This heroine is so despicable

"Tsk..."

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

In the end, Xing's plan failed - last night she wanted to persuade Ying to sleep naked with her, but unfortunately the latter was thin-skinned, and with Paimeng lying in the middle, they could hardly get close.

However, in the following days, she and Ying still enjoyed the upcoming festival.

They went to listen to Mr. Yun's play together and became friends. The latter had long heard that the two were heroes who defeated Osel, and enthusiastically expressed his desire to write a play based on them.

They also strolled through the streets of Liyue with Master Hu, tasted various Liyue delicacies, and stole Qiqi as their playmate for the day.

As leisurely as them were the guests of the Wangsheng Hall who were strolling around - it seemed that Prince Yan's business had indeed made the Wangsheng Hall very profitable, otherwise Xing would never understand why Hu Tao would let her employees go around listening to operas, entertaining birds and drinking tea every day, and they were more free and easy than her, the boss.

On the eve of the Liyue Festival, an exceptionally large ship arrived at Liyue Port. At the same time, Ningguang also invited Xing and Ying to go to the Jade Pavilion to participate in this year's Sea Lantern Festival, and a friend wanted to introduce them to each other.

"He can't be a big shot, like the other Seven Stars or something?" Paimon asked curiously.

Xing shrugged: "Won't you know when you go there?"

In the evening, the two of them went up to the Jade Pavilion with Paimeng, where Ningguang had already prepared a banquet. In addition to her three secretaries, there was also a black-haired lady with an eye mask who looked heroic.

Ningguang saw them coming and immediately introduced them:

"Look, these two are the strangers who helped Liyue repel the Whirlpool Demon God - Xing and Ying, and their companion Paimon."

"You two, this is the leader of the Southern Cross Fleet, the captain of the Death Star, and the 'Uncrowned Dragon King' of Liyue - Beidou."

"Nice to meet you!"

Beidou went up to greet the two enthusiastically.

"I heard that if it weren't for you, Ningguang wouldn't even be able to protect her Jade Pavilion? Oh! I really wish I could be there in that battle! Demon God Osel, it's hard to imagine how epic that scene would be..."

Beidou looks like a reliable big sister-type leader, and Xing has a natural resistance to mature women, and fell in love with this aggressive big sister at first sight.

[You sound like you're immune to anything. Any pretty girl will attack your XP bar, right?]

Narrator: Shut up and don't ruin my business!

Xing smiled and shook Beidou's hand:

"I have heard of Sister Beidou's great name a long time ago. Everyone says that Sister Beidou can chop a sea beast as big as a mountain with one sword. If Sister Beidou was there in that battle, it would have been much easier!"

"That's all nonsense! How can a mountain be that big?"

Beidou suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Although the sea beast I killed was indeed very powerful, it would be too much of an honor to compare it with the Whirlpool Demon! That was an ancient demon that only the Emperor could seal..."

When the Emperor was mentioned, Beidou's tone became slightly more complicated.

Obviously, when they just returned to Liyue, they would be somewhat surprised and uncomfortable to learn that their god, who had worked for thousands of years, had retired.

After some pleasantries, Beidou immediately fell in love with the sweet-talking Xing. Even before they had talked for long, he had already started thinking about how to "get Xing on board".

Ningguang also smiled and explained why she arranged this meeting:

"Ever since Inazuma closed off its borders, the surrounding seas have been filled with thunderstorms. Only large and sturdy ships can barely pass through. Beidou's Death Star is one of them. In other words, Ying, if you want to go to Inazuma, you have to ask Beidou to take you there."

Beidou immediately waved his hand to indicate that this was no problem, but the Death Star had just returned from Inazuma, and both the people and the ship needed to rest well, and it would not be time to go out to sea in the short term.

And Xing was a little confused:

"Isn't Inazuma a closed-door country? Won't the shogunate's navy stop Liyue's ships?"

Ningguang smiled and shook her head:

"Inazuma's political system is different from Liyue's. As far as I know, although the Thunder General is in charge of the shogunate, she doesn't seem to be as diligent in management as the emperors of the past. Since Inazuma announced her isolation and issued the Eye Hunting Order, many matters have been handled by Inazuma's 'Three Commissioners' for her."

