The journey wasn't boring at all.
The Millelith were very happy to explain the changes in Liyue to Jean and the others.
Anyway, in their opinion, since Ningguang invited them and said it was for business.
They would definitely be spending a lot of Mora to buy things.
Naturally, they were happy to promote Liyue more.
They meticulously described the materials Liyue could sell and custom-made weapons.
They acted just like salespeople.
However, Jean and the others also gained a lot.
They learned about the detailed issues concerning iron ore and other resources.
They also learned that the forging department accepted external orders and could customize elemental resonance weapons.
This greatly surprised Jean and the others.
One must know that even strong individuals like Lisa and Diluc only had four-star weapons in their hands.
Divine artifacts? Only Jean possessed the Aquila Favonia.
This was already considered very rich.
Amber's dream was merely to obtain a standard longbow expertly forged by the Knights.
And the forging of four-star weapons required extremely important Northlander Billets.
Those billets, in Teyvat, were known as legendary materials.
Diluc was very interested, especially upon hearing that the Harbinger Tartaglia had bought all types of weapons in one go.
Diluc immediately said he wanted the top-tier versions of all weapon types.
Regardless of whether he would use them, he couldn't afford to lose face.
Unfortunately, the Millelith said that the current orders were already booked for half a year in advance.
As dusk fell, the group finally arrived at Liyue Harbor.
Liyue Harbor, now benefiting from a massive influx of Mora, had many areas completely renovated, or even built better.
People came and went, shoulder to shoulder.
The Liyueans wore proud expressions.
From time to time, children could be seen chasing wolves to feed them meat.
Jean and the others had also heard about those wolves.
They were monsters similar to warhorses, obeying humans and fiercely loyal.
They could bite a Hilichurl to death in one go, and a few wolves could take down a Hilichurl camp.
In the ears of Jean and the others, this was no exaggeration.
After all, warhorses were already ridiculous, so one more wolf wasn't much.
But they couldn't help but feel a little envious of these wolf packs.
At the entrance of Liyue Harbor, several people dressed in Fatui uniforms were gathered.
Chiyan was about to lead Jean and the others inside when he suddenly frowned and walked towards the Fatui.
He sternly reprimanded them:
"What are you doing gathered here!"
The Fatui looked up and, seeing it was the Millelith, their expressions immediately turned bitter.
"Brother, we were just discussing where to eat tonight!"
"Do you need to be so sneaky just to eat?"
Chiyan snorted.
"Show your identification, and search them!"
The Fatui dared not to be angry but couldn't speak, raising their hands with bitter faces.
They had already seen that some Millelith leading wolves were approaching nearby.
Since they had experienced this routine many times recently, they didn't really care.
They familiarized themselves with pulling out their identification and skillfully submitted to a search. Finding nothing, Chiyan said, annoyed:
"Go! Next time, no gathering at the entrance!"
With that, Chiyan turned and returned to Jean and the others.
The Fatui rolled their eyes internally.
So many people were gathered at the entrance of Liyue Harbor, including many merchants meeting up, yet the Millelith specifically targeted them.
Any fool could tell they were being singled out.
But there was nothing they could do; the situation was not in their favor, so they could only return dejectedly.
"Apologies for the slight delay."
Chiyan rubbed his head.
Diluc, beside him, said with approval:
"No worries, there's no need to be polite with these Fatui. I strongly agree with your methods!"
Hearing this, Chiyan smiled genuinely.
"Actually, it's also Lady Ningguang and the Ministry of Civil Affairs' request. These Fatui caused quite a stir when they first arrived in Liyue, and they kept trying to..."
"Lady Ningguang got angry and demanded that the Ministry of Civil Affairs audit the Northland Bank every now and then, and the Millelith also had to cooperate and pay more attention to the Fatui."
"They've been behaving themselves for a while now."
His words didn't mention targeting, but every line was filled with favoritism.
However, the group from Mondstadt, who had suffered under the Fatui for a long time, secretly rejoiced.
Paimon waved her fists, indignantly saying:
"That's how they should be treated! A bunch of rotten bad guys deserve punishment!"
Diluc glanced at Jean, sighing helplessly.
He dreamed of Mondstadt having Liyue's confidence.
But he knew that was too harsh a demand.
Liyue had Rex Lapis and the Adepti above, and plenty of Archons and Adepti disciples in between.
The lower-level Millelith were now so powerful.
Backed by Liyue Harbor's rich financial system.
Liyue truly had the confidence to target any nation.
And Mondstadt...
Perhaps the Grand Master wouldn't have been so aggrieved before his expedition.
But now...
Jean was reliable, but she alone couldn't carry all of Mondstadt.
No one noticed Venti looking at the Fatui, sighing with a complicated expression.
However, seeing that Liyue treated Snezhnayan merchants, even those directly under the Cryo Archon, without discrimination, Venti's mood improved somewhat.
He understood the path the Cryo Archon walked, that woman was very pitiable, but she didn't need that pity.
Venti, like Zhongli, supported her, but couldn't openly do so.
Venti's opinion of the Fatui was not high.
Perhaps there were truly loyal followers of the Cryo Archon among them, but one couldn't deny that many were also exploiting her.
But there was nothing he could do; the Cryo Archon needed their strength now.
Venti wouldn't try to dissuade the Cryo Archon; she walked her lonely and determined path.
But if certain Fatui Harbingers were truly detrimental to the Cryo Archon, considering the debt he owed from stealing her scepter back then.
