"Is this… what the world looks like?"
The ancient dragon Azhdaha stood in disbelief for an unknowable length of time before finally voicing the words.
For thousands of years, he had lived in the pitch-black depths underground, perceiving the world only through sound. This was the very first time he had laid eyes on the world's true form.
Overwhelmed by the sight, a powerful wave of gratitude surged in his heart.
It was like being locked away in a vast, dark room—unable to see or touch anything. No games, no music, no stories, no videos, no friends, no food. Not even a sense of time.
To endure such an existence for millennia would be despair beyond imagining.
And yet Elliot had given him everything.
He could now behold the world's beauty—no longer confined to eternal darkness. He could chase the sunset, await the dawn, feel the breeze sweeping across the earth, and bask in the moonlight spilling over the land.
From this moment on, the beauty of the world belonged to the ancient dragon Azhdaha.
"You are the God of Darkness, called Elliot, correct?" Azhdaha turned to the god beside him, clad in a black cloak and wearing a mask that looked at once like a smile and a weep.
"Yes," Elliot answered.
"You have given me a second life. I am willing to walk through fire and water for you," Azhdaha declared solemnly.
"That won't be necessary. But the world is engulfed in constant war, flames raging everywhere. Though the people I protect have not yet been caught in its path, as time goes on, the fighting will only worsen. I hope you will join us, to stand guard over Liyue together."
"Liyue… is that the name of your nation?"
"Yes. Liyue has two gods. Besides me, there is also the God of Rock, whom Liyue reveres as the Geo Emperor."
"Geo Emperor… a title… Do you not have one?" Azhdaha seemed to catch on to something and asked.
"I do, though few know it. I rarely appear before the people of Liyue."
"Tell me your title," Azhdaha pressed. He now looked upon Elliot with deep reverence. In his eyes, this god was his benefactor—the one who had given him a new life.
He had never dreamed the world could be so beautiful. Until now, he believed all was black—whether above ground or below.
"Dark Night King," Elliot replied.
"Dark Night King, from this day forth, I shall stand with you in guarding Liyue." Azhdaha bowed low before him in reverence.
"Don't do that, my friend." Elliot quickly pulled him back to his feet.
"Besides protecting Liyue, if there is anything else you need—so long as it is within my power—I will give it my all."
Hearing this, Elliot naturally brought up the matter of mining. Azhdaha immediately declared that his home was also Liyue's home, and the people of Liyue were welcome to mine there at any time.
Elliot knew he spoke the truth. Once, the people of Liyue had nearly hollowed out The Chasm, and Azhdaha had voiced no complaint.
The only reason he had attacked was because Corrosion had eroded him, stealing his memories and making him forget his contract with Morax.
In truth, without the erosion and the memory loss, Azhdaha would have simply stood by as the people of Liyue mined The Chasm dry, never once raising his voice in protest.
He was, at heart, gentle.
Elliot had come here precisely to ensure such a tragedy would never repeat itself.
Erosion takes root in the heart. For Azhdaha, it was the sight of his home being carved apart that had driven him into madness.
From the day the meteor strike opened The Chasm, Liyue's people had relied on mining to build prosperous lives. That industry had lasted for over a thousand years.
And throughout it all, Morax had never once decreed when mining could or could not be done.
In other words, Morax simply didn't concern himself with it. Dig if you wish, don't if you won't. If you dug, you grew rich; if you didn't, you stayed poor.
And so, mining in Liyue had grown utterly frenzied. People dug without pause, hauling the ore away for transport and trade.
To keep history from repeating itself, Elliot had already placed limits on mining from the very start of the Archon War. What had once been a daily activity was reduced to once per month, only during mid-month.
In effect, what they used to dig in one month now took thirty months, and what they mined in a year now took thirty years.
Progress had slowed to one-thirtieth of its old pace.
Looked at this way, if it once took a thousand years to hollow out The Chasm, then at the current pace, it would take at least thirty thousand.
Thirty thousand years…
More than enough, no matter how you looked at it.
After all, Liyue had already taken shape by its sixth millennium, setting out firmly on the road of commerce. Beyond that, whether mining continued or not hardly mattered.
Elliot had already safeguarded against the damage that The Chasm's mining had once inflicted on the ancient dragon Azhdaha, right from the onset of the Archon War.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.