While the girls were busy outside preparing food,
Zhongli, Kitsune Saiguu, and the others gathered together to discuss Teyvat's situation.
"There were too many people earlier, so it wasn't convenient to discuss. But now I think we should properly consider how to prevent Abyssal infiltration."
Although Venti was usually lazy,
he was unusually serious at a time like this.
Zhongli glanced at him and smiled.
"The sun must be rising in the west. You weren't even this serious five hundred years ago. What's gotten into you today?"
Faced with the old man's teasing,
Venti sighed somewhat awkwardly.
"Five hundred years ago, I had no idea such a disaster would occur, so I was careless. But things are different now. Mondstadt has been managed so well by Su Han and Jean. If I continue slacking off, that would be far too irresponsible."
In the past, he had indeed been rather lazy.
Even Venti admitted it himself.
But the past was the past, and the present was the present.
The two could not be compared.
As Su Han often said, after three days apart, one should view others with fresh eyes.
He did not want Mondstadt, which had only recently regained its prosperity, to fall back into its former state.
Xi Yao covered her mouth and laughed softly from the side.
Who would have thought that the universally acknowledged King of Slacking Off would suddenly rise up today?
It was quite amusing.
At that moment, a shrine maiden walked in carrying a world map.
Kitsune Saiguu hung it in the air and said to everyone,
"Everyone, this is our current map. Take a look and tell me how we should defend it."
"At present, Inazuma has three major vulnerabilities."
Hearing this, Yae Miko quickly interrupted.
"Wait, Lady Saiguu. Shouldn't we only have two major vulnerabilities? Where did the third one come from?"
Kitsune Saiguu raised a finger.
Three points of light immediately appeared.
They represented Mt. Yougou, Enkanomiya, and Tsurumi Island.
Only then did Yae Miko understand.
"Oh, it's that place. I completely forgot about it."
"Exactly."
Kitsune Saiguu nodded lightly and looked toward Tsurumi Island.
"This place is currently trapped within Kapatcir's curse. But Tsurumi Island itself is highly problematic. Not only is there a massive Golden Wolflord there, but there is also a Celestial Nail."
Su Han had mentioned before
that Celestial Nails were wedges used to stabilize space.
If that were true,
then Tsurumi Island's geographical importance became extremely significant.
Zhongli glanced at the map and flicked his finger.
Two locations lit up instantly.
Everyone looked over.
One was the familiar Chasm.
The other was Wuwang Hill.
If Hu Tao had been present,
she would certainly have bombarded everyone with questions.
After all, that place was practically connected to the realm of the dead.
Looking at the second location, Xi Yao murmured,
"I've heard people mention before that Wuwang Hill is a boundary. If the legends are true, then this place is indeed dangerous."
A boundary referred to the edge of the world itself.
At present, Klee's mother wandered among various boundaries and could be considered a powerful guardian.
Although the witch had frequently caused trouble in the past,
she was now a genuine protector of Teyvat.
Looking at Wuwang Hill, Su Han recalled the location he had split open with the power of the Underworld Path and said,
"There's no need to doubt it. The boundary between our world and the Second World, namely the realm of the dead, has already been completely corrupted. If we obtain any treasures, I think they should be used there first."
Boundaries were fragile.
Without strengthening their defenses,
they would eventually be completely destroyed.
Looking at the growing number of glowing points on the map, Venti said despairingly,
"Our world really is full of holes. Is there seriously no way out at all?"
Counting them carefully,
Inazuma had three.
Liyue had two.
Mondstadt also had two.
One was Dragonspine.
The other lay deep beneath the sea, bordering Khaenri'ah.
Fontaine had quite a few as well.
The Primordial Sea counted as one.
The depths of the ancient dynasty counted as another.
The region with the most vulnerabilities had originally been Sumeru.
As the center of the Abyss outbreak and the place where the desert had been opened up, it was currently sealed by Khvarena.
But how long that power could last depended largely on luck.
One would never know until counting.
Just among five nations, there were already more than a dozen vulnerabilities.
If the Abyss actively stirred up trouble,
even more would likely appear.
Seeing everyone's mood becoming increasingly pessimistic, Zhongli smiled and reminded them,
"Everyone, there is no need to become discouraged simply because there are many locations to defend. As Su Han just said, Abyssal invasions still require time. More importantly, the soldiers of every nation are steadily becoming stronger."
In the past, nobody had any means to resist the Abyss.
Yet they had still survived those difficult times.
