Vol.06: Zhongli (Morax) - "Contracts" and Erosion. The Existential Meaning Behind the Oldest God Stepping Down from the Divine Throne After Witnessing Everything

Introduction: The Twilight of the Oldest God and the Existential Turn in Teyvat

In the continent of Teyvat, the Geo Archon Morax (Zhongli) has lived for an unfathomable period of over 6,000 years, reigning as the oldest of The Seven. His story goes beyond the superficial drama of a “retired, aging absolute ruler.” It is the embodiment of a profoundly existential and Gnostic philosophy, wherein an absolute sovereign relinquishes his own divinity to immerse himself in finite humanity.

Having pacified the blood-soaked era of the Archon War through martial prowess and governed the nation of Liyue through “contracts,” why did he need to fake his own “death” and step down from his Divine Throne? This report synthesizes all the textual evidence available in Genshin Impact as of 2026—artifact lore, weapon descriptions, in-game books, and Archon Quest dialogues—to systematically unravel the depths of the entity known as Morax.

What philosophical decision did he make in the face of the inescapable curse of “Erosion” imposed by The Heavenly Principles? Furthermore, this report discusses the grand rebellion against the truth of Teyvat (the False Sky and Determinism) and the fundamental love for humanity embedded in “the contract to end all contracts” forged with The Tsaritsa. Through this report, it will become clear that Morax’s trajectory is not merely a historical record of a fantasy world, but the crystallization of highly intricate contemplation where the philosophies of Nietzsche and Sartre, the pinnacle of alchemy, and the Gnostic mythological framework intersect.

1. Mythological Foundations and the Symbolism of “Morax” in Gnosticism

To understand Zhongli’s behavioral principles and his position within the worldview, it is first necessary to deconstruct his primordial conceptual and mythological background. The gods (Archons) of Teyvat bear the names of the “Ars Goetia (the 72 demons of Solomon),” strongly suggesting that they are “Archons (subordinates of the false god Demiurge)” in Gnosticism.

1.1 “Morax” of the 72 Demons of Solomon and the Symbolism of the Bull’s Head

In historical demonology, specifically in the “Goetia,” the first part of the Lemegeton, Morax is positioned as the 21st spirit, a Great Earl and President of Hell. He is known to be well-versed in astronomy and the liberal sciences, teaches the virtues of herbs and “precious stones,” and gives wise familiars to the summoner. Furthermore, his visual characteristics are known to be depicted as a “man with the head of a bull” or a “bull with the head of a man.”

The depiction of Morax in Teyvat follows the nature of this original text extremely faithfully and from multiple angles, sublimating it into the in-game lore. As a matter of fact, Zhongli is portrayed as an “intellectual” with profound knowledge of ores and precious stones (such as Cor Lapis and Noctilucous Jade), plants (such as Glaze Lilies), and all the academic disciplines and history of Liyue. The fact that his Elemental Burst, “Planet Befall,” is an art that summons a massive meteorite also aligns with the original Morax presiding over “astronomy.”

Furthermore, what draws attention in community theories is the symbolism of the “bull.” There is a theory that not only does Zhongli himself possess a mental rigidity once described as “bull-headed,” but this symbolism is also projected onto the appearance of his oldest ally and familiar, who could be considered the other half of his power: Azhdaha. Azhdaha’s massive body possesses heavy horns and a skeletal structure reminiscent of a bull or rhinoceros, along with earth-shattering power. In other words, the “bull” attribute possessed by the original Morax can be interpreted as being expressed in Teyvat as the absolute bond of Geo power between the two entities, Morax and Azhdaha.

1.2 The Archons of Gnosticism and the “False Sky”

In the cosmological view of Gnosticism, Archons play the role of wardens who create the “prison of the material world” and prevent human souls from returning to the true light (the spiritual world). Considering the truth revealed by Scaramouche (The Balladeer) and The Doctor (Il Dottore) that “the stars of Teyvat are a False Sky,” The Seven (Archons) can originally be defined as “administrators of souls in the miniature garden of Teyvat,” placed by The Heavenly Principles (equivalent to the Demiurge).

