Guizhong… what had she just said?
"Please… accept my pact."
The Goddess of Dust, Guizhong, actually wished to form an alliance with him?
And that—that—thing resting in her hands, the Lock of the Mortal Realm, was the symbol of such a pact.
To accept it would be to accept Guizhong's covenant.
Morax fell into deep thought.
He looked at Guizhong, unsure when such a notion had taken root in her heart.
As far as he knew, gods were solitary by nature—each proud, each protective of their own territory.
They might maintain cordial relations with neighbors, but genuine alliances?
In this region, such a thing had never been heard of.
As for him and Zeunos…
Their bond was not an alliance, but something beyond one—difficult to define, more akin to a blood-deep brotherhood.
"...This is quite sudden," Morax finally said, touching his chin.
"May I ask why you wish to make such a pact with me?"
He did not take the lock from her hands.
He couldn't—shouldn't—accept something so monumental without thought.
Guizhong met his gaze and spoke with complete sincerity.
"I value your strength.
As the Goddess of Dust, I'm well aware of my own limitations.
Against a powerful foe, I cannot survive alone.
Thus, I seek a strong ally.
Only with protection from external threats can I fully use my wisdom."
She hid nothing.
She had no reason to.
A pact built on deception was worse than no pact at all.
Morax nodded, sinking into deeper contemplation.
A strong ally…
Her reasoning was honest.
But should he accept?
This was no longer his Liyue alone.
"I'm afraid I cannot answer on my own," he said at last.
"Liyue is not mine alone.
I must consider Brother Zeunos' opinion."
And just like that, he casually kicked this colossal decision straight to Zayn.
Zayn, happily spectating until now, froze.
Bro, seriously? You're asking me at a time like this?!
Well… Zayn had been the one nudging things toward this outcome.
"Guizhong's strength may not be overwhelming," Zayn began,
"but she certainly isn't weak. Her situation mainly stems from having grown up without true threats."
"If you want my opinion—"
He grinned.
"—Guizhong is a good person, and her wisdom is remarkable. With her helping manage the territory, our people will prosper even more."
"So, Morax—just accept the Lock."
Morax drifted once more into silence.
Guizhong gazed at him with hopeful, shimmering eyes.
Zayn did have a point.
Guizhong wasn't among the strongest gods, but when it came to wisdom… She was likely among the best.
Her ideas from their last conversation still lingered vividly in his mind.
If she joined their governance, Liyue's prosperity would undoubtedly rise to a new level.
"Very well," Morax exhaled softly.
"I accept this Lock of the Mortal Realm."
He finally reached out and took the lock from Guizhong's hands.
He examined it carefully—then stored the precious symbol of their pact in his personal space for safekeeping.
"Great! That means from today onward, Guizhong is one of us!"
Zayn cheered.
Guizhong's smile bloomed like a flower.
"Mm. In the future, if you need my wisdom, just call for me," she said warmly.
Morax nodded.
"In that case, I shall not hesitate. After that day, I have generated many new thoughts. Today, we can discuss them in detail."
"I look forward to it," Guizhong replied.
——
And just like that, Zayn became the third wheel.
Governance, administration, city planning—none of these things interested him in the slightest.
Running a nation was exhausting.
People had needs, affairs piled endlessly.
Even future rituals like the Rite of Descension required Morax to observe Liyue's development year by year.
"Not for me."
Leaving them to their discussion, Zayn quietly stepped outside the palace.
Guizhong's land was indeed good—fertile, gentle, rich.
But precisely because it was flat, it lacked natural defenses.
Enemies could sweep in from any direction.
Morax, by contrast, had built mountains to shield his people—using sheer strength to shape the terrain.
But that came at a price: the landlocked valley limited development and severed access to offshore resources.
A trade-off—gains and losses intertwined.
Still, the future was obvious.
One day, they would have to leave this cramped territory and move to the expansive Guili Plains to build the Guili Assembly.
When?
Hard to predict.
Morax wouldn't relocate lightly.
But there was a catalyst—the Archon War.
Liyue's current land was too small.
It couldn't accommodate its own growth, let alone absorb Guizhong's people.
Thus, relocating to Guili Plains was inevitable.
There, with Tianheng Mountain as a natural fortress, they could defend against invasions from the west.
A necessary step on the path to Liyue's rise.
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