Seeing Morax's drastic shift in attitude, Zayn fell into deep thought.
Was playing chess with him really that unbearable?
Hmph—Morax was just a piece of stone!
What did he know about the beauty of chess!
Zayn sat down before him, a little indignantly.
"Morax, I'm not here to play chess today—but I do have something else to say.
And today, whether you like it or not, you must agree!"
Zayn declared.
"?"
Morax silently rejected the idea.
With how unpredictable Zayn's mind was, Morax absolutely refused to promise anything blindly.
Otherwise, he would certainly fall into one of Zayn's traps again.
This was a hard-earned lesson Morax had learned after countless interactions with him.
"If there is nothing important, then do not disturb me,"
Morax said calmly.
—!
Good grief, Morax.
So heartless!
Zayn quickly replied:
"There is something! There is!
Come with me to the Glaze Lily plains in the northeast of Liyue!"
"I've heard the entire plain is blooming—an ocean of Glaze Lilies!
Just imagining it feels beautiful already!"
"So come with me, think of it as a little trip—a chance to relax."
To visit a flower field together?
Morax honestly thought Zayn would propose another absurd game.
But this… was surprisingly normal.
However—
That region belonged to the God of Dust, Guizhong.
Their territories were separated only by a mountain; neighbors, in a sense.
Yet he and the God of Dust had no direct contact.
Simply barging into another god's domain would be extremely rude.
After thinking for a moment, Morax said:
"This may be inappropriate.
To intrude upon the God of Dust's territory without notice—it may be too discourteous."
Even though this era was not yet the cruel time of the Archon War, conflict between gods still happened.
Territorial disputes were common.
If two gods from Liyue stepped into another god's land…
Guizhong would certainly be alarmed.
But Zayn waved it off.
"Oh, come on. We're just going to look at the flowers, not cause trouble."
"Even if the God of Dust misunderstands, so what? There's no way she can defeat the two of us."
"A few words will clear things up anyway."
"At worst, I'll conjure a few gifts as compensation."
"Morax, if you won't accompany me, then you'll play chess with me.
Your choice."
This—
was the ultimate threat.
Morax fell silent.
Between offending the God of Dust
and being forced to play chess with Zayn…
Morax finally chose—
The God of Dust.
Forgive me, Guizhong…
This was not my idea.
All blame lies with Zenos… yes, entirely with him.
After a moment of contemplation, Morax said:
"Since you've said so much already…
if I continue refusing, it would indeed be improper."
"…Very well. I shall indulge you this time."
Zayn's face lit up immediately.
He placed a barrier over the territory—
one that only the people of Liyue could pass through—
and then he and Morax each turned into a streak of divine light:
One white.
One golden.
Together, they flew northeast—
toward the future Guili Plains.
Crossing the mountain marked the entrance to Guizhong's domain.
The further they went, the more Glaze Lilies appeared—
vast, unending, shimmering in the wind.
This was—
a world made entirely of Glaze Lilies.
So beautiful it felt unreal.
It was hard to imagine that the ruined, broken land future generations would call Guili Plains…
had once been like this.
Each Glaze Lily stood with elegant posture.
A gentle breeze would sweep through—
and the entire flower sea swayed like waves, carrying faint fragrance through the air.
It was breathtaking.
If Zayn weren't so afraid of crushing them, he would have jumped right in to bathe in the flower sea.
"Beautiful… It's too beautiful, Morax.
I've decided—one day, I'll plant my own flower field!"
Roses, jasmine, lilies, peonies, violets, tulips, camellias—
all blooming together in a grand garden!
Morax replied lightly,
"Mm. I hope the day comes when I may witness it."
…What he meant was:
He absolutely did not believe it.
Zayn puffed up.
"What do you mean hope? Morax, are you looking down on me!?
Do you not trust my craftsmanship!?"
"It is simply the truth," Morax answered.
Zayn's fist tightened.
He really wanted to hit him—
but unfortunately, he might not win.
Zayn plucked several Glaze Lilies and began weaving.
Soon he made two wreaths.
He wore one himself, conjured a mirror, and admired:
Not bad. Quite poetic.
As for the other—
He turned toward Morax.
Before Morax could react, Zayn—
swish!
—placed the wreath onto his head.
A stern-faced Morax wearing a delicate flower wreath—
Zayn burst out laughing on the spot.
"Hahaha—Morax, don't look so serious! Smile a little!
You look terrible otherwise!"
Morax sighed inwardly.
Ah… if only Zayn's childish temperament would improve someday.
But deep down, he also knew—
this was probably impossible.
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