"Huh? So you two are the current leaders of Liyue?" Guizhong asked with a smile as she looked at the pair.
"I oversee governance and economics, while Keqing handles land affairs," Ningguang nodded.
Honestly, Keqing and Ningguang were a bit shocked at the moment. As the highest officials in Liyue, they had, of course, read about God of Dust Guizhong in historical records.
As one of Liyue's former Gods, she naturally deserved the respect of all Liyue's people.
They hadn't imagined that their darling could revive a God who had fallen thousands of years ago.
"Alright now, we're all darling's wives and sisters to one another. There's no need for such formalities," Guizhong said with a shake of her head. "I'm no longer the Dust God, just one of darling's wives. I'm not worthy of such a title anymore."
"God of Dust will always be God of Dust and deservingly admired by all of Liyue's people. But Sister Guizhong is right—we are all sisters," Ningguang said with a smile.
"That's the spirit," Guizhong said, clearly pleased.Ningguang's keen perception really impressed her. Who doesn't love a sweet and observant little sister?
"And this must be the Salt God, right?" Ningguang asked, turning to Havria.
"H-Hello, Sister Ningguang," Havria nodded shyly. "I'm Havria, the God of Salt. Thanks to darling's intervention, I was saved from disaster and managed to survive."
"So that's how it is," Ningguang nodded with a warm smile. "I'm delighted to meet you, Sister Havria."
"Mm-hmm," Havria nodded, a bit socially awkward. She often didn't dare speak much, so after saying her piece, she fell silent.
"Havria," Akio said as he approached her while the others were occupied with their conversations. He pulled her soft, curvaceous form into his embrace.
"Darling~" Havria's eyes softened like water as she hugged his waist. Since being betrayed by her people and saved by Akio, he had become her everything. She was ready to give him her all.
"What's on your mind?" Akio asked, stroking her cheek.
"I... I wanted to ask about my former followers. How are they faring now?" Despite everything, Havria, as a god of love, still cared deeply for her past subjects.
"They've completely integrated into Liyue and become a part of it. Apart from a small handful of conspiracy theorists, most of them hold great respect for Morax," Akio said with a smile.
"Conspiracy theorists?" Havria looked at Akio in confusion.
"Yeah," Akio nodded. "There's a tiny group that believes your fall was orchestrated by Morax. They're obsessed with finding evidence that he secretly plotted against you, hoping to expose his supposed misdeeds to the world."
"What? That's ridiculous!" Havria was almost at a loss for words. During the Archon War, Morax was an unparalleled powerhouse who single-handedly suppressed countless Gods in Liyue. How could a weak Salt God like her even be worth scheming against?
"Exactly. That's why I call them obsessed lunatics," Akio said with a chuckle.
"Darling~ I heard Morax retired?" Guizhong asked, sitting down and linking her arm with Akio's.
"He goes by the mortal name Zhongli now and works as a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue," Akio said with a smile and a nod.
"Since he's the God of Wealth, becoming mortal has left him unadjusted to not having Mora. In little Paimon's words, Zhongli's now just a social parasite mooching off others for food and drinks."
"Pfft... hahaha!" Akio's words made not just Guizhong burst into laughter but Ganyu and the others as well.
"I've heard about Zhongli's antics myself," Ningguang said with a laugh. "He's always splurging on antiques and curios, but when he's out of money, he just sends the bill to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"Yeah, even tea and theater expenses get charged to Wangsheng," Keqing agreed with a nod. "Honestly, when I learned Zhongli was Rex Lapis, I couldn't believe it."
"Who could imagine the God of Wealth, the literal God of Money, not having a single Mora to his name?" Keqing quipped.
"You know that Fatui Harbinger, Childe, right?" Akio asked.
"We know him. He's been permanently banned from Liyue. He's never allowed to step foot here again," Keqing nodded.
"Releasing a Demon God with the intent to destroy Liyue—his crimes are unforgivable," Ningguang agreed with a nod.
"Well, you just exiled your Archon's biggest wallet," Akio said, barely holding back a grin.
"Huh?" Ningguang looked puzzled.
"Ever since meeting Childe, most of Zhongli's bills were sent to the Northland Bank. Now that Childe's been kicked out, he can't send bills there anymore," Akio explained.
"So that's how it is," Ningguang sighed. "Maybe we should have the Archon send his bills to the Ministry of Civil Affairs..."
"He won't accept that. Right now, he's just mortal Zhongli," Akio said with a grin. "The guy's got principles."
"Did Morax really choose to hand power over to mortals?" Raiden Makoto mused. "Can mortals truly govern a nation better than gods?"
"Can a nation that doesn't walk with gods still prosper?"
"Of course they can," Keqing immediately replied. "Sister Makoto, don't underestimate human will! We've passed the Archon's test, after all."
"Morax hasn't truly died. If Liyue faces an existential crisis again, he will step in to protect it once more," Akio added. "Liyue is like his child. Though he keeps saying he wants to retire, like an old father, he can't truly let go of the Liyue he loves."
"Handing divine rule over to mortal governance—Morax must have pondered this for a long time. I'm quite curious to see how the future unfolds," Raiden Ei said with a nod.
"We've already made up our minds," Ningguang and Keqing exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. "With darling's help, Keqing and I have stepped into the realm of gods. We're no longer mere mortals."
"But we'll live as mortals for now. Decades from now, we'll step down from our positions as Tianquan and Yuheng, passing Liyue on to the next generation," Ningguang said. "The future of humanity must ultimately belong to humans."
"Exactly. After that, we can stay by darling's side forever, watching the world's ebb and flow," Keqing said, holding Akio's hand.
Decades may seem long to mortals—a lifetime, even—but to gods like them, it's but a fleeting moment. Still, since their mindset hadn't fully shifted from mortal to divine, a few decades still felt like a long time.
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