli, walking in front, gave a faint, amused smile and shook his head in response:
“‘Master of astronomy, geography, and all things past and present’—that’s quite an exaggeration. I simply happen to have a good memory and haven’t forgotten what I learned in the past.”
Yeah, sure… just five or six thousand years of ‘past’, huh? Nolan inwardly grumbled.
“Wow, that sounds amazing.”
Barbara and Noelle assumed Zhongli meant he had retained knowledge from school lessons long ago—
And that because he hadn't forgotten what he learned in those classes, he had become the kind of erudite scholar Nolan described.
The two of them were suddenly curious about what kind of subjects were taught in Liyue's academies!
“Hehe, since we’ve got some free time, let me tell you the story of the ancient god sealed beneath the waters of Bisha Plains.”
Zhongli, ever knowledgeable, naturally understood that Nolan wanted him to explain the origin of the dark serpent. He didn’t decline.
“The god sealed within that domain is known as Polaye. Its true form is a black serpent large enough to coil around a mountain. It was heavily wounded during the Archon War and took refuge in Bisha Plains, where it was worshipped by the Serpentfolk.”
Zhongli began recounting the tale of Polaye, the black serpent.
As Barbara and Noelle were drawn into the story, Nolan noticed that their walking pace had subtly increased—almost like teleportation.
Each step seemed normal, but somehow they were covering two to three hundred meters with every stride.
There was no need to guess—it was clearly the handiwork of the Geo Archon up ahead. He had probably calculated exactly how long the story would take to tell, and used Step-Contraction to match the time and distance perfectly.
And sure enough, just as Zhongli finished telling the tale of the black serpent, the group arrived at the archway outside Liyue Harbor.
Carriages, bicycles, bustling crowds—the streets were alive with activity.
Barbara and Noelle were still slightly dazed from the story. They nodded lightly and summarized it in their own words:
“So that’s how it is… That black serpent was wounded during the Archon War and hid in Bisha Plains to recover.”
“In that time, it used the Serpentfolk’s help to devour many other lifeforms. After regaining its strength, it even set its sights on the people of Liyue.”
“That’s when it drew the attention of the Geo Archon, and they clashed fiercely. The dark serpent was quickly overwhelmed.”
“In desperation, it devoured the very Serpentfolk who had worshipped it, making itself stronger.”
“But by using such a despicable method—one that was despised by all beings—it was naturally no match for the Geo Archon.”
“In the end, its colossal body was turned to stone, and its soul permanently sealed within.”
Zhongli crossed his arms and nodded in approval at how carefully Barbara and Noelle had listened.
“Indeed. That was the fate of the mountain-sized black serpent.”
Barbara and Noelle both nodded again. Just as they were about to thank Zhongli for sharing the story—
They suddenly realized something strange: without even noticing when it happened, they were already standing before a massive city.
Built between mountains and sea, the city had a gentle elevation difference, and its streets bustled with life—crowds filled every corner.
Beyond the harbor, ships from every nation lay docked, adding to the vibrant, worldly atmosphere. Seeing it all, the two girls couldn’t help but marvel:
“So this is the city of a thousand sails—Liyue Harbor?”
It was completely different from Mondstadt.
“That’s right. And while we were listening to the story, this godlike Zhongli quietly brought us all the way here without us even noticing.”
Nolan added with a light chuckle.
“Just a simple trick. If I were truly godlike, I wouldn’t need your help.”
Zhongli replied casually, then continued walking ahead to lead them into Liyue Harbor.
Inside the city, Zhongli no longer used any flashy abilities like Step-Contraction, instead choosing to walk normally through the bustling streets.
He also took on the role of a tour guide, introducing various sights along the streets to Barbara and Noelle.
After about half an hour, the group finally arrived at the Liuli Pavilion, right around lunchtime.
All the private rooms had already been booked, so they had to settle for a table in the open seating area on the first floor.
Nolan was tempted to disregard all restraint and order one of everything on the menu, just to bleed Zhongli dry.
But then he remembered that, ultimately, Zhongli would just ask the waiter to charge everything to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which belonged to Hu Tao.