What is particularly noteworthy here is the attitude Morax took toward this “role as an Archon.” Rather than directly ruling over humans and binding their souls in ignorance, he encouraged their independence through the framework of contracts, and ultimately stepped down from the Divine Throne (the seat of the warden) of his own accord. This fact can be interpreted as a self-contradictory and rebellious act in which an Archon in Gnosticism abandons his own role and attempts to liberate humanity from the laws of the material world. Morax’s abdication was not merely due to fatigue, but an intentional existential process aimed at allowing humanity to stand on its own away from the absolute dominion of The Heavenly Principles (Determinism under the False Sky).

2. The Compilation of History—The Birth of “Contracts” and the Memory of Sacrifice

While the current Zhongli embodies strict and fair rationality as the “God of Contracts,” he did not exist in such a philosophically perfected form from the beginning. According to the facts presented in Archon Quests and various weapon texts, during the Archon War, he was a cold and emotionless being who subjugated others solely through his martial prowess (the power of Geo). What transformed him into a philosophical ruler was the history of encounters and partings with lost compatriots, and endless sacrifices.

2.1 Guizhong, the Lord of Dust, and the Acquisition of Rationality in “Memory of Dust”

The first step in Zhongli’s existential turn was his encounter with Guizhong, the Lord of Dust. The text of the catalyst “Memory of Dust” details their meeting in a field of blooming Glaze Lilies and the pledge exchanged at that time.

As a matter of fact, Guizhong was aware of her own physical fragility and perceived the nature of human existence as follows: “Those little people are as small and fragile as dust. Because they are small, they know not when they will lose their lives to disaster or strife, and so they are always afraid. Because they are afraid, they try so hard to become more intelligent. This I understand.” These words presented the value of wisdom and technology to Morax, who had previously perceived the world solely through martial prowess. She proposed that by combining her brains with Morax’s brawn, they could build a great city (Guili Assembly) to protect the fragile humans, and as a token of their pledge, she presented Morax with a “stone dumbbell containing all her wisdom (Memory of Dust).”

However, the harsh reality of the Archon War destroyed this peaceful community. Amidst a fierce battle where black dust choked the heavens and a thousand rocks splintered, Guizhong lost her life. Her final words were, “It seems that our journey together has come to an end. As for that stone dumbbell, forget about it, would you?” before she dissolved into dust. As a matter of fact, to this day, Morax has been unable to unlock that dumbbell, continuing to live without knowing the true meaning behind her final words.

As a theoretical consideration, it can be said that Guizhong’s death thrust a cruel paradigm shift upon Morax: “Overwhelming martial prowess alone cannot protect the world (or loved ones).” The concept of “Contracts” was not born merely as a rule for commercial transactions; it was a “bond of rationality” forged with “fragile beings” such as Guizhong and humans, becoming the philosophical foundation for ending the cycle of violence (the Archon War) and establishing Order.

2.2 The Sacrifice of the Millelith and the Nameless Yaksha—The Social Contract Paradox Told by “Tenacity of the Millelith”

The weight of “contracts” forced tremendous sacrifices not only upon Morax himself but also upon the humans who followed him. The most prominent example of this is the defensive battle at The Chasm, which occurred 500 years ago in conjunction with The Cataclysm of Khaenri’ah.

The texts of the artifact set “Tenacity of the Millelith” vividly record this blood-soaked history. As a matter of fact, when the pitch-dark monsters of The Abyss poured out from The Chasm, a detachment of the Millelith under the orders of Rex Lapis (Morax) and a “nameless Yaksha” served as the rearguard, fighting deep underground to allow the civilians to escape.

To prevent themselves from being tainted by the intense karmic debt emitted by the Yaksha and falling into madness, the soldiers used an “Orichalceous Time-Dial” to strictly manage their formations and rotation schedules, never ceasing to fight until their last drop of blood soaked into the earth. As a result, all the soldiers, including the general, died in battle, and the Yaksha also disappeared, but the current peace of Liyue Harbor is maintained upon the horizon of their sacrifice.

