"No, we can't decide this ourselves. We need to seek the god's judgment first."
Although the refugees looked pitiful,
the people of Liyue still stopped them, not daring to privately allow them into the territory.
After all, this matter involved another demon god.
No one knew whether taking in people who had defected from another god would bring trouble upon Liyue.
If it ended up causing problems for the Lord of Geo, that responsibility would fall on them.
"What's going on?" Aether asked as he walked over.
Hearing his voice, the people surrounding the refugees quickly made way for him.
Many of them were already very familiar with Aether.
Just from his voice alone, they could tell that this was Lord Zennos, the Demon God of Manifestation.
"Lord Zennos, these people all fled from under the rule of the Wind and Sand Demon God. They want to join our territory."
"But we're worried that if we accept them, it might bring trouble to Liyue."
Someone nearby quickly explained the situation to Aether.
Aether's gaze swept across the refugees who had escaped from the Wind and Sand Demon God.
Now that they knew he was a demon god in the form of a young man, the moment they felt Aether's eyes upon them, they lowered their heads and didn't dare make any excessive movements.
Fear and anxiety churned in their hearts.
They were afraid that the god before them would refuse to accept them.
A few bolder ones directly knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly toward Aether.
"Please, merciful god—take us in!"
"We didn't mean to betray the Wind and Sand Demon God. We truly couldn't survive anymore!"
"We don't need food, and we don't need shelter. As long as you let us join your territory, that's enough!"
Looking at this group, Aether couldn't help but feel moved.
However, he didn't make the decision on his own.
Although his words carried weight in Liyue, the true master of this land was still Morax.
This kind of matter needed to be discussed with Morax.
Aether didn't respond immediately. Instead, he used divine transmission to summon Morax from his residence.
After Morax arrived and briefly understood the situation, he said,
"Since the Wind and Sand Demon God was at fault first, it is only natural that this led to their defection. Take them in."
In Morax's view, the Wind and Sand Demon God had failed to properly care for his people.
Wind and sand meant little to a demon god—perhaps it could even be considered a form of protection.
But used in the wrong way, it became harm.
Hearing that Morax was willing to accept them, the refugees were overjoyed. Tears streamed down their faces as they cried with happiness.
They repeatedly knelt and bowed toward Morax and Aether.
"Thank you, Lord of Geo! Thank you, Lord of Manifestation!"
"We will repay your mercy with a lifetime of faith!"
With Morax's approval, these refugees officially joined the great family of Liyue.
From now on, they were one family.
Though life wasn't wealthy, with everyone sharing a little, it was still manageable.
Aether hadn't expected Morax to agree so decisively. He'd thought Morax would deliberate for a while.
But it wasn't really surprising.
After all, demon gods loved humanity.
As for how they expressed that love…
each demon god had their own unique way.
For some demon gods, even harm and slaughter could be considered a form of love toward humans.
Back at the residence, Aether said to Morax,
"By the way, you accepted those refugees so readily. Aren't you afraid the Wind and Sand Demon God will come looking for trouble later?"
"Looking for trouble with me?" Morax looked at Aether in confusion. "The Wind and Sand Demon God was at fault first. If he had treated his people well, this situation wouldn't have happened."
"I took in his former people—why would he come after me?"
Hearing this, Aether could only feel helpless.
The current Morax hadn't yet experienced the era of the Demon God War. Although demon gods would clash over territory from time to time, most of them still maintained relatively peaceful relations.
"Then what if the Wind and Sand Demon God comes demanding those refugees back?" Aether asked.
Morax replied calmly, "Since they have joined Liyue, they are now Liyue's people. Naturally, they cannot be returned."
"If he insists, then we fight."
…That answer was very Morax.
Aether shook his head. Forget it.
None of this really concerned a laid-back person like him anyway.
If the Wind and Sand Demon God really did come knocking someday, then just as Morax said—let Morax handle it.
Choosing to lie flat, Aether returned to his room.
The next day, Aether carried a board of Chinese chess over to Morax, intending to let him experience the charm of xiangaura.
In truth, he just wanted to bully a newbie.
In the first game, although Morax quickly grasped the rules, he wasn't yet familiar with the various tricky tactics and was swiftly defeated by Aether.
After that, Morax learned like an overclocked AI, constantly adapting and improving.
By the final round, Aether had already been forced into a desperate corner on the board.
The corner of Morax's mouth lifted slightly as he looked at Aether.
It was as if he were saying: There's no way out now, is there?
"Checkmate!" Aether shouted with a grin.
At the same time, he picked up the Guard next to Morax's General and captured Morax's General.
?
Morax slowly produced a question mark.
Seeing Morax's puzzled expression, Aether explained with a smile,
"From the very beginning, I secretly bribed this piece. It's actually a spy I planted on your side, so you were killed by my agent!"
Morax rubbed his forehead.
No need to doubt it—this was pure shameless sophistry from Aether.
Aether had always been someone with a childlike temperament.
After spending so many days together, Morax had already grown used to it.
"As far as I know, there is no such thing as a 'spy' in the rules of xiangaura. You violated the rules. This round should still count as my victory," Morax argued reasonably.
"!"
"Morax, I invented xiangaura."
"Do you understand xiangaura better, or do I?"
"I won!"
Aether instantly stopped playing fair.
In the end, Morax could only helplessly shake his head, concede that Aether had won this round, and propose another game.
Aether waved his hand. "Nah, not playing anymore. My chess skills are far too powerful—you can't beat me. There's no fun continuing like this."
...
Morax once again fell into silence.
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