Zhong Li

the facts

It is impossible to count how many people he has seen over the years, and how many more meetings the future will bring... As they say, water will flow away, but the rocks will remain. Description on the official website Mysterious consultant of the funeral home "Wansheng". He is handsome, has graceful manners and outstanding intelligence. Zhong Li's origins are unknown, but he is well versed in etiquette and good manners. At the Wansheng Funeral Home, he conducts ceremonies of all kinds. A mysterious consultant at the Wansheng Funeral Home. Handsome, graceful, and of outstanding intellect. Zhong Li's origins are unknown, but he is well versed in etiquette and good manners. No scholar knows the Li Yue tradition better than he does. At the Wansheng Funeral Home, Zhong Li is responsible for conducting ceremonies of all kinds. The appropriate attire, the right time, the right accessories and places, the right routine - all of this can be safely entrusted to him. It is noteworthy that such a discerning man as Zhong Li has no money. Shopping requires money, transportation must be paid for, but he has nothing, and ultimately someone else has to pay. He attends the most successful performances and gets the best songbirds. He behaves impeccably in everything except money. His friends have long since gotten used to this oddity and do not take it to heart. If you ask him, he will answer: "Really? In all these years, I have never had a fight with anyone about money." You have to pay for the goods - that's the rule. Is it possible to live in the modern world and not understand this? Maybe, after living so many years, you stop paying attention to such trifles? Or is life among mortals like a walk on clouds for him?

personality

Zhong Li is a calm, reserved, and polite man who knows a lot about the history and culture of Liyue. He has a very philosophical view of money and has great respect for the traditions of Liyue, including those that have been forgotten or distorted over time. Zhong Li values ​​contracts very much. Although Zhong Li is broad-minded, he is generally modest, and even seems somewhat insecure about being what he calls a "bourgeois parasite." One of Zhong Li's most characteristic traits is his tendency to forget about Mora in transactions, agreeing to spend large sums of money without having any Mora on hand, and even accepting "discounts" for granted despite it being an obvious scam.[1] He often relies on financial support from others or the Wansheng Funeral Home. Although he is friends with Hu Tao[2], who trusts him the most,[3] he dislikes her childish behavior.[4] It is later revealed that his carelessness is due to the fact that he was a Geo Archon and the creator of Mora. With the God Heart allowing him to create an infinite amount of Mora, he never had to worry about running out of personal finances. Unfortunately, when he chose to live among mortals, he lacked the foresight to find an alternative for mortals to mint Mora without the God Heart. Zhongli, like Venti, seems to view his human form as something separate from his divine form. The Archaic Stone Set states that the Lord of Stone was once an emotionless, ruthless god who killed countless other gods during the Archon War, which was necessary to fulfill a contract. As the God of Contracts, Zhongli takes contracts seriously and honestly, as it is easy to fulfill the agreement, and is perplexed by how people cannot adhere to such a simple concept;[5] he states that anyone who breaks a contract will suffer the Wrath of the Stone.

personality

Zhong Li cares deeply for his nation, though he risks putting it in danger with his plan to step down as Geo Archon. His intention was to test Liyue to see if she was ready to move on to a new era without his presence, and he does so by faking his death during the annual Descent Ceremony. However, he later clarifies[6] that if there was any real danger, he would have stepped in to prevent it. He agrees with Ke Qing's controversial opinion that Liyue is overly reliant on her Archon[7], and respects her for it. Being intelligent and calculating, Zhong Li predicts Childe's plans, and he builds his plan to test Liyue entirely around the Harbinger. Zhong Li can be considered an open-minded person, as he invited Xin Yan to perform at the Wangsheng Funeral Home, despite the fact that rock is not well known or widely accepted in Liyue. Xin Yan agreed, but when she found out that she would be performing at the home, she found the request inappropriate, showing that Zhong Li can be eccentric at times. He dislikes seafood, claiming that it brings back bad memories of his time as an Archon, when he once fought tentacled and foul-smelling sea monsters with great difficulty due to their resilience, small size, and abundance.

appearance

Zhong Li currently appears as a tall, slender, and handsome young man with fair skin and a stern expression. His eyes are bright and sharp, amber in color with yellow pupils that emit a golden glow. When using Geo, his eyes become luminescent. His dark brown hair is styled into a windswept hairstyle with long bangs hanging down the right side of his face. It fades to amber brown at the tips and is pulled back into a long ponytail that reaches his waist. When he uses his Geo abilities, the amber tips of his tail glow. His appearance is also used in the Statues of the Seven around Liyue. His attire is form-fitting and elegant. It consists of a beige dress shirt, a brown and amber vest, tight black pants, black shoes, and black gloves with gold rings on the thumbs. Around his neck is a white tie, pinned at the throat with an amber stone. Over all, he wears a long dark brown tailcoat with dragon scale patterns, gold and silver accents, gold tassels, and Rex Lapis's diamond symbol on the back. Zhongli's attire is decorated with diamond symbols on the sleeves, belt, pants, vest buttons, and tailcoat buttons. He wears a Geo "God's Eye" (with an upside-down Geo symbol) on a chain at the small of his back, an earring with a tassel in his left ear, and red eyeshadow. In the past, he appeared as a brown-amber dragon with gold accents.

