I'm in the Teyvat running group

The postwar recovery was quite rapid, as the core territories of the seven nations were not significantly affected. The first reconstruction team for Nordkalle was almost fully assembled and would depart for Nordkalle after the Lantern Festival to begin reconstruction.

Precisely because it didn't have a significant impact, even the usually serious Winter and Sumeru regions held similar celebrations with Liyue this year, which was unprecedented. Of course, Winter's celebrations were somewhat bloody. In addition to sending more than 700 men and their families to lifelong hard labor and exile, Scarlett also reported to the Queen the day before the Lantern Festival, and beheaded more than 5,000 people at the Queen's palace gate in one go.

On that day, all the strong who remained in winter and those who had participated in the flood control war, as well as many of their family and friends, witnessed this scene in front of the Queen's Palace.

They watched all of this unfold quietly, then quietly applauded, and finally quietly left without uttering a single word. The hundreds of thousands of silent people seemed to have been directed to come and go quietly.

But only those who originally lived in hell, but were liberated by a decree and moved into rooms with heated magic arrays, know that silence is the greatest sound.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, the high platform used for sacrifices at Yujingtai was finally completed.

The six gods and their retinues attended the festival, and standing at the forefront were those who had made great contributions in the flood control war: the Fools of Winter, the boilermen of Fontaine, the dragon knights of Natalya, the scout rangers of Mondstadt, the ronin of Inazuma, the scholars of Sumeru, and the Thousand Rock Army of Liyue.

One by one, they carried memorial tablets bearing names to the central platform and placed them directly beneath it.

Those are people who cannot be resurrected, nor can they return.

22739 people.

璃月7214、至冬5087、须弥2941、蒙德2683、纳塔2216、稻妻1865、枫丹733。

Each plaque was personally inscribed by powerful members of various countries, who wrote down their names, identities, experiences, and battle achievements.

Their families were invited to the scene, and their names will eventually be engraved on the reconstruction monument in Nordkale to commemorate those who perished in the flooding battle and could never be brought back to life.

Those powerful individuals who were among the first to be resurrected were also silently watching these names. They were warriors just like him, and they had all participated in this war. The only difference was that they lacked some luck, but luck always requires some chance.

The heroes have indeed passed away, but the true warriors must continue to forge ahead.

Zhongli, also known as the Rock King Emperor, appeared solemnly in the center of the sacrificial platform, wearing a black robe with twelve symbols of the sun, moon and stars, a purple-gold crown with twelve tassels, a wide belt, and jade ornaments. Behind him were six gods dressed in the formal attire of leaders from various countries, who also had solemn expressions.

Even Mavica, who had shrunk to the size of a young girl, and the Great Tree King stood in place seriously with solemn expressions.

He led the way in bowing, and then, slowly and deliberately, read out the prepared eulogy.

This was written by him personally, a true work of imperial calligraphy.

"...O soul, return! Behold this new heaven, and enjoy this sacrifice. O soul, return! Receive this wine, and soothe this heart. Those who cannot be brought back to life, shall not be forgotten! Alas! May you accept this offering!"

As the last word was read and the eulogy was quietly lit, the entire city of Teyvat fell into a state of silent mourning.

Unlike the war five hundred years ago, this time it was a flood control war initiated by the seven kingdoms. But it was precisely because it was initiated by the kingdoms and had many inevitabilities that everything about this war was so frustrating and complicated.

Some might say that this is not the war they want.

But this is a war they will inevitably encounter.

Fang Jin gazed wistfully at the deities on the platform and their retinues standing before them. He wasn't weak; he had performed admirably in this war. But at this moment, he truly understood the terror of war and the sorrow of facing death afterward. Staring at everything before him, he stood there, stunned and numb.

"Don't get distracted... This is a crucial moment." Feng Yan nudged him with his elbow, only to find that his old friend had actually started to sing a song from the time of the Demon God War.

"Wielding a glass spear and clad in rock armor, chariots clashed and short weapons engaged."

"Banners obscure the sun, enemies are like clouds, arrows fall in a flurry, soldiers fight valiantly."

Two lines of folk song drifted slowly from his side, influencing more people around him, more Qianyan soldiers, who began to sing along.

"They swept through my ranks and trampled my path; my left horse was killed and my right horse was wounded."

"Two wheels shrouded in haze, four horses bound, jade drumsticks drawn, drums struck."

