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The topic was raised very innocuously. Paimon’s obsession with treasure chests and Mora naturally leads to the topic of currency and how it was used. The Traveler, of course, had her eyes on a different type of currency, primogems, whatever that actually is.
The lass never failed to mention it every time they went chess hunting, but none of the other group members had actually seen them receive it. After that, there are fates. Again, another type of currency that seems to be related to the primogems. The Traveler always seems to be spending it but no one had ever seen them in physical form, much less see how it was spent.
”What do you think those fates are, Mr Harbinger? Lumine always grumbled that she runs out of them whenever she visits us.” Hu Tao mused while picked at her steamed dumplings. Not quite hungry for it, but also feeling slightly peckish.
”I’m not quite sure,” the Harbinger replied. The dumplings in between his chopsticks fell out from the grip of his hold. Childe picked it up with a spoon. “Could be something about Lumine’s way of being.”
“Perhaps, just like how Mora is Rex Lapis’s flesh and blood, it is Lumine‘s.”
Silence was heard among the trio, only to be broken with a muted clink of Zhongli’s teacup. Hu Tao and Childe both were contemplating what they just heard before came another voice.
”Mora is Rex Lapis’s crystalized blood?”
”You do seem to have impeccable hearing when it comes to Mora.”
There comes Paimon rushing over with The Traveler tailing not far behind. “So all this time Paimon had been hoarding Rex Lapis’s blood?”
Zhongli had the audacity to chuckle. ”Well, not in the literal sense. The same way the archon of Hydro would hold authority of all water, so would Rex Lapis and his mineral veins. It is, in a way, an extension of their divine form.”
”Paimon never thought of it that way before.”
The Traveler placed down the tray with their share of dumplings. “So Rex Lapis didn’t bleed Mora?”
”Far from it. Since Mora came from him in his golden form, I would say he wouldn’t even bleed like humans do.”
”Hmm, does that mean that Morax was completely made out of the ore Mora was made from? And if the Qixing managed to find this Mora ore, they can resume making their own Mora?” Hu Tao’s asked thoughtfully.
”I would say in a way. Creating Mora was the right of the Geo Archon, no other archons could replicate it. However, that does not mean at all that humans smithy could not mint them themselves. It just would take them sometime to discover the ore.”
”So where do we find this Mora-making ore?” Paimon gave Zhongli her best starry eye that she could manage.
”Hmm…it seems that it would be something that only the Archaic Lord would know.”
”Aww, shucks..”
The consultant briefly smiled before looking down Chinyu Rock. The downtown commercial area of Liyue Harbor is always filled with small children running around the shophouses.
The small walks he would take would include the entirety of Liyue Harbor but meeting old friends would almost always be at Third-Round-Knockout or Wanmin. There he could recounts memories of old and new. And as stone path worn down to mere pebble, he too does not escape the erosion.
Childe wanted to say something before his thought was cut off as Zhongli added on his previous statement. “But of course, that privilege is no longer on the table since Liyue and it’s Qixing‘s are now leading the era of humans.”
Hu Tao pushed aside her now empty plate to put both hands on the table. ”What would be something good to replace Mora?”
”Well if we were to consider other things, it must be something equally valuable and long lasting. Before Mora, humans used to barter among themselves to get any goods that they want. And of course such methods have some weaknesses. For example, for how many fowl is equal to one raw meat? And for how many raw meat could you buy a noctilucous jade? Mora was created precisely because of this problem. Thus, using Rex Lapis’s divine power, the Golden House is given authority to mint Mora and begin the circulation by forming contract with other nations under the watch of the earlier Qixings governor for goods. Wine, Ores, Books and Mechanici all were brought to Liyue Harbour and since Mora itself can be used as a catalyst during weaponry enhancement, it became all the more popular. It is because of Mora that Liyue harbour became what it is today…”