Now that they possessed methods capable of destroying Abyssal corruption, why had they become more pessimistic instead?
That simply made no sense.
After hearing Zhongli's encouragement,
everyone gradually felt better.
Su Han also took the opportunity to add a few words.
"The old man is right. While the Abyss may be stronger than before, we're becoming stronger as well. Take Shenhe and Mona for example. Both of them have consumed powerful Devil Fruits."
"If I can obtain even more treasures in the future, the world will gradually become more stable."
"At the very least, we don't need to worry about the Chasm anymore."
Su Han erased one of the glowing points with a swipe of his hand.
The effect of the Dragon Vein was enormous.
Not only did it suppress the spread of the Abyss,
it also allowed Hilichurls to gradually recover their sanity.
If they could obtain more treasures like that in the future,
protecting Teyvat might not be as difficult as it seemed.
Xi Yao looked at Su Han in confusion, still not understanding why the Chasm no longer needed to be a concern.
At that moment, Kitsune Saiguu leaned over and quietly explained.
Only then did Xi Yao understand.
"So it's because of a special treasure. In that case, we really don't need to worry too much."
Although Xi Yao did not know where Su Han obtained such treasures,
as long as they could repair the world, that was enough.
Eventually,
the discussion returned to its source.
They still needed to sell manga.
However, before the meeting ended,
Su Han reminded everyone of one more thing.
"I suggest that you all abandon the power of your divine thrones. If possible, free yourselves from Teyvat's control as soon as possible."
Everyone looked puzzled.
At that moment, Xi Yao explained,
"Su Han isn't exaggerating. He's speaking seriously. You may not know this, but Khaenri'ah, and even the current Abyss, have always been researching a particular creation."
"Are the Ruin Machines really only meant for warfare?"
"No."
"They are trying to alter the ley lines."
"And the ley lines are equivalent to the laws governing our world. If they are changed, many of our memories may be altered as well."
There were five Sinners.
Through the power of the Abyss, they had already escaped the world's restraints.
Compared to them,
the Fatui were insignificant.
Thus, eliminating those individuals was one of the major objectives of this meeting.
The moment Venti heard there were even more enemies,
he instantly felt exhausted.
"Can someone please take over my position as Archon? I seriously don't want to do this anymore."
So many enemies.
So many vulnerabilities.
Just thinking about it was tiring.
At that moment, Zhongli glanced at him.
The dejected Anemo Archon immediately straightened up.
"Hehe, I was only complaining. Actually, being the Anemo Archon isn't bad at all."
Everyone burst into laughter.
They all thought the same thing.
If you're afraid of the old man, just say so.
There's no need to hide it.
Everyone understands.
After the meeting ended,
everyone went outside to enjoy the feast.
Su Han held Klee in his left arm,
Qiqi in his right,
and Yaoyao in his lap.
He did not even need to feed himself.
All he had to do was open his mouth.
Seeing this scene, Ningguang could not help saying to Kitsune Saiguu,
"He really is a king among children. He likes kids so much. Tell me, what do you think Su Han would be like if he had children of his own someday?"
The question immediately left the fox shrine maiden speechless.
That's right.
How had she forgotten about that?
Su Han really did have a child on the way.
But should she tell him?
Kitsune Saiguu looked around.
After seeing the large number of beautiful women nearby,
she abandoned the thought.
If she revealed it now,
it would instantly trigger a battlefield of jealousy.
Better not.
Still, should she give Ningguang a hint?
Recently, Ningguang had provided Inazuma with large amounts of supplies and workers.
She was a pretty good person.
A gleam flashed through Kitsune Saiguu's eyes.
Lowering her voice, she whispered,
"Have you ever considered having a child with Su Han?"
"???"
For a moment,
Ningguang did not know how to react.
What kind of question was that?
Why suddenly bring up children?
Was something going on?
The wealthy woman of Liyue thought for a moment.
Then she looked at Su Han happily playing with Klee and the others.
To her surprise, she genuinely felt tempted.
She had always liked children.
But other people's children would always be other people's children.
What if she had one of her own?
In the past, she had no partner.
Now, Ningguang had everything she could want.
Perhaps it was something worth considering.
However, given her current workload, was having a child really possible?
Her beautiful brows gradually furrowed.
"I have thought about it, but my work..."
The countless affairs of Liyue required constant attention.
Especially from her.
If she became pregnant, she might be unable to handle official duties for years.
Kitsune Saiguu did not immediately respond.
Instead, she sighed softly and spoke of her own past.
