The choice to remain in Morax's residence was made in the highest part of the land, the place where he had built his stone abode.
It didn't look as grand as a palace, but compared to the residences of his people, it was quite luxurious.
Under Morax's guidance, Vorthis arrived at a stone pavilion, inside which was a set of tables and chairs.
On the table, there were... square cups?
Square wine vessels?
Because of the high elevation, the pavilion offered a great and open view, and there were no other tall buildings within the territory.
At a glance, Vorthis could see all the dwellings of the people in Morax's domain.
At the same time, Vorthis noticed a mountain that stood out from the landscape.
The mountain was too straight and too steep, almost as if it had been deliberately pulled out from the earth.
"Morax, what's the deal with that mountain over there?" Vorthis asked.
Morax sat down.
Upon hearing Vorthis's question about the mountain, he smiled and explained.
"This territory is called Liyue, a coastal city. The mountain behind it is connected to the sea."
"The people here have suffered from the disasters caused by tsunamis. So, I created a large mountain to block the gap between the sea and this place, preventing the seawater from invading."
"This way, my people can live in peace."
Vorthis slowly raised an eyebrow.
Morax had created a mountain with his bare hands to block the sea's intrusion just to protect his people? Was that really reasonable?
Well... actually, it makes a lot of sense.
"Morax is really kind to his people," Vorthis said, resting his hands on the table and leaning his chin as he spoke to Morax.
Morax responded, "Since they chose to follow me and become my people, it is my duty to protect them."
"I see... Can I be your people too?" Vorthis asked, blinking.
Get a strong backer, get a strong backer, get a strong backer, Vorthis thought to himself.
Morax slowly raised an eyebrow.
He felt like he didn't quite understand Vorthis's thinking.
Normally, Gods would have their own sense of territory, and noble Gods wouldn't live under others' roofs. So where did Vorthis get the idea of being a follower?
A strange God +1.
"I've never heard of a God having followers among other Gods."
"But if you like it here, why not stay as a friend?"
Morax said.
He didn't accept Vorthis's request because he thought it was... a bit absurd.
Instead, he proposed another idea.
He had a good impression of the newly God of Maifestation, Zennos, especially since he had sent bread to his people. Vorthis didn't seem like an evil being—maybe just a simple, pure youth?
"Friend? Sure, sure."
"Then we're friends now. The contract is made and cannot be changed."
"Those who break their word will face the punishment of the stone of food!"
Vorthis said excitedly.
Becoming friends with Morax meant securing a strong alliance.
At this point, Morax hadn't proposed a contract yet, so upon hearing Vorthis's words, he simply chuckled, finding it amusing.
"Alright, the contract is made, and those who break their word will face the punishment of the stone of food."
Morax replied.
Sure enough, it sounded much more fitting when Morax said it.
Vorthis stayed in Morax's domain, Liyue, as a friend. Morax was generous and found a room in his residence for Vorthis to live in.
Um...
Looking at the room that Morax had arranged for him, Vorthis scratched his chin and fell into deep thought.
Because the entire room only had a set of stone chairs and a stone bed.
Oh, right, there was also a lamp made from glowing stones.
It wasn't like Morax had put much thought into it.
Vorthis had basically toured the entire residence, and this was the overall style of Morax's dwelling.
It could be said that the art and culture of this era were not well-developed in Liyue. Morax was essentially made of stone!
What does he know about art and culture!
"Ah, forget it. I'll just decorate it myself," Vorthis sighed.
The current room environment wasn't because Vorthis was too delicate.
He was an upbeat, strong young man—nothing to do with being delicate!
The main reason was that he had the ability.
Since he had the ability, why should he suffer?
Ahem, even if it meant making Morax suffer a bit, he couldn't let himself suffer, could he?
"Am I really that strong?" Vorthis wondered in surprise.
Because with one hand, he easily lifted the heavy-looking stone table.
It seemed that after some time, he would need to find an opportunity to test his body's strength more thoroughly.
And the combat abilities of his manifested authority also needed some research.
Otherwise, if his authority could only manifest objects and not fight, what would he do during the dangerous Archon War?
Was he supposed to become a walking ATM?
That won't do!
Vorthis easily moved all the furniture out of the room and placed it outside.
Then, looking at the now empty and square room, Vorthis fell into deep thought.
He was thinking about how to decorate the room.
To be honest, he wasn't very good at decoration.
But fortunately, he had played with the Serenitea Pot before, so he had some ideas.
"Let's start with a screen," Vorthis decided, planning to manifest a screen to divide the room into two.
He would place the bed behind the screen.
Then, he would put wooden tables and chairs in front of the screen.
That would be the main layout.
But it still seemed a little too plain.
So, he added metal candle holders, vases with flowers, potted bamboo, and wooden lanterns.
He arranged everything together.
Now, looking at the room, it wasn't stunning, but at least it looked like a place someone would live in.
Vorthis sat on the wooden chair, enjoying the room he had decorated.
Morax passed by outside and noticed that the stone furniture had been placed outside, and his curiosity arose again.
Did Zennos like empty rooms?
He knocked on Vorthis's stone door.
"Ah, Morax, what are you doing here?" Vorthis asked.
Uh...
Through Vorthis, Morax saw the room's layout and the furniture Vorthis had manifested.
Then, he remembered his own living space.
Comparing the two...
Morax said, "Uh, I just saw you move the furniture outside, so I came to check in out of concern."
"But now it seems a bit unnecessary."
Compared to his own stone furniture, it was incomparable!
Vorthis smiled, grabbed Morax's hand, and took him around to show off his newly decorated room.
Hey, just finished decorating, and now there's someone to show it off to.
Morax arriving was a happy coincidence.
Vorthis kept talking to Morax about his design ideas, the room layout, and the feng shui.
He rambled on for a while.
"How do you like it? If you like it, I'll do one for you later!"
"How about it? It's my thank you for letting me stay here."
Vorthis suggested.
Morax didn't reject it.
"However, between friends, no thanks are necessary."
"But still, I appreciate it. Thank you."
Morax thanked Vorthis.
After all, he did secretly want such a decoration style himself...