the facts

The Lord of Stone is also known by the name Morax (after whom Mora is named). However, it is considered impolite for people outside of Liyue to call the Geo Archon by this name. Among the seven archons, the Lord of Stone is the oldest deity, over six thousand years old. Morax is from Latin "morax", which translates as "slow". The name of the Archon - Morax may be consonant with one of the demons of the "Goetia". Count and Governor Morax is the twenty-first demon of the "Goetia". He appeared in the form of a huge bull with a human face. He could make people very knowledgeable in astronomy and all other liberal sciences. He could also give good friends and wise knowledge about the properties of herbs and stones that can be precious. In Li Yue, the Lord of the Stone gives forecasts that determine business trends and trade in the region. In addition to shaping the geography of the region he rules, the Stone Lord has protected Liyue in great battles such as the Archon War that saw the war over Guili Valley and the death of the Dust Archon Gui Zhong in the Stone Forest, as well as the battle against the great sea monster in Gu Yun Tower.

history

The Descent Ceremony and the Ascension Ceremony are equally important in Liyue. The Hu family owns the Wangsheng Funeral Home and have been professional funeral organizers for seventy-seven generations. But the owner of the funeral home, Mrs. Hu Tao, mainly deals with the funeral ceremonies of ordinary mortals. In preparing for the farewell of the Adepts, Hu Tao has to resort to the help of her good friend Zhong Li. The Adepts have lived in the lands of Liyue for thousands of years, but only a small part of them have ascended in the last three thousand years. The description of the ascension and burial rituals of the Adepts remains only in illegible ancient texts. It is unlikely that someone will be able to see the Ascension of an Adept twice in a lifetime. But even the most picky scientists and researchers of antiquity cannot find any errors in the rituals of the Ascension Ceremony conducted by the Wangsheng Funeral Home. In these rituals, everything must be perfect: from the costumes, time, place, objects, weather, and number of people allowed to attend, to the height, occupation, and age of the people invited. Nothing can be overlooked. When people call Zhongli a "walking history book," he simply smiles and replies with a sigh, "I just have a good memory... That's all."

history

If a person has strict standards, then in Liyue, he is called a pedant. In fact, everyone is pedantic to some extent. Some will brush off spicy food without even trying it, or fish, or complain that his tofu lacks softness and a sweet aftertaste... As for Zhong Li, he is pedantic in everything. He will only enjoy the performance of the most famous artists, take only the most luxurious poultry for a walk, and will even go into the kitchen to the chef to explain to him the proportions of fish to shrimp for the perfect full moon omelet. Zhong Li understands absolutely everything: from everyday life to politics, but in a casual conversation with you, he will only talk about the most useless topics. He is not going to share more with anyone.

history

You can't buy things without bargaining. This is a habit shared by all the people of Liyue, and they know that no matter how high the price, it is best to start bargaining at half of it. However, Zhong Li never looks at the price tags. If he likes an item, he will pay whatever the seller says, sometimes he will not even mind overpaying. But for some unknown reason, Zhong Li always forgets his wallet at home. His friends help him with small purchases, and with large ones, he always finds an excuse to postpone paying. Many of the sycophantic merchants whom Zhong Li has made rich agree that he has a rare quality: Zhong Li knows the value of money, but he also understands how hard it is to get it. However, he does not understand how the word "poverty" can apply to him. In other words, Zhong Li cannot imagine himself without money. He does not understand how such people have not yet died of hunger.

history

However, Zhong Li cannot starve to death. He does not need to worry about money, for his heart and mind lie in the seven kingdoms. As for finances... Zhong Li is their embodiment, for he is the Lord of Stone, the Geo Archon who rules Liyue, aka Morax, after whom the currency "mora" was named. As night falls, the vibrant Liyue falls asleep, and sometimes the Archon climbs to the top of the mountain and looks at the city he created with his own hands. The people of Liyue call the Lord of Stone by many names. When he wrote the Liyue Code of Laws, the people dubbed him the God of Agreements and Contracts. When he minted the first mora coin, which became the foundation of the world economy, the merchants called him the God of Commerce. As the oldest of the seven Archons, Zhong Li has witnessed thousands of years of world history, so historians have proclaimed him the God of History. Thousands of years ago, when the early settlers of Liyue first lit a fire in their stone ovens and cooked their own food, they began to call him the god of the hearth. Outsiders call him Morax, but the people of Liyue prefer to call him the Lord of Stone. In addition, children and opera scriptwriters especially like his image as a warlike deity who punished evil Archons on the fields of ancient battles. Street food that the Lord of Stone invented when he got lost in the forests; stone tablets with the Lord of Stone's inscriptions; a famous operetta in which the Lord of Stone himself took part... It is safe to say that many of the customs and traditions of Liyue arose due to the influence of Geo Archon on the lives of the people. The people of Liyue are incredibly proud that their Archon lives among them.

