I'm in the Teyvat running group

Chapter 434 The Return Journey is Like the Moon, Calling Back the Old Name

As a legendary archmage at the peak, Yunxiu could naturally see that Fang Jin was acting strangely at a glance!

Putting everything else aside, what's the point of tidying up a military camp with a bunch of men together? Even if someone is handsome, they'd be unrecognizable after three days. Yunxiu himself is often too lazy to tidy up. The reason he usually looks presentable is partly because, as a legendary mage, he can easily solve problems with a simple spell, and partly because he's always surrounded by girls reminding him to tidy up.

Hmm... Cleansing spell was definitely used, and at a high level, probably a third-ring level, involving a full-body cleansing plus the armor.

My hair and beard were cleaned up, which is most likely a first-level spell developed by some mage. I remember there's a shaving spell on the Spirit Realm that doesn't sell very well called "White Magic's Dexterous Face," which is used to handle this. Because first-level spells do have a cost, while shaving yourself doesn't actually cost much.

It was probably too late, so they sought help from the garrison's mages. The cost should have been around 400 Mora...

Seeing me shouldn't require such a hassle.

Yunxiu quickly came to this conclusion, and then it was quite logical to derive the obvious result—this was because of Huixin's arrival and the urgent tidying up.

That's strange. Does it really cost that much to just meet someone?

Hmm? No, I see, I came here by surprise today!

Our Venerable Master Yunxiu has finally realized just how much trouble he has caused today!

Tianxuan Star's explanation is that Huixin and Yunxiu will first withdraw funds, and then manufacture a batch of talismans to deliver to Yuehai Pavilion. At that time, Huixin will most likely send a secretary to Qianyan Army or have Qianyan Army send one or two captains to hand them over, and then go back to test them.

However, in order to avoid the meeting, he took Huixin and flew all the way to the Qianyan Army's garrison. He even conjured up four or five thousand talismans to weaken the wish, which Huixin did not expect.

However, as a child of a god and the second-in-command of the Moon Sea Pavilion Secretariat, Huixin couldn't just be casually received by two captains when she arrived at the Thousand Rock Army's garrison. She also couldn't directly approach Kaiyang Star. So, Huixin could only contact someone she knew in the Thousand Rock Army. Her sister had almost no dealings with the Thousand Rock Army, and given her status, the only people she could possibly have contact with were...

Ok?

Yunxiu carefully walked around Fang Jin once.

Well, at the peak of the eighth ring, he's around thirty, a couple of years younger than his sister. At this age and with this level of skill, there's definitely room for further advancement. His status is also quite good; he's a commander under the General of the East, which is considered a high-ranking officer. To be honest, he's not unworthy of the daughter of Tian Shu Star. His attitude is also quite proper, and his appearance is passable...

“Master Yunxiu, I… I don’t think there’s anything strange about me, right?” Fang Jin was a little flustered, his hands hanging down as he stood there blankly. Although he held a high position, he dared not be negligent in the face of this legendary “Son of God” who led a large number of legends and legions to win the Crane View Sniper Battle and the Night Watcher War.

Looking up at Huixin, Yunxiu noticed that Huixin was looking at her expectantly. She sighed. Her father was in charge of the entire Liyue intelligence department, so this kind of thing couldn't be kept from him. Since her father hadn't reminded her, there was probably nothing wrong with it.

"It's alright. I've discovered your talent in this area is quite good, but you have a lot of hidden injuries." Yunxiu conjured two orbs of light and gently patted them into Fang Jin's body. This was an eighth-ring spell he had modified, "Divine Restoration," which could restore all hidden injuries, poisoning, and various negative statuses in one go. The other orb of light was "Prayer," not a legendary Prayer, but a ninth-ring spell. It boosted the commander's constitution by two points and strength by two points, raising his constitution from 24 to 26 and his strength from 18 to 20, which was considered a slight improvement to his talent.