Venti wouldn't mind helping the Cryo Archon, to make those deep-scheming Harbingers understand their true duties.
He had the same idea as Zhongli; he disliked the Fatui but admired the Cryo Archon's determination, even willing to secretly help her.
So, they really were old friends.
Suddenly, Lisa's peripheral vision caught sight of the path leading to Mount Tianheng in the distance.
Although there was nothing visibly there, the駐守力量 (garrison forces) were several times greater than at the entrance of Liyue Harbor.
Lisa narrowed her eyes slightly and chuckled:
"Captain Chiyan, do you know what kind of place that is?"
Following Lisa's gaze, Chiyan's expression instantly darkened.
After a moment of silence, he said meaningfully:
"Miss Lisa, the situation there is not something you can know. Unless the Qixing approve, no one is allowed to enter."
"Otherwise, the Millelith there have absolute authority to kill intruders, and that is no secret."
"I can even tell you that the Fatui are being targeted precisely because they are relentlessly trying to get in there."
"You are Liyue's guests, and I do not wish for any harm to come to you."
"There are not only Millelith guarding it, but also Adepti sitting in command..."
"Rex Lapis' Decree states that any intruder is to be killed without question by the Adepti. So, please do not test them."
Hearing this, Lisa fell silent.
She hadn't expected that place to be related to Rex Lapis, of all people.
He had even issued a kill order.
However...
Lisa chuckled softly.
"Of course, I wouldn't do something so thankless, but Captain Chiyan, is it okay for you to tell us so frankly?"
Chiyan shook his head with a smile.
"It's fine. Liyue's changes are visible to everyone. The garrison forces there are no secret, and anyone who isn't an idiot can figure it out."
"But what does it matter? No one dares to go."
"I heard that even that Harbinger was warned by an Adeptus and is now behaving himself."
"I'm only telling you this because I hope you don't barge in carelessly, or something really bad will happen."
"Lady Ningguang's meaning is, regardless of whether the other party is human or god, if they trespass, they are Liyue's enemy."
"Even Rex Lapis himself wouldn't mind taking action to suppress them."
"So..."
The conversation had gone far enough. Chiyan said no more, leading the group further into Liyue Harbor.
Lisa gazed intently at the small path, then chuckled softly after a while.
"How... increasingly curious I am."
"Don't even think about it."
Venti's telepathic message entered Lisa and the others' minds.
"There's a Divine Power barrier left by the old man, and Madame Ping is guarding it. Even if I were to barge in carelessly, it would trigger a killing array."
"It's best not to defy the old man's wishes. The God of War isn't old yet."
The group exchanged knowing glances, temporarily putting those thoughts aside.
Regardless, it would be good to see Ningguang.
"Is that where Rex Lapis is most likely to be?"
Lumine asked, connecting with Venti's Divine Power.
"Ehe!"
Venti winked with a grin.
"Indeed, the old man's aura is very strong there. But I advise you not to go, at least not without an invitation."
"With your strength, you wouldn't even get past the Millelith, and if Madame Ping found you trespassing, she wouldn't kill you but would definitely make you suffer."
"Madame Ping was a very bloodthirsty Adeptus back then."
Lumine's eyes flickered, and she somewhat dejectedly abandoned her inner thoughts.
She had heard that Rex Lapis had existed for over six thousand years.
Through such a long span of time, he was the most likely person to know about the god she was searching for.
Perhaps he had even met her brother.
But there was nothing she could do; she couldn't go.
"Can I only wait for the Rite of Descension?"
Lumine sighed.
"That's not necessarily the case."
Venti said meaningfully, then fell silent.
He merely cheerfully commented on the surrounding scenery.
He hadn't been to Liyue in a long time.
Meanwhile, in the Minecraft World, Jiang Xuan and Ningguang's group also finished their last task for the day.
They repaired the exterior walls of the Manor Villa and had Ganyu open all thirteen Lucky Eggs they had.
The harvest was as abundant as ever.
Resources were plentiful; with three teams now stationed there, plus the continuous opening of Lucky Blocks, Jiang Xuan had accumulated a chest full of Diamonds.
This was no longer a rare material.
What they valued now were precious resources like Ender Pearls, Totems of Undying, and Elytra.
Even Enchanted Golden Apples, Ningguang could now easily make a pile of them.
One shouldn't underestimate a force of over a thousand people: two teams mining and opening Lucky Blocks in the Overworld, and one team gathering resources in The Nether.
This scale was enough to grant them resource freedom.
"We have five chests of Ender Pearls now, and the same amount of Eyes of Ender."
Ningguang pondered, recalling her memories, and arrived at this pleasing result.
"What about Totems of Undying?"
Jiang Xuan asked softly, and Ningguang shook her head regretfully.
"They can't be mass-produced, but we have quite a few. Including the two from today, we have forty-seven Totems of Undying in total."
Ningguang and the others all had Totems of Undying strapped to their waists.
This item was truly too useful. They kept them on their person day and night, prioritizing safety above all else.
However, even Zhongli and Xiao, who continuously explored The Nether, hadn't triggered any Totems of Undying.
It was understandable; with a full set of enchanted diamond armor, dying wasn't so easy.
"We've gained a lot. How many Wither Skeleton Skulls do we have?"
Jiang Xuan turned to Zhongli, who shook his head.
"Even with Looting, we've only collected fifteen so far."
"Halfway there?"
Jiang Xuan nodded slightly.
"That's good enough. In a few days, we'll pack up and prepare to deal with five Wither Storms."
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