Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"It is only natural for neighboring countries to help each other. For thousands of years since the Demon God War, Sumeru and we have had a close relationship, and I have seen through this. However, although the Thousand Rock Army still has manpower, no one knows how intense the war will become. I do not want the people of Sumeru to risk the fall of the Layered Rock Abyss."

Chapter 82 My Love, Liang'er

“Brother, I won’t beat around the bush.” Yingda looked directly at Lei Yacha Fushe. “You know this isn’t about whether to help or not. The Void Terminal operates within people’s minds, and its commands and instructions are faster and more precise than ours. Once our army is equipped with Void Terminals, you can imagine how much more they will trust them. To put it bluntly, however many troops we send to aid, their command will essentially become the command of the Red King Ahmar.”

Fu She frowned. The "Void" system developed by the Sumeru Order Institute was primarily used by Sumeru citizens to search and access "knowledge" anytime, anywhere, but it could also receive messages or notifications issued by the Sumeru leadership. In other words, anyone equipped with a Void terminal could directly receive orders and instructions from the Sumeru leadership.

In the military, such equipment would greatly enhance command capabilities, but Sumeru would never allow anyone from Liyue to interfere with the management of the Void Terminals. Therefore, this is tantamount to directly demanding an army from Liyue, a request that Fushe naturally finds difficult to agree to. However, without the terminals, how could Sumeru feel at ease if Liyue people entered Sumeru's territory and acted independently?

Most importantly, how could the Liyue army, unfamiliar with the land and people, and even have language problems, possibly compare to the direct command of the Sumeru high command?

“But you know, Sumeru’s army is truly hopeless,” Fushe said in a low voice. “This country doesn’t even have its own army. I heard that their defenses within their territory rely on the desert people in the northwest. Those Red Prince people are indeed fierce, but in the end, they are just a bunch of uneducated mercenaries who only know how to fight and are completely ignorant of military formations. They have no combat power whatsoever. That’s why the Flower Goddess urgently needs a formally organized army. After all, she is not a god known for her combat abilities.”

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; but it's still a dilemma." Yingda rubbed his high, straight nose and leaned against the wall, feeling frustrated. "What benefits did the Flower Goddess promise us?"

"One hundred camels, three hundred fine horses, one hundred antelope horn bows, and ten thousand whistling arrows." Fushe paused for a moment. "At this critical time, all nations are ramping up their military buildup. Sumeru is buying large quantities of iron swords, iron spears, and stirrups from Liyue, but they are unwilling to sell us the camels, fine horses, and other vehicles that Sumeru is rich in, only accepting Mora as payment. Three hundred Sumeru horses are enough to arm three squads. If Minu were still alive, the Ironclad Cavalry could guard half of the Layered Rock Abyss."

“The third brother is the best at positional warfare among us, but he was the first to go crazy. Compared to him, who utilizes ‘rock,’ the rest of us don’t really perform well in this hellish terrain of the Layered Rock Abyss. You’re only good at commanding infantry, I’m better at being a henchman, Xiao doesn’t understand how to lead an army and is just a special agent who takes the decapitation route, and Xiao Wu is completely clueless about land warfare.” Ying Da sighed, “Originally, with Mi Nu in this war, not so many people would have died.”

So, should we refuse?

“But that’s three hundred fine horses… How about I lead the troops to support Sumeru and see? If they really take away my command, I’ll tear up the treaty and lead the troops back. I don’t think Sumeru will really break ties with us. Brother, you’re just worried that our people will be used as expendable resources and thrown into the fire. With me here, at least we’ll have some say. After all, I’m a celestial being.”

"Nonsense!" Fu She sneered. "You? A girl like you wouldn't even get a chance to fight in the Abyss of Layered Rocks, and you want to go to Sumeru to fight those robots that are comparable to lesser demon gods?"

"Don't give me that nonsense! Don't forget that nine hundred years ago when I beat that dragon of Qingce Village to the ground, you were only fit to be a cheerleader in the camp!"

"That was because I was attacked first! I was ambushed by a demon god! Ambushed... can that be counted as a battle record for my Fushe?"

"Leaving aside the question of whether or not to trade with Sumeru, Fushe, Yingda, I'm very interested in a certain issue you discussed earlier," Xiao finally joined the conversation. "You said that the Void Terminal can greatly increase the mobilization capabilities of the army?"