Feeling much lighter and noticeably stronger, Fang Jin looked at Yun Xiu excitedly. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise after being suddenly notified by Hui Xin that Yun Xiu was coming and rushing over in a fluster.

He had certainly heard rumors of immortals passing on their magic in Liyue, but even that Tianxuan Star, Liyue's head steward, had worked diligently for ten years to accumulate enough contributions. It was only with Ningguang's guarantee that Granny Ping cast a spell for her, forcibly raising her from the seventh ring to the ninth ring. This was because Liyue was indeed lacking such a talent for governance.

Although he was considered a rising star in the Thousand Rock Army and held a high position, there was still a long way to go before he could become a disciple of the immortals. He never expected to achieve this today.

"After this test is over, you'll be transferred to Marshal Fushe's command. You'll first go to the front lines of the Nordkalai War to hunt some monsters and seek a breakthrough." Yunxiu patted Fang Jin's shoulder and smiled. "If you can break through, I'll find you a good mentor to teach you. The world will soon face a crisis even greater than the Flood War. With your current strength, you can't protect your loved ones."

"Yes, I'll take you to the training ground now." Fang Jin nodded more respectfully, took the storage bag handed to him by Hui Xin, and led the way. Soon they arrived at the Qianyan Army's training ground.

He waved his hand, and soon two squads of elite soldiers, led by their commander, came over. One of them was an old acquaintance of Yunxiu, Shi Ming, a captain of the Thousand Rock Army, who had been promoted to commander during the Battle of Aosai. He never expected to see him here.

Fang Jin distributed these thousands of talismans to the two commanders, and they were quickly distributed to the soldiers, who began testing them one by one.

To be honest, the effect of talismans is slightly weaker than that of spells of the same level. For example, if the spell "Quickly Erect Rock Wall" is cast using a normal fifth-circle spell slot, it can create a huge stone wall measuring 3 meters by 30 meters, with a thickness of more than 20 centimeters.

However, using this talisman, he could only achieve about 70% of the skill level. Yunxiu's choice was to ensure the strength and thickness of the stone wall as much as possible, but the area was reduced to about 3 meters x 20 meters. The only advantage was that he really didn't need a mage who could use the stone wall spell, and theoretically, he could throw it indefinitely as long as he had enough talismans.

However, the advantage is that the cost is very low. After mass production, it is hoped that the cost can be reduced to around 450 Mora. Ten copies would only cost 4500 Mora, which is obviously impossible for a mage to achieve.

One spell after another was thrown out by the soldiers. Some soldiers who were injured during training were also carried over to test a series of spells such as [Wound Healing] and [Bone Regeneration]. However, it would take a long time to complete the testing. After observing the effects of some spells, Yunxiu waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to test and collect data on their own. He, Huixin, and Fang Jin then went to the main camp.

"Master Yunxiu, this talisman... is clearly not a big problem. After the testing is completed, it should be produced by your merchant guild." Fang Jin opened a war report on the Thousand Rock Army's extermination of demons and handed it to Yunxiu, saying, "But could you think about how to solve the logistics problem? In a place like Nordkalai, especially after the flood control plan is launched, it will be so quiet that it will be impossible for the soldiers to even get a hot meal."

“Hmm… Food can also be delivered using talismans. It’s unlikely that spatial magic can be used to deliver food directly to a battlefield like that, as it might be exploited by the Abyss. We can use [Constant Temperature Preservation] to prepare the food at the rear and then send it to the battlefield. The only problem here is how to deliver it.” Yunxiu stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said, “Delivery can be handled by the mechanisms. The mechanisms can also set up field hospitals… I can ask Xianyun for assistance with this. Are there any other problems?”

"Thank you so much. That's all. I'll submit the talisman data to Yue Haiting as soon as it's reported, so it won't delay production." Fang Jin cupped his hands in greeting, happily noted down the details, and quickly got back to work.

Yunxiu didn't disturb him, but instead gestured for her sister to leave with her.

Huixin didn't say much; now was indeed not the time for sentimental feelings.

