Sam Li had just stepped out of the Astral Express when he encountered Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Hoshimi Miyabi, Yanagi, Ellen, Corin, No. 11, Caesar, Piper...
The group had only recently learned of the situation on Teyvat and had all rushed over from New Eridu.
Half a month earlier, when they parted ways, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, No. 11, Yanagi, and the others had believed they might never see each other again in this lifetime.
Yet, after only half a month apart, they reunited once more at Liyue Harbor.
The moment they met, Burnice exclaimed excitedly:
"It really is Sam Li! Hey, Sam Li, we're over here! We're here to help..."
Burnice shouted loudly as she led the group running toward the Astral Express. The others behind her quickly picked up their pace.
Moments later, they arrived before Sam Li.
Caesar glanced at March 7th, Himeko, and Dan Heng beside him, then looked back at Sam Li.
"Weren't you all aboard the Astral Express to explore the cosmos? When did you return to Liyue?"
March 7th turned her clever little head and replied confidently:
"That's right! We were exploring the starry sky, and the Wishing Star was one of our targets. We just happened to run into some trouble..."
Regarding the trouble March 7th mentioned, Caesar, Zhu Yuan, and the others had already heard about it from Keqing, which was why they had come to Liyue to help.
Beside them, Keqing spoke earnestly:
"Everyone, please follow me to the Yujing Terrace."
Hu Tao smiled and added:
"Indeed. The sea wind howls here. Let's head to the Yujing Terrace to discuss our next course of action."
Sam Li nodded silently.
"Mhm—"
On the way to the Yujing Terrace, Hu Tao asked about the Traveler, Paimon, and Venti.
Thus, Sam Li recounted their experiences in the nation of Natlan, including the battle they had endured.
After hearing Sam Li's account, Zhu Yuan, No. 11, Yanagi, Hoshimi Miyabi, Lycaon, Lucy, and the others all furrowed their brows.
The situation was more complicated than they had anticipated.
According to Sam Li, the crisis facing Teyvat might prove even harder to resolve than the Hollow Zero crisis that struck New Eridu.
After all, Teyvat was home to seven Gods like Sam Li. Yet when facing the Antimatter Legion and the Lord Ravager, even he was at a loss, having yet to devise a surefire plan for victory.
They could only proceed cautiously, one step at a time.
Beside them, Ellen frowned slightly.
"You mentioned the Doomsday Beast earlier—is it more powerful than the giant in Hollow Zero?"
Sam Li shook his head.
"No. The Doomsday Beast is weaker than the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant. But above the Doomsday Beast lies an even more terrifying entity—the Lord Ravager—which far surpasses the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant in dread."
Not only that, according to Sam Li's understanding, the Lord Ravager wasn't even the strongest within the Antimatter Legion.
The true leader behind the Antimatter Legion was the Destruction Aeon, Nanook—an existence feared throughout the entire cosmos.
However, the Destruction Aeon rarely revealed itself and was highly unlikely to appear on the continent of Teyvat.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the Yujing Terrace.
Keqing first hosted everyone, then arranged separate rooms for them in the rear courtyard before gathering everyone together to discuss countermeasures against the Antimatter Legion.
Zhu Yuan spoke earnestly:
"We still have half a year—plenty of time to make extensive preparations."
Sam Li replied with grave seriousness:
"I fear the False Sky won't last even half a year..."
Earlier, in the Kingdom Night, had they not held back the Abyss's vanguard, the Antimatter Legion would have followed the monsters and descended upon Natlan.
In the time to come, Natlan would undoubtedly become the Antimatter Legion's primary breakthrough target and would require especially heavy defenses.
Caesar declared confidently:
"With Mr. Sam Li here, we will surely prevail. We just need to establish our defensive lines before the Antimatter Legion descends."
Clearly, neither Caesar nor the others from New Eridu had witnessed the terror of the Antimatter Legion or the destructive power of the Cataclysm.
As a result, they all maintained an optimistic outlook on this war.
That optimism stemmed from their trust in Sam Li—trust in his strength.
Qingyi said solemnly:
"Beyond that, we can use this time to produce more W-Engine devices and enhance the combat effectiveness of soldiers across all nations..."
Yanagi nodded.
"Exactly. Tomorrow I'll return to New Eridu and try to bring more W-Engine researchers to Teyvat..."
Soukaku added:
"And that great bird Adeptus—she's best at enhancing W-Engines."
Asaba Harumasa corrected her:
"That Adeptus is called Cloud Retainer..."
The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door:
"Who is speaking ill of this immortal?"
Immediately after, the figures of Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper appeared before the group. Soukaku, seemingly intimidated by Cloud Retainer, quickly hid behind Yanagi.
Cloud Retainer spoke calmly:
"This immortal has already heard your discussion. I can also assist in crafting W-Engines."
While Sam Li had been traveling to Natlan, the Adepti had not been idle. They had visited Wuwang Slope and the Chasm, thoroughly inspecting Liyue's current condition.
They had also reinforced the seals of the Chasm, ensuring that Abyssal monsters could not invade Liyue from below again.
Afterward, the group discussed further matters.
They decided to transfer more advanced technological weaponry from New Eridu—such as the Ether Cannons used during the assault on Hollow Zero, as well as various firearms and thermal weapons.
Sam Li, the Adepti, and Keqing naturally had no need for such weapons.
However, for ordinary Millelith soldiers, these weapons would greatly enhance their combat capabilities.
The issue was that the most powerful weapons relied on Ether as an energy source. With Hollow Zero suppressed, Ether energy in New Eridu was steadily dissipating, and Teyvat itself possessed no Ether energy at all.
To use these weapons against the Antimatter Legion, they would need to be modified into elemental weapons, drawing power from elemental energy instead.
With New Eridu's support, large quantities of supplies, personnel, weapons, and technology were transferred to Liyue over the following period.
The once-classical city of Liyue underwent a dramatic transformation.
Cars appeared on the streets.
All kinds of strange new shops opened their doors.
Even at night, Liyue Harbor was brightly illuminated.
Keqing watched these changes with deep concern, worried that Liyue Harbor might lose its cultural identity.
Thus, after discussion between Keqing and Ningguang, a decision was made.
A new city would be constructed beside Liyue Harbor.