For beings like gods, over a year might feel like no more than a fleeting moment—barely a blink.
Vorthis had just closed his eyes, only to open them again, stepping out of his cultivation.
"I wonder how Guizoli looks now," Vorthis murmured.
He opened his eyes once more.
Precisely a year had passed since he began cultivating.
Standing at the edge of the clouds, Vorthis looked down at Guizoli below and saw a nearly completed city.
The entire city was built precisely according to Vorthis's blueprint.
It matched the vision he had in his mind—everything was as he expected.
Most people had already withdrawn from the city's construction.
It wasn't that they didn't want to continue contributing; it was simply because the remaining work required fewer hands.
Within the city, all areas were nearly complete. Even the city walls, which were the most challenging and time-consuming part to construct, had been finished a while ago.
Now, only one area remained incomplete: the central zone where Vorthis, Morax, and Guizhong—the three gods—would reside.
This area was called Liyue Palace.
Yes, Liyue Palace.
Neither Guizhong nor Morax, nor even Vorthis, felt the need to change the name, as they all thought it sounded beautiful. Thus, it was kept.
Originally, Vorthis had planned to personally construct this grand, luxurious palace.
However, he heeded Guizhong's suggestion, entrusting its construction to the people of Guizoli.
Guizhong believed that while the mortals were small and weak, they possessed remarkable wisdom and skills.
Now, Guizhong thought their intelligence and techniques were sufficient to build such an opulent structure.
Currently, only the central part of the city remained unfinished.
Liyue Palace occupied a vast area, comprising three main halls: Morax Hall, Feathered God Hall, and Guizhong Hall.
The names alone revealed their purposes—they were the residences of Morax, Vorthis, and Guizhong, respectively.
Collectively, they were known as Liyue Palace.
Besides the main halls, there were other functional buildings like a library and a mechanism workshop.
The palace's courtyard was, of course, an essential feature.
In traditional Eastern architecture, courtyards were the heart and soul.
The courtyard included artificial mountains, arched bridges, lush greenery, and bamboo, forming a magnificent scene of elegance and harmony.
In the best spot within the courtyard stood a glazed pavilion, named Cloud Pavilion.
This pavilion would become a gathering place for the three gods in the future.
Vorthis gazed intently from above the clouds, observing the construction of Liyue Palace and the bustling workers below.
Truth be told, while he trusted humanity's intelligence and skill, a part of him remained doubtful.
After all, this palace was his future home, so it was only natural for him to be particular about its details.
"Well, if anything feels off in the future," Vorthis thought, "I can always use my manifestation authority to make adjustments."
With that, Vorthis returned to the pavilion, sat down, and closed his eyes once more, resuming his cultivation.
Half a Year Later
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Vorthis's power as a god had grown. He opened his eyes with a pleased smile, for today marked an important occasion:
The completion of Guizoli City!
The grand project, which took nearly six years, was finally done.
Vorthis couldn't wait to see the city he had personally designed.
From the clouds above, he overlooked the entirety of Guizoli City.
The view was breathtaking, and it was clear that the city had been fully realized, leaving no trace of its construction phase.
The streets below were bustling with people, their labor rewarded by the beauty of the city they had built.
Roughly estimating the population, Vorthis noticed that Guizoli City had successfully integrated the populations of both Liyue City and Guizhong City, uniting them into one grand metropolis.
Yet, Morax and Guizhong had not arrived. Perhaps they were still tending to matters in their respective cities.
Now that he was awake, it was time to summon them.
With a flick of his wrist, Vorthis pulled out two Thousand-Mile Transmission Talismans from his sleeve.
He had created these talismans earlier, giving one each to Morax and Guizhong. By crushing them, he could transmit his voice directly to the other two gods.
After a light rub, the talismans crumbled in his hands, their papers glowing gold as they dissipated.
"Morax, Brother! Sister Guizhong! The construction of Guizoli City is complete. Let us gather!"
The message echoed in the ears of Morax and Guizhong.
Morax and Guizhong
Far away, Morax set down his teacup, standing up and gazing toward Guizoli City.
He had been keeping track of the city's progress, awaiting this very moment.
"This is a moment that calls for all three gods to arrive together," Morax thought.
After setting his teacup aside, he transformed into a golden streak of light, soaring through the sky toward Guizoli City.
Meanwhile, Guizhong set aside her unfinished mechanism, also transforming into a streak of light, dust-colored, and headed in the same direction.
The Gathering
Soon, Morax and Guizhong arrived, one after the other, at Vorthis's pavilion above the clouds.