Feng Yan couldn't help but start singing too. This was a song that all the Thousand Rock Army members could sing. It was a song that the predecessors of the Thousand Rock Army sang when they went to the battlefield during the era of the Demon God War. However, at that time, there were not many advanced weapons, and they often had to rely on physical combat.

"Heaven's will is against us, and the spirits are enraged; a brutal slaughter ensues, leaving the wastelands barren!"

"Going out, I cannot return; the plains stretch endlessly, the road is incredibly long!"

Fushe also began to chant softly. The powerful figures present were all moved by this song, as if they had returned to a thousand years ago, to the time when Liyue rose up amidst the flames of war. At that time, the Emperor fought alongside them to conquer all directions, establishing a vast territory for Liyue and protecting countless people...

"With a long sword and a thunder bow at my side, though my head and body are severed, my heart will not waver!"

"He is both courageous and martial, ultimately strong and unyielding!"

One voice after another rang out, continuing the song. Even people from other countries joined in singing the incantation until the Emperor himself slowly opened his mouth and sang the last line.

"Though the body is dead, the spirit lives on; the soul, resolute, becomes a heroic ghost..."

He slowly glanced at the soldiers below, a strange light flashing in his eyes. He gently placed the incense stick in his hand on the altar, bowed three times more respectfully, then quietly stepped back, watching the incense rise slowly. He then began to chant:

"In the past, there were loyal souls, like wild geese scattering east and west."

"Now I light the lamp, hoping that the spirits of the heroes will not be misled."

He looked at the inscription and the names on the monument before him and smiled softly.

"What a beautiful...worldly life."

—End of "Nodcalle Chapter"

Ending Remarks

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this volume.

Most of the foreshadowing has been resolved, so the next volume will be much easier to tell the story without much pressure. That is, the next major foreshadowing will be resolved, so let's talk about it briefly as usual.

1. Regarding the final war, this was the plan from the first volume, so we've been laying the groundwork all along. Of course, the structure of the first volume wasn't quite complete yet.

2. Basically, everything has been mentioned earlier. For example, the mecha is from the Inazuma arc, as is the war fortress, and many other things were also mentioned earlier, including the Kunyu Pavilion. This is a summary of what I've compiled here.

3. Eulogies and ballads are too heavy for me to write, so I just found two and modified them slightly.

4. Regarding the imperial robes, there is actually no restriction on whether they are all worn by the emperor. This has been around since the Zhou Dynasty, before there was even an emperor. It is written in the Book of Rites of Zhou. So Zhongli is probably a rumor. The twelve symbols are the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, pheasant, sacrificial vessels, waterweed, fire, rice grains, axe, and axe. Of course, Teyvat may have some changes.

5. The winter scenes referenced some works from the Russian serfdom period, but the main framework was written by myself.

6. Of course, this is also a setup for what's to come. The next volume will definitely discuss Winter, but this one is my own original Winter. Although it's still closely related to Old Mi, many details can only be speculated on by myself.

7. There should be two more volumes. Next is Winter (Moonlight Volume), and then the ending. The two volumes will be about 500,000 to 600,000 words, which is similar to the current Nordkale chapter. The Nordkale chapter is 270,000 words, and the final volume should be around 2.1 million.

8. I have several ideas for my next book, but I haven't decided on one yet, so I'm not in a rush. After all, I'm not a professional author. However, I've discovered that I do have the ability to structure a two-million-word book, so I'm quite confident.

9. Actually, as you've followed the series up to this point, it's clear that the story after the Inazuma arc is basically original. The plot and story direction afterward are almost completely different from the original Genshin Impact storyline. The world-building is also something I wrote myself, so it should be quite interesting.

Finally, I would like to thank all the friends who have read this far for their support. Although this book started out as an accident, the ending is quite good.

Chapter 461 Meeting an Old Friend on the Road to Relieve Sorrow

May, the beginning of summer, is a time that is not too hot, but still a bit hot.

Yunxiu was followed by three or four children of different ages as they walked toward the General Affairs Department. Along the way, people kept greeting him, and he responded with a smile to each of them.

Occasionally, one or two people would come over and pull out bills written by the Emperor himself, which Yunxiu would sign one by one. This was the tacit understanding he and Zhongli had always had. Although the bills were getting bigger every year, it was not a big deal for the Chamber of Commerce. Although he still didn't know exactly how much money he had, it was just a drop in the ocean.

