The next day arrived.
Northland Bank, inside Childe's room.
Childe was tending to his wounds.
When he chased Hu Tao to Dihua Marsh, he didn't get far before encountering a legendary adeptus.
The result goes without saying—Xiao was stationed at Dihua Marsh.
Childe fought Xiao, but it was a one-sided battle. He was completely overwhelmed and had no chance of winning.
Luckily, he was fast and managed to escape with only minor injuries. If he had been any slower, he might've been left behind permanently.
Still, Childe wasn't angry. On the contrary, the battle ignited his fighting spirit.
"As expected of Liyue—a land full of hidden masters. So many powerful figures here. When I get the chance, I want to challenge that adeptus at Dihua Marsh again."
Outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Hu Tao and Zhongli were waiting for Ningguang.
Soon, Ningguang appeared in their view, accompanied by Yelan and Keqing.
The moment Hu Tao saw Yelan, she lit up with joy.
"Yay! Yelan-Sis!"
Hu Tao rushed over and hugged her tightly.
Yelan gently patted Hu Tao's head.
"Little Hu Tao, it's been a while."
Hu Tao let go and placed her hands on her hips, grinning.
"Yeah, it really has! What have you been up to lately, Yelan-Sis?"
Yelan smiled.
"Nothing too important. Let's go, we should head out. I'm here today to serve as Lady Tianquan's bodyguard."
Hu Tao, hearing that, suddenly remembered Ningguang and Keqing.
She had gotten so excited to see Yelan that she forgot about the others.
"Good morning, ladies."
Ningguang smiled.
"Morning. Time is precious—let's be on our way."
Hu Tao turned to Zhongli and called out,
"Consultant! Time to use your magical powers!"
Zhongli didn't waste time. He activated his divine powers and teleported everyone away.
After a moment of dizziness, Ningguang and the others found themselves in a place filled with celestial energy.
Hu Tao explained,
"This is Jueyun Karst. See that door over there? That's the portal that leads to Ye Yun.
By the way, Ye Yun is the one who sold me the flying motorcycle.
Let's go."
With that, Hu Tao and Zhongli opened the portal and stepped inside.
Ningguang's group exchanged glances. Yelan smiled.
"Come on, Little Hu Tao already went in. What are you two afraid of? Let's go."
Yelan grabbed the handle and walked in.
Ningguang and Keqing were left feeling a bit sheepish. Really, what was there to be afraid of? This was Jueyun Karst, home of the immortals. As Liyue locals, they had nothing to worry about.
Then, they both followed into the portal.
Inside the Astral Express.
Everyone had just finished breakfast and was packing up to go have some fun.
Hu Tao arrived and, seeing everyone carrying bags and gear, asked curiously,
"What are you all up to?"
Paimon replied,
"We're going to play in the snow! Hu Tao, do you want to come?"
The mention of snow games got Hu Tao excited instantly.
"Of course! Count me in!"
Himeko, noticing Hu Tao's light clothing, pulled out a coat and handed it to her.
"Hu Tao, wear this. It's going to be very cold."
Hu Tao took the coat gratefully.
"Thank you, Himeko-Sis!"
Himeko smiled warmly.
"No problem. Just wait a bit while we finish packing, then we'll head out."
Hu Tao nodded happily.
Just then, Yelan, Ningguang, and Keqing emerged from inside.
The others all paused when they saw the three elegant women.
Ye Yun greeted them.
"Welcome to my humble shop, ladies."
Zhongli introduced them.
"This is Ye Yun, the owner of this store. The others here are his friends."
The three women politely introduced themselves.
"Hello, Mr. Ye Yun. I'm Ningguang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Keqing."
"Yelan."
Aside from Ningguang's more formal greeting, Keqing and Yelan kept it short.
Ye Yun didn't mind and smiled.
"Welcome. Did Hu Tao explain the rules for shopping here?"
Ningguang shook her head.
Ye Yun called over Noelle.
"Noelle, please assist our guests."
Noelle, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, hurried over.
"Right this way, ladies. I'll show you around."
Ye Yun added,
"Sorry, I have some errands to run. Noelle is one of our top employees—if you need anything, just let her know."
Hearing Ye Yun call her a top employee made Noelle blush with pride.
Ningguang smiled.
"Alright, go ahead. We'll look around ourselves."
Then Noelle led the trio to the mini-bar area.
Zhongli thought about it and decided to stay behind. He had originally planned to go exploring with Welt.
But now, he felt it was better to stay in the shop.
He had already noticed earlier that Ningguang and the others hadn't brought any Primogems.
Chances were, he'd need to lend them some money soon.
After Ye Yun and the others left through the portal to the Mechanical Settlement for some fun, Ningguang, Yelan, and Keqing quickly figured out a few things.
First, this place wasn't Teyvat—it was another world entirely, one much stronger than Teyvat.
Second, they could use a currency called Stellar Coins to buy anything from Ye Yun's shop.
The three of them stared at the display screen for a while.
Ningguang frowned slightly—she had no Primogems on her, and thus couldn't get Stellar Coins.
But there were so many things here she wanted to buy.
Keqing thought aloud,
"Should I go back real quick?"
Yelan shook her head.
"Won't help. The portal is in Jueyun Karst, far from Liyue Harbor. Going back and forth would take way too long."
Keqing shrugged.
"Then what do we do?"
Suddenly, Ningguang said,
"I have a way."
Keqing and Yelan looked at her.
"What is it?"
Ningguang stared at Zhongli, who was sipping tea nearby.
"I'll be right back."
With that, she walked over to Zhongli.
Keqing and Yelan immediately understood her plan—clearly, she was going to borrow money from him.
It was obvious Zhongli wasn't new here. He'd definitely brought some Primogems or Stellar Coins with him.
