"Old sir, we don't like war either."
"But neither do we fear it!"
"Since the nation needs us, then we must charge forth without hesitation!"
"Yeah, in this era, aside from our Liyue, every other land is embroiled in constant conflict. We enjoy the protection of the Geo Lord and the Adepti—now that the nation needs us, there's no reason not to step up!"
"Right! Join the army! Serve the nation!"
The young men were full of burning passion, excitement written plainly across their faces.
Seeing this, the elder felt a brief daze wash over him.
Under Jiang Yan's vigorous development, it wasn't only Liyue's commerce that prospered.
In re-education, Jiang Yan placed special emphasis on the unity of home and nation, stirring a new wave of youthful ideology.
Without a country, what home is there to speak of?
In no time, Liyue's youths were fired up with enthusiasm to enlist.
But this also caused the common folk to assume the country was about to go to war.
Jiang Yan released another public announcement, stating that this round of recruitment was a normal enlistment cycle—it did not mean the nation was about to start a war.
The formation of the Navy was to ensure the safety of future maritime trade. With the Geo Lord's protection, Liyue remained peaceful.
Liyue would not take the initiative to intervene in a war, nor lightly start one.
Only after this notice did the rumors among the people gradually die down.
In truth, for the commoners, whether troops were being recruited wasn't important. What mattered was whether a war was coming.
As long as there wasn't going to be a fight, they were relieved.
It wasn't that they feared war—
With the Geo Lord, the Adepti, and the many immortals, Liyue's military might was unprecedentedly strong, especially at a time when the other six nations hadn't even formed yet.
Thus, the Navy's recruitment proceeded in full swing.
Jiang Yan did not intend to immediately expand it into a force of nearly a hundred thousand like the Millelith of Guili or Qingce.
The initial Navy recruitment was capped at ten thousand.
On the island where the Stone Lances had gathered—later to be unified under the name Guyun Stone Forest—Jiang Yan built a complex of buildings as the Navy's first training base.
These recruits lived on Guyun Stone Forest near Liyue's coast, training day and night.
Two months later, the first warship jointly designed by Jiang Yan and the Adeptus Cloud Retainer successfully set sail.
Jiang Yan named it the Guili.
And at that moment, the Liyue Navy was officially born!
As warship production continued, the Navy would eventually grow as vast as the Army itself.
In Liyue Year 304, the neighboring Mondstadt formally established the nation of Mondstadt, building its capital Mondstadt City upon Lake Island.
Barbatos summoned great power, blowing away the blizzards and carving down mountain after mountain with mighty winds.
He transformed the once barren snowfields into a gentle, blossoming land of birdsong and fragrant breezes.
A little more than ten years later, the remaining five nations were founded one after another.
That same year, a supreme power descended from the sky, summoning the seven victors of the Archon War to Celestia.
No one knew what happened on that sky island.
Jiang Yan did not go. He already knew: after this summoning, the world would be divided into seven nations, and the era of the Seven Archons of the Mortal World would officially begin.
Sure enough, a few days later, when Morax returned, he carried with him a glowing Gnosis, symbol of the Geo Nation.
With the establishment of the Seven Archons' system, the era of the Archon War finally came to an end.
Jiang Yan quickly began implementing his own plans, establishing diplomatic relations with neighboring Mondstadt and Sumeru.
Yuehai Pavilion, Third Floor.
Jiang Yan and Morax sat face-to-face, a glowing piece placed on the table between them.
It was the Gnosis.
"I heard that after returning to Mondstadt, the Anemo Archon Barbatos handed Mondstadt over to human governance immediately and then vanished?" Morax asked.
"Pfft. Every time I think about it, I want to laugh. I really don't know what that Lord Barbatos is thinking."
Jiang Yan laughed heartily, as if hearing some amusing story.
Truly worthy of you, Barbatos—never doing proper work!
"Even if Mondstadt is known as the Nation of Freedom, isn't this a bit too free? He just ascended to godhood and immediately did… this…"
Morax's tone carried concern for the neighboring country.
"Hey hey hey, you're the Geo Archon of Liyue, not the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt. Why are you worrying about what he does? Don't tell me you're thinking of suddenly disappearing too?"
Jiang Yan rolled his eyes at him.
This old guy's thoughts were getting dangerous!
"Hm? Not a bad idea," Morax said lightly.
"Besides, with you here in Liyue, nothing will go wrong."
"Yeah right…"
Jiang Yan rolled his eyes again and slumped in his chair like a salted fish.
"You really treat me like a workhorse."
"Heh. Most of the government affairs are handled by your Ganyu. Tell me—where exactly are you exhausted?"
Morax cast him a sideways glance and sipped his tea.
Mm… the tea from Qingce Village had indeed been getting better lately…
"Right, how are the preparations for next year's diplomatic mission to the other nations?"
Morax set down his cup and asked.
This was a request Jiang Yan made of him after he took the seat among the Seven Archons.
As the earliest established of the seven nations, Liyue naturally had the strength to visit the others and offer指导—
mainly to show off its muscles and demonstrate Liyue's national power.
But Jiang Yan had a deeper purpose.
He wanted Mora to begin flowing into the other nations, gradually occupying their economies.
In the previous life's storyline, Mora became the dominant currency of Teyvat, yet what Morax actually did to achieve this was unknown.
But with Jiang Yan altering Teyvat's history, the future had become unclear.
And in peacetime, economics and trade naturally dominated the affairs of nations.
Now that the other nations were newly founded, Jiang Yan would certainly not miss such a chance for Mora to enter their markets.
Of course, cough cough… picking up a few treasure chests along the way…
That'd be even better!
Ehehe!
Hearing Morax's question, Jiang Yan nodded.
"Preparations are almost complete. For this trip, the first stop will be Inazuma."
He took a sip of tea and said calmly.
"Inazuma?"
Morax recalled the gentle purple figure he saw on Celestia.
"Not bad. Inazuma is an island nation—it must have strong needs for overseas trade.
Starting with Inazuma is indeed an excellent choice."
Morax agreed with Jiang Yan's decision.
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