Genshin Impact: The Beginning of the Wind

And Osel, who is standing here now, is obviously a very good target for displaying force!

So even though it was somewhat wasteful, Morax still began to gather the power within his body. Endless rock elements began to gather under his command, and before long, to everyone's horror and worship, an unimaginably huge and terrifying rock spear pierced through the sky that had been completely covered by dark clouds.

A dazzling golden light, like the blazing sun, cascaded down from the rock spear, which was much taller and larger than the mountains. Endless rock element entered a state of extreme activity with the appearance of the rock spear. Even the water element, which was based on the ocean, was completely suppressed by the heavy and active rock element at this moment.

Even Oser, who was gathering power, was completely bound to his spot by the aftershocks. The power he had gathered was utterly crushed when faced with the residual force emanating from the rock spear.

"Roar!"

As Oser faced this rock spear, which far surpassed the one that had once suppressed him, he let out a final roar. However, at this moment, all that flowed from his voice, besides deep sorrow and resentment, was endless fear.

Even among demons, there are differences. This simple statement was laid bare before everyone at this moment. When faced with Morax's hateful attack, Oser couldn't even put up the most basic resistance.

"Boom!"

The massive rock spear easily suppressed Oser along with Bazhe—this was not even a simple suppression.

Oser and Bazhe's lives were easily wiped out at this moment. Even though Oser, as a demon god, was immortal, he couldn't even release a trace of the demon god's resentment before being pressed back into the deep sea by the terrifying rock spear.

Under the power of the Geo Archon, the so-called grudge of the Demon God may not be erased, but it will never see the light of day again. This means that the Maelstrom Demon God Oser has been completely removed from the world of Teyvat from this day forward!

After everything settled down, a towering mountain appeared once again on the once vast sea, and the still-dormant rock element was active on this mountain—if this continued, perhaps long afterward this mountain would once again become a mineral-rich island.

It was at this moment that the torrential rain that had enveloped the entire Liyue Harbor finally stopped, and rays of warm sunlight finally shone on the exhausted crowd.

This strike will bring peace and tranquility!

Chapter 51 Things Liyue Must Do

Liyue has suffered a great calamity this time, and has suffered heavy losses in all aspects in just a few days.

The ships and cargo at the docks, and even the buildings damaged by the earthquake, were relatively easy to deal with, but the loss of life was the most serious and what pained Liyue the most.

The complete statistics haven't reached Ningguang yet—there's a need for manpower everywhere, and there simply isn't enough manpower to spare to count how many people have been killed or are missing. The most important thing right now is to rescue all the survivors from under the collapsed buildings as quickly as possible!

Everything else can wait!

Having just withdrawn from the battlefield, the Chiyan Army immediately threw itself back into the rescue efforts for the civilians without any rest. Even though the Chiyan Army itself had suffered heavy losses, it did not stop. Upon learning that they were to be assigned to rescue the civilians, all the Chiyan Army soldiers who were still able to move devoted themselves to the busy rescue work without complaint.

The Thousand Rock Army has indeed suffered heavy losses this time. However, the Thousand Rock Army that was previously dispatched to other places was not too bad except for the area where they also suffered heavy losses. Now, Ningguang has ordered this fresh force to support the area of ​​the Rock and Liyue Harbor as quickly as possible.

Logically, with the assurances of several deities at the Layered Rock Abyss, there shouldn't be any problems. However, considering that the Layered Rock Abyss might become the financial source that the entire Liyue region would have to rely on, Ningguang still ordered the reinforcement of troops.

Moreover, the guards at the Lava Abyss had indeed suffered heavy losses due to the influence of the abyss's power, and she had to do this just to ensure that Liyue would not be caught off guard again.

This is not to doubt the gods' power, but simply to stabilize the current state of panic in Liyue.

After all, the Laminariat can be considered the last resort for Liyue. As long as the Laminariat is alright, Liyue can barely survive by relying on the minerals produced there in the worst-case scenario. For Liyue at present, such a safe and secure escape route is extremely important.

If we can keep the public's mind at ease, then we will have more options in many things.

Compared to the Rocky Abyss, the Thousand Rock Army at Liyue Harbor suffered the most severe losses in the entire Liyue region.

The Abyss of Layered Rocks is indeed more dangerous, but that's precisely why the Thousand Rock Army mobilized the vast majority of its elite forces there. With the elite forces gathered, although the situation they face is more dangerous, they can ensure that their losses will not be too terrible.