"Morax, Brother! Sister Guizhong! You're here!" Vorthis greeted them with a cheerful smile.
Vorthis nodded slightly and said, "Hmm, I came as soon as I received the news. The completion of Guizoli City is a momentous event that should not be overlooked."
Guizhong smiled and added, "Now that Guizoli City is complete, we can all live in the same palace. It signifies that our friendship will grow even stronger!"
A hearty laugh echoed in Vorthis's mind as he imagined himself and Guizhong visiting Zennos for chess matches in the future. At this moment, Zennos was unaware of such a scene playing out in his companions' thoughts.
Instead, his focus was entirely on the bustling city below as he observed it from the clouds.
"Should we go down for a closer look? We can use divine power to conceal our presence," Vorthis suggested.
Guizhong was intrigued. "Oh? You know how to do that? An invisibility technique?"
"Not quite. I use my authority of manifestation to generate a force that reduces or eliminates others' attention toward us," Vorthis explained. "Even without changing our attire, we'd just appear as a couple of dashing young men and a charming lady to others."
Guizhong nodded, marveling at the convenience of Vorthis's power. Zennos commented, "From a rational standpoint, such an extraordinary ability will indeed prove useful for conducting discreet visits among our people without altering our forms."
Vorthis smiled. "It's done. We can enter the city now."
With a small gesture, a white light extended from Vorthis's hand, forming translucent protective barriers around Zennos, Guizhong, and himself. The barriers shimmered briefly before fading into invisibility.
Under this shield of concealment, the trio descended gracefully, landing in front of the southern gate of Guizoli City. From above, the gate and city walls had seemed grand, but standing beneath them, the structures exuded an imposing majesty.
The flags embroidered with the character "Li" fluttering atop the walls added to the city's grandeur.
"Let's head inside," Vorthis said with a smile exchanged between him and Guizhong, while Zennos nodded in agreement.
At the gate, city guards were inspecting the entry passes of those seeking to enter Guizoli. These passes, thin stone tablets etched with names, addresses, and unique security codes, served as ancient identification documents for the citizens of Guizoli.
"Stop. Present your Guizoli passes," a guard commanded, holding his spear firmly.
Vorthis had anticipated this. Instead of waiting for administrative procedures, he had directly manifested three authentic-looking passes.
"These are our passes," Zennos said in a calm tone, handing the guard the tablets.
After a cursory inspection, the guard found nothing amiss and allowed them entry.
Inside, the city was bustling with life. The wide main road, which formed a cross shape, connected the four gates—north, south, east, and west. The sections divided by this road housed residential areas and their associated facilities, while the buildings near the main road were commercial shops.
With such vibrant marketplaces, Guizoli City was set to achieve unparalleled commercial prosperity—if only this prosperity could last indefinitely.
As they walked through the lively streets, Guizhong's eyes sparkled as she spotted an exquisitely carved wooden hairpin.
She picked it up, tried it on, and turned to Vorthis and Zennos with a delighted smile. "How do I look with this?"
Vorthis clapped enthusiastically. "Beautiful! It suits you perfectly, Sister Guizhong!"
"I thought so too! Let's buy it," Guizhong said, her face radiant with joy.
The vendor, noticing her intent to purchase, beamed with excitement. Although these ornate wooden hairpins had started gaining popularity, they were considered a luxury. Most people deemed them too expensive when a plain stick could suffice.
"This hairpin took my father an entire month to craft. It's just 500 Mora," the vendor explained with a smile.
Five hundred Mora was indeed a steep price in this era, where inflation had yet to devalue the currency significantly. Guizhong turned her gaze toward Zennos, knowing the currency was named after him. Surely, Zennos wouldn't lack Mora?
Zennos caught Guizhong's hopeful look and hesitated. Creating Mora using divine power might expose his identity to the citizens. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he said, "Vorthis should have some Mora. Let him pay."
Vorthis, surprised, pointed at himself. "Me? Why me?"
Wasn't Zennos supposed to be far from his future penny-pinching self? How was he already short on Mora?
"Mora-less Zennos—what a world we live in," Vorthis muttered, but he still obediently manifested five 100-Mora coins and handed them to Guizhong. She joyfully bought the hairpin.
As they walked away, Vorthis and Guizhong exchanged amused glances at Zennos, who responded with a sheepish "Let me explain" look.
Eventually, Vorthis let it slide, convinced by Zennos's concerns about concealment. A little Mora wasn't worth fretting over.
With cheerful banter and camaraderie, the three continued to explore the vibrant city streets.