Aether couldn't fight back against Lumine's attacks—he could only dodge.
By now, he deeply regretted coming to see her.
Things had spiraled way out of his expectations.
His little sister had actually attacked him on sight?!
"Listen to me!"
Blocking another strike, Aether desperately tried to explain.
"I WON'T LISTEN!"
"You bastard, living it up while your sister suffered!"
"I'm gonna stab you at least three times today!!"
With that, Lumine launched another assault.
No explanations, no excuses—today, she would uphold justice by slaying her own kin!
Just thinking about it made her tremble with rage.
If she hadn't met Jiang Chen, she'd probably still be scraping by, struggling to even feed Paimon!
The mere thought darkened her expression.
Now, after clashing with Aether, one thing became painfully clear.
Ohhh, so while I was stripped of my powers and memories, you were just fine, huh?
And even stronger than before?!
It was obvious how well Aether had been living.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be like this.
Fueled by sheer injustice, Lumine snapped.
Women are truly incomprehensible creatures.
Especially little sisters.
Because they refuse to listen to reason.
This realization sent a chill down Aether's spine.
At that moment, he made a decision—no women in his life, ever.
"No women in the heart, the blade strikes with godly art."
To avoid ending up with someone like Lumine, he swore off romance entirely.
"Calm down first."
"I'll come find you another time."
Taking a deep breath, Aether backflipped away—
—just as a spatial rift opened behind him.
He retreated straight into it.
Lumine tried to chase, but the rift sealed shut.
"Damn it!!"
Furious, she hurled her sword to the ground.
"Fine!"
"You dare run?!"
"Just you wait—your life is over!!"
Aether's escape left her seething.
Seeing Lumine's explosive rage, Paimon cautiously floated closer.
"Lumine… a-are you okay?"
This was the first time Paimon had seen her this angry.
Lumine took a deep breath, forcibly calming herself.
"I'm fine!"
"Next time I see him, I'm still stabbing him."
She scowled.
If that jerk didn't let her stab him at least once and cough up billions of Mora, this wasn't over.
With that thought, she picked up her sword and continued toward Sumeru.
Once they crossed this passage, they'd reach their destination.
After obtaining the next element, she'd head straight back—then make for Fontaine.
Paimon, not daring to provoke her further, quietly followed.
This version of Lumine was absolutely terrifying.
Shivering in fear!!
As she walked, Lumine pulled out a talisman and sent Jiang Chen a message.
She'd met her brother.
While inspecting the construction site with Keqing, Jiang Chen suddenly received Lumine's transmission.
So Aether had gone to see her.
And… got beaten up?
Damn, that's rough.
The thought amused him.
After replying with a quick "Be careful in Sumeru," Jiang Chen refocused on work.
"What happened?"
Seeing him use a communication talisman, Keqing grew curious.
Was something wrong?
"Nothing major."
"Lumine got a lead on her brother."
Jiang Chen offered a brief explanation before dropping the subject.
Keqing's eyes widened in realization.
Ah, that.
She was aware of Lumine's search—those missing-person posters had been everywhere.
So now there was a clue?
Recalling the posters, Keqing felt a flicker of amusement.
Alongside the missing-person notices, there had been… marriage proposals?
Had someone actually found her brother and come forward?
Now that would be hilarious.
Though tempted to ask, Keqing held back.
She wasn't that gossip-hungry.
With that, she and Jiang Chen continued their tour.
By now, the foundations of several buildings had already taken shape across Guili Plains.
Construction was in full swing everywhere.
"How many workers are here now?"
Jiang Chen was curious.
With a dozen workers per building, just how many had been mobilized?
"Around 30,000."
"More will join later."
Keqing had a firm grasp on the numbers.
"30,000…"
"Still far from enough."
"To build a city, we'll need many more."
"Are materials keeping up?"
As they walked, Jiang Chen noted the sluggish progress—they needed to speed up.
"That's why we don't have more people."
"If materials flowed faster, we'd have a larger workforce."
Keqing sighed.
Preparing for Guili Plains' construction, Liyue Harbor had already diverted massive resources.
Factories were operating at full capacity, workers were hauling supplies, roads were being paved—
Once materials stabilized, they could recruit even more laborers.
"Hmm."
"With Havria helping at the salt fields, we can save materials there."
"Divert everything here instead."
"Keqing, what if we recruited Geo Vision holders?"
"They could speed up groundwork, right?"
Watching excavators dig at a nearby site, Jiang Chen revisited the idea.
Keqing blinked.
"Not a bad idea."
"Actually… it's brilliant."
After a moment's thought, she agreed wholeheartedly.
It could work.
Sure, hiring Vision users would cost more.
Especially for foundational labor.
But damn, Geo users were perfect for excavation.
One person could replace multiple excavators!
The more she considered it, the more excited she grew.
"Let's inform Ningguang—she can handle recruitment."
Seeing Keqing's enthusiasm, Jiang Chen finalized the plan with a grin.
Was this basically corvée labor?
Let's make Zhongli serve corvée labor!!!
The thought alone was hilarious.
Keqing nodded.
"I'll contact Ningguang later."
She fully supported the idea—once free, she'd relay it to Ningguang.
As they walked, they reached a bustling makeshift market.
With so many workers around, vendors had naturally gathered to sell goods.
Small wooden stalls and tents lined the area, with fresh supplies constantly delivered.
This had become a marketplace.