Ningguang's words left the Millelith momentarily confused.
In their impression, nobody had been injured during this entire demon-god attack.
Not a single ship had even lost a plank.
What "battle damage" was there to report?
Yet the four Grandmasters in charge of this operation stepped forward solemnly:
"North defense line: five-kilometer stretch of seaside port—blue-stone tiles damaged."
"South defense line: six-point-four-kilometer stretch—blue-stone tiles damaged."
"West defense line…"
One after another, the reports continued—
And every single "loss" listed was exactly the same:
broken stone tiles along the port.
Tiles which, mind you, were already scheduled for replacement.
The citizens of Liyue looked at Ningguang in puzzlement.
A demon-god invasion this huge…
And the only casualty was some old stone you planned to replace anyway?
Why did Ningguang look unhappy?
"Only this?"
The Grandmasters lowered their heads in shame, unable to reply.
Ningguang raised her hand, and several Millelith soldiers from the very back were pulled forward.
Every one of them had bruises, scratches—
some even had fist marks on their faces.
But…
These wounds clearly looked much more like injuries from fellow humans, not from monsters.
Ningguang swept her gaze across the group—
And very nearly laughed from sheer anger.
"What is this? A group of trained martial artists fighting weak monsters—and you end up THIS injured? These wounds don't even look like they came from monsters."
The four Grandmasters shrank.
Finally, one spoke, nearly whispering:
"Apologies, Lady Ningguang… During battle, everyone became too excited. They… accidentally struck their own allies. A total of one thousand two hundred and four friendly-fire injuries."
"B-but all are minor. They will recover quickly."
Not only Ningguang—
All the Qixing were instantly furious.
"The illustrious Millelith—most elite force of Liyue, respected across Teyvat."
"And now all of you are martial artists with extraordinary power, the FIRST to adapt to the revived spiritual energy."
"Liyue poured resources into you, hand-selecting you from tens of thousands!"
"And THIS is the result you give Liyue?"
"A few insignificant monsters— and you look like THIS?"
"And most ridiculous of all—THE MONSTERS DIDN'T EVEN INJURE YOU. YOU INJURED YOURSELVES."
"Grown arrogant because you gained power, have you?"
"Eyes higher than the sky?"
"With teamwork this poor, what right do you have to cultivate?"
"With discipline like this, what right do you have to protect the people?"
"GET OUT! ALL OF YOU GO HOME!"
Kaeya Star, the most hot-headed of the Qixing, roared the loudest, practically pointing at their noses.
The Millelith hung their heads, ashamed.
Because… Kaeya Star was right.
Yes, the monsters were plenty.
But nearly forty thousand Postnatal martial artists, two to three thousand Innate cultivators, AND four Grandmasters—
Such a lineup would flatten the monsters even if they had made landfall.
Realistically, they should've finished the fight with ZERO injuries.
Instead?
The monsters never hurt them—
they beat each other up.
What kind of elite army injures itself before the enemy can even touch them?
If Rex Lapis were still Archon—
he would've blown a vein witnessing this disaster.
"Those who injured others are unskilled.
Those who GOT injured… even MORE unskilled!"
Kaeya Star slammed his foot down, glaring at the four Grandmasters.
"This spreads through Teyvat, and what face do you have left? People will say—"
'The Millelith of Liyue—individually strong, but teamwork trash. Before enemies arrive, they beat their own comrades.'
'Their martial training has turned them stupid.'
'Proud, complacent, useless in coordinated battle.'
"You want the world laughing at Liyue?!"
The Millelith wanted to crawl into the seabed.
One Grandmaster bowed deeply.
"Apologies, Lord Kaeya. It was my failure in coordinating the troops. I accept any punishment."
"Lord Kaeya, I am also responsible!"
All four voiced their guilt.
Kaeya clicked his tongue, then glanced at the citizens craning their necks to watch.
His anger spiked again.
"You ALL share responsibility. Not just these four— the ENTIRE Millelith has gotten lax!"
"Look how many witnessed your disgrace today! Citizens of Liyue—
AND foreigners from Mond, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, Snezhnaya!"
"Even the Sect Master is watching from above!
You DARE embarrass us right in his face?!"
"Therefore:
All Millelith involved today—
injured, injuring, or commanding—
WILL BE DOCKED THREE MONTHS' PAY!"
