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

"She may not like formal dresses or wedding gowns... at least for now, she prefers graduation gowns, something that wouldn't look strange on ordinary people."

"An ordinary person?" The pastor was taken aback.

He vaguely remembered something. There was a rumor in the city's aristocratic circles that Rustin was of commoner origin, so he actually had someone he liked—a songstress he had known since their days in the lower classes. If it was true now, then the songstress was easy to guess; it must be Rosalind, the little beauty who had been helped by Rustin to attend school and was famous in all the taverns of Mondstadt.

That blonde singer was indeed very popular; whenever she performed at a tavern, business would double. However, Rustan had helped many commoners attend school and even study abroad, and Rosalind was just one of them, so it couldn't be confirmed.

“If Mr. Rustan’s preferred bride has a more commoner’s aesthetic…” the priest said cautiously, “then it would actually be more suitable to consult some agencies in the lower towns. Don’t misunderstand, we don’t mean to belittle your taste in any way. It’s just that the wedding planning we handle usually involves nobles; commoners are typically just made to go through the motions in a church for half an hour. We don’t have that kind of experience! Yes, if Mr. Rustan needs that style of wedding, agencies in the lower towns are clearly more skilled. You see, the friends and relatives you plan to invite are probably all commoners, but we don’t even know what commoners like to eat…”

Rustan remained silent for a moment, an unknown light flashing in his eyes. After a long while, he relaxed his clenched fist and looked at the somewhat embarrassed priest. "It's alright, I've almost forgotten about it too."

"Hahahaha..." The pastor laughed somewhat nonsensically.

“Then let’s choose this one, a bright red floor-length gown. It’s the color of flames, noble and gorgeous, and it suits her perfectly. I’ll tell her that I carefully chose this one, and that she should be this elegant.” Rustan made the choice considerately, and said with a smile, “It’s just that her figure needs some work. You may not know, but although she’s still a young girl, she’s already amazing. This kind of strapless dress can easily expose her.”

The priest, seeing the young wolf knight's adoring gaze, couldn't help but smile. A "commoner" who could capture the young wolf knight's heart so deeply must be indescribably wonderful. Although it was a little regrettable that such a promising knight couldn't marry a noblewoman and avoid many years of struggle, wasn't it even cooler that he had decided to rely on himself for everything?

"Don't tell anyone about my trip to choose a wedding dress," Rustan suddenly said. "You understand."

“Understood, of course I understand! You can trust our professionalism. We belong to the Church of the West Wind and are closer to the Knights. We are no longer part of the social circle of nobles.” Priest Prayer smiled. Of course, Rustan could not reveal that he was married. Even if he was, his commoner wife could not be exposed.

The single Rustan was the most sought-after talent by all the powerful families, the most worthwhile prospect to win over. But if he got married, his appeal would greatly diminish. The priest understood this; he quite admired this young man who had risen from humble beginnings, and would help him however he could… presumably, his commoner wife would understand too. After all, a commoner was now his first wife; wasn't this much care enough?

"By the way, what is your exact wedding date?" Pastor Qi Li remembered this. "Even if you want to have a private wedding and not make a big fuss, we still need to know the date in advance."

“Jigong will be on holiday at the end of June…” Rustan did some mental calculations. “Around the beginning of July, I have already rented the leader’s manor as the wedding venue. You guys should make the plans during this time. I will propose in Liyue, and the wedding will be the day I bring her back from Liyue.”

"You seem to be in a hurry." The pastor could see the man's love for the woman in his eyes, a longing for happiness. Every pastor loved to see this; the young people's dreams of marriage were more heartwarming than anything else.

“Yeah, after all, I’ve never even held her hand.” Rustan pushed open the door and left.

Chapter 86 This is illegal!

As evening fell, the dormitory courtyard was brightly lit.

"What's this?" Gan Yu asked curiously. She saw Rosalin and Alice unloading goods from a small cart and bringing them into the living room. It seemed that all the things were creations from Alice's laboratory, with various droppers, reagents, alcohol lamps, and all sorts of things sealed in boxes, scattered all over the floor.

