"Tuoji! Use Body Slam!!"
Standing on Azhdaha's shoulder, Jiang Yan looked every bit the majestic dragon knight, lacking only a cape billowing in the wind to complete the image. Azhdaha had taken the form of a stone dragon; combined with Jiang Yan's small stature, the duo looked as comical as could be.
Azhdaha leaped into the air. His massive frame, towering like a mountain, crashed down toward the Stonehide Lawachurl below.
Boom!!!
Dust billowed violently. The shockwave from Azhdaha's impact was so intense that the steam rising from the tea in Morax's hand trembled, even though he was seated a fair distance away on a stone bench with Guizhong.
"Phew..."
Morax took a light sip of his tea and glanced at the girl beside him. She was clapping her hands with excitement, cheering loudly for Jiang Yan and Azhdaha.
"I wonder how your considerations have been faring lately, Lady Guizhong?"
Guizhong heard Morax's words, and a thoughtful glint flashed in her eyes. The young, handsome man before her always spoke with the cadence of an old antique. However, based on her observations over the past few days, partnering with the God of Geo was indeed an excellent choice.
Her own combat power was not high. Although Marchosius was with her, she couldn't entirely protect the Guili Plains on her own. But agreeing too easily would be letting him off too cheaply!
Hmm... I should set a difficult task for them!
Even though Guizhong had already decided to form an alliance, she felt she had to test him one more time.
"Hey, Morax, do you want me to agree to your terms?" Guizhong's eyes darted around before she turned to him with a sudden smile.
The hand Morax held his tea with paused slightly. "What do you mean, my Lady?" His eyes were filled with contemplation.
"Wait a second, let me find it..."
The girl began fumbling through her wide sleeves. Moments later, a square, mechanical lock appeared before Morax. The surface of the device shimmered with a rosy glow, a testament to its extraordinary nature.
"Let's have a challenge." The girl gave a playful smile as she looked at Morax.
Morax frowned slightly and picked up the mechanical lock she had placed on the stone table. "The challenge you speak of is..."
"Well, as you can see, it's about unlocking this device," the girl chuckled. "I've studied this lock for centuries and have yet to solve it. If you can open it, I'll agree to all your requests. How about it?"
Morax's expression grew serious as he stared at the lock for a long time.
"So... do you accept the challenge or not?" she asked, resting her face on her hand and smiling at him.
"Hmph, what's so difficult about this?" A sharp glint flashed through Morax's eyes. "In that case... let's make a wager."
"In the name of Guizhong, the God of Dust, I establish a contract with you," the girl's tone turned solemn. "I bet that you cannot unlock this." A cunning smile suddenly crossed her face. "If you open it, I agree to the alliance and I shall be at your disposal. If you fail, I will still agree to the alliance, but you must be at my disposal!"
Guizhong's plan was simple: she wanted to use this contract to gain the dominant position in the alliance. If she won, she would be the leader of the coalition, and Morax would be her subordinate. If she lost, she would serve under Morax. However, Guizhong didn't think she would lose this mechanism had stumped her for centuries, after all!
"Contract established. Contractually, he who breaks his word shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock."
Morax nodded. He understood Guizhong's intentions. With a slight tap of his hands, the contract between the two was finalized.
Nearby, Jiang Yan, who was happily opening treasure chests, looked over at the two of them. What are those two doing? he wondered. Probably talking about the alliance again. To Jiang Yan, the alliance between Morax and Guizhong was already a foregone conclusion.
Kicking aside an empty Exquisite Chest, he realized that the three Exquisite Chests guarded by that Stonehide Lawachurl had actually yielded something good! It was one of the Six Powers from the One Piece world: Soru!
A high-speed displacement skill.
Jiang Yan had a novel idea. Once Morax and Guizhong joined forces, he planned to organize a human army. By combining modern military training with the Six Powers that ordinary humans could practice, just how powerful would the future army of Liyue be?
Hehe!
With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Yan walked over to the two Archons. Just as he reached them, a refreshing aroma caught his attention. On the other side, a bear-like creature was cooking at a stove. Azhdaha had somehow already made his way over there, drooling as he watched the food being prepared.
"Hey! Marchosius, what's that delicious smell?" Jiang Yan grinned as he approached the bear-like creature, putting an arm around its shoulder.
Indeed, this was the God of the Stove: Marchosius. Jiang Yan and his companions had met him shortly after they arrived. As one of the only two Archons in the tribe, it was natural for Morax to meet him. However, Marchosius and Jiang Yan had hit it off almost immediately. Because Jiang Yan possessed Master-level Culinary Skills, the two had even held a cooking duel.
One had to admit that the God of the Stove lived up to his name. Even with his Master-level skills, Jiang Yan was still slightly outmatched. Nevertheless, Marchosius held great respect for this young man who possessed such remarkable talent in the kitchen.
"You're here? Come, try my latest creation: Slime Medley!" Marchosius boasted, showing off his results.
"Uh..." A bead of cold sweat dropped from Jiang Yan's forehead. I knew it. Thousands of years later, Xiangling really did learn this from you, didn't she?! This identical Slime-based cooking method made it clear why Marchosius would eventually follow Xiangling after losing his power.
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