Along the way, he bought some cotton candy and shared it with the little ones behind him, which caused a burst of cheers. The little girl called out "Daddy," but then wiped her mouth, which she had just licked from the cotton candy, on his robe, making Yunxiu both amused and helpless.

However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the General Affairs Department, he saw a familiar couple and two children sitting on the steps. They were the owners of "Natasha's Kitchen," a restaurant he occasionally ate at.

"Gentlemen, why are you sitting on the steps? Didn't you come to the General Affairs Department on business?" Yunxiu asked Risto and Katja with a smile. It was he who approved the dispatch of his son to rescue Katja back then. Later, she settled down in Risto's hotel, and the two had a pair of twin children. Although their parents were both from Winterland, the two children looked similar to them in appearance and also had the aura of Liyue people. They were indeed very good-looking.

“Master Yunxiu, this matter is also a headache for me.” Listo looked at the children behind Yunxiu and said, “You must also be here to enroll your children in school, right… I see there are four of you?”

“Yes… all four of them are of primary school age.” Yunxiu patted the children’s heads: “Pingxiao, Anyan, Anxing, Pinghai, come and call us uncle and aunt.”

Pingxiao and Anyan are Xiaogong's children, Anxing is Ying's child, Pinghai is Liuying's child... These children are all six years old this year, which is indeed the time for them to go to school. However, there are still a few children in the family who have already started school and a bunch of children who haven't had a chance to start school yet. Yunxiu is now living a painful yet joyful life as a stay-at-home dad.

“The children of Master Yunxiu are all very good-looking.” Katya said with a smile, then opened a cloth bag from behind her and handed it to the children: “Try this, these are honey crisps I baked before I left this morning, they’re sure to be delicious.”

"Wow, thank you, Auntie!" Yun Anyan happily took a cookie and quickly started eating it. Katya gave the small bag to her own child, letting the two children take Yunxiu's four children to share the cookie. She smiled at the group before continuing apologetically, "Master Yunxiu, it's like this... My two children and Risto's need to enroll in school. In principle, we should have our parents' marriage certificate and property certificate so they can attend better schools. Risto has the property certificate, but we don't have the marriage certificate... It's difficult to process. We are still Winterborns, and although we have permanent residency, Winterborns who get married have to return to Winterborn. However, free education in Liyue requires a marriage certificate in Liyue..."

"You...didn't get married?"

Ristol and Katya nodded blankly. Yunxiu paused for a few minutes before speaking, "But I remember there should be an exemption clause. It only requires the signature of the Marriage Office of the General Affairs Department. The process usually takes about thirty days."

"But there are only seven days left until the deadline, so we're trying to figure something out here."

“Back then… we never thought about getting married. We just ended up together one day and then we had a child.” Ristor looked at his wife, who was now exuding charm thanks to good nutrition, and said, “If it doesn’t work out, it’s okay if we go to a less prestigious school this year. We can transfer next year. Anyway, the Chamber of Commerce has employee slots, and I should have enough for two by next year.”

He held Katya's hand and smiled.

When Katya first arrived, it took him more than a year to fully recover. Then one day, for some reason, he looked at Katya's fair arms while she was working, and it felt like grass was growing wildly in his heart. The emotions of people in winter are often so intense and reckless.

Then he had two children, Li Zhi and Li Dong... Now his surname is Li, but because the Liyue people who come to eat always call him Boss Li, he simply wrote his name as Li Sto.

Nine years have passed since the flood control battle ended. His and Katya's child is now six and a half years old. When it was time for him to start school, he needed to prove that he was not married. Although that didn't matter.

"It's not a big deal. Let me think... According to the 'Regulations on the Calculation and Redemption of Military Merits' established back then, there's a provision that states that if someone is transferred to the reserves after retirement and works or performs missions for various countries' governments each year, they can redeem one opportunity annually for a special talent channel, worth 500 points." Yunxiu flipped through her spiritual terminal, looked at a few entries, and smiled, "Hmm, that's right, I wrote this one too. Let me see yours..."

"Listo, peak level 8, currently serves as the deputy commander of the reserve forces in Liyue Harbor Rock Harbor District (concurrently), has carried out 37 missions and 18 regular training missions, with 29825 points, which is more than enough."

"Really? That's wonderful." Katya looked at the crystal plate Yunxiu handed her, pulled her husband and laughed, "Then let's get married now! Then the children can go to school normally."

