The news of Morax and Guizhong, the two Archons, forming an alliance spread swiftly across the land.
Meanwhile, the people of Liyue began to settle and take root upon the plains of Guili.
Beneath the waves of Guyun Stone Forest, inside a vast underwater palace—
"An alliance of Archons? And right beside Guyun's waters?! They dare to ignore my existence!"
With a furious roar, Osial slammed his antique teacup onto the marble floor, shattering it into glittering shards.
"Calm yourself, my husband," said Beisht, her tone far more composed. "It's nothing more than two weaklings clinging to one another for warmth."
She continued, voice smooth and analytical.
"The Archon of Dust has never been strong. As for the Archon of Stone—though his name has risen of late, he is but a newly emerged upstart.
And besides, there's little reason to fret. The region of Guili has long been coveted by that creature Chi.
Now that Morax and Guizhong have joined hands to rule it, Chi will not stand idly by."
Osial listened in silence. Gradually, the fury in his chest began to subside.
"Hmph."
He snorted coldly and said no more.
Dunyu Vale
Upon a throne wreathed in drifting light sat a beguiling woman, her delicate body half-reclined.
In her hand swirled a mesmerizing gleam of illusion; her crimson lips curved with languid amusement.
"Morax and Guizhong… an alliance of Archons, is it?"
"How intriguing. It seems new opponents have appeared."
Her tone was lazy, sultry almost, yet the sight below her was anything but pleasant—
more than a dozen humanoid creatures knelt in ranks, their faces hidden beneath demonic masks.
Were those masks to be removed, one would see expressionless faces and hollow eyes—
the lifeless gazes of the walking dead.
Guili Plains
This was not yet the peaceful haven it would be thousands of years later.
Now, the air was thick with the copper tang of blood.
"Morax… Morax!!!"
Chi writhed in rage, his dragon form coiling and uncoiling, voice echoing with fury.
The sudden alliance of Guizhong and Morax had clearly disrupted his plans.
"My lord Chi… what should we do now?"
Behind him, his followers trembled on their knees, awaiting the storm of his anger.
Chi's eyes glimmered with a cold, sinister light. After several deep breaths, he hissed,
"Go. Accelerate the preparation."
"The plan moves ahead of schedule."
"Yes, my lord!"
His followers exchanged uneasy looks, but each nodded and withdrew.
Though the neighboring Archons seemed quiet in the face of this new alliance,
every one of them was secretly sharpening their blades.
And so, the lands passed twenty long years in uneasy silence.
Over those twenty years, Guili Plains grew ever more prosperous.
Many humans, upon hearing that the land was guarded by two benevolent Archons,
flocked there seeking refuge and peace.
This kept Guizhong and the adept like Cloud Retainer endlessly busy.
Indeed, after the alliance was formed, Morax had happily handed off all administrative duties
to Guizhong, Cloud Retainer, Ganyu, and Jiang Yan,
preferring instead to spend his days dueling with Azhdaha and others for amusement.
Jiang Yan was outraged—
he accused Morax of "child labor exploitation" and "negligence of divine duty."
Morax, of course, ignored him completely.
As Guili's population grew, the adept found themselves increasingly overburdened.
Every immortal had their own cultivation to attend to,
and constant involvement in mortal affairs was proving more and more exhausting.
Five years ago, Jiang Yan proposed to Morax that they establish a human army.
Morax agreed without hesitation and granted Jiang Yan full authority to organize it.
Thus were formed two forces:
the Thousand Rock Army (Thousand Rock Army) and the Thousand Rock Guard (Qianyan Guard).
The difference lay in their duties.
The Thousand Rock Army followed Morax into battle across the land,
while the Thousand Rock Guard maintained peace within the city—
handling civilian disputes and ensuring public safety.
One was a true military force; the other, a civic watch.
Both were indispensable to the flourishing of Guili.
"Hey, hey, hey! Morax!"
It was yet another of countless times that Guizhong burst into Morax's chambers.
"Just what did you buy this time?! The expenses are outrageous!"
She jabbed a slender finger against his forehead, glaring fiercely.
"Hmm… from a purely rational standpoint, the price for this bag of flower seeds is quite fair,"
Morax replied placidly, taking a sip of tea.
"Bang!"
"The entire Guili Plains only produces ten million catties of grain a year!
And you spent two hundred thousand catties just on flower seeds?!"
Abandoning all pretense of ladylike composure, Guizhong rolled up her sleeves
and smacked him soundly on the head.
"There are spendthrifts, and then there's you!"
"Cough, cough… but they really are worth that much…"
"You—ugh…"
Guizhong pressed a hand to her forehead, exasperated.
"You'll grow into a man with absolutely no sense of economy—a social disaster!"
She could not have known that, millennia later, her prediction would come true.
"Anyway! Next time you want to buy something, tell us first!
At this rate, Guili's finances won't survive the year!"
With that, she turned on her heel and strode out.
Morax watched her departing figure and sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
"My lord!"
A hurried voice called out, halting Morax mid-sip.
A young girl dashed toward him, her expression anxious yet respectful.
"Ah, Ganyu," Morax said softly, his eyes warm.
"What is it? Has something happened?"
And at the mention of Ganyu, one could not help but speak again of Jiang Yan...
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard