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Skadi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and began to explain why she had become like this:

"Our people strive only for survival, and survival itself is suffering. Therefore, we evolve continuously, overcoming our flaws. Over tens of thousands of years, the sea god has been exhausted. Our last sea god, Isamara, chose to fight back when faced with the provocations of the Agorians."

We adapted to the coast, we adapted to the land. We faced deadly threats, we died in great numbers. Until we understood, until our enemies became food. Yet the sea creatures continued to multiply, survival remained a struggle…

Speak like a human.

Skadi paused for a moment upon hearing this, and after a brief pause to organize her thoughts, continued:

"Years ago, Isamara was besieged by a group of deep-sea hunters. As it lay dying, it channeled its consciousness and abilities into me, the one who delivered the final blow."

For the past few years, I have been suppressing Isamara's consciousness until it was completely overridden. However, the power it retained within me remains very active, and it has now completely assimilated my body, making me the new Sea God.

To put it simply, my current consciousness is still that of Rhodes Island operator Skadi. But my body has been assimilated by Isamara into the sea goddess who leads the Sea Heirs.

Although the content was still a bit convoluted, Shi Lei understood the general idea and looked at the woman in front of him, asking:

"So you want me to give you a quick death?"

Skadi shook her head, a bitter smile on her face:

“Death is not terrible. What is terrible is that the race can no longer continue. I am waiting for you here to continue the Hai lineage. Please listen patiently to my advice.”

I know that even if all the Sealings were gathered together, they wouldn't be qualified to be your enemy. Therefore, I wish to offer myself as a hostage, remaining by your side as your slave. At the same time, I will control the withdrawal of all Sealings, far away from human territory.

The ocean area of ​​this planet is several times the area of ​​its land. We can inhabit uninhabited areas, or live deep in the ocean, but we hope you will spare our lives.

What if I say no?

Skadi seemed to have anticipated this answer, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. But a tear of resentment still stubbornly slid down her cheek.

"Then I accept this outcome."

Shi Lei stared at Skadi, who was at his mercy, and hesitated for a moment. After all, according to the information provided by Iberia, there were at least several hundred thousand remaining sea creatures, and they could survive on both land and sea.

If Skadi wasn't lying, then she is currently the only Sea Heir and Sea Goddess. If she were to kill them all, the other Sea Heirs would flee in panic, making the situation even more difficult to resolve.

"What about the ghost shark that disappeared with you?"

"She didn't come down with me. She's recuperating on land with Gladys. She should be back on Rhodes Island soon."

"Did you instigate the recent attack on Iberia by Haizi?"

"No, I only fully transformed into Isamara today. Without the sea god's restraint, the Sea Siblings will prioritize reproduction, and their attacks are for obtaining food."

After receiving the reply, Shi Lei remained silent. Instead, he turned and left, heading towards the outside of the Sea God Temple. Skadi knew there were other people outside and did not stop him.

Before long, the group arrived at the brightly lit palace's rotunda. Shi Lei explained Skadi's physical and mental state, as well as the proposed solution, to them:

"Should we kill her or spare her? I need to think about it some more. How about you hold a vote?"

Mudstone, as the biggest fan leader, responded without any hesitation:

"I'll listen to you!"

Xi and Bozhuokasti gave the same reply.

Alty and his companions returned to the Temple of the Sea God with the intention of eliminating the Sea Gods there, lest their existence threaten the safety of the entire continent of Terra.

But now there's only one Poseidon left, and it's controllable. They talked for a long time but couldn't reach a consensus, so they finally decided to listen to Shi Lei.

Now, only the Doctor and Texas remain uncommented on the matter.

Seeing Shi Lei looking at him, the PhD student waved his hands repeatedly:

"Mr. Zhongli, such an important decision should be made by you. Can I abstain?"

Texas has not yet made a statement, but it is now in a difficult situation after the Doctor gave up.

If her decision aligns with Shi Lei's, then everyone will be happy. But if it differs, a future accident could easily create a rift between them. To escape this predicament, there's only one way available:

"I'll listen to you too."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei was speechless. After asking around, the decision-making power returned to him.

Should he kill Skadi here, or keep her by his side to control Hai Si? His choice will determine the future business of tens of thousands of people on Terra.

……

Twenty-nine years later.

1131, Liyue, Inner City.

A young man wearing a mask arrived at the plaza on the central avenue. He looked up at the most prominent spot in the center, where the enormous Zhongli statue stood.

A tour guide wearing a headset was speaking in a loud voice to the tourists from various countries in the tour group:

"Welcome, visitors, to the central square of Liyue. I'm sure you all know this great man—Zhongli—without me having to introduce him."

He was the first leader of Liyue, a steadfast peacemaker, a generous contributor to technology, an outstanding pioneer of space exploration, and the great guardian of Terra!

Not only did he single-handedly stop the war and prevent further bloodshed, but he also used his extraordinary personal abilities to resolve several crises that could have destroyed Terra!

It's fair to say that without the great man Zhongli, we wouldn't have our basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and the internet. Without the great man Zhongli, we wouldn't be where we are today!

Unfortunately, fate was unkind, and this great man passed away from illness on June 24, 1126. I will set aside time later to take everyone to visit his former residence.

Although he is no longer with us, he lives on in our hearts. Now, I will lead you in reminiscing about the magnificent life of this greatest man of all time!

Shi Lei, wearing a mask, had originally planned to just glance at his own statue and leave. But when the tour guide mentioned they would be introducing Zhongli's life story, he immediately became interested. No wonder the Geo Archon in Genshin Impact enjoyed listening to storytellers recount his tales; it certainly wasn't a bad experience.

The tourists and locals in the square were already very familiar with Zhongli's deeds. But after hearing the tour guide's explanation, they were still willing to spend time staying.