This event can be examined as an extreme form of the “Social Contract Theory” proposed by Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In social contract theory, in order to protect individual life and liberty, members of a society forge a contract to surrender their rights to a sovereign and obey their commands. However, the ultimate command to protect the community (order) known as the state is sometimes “to offer one’s individual life for the community (to march to one’s death).”

As a god, Morax had to hand down a contract that commanded them to die. His absolute memory has eternally etched into his mind the sacrifices of these countless nameless soldiers, the smell of spilled blood, and the figure of the Yaksha who vanished into karmic debt. The contract to maintain order simultaneously becomes the blade that kills his beloved people. It is this accumulation of cause and effect, and responsibility, that continues to deeply oppress Morax’s spirit.

3. The Truth of The Heavenly Principles’ Mechanism “Erosion” and the Terror of Determinism

The decisive factor that led Morax to step down from his Divine Throne as the absolute sovereign was the existence of the concept of “Erosion.” This concept is often misunderstood in the community as “a decay of power” or “a mere phenomenon of aging,” but a deep dive into the lore reveals it to be a far more cruel and metaphysical system.

3.1 The Definition of Erosion: Not the Decay of Power, but the Destruction of Memory and Rationality

As a matter of fact, Erosion is a mechanism of natural laws forcibly imposed by The Heavenly Principles upon all life in Teyvat (especially long-lived gods and Sovereign Dragons). This is directly connected to the endless flow of Irminsul and the Ley Lines, and its progression is accelerated by traumatic events and the passage of time.

The important fact here is that Erosion does not directly strip away “physical power.” The essence of Erosion lies in the destruction (Mental Erosion) of “Memory,” “Consciousness,” and “Rationality.” Azhdaha himself explicitly states, “Erosion is the world’s greatest destroyer of memories.”

Rather than weakening physically, Azhdaha, having suffered from Erosion, lost his rationality and turned into a violent and brutal beast, attacking The Chasm that he had once sworn to protect. Because Morax possesses even greater power than Azhdaha, he harbors a deep fear that “the more powerful the entity, the more immeasurable the danger when they undergo Erosion.” This is because if Morax’s rationality were to collapse due to Erosion, there is a danger that the nation of Liyue itself would be destroyed by his own Geo power.

3.2 The Curse of Eternal Memory and the Escape from Deterministic Fate

As a theoretical consideration, the question arises as to why The Heavenly Principles designed the system of Erosion. It is believed to be a “cosmic-scale failsafe” designed to prevent immortal gods and Sovereign Dragons from eternally existing and solidifying their own power structures, ultimately becoming entities that threaten the order of The Heavenly Principles (or entities that cause the world to stagnate). There exists here a “Determinism” where all beings are programmed to eventually go mad and perish.

Due to Erosion, Azhdaha forgot even the noble contract with Morax to “protect Liyue,” resulting in his betrayal of his friend. To protect Liyue, Morax had no choice but to seal his former best friend deep beneath the dark earth with his own hands.

What makes this tragedy even more cruel is the characteristic possessed by Morax himself. As a matter of fact, Zhongli possesses an “extremely excellent memory that never fades.” In the Sumeru Archon Quest, even after the existence of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was erased from the world due to the tampering of Irminsul, he maintained an accurate factual awareness as if exempt from the effects of the tampering, stating that “only two of the original members of The Seven (Venti and himself) remain.”

This absolute memory is Morax’s greatest blessing, and simultaneously his worst curse. The sight of his friend going mad with the passage of time, the gruesome deaths of the Millelith, the disappearance of Guizhong. He can never heal the emotions of these losses through oblivion. The accumulation of emotional burden, and the terror that one day he too might be stripped of his rationality by the system (Erosion) and destroy his beloved Liyue with his own hands. This is the true nature of what Zhongli feared and called “the Erosion imposed by The Heavenly Principles.”

His choice to step down from the Divine Throne (to meet a social death) can be interpreted as the only evasion tactic to protect Liyue and his own dignity from the deterministic fate of “ruin by Erosion” decreed by The Heavenly Principles.

