Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [20]

"Huh?"

Jiang Bai was completely caught off guard by the question.

He thought back to everything that had happened since he woke up, and a strange thought surfaced—Am I not from this world?

In many ways, he had adapted quite well. But whether it was a talking snake or the existence of gods, none of it aligned with what he knew to be common sense.

Yet, for the people of this world, these things were as natural as breathing.

Before, he had assumed he was just from some remote, unknown part of this world.

After all, traversing between worlds sounded ridiculous—he certainly didn't think he had that kind of ability.

But now, the more he thought about it… this world really was unfamiliar to him.

Could it be that he truly wasn't from here? That he had arrived by accident?

Jiang Bai pondered the question for a long time before finally giving a hesitant answer.

"This place feels different from where I grew up. A lot of things are beyond my understanding… like gods."

"If every corner of this world has gods watching over it, then… maybe I really don't belong here."

As he frowned deeply in thought, Zhongli's own speculations gained more clarity.

Pouring Jiang Bai another cup of wine, he spoke in an almost casual tone.

"In the end, gods are merely higher beings—nothing more."

Jiang Bai had only recently awakened, so he had no idea just how shocking this statement was to the people of Teyvat.

Still, even he could tell that Zhongli's words were bold.

Damn, this guy is fearless… saying stuff like that out loud? He's not afraid of getting smited?

Jiang Bai himself didn't hold any particular reverence for gods, but that was simply because his world had never had such beings to begin with.

But for someone living under divine rule to say such a thing? That person was either an absolute powerhouse or a sworn enemy of the gods.

"Well, logically speaking, you're not wrong…" Jiang Bai chose his words carefully, wary of offending the wrong person. "But to ordinary people, higher beings are gods."

Since he had no idea which side Zhongli was on, he didn't dare to speak too freely—what if he accidentally got dragged into some anti-god rebellion?

He was just a weak, clueless newcomer—getting involved in something that extreme would be a terrible idea.

Zhongli chuckled but didn't argue the point.

Teyvat had seen many descenders before. Each one had left an undeniable mark on history.

But a descender who had lost all memories? That was new.

Looking at Jiang Bai, an idea slowly formed in Zhongli's mind.

He extended his hand, summoning a floating Geo construct—a small, glowing stone star that drifted toward Jiang Bai.

"Can you sense elemental energy?"

Jiang Bai's eyes widened.

"What is this?"

He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch it.

The instant his fingers made contact, a strange sensation flooded his mind.

He could feel the breath of the earth, the movement of mountains.

Endless layers of rock intertwined to form the land, great stone pillars standing tall amidst valleys—unyielding even in the face of wind and rain.

For a fleeting moment, it was as if he was the earth, was the mountains, was the very foundation of the world itself.

But the feeling vanished in an instant.

Jiang Bai opened his eyes. He was still himself.

Not the land. Not the mountains. Not the stone.

"That was Geo energy."

The floating construct slowly faded.

Zhongli refilled his cup, his gaze calm yet expectant.

Jiang Bai replayed the sensation in his mind, then instinctively extended his hand—this time, summoning a Geo construct of his own.

It wasn't anything complex like Zhongli's stone star.

Just a plain, unremarkable rock.

But it was undeniably made of elemental energy.

In that brief moment, Jiang Bai had learned how to control the elements.

Like a child with a new toy, Jiang Bai kept forming and dispersing the rock, fascinated by the process.

After a while, he finally had his fill.

"Not bad," Zhongli remarked, unsurprised.

After all, descenders weren't bound by Teyvat's laws.

"Wait… that's it?" Jiang Bai was stunned. "Didn't Hu Tao say you need a Vision to control elements?"

"That applies to the people of this world."

Zhongli set his cup down and looked at Jiang Bai meaningfully.

"But you do not belong to this world—so you do not need to follow its rules."

Jiang Bai suddenly understood—he was an exception.

Which meant…

"If I can use Geo, does that mean I can control other elements too?"

He tried reaching out for the other elemental energies around him.

But unlike with Geo, nothing happened.

"Why can't I sense the other elements?"

"Teyvat's inhabitants require a medium to interact with elemental energy," Zhongli explained.

"So that construct just now… was a medium?"

"Correct."

Jiang Bai nodded in understanding.

If he wanted to access different elements, he'd need other mediums to act as conduits.

That didn't sound too hard—he could just recreate what had happened with Geo and test it out.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Zhongli was far too willing to share this information.

Why was he telling him all of this?

What was his real motive?

Jiang Bai was not the kind of person to think he was special.

He didn't believe he was some chosen one, destined to change the world.

To him, he was just an ordinary guy who had accidentally ended up here.

So why was Zhongli going out of his way to help him?

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Zhongli smiled faintly.

"Consider it a gift—for answering my question."

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small object, placing it on the table.

Jiang Bai picked it up, eyes widening.

"This is… a Vision?"

Again?

Hu Tao had made it sound like these things were super rare, yet Zhongli had just casually pulled one out of thin air!

"No. It's just a glass orb that looks like a Vision."

Jiang Bai let out a relieved sigh.

That made much more sense.

If Zhongli had just given him a real Vision, he would've started seriously questioning this man's identity.

"As an outsider, you are not part of this world's natural order," Zhongli continued.

"You stand beyond the cycle—watching from the riverbank while the current flows past."

"You will never receive a Vision."

Jiang Bai blinked.

"Then… what's this for?"

Zhongli picked up his real Vision and placed it beside the fake one.

Side by side, they were indistinguishable.

"This is to explain why you can use elemental energy without a Vision," Zhongli said calmly.

"If you carry this, no one will question you."

Jiang Bai was speechless.

Zhongli had thought of everything.

This little decoy would help him avoid unnecessary trouble—and keep certain people from getting suspicious.

Zhongli studied Jiang Bai's expression.

Right now, the boy was still too weak.

A freshly awakened descender, with no memories and no foundation to stand on.

He needed time.

And until he grew stronger, he needed to stay hidden.

A fake Vision was the perfect cover.

Jiang Bai stared at the glass orb in his palm.

He still didn't understand why Zhongli was going this far for him.

But something told him…

This man knew far more than he was letting on.