Morax sighed and waved his hand.
"Fine. Let's go."
Between going out and… playing chess with Zayn,
going out was clearly the safer option.
It wasn't that Morax feared losing.
No—he did not fear Zayn's skill.
He feared Zayn's methods.
As the creator of every game they played, Zayn should have had absolute mastery—
yet whenever he failed to win through proper play,
he would immediately begin doing things that blatantly violated his own rules.
And whenever Morax questioned him—
Zayn would reply with absolute righteousness:
"I'm the creator. Who understands the rules—you or me?"
At that point, Morax never knew what to say.
Absurd—
and yet, somehow reasonable.
An enigma beyond words.
"Hehehe, then let's head out right now!" Zayn said, grinning triumphantly.
Morax simply exchanged a helpless look with him.
There was truly no winning against this man.
With a wave of Zayn's hand, the protective barrier over Liyue shimmered into place.
Two streaks of light shot into the sky, racing toward Guizhong's domain.
—
Meanwhile, Guizhong had already completed the Lock of the Mortal World.
But she had never had the chance to deliver it.
Around her territory, the bordering gods had begun yet another cycle of warfare,
fighting over land day after day.
She feared that leaving even briefly would expose her domain to danger.
Thus, she had not been able to travel to Liyue to give Morax the lock
and formalize their alliance.
Little did she expect that Zayn was already dragging Morax straight to her doorstep.
"Guizhong-jie! I brought Morax to play with you!"
Zayn's cheerful voice echoed across her palace.
Guizhong, deep in troubled thought, froze.
That voice—
Was that really Zayn?
He said… he brought Morax!?
Her worries evaporated instantly.
Joy replaced every trace of hesitation.
She hurried outside with a bright smile.
"Zayn, Morax—why have you two come?"
Morax cast Zayn a resigned glance.
"…Because Brother Aether insisted on dragging me here."
"What do you mean dragging? Morax wanted to come! Don't listen to his nonsense," Zayn said.
Ah?
Ahem.
Why they came no longer mattered.
This—
This was perfect.
If Morax weren't standing right here, Guizhong would have hugged Zayn outright.
She had been agonizing over how to deliver the Lock of the Mortal World,
how to propose their alliance—
And suddenly, both gods were standing before her.
Everything had resolved itself.
"Come in, come in. Standing out here would make it seem like I don't know how to host guests."
Zayn nodded eagerly.
"Mm! Morax, let's go."
"Very well."
Led by Guizhong, the two entered the palace hall.
And there, sitting openly upon the stone table in front of Guizhong's seat—
was a radiant, intricate metal construct.
A faint golden light pulsed around it.
Zayn recognized it instantly.
The Lock of the Mortal World.
Even though he'd never drawn it in his past life,
He knew it at a glance.
And right now—
he wasn't just seeing it.
He could touch it.
He leaned in with obvious curiosity.
"Guizhong-jie, what's that on the table? Was it made with mechanism arts?"
Ah!
Guizhong stiffened.
She hadn't hidden it.
She was so overjoyed when Zayn called out that she completely forgot to put the lock away.
And now… now she isn't ready yet…
"A-Ah… yes. Yes, it was created using mechanism arts."
"It contains all my current wisdom and technique. I poured everything into crafting it."
She answered honestly despite her fluster.
Zayn, seeing Morax examining the object as well, continued to guide the conversation.
"But why would you use all of your wisdom and technique to create something like that?
Does it have a special use?"
Use…
The Lock's purpose was to symbolize her alliance with Morax.
Guizhong looked at Morax, took a deep breath—
and her eyes grew firm.
She approached the table, gently lifting the lock into her hands.
Then she stepped toward Morax.
Morax blinked, puzzled.
Did she want him to evaluate the mechanism?
"This object is called the Lock of the Mortal World."
"I used all of my wisdom and technique to create it… and within it, I've hidden some of my true thoughts."
Guizhong turned to Zayn.
"You asked what its purpose is, did you not?"
"It has no combat ability, no practical effect. It brings no enhancement."
"Because it is a symbol."
"A symbol?" Morax echoed.
He searched his memory for any significance
—but nothing came.
Guizhong took another breath.
Then she faced Morax solemnly.
"Yes. A symbol.
A symbol of a covenant."
"God of Rock, Morax—
Please accept my pact!"
She extended the Lock of the Mortal World toward him.
Morax froze completely.
He hadn't yet processed what was happening.
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