Seeing Vorthis' thoughtful expression, God of Geo Morax already knew what was on his mind.
"Not bad," Morax remarked. "This way, the people of Liyue will no longer have to worry about food shortages or struggle to find enough to eat."
"Agriculture is much more stable compared to hunting and gathering."
Vorthis smiled and said, "Haha, of course!"
With this approach, the people of Liyue would no longer have to fret about what to eat tomorrow.
Hunting and gathering could gradually take a backseat.
As for hunting, Vorthis believed it could evolve into animal husbandry. Capturing herbivorous animals with ample meat, taming them, and raising them could solve the problem of livestock farming.
This way, people would have enough to eat, and occasionally enjoy some meat—a lifestyle that, for this ancient era, seemed idyllic.
The quality of life for the humans living in Liyue would skyrocket, achieving unprecedented levels of happiness for their time!
"Li, can I trade some of my potatoes for a portion of your sweet potatoes?"
Li made this proposal to his neighbor Zhuang.
The situation was simple: Li had dedicated most of his fields to growing potatoes, with only small portions for sweet potatoes and wheat.
Conversely, Zhuang had primarily planted sweet potatoes and wheat, with only a small section for potatoes.
After some thought, Zhuang realized he did lack potatoes, and using his sweet potatoes and wheat to trade for them seemed reasonable.
"Sure, let's trade one potato for one sweet potato. But if the sizes differ too much, I won't agree," Zhuang said.
He wasn't about to let Li trade a tiny potato for a massive sweet potato—that wouldn't be fair.
Zhuang wasn't foolish, and he had no intention of being taken advantage of.
Li, of course, had no intention of exploiting Zhuang. Smiling, he said, "Naturally! Don't worry, I'll pick the best ones for you."
And so, the trade between the two neighbors began.
This scene happened to be observed by Vorthis and Morax, who were passing by.
The sight reminded Vorthis that in this ancient era, long before the Archon War, the concept of currency had yet to emerge.
People still relied on the primitive barter system for transactions.
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to introduce the concept of currency?
With that thought, Vorthis turned his gaze to Morax.
Noticing Vorthis' look, Morax raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"Did you see their exchange just now?"
"Of course, I did."
Morax looked puzzled. He wasn't blind—if Vorthis could see it, so could he.
"Don't you think it's rather inconvenient?"
"Well, yes, it is somewhat cumbersome. Do you have an idea in mind?"
Bartering was indeed inconvenient, but it was the widely accepted method of exchange at the time.
Morax was also aware of its limitations.
If one person wanted something from another, but the other party had no interest in what the first person offered, the trade couldn't proceed.
It was entirely possible that someone might never be able to acquire what they wanted.
Given Vorthis' track record of sudden ideas, Morax couldn't help but suspect he was about to propose something new.
"Heh, I do have an idea."
"Imagine an item that could replace all tradable goods. During exchanges, you'd simply provide an appropriate amount of this substitute item."
Hearing this, Morax recalled something.
In certain inland regions governed by other Gods, people used special shells as a form of currency.
If someone needed something, they'd simply present these shells to purchase it.
However, when large quantities of these special shells were discovered, their value plummeted. This collapse forced people to revert to bartering.
"So, are you referring to something similar to those shells used as currency?"
"A trade currency, perhaps?"
"Ordinary items won't suffice," Morax mused. "If they're too plentiful or easily counterfeited, it would lead to the collapse of the entire monetary system."
"To solve this... perhaps we could create something that others cannot counterfeit—something with intrinsic value—and use it as currency in Liyue."
As Morax spoke, he began piecing together a plan.
It was clear why Morax later invented Mora. All Vorthis had to do was plant a seed of inspiration, and Morax took the lead from there.
But the young Morax still had much to learn.
When he created Mora, he distributed large quantities to the people as currency.
This led to a significant issue: over time, the number of Mora inflated drastically.
This hyperinflation turned Mora—the universal currency of the world—into something problematic.
To avoid the scenario of bread costing 500,000 Mora in the distant future, Vorthis decided to intervene and correct the course.
Touching his chin thoughtfully, Vorthis turned to Morax and said,
"If we simply distribute such currency, people won't understand its true value or know what one unit of it is worth."
"Moreover, for the citizens, such currency has no inherent value. Why would they accept something valueless in exchange for valuable goods? Would you?"
This currency couldn't be eaten, and for the people of this era, it held no utility beyond being an artifact of divine creation.
While they might use it out of reverence for the gods, they'd likely inflate its value to absurd levels—imagine a single potato costing hundreds of these coins.
Vorthis' words made Morax pause and think deeply.
He realized Vorthis had a point.