After all, Liyue, this paradise on earth, was created by him alone. It truly became a prosperous and thriving international metropolis without discrimination or barriers.

Shi Lei has amazing hearing and doesn't need to lean in to listen. He listened to the tour guide as he walked to the statue of Zhongli.

Beneath this 55-meter-tall stone statue, the life story of the great man Zhongli is engraved. Lines of cold text evoke a series of passionate memories.

"In 1097, Zhongli purged the criminal gangs in the lower part of Longmen and invited the Swire Group to set up a factory there, which greatly improved the lives of the local people."

"In 1098, Zhongli sealed away Sui, the most ferocious beast in the Yan Kingdom thousands of years ago. This resolved the Yan Kingdom's greatest threat and brought it a thousand years of peace."

In 1099, Zhongli single-handedly eliminated the Sarkaz Demon King who had started the war. He built Guili City and took in more than 30,000 defeated Sarkaz soldiers.

At the end of the year, Zhongli ventured to the deepest part of the Infi Ice Plains. He repelled a powerful demon that had plagued the northern kingdoms for thousands of years, rescuing Sami from disaster.

"In 1102, Zhongli went to the deep sea in the south and annihilated the leader of the Sea Heirs in one fell swoop. He pulled Iberia back from the brink of destruction. After that, the Sea Heirs were leaderless and fled in secret, and could no longer pose a threat."

"In 1105, Zhongli was invited by the Twin Queens of Letania to open the legacy left behind by the Witch King. He discovered the existence of demons in the alternate dimension and fought a fierce battle to completely seal the passage through which the demons invaded Terra."

"In 1111, Zhongli shared his high-tech research for free, which once again boosted the productivity of the Terran countries and ushered in the era of mechanized production."

"In 1115, Zhongli spent several years treating millions of Oripathy patients on the continent of Terra. Through his powerful personal abilities, he sealed off weather-related natural disasters. Later, he collaborated with Rhodes Island to develop a drug that could cure Oripathy, allowing the infected to return to normal life."

"In 1118, Zhongli discovered that Colombia was secretly building weapons of mass destruction and instigating politicians from different countries. He went to the Colombian capital and killed the Colombian president and several key military officials from the Ministry of Defense, thus giving Colombia true freedom."

"In 1121, Zhongli shared his latest technological research for free, enabling various nations to acquire the ability to build interstellar spaceships. From then on, Terra entered the era of interstellar migration. Later, together with the Lich, they opened a spacetime tunnel and expanded their territory on the planet Tauros."

"In 1125, an immense spacetime turbulence appeared at the Star Gate in northern Sami. Lucas Sargus and Harandu Khan, who had died thousands of years ago, appeared, turning the frigid Sami into an incredibly scorching desert. Zhongli rushed to the scene upon hearing the news and, after a great battle, quelled the crisis that was enough to destroy the world, but was severely injured in the battle."

"In 1126, Zhongli fell ill after returning to Liyue from the last battle. He did not see anyone for a year and finally passed away on June 24 at the age of 55."

Shi Lei quickly scanned the inscription, finding no objection to most of the records. He could tolerate the claim that he developed the alien technology, but some parts were truly objectionable:

"The spacetime turbulence in 1125 wasn't that serious. There was no doomsday crisis. That's nonsense."

An elderly man standing in front of the stone statue glared angrily when he heard Shi Lei speak ill of his idol's achievements:

"You brat, if you can't speak properly, then shut up. Do you even know how many world-ending crises Lord Zhongli has averted? How dare you gossip like this! If anyone else finds out, they'll beat you to death!"

Shi Lei couldn't retaliate when he was being insulted because he had changed his identity five years ago. Now, he was simply revisiting the place and it wasn't appropriate for him to reveal his true identity.

"Don't get agitated, I meant..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old man raised his hand, pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, and forcefully interrupted him:

"I am the vice president of the Zhongli Research Association headquarters. Do you understand Zhongli better than me?"

Shi Lei shook his head slightly, unwilling to argue with him.

At the same time, a beautiful Rupo woman appeared behind her. Even though she wore a mask and hat, her eyes shone brightly. The few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were the marks left by the relentless passage of time.

"Hurry up, everyone's waiting for you."

Texas grabbed Shi Lei's arm and forcibly dragged him away from the scene to prevent them from being discovered and reported to the current leader of Liyue, their child—Shi Long.

Although the elderly woman hadn't seen their faces beneath their masks, she could tell the man was probably in his twenties and the woman in her thirties or forties. They didn't seem like mother and son; they looked more like…

Young people these days, the world is going to the dogs.

Wait a minute?!

The old man seemed to realize something, his eyes widening. Lord Zhongli's wife, Cherlinina, was the only surviving member of the Texas family, possessing unique deep blue hair.

That woman just now...

The old man looked in the direction the two had left and saw that the young man had already crossed the street.

He had a tall Sarkaz woman on his left and a young dragon woman in a cheongsam on his right. Behind them followed the Lupo noblewoman they had just met, and a silver-haired woman wearing a hat whose race was indistinguishable.

Eh?

Eh?

Eh?

Could it be that he...?

The old man didn't know who the silver-haired woman was, but the other three matched the race of Lord Zhongli's three wives.

Just then, a bus drove across the road, blocking the old man's view.

He anxiously moved to the side to check, but after the bus drove past, he could no longer see the five people.

Rumors circulated that Zhongli was still alive, and Liyue sent out a large number of people to search for him, but to no avail.

When Shi Lei's friends learned of this, none of them had any intention of searching for him. After all, that was the omnipotent Zhong Li; if they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't be.

They knew that Shi Lei and the others might never appear. But perhaps they would return tomorrow.

……

The book is finished.