"What kind of joke is this? The Geo Archon failed his tribulation? And he's seriously injured?"
Beidou's brows furrowed tightly as she stared at Shengzhi, who stood before her with a face full of worry. Shengzhi was an old crew member of the Alcor, one she'd specifically left behind to stay in Liyue.
Years ago, he'd been injured and could no longer sail, so now he remained at Liyue Harbor.
Still, Beidou hadn't forgotten about him—she'd arranged a new job for him.
His duty: gather information across Liyue so Beidou could quickly get up to speed after each voyage.
In other words—it was a semi-retirement post.
Shengzhi had always been grateful that Beidou still looked after him.
"Captain, you know I'd never lie to you!"
Shengzhi spoke anxiously, pointing toward the Qianyan Army patrols not far off.
"Everyone saw it yesterday during the Rite of Descension—the Archon himself fell from the sky, seriously wounded and unconscious. The Qixing already sent him away to recover."
Beidou frowned slightly.
"I know you wouldn't lie to me. But a Heaven Tribulation—those are usually just literary embellishments in storybooks, aren't they?"
"Well…"
Shengzhi froze for a second, then let out a helpless sigh.
"But everyone saw it with their own eyes…"
Beidou stood there thinking for a while, then asked seriously:
"Any word from the adepti?"
"The adepti? Yesterday they marched off to the Jade Chamber in full force, but after that, no news."
Shengzhi pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and lowered his voice:
"Captain… There's a rumor spreading quietly around Liyue Harbor… that the adepti have been suppressed by the Qixing."
"Ridiculous! How could the adepti possibly—"
Beidou was ready to scold him, but then paused.
She glanced at the mighty Qianyan Army standing tall in the distance.
And suddenly, Beidou realized: Liyue really might have the strength to do just that now.
Even so… No matter how cunning Ningguang was, she wouldn't go so far as to act against the heroes of Liyue, right?
Everything was getting stranger by the second. Beneath the surface, there was a deep sense of something not quite right.
Beidou waved her hand.
"Say no more for now. I'm heading to the Jade Chamber. Zhongzu and the others will check in with you soon. Go over the cargo inventory—but don't convert anything into Mora yet."
Shengzhi nodded, then hesitated as if struggling to speak.
"Captain… I recently bought a recovery potion, and my old injuries are fully healed now… I want to return to sea with the Alcor."
Beidou paused, looked him over carefully, and seeing he really had recovered, she smiled and scolded him lightly:
"You rascal! You had a perfectly good desk job and still want to go out and suffer with us?"
"Sailing with you, Captain, isn't suffering at all!"
Shengzhi scratched his head with a sheepish grin.
"I dream of sailing with the crew again… every single day."
"Those recovery potions aren't cheap. Even if Ningguang's selling them, they must be hard to get. Don't tell me you spent all your savings on it?"
"You were saving that to get married, weren't you? What'll I tell your parents if you blow it all and end up single?"
Shengzhi laughed awkwardly and glanced at Ayaka and Kazuha nearby.
Both of them understood—this was probably something private to Liyue, so they were about to leave politely.
But before they could move, Beidou waved her hand.
"These two are new Alcor recruits. No need to hide anything from them."
Shengzhi let out a breath of relief and apologized:
"Sorry, I assumed since they're from Inazuma… But if they're with the Alcor, it's fine."
"Actually, a lot's changed in Liyue since you were gone, Captain."
"Those alchemical recovery potions? They're now sold at scale. Market price is one million Mora a bottle."
"But if you're a citizen of Liyue and have a valid reason, you can get them for just a hundred thousand. And they're immediately available."
"I applied to the Ministry of Civil Affairs—only spent a hundred thousand."
Ayaka and Kazuha were shocked.
They had personally witnessed the power of those potions.
Calling them divine artifacts wouldn't be exaggeration.
The fact that Liyue could mass-produce them… it probably meant the actual cost was incredibly low.
Ayaka's heart burned with hope—perhaps this visit to Liyue would yield even more valuable discoveries.
Even if they couldn't win over Ningguang and the others directly, they might still find tools to turn the tide for the resistance.
Beidou's eyes flickered. She nodded slightly and said:
"Alright. Wait for Zhongzu. As for rejoining the crew—let's wait until things settle down in Liyue."
"Kazuha, Ayaka, we're heading to the Jade Chamber."
With quick steps, Beidou led the way. Everything happening in Liyue left her feeling uneasy.
She needed to understand the situation—fast.
As one of Ningguang's close friends, Beidou naturally had open access to the Jade Chamber.
She made her way across Liyue Harbor toward the floating stone lift.
Along the way, she confirmed one thing for certain—the Geo Archon had indeed been injured.
But…
Having met the Archon in person, having seen a fraction of his true strength—
Beidou didn't believe it.
Not at all.
Even Kazuha and Ayaka, who had only encountered the Archon's projection from aboard the Alcor, and watched it push back the Raiden Shogun—
They didn't believe it either.
A being that powerful, injured by something as laughable as a "tribulation"?
Forget whether such a thing even existed—even if it did, would the Geo Archon of all people really fail to overcome it?
Carrying these questions in her heart, the group quickly reached the floating platform and ascended to the Jade Chamber.
But just as they approached the door, Baiwen came rushing out with a panicked expression and blocked them.
"Captain Beidou, please wait! Lady Ningguang isn't receiving visitors today!"
