Ying took the wine from Si Xuan without hesitation and took a sip.
After all, not many people in this world would offer her a drink.
The two didn't speak, just drank, one sip at a time.
The night breeze carried a hint of chill, causing Ying's body to shiver involuntarily.
Si Xuan didn't pay any attention to it, knowing that this fellow's physical fitness couldn't possibly catch a cold.
The shivering was merely a reaction to the sudden change in temperature.
Ying put down the wine bottle, her eyes fixed on the bronze divine tree not far from the Seven Statues of the Archons.
“That tree… what's it for?”
If it were just a landmark, there would be no need to build it next to the Seven Statues of the Archons.
Ying sensed that Si Xuan's actions must have a deeper meaning.
“You seem curious about this tree?”
“Yes, its location is too strange.”
For some reason, Ying suddenly remembered the upside-down Seven Statue of the Archons she had seen while chasing Abyss Mages.
These statues hold symbolic significance in Teyvat,
but Ying felt Si Xuan's intentions were more complex.
Si Xuan chuckled, taking a swig of his wine.
He didn't answer directly but asked instead:
“Do you know the distribution pattern of the Seven Statues of the Archons?”
Ying was taken aback. Honestly, she didn't know.
“Is it to display the Archons' authority by placing one in each region?”
Ying's voice became quieter as she spoke, feeling a little embarrassed by the end.
“The current Teyvat relies on underground flowing ley lines for sustenance.
But the flow of ley lines is in a grid pattern, and each region where a Seven Statue of the Archons stands is a convergence point of the ley line network, the place where ley line energy is most concentrated.”
Ying felt like she was grasping onto something.
“So, you built the bronze divine tree here to compete with the Seven Statue of the Archons for ley line energy?”
Si Xuan placed the now-empty bottle of wine on the grass,
his gaze fixed on his "creation."
Ying could see that Si Xuan's eyes were filled with complex emotions:
Hope, pride, but also a hint of trepidation.
These emotions shouldn't appear in a man who had been ruthless for five hundred years.
So, Ying was very curious about what Si Xuan was afraid of.
“It’s not about competition. The Seven Statue of the Archons doesn't absorb ley line energy completely,
and the bronze divine tree merely collects this excess energy.
I spent a hundred years communicating with the Seven Archons to build the bronze divine tree.
I used almost all my resources at the time to obtain their consent.”
Thinking back to the days of communicating with the Seven Archons,
a hint of bitterness flickered across Si Xuan's lips.
A commoner needs to possess a great deal to negotiate with the Archons.
Ying recalled the Archons she had met.
It seemed that, except for Ei, the other Archons were quite easy to communicate with.
Si Xuan seemed to understand Ying's thoughts. He chuckled wryly.
“Times have changed. Five hundred years is a considerable time for the Archons, enough for them to change.
Don't be fooled by the current Zhongli, who's like a retired old man, laughing all day and doing nothing.
But when I communicated with him, the Canria War had just ended.
Liyue suffered heavy losses. At the time, the Geo Archon had a bad temper.
According to Ganyu, the Zhongli back then was like he was back in the era of the Archon Wars.”
Honestly, Ying couldn't imagine Zhongli, the one who laughs all day and doesn't care when Paimon calls him a social reject, being anything else.
But judging from Si Xuan's words, he seemed quite familiar with Ganyu.
With no Paimon's divine mouth to rely on, Ying could only ask directly.
“You... are you close to Ganyu?”
Hearing Ying's question, Si Xuan was somewhat surprised.
“Didn't she tell you? I stayed in Liyue for two years. During those two years,”
“I spent my time in Mount Aozang learning the arts of the Adeptus from Ganyu.”
Ying felt this sentence was a bit familiar.
It seemed Al-Haitham had said this when he was in Aaru Village.
Four hundred years ago, Si Xuan and the current Yuheng collaborated to seize the Sumeru industry.
Yuheng was dismissed by Zhongli.
Si Xuan then stayed in Liyue for two years.
Ying initially thought that Zhongli had imprisoned him for two years as punishment.
But it turned out he spent those two years learning the arts of the Adeptus from Ganyu?
Thinking about it, Ying couldn't help but feel sorry for the Yuheng of that generation.
Si Xuan had truly played her for a fool.
“So, you weren't sent to prison.”
Si Xuan looked at Ying, who was a little embarrassed, with a "shocked" expression.
“Why would you think that?”
Ying chuckled awkwardly, then recounted what Al-Haitham had told her.
Si Xuan chuckled lightly in response.
“The records of that incident have been embellished by Sumeru scholars.
In fact, it was because Nahida was under house arrest.
The Sumeru people are accustomed to living in reliance on the Archons.
Without the guidance of their god, Sumeru was in utter chaos at the time.
The sages only cared about knowledge. The fear of 'Nahida not being omniscient and omnipotent' they experienced
couldn't be eliminated in a hundred years.
Various unscrupulous merchants exploited the lower classes.
At that time, Fontaine's business had just reached the point of expansion.
Sumeru was in such a state, so it naturally became my first target.
Zhongli did invite me to Liyue at the time, indeed with a questioning intention.
After understanding the situation, he didn't make things difficult for me.
Staying in Liyue was my own choice.”
While the Adeptus' arts are also a way to control elemental power,
it's a form of Linguist Technique.
The clothes Si Xuan is wearing are made with Adeptus Talismans.
Even the bronze divine tree, Linguist Rune is a crucial component.
Ying understood. After experiencing the events in Sumeru,
she had no good feelings towards the sages of the Akademiya.
It was indeed something they were capable of doing.
Ying started to feel a little drowsy, thinking about ending the conversation.
However, Si Xuan's words instantly woke her up.
“Your brother, after traveling through Teyvat, chose the most extreme path.
What about you? Having traveled through four nations, what's your attitude towards this world?”
Looking at Si Xuan's somewhat indifferent gaze,
Ying opened her mouth.
For a moment, she didn't know how to answer Si Xuan's question.