Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

He clapped his hands, and everyone instantly fell silent.

"Gentlemen, I've recently heard that quite a few people are dissatisfied with the weapons they've been assigned..."

Many soldiers in the crowd lowered their heads.

They felt extremely ashamed, not for any other reason than that the adults had given them weapons for their white hair, and they shouldn't have been picky about them.

But Xiao Yi's next words greatly encouraged them.

"I'll draw another 30,000 weapons today. You can choose any equipment that suits your position and that you like from the 100,000 weapons in the warehouse!"

The crowd erupted in cheers of ecstasy amidst their shock.

"Thor Xiao Yi, forever a god!!!"

Xiao Yi summoned the Wheel of Reincarnation.

Let's draw!

……

Recently, for some unknown reason, the thick fog that shrouds Liyue has thinned, and there are even signs that it will disappear.

Chapter 143 Narukamiko Extermination Team

Last night, Liyue Harbor was attacked in a premeditated manner. The leader of the attackers was a bald man dressed in black robes.

The intentions of these uninvited guests are clear: they attempt to kidnap the Seven Stars of Liyue and assassinate the slumbering Thunder General, thus inflicting a major blow on Liyue.

Although the Thousand Rock Army could barely deal with and hold off the other members of the Society, the bald man who was impervious to swords and spears caused the Liyue authorities a lot of trouble.

This battle was only barely managed to repel the Society's radical actions thanks to the help of the Adventurers' Guild, the support of the Traveler Girl, the assistance of the eldest daughter of the Inatsume Kamisato family, and the meddling of the Fools' Enforcer Tartaglia.

However, the real reason for the bald man's retreat remains a mystery to the Liyue authorities. At the time, he clearly held a significant advantage, but upon discovering that the thick fog surrounding Liyue Harbor had thinned considerably, he hastily ordered the soldiers who were about to break into the general's sanatorium to retreat.

The well-trained attackers left Liyue Harbor in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Although Narukami, who had joined the guild, did not appear in this operation, Liyue had already made preparations to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. Once the conflict ended and the situation stabilized, they would form a "Narukami Extermination Team" specifically to fight against Xiao Yi.

The members are: Ying, the traveler girl; Datalia, the executive officer of the Fools; Guji, the agent of the Inazuma Sangokumiya; and Riku Jin-ga, the former member of the Treasure Thieves.

D'Artagnan agreed only half-heartedly, as the Fools and the Righteous Society were sworn enemies; the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Lu Renjia, on the other hand, infiltrated the group himself. His adopted girl was severely injured by explosives planted by the Society beneath the castle, making him irreconcilably opposed to the Society.

Liyue's arrangement was a last resort.

After all, things are in complete chaos right now, and most people have to stay in Liyue Harbor to defend their homes. Moreover, no matter who in the current expedition team ultimately kills Xiao Yi, the Liyue authorities can easily avoid trouble because they are not affiliated with the Liyue government.

There have been enough problems lately, and Li Yue is almost suffering from paranoia. She's afraid that after dealing with Xiao Yi, the awakened Thor might suddenly miss his treacherous adopted son, causing all sorts of trouble. To prevent this from happening, it's better to have an outsider do this.

The team is highly efficient, the Traveler and Tartaglia are reliable fighters, the Sea Island agents are responsible for intelligence gathering, and Lu Renjia is in charge of logistics and medicine production.

Furthermore, given Xiao Yi's physical and physical deficiencies, if the plan is well-executed, Ming Shenzi might not be invincible.

However, Ying was skeptical about Xiao Yi's betrayal of General Lei Dian. Although she was not very familiar with Xiao Yi, her intuition told her that there was something fishy about the betrayal.

Paimon still trusted Xiao Yi. She was convinced that Ying would not fall so easily, and that Xiao Yi was not a treacherous villain.

As for the rest of the expedition team, they didn't care what happened to Xiao Yi. If he really betrayed them, they would find a way to kill him. If there were other hidden reasons, they would cooperate to overthrow the society.

……

The next day at noon, the members of the expedition team gathered in the conference room to discuss how they should complete their respective missions should Liyue openly declare war on the Society.

