I'm a male god in Liyue

Xia Zhi stood to the side, silently admiring Zhu Zi's beautiful figure in a cheongsam-like uniform and black stockings from a god-like perspective, and couldn't help but give her a mental thumbs up.

She usually wears her own old clothes, which look nice, but they are nowhere near as stunning as they do now.

Even compared to those pretty young ladies Xia Zhi criticized when he first visited Feiyunpo, she is still one of the best, even by today's standards.

Beautiful, hardworking, and with a considerate and gentle personality, Zhu Zi is truly a treasure.

Unfortunately, there's no progress bar on me.

Otherwise, she would truly be a treasure girl.

After paying a hefty final payment, I left the tailor shop.

Zhu Zi glanced at Xia Zhi's expressionless face and said weakly, "Boss, you don't think I bought something too expensive, do you? I only chose the most expensive material because you told me to..."

Xia Zhi looked at her with some surprise and said, "No, what's so expensive about it? It's just the price of a few dozen cups of juice."

Zhu Zi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "That seems to be true."

Xia Zhi casually added, "But your uniform is too thin. You can wear it now in autumn, but it won't be suitable when the temperature drops in a month or two. You'll have to order two thicker winter uniforms. Choose the best ones and don't worry about the price."

A warm feeling welled up in Zhu Zi's heart, and she nodded with a smile: "Okay, boss."

As soon as I returned to the shop, several workers delivered the signboard that Xia Zhi had ordered to my door.

Acceptance and installation.

Before long, a sign that read "Summer Shop" appeared in front of the store.

It looks ordinary, quite different from the flamboyant style of other shops in Feiyunpo. Instead, it has a simple and unpretentious style similar to the neighboring Wangshengtang.

Zhu Zi stood outside, looking up at the name of his shop, his expression excited: "Boss, the signboard is all done, so should we prepare to open for business tomorrow?"

Xia Zhi nodded and said, "Mm."

Zhu Zi then asked, "Is there anything else we need to prepare?"

Xia Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I need to go and pay my respects to Prince Yan."

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Incense Maker Must Be an Immortal

In the local legends of Liyue, Morax has many titles and divine positions.

During the war between demons and gods, when He conquered countless enemies on all sides, He was the "God of War".

When He used His divine power to establish laws for Liyue Harbor, He was the "God of Contracts".

He personally forged the first "Mora," establishing Liyue Harbor as a commercial center, and merchants revered him as the "God of Commerce."

He has lived through countless ages and is the oldest of the seven gods; historians call him the "God of History."

Thousands of years ago, when the early inhabitants of Liyue Harbor were clearing land, they often rubbed stones together to start fires and then built hearths with rocks. These gifts from the "rock" led the Rock God to become known as the "God of Hearth Fire" in people's mouths.

Foreigners tend to call him Morax, while Liyue locals prefer the more colloquial name "Geo King".

In the hearts of opera lovers and children, among Morax's many divine roles, the "God of War" who sweeps across the demon army on the stage and creates and protects Liyue is the most interesting.

The delicious snacks discovered by the "Geo Lord" when he got lost, the plaque inscribed by the "Geo Lord" himself, the famous opera in which the "Geo Lord" once gave a minor role... Upon closer examination, many of Liyue's customs and traditions have been directly influenced by the gods at some point in time. The people of Liyue are very proud of this history of walking alongside the gods.

Therefore, even though he personally experienced the turmoil of the "Invitation to Immortals Ceremony", and even though the Seven Stars had issued a notice saying that He had perished due to His failure to transcend the tribulation, the Yiyan Palace was still thriving with incense offerings, and there were even more people coming to worship and burn incense than before.

This was Zhu Zi's first time offering incense at Yiyan Hall. She carried a basket of fruits and other offerings and looked around the surroundings with great curiosity.

"Boss, there are so many people here."

"Ah."

"It has many more shrines than Narukami Taisha Shrine in Inazuma."

“Liyue is a trading capital, and its population is much larger than that of Inazuma. The Geo Archon is also a god of wealth and is very popular. In addition, Inazuma has a policy of isolation... It cannot compare.”

"That's right."

Next to the temple were stalls selling incense.

Yellow, red, blue...

Straight, spiral, round...

Long, short, thick, thin...

Xia Zhi took a light sniff and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

The last time he came to Yiyan Palace, he bought incense from this stall.

Because he was short of money, he only bought the cheapest kind of grass incense sticks, which cost 1 mora each, instead of the thickest and longest kind, which cost 100 mora each.

