Keqing had already participated in two missions before, making her the one with the most involvement aside from Smith. However, at this moment, no one would accuse Keqing of being selfish or overly eager.
After all, Ningguang and Zhongli had chosen not to participate this time, and Ganyu remained indifferent to such missions. She had been deeply engrossed in her official duties recently, leaving her with no time for these assignments. If a mission truly required her involvement, she would step up, but for now, her focus remained on resolving matters concerning Liyue Bank.
Liyue had existed for thousands of years, and even Ganyu was uncertain about the full extent of its original wealth. If everyone were to deposit Mora into the bank, how would it generate profits through interest? The calculations for deposit and loan interest required extensive analysis, and no one in Liyue understood these financial figures better than Ganyu—not even Morax himself.
As for Xiao, he was always prepared to fight when necessary. However, since Smith and the others hadn't called for him, he decided to devote his energy to meditation and soul nourishment. Xiao had noticed that practicing these techniques gradually strengthened his soul, helping him resist the lingering effects of demonic resentment within him.
Thus, it was only natural for Keqing to take part in this mission.
---
Upon arriving in the Golden Time and Space, Smith immediately sensed something unusual.
"Hmm? What an ominous aura," he muttered, his expression twisting in disgust. "Is this the breath of the demons?"
Despite the unsettling atmosphere, Smith remained confident in his ability to deal with the situation. After all, he was no longer an ordinary person.
"Hey, Smith, look at this! Is this the combat power index?" Hu Tao suddenly patted Smith on the shoulder, gesturing for him to look her way. A red aura burst from her body, and a series of numbers appeared beside her. 1231… 5912… 8989… 9882… 11,920…
Hu Tao's combat power index skyrocketed, quickly surpassing 10,000 points and continuing to rise.
Smith wasn't particularly surprised. After all, Wang Dadong and his companions had combat power indexes exceeding 9,000 without extensive training. In Silver Time and Space, the Five Tigers had combat power indexes easily surpassing 10,000, and even warriors like Guan Yu had indexes exceeding 20,000.
Given that Hu Tao had been trained by Zhongli since childhood, it made sense that her combat power index would exceed 10,000.
"Without using the secret techniques of the Rebirth Hall, how high can your combat power index reach?" Smith asked, intrigued.
As for his own combat power index, he didn't bother checking—it was already beyond measure.
"Let me see!" Hu Tao concentrated, and her combat power index, which had stabilized earlier, surged again. Eventually, it settled at around 22,000 points.
"22,000 points? That means it's definitely impossible for me to match the Black Dragon alone." Smith stroked his chin, contemplating the situation.
Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively. "That's just my base combat power. If I use the secret methods of the Rebirth Hall, I can surpass 30,000 points. There shouldn't be a problem.
Oh, by the way, weapons also boost combat power."
With that, Hu Tao took out the Staff of Homa. Instantly, her combat power index received another significant boost, surpassing 30,000 points.
"See? Weapons make a big difference in the combat power index!" she said proudly. "If I use my secret methods, I might not be much weaker than the Black Dragon."
"That's promising." Smith then turned to Keqing. "In this world, strength can be quantified. Although combat power indexes don't perfectly reflect real strength, they do give a general idea of one's energy and physical power."
"Understood." Keqing nodded, releasing a purple-red aura.
Just like Hu Tao, her combat power index quickly surpassed 10,000, then broke through 20,000, finally stabilizing around 25,000 points.
"Eh? Keqing, your strength has increased this much?" Hu Tao asked in surprise. She had sparred with Keqing before, and although they had been evenly matched, Keqing now seemed to have surpassed her in raw combat power.
"I bought the Eye of the God of Fire before. Didn't you?" Keqing asked curiously.
At the same time, she pulled out the Rock Knot Green sword, causing her combat power index to surge past 30,000 points, even exceeding Hu Tao's.
"Eye of the God of Fire? I never bought additional Vision elements," Hu Tao admitted. "I still don't have a Hydro Vision."
She glanced at Smith, slightly annoyed. There were so many Visions available, yet she hadn't gotten the one she wanted. It felt unfair.
"Don't worry, I'll add the Hydro Vision to the selection soon," Smith reassured her. "Now, let's focus on the mission. With your combat power indexes rising so high, it's impossible that the Black Dragon and his forces won't notice us."
"Alright!" Hu Tao stopped complaining. The mission required ensuring victory for the good side, and if history was any indication, the battle was about to begin.
---
Just as Smith and his team prepared to head towards the demonic presence, four figures suddenly appeared in the distance.
Smith quickly identified them. "Dongchengwei? What are you doing here?"
"We sensed your combat power indexes," Xiu answered seriously. "The battle between good and evil is about to commence."
His gaze swept over the trio. "If I'm not mistaken, you're not from the Golden Time and Space, are you? The battle between good and evil is not something you should interfere in."
Xiu wasn't being arrogant. If outsiders could easily participate, he would have already intervened himself. But the nature of the battle was complex, and the fate of the Golden Time and Space was not something to be taken lightly.
Smith smirked. "We're not here to interfere—we're here to win."
Xiu frowned. "We'll see about that."
As tension filled the air, the battle was about to begin.
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