章 2: Summoning the Seven Archons to Celestia
Asmoday's eyes fluttered open, their gold irises glimmering like molten sunlight as they settled on the unfamiliar face before her. For a brief moment, she seemed taken aback, her ethereal beauty made all the more striking by her dazed expression.
Her long, snow-white hair, cascading like a silver waterfall, shifted slightly as she tilted her head. Once she sensed the unmistakable connection between them, her delicate features returned to their usual, cool indifference.
"So, the Fifth Descender, and you've already inherited everything from her, have you?"
As she spoke, she rose to her feet, her movements fluid and precise, like ripples on a tranquil lake. Her golden eyes met those of the newly ascended Heavenly Principle, unwavering and calm.
Simultaneously, she noticed her body felt unprecedentedly light and comfortable, even the Abyssal power that had been devouring her for centuries had vanished entirely.
This realization left her momentarily shocked, though she quickly grew calm.
"A power capable of purifying the Abyss… No wonder she chose you without hesitation."
"Uh-huh. The moment I arrived in this world, I was right by your side. Before I could process anything, I was already the new Heavenly Principle, completely tied to the fate of this world. Believe me, I'm just as baffled as you are."
Noah let out a deep sigh, shrugging his shoulders.
Although he was quite pleased with his current circumstances, he couldn't resist putting on a show. After all, life's a stage, and a little drama makes everything more interesting.
"Since you've inherited everything from her, and you possess the ability to purify Abyssal power, this world is bound to be safe under your rule."
Asmoday visibly relaxed, her slender frame losing its rigid tension.
Having dealt with the Abyss for millennia, she knew better than anyone—except perhaps Phanes—just how insidious and unrelenting Abyssal power could be.
It was precisely because no solution existed to combat the Abyss that Phanes had gradually succumbed to death.
If the new Heavenly Principle couldn't handle it either, she would surely follow in Phanes' footsteps this time.
"What I want isn't just a safe world—I want Teyvat to ascend, to rise above the status of a mere world bubble and become the eternal, singular world within the Quantum Sea."
Noah stepped closer, placing a hand on Asmoday's shoulder with casual confidence. The contrast between his bold demeanor and the shimmering, otherworldly presence of the goddess before him was striking.
Through the Human Realm Force System and its connection to the Divine Seats, he conveyed his vision to her: his ability as the new Heavenly Principle to devour worlds and elevate Teyvat to a higher existence.
Of course, he left out the part about the system, framing its power as an extension of his own authority.
Asmoday's golden eyes widened slightly, their radiant depths trembling with shock as the flood of information filled her mind.
Devouring other worlds to repair Teyvat's flaws while evolving it through this overwhelming method into an infinitely progressing world—it was a concept both brutal and brilliant.
She also received details about the three targeted worlds and the benefits Teyvat would gain from annexing them.
But as the initial shock faded, her expression shifted to one of fervent determination.
Successfully annexing those three worlds would solve the majority of Teyvat's current crises.
Not only that, it would extend the world's existence by 500,000 years!
To put that into perspective, Phanes' reign over Teyvat hadn't even spanned 10,000 years.
Five hundred thousand years was virtually equivalent to eternity for her.
The power wielded by this new Heavenly Principle far surpassed even Phanes at their peak.
"Asmoday, as the Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles, you could be considered one of my subordinates, right?"
Noah's words snapped the snow-haired, golden-eyed goddess back to reality.
Judging by her fanatical expression, he didn't even need to convince her—she would be his unwavering supporter no matter what.
"Yes, your will is my will. Please, use me however you wish."
Asmoday's gaze burned with devotion as she looked at her new master.
Right now, her thoughts were singular: to follow this new ruler, help him grow stronger, and lead Teyvat to unprecedented heights.
The arrival of such a powerful new Heavenly Principle was surely the culmination of thousands of years of good karma from Phanes.
"Use you however I wish, huh? Could you elaborate on that?" Noah's eyes gleamed mischievously as they trailed over the flawless golden proportions of Asmoday's body.
"...Huh?" Asmoday blinked in confusion.
"Ahem, I mean, the most important thing right now is summoning the Seven Archons to Celestia for a meeting. A plan as grand as annexing worlds can only be carried out with their cooperation."
Noah quickly averted his gaze, coughing awkwardly.
He wasn't a complete lecher, after all.
Asmoday's beauty and grace made her the most stunning and elegant woman he had ever encountered, a true goddess in every sense of the word.
Perhaps, after settling the matter of Teyvat's survival, he could have a private conversation with her about the finer details of life between a Heavenly Principle and their loyal Sustainer.
"I will summon them immediately," Asmoday said, her expression turning stern and authoritative.
For a matter as vital as strengthening and elevating Teyvat, she wouldn't allow anyone to slack off.
She also knew that among the Seven Archons, there were those who were duplicitous. If any of them defied the will of the Heavenly Principle, she wouldn't hesitate to replace them.
"I'll summon them myself," Noah interjected, grabbing Asmoday's arm to stop her.
Cold sweat dripped down his back.
If she went and encountered the mess in Sumeru, Fontaine, Snezhnaya, or Inazuma—the schemes and incompetence of their rulers—she might explode on the spot and start killing people.
"Yes." Asmoday nodded. "Your will is my will."
Using the Human Realm Force System and the hierarchy of the Divine Seats, Noah sent out messages to summon the Archons of Wind, Rock, Thunder, and Water to Celestia for a meeting.
"All right. While we wait for them, I'll rearrange the layout of Celestia a bit."
He chuckled to himself.
A summons from the Heavenly Principle? That would certainly scare the living daylights out of them.