After escorting her sister back to Yuehai Pavilion, Yunxiu figured Yanfei and the others were probably still in a meeting, so she didn't plan to go looking for them. Instead, she prepared to head directly to Mount Aozang, as the matter of the mechanism was indeed more important.

“Little brother…” Huixin called out to Yunxiu, who was about to leave, and said earnestly, “Thank you…”

“We’re family,” Yunxiu replied earnestly. “But I’m not the last one to know this, am I? Sigh… never mind, I can understand why I’d be the last one to know. Here, take this.”

Yunxiu took out two amulets and handed them to Huixin.

"This is?"

“The Resurrection spell, although inscribing the spell is free, the materials do have a cost. This one will probably cost around 500 million Mora.” Yunxiu pointed at the amulet and smiled, “As for who you want to give it to, that’s your business. However… it’s best not to tell him, otherwise sending him to his death is not a good thing.”

"Then just now..." Huixin took the amulet, puzzled, and said, "If you had given it to him, he should have..."

"If I don't tell him, of course I can't deliver it myself. Just keep it as a little surprise." Yunxiu smiled, waved, and left. "Besides, I don't know whether I value the real amulet or the one you gave me more."

He then transformed into a streak of light and rushed straight to Mount Aozang. Huixin stood there, watching Yunxiu's streak of light disappear into the horizon. She then carefully put the two amulets close to her body and returned to work at Yuehai Pavilion.

This was indeed just a small episode in the preparations for war, but the Teyvat War, which may be one of the most brutal wars in history, was one in which no sentimentality could prevail.

He entrusted various information to Xianyun for research and development, entrusted the information gathering work of Nordkalai to Xiaoyue, and also went to Ruotuo Dragon King to check on the forging of a new batch of legendary equipment. He also found Ying and obtained a large number of legendary materials from her, which he also invested in. He put all kinds of talismans into production and began producing talismans and various supplies for the armies of various countries. He even advanced more than 200 billion for this, exhausting all of the Chamber of Commerce's profits for the first quarter...

There are indeed many things that Yunxiu doesn't need to do personally, but there are many things that he needs to personally oversee and handle, otherwise it will be difficult to move forward.

Amidst these intensive preparations, Yunxiu finally met Navelette, who had come from Fontainebleau with a girl—or rather, two, since Columbia had also arrived shortly afterward, four days after the unexpected incident involving her sister.

With crimson hair, crimson eyes, and blood-red floral ornaments on her head, she exuded an eerie yet pure aura.

Her eyes were fixed on Yunxiu, but soon a tear rolled down her cheek, and a strange yet clear voice came from her mouth.

"Elder...it's so good that you're still here..."

Chapter 435 Jade Talisman Carries Affection Awaits Hong Sheng

"Can she still be called 'Sangna Da' now?" Yunxiu reached out and touched Chiyue's little face, sensing it for a moment, then sighed inwardly, "I see..."

Sannada did survive, and the cost was relatively low, but the pain was still there. Yunxiu sensed it and it seemed that Sannada had been transformed into a form with Void Realm power in advance, in order to prevent the Abyss from eroding her. In fact, she had turned herself into a part of the Abyss in advance... This was indeed a method.

Of course, the price is that the form has also changed, because he is actually a fusion of the power of the Void Realm and the power of the Light Realm, so both the power of the Void Realm and the power of the Light Realm can be blocked by his own power.

However, the consequence of this is that her strength will gradually decline. In essence, she is burning her own level. So, the current Crimson Moon is actually only at the fourth level, which is extremely weak. She doesn't even have the laws anymore. It is highly likely that she has handed them over to Columbia in terms of timeline. Only her own position remains. It is almost impossible for her to recover her strength in a short period of time.

"Elder, before the final battle, you made some preparations for us. At that time, the sisters all chose to obey and disappear after meeting the right person, waiting to be resurrected in the future. But I was too scared..." Sannada said sadly, "I am very afraid of death, so I took the initiative to embrace the abyss... Fortunately, you made preparations here in advance, so I was able to barely survive."

