Keqing and I both stood up to greet Morax, and then I bowed to the divine lord and leader of Liyue itself even if he was very hands-off in ruling Liyue. Leaving the many sub-factions, clans, and sects to rule their territories.
"Lord Morax, I am happy to see you come to pick me up personally." I spoke humbly and I felt his gaze on me lighten and I looked up to meet his glowing gaze that was taking in my form for the first time truly.
"You practice the Golden Mountain Path technique I made... It will serve you well with your resource generation." Morax spoke in a deep voice before he looked to Keqing and back to me and I saw a small smile cross his face as his lower mouth was in view despite the deep shadows of his hood.
"You also have a good taste in a wife. But who is the daughter of the Kamisato clan to you?" He demanded in a calm but heavy tone.
I took a breath, and then I said honestly. "My betrothed, Lord Morax."
There was a heavy silence with Morax's eye's sliding from the silent and still form of Ayaka and Shinobu to me.
"You were kidnapped, and forced to work on a project in their homeland... And you come back from fleeing her homeland with one of their princesses?" He drawled in a bland tone.
And I couldn't help a grin as I said shamelessly with Keqing exhaling in surprise. "It was a bit of a surprise yes, but I am certainly not complaining. And I need a connection to Inazuma for their special materials I can't manufacture en-mass without creating another huge factory."
A heavy pause rang out before Morax blinked his glowing eye's and then he said with some humor clear in his voice. "I am not sure if you got swindled in that deal... But I won't argue with you, but let us get back to Lady Ningguang's Jade Chamber. We have much to discuss."
Then he looked down to Nahida who had been patiently silent and only raised an eyebrow at being directly gazed upon by Morax. Then Morax just nodded and he turned around and I knew a silent exchange via spiritual energy had been shared.
"Ayaka, Shinobu, lets go." I said with a wry smile as I followed behind Morax who headed outside of the restaurant and then with a wave of the hand that was covered in golden energy. A tear in space opened up and he spoke calmly. "Keqing, carry Jake as he cannot fly after all."
I felt my wife's hands tighten around my waist as she picked me up and we flew into the tear in the spatial laws of Teyvat as Morax had used his power to connect this point of space to where he wanted us to come out of.
A couple of moments later, we came out of the tear in space, with the tunnel being a black void that hurt my eye's to look into and we came out on the outside patio of Ningguang's Jade Chamber and I could see the port city of Liyue just below us in the distance.
"We are back... I miss the smell of my homeland." Keqing spoke softly as she leaned against me with her head on my shoulder as we took a moment of silence for ourselves.
Then Ayaka, and Shinobu came through the portal next followed by Morax a couple of minutes later as he had seemingly decided to converse with Nahida more. But regardless, as he came out of the portal, he said calmly but firmly. "Jake, come with me. We have much to discuss... And your wife and concubine have their own conversations to have I imagine."
My lips twitched as Keqing and Ayaka shared a look but I just nodded and stepped forward towards Morax who casually threw back his hood seeing as we were back home I guess.
Regardless, he was a dead ringer for Zhongli from normal Genshin besides his eye's glowing more then usual anyway.
He led me to a large meeting room without a word and as we came in, I paused briefly as I saw Cloud Retainer was sitting across from Ningguang on two different couches and seeing Zhongli taking a seat next to Cloud Retainer I took the seat next to Ningguang.
While I couldn't help an odd thought. 'Two god's sitting in front of two mortals... Well, Ningguang even still being Nascent Soul is mortal anyway.' I mused with some amusement.
"Jake, I am glad to see you are whole and healthy." Cloud Retainer spoke in a kind tone but then she spoke a bit firmly. "Jake, do you mind if I inspect you? I need to make sure there aren't any curses or seals on you."
At the mention of curses, I was reminded about how wiley the kitsune of Inazuma were... And I wouldn't be surprised if Yae Miko gave me a slight curse for all the times I bullied her and the rest of the higher-ups of Inazuma.
So I held out a hand to Cloud Retainer who took my wrist in hand I shivered feeling her overwhelmingly powerful Qi/mana fill my body and begin inspecting me.
Then her face stilled before she frowned and she looked at me seriously. "Jake if you are wearing a treasure that hides you, I ask that you remove it... I cannot scan you."
'Well it's good that Ayato's scary artifact works as he said.' I thought as I carefully pulled the charm out of my inner jacket pocket where it was kept and I saw both Morax and Cloud Retainer laser in on it.
Neither of them said anything however besides Cloud Retainer scanning me again and then I felt my a searing pain in my back that made me hiss as Cloud Retainer tutted in disapproval.
"Yes, you had a tracking seal engraved into your back and then they used healing methods to have your skin heal over the engraving... I am sorry for the pain, but I had to break the seal physically."
"It probably happened when they drugged and stole us away from Liyue." I grumbled as it felt like I had a very painful sunburn across my back now.
But I just took a breath and said more formally. "In either case... Thank you for bringing me home Lord Morax." I said bowing my head again to move the conversation back to what Morax obviously wanted to get to.
The dragon adepti gave an incline of the head accepting my thanks and then he spoke in a calm and measured tone. "Jake, in the two months your War Puppet's and... Your Pelican's, and other weapons have entered the service in suppressing the Abyss's main entrances. Can you guess the decline percentage in casualties?"
I paused and then I asked curiously. "Uhh, I think Keqing, and Ningguang said something like ten to fifteen percent or something?"
Ningguang's face pinched at being mentioned at both Cloud Retainer and Morax looked at the silver haired beauty before Ningguang took a breath and said in a measured tone.
"Actually in the last last major incursion, there was a twenty percent causality reduction. And it would have been more if a Nascent Soul, Abyssal Monster with stealth abilities didn't cause havoc."
"Hence, why it's important you increase the scale of your large weapons Jake. And the next factory will be placed directly in the territory of my Heavenly Mountain Sect, so that it may be protected, and it's resources quickly available." Morax spoke firmly.
I nodded as my goal was indeed to create a much higher scale weapons factory as my first factory was mostly a resource refinement factory for me to use in making the next series of factories.
Still I spoke evenly. "I understand, I already have production lines in mind. What will be built, and what weapons platforms to be created. However I would like to see the Abyss battlefield to get an idea of the weapons systems needed. However, I have a couple of points I need to make."
I held up a hand and then began ticking off fingers with my other hand.
"First, I am still only in the first level of cultivation and body refinement and my physique makes my cultivation a bit slower so I need some time to focus on that between working."
"Second, I direly need to head over to my Alchemy, and Manufacturing Factories to get raw resources as I am damn near out frankly before I can build anything."
"Sneznahya needs to be addressed as I doubt that the Knave will take me working on another factory after I was forced to promise my aid after my wedding to build for them."
I took a deep breath and then I finished off my list of issues and things to do. "Lastly... I need a couple of days with Keqing and Ayaka to hash out what kind of relationship I have going with Ayaka frankly."
Everyone in the room was silent at my laundry list of issues, and then my face twitched as Morax said rather dryly. "All those issues can be dealt with over time, and seems to be a result of you being involved with women."