"Ah～ Hubby looks so tired. Sure enough, he was forcing himself earlier without any restraint." Little Gui looked at Jun Bai resting with his eyes closed and let out a distressed voice.
[I told you, people who say they have restraint usually have none.]
[According to Jun Bai himself, he seems to still be in the recovery period after Nirvana, and his strength hasn't returned to its peak yet.]
[Guili Past Events already stabbed little Jun Bai, this time we can't let them stab Jun Bai again.]
The discussions in the bullet comments could not affect the direction of the plot.
"Marshal, please rest assured. I will handle everything properly."
As Ji Xuanjian bowed and exited the scene, this plot segment ended.
The name of the next quest——
[The Approaching Guest Star]
——Teyvat
In the real world, players only needed to use Paimon to fast-forward two days to continue the next plot segment.
But in Teyvat, a full half month had to pass in reality.
Half a month ago, the four Fatui strongholds were destroyed. Harbinger Childe was heavily injured, and Harbinger Signora was lightly injured. Both returned to the Northland Bank to recuperate.
During this period, a Fatui diplomat went to Bubu Pharmacy to request Physician Baizhu's treatment, but was refused by the Adeptus Medicine King, one of the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti.
The whereabouts of Harbingers The Doctor and the Regrator remained unknown.
Two weeks ago, monsters living by the sea collectively rioted and launched an attack on the Guili Assembly. Under the leadership of the Yaksha Protector, the Millelith prevented the Guili Assembly from suffering any damage.
One week ago, the Crimson-Eyed Sea Dragon that had been exterminated by the Adepti reappeared in the sea.
Three days ago, a sudden heavy rain fell on the Guili Assembly.
One day ago, the scale of the heavy rain expanded to Liyue Harbor.
Now, at the Jade Chamber, Ningguang looked at the curtain of rain outside the window and sighed: "The situation is not optimistic."
The larger the scale of the disaster, the closer the day of the decisive battle drew.
It could be tomorrow, it could be today, or it could be the next moment. But without a doubt, it would happen within these two days.
Although this was something they had known half a month ago and had already made preparations in advance,
Ningguang still felt that the preparations were insufficient.
Under these natural disasters that expanded their influence every day, the shortcomings of Liyue Harbor were being exposed little by little.
Liyue Harbor in the rain was like a rootless duckweed, passively swaying in the wind and rain, unable to mount any countermeasure.
Water still accumulated on the streets, and according to the Millelith's measurements, the water level in Liyue Harbor was gradually rising.
If that were all, Ningguang would not be this worried.
What truly troubled her was the discovery that, in such a disaster, the only thing she could do was notify the residents of Liyue Harbor not to go out on rainy days. And it was only a notification — she could not enforce it.
Because the Qixing did not have that authority.
What made Ningguang feel the most helpless was that even after the Millelith delivered the notice, a large number of residents still went out.
Some went to Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Restaurant for meals, others went to Third-Round Knockout to listen to storytelling and drink. They simply refused to obey management properly.
When asked why, those people would confidently answer:
——The Sky Phoenix Marshal and the Adepti will protect us!
The drawbacks of theocracy were fully displayed at this moment. The sense of security that Rex Lapis, the Sky Phoenix Marshal, and the Adepti gave to Liyue Harbor was simply too strong, making the voice of the Liyue Qixing extremely weak among the people.
"It is precisely because such people exist that the Adepti have always looked down on the power of mortals."
Keqing walked to Ningguang's side and said: "Ningguang, it is time to make a firm decision."
Ningguang half-closed her eyes and remained silent.
"Rex Lapis has passed away — at least that is how it appears to the people of Liyue Harbor. When something like this happens, the correct course of action is to gather power into the hands of the Qixing as quickly as possible."
"You have been using war preparations as an excuse to delay, but gathering power and preparing for war are not conflicting matters."
"I know you, Ningguang. You hope that Rex Lapis or the Marshal will come to Liyue Harbor to gather power, and only after everything is over will you slowly reclaim that power from the hands of the gods bit by bit."
"But this kind of thinking has created the scene before us. Is this what you wanted to see?"
Keqing's tone was not intense. It was even gentle, carrying a trace of sorrow.
Liyue Harbor was the place where she grew up. Now that things had developed to this point, countless people would drown because of their unconditional trust in the Adepti and gods.
This was not a sight she wanted to see.
Ningguang suddenly spoke: "Keqing, I think I have never asked you before — why is your attitude toward the Adepti and gods so extreme in public?"
"After all, you secretly collect dolls of Rex Lapis and the Marshal in private."
"W-who collects them! Don't slander me just because there's no one else around right now!" Keqing's tone instantly became agitated, her small face turning bright red.
"Alright, alright, you don't." Ningguang coaxed her, "So can you tell me the reason now?"
Keqing calmed her emotions, took a deep breath, and said: "Because I want Liyue Harbor to implement human governance, just like the Guili Assembly."
"Oh?" Ningguang was somewhat surprised.
"All the Adepti and Rex Lapis protected Liyue during the Archon War. Without the gods and Adepti, there would be no Liyue Harbor today. Every person from Liyue is grateful to the Adepti and gods, including me."
"It's just that I rarely tell others about this." Keqing said with rare honesty.
Ningguang nodded and commented: "Indeed, it's completely impossible to tell. That's why I want to know the reason you act this way."
Keqing fell silent for a moment, then said: "All people of Liyue must thank the Adepti and gods, and the Adepti and gods deserve the gratitude of Liyue's people."
"But Liyue cannot rely on such gratitude and continue to depend on the Adepti and gods forever, without learning to stand on its own strength."
"When I was practicing swordsmanship at Qingce Village, I saw the traces left behind by the Sword Immortal. That kind of power is beyond my imagination, yet even such a person fell during the Archon War."
"At that time, I realized that the victory in the Archon War was not as easy as recorded in the history books."
"It was a victory bought with the lives of the Adepti and gods. No one would question that."
"But precisely because no one questions it, as time passes, Liyue Harbor has gradually become what it is today. As soon as Rex Lapis is lost, nothing can be done."
"Respecting the Adepti and gods is not wrong. What is wrong is placing all matters in the hands of the Adepti and gods."
"It is precisely because Liyue Harbor has not changed at all that the Adepti continue to protect Liyue as a matter of course."
Keqing had always understood that it was only natural for the Adepti to look down on the citizens of Liyue Harbor.
Not only because the power of the Adepti far surpassed that of mortals, but also because the mortals of Liyue Harbor, compared to the people the Adepti had seen during the Archon War, had regressed.
The citizens of Liyue Harbor had lived in comfort for too long, and with the protection of Rex Lapis and the Adepti, their spirit and character were no longer what they once were.
Yet during the Archon War, even though the common people were weak in power, they would still spontaneously form the Millelith units and fight alongside the Adepti on the battlefields of Liyue.
Keqing understood that the Adepti's contempt for Liyue Harbor was justified.
But this contempt was unfair to a minority of people in Liyue Harbor. Within Liyue Harbor, there were still residents like Keqing.
Those people firmly believed that man could conquer heaven. Only when Liyue Harbor grasped its fate in human hands, like the Guili Assembly, could it continue to move forward after losing Rex Lapis.
However, the voices of those people were far too weak.
"To achieve true human governance, we must change the people's dependence on the Adepti and gods. Only then can truly useful voices be heard."
"This is why I publicly declare that I do not believe in the Adepti and gods — because someone has to be the first to stand up."