Beidou nodded and added:

"That's right. For example, the one we are dealing with is Inazuma's 'Kanjo Bugyo'. Although the general has requested a policy of isolation... it is clear that many dignitaries and wealthy people in Inazuma still need goods from the other six countries to satisfy some of their enjoyment..."

"They still need Liyue's silk, porcelain, and precious minerals, Mondstadt's fine wine, and even some mushrooms from Xumi and strange gadgets from Fontaine... That's what we do on the Death Star."

At this point, Beidou couldn't help but laugh sarcastically:

"In fact, it was a blessing in disguise for the Southern Cross Fleet - in the past, anyone could do this job, but now only our Death Star can pass through the thunderstorm."

[So this isolationism is just a way of locking up loneliness? ]

Paimon beside him also touched his head:

"So, General Raiden doesn't know about this? Then wouldn't it be easy for us to sneak to Inazuma?"

Beidou shook his head:

"Not really. The people of the Three Embassies generally obey the orders of the general. Outsiders like us will be restricted to an outlying island - oh, an island open to the outside world. Now all foreign merchants can only operate there."

Xing couldn't help but think about it after hearing this. Then she asked Ningguang:

"Then... before Inazuma closed off the country, what was the trade volume between Liyue and Inazuma like?"

"Of course it is extremely prosperous. Every month, Liyue and Inazuma have a large trade of goods with each other. As an island country, Inazuma's products are not abundant, but their goods are very popular. For example, their swords, armor, and various handicrafts."

That is to say, the profits were huge when the market was open. It's really strange. Why didn't they send a fleet to ask the shogunate to reopen the country?

[How about painting the boat black? And don’t forget…]

Oh, by the way, there really is a god in Inazuma, so it’s okay.

Volume 116: Under the Sun of Yu Tongheng: I am really just learning and exploring with Master Ningguang

It's too early to go to Inazuma - it's impossible for the Death Star to set out to sea specifically to send people and empty the warehouse. Crew rest, ship maintenance, and discussions with various chambers of commerce on the next ship's cargo... all these take time.

At night, Xing and Ying were again hosted by Ningguang in the Qun Yu Pavilion. However, Beidou was not used to staying in the sky overnight, so he went back.

Late at night, Xing decisively and quietly slipped out of her room. When she was thinking about whether to attack Ningguang or Yingmei at night, she found that the light in the living room was still on.

When he walked over to take a look, Xing found that Ningguang was still writing and drawing something at the desk.

"Are you still working so late?"

Ningguang had heard her footsteps a long time ago, but she didn't even turn her head. She just continued to look at the drawings on the table and let Xing hug her from behind.

"I'm just thinking about something. But you... you're coming to me at this time. Are you planning something bad? If Ying finds out, you better be careful."

After hearing what Ningguang said, Xing felt even more excited.

[Since you want to pursue excitement, then follow through to the end! Quickly take Ningguang to Yingmei’s door to play the “No Sound Game”! ]

Xing was giving Ningguang a head massage and was about to say something naughty when his eyes fell on the strange drawing on the table - it seemed to be... a design drawing of some kind of battleship?

"Why, has Lord Ningguang finally considered forming a real navy? But why does this ship have no sails? And why is the cabin..."

Halfway through his speech, Xing was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then his tone was somewhat incredulous:

"Wait... this... isn't a boat?"

Ningguang smiled:

"It can actually be considered a kind of ship, except... it flies in the sky - just like my Qun Yu Pavilion."

[Wait…wait? A floating battleship!? For real?]

Xing's curiosity was instantly piqued, and she quickly began to look at the design drawing carefully. It took her a while to calm down her excitement.

"You clearly didn't even want to install a few more cannons on the Qun Yu Pavilion before, so why are you suddenly enlightened now? If you build this thing, aren't you afraid of 'surprising your allies'?"

Ningguang shook her head, then rested her head on Xing's body:

"In the battle of Osel, if it weren't for your and Ying's help, the Jade Pavilion would have turned into a reef in the sea. The moment you jumped, I regretted asking you to take the risk for me... But I didn't have enough strength at that time..."

[Keywords detected, I can't do anything, password is correct, login location is wrong]

"I've told you before, haven't I? I used to hope that the shadow of the Jade Pavilion could cover the Seven Kingdoms... But now it seems that if it is just a beautiful castle in the air, it is meaningless..."

"Now that the Emperor has stepped down, the godless Liyue is bound to face many crises in the future. It must have a powerful weapon that can deter the villains from all directions."

