Baiwen, Baixiao, and Baishi stood beside several officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs near the public notice board, waiting in quiet composure as the citizens of Liyue Harbor assembled before them.
Their stationed line subtly blocked the casualty ledgers pinned to the wooden boards behind their backs.
The populace knew that today was the forty-ninth day, the final dawn of the cataclysm in that other world, and they recognized that Baiwen and the secretaries had arrived to deliver official word.
Regarding victory, the people had never harbored the slightest doubt. Yet observing the heavy, guarded expressions resting on the secretaries' faces, an uneasy feeling took root.
Quiet, anxious murmurs spread across the pavilion.
Before long, arriving citizens packed Yujing Terrace to capacity, representing at least twenty percent of the harbor's entire civilian populace.
The remainder would learn the news through word of mouth soon enough.
Baiwen hesitated no longer, taking a firm step forward. Sensing her movement, the crowd fell still, watching her in absolute silence.
"Citizens of Liyue," she began, steadying her voice and choosing each word with measured care.
"Under the direct leadership of our exalted ministers, the cataclysm has officially drawn to a close. We have successfully defended every inch of Liyue's sovereign territory within that other realm."
"The war has ended, and the conclusion is precisely what all of us believed it would be: we have triumphed!"
A roaring cheer swept across Yujing Terrace. People embraced, raising their hands toward the clear sky in unrestrained jubilation.
"I knew it! I knew we would prevail! Our Liyue has never lost a single war in its history!"
"Long live Liyue! Long live our leaders!"
"We owe deep gratitude to the brave warriors from our allied nations as well. Without their aid, the battle would have been far grimmer!"
"Nonsense, there is no need for thanks! We are an alliance forged through life and death, standing shoulder to shoulder! Had Mondstadt faced such ruin, Liyue would have charged to our aid without holding back!"
"Drinks are on me today! Let us head to the taverns and drink until dawn to celebrate another historic victory for Liyue, and toast to the Five-Nation Alliance expanding our frontiers across the new world!"
"To a brighter tomorrow!"
Observing the festive atmosphere across Yujing Terrace, Baiwen exchanged a warm, relieved glance with Baixiao.
Neither made a move to interrupt, allowing the crowd time to vent their relief.
Only after several minutes did the clamor gradually settle into a calm, expectant hum.
Meeting countless bright, eager eyes, Baiwen inhaled slowly, her expression sharpening into solemn gravity.
"Across forty-nine consecutive days of siege, our garrison held the line from behind our walls. An army of fewer than one hundred thousand soldiers crushed nearly seven million monsters."
"This is an unprecedented triumph worthy of national celebration, and every soul who fought on that field is a true hero."
"Under one hundred thousand soldiers overcoming seven million undead is a military achievement unmatched across the entirety of recorded history."
"Liyue has once again achieved the impossible."
Before the citizens could raise another triumphant cry, Baiwen's tone shifted, dropping into a heavy, sorrowful register.
"Yet every person here must understand that when confronting an enemy of such vast numbers, we must also accept a painful reality."
"Sacrifice was unavoidable."
The smiles across Yujing Terrace froze.
Subtle, sorrowful sighs drifted through the gathering.
It was warfare; since antiquity, no great campaign had ever concluded without the loss of life.
Against such overwhelming odds, a triumph of this scale was remarkable, yet the mention of fallen warriors brought an immediate, sobering weight.
The only question was how heavy the toll truly was.
Seeing the crowd remain attentive and orderly, Baiwen let out a quiet breath, stepping aside to reveal the notice board as she raised her voice.
"Lady Ningguang has decreed that along with the declaration of victory, the list of those who gave their lives shall be read aloud."
"These soldiers are our heroes, and heroes must never remain nameless shadows. To every citizen enjoying peace and comfort: you must remember who laid down their lives so that your days might remain tranquil."
Baiwen paused, unfurling the heavy parchment in her hands.
Her voice, carried through an adeptal resonance device, rang out over every stone of Yujing Terrace.
"Conqueror of Demons, General Bosacius, General Kapisas, Skybracer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer..."
The reading landed like a colossal iron hammer against the chest of every listener.
The citizens stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at Baiwen, wondering if their ears had deceived them.
"The... the adepti? The illuminated adepti have fallen?"
A man stammered the words, his lips trembling as he looked pleadingly at those around him, desperate for someone to correct him.
Finding only pale, stunned silence, his knees gave way, dropping him onto the paving stones as he buried his face in his hands, weeping without a sound.
The guardian spirits who had protected Liyue for millennia, alongside those ancient immortals who had only recently returned to walk the mortal world, were gone in a single battle.
They had anticipated losses against millions of monsters, but never a tragedy of this magnitude.
The divine foundation of their civilization had been swept clean.
Baiwen took a deep breath, the ink on the page feeling like a crushing weight in her hands.
"Master Diluc, Captain Kaeya, Tartaglia, Scaramouche, General Kujou Sara, Divine Priestess Sangonomiya Kokomi, General Gorou, Commissioner Kamisato Ayato, Doctor Baizhu, Forest Watcher Tighnari, Scribe Alhaitham..."
The roster of allied luminaries struck like a second thunderclap.
Among those names were ministers, supreme commanders, and sovereign figures guiding foreign courts.