After all, even the original Seven Archons had barely interacted with Phanes. Only Morax had ever seen Phanes face-to-face. Barbatos hadn't even caught a glimpse during his ascension to godhood after the Archon War—it was Asmoday who had distributed the Gnosis and Visions on Phanes' behalf.
Moreover, the Gnosis weren't as rare as they seemed.
They were merely tools within the Human Realm Force System used to absorb and store faith energy, stabilizing a nation's leylines.
Their primary purpose was to take over stabilizing the leylines in case the Heavenly Principle was severely weakened or dying.
Now that Noah was the new Heavenly Principle, with full control over Teyvat's leylines, the Divine Hearts were practically obsolete.
While they still contained near-limitless faith and leyline energy, they only offered power equivalent to a low-tier Archon.
To the Seven Archons, they were little more than trophies commemorating their victory in the Archon War.
Mondstadt
Angel's Share Tavern
"Diluc, just one more drink! Just one! To soothe the sadness of parting with the Traveler. Please~"
A green-clad bard clasped his hands in a pleading gesture, his kitten-like face imploring the red-haired man silently wiping glasses behind the counter.
"You've already used this excuse three times to drink for free, and every time you want the best wine we have," Diluc replied with an expressionless face.
If he didn't know this shameless bard was Barbatos himself, the Anemo Archon, he would have had the bartender throw him out long ago.
"This is the last time, I swear! Pretty please, Diluc~" Venti switched tactics, shamelessly resorting to acting cute.
"..." Diluc's brows furrowed so tightly they nearly touched, but he remained unmoved. Archon or not, freeloading at Dawn Winery wasn't going to fly.
If he set a precedent, his business would go under with Barbatos' drinking habits.
"Ahh..." Venti sighed dramatically, his shoulders slumping as he realized his free wine dreams were dashed.
Just as he was about to head out and earn Mora with a street performance, his expression suddenly changed.
His light teal eyes went wide in disbelief.
"No way…"
Under Diluc's confused gaze, Venti transformed into a gust of teal wind and vanished from the Angel's Share tavern.
Diluc didn't think much of it. He merely assumed the Anemo Archon had sulked away after failing to freeload another drink.
After all, the dragon crisis had just been resolved, and the Fatui were under the watchful eye of the Knights of Favonius.
Besides, he couldn't believe the Anemo Archon was so weak that Mondstadt would suffer one calamity after another.
"It's been over a thousand years of silence, and now this happens…"
The only message Venti had received was a terse, six-word command: "Come to Celestia for a meeting."
Though the message was brief, its implications were massive. The only entity capable of directly contacting the Divine Seat of the Anemo Archon was the one from Celestia.
Since the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm, Venti's connection to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles had essentially been severed, leading many to speculate that her time was running out.
Why, then, had this connection suddenly become so active?
Could it mean that she had returned from the dead?
"If that's the case, I'm in big trouble…"
Venti broke into a cold sweat—a remarkable feat for a wind spirit—as he recalled handing over his Gnosis to the Tsaritsa just the day before.
If the Sustainer learned he had supported the Tsaritsa's rebellion and even gifted her the Gnosis, she might reduce him to pure Anemo energy on the spot.
"This was all done in secret, and I never contacted the Tsaritsa directly. I shouldn't get caught, right?"
Trembling slightly, Venti wiped his sweatless forehead.
If questioned, he'd claim the Gnosis was stolen.
He'd say he had used all his power to maintain the Thousand Winds and protect Mondstadt's environment, leaving him defenseless against the Tsaritsa's underlings, like La Signora, who had ambushed him and stolen the Gnosis.
At worst, he'd only be charged with negligence.
"Sorry, Tsaritsa. You were going to rebel against the Heavenly Principles anyway."
Venti recalled an old saying from Liyue: Better to let a friend suffer than yourself.
"Yes, that's what I'll say if it comes to that."
"Anyway, the meeting won't just be for me. I'll chat with the old man to get a better sense of what's going on."
Liyue
The Third-Round Knockout Tavern
"At that time, the Nightmare God controlled the Yakshas, and they came charging in with unstoppable force. The people were utterly despairing, convinced that our Guili Assembly was about to be obliterated by overwhelming power. But guess what happened?"
"Come on, Tian Tiezui, wasn't it our Lord Morax who single-handedly stopped the god at Dihua Marsh and rescued the controlled Yakshas? The very same Yakshas who are now the Immortal Yakshas we know today?"
"Exactly! This is such an old tale, Tian Tiezui. We've heard it a hundred times. Why don't you tell us something new for a change?"
"Yeah, when it comes to history, who could possibly know more than Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant, Mr. Zhongli?"
At this, the crowd turned their respectful gazes toward a serene and cultured man seated in the best spot for watching the show.
"You flatter me. I've simply read more ancient texts than most. Much of history is buried in the past, and even the most learned historians can only offer vague interpretations," Zhongli replied, lowering his teacup and speaking with calm gravitas.
"This is why we must rely on one another to piece together the weight of history."
"Mr. Zhongli, despite your awe-inspiring knowledge, you remain so humble. Truly admirable."
"Indeed! It's no wonder Director Hu personally recruited you as a consultant."
"Mr. Zhongli, do you have any additional insights into the tale of the Lord of Rock saving the Yakshas?"
He had to admit his version of the story was stale. If he could gather fresh details from Zhongli, he'd be able to refine and embellish his narrative.
Zhongli nodded, about to share some lesser-known aspects of the historical event when he suddenly froze.
Even the tea in his cup nearly spilled from his hand.
"My apologies, I have urgent matters to attend to. Another day, I shall recount what I know of history for your enjoyment."
After a polite bow, Zhongli excused himself and rose to leave.
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