However, the result of drastically drawing away elite troops was that the Thousand Rock Army in Liyue Harbor was not only small in number, but also consisted of a considerable number of newly enlisted rookies.

Therefore, when faced with the sudden attack of the sea monster, almost one in ten of the Thousand Rock Army rushed to the front lines!

Given such a high loss rate, it is already a miracle that this group of Thousand Rock Army soldiers can still hold on. What's more, these seemingly weak Thousand Rock Army soldiers have proved to everyone with their blood and pride that they truly deserve the name 'Thousand Rock Army'. Under their protection, not a single sea monster has been able to break through the first line of defense built by the Thousand Rock Army.

"Ah~"

After thinking about this, Ningguang couldn't help but throw down the cipher in her hand, then got up and went to the window to look at the ruined streets outside filled with people.

Under the organization of the remaining Thousand Rock Army, the survivors in Liyue Harbor are busy trying to rescue survivors from various ruins. Perhaps it is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, but the sudden and devastating disaster seems to have made Liyue, which had gradually become immersed in money and commerce, recall the strength, courage and unity hidden in the blood of all Liyue people.

The once gradually declining Liyue seems to have reawakened its will and courage at this moment.

But...is the price paid for this awakening too high?

Ningguang didn't know if this was good or bad for Liyue, but she did know that the courage born from this memory might have come at just the right time—Teyvat was becoming increasingly dangerous, as evidenced by the successive disasters that had befallen Mondstadt and Liyue. Adding to this the sudden isolation of Inazuma, it further demonstrated that even the highest-ranking gods were already dealing with various disasters and crises.

So, will Liyue be able to survive the upcoming disaster?

Ningguang didn't know the answer, but she just wanted Liyue to recover as quickly as possible and even become stronger!

"You seem very troubled right now? Do you need my help?"

Just as Ningguang was standing by the window pondering what to do next for Liyue, Yelan's voice suddenly entered her ears. This elusive woman had somehow appeared in Ningguang's room.

"The problem I'm pondering is quite complicated—we are ultimately just mortals. Even with the help of the Fools' Commander and even with the help of my old friend, the result is merely to hold off a demon god who was casually suppressed by the Emperor for a while. If we let it drag on, we will undoubtedly be defeated."

"Can we really sustain Liyue's existence in the face of the impending disaster?"

Ningguang didn't intend to hide her thoughts from Yelan. She knew very well that Yelan wouldn't reveal such things casually, and the intelligent Yelan might be able to give Ningguang a different answer from another perspective.

After all, this was a matter of life and death for the entire Liyue region, and Ningguang hoped to get as many different answers as possible so that she could piece together a feasible solution.

"This involves a matter of this level? That's beyond the scope of a lowly spy like myself to answer."

"Right now, all I can do is try to find a more stable supply of food and medicine from Sumeru or Mondstadt. I really can't help you figure out how to solve a problem that at least requires the gods to handle."

"After all, this time the demons have clearly shown us mortals what the war between the demons was really like."

"As mortals, it's not that we can't dream of defeating the demon god, but I don't think we can do it right now."

Ye Lan was also hesitant about Ning Guang's question. Although her words seemed unserious, she was actually very worried about the issue. Unfortunately, as she said, there was only so much that mortals like them could do. What could they do even if they were unwilling?

She was equally unwilling to accept this outcome. Many of her men had also sacrificed their lives in this disaster, but what could she do?

Ningguang sacrificed the complete destruction of the Jade Pavilion, and even with the addition of so many immortals and the commanders of the Fools, she still couldn't do anything to a demon god who was easily suppressed by the Emperor. When facing an existence of the same level as the Emperor, even if the entire Liyue came together, could they really cause even the slightest trouble?

Everyone knows the answer to this question, but no one wants to admit it. Otherwise... would mortals really still have a reason to exist?

Or rather, what does Liyue mean to the Geo Archon right now? Is it merely an external device used to hold him back at crucial moments?

"No matter what, Liyue must continue on. This time, the Emperor once again protected us through this great disaster, but we cannot rest easy under the Emperor's protection."

"This crisis has shown us all that Liyue must grow at an even faster pace!"

Ningguang shook her head, trying to shake off the doubts, hesitations, and confusion in her mind. Then, with a serious yet determined look, she looked out the window at the ravaged Liyue Harbor. She was a very realistic person. Although Liyue couldn't really help the Geo Archon right now, that was no reason for them to just give up.

"I will work with everyone in Liyue to rebuild our home. The new Liyue Harbor will be more beautiful, and Liyue will be stronger after overcoming the disaster!"

