As Piper drove the truck, taking the people from Hare's House and the Public Security Bureau back to New Eridu...
At that moment,
in the small town of Calydon,
Caesar and Burnice were discussing how to deal with the remaining members of the Lion's Tooth Gang—determined to take this opportunity to wipe them out completely.
Just then,
a gang member came running over in a panic.
"Big Sister! Big Sister! Something's wrong—"
Caesar frowned.
"Calm down. What happened?"
The gang member stammered breathlessly,
"Big Sister, something's wrong! A huge statue just appeared in the town square—like it came out of nowhere! It's giving off this faint golden light..."
He then waved his arms, trying to describe the statue.
Upon hearing this,
Caesar froze in place—her ledger falling from her hands with a loud thud.
Burnice frowned.
"Caesar, what's wrong? You know this statue?"
Snapping out of it, Caesar suddenly laughed.
"A god statue! A golden god statue! Ahahahaha!"
Burnice looked baffled.
"????"
What was going on?
Caesar laughed.
"The statue—does it have a throne, with a god seated on it? And is the god holding a square-shaped stone?"
The Sons of Calydon gang member nodded quickly.
"That's right, Big Sister! You know that statue?"
Caesar grinned.
"Then it's just as I thought! No wonder the Geo energy in town suddenly feels so much stronger—it's because of that statue. Burnice, go call Lucy and Piper. We're going to take a look!"
Caesar had already seen such a statue before.
She had gained powerful Geo abilities after receiving its blessing, making her even stronger.
Before, she had envied the statue in the city—she had even discussed with Lucy, Piper, and the others about trying to load it onto a truck and bring it to Calydon.
But before she could put that plan into motion,
a statue had now appeared here on its own.
Without another word,
Caesar leapt to her feet, eager to investigate. She called for Burnice and Lucy, and the three of them set off toward the town square.
...
Ten minutes later,
in the center of town—
Caesar, Burnice, and Lucy stood before the statue, each wearing a different expression.
Caesar looked thrilled.
Burnice was puzzled.
Lucy looked surprised—she clearly remembered this had just been an empty lot. When had a statue appeared?
And who had put it here?
A moment passed.
Grinning, Caesar began explaining the statue's wonders to Burnice.
"This statue can grant people powerful Geo abilities—like the ones Mr. Sam Li uses. I have them too..."
"If you make a wish to the statue, you might receive a response from the gods..."
"If you're injured, just sit before it—you'll be healed. Even Ether corrosion can be cured."
"The statue is the bane of Hollows. We won't have to fear Hollow disasters anymore..."
...
Caesar laughed happily.
First she'd gotten a sparkling gem, then the power of Geo—and now this statue had appeared.
It truly felt like the gods were watching over her. One stroke of good fortune after another.
Listening to her,
Burnice remained skeptical, her face full of doubt and curiosity.
Of course, she had heard rumors about the statue in New Eridu, but she hadn't visited the city recently and hadn't seen it herself.
The stories always sounded exaggerated. How could a statue like that exist in the real world?
Burnice frowned slightly.
"Where did this statue come from? It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, right?"
Lucy thought for a moment.
"Maybe someone placed it here?"
She looked up at the figure seated on the throne. Though the god's face wasn't fully visible, it felt familiar—like she'd seen it somewhere before.
Caesar smirked.
"What, are you going to say the Hare's House crew or those Public Security folks placed it here?"
At those words,
Lucy's eyes lit up.
"You're right! It was the Hare's House people who placed it! Caesar—didn't you notice? The god on that statue looks just like Sam Li when he was fighting before."
Especially the aura—
During battle, Sam Li wielded a long spear, his entire body glowing faintly with golden light.
Now, the god on this statue held a mysterious square object, also surrounded by a soft golden glow.
That overwhelming presence—
anyone gazing up at the statue would feel awe in their heart.
After hearing Lucy's words,
Caesar looked again—and sure enough, Lucy was right.
"Could this statue have been placed here by Mr. Sam Li? Is the god on the statue actually him?"
That would explain why Sam Li was so strong.
The power he'd shown on the battlefield was not something a mortal could possess—he had fought like a god, with the strength to shatter the heavens and earth.
Lucy took a deep breath.
"Do you remember when that Geo Bangboo called Sam Li 'Morax'? Maybe Morax is his real name."
Off to the side,
Burnice listened to Caesar and Lucy going back and forth—completely lost.
What Geo Bangboo?
Destroy the heavens and earth with a flick of the hand?
Morax?
Burnice finally spoke up.
"You two went out—what exactly did you experience? Come on, tell me!"
Lucy sniffed.
"When we got back yesterday, you said you weren't interested in this mission."
Burnice laughed.
"Well, now I am interested. Hurry up and tell me."
Lucy cleared her throat and began.
"Well, here's what happened..."
As Burnice watched in amazement,
Lucy recounted the great battle that had taken place the day before.
...
When the second Seven Heavenly Gods Statue appeared in Calydon,
its influence extended beyond just Zenless Zone Zero.
The statue's connection crossed space itself, linking into the leylines of another world—profoundly affecting it.
At that moment—
In a world filled with elemental energy,
in a city of gentle breezes in the northeast of the continent,
a young bard with two small braids and a lyre in hand was sitting
before a statue in the center of the square, playing a beautiful melody and singing a song of freedom.
Suddenly,
the bard sensed the wind shift.
"O free winds—where are you blowing?"
The bard closed his eyes.
His consciousness drifted with the breeze—
and quickly, he sensed something strange.
The Anemo flow was heading into the earth's leylines below!
"He should know what's going on... I'll ask him. And maybe get a jug of wine while I'm at it."
With that, the bard put away his lyre.
He transformed into a wisp of free wind—
and drifted toward the land of Liyue.
...