They had perished alongside the adepti.
A suffocating blanket of grief fell across Yujing Terrace.
Casualties of this nature seemed to surpass even the darkest memories of the ancient god wars.
The Archon War had taken countless lives, but that had unfolded across centuries of protracted conflict. This devastation had occurred in a brief span of forty-nine days.
What manner of horror had the expeditionary forces faced on the other side?
If the illuminated adepti and the foremost Vision wielders of Teyvat had fallen, what had become of the common infantry?
The citizens scarcely dared contemplate the answer.
Having concluded the roll of prominent commanders, Baiwen lowered her gaze to the dense lines beneath.
The roster of the common army covered several sheets of vellum.
Baiwen closed her eyes briefly before continuing in a clear, resonant tone.
"Commander Dashi of the Dragon Knights. Deputy Commander Fengyan. Commander Changle of the Firearm Corps."
"First Wing of the Dragon Knights: completely wiped out."
"Third Regiment of the Firearm Division: completely wiped out."
"Seventh through Ninth Squadrons of the Heavy Cavalry: completely wiped out."
"Perimeter Defense Brigades... Light Infantry Vanguard... Combat Mage Corps..."
As the units were named, people throughout the crowd collapsed.
Standing near the edge of the terrace, Dashi's wife felt the blood drain from her face the moment her husband's name was spoken, her vision turning black as she slumped unconscious into the arms of those beside her.
Beside her, Dashi's elderly mother offered a calm, steady smile, though tears ran silently down the deep creases of her weathered cheeks.
"My brave boy... you did not fail your country."
Weeping broke out across the terrace.
Those names belonged to their kin: sons, fathers, and brothers who had stood with them only weeks ago, laughing about vacation plans and scenic trips across the Guili Plains once the deployment ended.
Even the Millelith guards maintaining perimeter order stood frozen, their knuckles whitening against their polearms.
Comrades who had traded jokes with them about monster bounties days before were now reduced to cold characters upon an official casualty roll.
Stalwart as their discipline was, several guards struggled to hold back their grief.
Baiwen pressed forward with unwavering resolve, reading name after name until her throat grew hoarse. Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, she raised her head and projected her voice across the terrace.
"The combined expeditionary forces of the Five-Nation Alliance and Khaenri'ah sustained two thousand two hundred and forty-seven combat fatalities during this campaign."
"Commit each of their names to memory. They gave their mortal breath so our nation might endure."
Absolute silence gripped Yujing Terrace, broken only by muffled weeping echoing against the stone balustrades.
War demanded blood, and they had known the price would be steep.
Yet losing thousands of warriors, alongside ancient adepti and sovereign champions, was a reality nearly impossible to bear.
Noticing the crushing weight settling over the crowd, Baiwen raised her tone, her cadence cutting through the gloom.
"However!"
The sharp transition made the citizens lift their heads, fixing their wet eyes upon her with desperate hope.
"Through the authority commanded by Ryen, the fallen have already walked the path of resurrection."
The crowd stood paralyzed.
Rumors of the dead returning had drifted through the harbor before; Guizhong and Indarias were known to walk the streets of the commercial quarter.
Yet the people had assumed Rex Lapis had recovered lost adeptal souls, or that divine beings possessed exclusive means of rebirth.
Hearing Baiwen's proclamation, even common soldiers could be restored to life?
And in numbers counting into the thousands?
The concept broke all understanding of the cosmos.
"Every fallen adeptus has already returned safely to our ranks," Baiwen continued steadily. "Of the more than two thousand soldiers who fell in battle, only five hundred and thirty-two currently await restoration."
"Those remaining five hundred warriors will return to their families within thirty days."
"We do not fear mortal sacrifice, but when loss can be undone, our government will never permit permanent tragedy to take root."
"Take heart, citizens of Liyue. We publish this roll not to herald doom, but to honor our living heroes."
"The peace you walk within was purchased by thousands who shed blood in dark frontiers."
"Cherish the days you are granted."
"They are heroes of the realm, and their honor must never be diminished simply because death has lost its claim upon their lives."
Originally, the secretaries had debated concealing the losses entirely.
Yet reporting that an army had clashed with seven million monsters without a single casualty was an insult to reason.
Claiming zero deaths would only breed suspicion that the government was burying the truth.
Transparency was the superior path, especially when Ningguang had no intention of keeping the secret forever.
Backed by server administrator privileges, localized immortality was an established reality.
The Totems of Rebirth remained under the absolute jurisdiction of the council; with the coalition standing unchallenged at the pinnacle of Teyvat, they harbored no fear of foreign intrigue.
Moreover, the frontline divisions would soon return on rotational leave.
If thousands of veterans walked through the harbor gates laughing and recounting forty-nine days of hell without a single empty seat in their ranks, the contradiction would spark wild theories.
Publishing the official register settled all confusion before it could fester.
Yet hearing of mass resurrection left the crowd reeling in place.
Citizens who had been weeping moments before stared at one another with trembling, wide-eyed bewilderment.
"Did my ears deceive me?" a young laborer whispered, poking his friend's shoulder.
"Lady Baiwen spoke of... resurrection? And for thousands of men at once?"
"Does that mean... nobody truly died in this war?"
His companion nodded blankly, his mind utterly numb.
"That is... precisely what she said..."