"Sooner or later, we will have to step out from under the Emperor's protection and face all the storms of this world on our own—this is something we must do!"

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Deal of the Heart of God

"Your people are recovering quickly. This disaster will not break them; it will only make them grow stronger."

Venti looked at Liyue Harbor, which was rapidly recovering, with a mixture of admiration and envy, and said this.

He genuinely envied Zhongli. While Liyue still needed more time to grow, it had at least demonstrated the potential to move forward independently in terms of will and performance. What the people of Liyue lacked now was simply a little more time to continue developing and a direction sufficient for transformation.

This is much better than Mondstadt, where the people are still so free and undisciplined.

Wendy, at least, really didn't know when she could truly let go of Mondstadt and pursue the freedom that truly belonged to her.

"They have indeed grown a lot."

Standing atop Mount Tianheng, Zhongli looked down at Liyue Harbor with a sense of relief—although it was well hidden, both Su Feng and Venti could sense the trace of sadness lurking in Zhongli's eyes.

Even though this wasn't the first time he'd experienced something like this over the long years, and even though Zhongli had witnessed far more tragic situations before, he, despite his weariness, still felt deeply pained by the sacrifices Liyue was now facing.

But it must be said that this pain also contains a strong sense of relief.

His children—Liyue, who had lived under his protection for thousands of years—have finally grown up. Even though mortals are still somewhat lacking in pure power, they have done the best they can.

This is the best comfort for Zhongli, who only has Liyue left. Moreover, power is always the easiest thing to replenish, so for Zhongli now, Liyue has indeed reached a point where he can move forward.

"Liyue suffered heavy losses this time. What are your plans afterward? Will you choose to leave them and hand over power completely to mortals?"

Looking down at Liyue Harbor, Su Feng was curious about what Zhongli planned to do next, since Zhongli had previously decided to completely leave the sight of mortals and only secretly protect his kingdom.

But is now really the time for Zhongli to leave?

Having already suffered such a great calamity, can Liyue really bear to lose the Geo Archon again?

Su Feng was quite puzzled by this. He even felt that if Zhong Li announced at this time that he would no longer appear in Liyue, the country might even fall completely.

"No, that's precisely why I need to leave."

“They have grown up. If I continue to protect them from where they can see me, it will only cause them to regress. I am now a stumbling block to Liyue’s continued growth.”

"So choosing to leave now is the best option. At this moment, they will carry the will and blessings of all the victims and continue to forge ahead, becoming even better than before!"

Zhongli's voice revealed a deep confidence in Liyue; he believed his child would not disappoint him, and so far, Liyue certainly hadn't.

"..."

"Sometimes I really don't understand what you gods are thinking."

After receiving an answer from Zhongli that was completely beyond his expectations, Su Feng couldn't help but shake his head. Although he was now vaguely aware of the budding feelings in his heart, he still couldn't understand Zhongli's thoughts.

Or perhaps most people simply cannot comprehend what this Geo Archon, who has protected Liyue for so many years, is thinking?

But no matter what, Liyue is Zhongli's Liyue after all. Since he has already made his decision, it is naturally not up to Su Feng, an outsider, to interfere.

Wow! Is it really that high up here?

"Just climbing up here must be exhausting!"

Just then, a crisp sound suddenly broke the tranquility of the mountain peak.

At this moment, only Paimon, the best guide and mouthpiece of Teyvat, could say such a thing!

So Su Feng, following the sound, quickly saw Paimon floating in the sky, the traveler following behind him, and the clown and prince of the Fools.

Clearly, they all came to find Zhongli.

"So is there something that can't be said in Liyue Harbor? Why do we have to come up here? The mountain paths here are so hard to climb, my phantom limbs are killing me!"

Despite knowing that the three people in front of him were all god-level beings, Paimon showed no fear whatsoever. He even stood with his hands on his hips and questioned who had chosen to discuss matters here.

Paimon's complaining at this moment even gave off a strange sense of oppression.

"So why do you feel tired when you're always floating in the sky? If we're talking about who's tired, shouldn't I be the one who's more tired?"

After hearing Paimon's words, Ying, who was traveling with him, couldn't help but start her usual吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online commentary/criticism). Paimon, however, gave his own answer as if it were perfectly natural.

"That's why it's phantom limb pain. And even flying in the sky takes effort. I'm not making this up!"

Well, this little guy doesn't think there's anything wrong with his current attitude at all, and even Ying thinks there's nothing wrong with it. But it's precisely this natural behavior that makes people a little envious.