4. Alchemical Transformation and the Existential Hymn to Humanity Seen in Stone Tablet Compilations

How did Morax, who had reached the pinnacle as a god and remembers everything, make the decision to blend into human society? In its philosophical background lies the metaphor of alchemy’s “Magnum Opus” and the transformation of existential self-definition connected to Sartre and Nietzsche.

4.1 Mora and Gold, the Reduction from the “Philosopher’s Stone”

As a matter of fact, Zhongli was the sole creator of “Mora,” the base currency of Teyvat. Mora is not merely an economic currency; it is a substance with physical and magical properties used as a “catalyst” in alchemy, weapon ascension, and artifact enhancement.

The “Philosopher’s Stone,” the pinnacle of alchemy, is a perfect substance completed through the processes of Nigredo (blackening), Albedo (whitening), Citrinitas (yellowing), and Rubedo (reddening), signifying the immortality and perfection of the soul. Because Morax’s own Constellation is “Lapis Dei (God of Stone),” there is a theory that he himself symbolizes the “Philosopher’s Stone” within the world of Teyvat.

However, he surrendered his “Gnosis,” the source that generates divine power (Gold), to another. From an alchemical perspective, this signifies a process of rejecting being an immutable, “perfected stone,” and reducing and regressing himself into an “imperfect base material (a mere human)” that encompasses change, flux, and decay (death). In stark contrast to the Electro Archon Beelzebul, who sought immutable divinity (Eternity), Morax acknowledged the “value of being imperfect.”

4.2 “Rex Incognito” and the Subjectivity of Value (Existentialism)

The in-game book Stone Tablet Compilations records the history of Morax as Rex Lapis—calming the seas, raising Mt. Tianheng, teaching agriculture alongside Guizhong, and ultimately entrusting the governance to the Liyue Qixing—on a strict mythological scale.

On the other hand, his figure recorded in books such as Records of Jueyun and Rex Incognito is vastly different. As a matter of fact, he is depicted as a being with a “playful spirit” who transforms into a woman or an ordinary laborer, slips into the streets to observe humans, and sometimes even spreads tall tales himself. He has attempted to experience the world from a human perspective by stepping down from his divine vantage point, teasing merchants and punishing arrogant employers.

A phrase that symbolizes Zhongli’s philosophy is, “One man’s stone is another man’s gem.”

This phrase contains a proposition that underlies Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential philosophy. It is the idea that the value of things is not determined a priori by a god or The Heavenly Principles, but is bestowed a posteriori through the choices and experiences of subjective humans. It is an absolute affirmation of humans living finite lives finding meaning for themselves, rather than the absolute value (Determinism) decreed by The Heavenly Principles.

It can also be examined from the perspective of “overcoming nihilism” in Nietzsche’s philosophy. Despite facing the void (nihilism) where everything will eventually erode and perish, Morax did not curse the world; instead, he acquired the human role of a “consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor” to mourn the dead, choosing to actively live anew in a finite world. Relinquishing his absolute decision-making power as a god is his greatest trust in humans, and it is nothing less than a hymn to humanity that encourages them to reach the state of the “Übermensch,” creating value through their own will.

5. “The Contract to End All Contracts” and the Grand Rebellion Against The Heavenly Principles

The greatest mystery that connects Zhongli’s story from his personal drama to the entirety of Teyvat’s cosmology is “the contract to end all contracts” forged with The Tsaritsa.

5.1 The Deal with The Tsaritsa and the Concealed True Intent

As a matter of fact, at the conclusion of the Liyue Archon Quest, Zhongli handed over his “Gnosis” as compensation to a Fatui Harbinger (La Signora). He referred to this as his final contract as the Geo Archon.

The specific details of this contract were not revealed to the Traveler, and Zhongli merely stated that they should “witness it for themselves at the end of their future journey (in Snezhnaya, etc.).” Furthermore, regarding the reason for surrendering his Gnosis, he explicitly stated that while “nothing can be of equal value to a Gnosis,” the condition (price) presented by The Tsaritsa was worthy of it.