“Alright, let’s go to Liuli Pavilion for dinner tonight to celebrate your marriage.” Li Sto smiled and hugged his wife, then looked at Yunxiu and said with a smile, “Thank you, Master. I never thought we could go through this channel. Let’s go and get it done now.”

"Let's go together, I also need to go to the General Affairs Department to complete the formalities for the children." Yunxiu smiled and called to the children to follow, and the group quickly walked into the General Affairs Department.

Huixin is currently in charge of the General Affairs Department, but Yunxiu is just here to handle some normal business, so there's no need to bother her sister. Huixin married Fang Jin after the flood control war ended, and then they got married and had children. Two years ago, she came to the General Affairs Department to take over as the head. Now, according to her father, she is competing for the position of head of the Salt Industry Bureau, but Yunxiu is not very interested in these things.

Tian Shu retired four years ago and is now at home taking care of his many grandchildren and three great-granddaughters. The current Tian Shu star is Ye Lan, but Ye Lan says she can only serve for three to five years at most, and asks the Seven Stars to find a suitable successor as soon as possible.

As for Fang Jin... he is now the General of the Eastern Garrison of the Thousand Rock Army and has already broken through to the legendary level. The couple is always busy, much busier than Yun Xiu, so the children are all left in his father's old house. For Tian Shu, it's just a matter of taking care of one or a group of children. Anyway, he's a retired old man with an eighth-ring strength and the Kiss of Time, which makes his physical condition better than many young people. Taking care of children is only natural.

The window is an old place for Yunxiu. After all, Yunxiu has completed nine procedures here in the past few years, and with these four now, that makes thirteen.

The first were Yun Pingsong and Yun Anning, then Xiangling's daughter Yun Anli, Sugar's son Yun Pingsi, Hu Tao's daughter Yun Anzhi, Navia's daughter Yun Anwei, Shen He's daughter Yun Ansheng, Yan Fei's son Yun Pingyan, and Nilu's son Yun Pingxi. They were born one after another after the war. The oldest, Pingsong, looks to be fifteen or sixteen years old this year. He is naturally growing fast and has learned very quickly under Xiaoyue's education. He has officially entered the Imperial Academy.

However, most of the names were not chosen by themselves, but were bestowed by immortals or emperors. The only exception was Hu Tao's daughter, Yun Anzhi. According to Hu Tao, since Hu Tao had offspring, the name was naturally Hu Tao Zhi, and so the name came about. Surprisingly, it has a very nice feel to it.

Walnut Branch is seven years old this year, and she has already begun to show considerable talent in the magic of the Hall of Rebirth. She often helps her unreliable mother with many affairs of the Hall of Rebirth, which makes the Guest Emperor quite gratified...

After the Battle of Xiaoyue and Lishui, they joined forces to open the Academy of Magic Arrays and Talismans at the Imperial Academy, which quickly became one of the most popular majors in Teyvat. After all, with two immortal professors and several legendary disciples they had trained, their level of expertise was beyond doubt.

As for Gui Zhong, with the support of Yue Ji, she opened a company and, on the second day of her plan to sweep through the Teyvat entertainment industry, she unexpectedly ran into the gaming giant "Yoru no Tsukai". The two fought fiercely, almost to the death, but under the intervention of a mysterious force, they quickly shook hands and made peace, entering a peculiar state of healthy competition, which greatly improved the Teyvat entertainment industry.

However, the most important reason is probably that the rapid rise of the gaming giant "Nevaski Consortium" has posed a significant threat to both companies.

However, the creative and development capabilities of the people of Zhidong have improved dramatically in recent years, and they are now almost catching up with Inazuma, becoming the second largest cultural and entertainment industry developer in the Spirit Realm.

This shows that the reforms implemented in the winter were quite effective, but also extremely devastating.

Scarlett's way of solving problems was very simple and brutal. She drew two lines, and those on the upper line were all dragged to the front of the Queen's Palace for weekly beheadings.

The section below, which included rectification and light labor service, has now largely been rectified.

Those in between were all sent to Nordkalai for reconstruction labor. They lived in the original Allied barracks, and their food and drink were basically the same, but they had no other guarantees. Most of them died from exhaustion after a few years of hard work. Their bodies were then dragged away by the body collectors, burned on the spot, and registered. They had no right to be resurrected.