"Back then, I also believed Inazuma could not function without me. But only after my death did I realize that dedicating too much of yourself to others ultimately only causes you to neglect yourself."
As she spoke,
she patted Ningguang on the shoulder and said earnestly,
"A woman should think about herself eventually. Even if you don't want children, what will you think when someone else gives birth to Su Han's child?"
"Men are all like that."
"Family is extremely important to them."
Kitsune Saiguu stood up and left.
Leaving Ningguang alone in thought.
She looked toward the smiling man in the distance.
At last, she made a decision.
That's right.
Work would never end.
So why not think about herself for once?
That day,
Su Han was very happy.
With Klee, Qiqi, and the others accompanying him,
he had a wonderful time.
Late that night,
however,
he arrived alone before the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Before he could do anything,
Kitsune Saiguu slowly emerged from behind the tree.
"You're still going to try it?"
"Yes. This time I have proper preparations."
"But dreams..."
Kitsune Saiguu reminded him.
Five hundred years ago,
he had suffered grievous injuries.
However, Su Han had his own understanding of the matter.
"I think you're mistaken about one thing. Injuries may happen, but I can't reject the power of time and space simply because I'm afraid of getting hurt."
"And right now is the perfect opportunity."
"The Abyss and every nation are currently in a relatively peaceful period."
"Even if crossing through time causes injuries, I still have to try. Besides, don't forget, the Tree of Time allows round trips."
If he succeeded,
Su Han could potentially travel once every day.
Just imagining it felt amazing.
Kitsune Saiguu wanted to say something,
but ultimately let out a deep sigh.
"Then I wish you a safe journey."
"Mm."
Su Han smiled confidently and placed his hand upon the Sacred Sakura Tree.
He had originally believed this tree had been transformed from a soul.
But in reality,
it was more than that.
Its true form was the Tree of Time.
"Open for me."
Silver power surged forth.
The fox-shaped tree erupted with brilliant light.
Su Han felt the power of time.
At that moment,
he witnessed the history of Inazuma.
His body was swallowed by silver radiance.
Within the vision,
Inazuma grew from nothing into a nation.
Countless mortals perished in war.
But at the moment space and time twisted,
Su Han sensed a malicious presence.
He followed the aura.
At the end of it,
he saw a shadow wielding a golden sword charging toward him.
"It's you..."
"It's me!"
Terrifying sword intent, carrying boundless Abyssal power, instantly engulfed Su Han.
At that moment,
he finally understood.
Damn it.
So the person he encountered during time travel was his future brother-in-law.
Had he known earlier,
he would have gone to find Lumine first.
Darkness swallowed his consciousness.
When Su Han awoke,
he found himself lying on a beach.
Above him stretched a dim sky.
The sound of waves echoed clearly in his ears.
The time travel had succeeded.
But he had been attacked.
Damn it.
Su Han swore in his heart that one day he would make Lumine show up carrying their child to meet Aether.
His consciousness sank into darkness once more.
Not long afterward,
a fox shrine maiden happened to pass by after finishing work.
Seeing the figure lying on the ground, surprise flashed through her eyes.
"Hm? Is this a traveler passing through?"
The fox shrine maiden looked puzzled.
She searched the area for a moment and eventually found a small stick.
Poke.
Poke.
The man did not react at all.
"He can't be completely dead, can he?"
The fox shrine maiden straightened up, a trace of concern flashing through her eyes.
Meanwhile, the little fox sleeping atop her head continued snoring peacefully.
The woman bent down and checked his breathing.
"Looks like he can still be saved."
She snapped her fingers.
Nearby foxes immediately appeared and carried the unfortunate man away.
When Su Han woke up again,
he found himself inside a small house.
His body itself was not seriously injured.
But strangely,
he could neither speak nor move.
He could only occasionally open his eyes.
The sensation was extremely bizarre.
Su Han closed his eyes and examined himself.
Eventually, he discovered the source of the problem deep within his body.
He had been attacked by Aether.
Although he had no idea how Aether had accomplished it,
the only way to recover completely now was to erase every trace of Abyssal energy within him.
Over the next month,
Su Han spent every day repairing his body.
Occasionally, he would see Kitsune Saiguu arrive with a pink-haired fox.
As for why he never saw the fox's face,
the answer was very simple.
If a pink-haired fox were stepping on your face,
you would not be able to see her appearance either.
"Miko, you're being naughty again."
After preparing some medicine, Kitsune Saiguu noticed the pink-haired fox's prank and could not help glaring at her.