According to a speculative approach, The Tsaritsa’s ultimate goal is the “burning of the old world,” namely the overthrow of The Heavenly Principles (Demiurge) and the rewriting of Teyvat’s laws. By voluntarily handing over his “Gnosis,” Zhongli can be interpreted as having indirectly but clearly participated as a patron of the rebellion against The Heavenly Principles. The reason he does not directly bare his fangs against The Heavenly Principles is surmised to be because, as the “God of Contracts,” he has forged some primordial contract (a non-aggression pact or a non-disclosure agreement = NDA) with The Heavenly Principles or Celestia, and directly breaking it with his own hands would contradict his very reason for existence (his Idea as the God of Contracts).

5.2 The Dissolution of the Contract Known as “Vision” and the Liberation from the False Sky

The key to unraveling the true meaning of “the contract to end all contracts” is Zhongli’s mention of “Visions.” As a matter of fact, in his voice lines, Zhongli states that a Vision is also a type of “contract.”

As a theoretical framework, in Teyvat, a “Vision” is considered to be a symbol of power granted in response to people’s strong wishes and ambitions, while simultaneously being part of a system to bind the bearer’s fate to the Constellation of Teyvat (the Loom of Fate) and place them under the surveillance of The Heavenly Principles. In other words, being granted a Vision is in itself a “contract” to be incorporated into the laws of the False Sky constructed by The Heavenly Principles.

If The Tsaritsa’s rebellion succeeds and the dominion of The Heavenly Principles and the system of Celestia collapse, the contract system of fate determination known as “Visions” will itself vanish. In other words, “the contract to end all contracts” literally signifies a stepping stone to destroy the fundamental rules binding Teyvat (Determinism by the gods) and to grant true Free Will to humanity.

Morax founded Liyue with his own hands, protecting and guiding humans through martial prowess and contracts. However, the path he ultimately chose was not to eternally enclose humans under his own protection, but to allow humanity to truly “stand on its own” by having the very system of divine surveillance destroyed from the outside. This is the ultimate form of love that the oldest god held for humanity.

Conclusion: Not a Regression, but the “Death of God” as an Existential Overcoming

The story of Zhongli (Morax) is not a simple record of regression, such as an overly powerful god becoming exhausted and entering a mere life of retirement. It is the trajectory of the most rational and philosophical resistance against the deterministic system of The Heavenly Principles known as “Erosion (mental collapse),” brought about by eternity and absolute memory.

1. Acceptance and Transformation of Memory and Loss:

   Having lost loved ones such as Guizhong, the nameless Yaksha, and Azhdaha one after another, and sometimes having buried them with his own hands, he chose to continue bearing all the memories of blood and pain without forgetting them. Rather than detaching his emotions to escape Erosion, he transformed the vector of his inner Erosion from destruction to acceptance by loving the fragility of humans and watching over their fleeting endeavors.

2. “Self-Murder” as an Existential Decision:

   The choice to kill the a priori god “Rex Lapis” himself (the Rite of Parting) and live as a mere human, “Zhongli,” who creates value a posteriori, is the perfect embodiment of the philosophy that “existence precedes essence.” If meaning is not prepared in the world from the beginning, one has no choice but to weave meaning oneself. He discarded the perfected essence of a god and became a being that exists within finiteness.

3. Complicity in the Grand Rebellion:

   The act of entrusting his Gnosis to The Tsaritsa through “the contract to end all contracts” is an extremely quiet and fatal declaration of war, dismantling the framework of “Order” that he himself had protected for thousands of years by his own will, in order to liberate humanity from the Gnostic prison (the False Sky).

The oldest god, who has witnessed everything, did not abandon the world in despair. In stark contrast to entities that sought “eternal stagnation,” he deeply believed in the flux and possibilities woven by finite lives, and turned to the side of ending the divine system (the rule of the Demiurge) himself. The dragon that departed the skies of Liyue is now covered in the dust of the mortal realm, sipping tea, and waiting with a memory more certain than anyone else’s for the day when the Loom of Fate is completely shattered by human hands.