If Morax placed himself in the position of his own people—
A complete stranger suddenly approaches, asking to exchange meat for a currency that holds no apparent value.
At a time when no one has yet taken that first step.
Although Mora exists in concept as a currency, it has not circulated among the people. In other words, it has not yet been accepted by the market.
When there is no certainty that Mora can actually be spent afterward, then by common rationality, even Morax himself would never agree to trade away his family's meat in exchange for it.
So the problem became clear.
How could this barrier be broken?
How could everyone be encouraged to take that first step, to understand that Mora carried real value—
And willingly replace barter with Mora, rather than being forced by divine decree to circulate it?
Even if forced circulation eventually succeeded over time, that path would clearly be distorted and unhealthy.
"If it were me, I naturally wouldn't be willing to trade either," Morax replied.
Aether smiled. "Exactly."
"That's why we need to let currency visibly embody value, so that everyone is willing—happy, even—to use Mora for exchanges."
"Oh? Then how do we manifest that value?" Morax asked.
"At this stage, the most valuable commodities among the people are food crops."
"We can peg the currency to grain, and establish a bank under divine authority as guarantor. The people can exchange their grain for currency."
"Once exchanged, the currency becomes directly anchored to grain."
"In this way, currency inherits the value of food, and people will naturally be willing to use it in trade."
After hearing Aether's explanation, Morax understood.
By anchoring currency to grain, Mora effectively carried the price of grain itself.
Originally, if A wanted to exchange for B's chair but B didn't need grain, barter would fail.
But with currency of equivalent value, A could use Mora to purchase it, and B would not worry about being unable to spend the Mora afterward.
Along the way, Aether explained many banking concepts to Morax.
He even gave the institution a name—the Liyu Bank.
As for the rest…
That would all be left to Morax to manage.
With Aether's laid-back temperament, there was no way he would personally run a bank.
Morax himself likely wouldn't handle day-to-day operations either—but selecting capable people from among the citizens would suffice.
"Everything's ready except the final piece."
"Morax, hurry up and create Liyue's currency already!"
Aether urged with a grin.
Morax froze.
Wasn't creating currency supposed to be Aether's specialty as the Demon God of Manifestation?
Wouldn't it be far more convenient for him to do it using his Authority?
…Morax was baffled.
But after thinking about Aether's usual behavior, it suddenly seemed perfectly reasonable.
"Very well. Give me a moment."
Morax closed his eyes.
He began contemplating how to construct a proper currency.
First, he would imprint it with his unique divine authority as an anti-counterfeiting measure, ensuring no one else could replicate it.
Second, it needed to be compact and convenient to carry.
Third, it required multiple denominations to facilitate making change during transactions.
And finally—
The world's very first Mora appeared in Morax's hand.
Aether instantly snatched it away at lightning speed.
"So this is the currency you envisioned?"
"It really looks the part."
"Currency needs a proper name, right? Since you created it, why not just call it Mora?"
Aether grinned at Morax as he spoke—
Quietly pocketing the world's very first Mora in the process.
Well, wasn't it wonderfully commemorative?
"???"
After hearing Aether's words, Morax slowly conjured three large question marks in his mind.
Why did the currency's name have to be taken from his own name?
He genuinely didn't understand.
Was "gold coin" really that unpleasant?
…Forget it. If Aether liked it, then so be it.
Morax had no desire whatsoever to argue with Aether over the name of a currency.
Once Aether got started, it would never end until he won.
He had only just recently regained some peace and quiet.
Fine—Mora it was. It actually sounded rather pleasant… oddly fitting.
...
Once Mora had been created, Aether openly returned to full-time idling.
Everything else was left entirely in Morax's hands.
If Aether handled everything himself, then whose Liyue would this be—Morax's, or his, Aether's?
Managing a crowd of unruly mortals was exhausting, after all.
Aether knew that all too well from his own experiences in urban skylines.
"Have you heard? The Geo God is establishing a new institution called the Liyu Bank!"
"Really?"
"Of course it's real! Would I dare joke about something involving the gods?"
"The Geo God is selecting a group of talented people to manage Liyu Bank right now!"
"There's such a thing? But what exactly is this Liyu Bank? I understand what 'Liyu' means, but what's a bank?"
"Who knows? All I know is that it was founded jointly by the Geo God and the Feather God. How could we mortals possibly comprehend the thoughts of gods?"
"Let's just wait and see. Whatever the Geo God and the Feather God do must be for Liyue's prosperity and for our benefit!"
Every action taken by a god was closely watched by the people.
News of establishing the Liyu Bank spread rapidly throughout all of Liyue.
For now, no one truly understood what this "bank" was meant to do.
But since it was jointly founded by the Geo God and the Feather God, the people naturally supported it without hesitation.
When the talent selection began, Morax personally appeared at the site.
The place was instantly packed with people—almost the entirety of Liyue seemed to have shown up.
Naturally. People loved a spectacle.
Whether or not they intended to apply, coming to watch the excitement was worthwhile.
Under Morax's selection, several suitable candidates were quickly chosen.
He then handed each of the three chosen individuals a book titled The Bank Manual, instructing them to study and comprehend its contents thoroughly.
And then…
Morax left.
Perhaps, in some vague sense, this could be considered "training."
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