"Mm, it's settled then!"
Zayn patted Morax on the shoulder with a grin.
Seeing Zayn so full of energy, Morax—without realizing it—allowed a faint smile to appear on his own face.
As a man of action, Zayn immediately decided to follow Morax back to his room and begin a grand renovation.
"Alright! First, let's clear out all these stone furnishings!"
Zayn looked at Morax expectantly.
With such a perfect toolman right beside him, why would Zayn do the labor himself?
The furniture wasn't great, but there was a lot of it.
"Very well. At once."
Morax lifted his hand.
Golden light wrapped around the furniture, and all the stone pieces floated up before being transferred neatly into another room.
"Done. You may begin your performance now," Morax said.
Zayn clapped his hands proudly.
"Of course! Prepare yourself—this master decorator guarantees results!"
Ahem. He had only played the Serenitea Pot for a while.
But that did not stop him from calling himself a master.
Besides—Morax was literally a walking rock.
What did he know about aesthetics?
If Zayn said it was art, then it was art.
"Very well. I look forward to it," Morax replied with a smile.
He had caught the bragging in Zayn's tone, but didn't expose him.
Instead, he watched calmly as Zayn manifested furniture and transformed the once-empty room.
After Zayn set down the final decorative potted plant, the renovation was complete.
Any more would have made the room cramped.
Any less, too empty.
Indeed—interior design truly was an art.
"Well? Morax? Do you like my masterpiece?"
Zayn looked proudly at the god beside him.
Morax nodded.
"I know little of such things, but judging from appearance alone, it is excellent.
Thank you, Zenos."
"No need to thank me! This is how friends should treat each other," Zayn said with a grin.
After Zayn left, Morax found himself repeating that line in his head.
"Friends should treat each other this way."
Yes…
He agreed.
He had truly made a friend today.
—
Back in his own room, Zayn lay sprawled across his soft bed, hands behind his head and one leg crossed lazily.
All he lacked was a straw between his teeth to look like a proper countryside delinquent.
But he wasn't thinking about looking cool.
Today was his first day in ancient Teyvat—
and he was lucky.
He had met Morax, someone he already knew and trusted.
And Morax's personality was genuinely good.
Within a single day, Zayn had successfully grabbed that thigh.
If he kept his head down and didn't do anything reckless, he might survive the Archon War.
But…
Was that all he wanted?
Zayn asked himself honestly and realized—
no, he couldn't be satisfied with just that.
If he had no strength, then in the face of danger, he would be helpless.
His Manifestation Authority would be wasted.
So…
How was he supposed to use this authority in battle?
Could he manifest a nuclear bomb?
See a demon god he couldn't beat?
Just casually yeet nukes at him.
If the nuke didn't work—
obviously the nuke wasn't big enough.
Ahem.
That idea was a bit too dangerous.
It might be fine to use a nuke in Snezhnaya, but in Liyue it would be far too destructive.
It would have to remain a last-resort secret weapon.
Were there other methods?
Right—his physical body itself was manifested.
Since he could create a strong body…
Could he directly manifest power?
"Fire Release! Baby Flame Technique!!"
Zayn sprang up from the bed and shouted dramatically while activating his authority.
A tiny flame flickered at his fingertip.
"It works! Oh—this is amazing!"
If he could manifest fire, then…
"Water Release! Tiny Water Ball!"
"Little vine, grow!"
"Uh—freeze?"
"And this one—wind!"
"And finally—lightning!"
Zayn was practically vibrating with exhilaration.
He had just used every element once.
They were simple, small-scale abilities, but still—
Who wouldn't be excited to wield all seven elements?
Of course, they weren't actual elemental visions or natural affinities—
they were conjured using his Manifestation Authority.
Which meant…
His future potential was enormous.
—
"Morax! Good morning!"
Zayn found Morax deliberately and greeted him with extra enthusiasm.
Morax glanced over.
"What is it?"
"You haven't eaten yet, right? These soup dumplings are my absolute favorite! Want to try?"
Zayn pulled a steaming basket of xiaolongbao from behind his back.
Morax saw through his intentions immediately.
The kid obviously wanted something from him.
"As demon gods, we do not require eating as mortals do.
But since it is your offering, I will try one," Morax said.
Zayn secretly pouted.
Who didn't know that thousands of years later, Zhongli would spend half his life at Liuli Pavilion, Xinyue Kiosk, or Wanmin Restaurant?
It wasn't that demon gods didn't like eating—
they just hadn't found good food yet.
Mortals at this time lived on the simplest meals.
The stove god, Makosh, hadn't joined Morax yet.
So food culture was still primitive.
Morax picked up a soup dumpling.
It smelled pleasantly fragrant, but not remarkable.
But the moment he bit in—
A burst of rich, savory filling spread across his tongue, followed by hot broth that flooded his mouth instantly.
A wave of surprise and satisfaction washed through him.
Morax's evaluation was simple:
"A rare and exceptional delicacy."
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