She was asking about a small wine jug, which held about a pound, but it seemed no one here liked alcohol. Alice didn't particularly like drinking either. Since everyone here was a girl, even if Shen Liang liked it, they generally wouldn't allow him to drink too much, let alone bring a wine jug.

"Dry ice bomb making, my little invention, I call it 'Frozen Fruit'. It's infused with concentrated ice elements, and all you need is a fire-type gengod to hold it. With a little activation—whoosh!"

Alice opened the flask lid, turned sideways to face the window, and pressed the hidden button. In an instant, a freezing mist more than ten meters long gushed out, condensing into thick frost flowers on the walls on both sides of the window, and the room temperature dropped by two or three degrees.

“Of course, it can’t compare to Miss Gan Yu’s control over ice elements, but it’s still pretty good,” Alice said. “When fully charged with elements, this kind of attack can be used five times. Its power is not low. I’ve tried it. It can even freeze a river into a layer of ice that people can walk on for a short time.”

"Didn't Ms. Alice say this was a bomb?"

"For fire-type Genshin Impacts, it's an ice sprayer. For ordinary people who can't precisely control fire, they can just throw it out. It's even more powerful, with a blast radius of ten meters and a freezing radius of thirty-five meters. It's quite useful."

“If it’s 35 meters, what if some people can’t throw it out…” Gan Yu hesitated.

"Then drink half of it first and then throw it away. The ice element inside is harmless to the human body if it is not activated. It is a genuine chilled wine."

Then there are other things.

"The Thousand Rock Army's standard Brightlight Armor can protect against flying arrows and slashing wounds. The craftsmanship is already very advanced, and I couldn't find any room for improvement. So I coated the outer layer of the armor with a secret explosive. When a sword or blade strikes it, it will cause an explosion and destroy the opponent's weapon without hurting myself. If necessary, the scales of the armor can be plucked off and thrown as bombs."

"The plush toy I prepared for Liang'er is a small coffin, named 'Big Coffin.' Inside the toy is my secret explosive. Just leave it anywhere, pull the fuse, and it will explode when touched, or when the time is up. I made a lot of them, and Liang'er seems to like them very much, praising my naming style as being very much in line with his family's style."

Gan Yu looked around, hesitating for a long time, "Are all the things Teacher Alice is planning to take to the battlefield bombs?"

"This is my major; I don't know anything else."

Gan Yu looked at the folding stick she and Rosalin had made together. She picked it up and asked, "Is this weapon also a bomb? Or can each of its folded parts be thrown like a bomb?"

But as soon as she grasped the stick, she suddenly felt that the texture was somewhat soft and familiar, which seemed a bit off. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the stick had been folded into five folds, and each fold had a somewhat... rubbery texture.

Rosalyn glanced at him casually and was so startled she almost cried out. At that moment, Rosalyn noticed him too, jumped up and snatched the folding stick away, nervously holding it in her arms and staring at Gan Yu.

Gan Yu was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself, what kind of dangerous thing is this? All the things on your side combined could blow this building up ten times over, and you still care about this?

Alice hesitated for a moment, glanced at Rosalyn whose face was slightly flushed, struggled for a while, and then pressed a switch on the folding stick.

Gan Yu was surprised to find that the stick was vibrating. The same was true when it was broken into five short sticks. Each short stick vibrated rapidly and made a "whoosh" sound.

"How did this explode?" Gan Yu asked.

"No, this isn't explosive. This... is just a simple rubber folding stick, something for Rosalin and me to... relax with." Alice whispered to Gan Yu, avoiding Rosalin who was straining to hear what she was trying to hear. "It's a little special... Miss Gan Yu, you can tell for yourself, right?"

Gan Yu was stunned. She lowered her head and pinched the piece of rubber stick that had been removed. Suddenly, she realized something, and her face flushed red. "Teacher Alice! What you are doing... this is illegal!"

"If you can tell who the mold is, then Miss Gan Yu, you must be one too! Our eldest sister won't talk about our second sister, okay?" Alice whispered. "Don't tell Rosalyn!"