"And after you return, FIX your teamwork.
If in one month you cannot display proper coordination—
Liyue no longer needs you!"
The Millelith bowed deeply.
"Yes, sir!"
Ningguang sighed helplessly.
"Kaeya, no need to be too harsh. True, today's friendly-fire incident is disappointing."
"But they DID protect Liyue. Punish lightly, set warnings, have every squad write a three-thousand-word reflection."
"Then instruct all Millelith units to prioritize teamwork training for one month."
"At the end of the month, conduct evaluations.
Teams that fail—will be dismissed entirely."
"They only gained extraordinary power recently. They're still adjusting. Let's give them some leeway."
Kaeya huffed, but nodded.
He turned back to the soldiers:
"Did you hear the Tianquan Star? One month. If you don't improve—DISBANDED!"
"You have power now. If your teamwork stays this bad, today is just accidental injury—next time, it will be accidental death."
"Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
They responded loudly.
They all knew this was embarrassing.
And once the news reached their comrades stationed elsewhere…
They would be teased into early retirement.
"Enough."
Ningguang shook her head lightly, withdrawing her gaze.
"Osial and Baqiu have been subdued. Citizens need not fear—resume your daily lives."
"Ministry of Civil Affairs, oversee the reconstruction of the port. Take this chance to completely renovate the old shoreline."
"Engineering teams interested in the project, report in three days for bidding."
"Millelith will temporarily rest and take no missions."
"Additionally—tomorrow, the Ministry will publish all new human-governance policies. Citizens, stay attentive."
And after the events of today—
no one objected.
Liyue was now united beyond anything seen in recent memory.
The future without the Archon no longer frightened them.
But just as Ningguang prepared to return to the Jade Chamber—
Hu Tao stepped forward in a single light bounce.
"Ahem!"
Ningguang felt a bad feeling.
Hu Tao clapped her hands, voice ringing across the entire harbor.
"Before everyone disperses, this Hall Master has a VERY important announcement!"
People perked up.
Maybe it was something from the Sect Master?
A ceremony?
A new cultivation event?
Instead—
Taking a deep breath, Hu Tao cheerfully declared:
"To celebrate Liyue's new era of human governance—
and the defeat of Osial and Baqiu—
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is launching a LIMITED-TIME PROMOTION!"
"Purchase any Wangsheng tombstone—get the second one for HALF PRICE!"
"Reserve a coffin in advance—enjoy our premium full-process afterlife service!"
"From today onward, any customer spending over ten million Mora at Wangsheng—
will receive a VIP Membership Card!"
"With this VIP card, all purchases of coffins, tombstones, handmade incense paper, and limited-edition burial garments will receive a 10% discount!"
"Furthermore—VIP members can enjoy a FREE Soul-Sending Escort Service personally performed by this Hall Master!"
"Limited to one thousand members! First come, first served!"
"Buy Wangsheng services—
and enjoy a dignified, well-planned end to life!"
"Don't miss out! Don't walk away! Once gone, it's gone!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
A cold wind blew.
Hundreds of Liyue citizens subtly hid behind someone else.
Foreign visitors—originally curious about Wangsheng and considering a membership to "get close to a cultivator"—
instantly abandoned that idea.
What sane person—
would pre-order their own coffin while still alive and breathing?
And Hu Tao…
everyone had just seen her fight.
She wasn't only a funeral director—
She was a full-fledged ghost cultivator.
Her army of screaming spirits, that sea of spectral flames—
It left permanent psychological scars on half the harbor.
Who dared get a "soul-sending escort service" from her?!
Who knew whether you'd be escorted to the afterlife—
or if your soul would be harvested to join her ghost army!?
Dying was bad enough.
Dying and becoming Hu Tao's subordinate…
That was a fate worse than death.
But Hu Tao didn't care about the silence.
As long as the entire harbor heard her advertisement—
and all the foreigners too—
the news of her "limited-time sale" would spread through all seven nations.
Even if one in a thousand came to buy something—
she'd be rolling in Mora.
Hu Tao wasn't greedy.
She just wanted—
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's name to echo across all of Teyvat.
Today, that dream had finally come true.
Though…
she wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
After all—
Having a ghost cultivator run the entire funeral industry…
Well.
It was professional, yes.
But also just a bit… concerning.
A very, very large bit.
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