Beidou raised an eyebrow and pointed to herself.
"Not even me?"
Baiwen pursed her lips, struggling to find an answer.
She was almost certain Ningguang was still… "entertaining" Ryen.
If Beidou walked in now and overheard anything she wasn't supposed to—
Baiwen's career as a secretary might very well come to an abrupt end.
"I'm sorry, Captain. Even the adepti wouldn't be allowed in today…"
Beidou fell silent.
Ningguang never acted like this.
Not seeing anyone?
Even turning her, Beidou, away?
"What the heck is that woman doing… don't tell me she's hiding a man in there?"
Beidou muttered casually.
But the moment she said it, she saw Baiwen's face turn completely red, her gaze shifting awkwardly.
Beidou's heart skipped a beat—suddenly sensing that she might have stumbled onto something big.
She focused quietly, feeling the elemental energy around her—and indeed, Ningguang was still inside the Jade Chamber.
Linking that with Baiwen's reaction, Beidou's mood became… complicated.
"So she really is…"
"Captain Beidou!"
Baiwen quickly cut her off, blurting in a fluster:
"If there's nothing urgent, please head back for now!"
Beidou gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. Never in a thousand years did she think that the elegant and noble Tianquan Star—who always kept people at arm's length—
Would have a day where she actually holed up with a man.
Unconsciously, Beidou became a bit curious about this mysterious man.
Just who was he… that could make Ningguang set aside all of Liyue's affairs to be wrapped up in that kind of thing, in broad daylight no less?
Still, Beidou wasn't someone who didn't understand romance. She sighed and said:
"When she's free, tell her I came by. I've got something urgent to talk about."
Baiwen breathed a sigh of relief and nodded earnestly:
"Thank you for your understanding, Captain Beidou. I'll definitely inform Lady Ningguang."
Just as Beidou was turning to leave the Jade Chamber with her companions, Baiwen hesitated, then called out:
"Captain Beidou… if it's not necessary, please avoid going out to sea for the next few days."
Beidou froze, frowning slightly as she turned to Baiwen.
"…The Geo Archon's injury—is it true?"
Baiwen nodded solemnly.
"All of Liyue Harbor knows by now."
"But this so-called Heaven Tribulation…"
"Forgive me, Captain, but I don't know about that. All I know is that I saw with my own eyes—Lord Morax suffered a calamity and was gravely injured."
Beidou stared at Baiwen's calm expression, and slowly began to understand—
There must be something deeper going on that she wasn't being told.
"Then what about the rumors saying Ningguang suppressed the adepti yesterday? I believe she's strong enough to do that now…"
Baiwen chuckled lightly and shook her head.
"Just baseless gossip, I'm afraid. Every Liyue citizen knows how important the adepti are to this land. Lady Ningguang respects them deeply."
"She would never do anything so disrespectful."
"The adepti are currently stationed within Liyue Harbor, maintaining order. There's no need for you to worry."
Hearing the word stationed, Beidou more or less understood what that implied.
She waved her hand carelessly.
"Got it. I'll stay in the harbor for a few days to rest. If anything comes up, come straight to me."
With that, she boarded the floating platform and left the Jade Chamber, with Ayaka and Kazuha following close behind.
Baiwen watched them go.
Then she personally went downstairs and gave a strict order: Unless something threatens all of Liyue, no one is to be allowed up to the Jade Chamber today.
Only after finishing all this did Baiwen finally let out a long breath.
Inside the room, Ningguang and Ryen were still preoccupied.
Klee and Nahida had been up early, but Ryen had already coaxed them back into the other world.
Jean and Lisa were there to look after them, so everything was fine.
The two-way portal was still open in the backyard, so if anything happened, Jean and the others could return at any moment.
That said… Jean and Lisa hadn't come back since last night. Most likely, they were still busy immersed in crafting hot weapons.
Ryen, meanwhile, was enjoying the moment—one hand supporting his waist, the other casually resting on the lamp, completely at ease as he watched Ningguang in action.
"Your good friend came by, you know. She even brought the Shirasagi Himegimi from Inazuma."
Ningguang swept back her hair with a hand, speaking between breathless pauses:
"Not seeing her! Even if the Raiden Shogun herself showed up, I'm not leaving this room today."
"And besides, is now really the time to talk about things like that?"
Ningguang winked at him, smiling sweetly:
"Or has someone already forgotten all those shameless things he said last night?"
Ryen looked a little embarrassed and sighed:
"The mood just… got to me, alright?"
"Oh? And now the mood isn't hot enough for you?"
Ningguang teased, her gaze locked on his.
Ryen smirked faintly.
"I didn't know you had this side to you…"
"You don't like it?"
"Quite the opposite—I love it."
No matter what storms were raging outside, nothing could shake Ningguang's resolve to stay in today.
This was her moment.
Nothing—and no one—was going to interrupt it.
---
Meanwhile, a streak of lightning tore across the land as Tartaglia finally reached the area near Yaoguang Shoal.
There were barely any Qianyan soldiers around here.
Breathing heavily and pale-faced, he leaned against a wall to steady himself, finally deactivating his Foul Legacy: Havoc Form.
Reflecting on his perilous dash through Liyue, Tartaglia let out a bitter laugh.
"…Liyue really has grown so strong, it's almost terrifying."
"But… weirdly enough, that was kind of exciting."
~~----------------------
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