Xing opened his mouth:

"So... you plan to build an aerial battleship directly?"

Ningguang nodded:

"What you said before gave me a lot of inspiration. Since we are going to install cannons on the Jade Pavilion, why not just build a floating battleship that is more maneuverable, more defensive, and more reasonably designed?"

Ningguang's fingertips ran across the design drawing.

"Look, after removing the useless buildings, the whole ship will be covered with a full metal shell. The weapons are currently scheduled to be the final machine. Although there are still many design and technical issues to be finalized, if this battleship is built, even if Osel breaks free from the seal again, we won't have to be as embarrassed as last time."

[Oh no, these might actually be able to knock on the door of Inazuma’s country]

Such a battleship is naturally nothing compared to their hometown on the planet where they can even sell star destroyers, but if it were to be placed in Teyvat, it would be quite a surprise.

"But... the cost of building a warship like this probably won't be cheaper than the one in the Qun Yu Pavilion, right? And the technical difficulty is also completely different..."

Ningguang nodded:

"Right. This is just a preliminary idea. I plan to hire some experts from Fontaine to participate in this matter. That country has already produced an airship that can efficiently transport people and goods... Although the energy source it uses seems to be only suitable for Fontaine... However, as the key power source of this battleship, I still plan to use the Mingxia Floating Stone."

"Mingxia floating life stone?"

"Yes, the Qun Yu Pavilion was able to take off because it was built on a Mingxia Floating Life Stone. However, it may be difficult to find another Floating Life Stone that is strong enough to support the weight of the warship."

Xing was very interested in building a floating battleship and immediately asked:

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ningguang smiled and shook her head:

"Not yet. The relevant design and construction still need detailed discussions with professionals. I also need to convince the other seven stars for funding for its construction. This battleship is not like the Qun Yu Pavilion, which is an asset that belongs to me alone. It belongs to Liyue."

Xing nodded:

"Understood. An air force to protect the people of Liyue."

"air force……"

Ningguang smiled:

"This term is quite appropriate."

Xing, who was inexplicably interested in the giant battleship's cannons, excitedly discussed the various designs of the battleship with Ningguang.

What is the reason for the final machine to be designed as a rotatable turret, not a side gun that can be driven backwards...

Whether to install a ram on the bow, what material should be used for the armor plate to ensure it is not overweight, what kind of power plant should be used, is it Fontaine technology or Liyue's fairy mechanical technology, and what the ship will be called in the future...

After a series of inappropriate names proposed by the narrator, such as "Emperor's Fist", "Ten Thousand Years Falcon", "Black Base", and "Hyperion", were rejected, Xing tried to ask:

"How about calling it... Tianquan?"

Xing rested his chin on Ningguang's shoulder and gently sniffed the faint scent of perfume on her.

Ningguang pretended not to care about Xing's hand gradually moving downwards:

"I've already told you this, this is not my personal battleship..."

"Then... How about Starlight?"

"Starlight..."

Ningguang naturally immediately understood who this name came from.

"This……"

Ningguang was somewhat tempted, but she also felt that calling her that was a bit...

“Most people wouldn’t make that connection. They would just think that Lady Ningguang’s name is romantic, that she has her heart set on the sky, and that she has a long-term vision…”

Xing's fingertips slowly slid across the top of the front armor on the design drawing, and he drew on it, as if thinking about how to make it stronger so that it could withstand more firepower.

"...Besides, I will also come to help Lady Ningguang. We will complete it together, and naming it after both of us is a reasonable reward, right?"

With her other hand, she turned to the next page of the design and used two fingers to feel the ribs of the hull as she skipped across the flat and smooth deck, just like a little man walking. During this time, she could even feel the powerful beating of the boiler, which brought lively power to this beautiful ship.

Finally, her fingertips reached the bilge of the battleship.

The Starlight is obviously a beautifully shaped ship. The stern cabin, like the bow cabin, has a larger displacement than expected, but it is usually wrapped in ship equipment, so it does not look so amazing.

Xing seriously thought about the design of these two parts and carefully explored their design layout, as if he wanted to remember this knowledge forever.

Ningguang panted slightly:

"Have you... thought it through? If this is the reward you want..."

"I've already thought about it - Lady Ningguang is a greedy person, and so am I, and even greedier than Lady Ningguang... So..."