Yunxiu nodded. This must be a contingency plan left by his first corpse. This is not surprising. In the past timeline, his first corpse had already encountered Taranis. The flow of the past timeline is extremely strange, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Sometimes it is like watching a movie, and sometimes the progress is extremely fast, and hundreds of years can be crossed in an instant.

"If you survive, you'll have a chance... Many things weren't your fault. Do you remember what really happened back then?"

"You sent Taranis away and arranged for several angels. Then came the final, brutal battle. After that, I was imprisoned in that dungeon, and I've been there ever since." Sannada looked intently at Yunxiu, and after a long pause, she began to describe uncertainly, "Before the final battle, you said there would be a devastating 'flood,' that would be the decisive battle, and then nothing more."

Did I say anything at the time?

"You said... if it were me, I would definitely make all the preparations, right? I was thinking at the time, Elder, you are truly amazing, you have actually thought about things more than six thousand years in the future." Sannada raised her head, but quickly became puzzled: "No, Elder, you are even more complete now? I see, this secret technique is amazing, did you create it?"

“It wasn’t me…you’ll find out later.” Yunxiu waved her hand and patted Sannada’s shoulder: “Focus on recovering. You probably won’t be able to join this war anyway. You can stay in Liyue for now, with Taranis.”

"Taranis, she's back?"

"Correct."

"Alright... Elder, you must also be careful. The enemy we are facing may really be different."

"It's okay, this time is different."

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

A cold wind blew across the mountain pass, and the temperature had dropped to a rather low level. December is usually the season for snow, but the northern border of Nordkale is completely different.

The environment here has become extremely terrifying. Not only is it cold, but there is also a large amount of abyssal energy floating around. All the civilians have been evacuated. Only a very small number of treasure-hunting groups and so-called heroes are still sticking to their own opinions. However, it's hard to persuade these suicidal ghosts, so Yunxiu is too lazy to care about them.

A large number of troops have begun to be stationed here. This time, the seven nations of Teyvat have mobilized more than five million front-line troops, which is four or five times larger than the Nightwatch War. The number of logistics personnel has also doubled.

After its upgrade, the war fortress of Heguan has gained the ability to move slowly. It took a full forty days to sail from the Inazuma Sea and set up camp near Paha Island. The massive war fortress, after its upgrade, has nearly a thousand nine-ring magic arrays, a large number of Returning Machines deployed, and a modified and upgraded mech force. Its role in the war is even greater than the combined efforts of ten legendary peak warriors.

The original residence of the Lamplighters, "Pidamira City," was transformed into a second war fortress. It was slightly smaller than the first war fortress and was powered by a demon-level energy core. It was the energy core of the evil dragon Erinas that Rene and several great scientists dug out, purified, and used here. Its output was even slightly better than that of the Shadow Furnace Core.

Therefore, although the scale of the remodeled city of Pidamira is slightly smaller, its combat power is by no means inferior, and may even be stronger, because the optimized links and magic arrays are naturally better.

The mech units here are slightly different from those in Heguan, mainly because they incorporate mechanical technologies from Zhidong and Fengdan, resulting in more ferocious firepower and stronger protection, but slightly less agility.

These two war fortresses can be considered the "pivot points" in this battle.

In the air, four enormous floating cities floated. These were the Jade Pavilion No. 2, 3, and 4, along with the original one, which Liyue had built with a huge investment over the past year. Now they had official names.

The four ships of the Qunyu Pavilion—Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Tianxuan—even the first one was sailed to Aozang Mountain for modifications. Now, they are almost indistinguishable from the latter three, with significantly enhanced firepower. If there is any difference, it is that they now have more methods and have added spatial protection arrays. In addition, due to the height of the Qunyu Pavilion, they are also equipped with a large number of monitoring systems.

The "Observatory Platform" atop the Mage Association was also replicated. Although its power was relatively small due to its size, the presence of four Jade Pavilions allowed for a clear view of every piece of land in Nordkalai through cross-scanning.