Compared to directly assassinating Naruto, it is certainly more appropriate to try to communicate with him. Moreover, it is currently impossible to confirm whether his power has been fully restored, so we must be careful in every aspect.

As the three were looking at the map around the table, the one-eyed Haiji Island agent, Yuji, entered from outside. He was carrying a large pile of documents, and both his blind left eye and his intact right eye were covered with thick dark circles, making him look extremely haggard.

Ying, Dadalia, Lu Renjia looked at this temporary companion.

The three agreed that this one-eyed, modified machine agent was the most dedicated person in the team, even surpassing Lu Renjia, who was seeking revenge for his adopted daughter.

Before Liyue formed the expedition team, Yudi had been diligently investigating matters concerning the Righteous Society, so much so that when he was seen yesterday, he was already in this state where he could collapse at any moment.

"Hey, Inazuma's brother, are you alright?" D'Artagnan asked with feigned concern.

The young master first met Yudi four or five days ago. At that time, this high-ranking agent, who wore the Eye of the Ice God, was not yet overworked and looked haggard. He had the demeanor of a strongman, and the young master wanted to find an opportunity to spar with him.

It's absolutely hopeless now; it looks like it's about to die.

The one-eyed middle-aged man placed the documents on the conference table: "Through various clues, I have roughly located the possible bases of the society, which are in four places."

Lu Renjia asked, "Where is the most likely location?"

Yu Di stretched out his trembling hand and pointed to the left side of the map, near the location of the Layered Rock Abyss.

He then removed the Eye of the Ice God from his waist, placed it there as a marker, and began to explain the principles of his speculation, using the surrounding terrain as evidence.

Ying suddenly interrupted the meeting and said cautiously, "This morning I found an important secret letter under the door. The envelope contained only a map and a highly personalized signature—Wenqu. Clearly, someone is trying to hint at something to me."

Yudi, whose explanation was interrupted, was not dissatisfied. Instead, he followed up on Ying's statement and said, "Wenqu is the name of a constellation in Liyue culture, but it also has a more well-known name."

Everyone's expressions were complicated, except for D'Artagnan.

The young master, unfamiliar with this area, looked at his three companions with a puzzled expression.

“The Star of Literature—the Star of Heavenly Power,” Lu Renjia pointed out.

In their memory, Ningguang had fallen into the sea along with Qunyu Pavilion more than ten days ago when lightning struck, and no one could be found despite multiple attempts to salvage her.

Captain Beidou even held a memorial service for her.

But today's letter proves that things are not so simple.

“Tianquan Ningguang is not dead…” Yudi muttered to himself.

Ying looked around at her teammates and made her decision.

“I believe this letter was given to me, rather than the other seven stars, which means it has a special meaning. We need to go and see the location marked in the letter.”

……

Mingyun Town is an abandoned town with abundant mineral resources nearby, but due to its long period of neglect, any attempt to develop it would be counterproductive.

This is the place that Ningguang bought before the Jade Pavilion fell. This strange behavior shocked the Liyue business community and sparked discussions and investments. However, after the Jade Pavilion fell, coupled with the influence of the Society, people gradually forgot about this place.

However, this is the address marked in the letter.

Thanks to the dissipation of the dense fog, the journey was much faster, and Ying and her teammates quickly arrived at the target area.

The dilapidated town, the desolate mountains and wilderness, coupled with the ethereal fog, create a bizarre atmosphere reminiscent of a horror movie.

Soon, the four of them realized something was wrong.

In the complex terrain of towering mountains, there was a spacious open space filled with devices resembling crossbows, almost the size of houses.

There were more than 500 of these crossbows in total.

"Eh!!!" Paimon jumped out in shock, "Return, return to the final machine?!"

Chapter 144 Ningguang's Steel Torrent

The so-called Returning to the End Mechanism is a celestial mechanism in the form of a crossbow. Tianquan Ningguang obtained the manufacturing method and improved it, and it is used to fight against demon-level enemies when necessary.

However, the hundreds of Return Machines before him were completely different from those Paimon had seen. They were not only dozens of times larger, but also made of metal instead of wood.

If this place truly is Ningguang's secret base, then these Return Machines are the ultimate tools she prepared to fight against powerful enemies.

