"Well, well—looks like I didn't even need to come after all. Seems you've already finished up here?"
A teasing voice called out from behind Morax. Turning his head, he saw Jiang Yan standing casually atop the handle of one of his massive stone spears, smiling down at him.
"What brings you here?" Morax asked with a faint smile.
"Oh, just thought I'd come witness the great one's heroic figure in battle. But by the time I got here—poof—it was already over."
Jiang Yan shrugged, his tone light and bored. "You guys sure fight fast."
Morax shot him a sideways glance. "Fast? We fought for three days and three nights."
Jiang Yan blinked, then clicked his tongue. "Well, can't help that—I was asleep for three days straight."
"If you were worried about me, you could've just said so," Morax replied dryly. "No need to pretend you came to 'watch my heroic figure.'"
"Oh, listen to you!" Jiang Yan rolled his eyes. "When did you get so full of yourself? Who said I was worried?"
Morax let out a low laugh.
"Still… this war—" he looked out over the churning sea—"we've won a complete victory."
"Isn't that right?" Jiang Yan murmured, gazing at the setting sun above the horizon, a trace of emotion flickering in his eyes.
"Yes," Morax replied quietly, standing beside him.
"This time, we have truly—won."
The last rays of the sunset painted the sea gold, casting their silhouettes long across the glimmering surface.
Guili Plains
With Morax's return, news of the Geo Lord subduing three top-tier demon gods in Guyun Stone Forest spread swiftly across the land of Liyue.
The people under Morax's protection cheered his name with reverent devotion.
Meanwhile, the triumphant return of Azhdaha cemented the fate of Guili Plains—
the war was over, and victory belonged to them.
On this vast land of Liyue, the territory governed by Guili Plains had grown so large that it could now be considered a true dominion.
Aside from scattered demon god tribes and the still-untamed Chenyu Valley, nearly all of Liyue was now under Morax's control.
"Hey, Jiang Yan! Stop sitting there and come help already!"
Cloud Retainer shouted, struggling under an armful of paperwork piled as high as a mountain.
"No way!"
"Spare me, Cloud Retainer!"
Jiang Yan groaned, gnawing on a Sunsettia fruit. Just looking at those endless stacks of documents made his head ache.
In recent days, Cloud Retainer, Guizhong, and the other immortals had nearly gone mad dealing with the paperwork brought on by their sudden territorial expansion.
With lands multiplying severalfold, they now faced countless issues—stationing troops, resettling civilians, restoring farmland, rebuilding villages… every problem came crashing down at once.
Ganyu had been snatched by Cloud Retainer to serve as secretary again, Morax was forcibly pinned at a desk to process reports, and even Azhdaha was made to study local administration alongside Menogias.
Jiang Yan had tried to flee, but Cloud Retainer had literally blocked the door.
In the end, he had no choice but to hide whenever possible, doing his utmost to avoid being caught.
Honestly speaking—put him on a battlefield against a hundred demon gods, and he wouldn't flinch.
But this?
Paperwork?!
Please!
One or two files were fine, but these things stacked higher than he was—how was he supposed to deal with that?
At this rate, he thought bitterly, the paperwork would process him!
"Enough nonsense! Get over here and help!" Cloud Retainer barked, slamming a thick folder on the desk.
As her "good son-in-law," Jiang Yan had no chance of escape.
His face was pure despair. He could fight dragons and gods without fear—but this? This was torture.
Seriously, how did Ganyu manage to work as Liyue's secretary every day and stay sane?!
After a full day of struggling through forms and petitions, Jiang Yan looked half-dead—
and he was still only halfway done.
If only someone could handle all this for me…
Wait.
Someone to handle all this for me?
Jiang Yan's eyes lit up, a spark of inspiration flaring.
He leaned back in his chair, mind racing.
Not long ago, to maintain order among the people, he had formed the Liyue Millelith Law Enforcers from the most reliable of his citizens.
Thanks to their work, both Guili Plains and Qingce Village were now stable and well-governed.
Everyone knew that it was only after Morax became one of the Seven Archons that he established the Liyue Qixing and the Eight Gates to administer the nation.
But now—most of Liyue was already under their control.
So why not establish the Qixing and the Eight Gates ahead of schedule?
That way, he could promote talented humans, reduce the workload on himself and the immortals—
and maybe, just maybe, have more time to slack off.
A perfect plan!
Brilliant, Jiang Yan! Truly brilliant!
He couldn't help but grin to himself, already imagining the blissful days of leisure that awaited.
As his mind whirled with plans, Jiang Yan stood up, stepped outside, and headed toward the bustling streets.
If he was going to promote human talent—he would first have to find it among the people themselves.
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