Yingda nodded: "That's for sure. A Void Terminal is like a commander being able to contact every soldier unilaterally anytime, anywhere. On the ever-changing battlefield, a commander can instantly issue orders to everyone in the war zone, which is a terrifying improvement. It's a pity that Sumeru doesn't have such talent. The Liyue army has a mature system, but unfortunately, it doesn't have the Void... That thing is said to utilize the power of the Grass God."

“Yingda is right. The void of Sumeru is an extremely convenient one-way communication device. Imagine you are a commander. After receiving intelligence in your tent, you can directly order your subordinates to send troops, without waiting for even a minute. Even if your subordinates are dozens of miles away, they can still receive the intelligence. This kind of thing has never appeared in military warfare before, we…”

Xiao frowned: "Never appeared before? Fushe, I think... that's not necessarily true."

"Not necessarily. We've fought so many wars over the years and never..." Fushe paused, then seemed to understand, "Oh, right, you mean, the one that Inazuma is currently using..."

"Telegraph machine," the three demons exclaimed in unison.

Yingda pondered with his beautiful big eyes, then suddenly stood up: "Speaking of this, the nearest telegraph station to us is in Jueyun, in Jigong! The circuit designed by Liang'er's mother was also laid a while ago. We can run the secondary cable here and move the telegraph machine from Jigong over!"

"Second sister is brilliant!" Fu She was also delighted.

"Compared to the one-way communication from high to low in the Void, the telegraph is two-way or even multi-way. We can directly contact Qiaoying Village, Qingce Village, and even Yujingtai across thousands of miles! Isn't this thing much better than the Void? Send someone fast to get the cables across the Layered Rock Abyss sorted out in the next few days! By the way, Kanria is keeping an eye on the telegraph system cables, so we need to be careful."

“I’ll go,” Xiao said in a deep voice.

"It's a bit unfair to Princess Liang, though. That little guy relies on the telegraph machine all day to chat with his mother. We're going to deprive him of one of his few sources of enjoyment." Yingda laughed. "Why don't we just bring Princess Liang over too? I heard from the teachers at Jigong that the person in the entire Jigong who is most familiar with the telegraph machine isn't one of the trained telegraph operators, but him! No wonder he's Raiden Zhen's child. Could it be that he and Raiden Zhen invented this thing together?"

"Don't be ridiculous. How could the front lines allow Princess Liang, who has only been in Liyue for less than a year, to risk her life?"

"They risked their lives on their very first day in Liyue, even beating up Oser for us," Yingda chuckled. "We brought them here to relieve our boredom. My group of female soldiers are useless; they're all burly old men in this wretched place. We can't find a single pretty and delicate girl. I'm about to be driven crazy."

"You've only been here for one day."

"Big brother, you know me. I can only fall asleep when I'm holding my little sister."

Fushe chuckled and changed the subject: "So many years have passed, you should find a man to marry by now. Our Yaksha clan is already declining in numbers, and we're all counting on this generation. You two sisters are quite something, you down-on-your-luck woman, you have a pretty face but don't cherish it, and your once perfectly fine son, Fanan, has recently been having an ambiguous affair with Princess Liang..."

"Why am I the only one allowed to bring it?!" Miss Fire Demon was very indignant.

"If it weren't for you, would she even like women?" Fu She shook his head. "Everything in the universe has yin and yang. Isolated yang cannot produce life, isolated yin cannot grow. You girls are really going to drive your big brother crazy. There's a high chance that our Yaksha clan will be extinct in this generation..."

"Alright, stop saying these annoying things every day. I might as well find a man to leave an heir before I die." Ying Da pouted, leaned back on the leather-covered chair, and crossed his legs, which were covered in black stockings. "Big brother, you're biased too. You have different standards for me and Xiao Wu."

"I'm biased? So what?"

"Before the New Year, you repeatedly told me to restrain myself, and that Mi Nu and I must not lay a hand on the little princess. I did it, I kept my mouth shut on this tender little lamb. But Xiao Wu went and kissed her, he really kissed her! Why didn't you say anything about considering the national impact this time? Why didn't you say anything about how she's thousands of years old and the little princess is only a teenager, that eating such tender grass would shorten one's lifespan, blah blah blah..."

"How can someone like you be compared to someone else like Fanan!" Fushe glared and puffed out his beard.

"How can it be different! I will treat the little princess with the same tenderness! I will definitely give her a wonderful first night that she will remember for a lifetime!!"

"Because of those words, you can forget about ever touching her again! Do you hear me?!"

