Chapter 84 – 84: Missing a Soul? Or a System?

The term “Ley Lines” is a concept that runs through the entire continent of Teyvat.

They connect the conceptual network of all things in this world, with different elements flowing within them. It is said that everything that happens above and below the ground is recorded in the Ley Lines.

When the frost from the Ley Lines erodes vines, creatures known as Cryo Regisvines are born.

Unique plants like Whopperflowers and Pyro Regisvines also have deep ties to the Ley Lines.

“Am I missing a part of my soul?”

Bai Luo spread his hands, appearing a bit curious.

He didn’t know what symptoms came with losing part of one’s soul, but he didn’t feel any discomfort. In fact, he felt more complete than ever before.

However, his quirky system was clearly acting strange. Recently, it had become somewhat active—so much so that he almost forgot it existed before.

“Yes, and the traces are very obvious. Anyone could see the tear,” Zhongli said with certainty after another glance at him.

“…”

Old man, with one sentence, you’ve insulted all of humanity.

What exactly is this so-called “soul tear”?

Could it be… No, that’s not right. He hadn’t transmigrated as a soul but physically traveled here. There was no question of squeezing out the original soul from his body.

Oh, right—evil spirits!

“Mr. Zhongli, could you explain what evil spirits are?”

Zhongli had just said his situation was related to both the Ley Lines and evil spirits.

Perhaps the man could give him a satisfying answer.

“The so-called evil spirits are a term used by Liyue’s exorcist families. On the continent of Teyvat, there’s a more formal name for them—Archon Residues.”

“Archon Residues?!”

Bai Luo understood the implications of this better than anyone else. After all, wasn’t Collei, whom he had just sent to Sumeru, hosting an archon residue?

The Archon Residues refer to the residual remains of a god, where the power hasn’t fully dissipated. The lingering unwillingness of the Archon still influences the world.

This made Bai Luo more certain that the soul tear Zhongli mentioned wasn’t about his soul but about his system.

Up to now, every time Bai Luo activated the system, it had been related to Archons or their remnants—be it battling the Raiden Shogun during the incident in Inazuma or dealing with the remnants sealed within Collei.

“The reason I was hesitant to tell you all this lies in the exorcist families. Your soul’s torn state… If I’m not mistaken, it’s caused by one of their techniques. However, you lack any traces of evil spirits, so by logic, they shouldn’t have targeted you. That’s what I find odd.”

This time, Zhongli even extended a hand to place it on Bai Luo’s wrist, appearing to check his pulse.

This only confirmed his conjectures further.

“Exorcist families…”

Was he referring to Chongyun? Did that kid try to mess with him?

That didn’t seem right either. He had never been to Liyue, nor had he met anyone from Chongyun’s family. Then why would his soul be missing a part?

And another thing—

“Mr. Zhongli, aren’t you afraid I might go and trouble these exorcist families after telling me this? After all, you’re well aware of the Fatui’s methods. Finding them wouldn’t be difficult.”

Bai Luo half-joked.

Zhongli calmly drained the remaining tea in his cup and replied in a commanding tone,

“Would you dare?”

“…”

He really wouldn’t dare.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhongli mentioned that what wasn’t possible before is now feasible. Previously, he wasn’t certain whether Bai Luo knew his true identity.

Once he confirmed that Bai Luo was aware, things became simpler.

No one could harm an exorcist family under the protection of Morax. The Geo Archon himself was an immensely powerful deterrent.

While Bai Luo might have the ability to kill those people with his own power, he wasn’t one to instigate unnecessary bloodshed.

There was no need for it. He couldn’t even be certain if what Zhongli said was entirely true. Acting on a single statement to trouble an entire family wasn’t his style.

He could treat Zhongli’s words as advice, but never as absolute truth.

After all, who knew if this thousand-year-old trickster might be setting him up?

“For now, it seems that the missing part of your soul hasn’t significantly affected you. Aside from some memory gaps, it hasn’t impacted your being. By common reason, it’s likely that the one who took a piece of your soul holds no malice toward you,” Zhongli remarked.

For many, the soul is a potent medium.

It can be used to cast curses or perform other actions, often with substantial effects on the person involved.

“Well then, Mr. Zhongli, would it be possible for you to introduce me to the exorcist family? I hold no ill intentions; I merely wish to recover my missing soul.”

In truth, Bai Luo cared more about retrieving the missing part of his system than his soul.

By now, he was nearly certain that what was torn wasn’t his soul but his system.

Even in its incomplete state, the system had granted him tremendous power. If he could fully restore it, wouldn’t it allow him to acquire a new Class even faster?

“Haha, I’m just a simple consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. How could I possibly have the connections to bridge you with the exorcist family? Mr. Bai, perhaps you’d better seek help elsewhere.”

Zhongli’s tone was polite, but given their mutual understanding of each other’s identities, this response was a firm rejection of Bai Luo’s request.

That Zhongli had shared so much information already was only out of respect for Bai Luo once being a Liyue citizen. Their relationship wasn’t deep enough for Zhongli to risk exposing his identity for him.

“Well then… may I ask for a different favor? A trivial matter from your perspective.”

Bai Luo wasn’t disappointed by Zhongli’s refusal. Perhaps he had already anticipated that the first request would be denied.

In fact, the first request was merely a setup for the second.

“Speak.”

Originally about to leave, Zhongli paused upon hearing Bai Luo’s words, showing no rush to depart.

“Let’s have a duel.”

“???”

This time, Zhongli’s usually calm face showed a flicker of surprise.

Bai Luo should know who he was, yet under such circumstances, he still made this request.

In his millennia of life, Zhongli had witnessed countless partings of life and death. His keen insight into people allowed him to see through Bai Luo’s earlier jest about troubling the exorcist family. But now, he could tell Bai Luo was entirely serious.

Was this Fatui Harbinger truly challenging him, a god?

Even if Bai Luo had gained the authority of the Cryo Archon, that didn’t mean he could defeat a god—let alone the oldest among them.

After a brief moment of surprise, Zhongli’s expression turned serene again.

“Pay for my tea, and I’ll accept your challenge. How about that?”

“Of course. A bowl of tea is well within my means.”

“I mean… the tea debts owed by Uncle Zhou since his grandfather’s time.”

“… Let’s put it on Childe’s tab instead.”

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