As a new day dawned, thousands of people moved as one. Carts were pulled along, filled with all sorts of essentials and belongings. Soldiers of the Guili militia walked along the edges of the group, acting as a barrier against any demon that dared make themselves known. Their thousand steps pounded into the dirt; a symphonic drumming that could be heard from miles away.
Normally, having that many people move at the same time wasn't advised, especially considering the chaos brought on by the war between gods. But the week before Morax had gone on a rampage, destroying every demonic god that currently made their home in these lands. And the militia worked along with him, clearing the path of any demons.
It made the migration surprisingly peaceful. Boring, even. Though I had some amusement over my royal treatment—it was the first time I've sat in a carriage—but it didn't take long before I grew bored. I eventually decided to sit with the carriage's driver and play my lute. At least I was allowed to wear more gender-neutral robes for the trip, so my appearance outside didn't catch too much attention.
Still did pull some attention though. People who were 'too enraptured by my beauty', as Guizhong called them. I rolled my eyes in return.
The journey took us most of the morning, and we arrived at our new home right around noon.
And what a new home it was. A massive sprawling city, built around and into the hills and cliffs. Buildings of stone and marble, wood and brick—all glimmered a faint gold from Morax's power. The oceans the harbor was connected to glimmered like jewels beneath the sunlight.
A wild cheer erupted from the people, more than satisfied at seeing the new home they would come to inhabit. Guizhong giggled as she sat next to me, gazing fondly at the people she'd looked over for hundreds of years.
I smiled wryly as I stared at the new city. Morax had told me that he was far from done—that it was merely a skeleton of the true city. I now see that the blockhead was quite talented at downplaying his achievements, because his so-called 'incomplete city' looked just as good as Guili Assembly was.
But none of the people moved forward. Their eyes turned to Guizhong, like children who didn't know what to do. Guizhong smiled gently. "Well, let us take our first steps, shall we?"
And encouraged by their goddess, the people moved forth into their new city. The militia did their hardest to keep everyone in an orderly group, but it didn't take long before people began breaking apart to explore on their own. The militia soon realized the folly of their task and decided to join them, patrolling the streets and surveying the new city at the same time.
Meanwhile, Guizhong dragged me away. "Morax has a present for you." She said as she pulled me along, but she refused to explain what this present was. But considering that it was Morax who made it, I prepared myself for a surprise. Maybe the god had made a statue of me or something?
Thankfully, he didn't. But my jaw still fell.
Because when Guizhong finally let go of my hand, I stood before a giant dojo. The walls were filled with majestic carvings of dragons, adorned with pillars of cor lapis and jades. The insides were just as opulent, with dozens of rooms dedicated to practice and living, lit by warm lanterns.
I slowly turned to the two gods. Guizhong looked entirely too pleased with herself, and she was incapable of holding back her giggles. Morax only offered a small smile at my reaction. "I had heard that you wished to instruct those that are willing." He said. "I believe this will suffice, no?"
I swallowed. "...it is." I eventually said.
He nodded, satisfied. "Good."
It was at moments like this that reminded me that I was somehow friends with two gods. These were people who could move entire nations with just a single word, and they'd presented me with a massive dojo just from some careless words I said a few days back.
Still, I guess this saved me from purchasing my own dojo. That was nice, at least.
"So, any names for our new home?" I then asked.
Guizhong and Morax glanced at one another, before she smiled. "In fact, we do!" I blinked as Guizhong took a step forward, dramatically pointing up at the sky. "After much debate, we have decided to call our new home Liyue! A city of jade, built beneath the sun and moon!"
"Its full name shall be Liyue Harbor." Morax added.
"Liyue…" I tasted the name, and a smile came onto my face. The name felt right, as if some missing piece had finally been slotted into a puzzle. "Liyue Harbor." I said, and I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Time passed quickly after that. Still swept by the excitement over their new city, the people were quick to make themselves home. There were far more houses than the people would ever need, and so none would go homeless in this migration.
