"Brother, were you the one protecting Gui Zhong's land before?"
Having returned from Guili Plains to Mt. Tianheng, Morax asked the question outright.
Gui Zhong had taken him to meet Marchosius and introduced him to her people. They all seemed genuinely delighted at Morax's arrival.
Though they didn't know the extent of his strength, they understood that gods were formidable. Another god meant another safeguard.
Marchosius, grateful that Morax had agreed to cooperate, had even given him a warm welcome.
"Yes. You've already met them?"
"Mm… Are you planning to take that land?" Morax asked, still puzzled.
He had never truly understood Elliot's purpose in sending him there, and instead of puzzling it out himself, he asked directly.
"No. You should be the one to take it," Elliot said, shaking his head.
"Me?"
"Of course. If I were to claim such a small piece of land, then once the war ends, neither of us could ever hope to stand among the Seven. That territory is meant for you."
"So Brother means… that land will be incorporated into Liyue?" Morax seemed to understand, though not fully.
"That's right."
"I suppose it could be… but why leave those two gods alive? Couldn't we simply eliminate them and claim the land outright?" That was the part Morax couldn't understand.
"That's the thing. Expanding territory doesn't always require killing. Sometimes, there's another way."
"Brother, you've told me countless times that war is cruel," Morax pressed, unable to reconcile the contradiction.
"War is cruel, Morax—but only under one condition."
"A condition?"
"The condition is that the enemy poses a threat to you."
Morax grew thoughtful at these words.
Guizhong and Marchosius could never threaten him through strength. Their divine power was too weak; neither was a god of combat.
What he feared was hidden danger—like how, after killing a god, one could not let its people live.
Humans posed no physical threat, but they were a lurking danger. Those who hated him might disguise themselves as helpless refugees, slip into Liyue, and from within spread rumors and incite unrest.
That was why, after slaying a god, one also had to kill its people.
But that was only necessary when those humans bore resentment and hatred toward him.
If he cooperated with Guizhong, then her people would never harbor such feelings.
In that case, both the open threat and the hidden danger would disappear.
Thinking it through, Morax finally began to understand.
And to achieve that, he couldn't seize land through battle. He could only do it through alliance.
"But… if this is about expanding territory, then that land should properly belong to Liyue. If so, she'll never agree. Who would willingly let their country be renamed after another?"
Once again, Morax was troubled. He had agreed to work with Guizhong because he thought the land belonged to Elliot, so he accepted it naturally.
But now Elliot told him it belonged to Liyue, and he had already entered a pact with Guizhong. To rename that land "Liyue" would not be so simple.
"Morax, think carefully. In this alliance, who holds the dominant position?" Elliot reminded him.
"I know I do. I have countless choices. But Guizhong has none. Without your protection, she's like a lamb at the slaughterer's mercy. She has no choice but to ally with me if she wants to survive. I understand that well."
"But…"
"I've already promised her. We made a contract. To do otherwise would break that contract."
That was what truly troubled Morax.
Elliot took a sip of his tea, then said calmly, "The contract you made with her only applies within that region. You can name the land separately. In other words, you can be the god of Liyue and the god of that land as well. There's no conflict."
"Since you'll be protecting it, people of Liyue will be free to come and go across that plain. Doesn't that mean your domain has already expanded?"
Elliot's words struck him with sudden clarity. If that grassland was now partly his, then he had the right to name it.
"I understand."
Morax once again felt the depth of Elliot's foresight. So many things he himself couldn't work out were always clear to Elliot.
"I'll go and discuss with Guizhong what to call that land."
Morax felt a surge of excitement. Just like when he first founded Liyue, this new plain felt like a second home.
"Wait," Elliot called, stopping him before he left.
"What is it?"
"After you decide, move some of Liyue's people there. You can't let that grassland be filled entirely with Guizhong's subjects. You understand why, don't you?"
Morax froze, then quickly nodded.
Inwardly, he thought: As expected, I was too reckless, too short-sighted… Good thing Brother is here.