Morax, finally regaining his composure, looked at Ghizhong, who was sobbing uncontrollably before him. Slowly, he walked over.
"You've already done your best." Morax gently placed his hand on her head, pressing it lightly against his chest as he spoke softly.
That single gesture became the final straw that broke Ghizhong's restraint.
She clung tightly to Morax and wept without holding back.
Her cries went on for hours, until she was nearly spent, her tears running dry before she finally quieted down. By then, a large patch of Morax's clothes was soaked through.
"I've made up my mind," Ghizhong said, her eyes red and swollen. "I'll make countless Ghizhong Machines—enough to strike anywhere within Guili Plains and Liyue. I'll fill all of Liyue and Guili Plains with them. I swear, I'll make it happen!"
She no longer wanted to be a useless ornament, someone who could only be protected. She wanted to defend this land too—to stand beside Morax and guard it together.
"Yes. I believe in you," Morax said earnestly.
"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time... and for soaking your clothes," she murmured, lowering her head.
"It's nothing."
"Then I'll be going back. I need to lock myself away and keep building the Ghizhong Machine."
"Alright."
After parting ways with Ghizhong, Morax didn't return to Liyue immediately. Instead, he turned toward the direction of the flood, his body radiating a killing intent as vast as the sea.
Following the path of destruction, he eventually arrived at Qingce Village—and there, as expected, he found a colossal beast.
The Chi that had unleashed the greatest flood in recorded history had already lost its power. Morax destroyed it effortlessly and sealed it beneath Qingce Manor.
This time, the Chi wasn't dismembered and buried—perhaps because Ghizhong was still alive.
With that, Morax finally returned to Liyue.
But the Liyue he returned to was no longer the same. Beneath Tianheng Mountain, countless young men stood with weapons in hand, shouting in unison.
"Geo Emperor! Let us fight by your side!"
"Geo Emperor! We too shall slay the fiends! We too shall protect Liyue!"
"Slay the fiends, protect Liyue!"
"Slay the fiends, protect Liyue!!"
"Slay the fiends, protect Liyue!!!"
Their voices thundered across the mountain, every pair of eyes blazing with fierce resolve.
This time, they had witnessed war with their own eyes. They had seen the Adepti nearly beaten to death by monsters, yet still rise to defend them.
As people of Liyue, how could they stand idly by?
This time, they would fight for Liyue—side by side with the Adepti and the Geo Emperor himself.
Since the war's end, the people had gathered and organized themselves into a massive volunteer force.
"What's going on?" Morax asked in confusion as he returned to Tianheng Mountain.
"Your Majesty, you're finally back!" Cloud Retainer hurried over. "They've been shouting down there for ages. We didn't know what to do, so we waited for you to return."
"They say they want to join us in slaying the demon gods. It's madness," Moon Carver said, clearly disapproving.
Though their hearts were in the right place, they didn't seem to grasp just how vast the gap between mortals and gods truly was.
"They want to slay the gods too?" Morax asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Yes, they've been at it for quite some time now. Emperor, what should we do?"
"I'll handle it."
With that, Morax descended from Tianheng Mountain, stepping across the empty air.
The moment he appeared, the crowd erupted in excitement, chanting once more about fighting by his side to drive out the evils.
Morax raised his hand slightly, and at once the entire crowd fell silent.
"I hear you wish to join us in the battle against the demon gods?" Morax asked directly.
"Yes, Geo Emperor! We too want to protect Liyue! We too wish to slay the evils!"
"We're not afraid of death! We'll drive those monsters out of our land!"
"Please, Geo Emperor, let us fight beside you!"
The young men shouted with unwavering determination, gripping their weapons tightly.
Morax's voice deepened. "You are not afraid of death?"
"That's right! We are not afraid!"
"We've come here ready to die if we must!"
"They're just demon gods! Even if we fall, we'll show you we can slay them!"
"Please believe in us, Geo Emperor! Our hearts are decided!"
At that moment, Morax's eyes glinted sharply.
In an instant, a crushing wave of murderous intent fell from the heavens, enveloping the entire crowd.
The killing aura was so thick they could almost taste the metallic stench of blood. The pressure weighed on their shoulders like a mountain.
Morax—who had slain for centuries—was far from the gentle, refined figure he appeared to be. He had simply buried that violent, bloodthirsty nature deep within his heart.
The sheer force of it was unbearable to most; a weaker mind might have broken, trembling or even losing control in terror.
Yet this crowd of mortals stood firm, their faces grim, heads bowed, bodies trembling as they fought to endure the crushing aura.