"This is… a mask?" Morax looked at it with some confusion.
"Yes. Try it on." Elliot Yuan handed the mask to him.
Though puzzled, Morax put it on.
Almost instantly, he felt a calmness and clarity flow from the mask, washing away much of his grief. His gaze turned colder, yet his mind remained sharp and clear.
"How does it feel?" Elliot Yuan asked.
"Hmm… my heart feels quieter," Morax answered truthfully.
"Good. I infused some of my divine power into it and reshaped it into the form of the Unmoving Mystic Stone.
"It won't just help you maintain rationality and composure—it will also conceal your face.
"The Archon War has only just begun, and the hardships ahead will only grow worse. If you let your emotions show too often, it might not matter if no one notices. But if other gods watching from the shadows discover this weakness, then Liyue will be in danger.
"Morax, forgive my severity, but in war we must prepare for every possibility. Even the smallest weakness must not be shown to the enemy. That slightest flaw could become the spark that drags us into the Abyss."
Morax silently nodded, then removed the mask and studied it carefully.
"I understand, elder brother. War is like this by nature." He slowly lifted his head to meet Elliot Yuan's gaze.
"That's good." Elliot Yuan patted his shoulder with a satisfied smile.
From then on, Morax wore that mask in every battle. Never again did he show even a trace of gentleness before his enemies. His eyes were as cold and unyielding as the rock spear in his hand.
Whether gods or their followers, he suppressed them all.
His name soon spread beyond Liyue's borders.
It was worth noting that among the gods Morax subdued, several were those he had once sparred with—gods who could even be called friends. Yet even so, Morax showed no mercy.
Among them was the Pyro Fox god.
Before Liyue was built, when Qing'er had disturbed her slumber while gathering herbs, she had demanded that the village hand over two children in exchange for Qing'er's life.
She was a god fond of human children.
At one point, the villagers even wished for her to become their protector deity, but she had refused.
Now she too was drawn into the war, leading her followers, only to be subdued by Morax.
This period was long and arduous. In addition to the Fire Fox and other former acquaintances, there was also one god who managed to escape during battle.
That was Orobashi, the Great Serpent.
He had come from the sea, clashing with Morax in the depths of the ocean. Unable to match him, he fled Liyue at the fastest speed possible.
Elliot Yuan had considered suppressing him on the spot, to avoid future troubles.
But if the Great Serpent had been sealed, Byakuyakoku would never have been overthrown, and its people would never have returned to the surface.
After much thought, Elliot Yuan chose to let him go.
As the ages dragged on, more and more gods emerged from the war.
In the endless seas, after the Eight Serpents were slain by Morax, yet another powerful high god arose from the ocean depths.
The Vortex God—Osial.
Stronger and more troublesome than the Eight Serpents, he rendered even the hawk that had once slain them useless.
In the end, at the Guyun Stone Forest, Morax summoned countless colossal rock spears that fell from the sky, sealing Osial and all nearby gods deep beneath the sea.
Of course, to ensure this creature could never be released by the Fatui to endanger the world, Elliot Yuan reinforced the seabed dozens of times over with terrifying power.
To make sure the seal would last for thousands of years, he poured the bulk of his divine strength into it.
With such fortification, not even the Hundred Taboos Seal could break it. Other than the direct descent of the Heavenly Principles, no one could undo it.
At least, not for many millennia to come.
Elliot Yuan didn't need to fight anyway. Even after consuming so much divine power, he still retained the strength to control Morax. It was his way of ensuring he had the power to act in case of an emergency.
...
At that moment, in The Chasm.
A small group of people from Liyue swung their pickaxes, mining ore from its depths. Hidden in the shadows, Elliot Yuan silently guarded their safety.
The middle of the month was the only time Liyue's people could enter The Chasm to mine.
Venturing so far during the Archon War was extremely dangerous. Originally, Morax was supposed to escort them there.
But as the war grew ever more brutal, Liyue became a coveted prize, constantly stalked by many gods.
Since Elliot Yuan could not act directly against them, the defense of Liyue still had to fall on Morax.
Elliot Yuan instead took his place in protecting the miners who ventured into The Chasm.
On this day, he finally heard strange noises echoing from within its depths.