Yingda huffily hugged his knees, curled up in the chair, and turned his face away unhappily, pinching his soft, smooth, and finely textured sheer stockings.

Made of nylon, it fits snugly against the skin and feels so light and airy when you walk that it feels like you're not wearing anything at all... a new dress handmade by that little princess.

The thought that she had begged Fan Nan to give her a pair of stockings, since Shen Liang had no interest in making them for her, made her even more upset.

------------

On the morning of the second day of the fifth lunar month, at the Ji Palace, the Gewu Academy.

Alice curiously stepped into the telegraph room. Fa Nan had just laid out the scented cushions when Shen Liang knelt on one, her long hair unkempt, wearing a white gauze robe and writing something at her desk, looking drowsy. Fa Nan lifted the ends of Shen Liang's hair from behind and combed it smoothly with a silver comb, revealing Shen Liang's fair, youthful back through the loose robe.

“The telegraph machine is only open for one hour a week. Liang’er waited here last night, writing many letters to send out as soon as possible.” Fanan smiled as he looked at Alice who came in. “I stayed here with him all night.”

"You spent all night writing a letter?" the Great Witch exclaimed in surprise.

“Liang’er always has so much to write about the night before this day every week.” Fanan tidied Shen Liang’s hair into neat, long, straight white hair from behind, then handed him a cup of strong tea to help him wake up. He then smiled gently at Alice, “Fanan has never seen a child so attached to his mother. He’s already a teenager, yet he still has so much to say to his mother. He reports everything that happens every week to the God of Thunder, even things like the little god wetting the bed again last night, he writes them down as if he’s showing off…”

"No, no, no, what does that little fox wetting the bed have to do with him? What's there for him to brag about?"

After thinking for a moment, I don't know what she thought of, she quickly turned her head away, and Alice could only see a blush on her fair neck.

—Perhaps for boys, being able to do this would greatly satisfy their sense of conquest, and it would certainly be something to brag about…

--Fool!

Fanan quickly checked Shen Liang's letter again, afraid he might have included something he couldn't write to Raiden Shin. Actually, she often had to monitor Shen Liang and Raiden Shin's interactions, a task Gan Yu had asked her to perform, because Shen Liang's values ​​had become completely distorted under the influence of the powerful demons like Inazuma, though he himself was clearly unaware of it. In fact, at first, Fanan thought the General and the Divine Child were actually betrothed to him by Raiden Shin as his "sisters" and "servants," but later she vaguely realized that it was purely those two little ones who had actively won Shen Liang over.

It could even be said that the two little ones in Inazuma were powerless to compete with the great youkai. They actually only managed to take advantage of Shen Liang after they came to Liyue.

Of course, this matter could not be known to Lei Dian Zhen. Fa Nan had no doubt that Lei Dian Zhen was truly enraged by the wrath of the Son of Heaven, causing millions of corpses to lie and blood to flow for thousands of miles.

The letter was very long, already several pages long, and Fa Nan picked up one page to take a look.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager: "

Respectfully submitted by Liang'er.

The beginning is still the necessary etiquette for the official document of the Inari, which is always the case at the beginning. However, although Shen Liang is polite, he doesn't do it often.

"Dear Mom, Liang'er misses you."

The semester's final exams are coming up soon. Liyue is warmer than Inazuma, and we'll be on break at the end of June. Can I go back to Inazuma? Or should I stay here even during the break? If my mom doesn't want me to go home, could I come to Liyue to see Liang'er?

This year I got excellent grades in all my elective courses. Although I missed a few required ones, the Jigong Academy is different from the Sumeru Academy; there's no daily credit system. As long as you pass the annual graduation exam, you're good to go. I looked at the exam questions, and since it's a combat-oriented course, it mainly focuses on infiltration, melee combat, and elemental techniques. They don't seem too difficult, and I should be able to pass with excellent grades. There are just a few academic subjects I need to catch up on, but Mom, don't worry, I can catch up in just one night. After all, your son, the one destined to be a minor emperor, is an absolute genius.

Summer is about to begin in Liyue, but the pear blossoms are still in bloom. If Mom likes, I can save some and make them into specimens to show you later. Pear blossoms are actually no less beautiful than our cherry blossoms, and they're even more fragrant.