Thinking of Hu Tao’s Mora, he felt a twinge of sympathy for her finances. So instead, he simply ordered a few of the restaurant's signature dishes and some fruit desserts.
He let Barbara and Noelle choose anything else they wanted, and after adding a few more dishes based on their preferences, the order was complete.
Even though the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor wasn’t exactly short on money, it was still a matter of principle to show some consideration for Hu Tao.
While they waited for the food to arrive, Zhongli silently set up a soundproof barrier, ensuring that no one at nearby tables could overhear their conversation. He then looked at Nolan and said:
“I heard earlier that you possess the miraculous ability of a ‘Command Seal.’ I would like to ask a favor.”
Seeing that Zhongli was getting down to business, Nolan also became serious and nodded:
“No problem. If it’s something I can help with, I won’t refuse.”
Zhongli picked up the tea prepared by the waiter and took a small sip before explaining:
“I have an old friend who has become dangerously unstable due to erosion. The seal I left on him may not hold for much longer. I hope you can place a Command Seal on him to suppress his madness.
“I do not wish for an old friend to break free and commit further sins.”
Upon hearing Zhongli’s explanation, and knowing the game’s story, Nolan quickly deduced who this old friend must be.
Unless he was mistaken, it had to be Azhdaha—the Earth Dragon.
In the lore, Azhdaha had indeed been sealed beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree by Zhongli, but due to the weakening of the seal over time, he nearly broke free.
Naturally, it was the Traveler who handled the situation, though Zhongli did most of the heavy lifting.
Based on Zhongli’s in-game dialogue, Azhdaha’s strength was said to rival Zhongli’s own.
Of course, that was probably Zhongli being modest—if Azhdaha were truly stronger, he wouldn’t have been sealed away for thousands of years.
Still, for Zhongli to describe him as such meant he was at least within the top-tier Archon-level range.
If Nolan had to fight him solo, he’d probably be swatted away with a single blow!
After thinking for a moment, Nolan replied:
“I can definitely help with that. But since you said he’s your old friend, I assume his strength is formidable. You’ll need to take the lead when the time comes.
“If you leave it all to me, I won’t even get the chance to land a hit—let alone set a Command Seal.”
He shrugged, making it clear Zhongli would need to do the heavy lifting. After all, to place a Command Seal, he had to defeat the target himself.
In other words, Zhongli needed to bring Azhdaha down to a near-defeated state so that Nolan could land the final blow and fulfill the condition.
And facing someone that much stronger than himself... even Nolan wasn’t sure it would work.
“Heh, that won’t be an issue. I’ll bring a few friends along as well.”
Zhongli naturally understood that while Nolan was strong, he hadn’t yet reached the level needed to suppress his old friend.
So he planned to personally take part in the battle—and bring along Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper to assist.
Reinforcing the seal alone wasn’t hard, but knocking out Azhdaha by himself would be difficult.
To avoid causing a massive disturbance, it would be much easier with the help of his fellow adepti.
If Nolan’s “Command Seal” ability worked as promised, then there would be no need to worry about Azhdaha breaking free again and threatening Teyvat.
“Mm, then it’s settled. When are we going?”
Nolan nodded.
As one of the elemental dragon kings and a being close in strength to Zhongli himself, Azhdaha was definitely a top-tier enemy—and Nolan was curious to see how much Adventure EXP defeating him would yield.
Enemies like Osial and the Black Serpent, who had already fallen from Archon-tier, still gave over 120,000 EXP.
Someone like Azhdaha, who was several magnitudes stronger and could easily crush them both—
Could defeating him allow an instant level-up?
Nolan was feeling very excited by the thought.
“This matter should not be delayed. I’ll go speak with Cloud Retainer and the others shortly, and we’ll depart this afternoon.”
Zhongli was not only powerful but extremely prudent—he planned to act immediately to avoid any surprises.
Naturally, Nolan had no objections. After all, with the Geo Archon himself leading the team, there was no need to worry about failure.
Barbara and Noelle had more or less understood what the conversation was about.
Apparently, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s consultant, Mr. Zhongli, had an old friend whose strength rivaled that of an Archon—
And needed the help of the Honorary Knight to seal him.
...Though something about that didn’t quite add up.
(End of Chapter)