How could they tell? Well, the moment he arrived, he was already chatting with the others like an old friend.
Ningguang approached Zhongli.
"Mr. Zhongli—"
Before she could finish, Zhongli handed her 10,000 Stellar Coins.
"No need to say it. I know what you're thinking. Here—10,000 Stellar Coins. Repay me with Primogems when we return."
Ningguang didn't hesitate. She accepted the money and thanked him.
"Thank you. I'll have someone gather the Primogems and repay you as soon as we return."
Zhongli nodded slightly.
Ningguang then returned to the display screen with the Stellar Coins in hand.
***
Keqing looked eagerly at Ningguang as she returned.
"Well?"
Ningguang smiled and pulled out a wad of Stellar Coins.
"I got the money—ten thousand in total. Let's see what we can buy."
The three of them took a sip of water and began browsing items. Noelle, seeing their glasses empty, picked up a kettle and refilled them.
As the three of them browsed, they didn't realize Zhongli had been watching the whole time.
He quietly channeled his divine power to peek at what the trio planned to buy.
While they browsed, a sudden disagreement broke out between Ningguang and Keqing.
"I think we should buy this Soil Transformer first. With it, we can improve Liyue's polluted lands and increase food production!" Keqing said with conviction.
Ningguang shook her head.
"The soil does need improvement, but Liyue is currently well-fed—we're not in urgent need, are we?
I believe we should prioritize this 'Diamond Body Tempering Manual.' Once mastered, it can give someone the combat power of a top-tier Vision wielder.
And it leads to even more powerful techniques like 'Titanic Divine Suppression.'"
Yelan, off to the side, didn't take sides. Her job was just to accompany and protect Ningguang and Keqing.
In Liyue, she mainly dealt with intelligence, not governance. So she stayed out of the debate—but truthfully, she leaned more toward Ningguang's point of view.
Teyvat wasn't united. There were constant frictions between nations.
In the end, strength was the foundation of Liyue's survival. Just like Rex Lapis—he had established today's Liyue through his might, defeating rival gods.
In a world of supernatural powers, strength could shape the fate of a nation—whether it thrived or fell.
Their argument dragged on for over half an hour. Zhongli quietly sipped tea while listening.
Truth be told, he was satisfied with both women—their abilities were top-tier among the Liyue Qixing throughout the ages.
Eventually, Yelan stepped in to stop them.
"All right, all right. You two, settle down."
Keqing and Ningguang looked toward her.
"Yelan, whose idea do you think is better?" Keqing asked.
Yelan sighed and turned to Noelle.
"Noelle, you're from Mondstadt, right?"
Yelan had already researched Noelle—she was a Vision wielder, and Yelan had memorized info on almost every Vision holder in Teyvat.
Unless someone hadn't been documented yet, of course.
"Noelle, has Acting Grand Master Jean visited this place before? Do you know what she bought?"
Startled as she boiled water for Zhongli, Noelle looked up.
"Huh? Are you talking to me?"
Yelan nodded.
"Yes. Do you know what Jean bought?"
Noelle thought hard.
"Umm… I'm not sure. I only started working here recently."
Yelan was a bit disappointed—she'd hoped to use Mondstadt's choices for reference.
At that moment, Zhongli suddenly spoke.
"If I recall correctly, Lady Jean bought a cultivation manual and an artifact that could repair the body of a certain witch."
He had heard this from Venti during their first conversation about Ye Yun—over drinks, they'd caught up after a long separation.
Yelan, upon hearing this, made up her mind.
"Let's get the cultivation manual first."
Keqing quickly tried to convince her otherwise.
"Yelan—"
Yelan raised a hand to stop her.
"Keqing, I agree with you—food is essential for a nation.
But as Ningguang said, Liyue isn't facing a shortage.
So let's buy the manual first and use it to empower the Millelith.
As for the soil improvement machine, we can buy it later.
It's not like this will be our only visit, right?"
Keqing fell silent. She realized Yelan was right—there would be other chances to return.
In the end, the trio spent 8,000 Stellar Coins on the Diamond Body Tempering Manual.
They used the remaining 2,000 to buy blueprints and rare ores not found in Teyvat.
Afterward, they found Zhongli and asked him to use his teleportation powers to send them back to Liyue Harbor.
They returned to Yujing Terrace and took a teleportation array to the Jade Chamber.
Along the way, they discussed how best to implement the Diamond Body Tempering Manual.
Finally, they agreed—just as Jean once did—to first select a group of loyal Millelith soldiers for training.
Once this first group succeeded, they would gradually expand the program.
In the Jade Chamber, Ningguang sat at her desk, propping her chin on one hand while tapping the manual with her index finger.
"Now that we've settled the plan, next we should ask for the Lord's opinion."
Keqing thought for a moment.
"The annual Rite of Descension is coming up. We can ask him then."
Both Ningguang and Yelan agreed—there was no rush.
Besides, it would take time to choose the first candidates.
At that moment…
A hooded Zhongli appeared in the room, golden motes of light swirling around him.
"I am already aware of your plans. Proceed as you've decided."
With that, Zhongli's figure faded from sight.
Ningguang smiled.
"Looks like I won't need to bring this up during the Rite."
Keqing said, "Since the Lord has given his blessing, let's begin.
I'll handle the selection. Yelan, will you teach them?"
Among the three, Yelan was the strongest in combat.
Twirling her dice, she smiled.
"All right, I'll take this tough job."
Keqing and Yelan then left the Jade Chamber.
Before leaving, Yelan copied the manual to begin practicing herself—after all, you can't teach what you haven't learned.
Keqing headed straight to the Millelith headquarters to begin a secret selection of loyal soldiers.
Meanwhile, on Jarilo-VI…
A spaceship bearing the logo of the Interastral Peace Corporation landed near Belobog.