When Gui Zhong met his gaze, her face turned bright red.
"I-I... I still have things to do... so I'll be going..."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Gui Zhong chose to retreat. With her cheeks flushed all the way to her ears, she fled in a hurry, as though escaping for her life.
Morax remained where he stood, only turning to leave once Gui Zhong had vanished into the distance.
...
Liyue, Tianheng Mountain.
"Is that so...?" Elliot asked after sipping his tea.
"Mm... I don't know what to do," Morax admitted, clearly troubled.
He explained everything that had just happened in detail. Whenever he faced a difficult problem, he always sought out Elliot, because Elliot could always provide a flawless answer.
Now, the matter of Gui Zhong had once again left him feeling lost.
"What do you think?" Elliot asked in return.
"I... I don't know."
"Then do you like her?"
"I'm not sure. I've never thought about it. I only see her as an ally, a friend. I never considered whether I like her or not..."
Morax wasn't ignorant of what it meant to like someone. He understood that lovers became partners, formed families, married, and had children. He knew all of that.
But he didn't understand what that feeling—"liking"—was supposed to be. What exactly was liking? What was not liking?
Morax didn't know, but Elliot understood very well.
The Morax of now did not like Gui Zhong—at least, not in that instinctive way, like love at first sight.
After all, when he first met Gui Zhong, he had been prepared to kill her and seize her territory. By first impression, there was no "liking" at all.
But Gui Zhong's feelings for Morax hadn't been love at first sight either. She had simply observed him long enough, carefully enough.
The first time she saw Morax, it was out of curiosity. Battles between gods were enormous and deafening, and she had only been drawn over by the noise.
Later, she saw him fight again and again—always emerging victorious. That was when her interest in him began.
She started observing Morax closely and realized how overwhelmingly strong he was. Against other gods, he almost never fell behind, rarely got hurt, and often won with crushing dominance.
Having such a powerful god as her neighbor, Gui Zhong naturally paid him more attention. Over time, she began to notice the quiet gentleness hidden in his heart.
Through her inquiries, she also learned how peaceful and harmonious Liyue—the land Morax protected—was. Combining that knowledge with the sight of him battling tirelessly, her feelings began to change.
Piece by piece, all those impressions came together. And before she realized it, Gui Zhong had fallen for him.
She liked Morax because she understood him deeply.
She knew he was both strong and gentle.
So, when she saw Morax's war-worn, expressionless face, her heart ached. She wanted to find ways to make him smile.
Her affection had its reasons.
Morax, however, had always focused his attention on protecting Liyue and the Guili Plains. He had never observed Gui Zhong carefully. So it was only natural that he didn't feel the same way.
"Whether you like someone or not isn't for me to decide, or even for you to decide. It's your heart's decision."
"Give it time. It will give you the answer," Elliot said with quiet certainty.
He wouldn't force a match, nor would he interfere with Morax's feelings. Such things could only be determined by Morax himself.
Liking is liking. Not liking is not liking.
It cannot be forced, nor should anyone try to push the two of them together.
In fact, from a purely logical standpoint, when Morax first met Gui Zhong, killing her and taking Guili Plains would have been the most optimal choice.
That would have prevented unnecessary bonds and kept him from being put at a disadvantage in the Archon War—especially with gods like Gui Zhong and Marchosius, who lacked combat ability.
But Elliot knew Gui Zhong was kind. He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Truthfully, many other gods were also kind in their own ways. But Elliot didn't know them, nor did he have the time to get to know each one.
From what he understood of the original story, Gui Zhong and Marchosius were gods completely harmless to Liyue—gods he could fully trust.
"My heart..." Morax murmured, placing a hand over his chest.
"Morax, I can't help you with this. You'll have to feel it yourself," Elliot said plainly.
"Then... how do I know if I like her or not?" Morax asked.
"That's simple. Just look at the humans who love each other."
Morax nodded.
Indeed, with so many families and couples in Liyue, if he observed them closely, he might finally come to understand what that feeling—liking—truly was.