General and I have been taking pear blossom baths lately, and now General smells wonderful. I sleep with General in my arms every night, so maybe I smell it too. I don't know if General needs to use joint oil, but I haven't, and it seems fine after six months. Oh, right, something funny happened. Shenzi doesn't want to bathe with us anymore, saying it's because she wants to maintain her cherry blossom scent, but actually it's because she's shy. She wet the bed on Monday night, so the three of us had to sleep on the floor. I teased her, so she's been sulking with us ever since.

The chefs in Liyue are very skilled. If Mom is willing to come, Liang'er can take you to Crescent Moon Pavilion. I heard it's a very famous restaurant in Liyue. Liang'er wants to go with her mother for the first time.

Oh, I forgot again. I didn't originally intend to call her "Mother" in the letter.

Remember to drink the ginseng and walnut powder I made for you, Mom. You're already weak, and you stay up late every night, so you need to drink more of it. It nourishes your kidneys and replenishes your essence, treating insomnia and fatigue. It also helps keep your hair from turning gray. Mom, your hair is what I love and care about most; you need to keep it beautiful.

Remember to heat it over low heat, add some of your favorite ingredients, and cook for about 20 minutes.

"I love you, Liang'er."

Chapter 83 Rosalind's boyfriend...is he coming?

Shen Liang would save up one letter each week and send it to her mother via telegraph, even though the telegraph operator was unwilling to perform such a complicated operation. The telegraph machine worked by counting words; the more words, the more work was required to send. For a telegraph operator who had only been trained for a month, it was considered good if they could send out one or two hundred words in an hour.

Therefore, those who needed to use telegraph machines had to carefully calculate the information they wanted to convey, minimizing the number of words as much as possible.

However, Shen Liang didn't need to worry about that. He learned how to type on the telegraph machine extremely quickly, becoming more than ten times faster than any other telegraph operator. So, he would arrive a day early, and once the telegraph machine was powered on, he could quickly send out all his letters at once.

This way, when Lei Dianzhen gets up in the morning, the telegram will already be in her hands, and she will know even what her son eats and what classes he attends each day, which will put her mind at ease about her worries about Shen Liang. At the same time, if she can send a telegram back within an hour, it can serve as a real-time conversation between mother and son.

Although he couldn't hear the gentle voice of the supreme empress, even this feeling of being able to communicate instantly was enough to make Shen Liang happy for a week.

Shen Liang began operating the telegraph machine, his fingers rapidly tapping the keyboard to input the text, which was then faxed out from the telegraph machine at the other end of the castle. Fa Nan frowned, staring at Shen Liang's busy back, watching his loose robe fall from his shoulders, revealing his tender, fair shoulders, and couldn't help but go up and pull it back up for him.

"Just like a little girl." Alice, who was waiting nearby, laughed. "When will it be finished? Today is my professional assessment, and I'm the examiner."

"About a few more minutes, just wait." Shen Liang's hands moved swiftly. "Alice? Aren't you a visiting lecturer at the Academy of Natural Sciences? Which subject in our Department of Combat is your exam?"

"As for fuses and explosives technology, I'm actually more inclined to study ammunition engineering, but I'm also quite good at teaching people how to play with explosions. You forgot that this course is an elective for the Department of Combat? You specifically asked me to be your tutor."

"We're going in different directions."

"I know, you prefer making flintlock firearms, what are they called again... rifles? I feel they're far less practical than bows and arrows. Why don't you learn how to make explosives with me? My explosives are powerful even without the Eye of God!"

"Boom~ What's that?"

"Boom~ Just boom~ Ah, boom~ crack~ pop~ explode! Hahaha!"

"Boring, it's just Alice's weird sense of humor, it has no research value."

"You're being naughty! I'm giving you a zero on your graduation exam!"

After sending the letters to everyone, Shen Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the other people who were about to borrow the telegraph machine come in, he casually put away the letters and stood up.

Of course, he sent more than one telegram to Raiden Shin. As the crown prince of Inazuma, and in a sense, the princess who was showered with favor, he had quite a few people to answer to. Raiden Shin, Raiden Movie, every powerful demoness who knew his true strength, the lesser demonesses who had been under the guidance of those powerful demonesses and knew his true strength, the shrine maidens in the Yin-Yang Bureau who had been sold by the Fox Palace... and even some casual acquaintances. As long as he could remember them, Shen Liang would politely send them the telegrams.

Firstly, it was Raiden's order that, as the son of Queen Inazuma, he needed to be adept at navigating social situations and managing interpersonal relationships. Secondly, this would set a good example for those below him, promoting the development of the telegraph system within the shogunate.