History

As the founder of Liyue Harbor, Morax values ​​"treaties" most in this trading capital. Liyue has a great variety of them, from simple trade agreements to the ancient code of laws that he himself compiled when he founded Liyue. Each "treaty" serves a different purpose. For merchants, contracts ensure that the transaction is fair and reliable, and bind it to the dates of shipment, payment, place of delivery, etc. This promotes healthy commerce, which is the lifeblood of Liyue. The Qixing faction harshly punishes violators of these treaties, not only to uphold Morax's laws, but also to maintain the vitality of the entire city. For generations, the Qixing have been the ones who interpreted and amended the code of laws, trying to close any loopholes they found. The loopholes they could not close were considered "allowed passages" until the appropriate amendment was passed. Today, the latest edition of the law code has 279 pages. The Will of Qixing Heaven, Ning Guang, who is now chosen to interpret and change the rules, is called "Li Yue's tailor" for her efficiency and precision. However, no matter how complex and confusing these laws are, one law stands above all others for the Lord of the Stone: "Whoever breaks the contract will be subject to the wrath of the Stone."

history

Morax is the eldest of the seven Archons. He was there when the Archon War finally ended and the remaining seven Archons took their thrones, ending the Age of the Gods. Although their views differed and they lived far apart, they were all tasked with one thing - guiding people. As time passed, Archons were replaced by others. Only two Archons remain from that time to the present day: the Lord of Stone and the Anemo Archon of Freedom and Wind. The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, was the second eldest. Two thousand years ago, he came to Liyue to visit the Geo Archon, who was willing to do any favors for the Anemo Archon, but Barbatos simply handed him a bottle and said, "This wine was made in Mondstadt. Please help yourself." Morax could not believe that an Archon would simply abandon his duties to treat his comrade to wine. However, this was far from the last time Barbatos visited Liyue. He wanted to know everything about the city and its people, his curiosity flowing like wine from a bottle. At that time, the seven Archons held meetings in Liyue, and Morax still remembers the taste of the wine they drank during these meetings. The world continued to change, the Archons died and were reborn. Of the seven present at the Archon meetings, only two remained. The new young Archons began to forget their duty. Three thousand years was enough to wear down the strongest stones. Even Barbatos did not visit Liyue for many hundreds of years. One day, Morax, walking along the embankment, heard a merchant praising his worker: “You have done your job. Now you can rest.” Standing in the middle of a busy street, Morax was lost in his thoughts: “Have I done my job?..”

History

During the War of the Archons, all of Teyvat was engulfed in battle. The war broke out not only between the Archons, but also among the devilish forces, eager to expand their domains, taking advantage of the general chaos. Among these spawn were monsters that alarmed the Geo Archon, who had not yet come into his own. These monsters rose from the depths of the sea. Their bodies were slippery, their limbs were agile and fast, and they grew back even if they were cut off. The monsters themselves oozed a sticky liquid... Yes, they were disgusting, but that was not the main thing about them. These monsters were very small, and therefore could fit anywhere. Gaps in tables, chairs, and between window frames, cups, books, and brush cups - they could crawl anywhere. As soon as a person stretched out his hand, he would suddenly feel something cold, sticky and wet on his skin... These monsters would quickly climb up the back of his hand, leaving a shining trace. Morax responded to the prayers of the people of Liyue and agreed to wipe these monsters off the face of the earth. But he could not fight the monsters parasitizing on people in the same way he fought on the battlefield - with a sword, a spear and shaking the earth... But he was still the god of contracts, and he had to fulfill the promise he made to people at all costs. A sense of responsibility led him from house to house, where he systematically extracted these monsters one by one and locked them in stone cages... When this tiring war with parasites finally ended, Morax understood the meaning of the expression "a weight off my shoulders" for the first time. This difficult campaign against monsters, their nauseating smell and the feeling of slime on his skin left an indelible impression on him. Therefore, even when Morax comes into the world as a mere mortal named Zhong Li, he avoids all living and slimy seafood. But he does not refuse tofu with seafood, if these ingredients are cut so finely that you can’t see them.

history

After the play "Ascension Ceremony" was masterfully staged and performed by Zhong Li, who played the leading role, Signora, one of the Fatui Harbingers, personally came to him. According to the previously signed contract, she came to take the Heart of God of Geo Archon Morax. Facing the traveler and the two Fatui Harbingers, Zhong Li honestly told him about the agreement with the Cryo Archon. According to him, this is his last contract, "the contract that completes all contracts." But no matter what anyone says, losing his divine powers is too high a price to pay even for protecting Li Yue. Among mere mortals, there is an unshakable rule of "equivalent exchange." The God of Contracts has signed a great many contracts over the long millennia of his existence, so such an important agreement simply must promise him some benefits. And so, Geo Archon gave up his Heart of God according to the contract. So what could the Cryo Archon offer him to even the scales?

because of illusions

He begins to forget a lot and kills followers and those he considers a hindrance.