On the sea, warships from various countries equipped with the Returning Machines and numerous agencies are rapidly setting up camps. Under the command of many legendary experts, defensive lines are taking shape in an orderly manner. All targets are aimed at the most critical flood discharge point, namely Star Beach. As for other smaller leak points once the war begins, they will be the responsibility of various elite squads.

The powerful figures from various countries gathered their elite forces, ultimately forming a team of over sixty Genshin Impact-level warriors. This team was then handed over to Commander Serene, who was an expert at commanding such high-level squads.

On the deck of the Yuheng, Yunxiu and Ying stood side by side, watching the scene of people gathering below.

"At the meeting just now, it was said that the total expenditure for this war has reached 7.9 trillion Mora so far... and it may increase further in the future." Ying glanced at Yunxiu, whose expression was calm: "Almost all the powerful people we know have come, and only a few have been left to guard the Dead Zone."

“Yes, at least this year’s fiscal budgets of all countries should be in dire straits.” Yunxiu chuckled and pointed to a position below. “However, it was definitely worth it. The construction speed of the position has been accelerated a lot. The use of talismans is indeed meaningful. Originally, only warriors could dig them up, since few mages could do such work. The precious elemental energy should be saved for critical moments.”

Yesterday, Dvalin delivered the first batch of printed talismans, totaling 150 million copies. A small portion of them have already been distributed to accelerate the construction of the fortifications.

The final total print run should be over one billion, with each country paying hundreds of billions of Mora in costs. However, the Yunxiu Chamber of Commerce is currently making the payments, and each country will allocate these funds to the Chamber of Commerce at the next year's Spirit Realm Settlement and Distribution Conference.

"I'm going now." Ying looked at Columbia and Arecino and the others who had already come out of the back room, drew her sword and looked at Yunxiu, saying, "You must be careful here... This time we have three battlefields, so this place can only be left to you."

Yunxiu hugged Ying without saying much; their relationship had already far surpassed the point where they needed to say a lot.

Ying, Columbia, and Tsukihime have left. The three of them need to enter the dark side of the "Moon" to find the three Moon Goddesses and make Columbia the complete "Goddess of the Empty Moon". This is their first step. Next is the operation that the Seven Gods have planned: to hunt down Nibelungen outside the False Heaven, or at least to clip his wings.

Once these two things succeed, the next step will be to pull back the moon, and the flood control war will officially begin. As for when the floodgates will be "closed," according to Alice and several witch mages, it will only take about two weeks of flood control to release most of the pressure and extend the lifespan of the False Heaven to about twenty years. At that time, Teyvat will have more time to prepare for war and at least be able to snatch more power from the mouth of the abyss.

Therefore, the Seven Gods began preparations last month. Now, they have "disappeared" from this world, in a conceptual sense. The war outside the False Heaven will begin the moment Columbia enters the Dark Side of the Moon.

All Yunxiu has to do now is wait.

When Colombia returns, when the flood begins, all he needs to do before that is make adequate preparations.

He didn't know how long he would need to prepare before this moment arrived.

He didn't know exactly how clear the preparations should be.

Stepping down from the Jade Pavilion, this is the closest base to Starfall Beach. According to the Spirit Realm, this is the base of the 45th and 46th Special Operations Squads. Judging from the markings, the commander should be the legendary powerhouse Inazuma, the former general of Haiji Island, Goro. As for the squad leaders, they are all at the ninth ring strength, Haiji Island's deputy general Teppei and Liyue's commander Fang Jin.

This wasn't Yunxiu's intentional visit; it was purely by chance.

Upon entering the military camp, the elite squad's camp was slightly smaller than the ordinary camp, but the soldiers' morale and temperament were noticeably higher, and each of them was at least at the Genshin Impact level. Occasionally, there were even a few eighth-ring powerhouses competing against each other; these were all the squad leaders under the squad leader.