"I wonder where Klee found all these Geovishaps. Do any of the adepti know where they came from?"
Ningguang watched the Geovishaps slaughtering monsters with some unease. Creatures this powerful would be a disaster to encounter in the wild.
After Cloud Retainer left with Su Bai, the remaining three adepti were not particularly skilled at socializing. They exchanged awkward glances. In the end, Xiao was the one to explain.
"Don't worry. These Geovishaps are under the command of an elder. If she sent them to aid Liyue Harbor, she must have her reasons. Besides, these Geovishaps might not be a bad opportunity for you."
Xiao's hearing was far sharper than the others. He had clearly heard Klee's words. If these Geovishaps could be properly utilized, they would be a formidable force.
Ningguang's eyes lit up. As a merchant, she immediately understood Xiao's meaning. She wondered what these Geovishaps liked to eat. If it was just meat, Liyue might soon have a Geovishap corps of its own.
"Let's join the fight as well. The sooner we end this, the sooner we can leave."
Moon Carver shook the water off his feathers. Liyue Harbor was saturated with Hydro energy from Osial's influence, which made him uncomfortable.
Xiao said nothing, simply vanishing from sight. Mountain Shaper followed, flying toward the city. He had recently met some interesting elderly folk that he took a liking to. He didn't want to see them harmed.
Moon Carver walked on air, raining Pyro down on the monster hordes. Lumine and the others on the beach were dumbfounded. What about them? The beach was still quite a distance from Liyue Harbor.
"I'll be going ahead."
Ganyu channeled her adeptal energy, her speed surging. Keqing stared blankly at her retreating figure. She finally understood how Ganyu managed to never be late for work. Apart from never leaving the office, she also had this incredible speed.
"Let's hurry. If we're late, there won't be any monsters left."
With the adepti joining the battle, the monsters in Liyue Harbor were utterly doomed. The adepti might not have been able to defeat Osial, but dealing with the monsters was effortless.
During the chaos, Hu Tao was treated to an eye-opening spectacle. The speed and force of Xiao's thrusts were several times greater than her own. The rapid xin xin xin made her plum blossom eyes turn into starry ones.
"Wow, that's so cool! I need to learn that move."
"I remember he's an adeptus. When Su Bai gets back, I'll ask him to introduce us. Your director will definitely learn from him."
Looking at the piles of monster corpses, Hu Tao steeled her resolve to become his disciple. If Xiao ever found out, he would regret it deeply. He had no idea how to handle a clever little girl like her.
With the counterattack in full swing, the monsters stood no chance against the combined forces of adepti, Geovishaps, and Millelith. Within half an hour, every monster in Liyue Harbor had been eliminated.
"Brothers, we've won!"
Fengyan raised his White Tassel and declared their victory. After a moment of stunned silence, Liyue Harbor erupted in celebration. Cheers echoed through the streets.
"It seems Liyue has quietly stepped into a new era. Perhaps we old ones truly don't need to interfere anymore."
"Rex Lapis is surely right. We shouldn't question his choices."
Xiao watched as Ningguang and the Millelith were surrounded by cheering crowds. The smiles on their faces were radiant, and he could tell they came from the heart.
"Haha, I can't believe I made it. Old Zhang, come over for a drink tonight!"
"Ha, I might need to sleep for a bit first. You go on ahead..."
Before the Millelith soldier could finish, exhaustion overtook him, and he collapsed. At first, no one thought much of it. Intense battles were exhausting. But as more and more soldiers fell, alarm spread.
One soldier, helping his friend home, noticed something strange. His friend's face was lined with wrinkles. When he parted his hair, the roots were turning white.
"What... what's happening? Medic! Medic!"
"Qiqi is here."
Hearing the call for help, Qiqi rushed over with her little medical kit. After examining the fallen soldier, she tilted her head in confusion. His friend said he was only in his twenties, but his body showed signs of aging more typical of someone in their forties. How strange.
"Little Qiqi, is my friend going to be okay?"
"He's just tired and needs rest. It might be because he overexerted himself during intense activity at his age."
"You can try soaking him in a bath with these herbs. It will help."
Qiqi wrote out a prescription and handed it to the soldier. But he didn't take it. Instead, he stared at her in disbelief.
"Little Qiqi, are you sure? He's only in his twenties."
"Hmm, if that's the case, I might have been wrong."
The soldier let out a relieved sigh. Of course. His good friend couldn't be that frail. Qiqi tilted her head again and added slowly:
"If he's not in his forties, then he might have lost some of his life force. Qiqi heard Mr. Baizhu mention it."
"When the pulse doesn't match the age, it could be a problem with the life force."
"Life force? That's impossible. I've been with him all day. If something was wrong, I would have noticed. Wait."
The soldier seemed to remember something. He reached into his friend's pocket and pulled out a black object. During the battle, his friend had used it and suddenly grown much stronger.
"You're right. This is what drained your friend's life force."
"Lady Ningguang!"
Ningguang took the Delusion from the soldier's hand. How had such a thing spread among the Millelith? Could this be Childe's doing again?
"Since Liyue is still standing, there's no need for tears. We're just going ahead to scout the path for our brothers. In a hundred years, we'll all drink together down there."
"Give that thing in my pocket to Lady Ningguang. If you ever come across something like it, never use it."
An aged Millelith soldier was scolding a younger one. From their exchange, it was clear the older soldier had used a Delusion as well. Having used it for too long, he was now at the end of his life.