"You! Vulgar... vulgar! Gan Yu can't talk to you anymore, it's too... too much! Gan... I'm going upstairs to find Liang'er!" Gan Yu was so ashamed and angry that she hurriedly ran upstairs with her head down, only to find that she still had a piece of that thing in her hand, so she quickly threw it down. The short rubber stick bounced a few times on the ground and landed at Alice's feet.

Alice picked it up, pursing her lips dismissively: "Such a big reaction... You've already seen the real thing, yet you're still acting like a pure and innocent snow lotus."

Then the blonde witch raised the rubber baton to her eyes and stared at it for a long time.

"That female fox drew the mark of virginity... Magical arts are such a hassle..."

————————————————————

As usual, Gan Yu knocked on the door, gave her name, and waited for the boy's voice before politely opening the door and going in.

The boy leaned against the bed, flipping through Liyue-related books about "zombies." The bed was piled high with books. The blanket only covered his waist, and through the edge of the blanket, one could see the long, loose purple hair of a small doll.

Gan Yu sighed softly.

"Liang Jun, at least avoid him for a while."

Shen Liang looked up from the book, puzzled.

"If it weren't Gan Yu who came in, then your relationship would be..."

“I don’t need to trouble you, brother. It’s precisely because it’s you who came in that I’m not trying to hide anything.” The general threw off the covers and got up, tilting her pale neck back. Her Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Then she calmly got out of bed and put on her clothes in front of Gan Yu. “If it were an outsider, I and the Divine Child would naturally be more careful.”

“If we treat Liang Jun like this, he will always get used to this kind of unconventional worldview.”

"That's Inazuma's problem, it has nothing to do with the people of Liyue," the general said calmly.

Gan Yu stopped arguing about the issue. She knew there was no point in arguing; to some extent, she herself was a beneficiary of Shen Liang's lack of common sense.

She took a row of hand-woven books from the Eye of God.

"Sister Gan Yu keeps her promise." Shen Liang rubbed the general who had snuggled back into his arms to become a silent cushion, and gave Gan Yu a light glance. "These are the secrets of the Ji Palace?"

"These things are useless to humans; they are methods of cultivation for immortals. In Liyue, those without special immortal bloodlines can only cultivate magic arts, not supernatural powers, because immortals and mortals are essentially two different races." Gan Yu placed the hand-copied book on his bed, mainly because the small bedroom already housed General Shen Liang and his son, and there wasn't much room to put it. "This contains rubbings I hand-copied in my childhood, detailing various methods of cultivating supernatural powers for immortals, but these are closely guarded secrets. Once Liang Jun has read them, they must never be passed on to outsiders."

Shen Liang glanced at the hand-woven book; the yellowed and even somewhat brittle paper indicated its great age. But this didn't mean Gan Yu was poorly preserved; rather, Gan Yu was over three thousand years old, and it was remarkable that her childhood books had been preserved in such good condition.

What would happen if it got out?

“Once the cultivation techniques of immortals are spread, countless people will inevitably try them. But those without immortal blood will only perish if they try,” Gan Yu said softly. “We’re not being covetous; it’s just that these techniques aren’t suitable for everyone. The so-called ‘Three-Eyed, Five-Manifestation Immortal’ refers to a race, not just an identity. The demon race of Inazuma is similar in essence to our immortal race, which is why Sister Zhen copied these cultivation techniques, modified them into Yin-Yang arts, and ultimately gave the demon race a path to enlightenment. But immortals and demons are similar, but humans are not.”

“Whether they are immortals, demons, ghosts, or even the highest-ranking demon gods, they are all beings who are born with the ability to sense elements, unlike humans.” Shen Liang stroked the scroll. “But perhaps, among the demon gods, there are also beings like me who are born unable to sense elements.”

"Huh?" Gan Yu was taken aback. "Liang Jun's thunder has become so powerful that it can be referred to as 'power'."

Shen Liang didn't explain, "Do you have what I want here too?"

"Since Liangjun has agreed to go to the battlefield, Liuyun Zhenjun will keep his word and will not make any excuses. As for the special kind of immortals called 'zombies,' all the methods of cultivation are contained within. Do you remember Qiqi? She was originally a herb gatherer, but she died due to the aftermath of the Demon God War. It was because of her strong will to survive that she was noticed by other immortals and embarked on the path of revival. So this is probably the only way for humans to walk the path of immortality at present."

