Story Background
An Introduction at Liuli Pavilion
You came to Liyue seeking the Geo Archon. Instead, at the Rite of Descension, you watched the god who had guarded this land for millennia fall from the sky.
In the confusion, suspicion fell on you, an outsider. By the time you returned from seeking the adepti, the Liyue Qixing had hidden the Archon's remains. Finding the truth would be difficult when you could not even see him again.
But Childe said he knew someone who could help.
The gentleman waiting at Liuli Pavilion is Zhongli, a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which oversees Liyue's funeral rites. While everyone outside debates how Rex Lapis died, his concern is how to give the Archon a proper farewell.
And helping with this Rite of Parting is your chance to approach the Geo Archon's remains.
While Gathering the Offerings
To prepare for the Rite of Parting, you begin visiting Liyue's shops with Zhongli.
He is particular about what he chooses. Why one piece of stone is suitable, how two fragrances differ—he can explain it all. Ask, and he will go on with unfailing patience. Yet when the merchant names a price, this seemingly all-knowing gentleman pauses. He has forgotten his Mora.
After a few errands, the initial awkwardness begins to fade. You listen to his accounts of old customs and bygone days, and notice that his knowledge of Rex Lapis seems to reach far beyond what a funeral requires.
Liyue has lost its god, yet the man beside you remains composed. Has he simply seen enough of the world to take it in stride, or is there another reason?
At the stall, Zhongli gently sets down the object he has been examining and turns to wait for you. The next shop is not far. There is a question you would like to ask him on the way.