He felt quite regretful about it at the time, feeling that this action was disrespectful to Prince Yan.

But from his perspective as a master spice connoisseur, he felt that these two, no, not just these two kinds of incense, but all the incense sold here, were actually of similar "inferior quality".

Unfortunately, Zhu Zi was clearly not as perceptive as him. Standing in front of the incense stall, looking at the wide variety of incense, she felt her eyes were opened: "Boss, these incense are so beautiful."

Xia Zhi was speechless: "...Zhu Zi, I can't see."

Zhu Zi lowered her head shyly: "Ah..."

The stall owner picked up a bundle of fine incense that looked expensive and said with a smile, "Want to buy a bundle? This is the most popular incense among the Prince of Yan! It's the most sought-after!"

Xia Zhi shook his head and said, "No need, we brought our own incense."

“You can buy another bundle and put it in the temple. The temple keeper will help you burn incense every day. One bundle can last for more than half a month.”

How much is a bundle?

"Only 300 Mora."

"Farewell."

Xia Zhi left without looking back, and Zhu Zi quickly followed with her basket.

Upon entering the hall, Xia Zhi first took out several offerings and arranged them according to Liyue's rules. Then, Xia Zhi took out three sticks of incense he had made himself and lit them.

A delicate and soothing fragrance immediately filled the hall, standing out as pure and unpretentious amidst the smoky atmosphere of the other effeminate vendors, drawing surprised glances from the surrounding worshippers.

Xia Zhi stood before the statue of Lord Yan, bowed three times earnestly, placed incense in the burner, and silently prayed with his hands clasped together.

"Lord Yan, the incense last time was not good, so this time I have brought the best incense I made myself to fulfill my vow, along with some offerings. Please enjoy."

"I've just arrived in Liyue and opened a specialty beverage shop on Scarlet Cloud Slope. It's opening tomorrow, and I hope you'll bless my business with prosperity and good fortune."

"There is another matter to report. Recently, a ghost has been frequently visiting my shop at night. Although it has no malicious intent, there should be a boundary between humans and ghosts. I hope you can take some time to deal with it."

--

Chihuyan, an open-air teahouse.

A storyteller named Tian Tiezui sat on the stage, recounting the legendary story of Lord Yan carving the eyes of a stone with dramatic intonation.

"...Last time, we talked about how Prince Yan was traveling alone in the mountains when he heard a distant, unheard-of sound from a crevice in the ground..."

The tables below the stage were also filled with people listening to storytelling and drinking tea, creating a relaxed atmosphere that was even more lively than that of the Heyu Tea House.

At one of the corner tables sat a tall, slender, distinguished, and handsome man.

It was Zhongli, the guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth whom Xia Zhi had met once before.

He held a cup of tea in his hand, listening to the storyteller's tale with a calm expression, yet also a hint of nostalgia.

He took a sip of tea and was about to put the cup back on the table when he suddenly seemed to sense something. His expression changed slightly, and he looked up towards the direction of the Yiyan Palace on the Jade Capital Terrace.

"Oh?"

--

After Xia Zhi finished his prayers, he put away the offerings to make room for the pilgrims who would come later.

At this moment, several worshippers approached him, eager to ask where he had bought the three sticks of incense he had just burned.

Xia Zhi replied in a serious tone, "A few days ago, before I arrived in Liyue, I stayed overnight in an unnamed little temple on the mountain. I bought this incense from the temple keeper. He only sold me three sticks, 1 Mora each, and made me promise to burn them only for the Rock Lord."

"Why?"

Xia Zhi shook his head: "I don't know. I asked him, but he just shook his head slightly and seemed very nonchalant."

"This incense is so calming that it can purify the mind and eliminate distracting thoughts. It must be a treasure. How could it be sold for such a low price as 1 mora?"

"How outdated! Celestial treasures are always given to those with a predestined connection! How can their value be measured in money!"

"In my opinion, the temple keeper of that small temple must be some hermit immortal living in the mountains!"

"Could it be that he and Prince Yan are old acquaintances, which is why he sent someone to deliver incense from afar?"

"That must be it!"

"Since that immortal offered incense, doesn't that mean Prince Yan did not perish?"

"This... might be an attempt to have someone perform the sacrifice on their behalf, since immortals dislike venturing into the mortal realm..."

"Sigh, that makes sense..."

While these pilgrims were embroiled in an unfounded argument, Xia Zhi had already left Yiyan Hall with Zhu Zi.

As I passed by the incense stall, I saw the stall owner selling his incense to other people.