"Only by dying can one become an alien race. These alien races weren't human to begin with, were they?"

“Zombies, being immortals who have undergone the process of corpse liberation, are already immortals, and indeed cannot be compared with humans. Of course, there are differences. Ordinary immortals can continue their bloodline and reproduce, but those who return from the dead have lost the functions of their physical bodies. They cannot taste or smell anything, and naturally, they cannot reproduce.” A hint of sadness appeared in Gan Yu’s eyes. “This is the most tragic path of immortals, after all, it is going from death to life, fighting against fate.”

It's a struggle against fate.

Shen Liang couldn't help but look at the large coffin placed next to the bed, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

"...The Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Immortal must begin his training from childhood, whether in human or beast form. Immortals are different from mortals; they are born with the ability to sense elemental power. They must constantly introspect and never relax for a moment until their supernatural powers are perfected, allowing them to control elemental power as easily as their own arms, without even a thought. At this point, an 'inner eye' will form within their body. This is how the Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Immortal got his name. The inner eye is the source from which immortals master elemental power and enhance their immortal techniques."

Upon reading this opening statement, Shen Liang immediately understood. Immortals do not use magic based on elemental power; magic itself is a means that immortals learn later in life, so mortals can also learn these spells. However, the talent of immortals to "comprehend elemental power" is an innate supernatural ability. After mastering it through cultivation, one becomes a "Three-Eyed, Five-Manifestation Immortal," whose elemental power far surpasses that of mortals. This explains why, when immortals and mortals use magic, immortals are far stronger than mortals.

However, immortals are born with the ability to comprehend elemental power, and their mastery of elemental power far surpasses that of mortals. This shouldn't be an absolute rule, right?

The world is so vast, there will always be extraordinary mortals, powerful enough to rival immortals in elemental power. Moreover, elemental power is not the source of power; it is merely a mode of power operation.

Shen Liang was unaware that his thinking was already inherently skewed away from that of most people in this world. Everyone in this world believed that elements were the fundamental components of the world, and that all the power of living beings could be seen as related to elemental force. Firing a musket didn't require considering how to fill it with explosives, but rather how to fill it with fire elemental force; swords didn't require considering how much strength or skill to unleash sword energy, but rather how to condense elemental force on the blade; and the secret sound transmission spell wasn't simply a barrier, but rather a small-scale vacuum created by elemental force to isolate the sound-emitting area.

But in reality, Teyvat has more than just elemental power. They can make explosives without fire elemental power, ordinary people can unleash sword energy, and they can communicate telepathically using lip reading.

The development of elemental power has led everyone to completely overlook... a way of life other than driving the elements.

"...When immortals transform into humans, their inner eyes can condense into 'Divine Eyes,' serving as external magical organs in human form. Therefore, all 'immortals' possess Divine Eyes, requiring no special creation but only dedicated cultivation."

Shen Liang stopped reading. He still had a long way to go to learn about the remaining techniques, such as zombie raising. He put away his book, looked at Gan Yu, and patted the seat next to him.

"Won't you take a break?"

Gan Yu hesitated for a moment, then looked at the general in his arms, whose eyes were fixed on her but remained calm and composed.

"No."

"Why?" Shen Liang looked clearly confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

The little Qilin looked at the boy who looked so harmless that he was practically a white-haired loli and thought to himself, "Even if I don't consider the little doll next to you, I can't go over there. I have to go back to report later. We're alone in a room, and you want me to sit on your bed?"

"Liang Jun." Gan Yu hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question she had always wanted to ask, "I have witnessed you grow up from childhood to now, and we... can be considered acquaintances. Do you remember... the first time we met after you grew up?"

Shen Liang was taken aback.

He and Gan Yu were indeed acquainted. From a very young age, before he even had any memories, he was held in swaddling clothes and nursed by the little Qilin.

Although he couldn't produce any nourishment, it's said that he eventually had to be fed with his own blood. Even so, he was once a child who grew up nourished by Gan Yu's blood.