Even a regular-sized Death Machine is enough to cause a shocking level of destruction. Hundreds of metal Death Machines, which resemble buildings, can no longer be considered weapons.

To exaggerate a bit, this is practically a farming machine that can "cultivate" every inch of Liyue's land—although the name "farming machine" has already been registered by someone else.

While the members of the Narutoko Extermination Team were still in shock, they heard a woman's voice behind them. It was a calm and elegant voice, but it exuded a noble and graceful aura.

"Welcome to my secret, brave warriors who dare to defy the adopted son of the gods."

The four of them turned around in unison and found a woman in a cheongsam standing on a high rock behind them, calmly playing with a fan in her hand.

The woman at the top seemed to have exquisite luxury written all over her body, armed from head to toe with a large amount of Mora. Of course, her beauty gave her the capital to adorn herself with a lot of money.

Her long, platinum blonde hair was curled up with a black and gold hairpin, and the crimson tassels hanging down her forehead echoed her eye color. Her fair and smooth skin, combined with her delicate features, gave her an air of composed nobility and elegance.

Tianquan star, Ningguang.

In addition, Ningguang's three secretaries, who "fell into the sea" with her, were standing behind her to support Lord Tianquan. However, Ningguang did not need her subordinates to help her maintain order. Normally, she alone was enough to make the old hands in the official and business world lose their composure.

Ying and Ningguang were old friends. Upon discovering that she was not only unharmed but had also secretly accomplished great things in the wild, the traveler girl initially showed a happy expression, but then suppressed her smile and faced Tianquan Star with a serious attitude.

“It’s time to explain, Miss Ningguang.” Ying put her hands on her hips and looked up at her.

……

Even in the wilderness, Ningguang's temporary resting place was still incredibly luxurious, with various exquisite porcelains and paintings arranged in an orderly manner. On her table was a pot of freshly brewed hot tea, the refreshing aroma silently announcing the price of the tea.

The other three members of Narukamiko's extermination team were received by Ningguang's three secretaries, Hyakumon, Hyakushi, and Hyakusho. Only the traveler girl was allowed to enter this office.

Of course, there are also the less noticeable white floating objects.

Ying sat at her desk, meeting Tianquan's gaze, who was unhurried. Ningguang did not look away, but instead poured a cup of tea and pushed it to the traveler's side.

“Tea brewed by Tianquan himself is not something you can drink often.” Ningguang smiled playfully. “Don’t be so nervous, calm your mind by sipping tea.”

Ying didn't touch the teacup: "Liyue is in a very difficult situation right now, it's hard for anyone to stay calm."

“I believe there’s no problem that can’t be solved with Mora.” Ningguang lazily spread her hands. “The upgraded version of the Final Machine outside is a product of Mora stacking.”

Ying was stunned for a moment before realizing that the other person meant those things were very expensive, not that they actually spent money to manufacture them.

Since even the rulers of Tianquan Star aren't flustered, there's no need for a mere mercenary like myself to be overly anxious. With that thought, Ying picked up her teacup. At that moment, she finally turned her attention to the tea and discovered that it wasn't Liyue's green tea but Mondstadt black tea.

She took a sip of her fine tea: "So, can you tell me what exactly happened?"

Ningguang's ever-present smile softened slightly as she poured herself a cup of tea. "It's a long story. I won't go into details about how I discovered the existence of the Righteous Society, how I evaded their surveillance, and how I carried out my plan to fight against them in this cave."

"The reason I didn't tell the other seven stars is that the more important the secret, the fewer people who know it, and the less likely it is to be exposed. Most of the workers mining and manufacturing here are single people with no elderly parents or young children, so the level of secrecy is very high."

"How did you escape from Qunyu Pavilion that day?" Ying asked, puzzled.

“It’s very simple.” Ningguang took a sip of tea and replied casually, “As long as I wasn’t in the Jade Pavilion when it happened, nothing that happened will affect me.”

Suddenly, Tianquan Star became extremely serious.

"However, my old partner Qunyuge has once again sacrificed himself for the country, and my Mora has been greatly reduced as a result—the Righteous Society must pay the price."

"Use those return machines?" Ying had already guessed roughly.