The first few days were busy. The people made themselves home, the merchants began preparing their stores, and the militia settled into their new garrisons. New schedules were made and new rules were put into place—all to ensure everything progressed as smoothly as possible.
The days after that was a flurry of activity. Liyue Harbor came to life as Guizhong began the new city's first celebration; a festival to commemorate the day when Liyue Harbor truly came into being. The merchants were quick to capitalize on the excitement, and Mora flowed like water as the city began its first steps into becoming the mercantile capital it would become in the future.
Behind the scenes, Morax and I were busy ensuring what happened to Guili Assembly wouldn't ever happen again. Under my suggestion, Morax began infusing the earth with his Geo, supporting it with thousands of rock pillars discreetly hammered into the dirt. Each acted like sensors, blaring and sending out pulses of Geo whenever something infested with karma dared to approach.
I myself helped with the alarm system. Taking inspiration from the resonance caused by my [Windblume: Resonance], I taught Morax how to symphonize one pillar with another, allowing a pillar to synchronize with another, creating a massive chain of alarms that eventually linked back to Morax.
That excitement continued over the next few weeks, and even after that the city retained that initial enthusiasm. The streets would be bustling day and night, on every single day of the week. It painted a bright future for Liyue Harbor, and many others would begin flocking to the city, eager to stake their own claim as the city continued to grow.
Far in the future, many would find it hard to believe that Liyue Harbor would come into existence over the span of mere weeks. But that was a tale for another day.
…
I gently opened my eyes as the circulating Energy within my veins slowed. The warmth radiating within me faded, and the winds blowing around me finally broke away into gentle wisps. I stood up from the floor, groaning as I had my arms and legs a quick stretch.
Weeks had passed since I first settled into Liyue Harbor. It'd taken a while to prepare my dojo for any potential students I might have, but I'd finally finished it. Each room was furnished with whatever my students might need, and the indoor gardens were filled with flora personally planted by Guizhong.
I didn't immediately start 'working' though. I gave myself a week to relax—which mostly meant fishing, exercising, and hunting for treasure chests in the wilderness. I also built quite the sum of Mora during it all, so I would be ready for any monetary needs I might face as things got going.
Which now brought me here, sitting alone in the main room of my dojo, training my inner Energy to pass the time.
I'd normally be out trying to find someone I could teach, but Guizhong stopped me. Not because she didn't want me to find any students, but because that'd simply take too much time. There were thousands of people in Liyue Harbor, and trying to find someone would be like pulling a needle from a haystack.
Guizhong had another idea. She not-so-discreetly talked to Morax about me looking for a student. Her handmaidens heard that and shared it with her friends, and those friends soon shared it to their own friends. The 'secret' spread amongst the populace at incredible speeds, and before long, nearly everyone knew that the giant dojo built in the higher parts of Liyue Harbor belonged to me.
The power of rumors was truly terrifying.
But it was also brilliant. Because now only those that were brave enough to confront an adepti would potentially come to me, essentially filtering out those that were too afraid or too prideful.
So all I needed to do was sit here and wait. Which was honestly pretty nice; I was still pretty tired from helping Morax set up the alarm system all around Liyue Harbor. That, and it gave more time to practice, just to make sure I don't make a fool out of myself later down the line.
But it was time to face the music, because I could hear someone just outside my dojo. I smiled slightly as I walked out, and soon I saw a familiar figure. His deep blue hair swayed in the gentle winds that would always swirl around the dojo, and an ornate sword was slung over his back, kept within a leather scabbard.
I smiled. "I am glad to see you well, Tianqiu."
He smiled back. "Lady Venti…" He took a breath to calm himself, and then he bowed deeply. "I have come for your teachings!"
"Is that so?" I pretended to think about it. I did my best not to smile as he waited anxiously, before I turned around and waved my hand. "Come inside then. Show me the depth of your decision."
Tianqiu blinked, and then smiled. "Yes, Lady Venti!"